CHEM271 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/01/2024	This dude is the GOAT. Easy exams, clutched up an A in the class
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 08/16/2024	I had rainbolt for both orgo 1 and chem chem 2. Can come off very mean and hard initially, but he's actually very chill if u go to his office. His work preps u well, he gives very little busy work, and the entire course is given to you in a very organized way.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2024	Rainbolt was honestly my favorite professor of the semester -- he was engaging, taught concisely, and was very resourceful in terms of module packets, equation sheets, and giving old practice exams. I felt like I didn't work super hard to earn my grade in the class, but that may be due to general chemistry being easier than orgo. I honestly appreciated his chalk-board + paper packets; it felt more old school and I still wrote down lecture notes on my ipad anyway. Many students complained about his exam problems being different from the module packet, but like...what do you expect? I honestly think he exercised gen chem concepts the way that I wrap them around in my head. If you're good at problem solving, you would excel in his class. It doesn't take long to understand concepts in general chemistry because beyond that, it's just simple math and knowing how to use a calculator. He ensures that his exams aren't memorization based because everything is on his formula sheet, and barely takes points off for calculation errors; he just wants to make sure that your path to getting to the answer is correct. I also thought he was a pretty funny guy in class and his jokes were good; he likely toned it down from previous semesters because I did hear some strange things from previous students. I would say give Rainbolt some grace because he has a strong knack for teaching.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/20/2024	Him as a person is annoying and incredibly weird. He tells you to stare in his eyes which like no thanks. He also is not always the best at explaining during lecture, so I just didn’t go. But I personally liked his module packets. They were great for studying and helped make me feel organized when studying. I fully did horrible on both of the exams, but got a 90 on the final and finished with a B-!! I think this semester the curve was like 5%. The exams actually like weren’t bad just don’t over think bc the answer is very easy. Overall, i wouldn’t say take him but you can do mid on tests and still have a fine grade in this class.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/17/2024	this class is for SELF-LEARNERs / STUDIERS. I'm not gonna lie I immediately knew from the first 3 lectures that her teaching style was not going to be useful for my learning so I basically skipped most of the classes. (I become more confused going to her lecture). However, she gives you the resources that you need to get an A. She uploads her lecture slides every class, though I recommend using the textbook along side because her slides don't really make sense without the textbook. Lectures aren't recorded but they wouldn't really help anyways. If you have the capacity to self study, then take this class because her lectures are not necessary. Her practice exams + answer keys are very accurate to how she will test you on her real exams. If you want to be successful in her class then... - review her lecture slides and do all the practice problems - do the discussion sheets (this is absolutely necessary) - do the practice exams (also absolutely necessary) - do the homework (a "free" 20% of your grade). Homework is ~20% of your grade (100 / 475). It is done through the ALEKS homework system which is an online software. It is a hunk of junk and barely makes you learn stuff. I've spent 50 hours doing it throughout the whole semester which is horrendous. At least it is just completion based. As a self studier I see no problems with this class, just don't expect the professor to feed you information. Also, she has a handy dandy summary sheet for what you need to study for the upcoming exams. - Good luck, not that luck has any factor into your academic performance anyways. happy learning.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/14/2024	I really liked Rainbolt. I never once talked to him or participated in class, so I was definitely not a "favorite" like other reviewers on here say but I still did really well and enjoyed his class. His modules are very thorough and contain all the information you need about a topic. He tries hard to keep students engaged in lectures and is a pretty funny dude. I felt like he genuinely cared about his student's understanding and success in the class. I went in very intimidated because of the rumors but ended up really liking him as a professor. He definitely has no tolerance for stupid questions but he does appreciate participation. I felt like his exams were fair if you studied the module practices and quizzes.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/10/2024	take a moment to read my review. I think Rainbolt is a great lecturer, and generally engaging person. I believe he may have started out roughly which attributes to the poor reviews for orgo and previous gen chem classes, but honestly I think I made the right choice taking him for gen chem this semester. He's a very blunt person, but I don't think he's rude -- people just need to take his sense of humour lightly and move on with their lives. To be completely honest, he's actually very considerate to my class. His equation sheets are STACKED for exams (I mean like...he even provides units for every constant we need, everything is practically given, no need for memorization). When we asked for old exams as practice, he gave us old exams for practice. His modules, although inconvenient because they're on paper, are pretty decent for review and practice. When he grades, he gives huge partial credit as long as your thinking process is right. His exams are not as hard as people make it seem -- he cares more about the process/application of topics, rather than getting the correct answer, which I appreciate. He's ensuring that we learn. He doesn't even seem intimidating or rude like many others have said, just eccentric... but when you actually talk with him, he's pretty nice and overall a chill dude. I find that a lot of professors on terpplanet are rated by personality which is unfair; I would take Rainbolt any day over an overly nice professor who can't teach.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/07/2024	I would not recommend taking Dr. Mignerey. I had her for CHEM271 but would probably not recommend her for any other course because I'm sure her teaching style is the same. She almost never explains concepts in a way that students understand. Most of the time, she just spent the entire class period copying exactly what was on her slides to a piece of paper. She would start a train of thought and then forget what she was talking about and say "okay yeah so..." and then move on. I still went to lectures but paying attention honestly just made me more confused sometimes. The saving graces were Sam, the TA, and that her exams were very similar to her practice problems. But, I don't really think I learned much in this class and wouldn't recommend taking her.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/07/2024	I would not recommend taking Dr. Mignerey. I had her for CHEM271 but would probably not recommend her for any other course because I'm sure her teaching style is the same. She almost never explains concepts in a way that students understand. Most of the time, she just spent the entire class period copying exactly what was on her slides to a piece of paper. She would start a train of thought and then forget what she was talking about and say "okay yeah so..." and then move on. I still went to lectures but paying attention honestly just made me more confused sometimes. The saving graces were Sam, the TA, and that her exams were very similar to her practice problems. But, I don't really think I learned much in this class and wouldn't recommend taking her.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/06/2024	Not a very strong instructor. Her lectures are very disorganized and almost entirely practice-problem based. This might have been fine, except for that the vast majority of her lectures are spent trying to find and correct her own mistakes (and fighting with her computer). I personally eventually stopped attending lectures, and only went to the discussions and GSS classes to learn the content elsewhere. Otherwise, her exams are fair and very similar to her practice exams, and she seems to be a nice person. The homework system she uses (Aleks) is pretty time intensive, but a good resource for learning content. I have heard from other students that she grants extensions on homework pretty generously.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/02/2024	I actually took Rainbolt for Orgo I and wasn’t the biggest fan of Rainbolt, but gave him a chance for Gen Chem II (since the only other option was Mignerey and I’ve never actually taken a course with her) and I’m extremely glad I did. Maybe I was a bit too harsh on him during Orgo I or he completely changed his lecture style over the past year but I absolutely love this class. There’s no homework, you have to purchase the module packet but it’s so extremely helpful and gives you all the information necessary to do well on the exams, there’s weekly quizzes that aren’t too hard (just makes sure to have your notes with you), and the exams are pretty fair. Rainbolt has also been posting previous semester exams to help us study which has been EXTREMELY helpful!! The only complaint I really have is that your grade is essentially all exams so it’s crucial you actually study and do well, especially if your class averages are relatively high and there’ll be little to no curve. I also have always enjoyed the pre lecture videos and am glad he’s kept doing those!! Overall really glad I took Rainbolt again especially since he’s become significantly better at navigating ELMS!
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/10/2024	Fantastic professor! He is fair. His class utilizes the homework, power points and the textbook. For the exams, at the beginning of each power point there are chapter objectives. These chapter objectives match the questions he is going to ask on the exam. There are no gimmicks nor are there surprises, what he teaches is what he tests.
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Expecting a B- Anonymous 01/03/2024	i took this professor after reading the reviews thinking he couldn't be that bad, but omg. I'm sure he's a lovely person and he's definitely very smart, but he could not lecture in a way that allowed me to understand the material. i genuinely struggled more in this course than i did in organic chem 1 or 2 and i fully believe that is the fault of the professor. i stopped going to lectures once i realized that the topics discussed were rarely related to the homework, and they were impossible to stay awake in. the practice problems were useless as they were never fully worked out, and the posted lecture slides didn't include solutions so i couldn't use them to study. the only way i managed to pass this course was by attending the GSS sessions and completing the online homework, which sometimes provided feedback for incorrect answers. also, it didn't help that the TA was even more unorganized and i didn't learn anything from discussions either (but still had to attend because i needed those participation points lol). it's really unfortunate that the instruction was so bad because i feel like the material shouldn't have been as hard as it was. the exams were rough, and the class typically averaged around 50-60%.
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 12/20/2023	You guys. Please. don't take professor wang. Although he is very intelligent and very very nice, you will not learn in this class. I had to spend hours outside of class teaching myself concepts that he went over in lecture because he is unable to teach. He does very few example problems and skims over very important topics. he is also very bad with communication unless you come to him in person. I have written him several emails he has yet to respond to. His accent is also very very strong and it can be difficult to understand at times. The exams are basically reworded questions from the textbook which was nice as it always felt super familiar, however, they do not give any partial credit on exams. There have been questions where i have gotten almost completely right but because of a small error, it would deduct me full points. this was too much stress for a two credit class...
Andrei Vedernikov CHEM271 Expecting a B- ninjas117 12/14/2023	Pmuch no curve in this class. be prepared to STUDY THE PRACTICE EXAMS.
Andrei Vedernikov CHEM271 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/14/2023	I am not that great at physical chemistry lol but shout out to Bryan the ta for hosting the most amazing review sessions and sending them out to us as recordings. saved my ass fr. stopped going to class few weeks in, slides did not help imo but provides some context. youtube lol. Dr. V is nice and he just talks very softly. sit in the front if you do go. lectures are not recorded. homework on pearson due every week just about. he really does like going into theory behind the problems but might not go through a problem. can tell is a professor who really likes the subject he teaches. i stayed up pmuch whole night studying for final. DO THE PRACTICE EXAMS!!!!!
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/13/2023	DO NOT TAKE HIM! He is very hard to understand and he "posts" slides to CANVAS. However, you do not get a complete version of the slides "because of Pearson". This leaves you barely understanding what he says, unable to copy down complete class slides online, and with the hope you can write down the slides in lecture before he moves on. You are lucky if there's a practice exam. He will also acknowledge that its an intro chem course and then treat it like its the most important thing of your life. Basically, you won't understand him, can't make up slides you miss, and have to pray you study the right material for the exams.
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/07/2023	Dr. Wang is a very sweet and approachable person, and does really try to help his students succeed (answers questions in lecture, takes student feedback into consideration, etc.). However, my issue with this class is that he’s a pretty insufficient lecturer. It’s got nothing to do with his accent (I have multiple other professors with accents and that’s no issue) and really because the lecture feels inconsistent/unorganized. He uses a powerpoint but it feels like he’s sort of making up what to say on the spot and spends an inconsistent amount of time on the different topics. He also tends to talk himself in circles when answering questions. We got a practice exam for the first exam but not the second one. The homework was ok, although I didn’t like the platform (especially in comparison to the organic chemistry homework or ExpertTA). Sometimes you’d get hints/feedback, sometimes crucial information/values weren’t given, and sometimes they were unnecessarily hard in the wrong ways (like estimating certain values on a graph rather than making the axes divisions smaller). Overall, if you don’t go to lectures anyway, this class is fine–if you really rely on lectures to learn I’d recommend the other professor.
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Anonymous 12/01/2023	He is a nice guy but he barely speaks english and his lectures are so disorganized. His first test wasn't bad, but the second one was horrible and brought my grade down ten points. This was the first chem exam I have scored below average since gen chem 1 (including orgo), so that is showing something. I have taught myself the entire class through the textbook, he has not taught me a single thing the entire semester. The class is a joke with such low averages and no one even attends class because you can't understand him, so it isn't an effective use of your time to even attend lectures. The only way to do well is memorize the textbook.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 10/27/2023	Mignerey is a great teacher who actually teaches us everything we needed to know to do well in her class. Her exams were EXACTLY like the practice exams. She was great at showing us the problems we had to solve and show us how to do it while integrating the concepts.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 10/27/2023	Horrible Horrible teacher. His style of teaching is very confusing and he tends to also skip important stuff. His exams are hard and not in what we learned in class. His class is poorly managed. If you care about your Gpa, don’t take rainbolt
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 10/17/2023	I love prof.Mignerey! She taught us everything that we needed to know for our exams. Exams were very fair and her office hours were really helpful. Overall 10/10 and would take her again.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 10/17/2023	Horrible teacher, has a terrible attitude. Exams are not fair at all and he expects us to know things he didn’t teach. Just don’t take him if you value your gpa and mental health.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 10/17/2023	Great professor, knows what she is talking about. The classes she teaches are difficult classes so this is why she tends to get bad reviews. Her test are fair and just like any other teacher teaching the course.
Amanda Schech CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 08/19/2023	Unfortunately, the first time I took CHEM271 I barely passed. This time around I had Dr. Schech, and it didn't take long for me to realize that she is absolutely the best chemistry lecturer I've ever had. Her lectures are incredibly organized and she records them so you can watch them over or catch up if you miss class. She is super thorough in her explanations and often engages with the students so it's hard to doze off. Honestly, I often get bored in chem lectures but the way she presented the information was genuinely interesting at every moment. On top of the discussion worksheets and homework, she also posts recordings of her going over extra practice problems that are incredibly helpful. The exams were fair so as long as you do the practice problems/homework and understand the nuances of the concepts (which are explained in lecture) you should do well. She also responds to emails quickly!
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 08/12/2023	ok some ppl gotta chill; this dudes not that bad and his personality is fine. hes made me chuckle on occasion. i struggled just bc im bad at gen chem. yes the second exam and the final were tough (he made them tougher bc "the first exam's average was way too high"). however, despite him saying he wouldn't curve the class bc we were supposedly sooo smart i still pulled an A- bc of the fatass curve at the end. so hes at least sorta reasonable. i didnt love how many trees he killed with the ~100 or so pages of modules PER PERSON IN THE CLASS. and honestly his prelec videos made more sense than his lectures. man also needs to get an ipad or learn how to use the projector.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/29/2023	AYE I have to chime in here because all y'all are some BUTTHURT snowflakes. PEOPLE ARE LEAVING OUT SO MUCH CONTEXT WITH THEIR REVIEWS & STRAIGHT UP LYING!!! So many reviews saying hE DiDn't CuRvE BOIIII he literally added 8% to everyone's grades at the end of the semester. Y'all are exaggerting him "throwing" chairs and "saying shut-up" like boohoo maybe you should stop talking when he's giving a lecture. Also, people saying his pre-lecture videos are bad are insaneeee. He literally explains concepts so well in them and provides a general overview of what the material will look like with some practice problems. SMH sure his exams are difficult but since when has the chem department ever been a walk in the park. "hE ChoOsEs FaVoRitEs" yeah yeah but ever realize his favorites are people that PARTICIPATES in class, ask questions, and go to his office hours? You can't expect him to "favorite" you if you show up to his office hours for the first time during the last week of class. That one review saying the final exam viewings had a small spreadsheet where you can see everyone's courses in the grade... it was all by UID, no names. Tell me that you've memorized everyone's personal UID and can see their grades... Y'all are so soft and these reviews are doing a DISSERVICE to this man, a genuinly good professor. Stop being so extra...
Bonnie Dixon CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/23/2023	Dr. Dixon is one of the best professors at UMD if you get the chance to take her. Her HW assignments are extremely difficult but they prepare you for the exams. She has C.A.N. on Tuesdays over zoom where there are extra practice problems and concepts discussed, and her class notes are all organized on her iPad. Hint: Do well on all of the HW assignments and get above average on exams and you will be fine. If you have time to attend office hours and ask questions, and are not afraid to be humbled this is your class! If you don't have the time to invest in the content do not take this class with her because she will make you work for the grade you want. This class was immensely challenging as is any chem class at UMD, but taking it with Dixon prepares you so well for the MCAT and for future biochemistry classes. Work hard and try your best and you'll get the grade you deserve.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B+ IfCourseEvalsWereHones 05/22/2023	I have to go against the grain here... Given that he's a new lecturer at UMD, I think we shouldn't blame him for not knowing how to use Canvas. Make your own spreadsheet and put in your own grades... it's not that difficult. I also have to add that his pre-lecture videos and modules ARE actually helpful in understanding course material. He ACTUALLY explains concepts well during office hours. He'll help you solve problems and walk through the steps. I really liked his teaching style. I also think he has reasonable expectations for the students... and the quizzes and exams are doable. I think people will only complain of his exams because he really forces you to think outside the box. I did poorly on his second exam, but after seeing the answers and the steps he took, it was sooooo doable. I do have to say, however, the difficulty exam questions are twice that the difficulty of module questions. Sure, his attitude can use some work. However, you can easily get on his good side if you participate & answer questions during class (he asks a lot of questions to make sure we're engaged) and show up at his office hours or even email him. I liked his humor too. However, I would agree that he is condescending and doesn't seem like he can show empathy. ALSO, PEOPLE ARE LEAVING OUT THE FACT that he only gets angry when YALL TALK SO MUCH during the lecture. Yeah... there are much better ways in addressing people talking during lecture than "throwing" (highly exaggerated) and saying shut up (why take this personally), but I think y'all softies can handle that. Stop being so extra. Are there better professors than Rainbolt? Maybe. Is it all doomed if you take him? Certainly not.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/21/2023	I’m seeing a lot of negative reviews for Rainbolt but I’m going to give the most honest review as concise as possible -to address the “throwing chair” and “shut up” comments made by other students, he only did that a total of like 3 times and it was to get the class’s attention at the beginning of class. No doubt it was strange but it was only bc the entire class would not let him begin lecture. -He is a great lecturer, and encourages students to ask questions. Though sometimes if you ask a question that he just answered, he does come off as condescending when answering it. -He is no doubt and strange guy with an interesting demeanor, but it honestly made the class more engaging. -He often let us out early, and additionally would drop jokes and humor the class (to the best of his ability) -He had 2 exams + final and yes the second exam and final was hard. He didn’t give us too many practice problems to help us study, which is main reasoning for the loss of one star. Personally, I was able to do decent on both exams just based off of the modules he gave us, but more problems would’ve definitely been appreciated bc I went into those exams concerned af. We have weekly quizzes and homework modules which helped bring up people’s grades. He also curved the class at the end. Overall, if there’s another option, take them. But don’t feel as if you got the worse teacher with Rainbolt.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/19/2023	Man is so bad. Not a great lecturer and relies on his "modules" to teach mostly which have a decent amount of mistakes in them. They're pretty useful but he lacks comprehensive material before exams so I'd just redo the entirety of his modules before them. His prelecture videos are much better than his actual lectures, so I wonder why he doesn't just lecture like a normal professor instead of doing his flipped classroom experiment where he teaches like it's a high school class where he just hands you a worksheet to do. I'm not a bad student for reference, I have a 4.0 and got an A in stocker for orgo 1 and an A in MS for orgo 2, but I struggled more in this class than I did in either organic chemistries so that that as you will. I've never received below a 92 in chemistry before this class and my exam grades were 85, 77, and a 80 for the final. If you're wondering why I had an A with these exam grades it's because he gave a fat 8% curve at the end of the year which meant that I was comfortably sitting at an A. Exams are ridiculous and don't correlate to the level of depth he went into in class. During the final exam viewing I swear there were about 5 girls crying after seeing their grades. I felt a little bad for them, but not too much because I'm a dick. You have to keep in mind however that these people passed both organics before this class, and I've never seen someone cry over a chemistry grade before this, so again, take this as you will. 4/10 professor, I've seen worse teachers in high school, but this is my worst academic experience so far at umd. Upside is that I didn't work nearly as hard in this class as compared to organic because no matter how bad the professor is, the material for gen chem 2 is still braindead easy
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a D Anonymous 05/18/2023	such a rude individual, cannot teach, thinks we can learn only from example without previous explanation, needlessly hard exams with little to no curve. Literally single-handedly tanked my gpa with his bs. Not enough time for quizzes that are on subjects we did not go over in class. This guy seriously needs an attitude check. I don't understand how Anyone could ever rate him higher than one star, DO NOT TAKE HIM EVER.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/18/2023	do not take him. Really bad at teaching. Unreasonable hard exams.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/18/2023	Straight narcissist, who lacks empathy. Slams tables in class and throws chairs across the room if he hears even a peep from anyone chatting. Demands respect even though he belittles majority of the people who ask questions in class. Created by far the most unfair midterm I have ever seen throughout my entire academic career, one that EVERYONE complained about. He never even addressed the fact that the midterm was unjust, he just continued to make everyone more stressed about their grade by gatekeeping the class average and repeatedly saying he’s not going to curve. He gives no proper exam preparation material other than these module packets which he creates. That’s the only study material we have to work with yet somehow he still thinks it’s a good idea to make the exam questions on concepts we have never practiced while everything on the exam barely resembles anything from class or our homework/the module packets. Worst teacher ever, UMD has yet to bring in a proper GenChem2 Professor. I’m honestly so disappointed with UMD, the Chem department and whoever hired this bozo.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a C- Anonymous 05/17/2023	He's actually sick and twisted for not curving the class. The topics in this class are easy (imo) as a gen chem course. The problem sets are helpful with understanding the concepts (highly recommend taking time doing them). I didn't watch any of the pre-lecture videos because he goes over what's on them in class. I've done above average on all the exams so I am shocked that I'm ending with a C-. The average on the second midterm was a 60 and he still isn't curving. The modules are helpful in understanding the concepts but do NOT rely on them for the tests. He is exceptionally clueless when it comes to how to study for the exams which is worrisome as he is the professor. If you asked me a month ago, when I had a B in the class if I would recommend him, I would say yes as he gives a lot of practice. However, if you ask me today, I would say no. Even though I did well on the exams, he made the final harder than expected. I also hate how he talks down to his students. I shouldn't even be upset because a lot of people are failing after the final but it isn't fair how he is grading the course based on his teaching style. It was sad seeing people cry when they saw their final exam :(
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/17/2023	WORST PROFESSOR EVER. screams in class and throws chairs around. Exams are completely unfair and he refuses to curve. his own TA told us we should've taken anyone else. Incapable of using technology and hates when students ask him questions. You can't be a bad professor AND hate answering questions.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/17/2023	This class was A LOT. I will say that at the beginning it was pretty simple and easy to follow along because he was super consistent with providing a lot of materials for us to practice form, however that really changed in our second unit. Our second exam was so hard and not doable for most of the class (avg was a 60%) and he did not curve. The class is doable with him, but don't get comfortable with his style of exams/teaching throughout the course because it will change. The final was okay, definitely better since we had 2 hours to complete the exam but a curve could've been really helpful to most of the class.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/17/2023	Lectures – Rainbolt's lectures are fine, he teaches you as if you know nothing, which is a good way to teach, but that's where the positives end. Doesn't record classes. He gives everyone modules as the only form of material and expects you to prepare using it. Materials – No supplemental practice outside of modules Attitude – He gets angered very easily in class and throws chairs around. Has a very condescending tone when you talk to him Exams – Honestly the worst part of the class. He curves downwards in a way where he takes off an egregious amount of points for the smallest mistake. When you go to check with him after picking up exams, he shows way to much attitude and doesn't give back points easily. The average grade seemed to be around a 70% and he didn't curve at all
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/17/2023	I would avoid taking Dr.Rainbolt at all costs. Truly the worst professor I've ever had at UMD. He made the course necessarily difficult because the class average was "too high for a Chemistry course" after the first exam. He was extremely rude and condescending to questions asked. Also, he refused to make a study guide or give students any indication of the material that would be on the exam. In addition to this, he didn't know how to use the platform Canvas so it was hard to have an accurate representation of where you stood in the class. I would give Rainbolt 0 stars if I could. Taking his class will make your life miserable.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/17/2023	Honestly, he's just a really rude person. I will admit he does explain concepts well at times but to get to that point, you need to first experience his abrasive side: yelling shut up at students, flipping chairs etc. Also his exams are really weird in that some reflect the content well like our first exam did, and others, like the second , being far from what we expected. He also does not know how to use ELMS so it is hard to tell what your grade is or to find data like the class average. This does not matter because he refused to curve our class despite our low-ish average on the last two exams. I would not recommend him but he might be your only or even best choice :(
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/17/2023	Just plain rude. The first half of the course went so well, with fair homeworks and quizzes, and a first exam that, while challenging, was fair and similar to provided material. It seems as though Rainbolt after the success of the first test, that the course was "too easy", and made quizzes and the second unit exam much harder. This then correlated in a challenging final exam, where the average was a low C, and the second exam having a D average. This would be fine if the course was curved similarly to other chemistry courses here, but nope, he decided a curve was not needed. To show final exam scores, he put a copy of a spreadsheet on the board at the viewing, in 3-pt font so that no one could read it, and displayed it so that everyone could view anyone in the courses final score. In addition, I watched him repeatedly laugh in the faces of students who asked him about regrades and wrong questions. Personally, I don't find joy in crushing the dreams of students who are trying to become future physicians, but clearly Rainbolt either doesn't care or gets off on sadism. Overall, just wouldn't recommend, unless he happens to change his ways in the future
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/17/2023	Our first exam was very fair and really reflected the modules he gives out. THEN, apparently he was mad that his average was too high for the first one, so he made our second exam impossible for a 50 minute exam and everyone's grades' tanked, and he still made our final ridiculously hard. Final was way too hard for a final, it didn't help anyone's grades it just dropped them more.He also refuses to curve the class. Class was not helpful, he just gave us problems to do and then asked people to solve them which ate up so much time. It's also important to note that he is highly unprofessional- he cusses every class, and even yelled the F word in office hours- honestly just a psychopath, he also broke a chair from shoving it too hard during class. If you really work hard you wont fail, but you also wont get an A bc there's no way to read his mind and hes legit the only chem professor who doesn't curve which is just unfair.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/17/2023	I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN A REVIEW FOR ANY PROFESSOR BUT DR. RAINBOLT .. AVOID THIS MAN AT ALL COSTS!!!! trust it is not worth your mental health if there are other options. his exams are tough. If you really have to take him make sure you spend a reasonable amount of time studying and know that the amount of time for the exam won't even be enough. He always made homework due the same day as the exam day which was very tedious. This has been my hardest chemistry class smh. Don't get me started on his attitude. He is rude and does not care for his students at all. The manner he used was unnecessary tbh. There also is no curve so be aware of that. I could go on and on but do what you want with this information. I personally would rather never take another class with this man.
Bonnie Dixon CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/16/2023	I actually really enjoyed having Dr. Dixon! This is the first time she's taught the course completely in-person for a whole semester, and she came fully prepared. She taught everything perfectly and provided students so many extra credit opportunities and office hours to ensure we passed. I'm taking down one star mainly because she does CANs, which are required to go to/watch to succeed in class, as exams are primarily based on those and our homework. However, I firmly believe that you have to work for your grade, so office hours and outside work are a must! If she does teach this course again and anyone is interested in knowing how she curved typically: After the first and second exams, the average was 66.67% and 65%. A 50-51 was a C-D cutoff, a 65-68 was a B-C cutoff, and an 81-85 was the cutoff for an A. She doesn't release the final cutoff scores, however, if you have a B overall with the curve and got an A on the final, she'll round it up to an A-. The final is super easy, she provides you with every single question you'll need to know for the exam. An A is super possible on it!
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Anonymous 05/15/2023	Bad professor overall, at least for CHEM 271. Expects you to learn through pre-lecture videos and modules that he hands out for each topic, which is good in theory, but his pre-lecture videos aren't good and doing the modules becomes more difficult once you have more work to do. Also, he had errors in his module keys which confused people. His lectures were OK at best, usually just talked from the modules and had students do module questions in class. Half way through the semester he just stopped making discussion worksheets so that limited the practice available to module questions and GSS worksheets. The GSS instructor may have had a mental disability or something, but his keys were illegible and riddled with mistakes and wrong answers, making it so difficult to study off of them. His first exam was fine but a little to long since the class was only 50 minutes. His second exam was way harder than anything he had shown us before and had the same problem of being to long for the time allotted. The majority of the class failed with the average being a 62%. From what I heard, he did not think of curving, even after the majority of the class failed. His personality is entertaining for like the first day, but then he just becomes annoying and can be a dick to students. Try and take someone else.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/15/2023	Don't take him!! He has anger issues and is not accommodating at all. Also, he doesn't give out practice exams so it's hard to know how the exams will be like. Also, our class filed a complaint against him, so that lets you know how bad he is. :(
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/14/2023	Doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. Lectures are incredibly disorganized and he writes on the chalk board in a huge lecture hall so nobody can see. He can't use canvas properly (grades are so weird and confusing). He has anger issues (throws things during lecture, including chairs). He pretends to care, but will make you feel stupid if you ask a reasonable question. Also, very not generous with curving. DO NOT TAKE!! I wish I could give him a 0, but I can't so I gave him a 1.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/11/2023	DO NOT TAKE HIM IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE. I believed the past reviews and took him and I regretted it. The environment he creates in class is so uncomfortable. If there is slight chatter (which will happen since it's a huge lecture hall), he throws a chair or says "Shut Up" every five seconds. He does not know the material at all. Once, someone asked him if he can go over a question he wrote in the modules and he couldn't even solve it. He never puts accurate grades on Canvas so we never know what we have in the class. He is really rude during office hours. I once asked him how to do a problem he set up in class but never solved, and he just said "Do you even come to lecture? Have a good day and bye." I never encountered a teacher like him. I don't even know why UMD hired him. Please stay away if you can.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/08/2023	Horrible teacher, he talks down to his students. He is so condescending and doesn’t care about his students. The way he talks to students is so wrong and he’s genuinely a rude person.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Anonymous 05/07/2023	My roommates are taking this class and oh my goodness I’m sick if hearing about this man. He posts his lecture videos so late. He is rude and creates an environment where people don't want to talk in class. Roommates used to love chem, but this class has created nothing but complaints.
Bonnie Dixon CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/06/2023	Proff Dixon was a quality professor, really seemed to enjoy engaging with students, posted a bunch of helpful materiel including completed class outlines, zoom meetings every tuesday, and extra help for homeworks. Homeworks are difficult but there’s literal step by step examples hidden in her course materials. Tests are an easier version of homework material, make sure you understand each homework question she hints and watch CAN videos. Tests are rushed and expected to not be fully completed as she includes more points than you can earn. Overall, go to lecture, reach out if you’re really lost (don’t wait till last minute), and this is a type of course in which if you don’t apply yourself, it’s your fault you earned that grade.
James Rainbolt CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/05/2023	This man is a red flag with anger issues. He gets irritated when the class is "talking too much" and tells us to shut up when we are whispering. He is extrememly unprofessional and likes to fling chairs and bang the desk when he wants to get the class' attention. He genuinely created a hostile enviornment for learning and rarely answers questions in class in a helpful manner. 90% of the time he says to see him after class if you have a question. This man needs his ego checked. Not even sure he will curve, but exam 2 had an average 0f 60% because he wanted to lower the class average. I really hope he curves. Wish me luck for the final :'(
Andrei Vedernikov CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/03/2023	Dr. Vedernikov is a rather underwhelming, but decent professor. The class is extremely consistent in both workload and difficulty, as you'll be expected to do one online homework assignment every week and the exams are extremely similar to the practice exams. However, the lecture slides are generally not helpful as they do not relate to the homework, and he speaks too softly to hear when he is lecturing at the front of the lecture hall. He will oftentimes not demonstrate how a problem is solved, or if he does, he goes into theory that is beyond the scope of this class. If you are any good at teaching yourself, you'll be fine. Otherwise, choose a different professor.
Andrei Vedernikov CHEM271 Anonymous 12/19/2022	The lectures and discussion are mostly conceptual while the exams which are worth 400 out of 520 points of your total grade is on equations and word problems. His curve is predetermined before you even step into the class and he will not deviate from it. This curve was only 2% and even people within a percent of passing would still not pass because according to him "once points are put into ELMS they are final". If you rely on curves or do not want to take a "teach yourself" class DO NOT TAKE. If you do go to lectures he has a thick accent and goes through his slides (which are not posted till after lecture) very quickly and doesn't answer any questions.
Andrei Vedernikov CHEM271 Anonymous 12/19/2022	His curves are predetermined before the class ever starts and he will not stray from it. He only had about a 2% curve which is not a lot for a chem class. His teaching and slide has nothing to do with what is on the tests its just conceptual. The textbook is what has all the actual problem sets and content you need to know. If you are like me and have a hard time teaching concepts to yourself DO NOT TAKE HIM. The TA was not helpful and just made the class even more confusing. If chem is not your forte or you normally rely on curves to help your grade this is not the class for you.
Andrei Vedernikov CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/08/2022	Thick accent, speeds through the slides and doesn't work through problems (just clicks too fast). Smallish curve (A-85%, A 88%), doesn't take questions. Lots of side theory stuff that won't be tested and not enough practice problems during class. Read the textbook early. I would have an A/A- rather B+/A- if I started reading the textbook earlier, usually I rely on the prof.
Elizabeth Griffith CHEM271 Expecting a C+ terpderp 11/05/2022	Nice professor, exams are hard, does NOT know how to curve. A C should not be curved to a C+ idc. Avoid
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/22/2022	I could give Dodson a zero star if there is an option. Even after a year after taking her CHEM271, I still can't forget how much my mental health suffered during that semester because of her. I absolutely do not agree with the comment saying "these reviews are pretty average for premeds who didn't get a 100% and are mad at the professors for it." First, do not make assumptions before making nonsense comments about students who suffered solely due to the professor's faults. Maybe she was nice to you in CHEM690, but CHEM271 was completely different. Second, Dodson was merciless and obviously did not care about her students. I got all A's in college. She was the worst professor I have met where the grade I got on exams did not reflect my ability/understanding of chemistry. She did not respect students' comments and made us lose points on the final exam for her mistakes. DO NOT take Dodson!
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/19/2022	Idk what all of these 1 star reviews are about. She was a very effective lecturer. The homeworks (online software) were directly related to the exam and were not too time consuming. The exam content was very clearly stated. Seriously if you need to study, just go back through the homework questions. They even have complete explanations and a whole textbook to refer to. The reason I missed the cutoff for an A was a stupid mistake I made but I don’t see why you couldn’t earn an A in this class. She is a fair grader and doesn’t leave anything up in the air. So really if you’re leaving 1 star reviews here because you’re salty you don’t know what a pKa is, please re-evaluate your decision to blame it on Dr. Dodson. Dr. D, thanks for your time and I’m sorry you have to see all this unnescessary hate. Peace and love.
Elizabeth Griffith CHEM271 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/18/2022	honestly, she really does want her students to succeed and will give outlines of exams. However, they seem easy but they are not. Its all about how you perform as a student, if you are old at conceptual multiple choice questions - this is the right teacher for you. I am personally better at straight forward math and would prefer calculations on an exam. this class makes you work hard, but at least there are clickers and homework to boost your grade!!! PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT SHE SAYS. she hints at her exams while teaching and you do not even realize.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/17/2022	Dr. Dodson is honestly not as bad as I was expecting based on the previous reviews, but I definitely understand some frustrations. She is a good lecturer and although the first exam was completely unmanageable, she was willing to make changes on future exams. Her curve was fair and we received timely feedback (she is very communicative on slack). In my opinion there is too much weight on the slack participation requirement and she did not release recordings until right before the final. I found her to be a little inflexible but overall the class was manageable and I would choose her again if I had to take the course again.
Elizabeth Griffith CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/15/2022	Dr. Griffith was by far my favorite teacher this semester. She is super energetic and encouraging which is fantastic in a chem teacher. She makes this very difficult class feel easier by a little bit making you feel like a kindergartener who just wants a treat for doing school, but like in a good way. Definitely take her if you have the chance.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/10/2022	- I'm not premed lol - I sat in the other teacher's class and she genuinely wanted her student to succeed and prepared them for the exams so pls just don't take Dodson she makes It harder for you than It should be 1. Positive- She had a good lecturing tone, she was understanding at a time, and she sounds nice 2. Negative- She has no past practice exams, her exams were extremely hard and we were all not prepared. She made mistakes many times in her lecturing and students often had to correct her. Both my exams were graded incorrectly with correct answers marked wrong. She didn't offer her recorded lectures till the last week of classes. She didn't give out practice exams or problems for us to practice. I really felt like she didn't care about how we were not doing well on exams. Her exams were so long that most of us couldn't finish in the class period. The graded question in class for attendance often closed before many people could submit Them making them lose points. It was a really unforgiving glass I wish I could have taken It with the other teacher who cared about her students. In the hws if there was an issue with grading you couldn't get a regrade. She doesn't give out the exam solutions. She doesn't give hints on what could be on the exam.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/27/2022	Professor Dodson was nowhere near as bad as other folks have written here. She really is a very kind and understanding prof, and I didn't feel the exams were 'impossible', they were challenging but certainly manageable.
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Anonymous 01/04/2022	Was definitely one of the best chem professors I've interacted with in the infamous chem department. I'm glad I signed up for him and hope you get to take him too! Easy grader compared to other profs and is very sympathetic towards his students. For his first time teaching this course he did incredibly well!
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/19/2021	Even a year after taking this class, I am fuming over how poorly Dodson handled teaching. In response to some of the other reviews saying we are just "angry pre-meds who didn't get 100%" -- no, we are just students who were treated incredibly unfairly and with none of the reassurance that she seems to be giving the 690 course. There is absolutely no other class for which you will find 50 1-star reviews- and there is a reason for that! Dodson gave very little useful practice to actually prepare us for exams, gave no opportunities for partial credit while also making problems especially difficult and convoluted so we would make mistakes on math things that weren't even directly related to the main chemistry concepts we are supposed to learn, which was ironic considering she made a mistake on the final exam and then refused to admit to it and give points to the students who answered the question based on how it was given. My grade went up as well but this means nothing- I am a solid A-/B+ student and this class was both taught horribly and did not test us accurately on our knowledge. Considering I got an A+ in the lab portion of the class (which tested us on similar concepts), but a C in this one only goes to show that this is an issue with the professor teaching the course. Save your mental health and GPA and avoid Dodson.
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/17/2021	Completely ineffective lecturer. Has a very heavy accent which makes it hard to understand his lectures but even with that his lectures aren't very helpful. Doing the online homeworks is really all the practice you need to do well in this class. Majority of the class didn't show up to lecture at all. However, as a person he seems pretty nice and the exams weren't as difficult as the other professor's class.
Efrain Rodriguez CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/15/2021	Rodriguez is . . . fine. He is a decent lecturer, but makes mistakes at least once every couple classes if not every class, which is annoying because he usually doesn't recognize it until halfway through the problem. His homeworks are easy enough, but I felt the exams were harder than any practice material he gave us. He does give a fair amount of partial credit though which is nice. However, he didn't give us an answer key for a final practice exam which was irritating. Dr. Schech guest-lectured for the beginning of the semester while he was on paternity leave and she was GREAT, I honestly wouldn't have realized how mediocre Dr. Rodriguez was in comparison had she not filled in for him. Overall, if you take him be prepared for harder exams but the class itself is pretty manageable.
YuHuang Wang CHEM271 Anonymous 12/13/2021	I don't care what anyone says, Dr.Wang is a great professor! He really wants you to understand the concepts and will answer any questions, I recommend recording the lecture and following it with your notes at home. The book will help you through this class so put in work and do the examples and the practice questions. The homeworks are hard and take time but if you really really practice you can do great. He also listens to the classes concerns and will adjust the class accordingly. One of the best chem classes I have taken at UMD.
Efrain Rodriguez CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/08/2021	Efrain is a super nice man. He doesn't really seem like he knows that much about chemistry but he is very considerate it seems like. The exams I thought had a few surprises, but any chem class will be like that. If you study and read the book you should be fine.
Efrain Rodriguez CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/01/2021	Efrain is not a good professor, however his exams are unbelievable. Our class's averages were in the 50s, and he laughed about it. He does not seem to care if students do well in his course, and the GSS leader (redhead girl, idk her name) is not useful in any way
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 09/10/2021	Absolutely atrocious professor. Teaches the course in such a convoluted and unclear way all while maintaining an attitude of inflexibility.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 06/10/2021	She sent an email a couple weeks after class that the final exam grade was wrong. Ur bois grade went up. That's a dub in my book 10/10 greatest prof ever.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/23/2021	Quite literally the worst chem class I have taken at UMD (even though it was supposed to be the easiest since most of the material is covered in high school chem, CHEM131, CHEM132, and CHEM272). She made the class much more difficult than it should have been and gave a sorry curve at the end to try to fix all of her mistakes (which barely brought any of our grades up at all). She was not prepared for lectures, could rarely give a straightforward response, and made questions MUCH more difficult than they had to be. The TA was NEVER prepared for discussions (WHICH WAS HORRIBLE SINCE ALL THE LECTURES AND DISCUSSIONS WERE MANDATORY) and he always had tech issues. I went to every lecture and every discussion and even asked/answered questions but I still didn't get full points on participation (like what more do you want from me?!). The exams had questions where you would have to beat around the bush with so many unit conversions and she tried having fun while making the questions which in the end just made them more confusing than they had to be. She constantly made mistakes on the exams due to this and had to put the corrections on slack WHILE we were doing the exam knowing most students are focused on trying to finish her long confusing exams and trusted that the professor wrote the exam and checked it multiple times beforehand to ensure her students would be able to solely focus on the exam and not worry about professor mistakes. I did everything in my power to try to get the best grade in this class (which is a lot since I got 4.0's in gen chem I and both orgos) and still couldn't get an A- in this class because of her horrendous teaching style. Side note: don't listen to the people that put 5 stars, they're either trolling or really sucked up to the professor this semester. Another side note: Don't get me wrong, she's not completely a monster. She has good character overall and tried to take some initiative by listening to student concerns (for example she started doing practice problems during lecture since some students requested it, but the practice problems were NOTHING like the exam questions). However, I HIGHLY recommend she listen to all of these 1-star reviews and start fixing all of the holes in her teaching style and exams.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/22/2021	Super simple course with a great professor. If you have critical thinking skills, the exams will be straightforward. Highly recommend prof Dodson!
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/21/2021	Taking CHEM271 this semester with Dr. Dodson, it was quite apparent for most students that her teaching style and approach is substandard and unnecessarily convoluted. The course curriculum mainly follows the textbook material and concepts and would best serve as a student's guide to completing the course with relative ease. For such courses, the lectures should serve as a time for the professor to teach concepts, cover example problems, review exam practice questions, and overall make it easier for students to grasp the subject material. However, Dr. Dodson lectures are an enormous waste of time. I attended the first couple of classes, hoping to gain a better understanding of the subject material in CHEM271, but was faced with the challenge of trying to understand why she made simple concepts and basic problems utterly confusing and complex. After realizing that the textbook and khan academy offered me a better chance in performing better on exams, understanding course concepts, and approaching problems, attending lectures served no purpose beyond earning a participation grade. Moreover, the exams in this class were a total mess. Her exams questions do not reflect the level of difficulty and course concepts as seen in homework's, class examples, and textbook problems. You would think taking her practice exams may possibly be helpful, however, they are also an immense waste of time in preparing for the exam. As for the exams/finals itself, the questions were fraught with errors and composed of a majority of calculation intensive problems for which Dr. Dodson offers no partial credit. Overall this semester was utter shambles, I strongly recommend taking any other professor.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/21/2021	I have no new stories to add because I believe the 40 1.0 star reviews below fully illuminate the magnitude of her shortcomings as professor, teacher, and empathetic human being. What I will say is in response to the few positive reviews left below. For the 5 star review left on 5/20 addressing ill-prepared students who are upset about their grade, I understand! There are always students in any class who have not done their due diligence and as a result, their grades suffer. That is not the case for this class. Never before has a professor left so many students feeling this undignified and wronged because of her insensitivity and inflexibility. I challenge you to find another professor with this many negative reviews. There are none. There is absolutely no way in CHEM271, where the majority, if not all the students, are aiming for pre-professional school, would be unprepared. Especially because everyone in this class necessarily had to have done well in organic 1 and 2 in order to enroll. The average on the final exam was a 51%. No organic final ever had such a low average. Since when was general chemistry 2 the pre-med weed out class? Her exams were made purposely to trick her students. She expressed multiple times that she would complicate the questions in order to test our "mastery and flexibility" of the content. But to what purpose? What does that teach her students? What does it do but tantalize her oddly niche fascination with chemistry? When the first midterm was held on a faulty software system, the class average was 10-15% lower than the other two midterms. She made no effort to address this besides switching the future tests to ELMS. Any reasonable professor would make further attempts to not penalize their students for technological faults. She immediately expressed after the second midterm, when students did much better because the software was not a barrier to success, that she would no longer consider curving the class -- fortunately this changed when she further tanked the class average with the final. BUT, that doesn't change what her state of mind was: she felt no need to correct her own mistakes because the students in the class worked extra hard to compensate for her mistakes. To conclude, I would also like to state that I firmly believe that the 5 star review written on 5/19, was written by her herself. No else one would write that. Honestly, just read it yourself and compare it to any other one.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/20/2021	She wasn't a great professor, but she doesn't deserve 40 one star reviews. All of the other reviewers have accurately described the mistakes that she made this semester. However, this was her first semester teaching, and I have faith that she will take into account the feedback given in future semesters (even though she didn't do that much during the semester). This environment was not a great place to learn as a student and definitely wasn't a great place to teach for the first time.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/20/2021	Dr Dodson is very inflexible. She is unwilling to actually listen to student concerns even when it is at the point where the entire class is giving her the same feedback. Whenever students asked her how she recommends that we study for the exams or what content we should focus on, she was unwilling to provide them with any advice or guidance and always gave the simple answer, "everything is fair game". The first exam was a mess where many students were either locked out of the exam or were unable to submit their answers in time due to the exam settings, and as a result, Dodson accepted exam answers for up to a week after the exam where many students took unfair advantage. Her exams were much more difficult than any practice material/homework and had no partial credit even though they were math heavy, meaning that a small calculation error would immediately cost you up to 5-7 points. I also disagree with her "solution" to this mess which was to give us a small curve. The purpose of a curve is to cover for the students' mistakes, not the professor's. A curve normally implies that the exams/course content was difficult, resulting in a lower class average; however, in this class, the issue lied in the way the professor ran the class. Taking in answers for a week after the exam leading to skewed results, lack of partial credit, disorganized discussions, and typos in exams lead to results that do not reflect a student's actual knowledge of course content, and slapping on a curve in an attempt to cover up these mistakes do not actually solve them.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/20/2021	Dr. Dodson is the most incompetent professor I've had at the university. Her lack of transparency and accommodations ended up punishing students - students who work diligently to maintain their GPA in their rigorous STEM classes. The semester was totally unfair and remains as a very painful memory in all of the students who suffered from Dodson's incompetence.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/19/2021	I truly feel bad for Dr. Dodson. The reviews are not indicative of her as a professor. She is caught in a crossfire between students who were ill prepared and did not get a grade that they wanted. She is very nice, accommodating, and overall very pleasant. This is a difficult course and the textbook is a must.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/19/2021	Whoever wrote the 5 star positive review on Dodson, it sounds like Dr. Dodson wrote that review in a vain attempt to stop the flood of 1-star reviews. Unfortunately, I can not recommend anyone to take her. Every part of your review can be refuted by the countless anecdotes and negative experiences faced by the class, and Dr. Dodson's inability to take responsibility for her actions further illuminated how incapable she was. Furthermore, the countless errors on exams, typos during lecture, hostility and defensiveness when asked questions regarding her ability, and overall lack of teaching experience serve as a beacon to how terrible the semester went. I would have rather taken the class without the professor because at least then I would have been at peace knowing that I was teaching myself rather than relying on the countless errors on her exams.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/19/2021	While the professor seems to care about the students, the many mistakes and unfair aspects of the class ultimately led to many unnecessary issues that students had to deal with. Most students failed the final exam due to the many typos present in the exam and the lack of transparency when it came to what students should study for the exam. There was no partial credit for calculations in any of the exams despite the math intensive nature of the class. Many students were given up to a week to work on the first exam due to issues present in the program that the exam used. This provided an unfair advantage to some students since a lot of us were only given about an hour to work on the exam while the others had up to a week. The curve at the end of the semester wasn’t enough to make up for these issues and left students with grades that didn’t accurately portray their understanding of the subject. Hopefully something is done about this so students won’t have to deal with the consequences of the way this course was conducted.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/19/2021	Dr Dodson is very inflexible. She is unwilling to actually listen to student concerns even when it is at the point where the entire class is giving her the same feedback. Whenever students asked her how she recommends that we study for the exams or what content we should focus on, she was unwilling to provide them with any advice or guidance and always gave the simple answer, "everything is fair game". The first exam was a mess where many students were either locked out of the exam or were unable to submit their answers in time due to the exam settings, and as a result, Dodson accepted exam answers for up to a week after the exam where many students took unfair advantage. Her exams were much more difficult than any practice material/homework and had no partial credit even though they were math heavy, meaning that a small calculation error would immediately cost you up to 5-7 points. I also disagree with her "solution" to this mess which was to give us a small curve. The purpose of a curve is to cover for the students' mistakes, not the professor's. A curve normally implies that the exams/course content was difficult, resulting in a lower class average; however, in this class, the issue lied in the way the professor ran the class. Taking in answers for a week after the exam leading to skewed results, lack of partial credit, disorganized discussions, and typos in exams lead to results that do not reflect a student's actual knowledge of course content, and slapping on a curve in an attempt to cover up these mistakes do not actually solve them.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/19/2021	While this course may have had its ups and downs, I need to give Dr. Dodson 5 stars for always working her best to teach us this semester and for always being very caring and understanding. I think it is important to emphasize that this was her first semester teaching this course, and it is human nature to make mistakes along the way. This class may not have been perfect, but I can say for a fact that Dr. Dodson cares deeply about all of her students, and I know that she worked very hard to find the most effective ways possible to resolve issues. For example, one time she literally stayed 30 minutes after office hours ended to help me understand concepts that were covered that day!! Only professors with true dedication would do that! To students who are disappointed in how this course went - please please please schedule a meeting with Dr. Dodson! She is such a genuine and amazing person and is very open to hearing and listening about your concerns and how she can help. Also, I really want to emphasize again that we are all human! Humans make mistakes and we can not completely bash Dr. Dodson for hers! So, I urge you all to understand that Dr. Dodson really did try with all her effort to make this semester a good one for us, but naturally, there were bumps along the road which no one could have foreseen and that is not her fault. I know Dr. Dodson is an incredible professor, and I believe with all my heart that she never meant for any of us to feel hurt or frustrated.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/19/2021	The other reviews have already more than adequately emphasized all of the professor's shortcomings in teaching this course. The textbook will teach you far better than she ever could, even though she teaches directly from the textbook. Do yourself (and your mental health) a favor and do not take CHEM271 with Dodson.
Taylor Plank CHEM271 Anonymous 05/19/2021	Absolutely not. Plank is very passionate about the material she teaches but I do not recommend her. I genuinely did really good on the homework and the book practice problems but her exams were so hard for no reason. The questions on the homework did not prepare you on the exam at all. I put so much time and effort in this class and I think its unfair not to curve. Try to avoid her If you actually care about your mental health and your GPA.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/18/2021	Worst possible Professor ever. DO NOT TAKE HER. You will regret it. Barely any curve. Does not do problems correctly in class. Exams are all multiple choice or 1 number answers without any option for partial credit. Too many typos on exams and expects you to see corrections on slack rather than email. I can 100% say she is the worst Professor you will ever have so save yourself
Taylor Plank CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/18/2021	Spring 2021 was Dr. Plank's first time teaching General Chemistry 2 at UMD. All things considered, given the online environment and her first UMD experience, the class was taught very smoothly. While the pace was relatively fast, Dr. Plank was always willing to give recordings of lectures if you asked for them, and she always kept the notes slides up-to-date by making them accessible through the ELMS course files. For valid reasons, the synchronous lectures were not made publicly available unless asked, because it would incentivize people to not attend. Dr. Plank encouraged participation, which were easy free points that also helped us stay on track with the course material (at the very minimum, show up to discussion - you don't even have to talk - and you'll receive these). While she had no practice exams to reference due to the fact that it was her first time teaching the course with the specific structure at UMD, she still made sure to give us comprehensive practice through practice problems for each chapter and through Mastering Chemistry. I personally did not find discussions to be the most helpful place for practice since I did not feel most engaged with them, but they were a resource too. Dr. Plank was also always open to contesting homework questions- speaking from personal experience, I found an error in a question, and she ended up giving back points to everyone who experienced the error, and all it took was a quick email exchange. Additionally, when we had some technological discrepancies with the first exam's Mastering Chemistry platform, Dr. Plank not only allowed us to submit regrades, but she also allowed us to complete an extra credit follow-up assignment to make up some points. She was apologetic, and it was obvious she cared about our success. Dr. Plank was one of the very few, if any, professors at the UMD Chemistry department who actually took the time to communicate and help students, and her willingness to help us and to keep us on track were a testament to how she actually cared about us learning the material, which she explicitly stated. I do not agree with the unfairness that some of my peers are claiming with regard to this course, because Dr. Plank was ALWAYS receptive to our questions, whether we asked in-class, at office hours, through email, or through Slack, where she made herself readily and directly available. She was responsive no matter how many times we asked about grading and curves as well, and while it can be frustrating to not do as well as you had hoped, the average for this class was relatively high for the chemistry department, and given how straightforward her exams and final were, we frankly do not need one. I understand that the COVID-19 pandemic and online environment has caused an incredibly stressful, grueling experience for us college students, but I think that makes it even more necessary for us to take a step back and process what has happened in order to show more grace before projecting the pent-up frustrations and stress that naturally came from this year of online classes.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/18/2021	While I strongly feel that Dr. Dodson is a very kind-hearted professor who cares about her students, the manner in which this course was conducted was very unfair and I agree with all of the reviews posted thus far. Moreover, I find it disappointing that we are asked to complete course evaluations and told by the university to reach out to admin when we have concerns, yet our voices this semester were not heard and our feedback was not utilized. I know that many of my peers and I expressed the concerns listed earlier in the reviews during midterm evaluations, but the only aspect of the midterm evaluations that was taken into account by the professor was the lack of example problems given during class. I am curious to know why the other, more serious concerns, such as those relating to the flaws in course organization, were not addressed and why the chemistry department did not take immediate action to fix them. I also know students reached out to the chemistry department mid-semester, but they did not show much interest in helping to resolve these issues-- perhaps it was a busy time of year for the department with midterm exams, but at the same time, I feel that even if it is just a single student reaching out about a concern, the department should prioritize finding ways to help and guide that student. Finally, I am saddened to see that the chemistry department has not yet released a statement regarding the feedback on Dr. Dodson's CHEM271 course. A simple letter saying that they have read the reviews and understand our frustration would be enough to make my peers and I feel heard right now, but there has not been anything yet. I feel like Dr. Dodson truly did everything she could to help teach us the material this semester, but given that the course instruction this semester did not meet most student's expectations, I believe it is now in the administration's hands to give Dr. Dodson's CHEM271 students the grades they deserve. (Personally, I feel my grade is not a reflection of the work I put into this class as well as my potential, and this is justified as my grades in UMD chemistry courses in the past have been substantially higher.)
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/18/2021	This class was absolutely legendary. Given that I had taken multiple finals in the previous day and I had woken up at 6 am to study for this final, to say that I was in a depleted mental state is an understatement. There was no end in sight, and the endless barrage of questions beat me down as I continued to fight my way through the beast. Then, it came. A question that was unsolvable. No answer choice made sense. I felt what remaining sanity I harbored drip away as I carefully reviewed every choice and the wording of the question statement, no answer choice made sense. I scrolled up to look at the remaining time, 30 minutes, and then back down to look at the question again, no answer choice made sense. I looked at my notes, no answer choice made sense. Then, it hit me. I stopped, and placed my TI-30X calculator at a crisp 90 degree angle to the side of my desk. I closed my eyes and attempted to beam myself into the maker of this question's head; what was the learning outcome? What was the point of this question? What were we even trying to achieve? After a couple minutes of rigorous thought, it hit me. I had failed to completely train my Esper powers for this exam. I shook my fist and cursed at the sky, I had not only failed myself, but big daddy Pearson as well. I selected my answer choice in shame and submitted my exam. I highly suggest Dr. Dodson if you want to find out if you have psychic powers or to train already existing ones. Attending the lectures were especially key for training the power of telepathy, as not only was every practice problem practically taken out of the book, but made into a riddle of sorts as you never know what information within the problem might be correct or just a typo. My biggest gripe with this class was the essentially mandatory attendance, which for a forgetful person like myself (still working on my Astral Projection) ended up hurting me in the course whereas I did fine on the exams. I believe the department was misleading with the course title, CHEM271 should be renamed as WIZARD101 for full transparency. Other than that, I rate this class 5/5 stars, or 0/5 points because I selected the wrong multiple choice answer.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/18/2021	Dr. Dodson was by far the worst professor I have taken at UMD this far. She was unable to explain concepts well, which is especially tragic once you consider that CHEM271 doesn’t have to be terribly difficult. She was not accommodating at all and completely unresponsive to student concerns. It was as if her pride got in the way of her ability to make improvements the course. I got through this course by relying on the textbook and what I learned from Dr. Schech’s CHEM272, which was taught much better. I should’ve known that this class would have been a mess from the moment I found out that the lectures were synchronous for no good reason. I’ll give her some slack (pun intended) since this was her first time teaching the course and she tried to be nice, but it should honestly also be her last time teaching the course.
Taylor Plank CHEM271 Expecting a D- Anonymous 05/18/2021	Even during a difficult time as the COVID 19 pandemic, she was absolutely awful and inflexible. I did every homework assigned and received As on all of them, I was able to complete them without too many issues with the help of the textbook as her lectures were too confusing to really get much out of them. The questions in her exams were much more complicated than what she covered in lecture and did not allow for partial credit despite the intensive math. The first exam was administered through MasteringChem which is a fine website for homework but absolutely horrible for exams, as I was kicked out of the exam after the first question. When I was let back in, I could only see one question at a time and could not change my answer after entering it in the allocated space, and between the time crunch and my inability to view all of the questions in the exam, I had no way of estimating how much more work I had to do and how much time I had for each question. Needless to say, my grade on this exam was absolutely awful. And it did not get any better! I practiced more and received a better grade on the second exam, but the third exam was again quite difficult. For a 2 credit class, I spent more time studying the textbook and practice exams than some of my other 4 credit class this semester, and despite everything, it got worse! I strongly recommend taking anyone BUT her. Save yourself from the headaches and the tears, college is already stressful as it is. She doesn't even curve the class. She refuses to curve... Please do not take Plank. GPA and mental health will be ruined forever. + No curve.
Taylor Plank CHEM271 Expecting a D Anonymous 05/18/2021	Pretty sure the 271 review on here is from Plank herself because everyone was confused the whole semester. Everything was pretty messy and the averages for exams were in the 70's but she refuses to curve even though other CHEM classes usually curve to a B-. I guess she curves to a C/C- so please avoid her at all costs. The first exam was horrible and so many students had a hard time navigating the exam.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/17/2021	my grade dropping 14% after the final should tell you everything you need to know after studying my butt off for this final. the worst parts of the course was the lack of being accommodating enough to allow for partial credit in a math heavy course, the lack of practice problems/tests -she literally only provided 2 eleven question practice tests as the only practice problems and nothing for the final exam (where the average was an E and no one got above a B btw probably heavily due to that decision), her not wanting to release specifics on the curve after releasing final grades (meaning we just have to sit and wait for days until they process on Testudo for all 230 students), and her not saying anything, absolutely nothing, about how she accounted for points with all her errors on the exam. Like are we just supposed to forget that it even happened? What was with the lack of transparency? It isn't illegal to disclose information about the curves and grade cutoffs after everything has been graded and submitted? It isn't illegal to offer information on how many questions the final was going to be so we could prepare pacing ourselves better? Also, who's sincerely going to wait till June to review their final with her after the semester is over and summer/summer classes begin? I definitely learnt a lot in this class with the significant one being how to cry
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/17/2021	Everyone wrote some very justified dissertations about why this professor was horrible. But to keep it short and sweet, unless you are 100% sure you will never make a single calculation error in a multi-step math problem, save yourself the trouble (and about 10 points per exam).
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/17/2021	Echoing every other review on here, do NOT take her if you can help it. Her grading was horrendous, she was incredibly inflexible during a global pandemic, and had pretty ridiculous expectations for her students for a 2 credit class (the expectations which differed verbally from what was on the syllabus). She refused to give us recorded lectures unless we had a serious emergency, so we could never even go back and listen to what she said or watch her do example problems. That being said, the lectures themselves were horrendous. We had to go to them for participation, but for the first half of the semester, she would just discuss basic theory while giving us really challenging homework and exam questions. I tuned her out after about the fourth lecture. In terms of grading, she refused to give any partial credit, where CHEM271 is a super heavy math class, so if you made a simple calculation error you would get 0 points on a question. When I booked a private appointment with her to voice my concerns about how my effort wasn't being reflected in my grade, she simply told me to practice more, where I had already been using all the resources she had given us. When asking her how to study for the final, especially when she refused to give us answer keys to previous exams, she told us to do every. single. problem. in the textbook. That's around 3000 questions. There was no guidance on how to study, no actual teaching, and your best bet was to work off the textbook because her actual teaching was ridiculous. I urge you to listen to the reviews here and do NOT take this class with her if you can help it.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/17/2021	This was by far the worst chemistry class I have taken in college thus far. Dr. Dodson did not know how to teach the material, and her lectures were just a copy/paste from what was in the textbook. She could never answer anyones questions and always told people to refer to the slack for questions later, where usually a student would answer. She clearly did not know the material very well, and I ended up learning everything solely from the textbook. Not only were her lectures super unhelpful, but the exams did not reflect the material she "taught" and it was frustrating how they were way more complicated as we were completely unprepared. She also did not have any resources for us, and would not even bother to give us practice exams for the final. She never reciprocated to the students' needs and clearly had a lack of understanding on both content for her class and general teaching skills.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/17/2021	It’s been two days since the final...and I just found out there were 4 typos on the exam. She uses slack to give out announcements, and I only used slack to check for announcements of exams and other stuff. Turns out she posted on slack during the final that there were 4 typos on the exam, and then she says we were supposed to be in the zoom call to find out what the typos were. Through reading these reviews I also learned we were supposed to be participating in slack for participation points, but in the syllabus it says it’s ok to just attend lectures and discussion. I’ve never been more confused about what’s going on or what I’m supposed to be doing than in this class, unless at least a year or two has passed since this review and she has been able to get her lectures and class together just don’t take the class. She’s a new teacher so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, but she could’ve made the course so much easier on herself by listening and acting on the students advice.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/16/2021	I think all of the other reviews hit the nail on the head but I have to repeat our frustration towards this professor as, even during a difficult time as the COVID 19 pandemic, she was absolutely awful and inflexible. I did every homework assigned and received As on all of them, I was able to complete them without too many issues with the help of the textbook as her lectures were too confusing to really get much out of them. I used past exams from other professors to review and practice for each exam, yet the questions in her exams were much more complicated than what she covered in lecture and did not allow for partial credit despite the intensive math. The first exam was administered through MasteringChem which is a fine website for homework but absolutely horrible for exams, as I was kicked out of the exam after the first question. When I was let back in, I could only see one question at a time and could not change my answer after entering it in the allocated space, and between the time crunch and my inability to view all of the questions in the exam, I had no way of estimating how much more work I had to do and how much time I had for each question. Needless to say, my grade on this exam was absolutely awful. And it did not get any better! I practiced more and received a better grade on the second exam, but the third exam was again quite difficult. As my grade was heavily suffering from the first exam, I messaged her to make her aware of my concerns, but she was quite unhelpful and simply told me that she could not do anything about it and I had to suffer through it. For a 2 credit class, I spent more time studying the textbook and practice exams than some of my other 4 credit class this semester, and despite everything, it got worse! In our final she made 4 typos that heavily influenced the questions, and decided to correct them on Slack DURING THE EXAM! The only window I had open during this exam was... well the exam itself since she had told us to refrain from using slack. Yet she claimed that it was not her fault, as she had sent an announcement on slack and said something on the zoom call during the exam. I did not go to the zoom call because I did not want to be distracted by other students asking questions, so of course I did not hear or read anything about the typos and I wasted a lot of time on those questions that were indeed worth a lot of points. I strongly recommend taking anyone BUT her. Save yourself from the headaches and the tears, college is already stressful as it is.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/16/2021	Lectures were not useful, exams did not coincide with lecture and hw and too many issues in the exams , so disappointing since 271 isn’t a very difficult class like Orgo is notorious for.:( very sad that my gpa will be affected by this class
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/16/2021	handled the online environmen terribly
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/16/2021	This was one of Dr. Dodson's first semesters teaching chemistry and it could not possible be more apparent how utterly unprepared and inexperienced she was. Lectures were an absolute waste of time as her teaching style was so convoluted, and the practice problems she walked us through were filled with errors that she did not take any time to proofread before teaching to her 200+ students. Much of lecture time was spent completing these practice problems together, but when she walked us through these problems she managed to make them more complicated than they otherwise would have been had we just used the textbook. Oftentimes when students asked her seemingly rudimentary questions, she did not have a response and would say she had to check her notes. As mentioned in a previous review, she somehow managed to make relatively simple content seem more difficult, and I am sure most of the class would have been better off by just reading the textbook. As for exams, she refused to even give partial credit on an extremely calculation-intensive course with multi-step math problems, which just seemed like pure laziness on her part. The final was also filled with numerous typos which she notified the class of only on Slack during the exam (no one expected to have to routinely check Slack during a time crunched final), then proceeded to refuse culpability for her mistakes and blamed the class for not checking Slack during the exam. I do not think I have encountered a more incompetent professor in my life, and I will be shocked if I one day do.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/16/2021	This is by far one of the worst professors I've had at the University of Maryland. During COVID-19 she was not at all accommodating. All of her lectures were set at a scheduled time, and you wouldn't have access to them unless you had a serious excuse. She doesn't take into account that other students have other responsibilities. (Not only that, but she posted them a couple of days before the final to everyone (who is going to watch hours of lectures, when she could have set them out every week like every other teacher)). Participation is HIGHLY subjective. I went to all of the lectures, discussions and commented on the slack, and yet I did not get the full credit! It takes a heavy hit on your grade. Furthermore, during our final exam, she made 4 typos on the exam and posted them on SLACK. I don't know any other professor that does that. Most professors send an email from ELMS, especially because the exam is CLOSED book and internet. She specifically states to contact her on slack if you have any questions or to join the zoom. How am I supposed to know there are errors on the exam? Her lecture style is horrible, and I personally learned more from the books. The homeworks are easy and do not set you up for her exams at all. Her reviews/prep work for the exams are USELESS! She makes them so easy but when you take the exam it's not at all what you expect. In addition, during the first exam, it was on mastering chem and for some students the exam glitched. She let those students turn in their work 7+ days later and yet all of the other students had to do the test at the allotted time period. This was totally unfair, and she honestly did not care. She is just really EXTREMELY confusing and just all around not a good gen chem II professor! If you have the choice, take any other professor but her.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/15/2021	The worst possible professor in the CHEM department, or in any department period. Just a couple of the things CHEM271 students had to endure this semester (buckle down this is gonna be looong): 1. The first exam was administered through MasteringChem, and had a feature where you had to lock in your answers before moving forward. No one was aware of that before taking the exam, so that, along with multiple other technological issues that arise, accumulated to a horrible exam. She then let students submit the answers FOR A WEEK after the exam, which I'm sure many students took advantage of - I think this speaks for itself. Then, we were told that the exam would not be dropped, and that no one hates MasteringChem more than her...ok. 2. We never received a practice exam that was analogous with the level of difficulty, or even represented the problems we would see in her exams. Also, not once were we given a solutions manual to any exam because she, in her exact words, would "not be doing that." Had questions about the first exam while studying for the final? Professor Dodson's exact words at Office Hours: "You're just going to have to figure it out." 3. No partial credit on a SINGLE exam. Your calculations had you off by more than 0.5 of the answer? Sorry bestie, that's a 0/5 on the question (on an exam out of 50 points)! 4. As mentioned in a previous review, we were told at the beginning of class that participation is accrued by one of the following: attending lecture, going to discussion, or posting in Slack. Then, halfway into the semester when the first half of the semester participation was tallied, and most students lost multiple participation points, we were told that we had to attend lecture AND go to discussion (which was not always helpful) AND/OR post in Slack. The expectations outlined in the syllabus was FAR different than the expectations she verbally set, which I have honestly NEVER encountered in any class in my time at UMD thus far. 5. When she made a mistake while writing on the board and students pointed it out in lecture, she said "Sorry guys, I'm being dyslexic" twice. Disclaimer: she may be dyslexic in reality which we don't know, but if she isn't, that's an extremely discriminatory statement propagating stigma from a professor who is in a position of power. Many students felt highly uncomfortable from these comments. UMD prides itself in being an extremely welcoming school which prides itself on inclusivity, and I'm certain that comments like that do not fit with the school's moral tenants it strives to uphold. 6. THE FINAL. Oh, the final. She told us electronics was strictly forbidden on the exam, THEN makes MULTIPLE typos which affects the meaning of the questions, and posts corrections on Slack (which we were told not to access during the exam). When students mentioned this and highlighted the unfairness, she said "the corrections were also available on the Zoom call." ?????? The expectation for attending the Zoom call was ONLY if you had questions on the content, so none of us thought to stay in the Zoom call in the case that our professor makes huge mistakes on the exam (isn't that what proofreading is for???) Then, when this was brought up, she silenced us by telling us that people were still taking the exam, so we were to refrain from discussing the exam. Typical response from an individual who won't take accountability for their actions. It's extremely unfair to uphold us to a standard in which we cannot make mistakes on the exam so we get no partial credit, then she goes and makes multiple mistakes in writing the final exam. Make it make sense. Just do yourself a favor and take ANY other professor - college is already stressful and Gen Chem is already a lot to handle, especially with having to take 272 at the same time (Dr. Schech is AMAZING at teaching that class BTW), so any other professor would honestly be better than what Dr. Dodson will put you through. I'm sure Dr. Dodson is extremely knowledgeable in her field, and it is evident she is extremely passionate about the research she does. However, if UMD is interested in having professors that encourage students to develop a passion for Chemistry or who encourage students to learn/enjoy in the subject, I, along with many of my peers in her class this semester, would wholeheartedly suggest that you allow Dr. Dodson to sit out on teaching. She will bring nothing but misery to students, induce unnecessary anxiety, and instigate extreme apathy and negativity towards Chemistry as a whole.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/15/2021	This is my first time leaving a review, and if that does not tell you something about how bad this professor is then my next paragraph will. Her lectures were extremely disorganized and littered with mistakes in almost every single one, and her practice problems/homeworks/other material were blissfully easy compared to the actual exams she would give, which were often absolutely absurd in difficulty and tested you on your ability to think through her tricks and lack of information rather than the content. She did not offer partial credit, which is insane when you could answer one 8 point question correctly aside from one part yet get no credit for your knowledge. When my friend asked her for help, she told her she was "too busy" and to ask classmates in the Slack chat...the final nail in the coffin was when she had four major typos on her final exam which cost students around 15-20 points, and then blamed students for not checking the Slack chat- when she was the one who wrote a final and didn't bother to look through and check that she made no typos! Aside from that, even the TA could not answer some the questions she asked us on exams, going so far as arguing with students for 30 minutes before later admitting he was wrong. If a graduate TA couldn't solve a problem, then it should not be used to measure the knowledge of undergraduate students. There is probably no curve in the class either, as she doesn't ever own up to her mistakes and realize her teaching style is not effective at relaying and measuring our knowledge. Do not take her if you want to learn and be tested accurately!
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/15/2021	If your goal is to learn chem, don't take this professor. We spent the first 5 minutes of the class talking about astronomy and I successfully learned more fun facts about outer space that I will never use again in my entire life. Additionally, the wealth of knowledge that I learned in the lecture was so tiny that the homework and 5 minutes of astronomy intro every day gave me more information on exams than her actual teaching. Quite impressive how disorganized she was and how often she would backpedal on her own notes due to so many mistakes. I'd rather just have someone read the textbook to me as that would give a stronger understanding of chem than paying attention to the disorganized and unmotivating lecture that she would give weekly. Take anyone else for your own good.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/14/2021	Do not take her please for your mental health. Dr. Dodson is by far the worst professor I have ever had at UMD. My absolute greatest complaint is her lack of partial credit and inability to account for the rampant cheating that is clearly going on. The double standard and hypocrisy in her methods astounds me. Dr. Dodson makes 3-4 mistakes per lecture, the textbook is filled with errors, our final exam had 4 typos, but somehow it's fair that students are heavily penalized for the tiniest mistakes during the exams. Her grading methods are grossly unfair and in no way accurately assess mastery of content. Each question is worth a huge amount of points, and if we make the slightest mistake, we lose a large percent of our grade. If a student presses the wrong button on the calculator for the last step of a complicated math based question that takes multiple steps to solve, they get zero points even if they did everything else correctly. Or if they knew how to solve almost everything but couldn't get to the final answer, they still wouldn't get a single point. These questions can be worth up to 14% of our grade, which significantly impacts our overall grade. Dr. Dodson wouldn't even tell us which questions we got wrong on exam 1 so we couldn't even ask for regrades. She gets defensive when students bring up the issues (and I still can't think of a valid reason for why she didn't release correct answers to exams or why she won't let us scan our work for partial credit - considering many other chem classes online do both of these). Even if you have an excellent understanding of the material she taught in lecture and from the textbook, the exams are all or nothing so the tiniest mistake ruins your grade. Takeaways: grading did not adequately ascertain level of understanding, she wasn't open to suggestions, she didn't address student concerns, and the hypocrisy regarding ability to make mistakes was very unfair.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/14/2021	I am sure that Dr. Dodson is a great researcher and person but her teaching style and course set-up left me incredibly disheartened and discourage. I do not recommend her CHEM 271 at all. Lectures: Her lectures followed the textbook EXACTLY. Therefore, during lectures, all the practice problems are the basic/easy ones that only need one or two equations to solve. The homework and exam problems, where our grades are at stake, are much much MUCH harder. Grading: Her grading was very ambiguous, especially for participation. Since the class did not have many grading opportunities (just homework, exams, and participation), the participation weighed more heavily on everyone's grades. She did not clearly outline how the students can obtain participating points, causing many students to lose out on points that cannot be obtained past a certain time in the class. Exams: Dr. Dodson's exam setup is where I have the most grievance. Her exams were calculation-heavy (nearly 80-90% of each exam) but had no partial credits. She flat out rejected a student's suggestion of allowing students to turning PDFs for partial credits. I lost 14% on an exam because I calculated the last step in a seven-step problem wrong. On Exam 1, she decided to use Mastering Chem as the platform, which glitched like crazy. Then she was forced to accept late responses and granted everyone full credits on a couple of questions. Many students took advantage of this and the academically honest students were unnecessary and unintentionally penalized. In addition, she did not release our grading for the first exam so we could not even ask for regrades. To her credits, she did discontinue using Mastering Chem for exams. Her practice exams were not true reflections of the actual exams and neither were the practice dynamic module that she assigned. Her exam questions were also tricky and did not test students' understanding of chemistry topics. Tl;DR: Horrible lecture style. Horrible calculation-heavy exams that do not have partial credits. 100% DO NOT recommend.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/14/2021	No partial credit for a calculation-heavy course, does not understand difficulty of problems, unorganized TA
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/14/2021	Horrible lecture style, tricky exams that are made to test random skills rather than chemistry. No partial credit on anything, and a lack of understanding. Her final had 4 typos worth 20% of the exam. What's funny is that she explicitly stated to NOT be online other than ELMS during an exam, yet posts typo corrections on SLACK and expects students to be avid enough to check slack about important announcements like test typos. Her homeworks are incredibly easy to do, but her exams are terrible. Her "review" with practice problems solve to give you a false sense of security before aggressively pulling the rug beneath you during the exam and exposing the obvious lapses in her teaching. Additionally, the TA didn't understand half the material, and once argued for over half the discussion about a test problem where he was incorrect. Imagine that, a TA, who has the answer key, spends over half the discussion on defending the incorrect answer only to then backpedal and waste everyone's time. An absolute mess of a semester online, and I would recommend Dr. Dodson to seriously reconsider her teaching style and reevaluate if teaching is something she wants to pursue, as it is obvious her pedagogy ability has not been sharpened at all throughout her academic career in undergrad or graduate school.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/14/2021	A person who's speciality is astronomy should not be teaching General Chemistry II. The homework honestly taught me more than anything the professor did in this class.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/11/2021	TA for discussion was lost in the material, unhelpful, and his "practice exams" were as far removed from the material as possible. Every exam seemed to not have any correlation to what is shown in class or from what was presented. Homeworks were easy, yet gave no actual practice as their difficulty in comparison to the final exam was completely different. The textbook and khan academy is your best resource, but the material presented in class is really easy, yet the teacher somehow manages to make each problem hard, confusing, and are written to be tricky rather than test student knowledge. Lastly, the lecture was unclear, useless, and a waste of time. We would spend over 10 minutes on one question during lecture, over 20 minutes for one question for discussion, yet are expected to do even harder questions on an exam with half the time. Do yourself a favor and take any other professor.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/10/2021	Dr. Dodson's CHEM271 class was an absolute mess. The first exam she administered had countless issues with it (once you answered a question, it locked and you could not change it, the program glitched and time was cut short for some students, the exam was insanely long etc.). To "fix" the particular issue of the exam locking out before time was up, she allowed students to turn in answers to the exam up to a week after the exam was administered. It was widely known that some students may have taken advantage of this system for the benefit of their own grades (Dr. Dodson acknowledged this as well), but she basically told her students that nothing could be done about the dishonestly. She did discontinue the use of that exam platform, but people who were academically honest really got the short end of the stick. Besides this first exam fiasco, other notable issues included a disorganized discussion, unhelpful "practice exams", and participation points that seemed impossible to accrue. I genuinely learned everything for this class from Dr. Schech's CHEM272 lab and the book. I believe Dr. Dodson is knowledgeable in her field and is a great scientist, but her teaching style was not the best and she really made this class something to worry about for a lot of students.
Taylor Plank CHEM271 Anonymous 05/06/2021	The first couple weeks of the class were pretty messy because she was assigned it a couple days before, but I think she was a great lecturer and had fair expectations from students. The lectures were really straightforward and she provided a lot of examples on how to do problems. The exams were also very similar to the homework and practice problems she provided. She was really responsive to students and responded to emails and slack messages quickly. The only negative thing I could think of is that her lecture was a couple weeks behind lab but that seems to be an issue with a lot of chem courses.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 05/04/2021	If there is another professor, take them instead. I had her during an online setting and found her lectures boring and not helpful. Her lectures did not reflect the exams and homework given. She does not provide adequate practice examples and her exams were on elms with no partial credit so if you got a question wrong you were automatically down 6 percent.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/26/2021	The material in this course is the easiest material that you will have in a chemistry class, yet somehow she still made it confusing. I learned everything I know from the lab 272. She didn't give any partial credit for a course that is nearly entirely math, she wasn't very available via email, and she just wasn't receptive to students' needs. Also, the material taught in class was directly out of the book and super simple, yet the questions on exams were much more difficult. She is a nice lady and I wish her the best but do not take her if there are other options, the other teachers will be better.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 04/22/2021	HORRIBLE. Do not take this professor.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/21/2021	horrible professor, probably handled the online environment worst out of anybody i've ever taken.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 04/21/2021	Honestly, she is a very nice and respectable person, BUT she is EXTREMELY confusing. What we learn in class and the activities we do outside of class are COMPLETELY different from what is presented on her exams. Majority of the time, the lectures and homework are very easy and you will need to resort to reading the textbook to learn what she wants.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 04/21/2021	I went from getting A's in my previous two semesters of chemistry to hoping to pass this one. Honestly, I did not know what to expect coming into this semester since it's her first time teaching this class but my experience has not been good at all. The exams are brutal and the HWs and the practice material is not reflective of what's being tested.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 04/21/2021	In my opinion, I don't recommend this professor. Classes I've taken related to chemistry have been pretty straight forward, providing practice problems, reasonable help, and practice exams that relate to the exams you take. However, being in lecture we learn the most basic ways to solve problems but the exams don't reflect what we've learned in class to the same degree. After attending lectures, reading the textbooks, and redoing all the hws, I opened the practice exam and it had ridiculously complex problems with what some material that seems irrelevant to this course. She expects you to have knowledge that was not taught in lecture or covered in the textbook. I wish discussion would have been taught better (the TA also admitted to needing help from the professor to do specific problems). She's probably a great scientist and researcher but is obviously lost in delivering material in a reasonable way to students. In addition to this, her syllabus states "18 points will be counted through regular participation in AT LEAST ONE or more of the following: (i) Zoom class meetings, (ii) Slack discussions, or (iii) instructor office hours." However, after attending all of the lectures, which satisfies the requirement, I did not receive full credit. I'm really trying my best in this course but when I receive grades back from my exams I get so discouraged.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/19/2021	so trash.... doesn't provide practice problems, her practice exams are horrible, lectures completely unstructured. i've gotten A's in every other chem class without needing to touch the textbook but its a must with her. her class is awful.
Leah Dodson CHEM271 Anonymous 04/19/2021	She is one of the most confusing professors I have ever taken, doesn't provide practice problems, and her exams do not reflect the material she teaches. Any practice problems that she does provide are significantly easier than those on the exam, which sets you up to fail. I highly recommend you do not take this professor. She doesn't answer questions will and is often confused herself.
Efrain Rodriguez CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/09/2020	I had a Rodriguez and Jarzynski for Chem271 online on alternating weeks and I have to say I found just reading the textbook better than his lectures. The online textbook for this class is a MUST. Saved my life.
Bonnie Dixon CHEM271 Anonymous 04/29/2020	I will be 100% honest, I had dixon for orgo 1 and LOVED her. I understood the concepts really well because she knew what she was doing. She has a good system for chem 231 and I will not take that away from her, HOWEVER she has been awful for Chem 2. Her first exam was way to difficult for no reason. Her lectures in person have been very confusing and she makes it hard for us to connect different equations to the problems we need to know. I will say that since quarantine she has had better lectures prepared, but that still doesn't mean she is an overall good chem 2 professor. I have personally sent her multiple emails throughout the semester asking for help and she has not responded. She finally got back to me after bombarding her with multiple emails regarding something very important and she got mad at me because she felt I did not even need to send her an email in the first place. She is super unreliable online and her "office hours" that she says you have to go to are not effective in an online setting. She has made this class terrible for me. I have liked chemistry until I took her Chem 271 class. Don't talk her for chem 2, ONLY CHEM 231!!! She has a good system for that class but for chem 2 she does not.
Pedro Bueno CHEM271 Anonymous 05/23/2019	It was his 1st semester teaching the course so most of the times, it took him a bit longer to get the point across. He has a wonderful personality and always wants you to succeed in the course. He tries to be funny during his lectures by using (really random/querky) analogies to help lessen the stress/make a mark in your mind. The HW is in MasteringChemistry and you can basically find everything online.
John Ondov CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/21/2018	Much more clear in office hours than lecture. Overall, a really good professor. Carl, as my friends call him, wants his students to learn and do well.
John Ondov CHEM271 Anonymous 04/21/2018	IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE, TAKE HIM! I'm about to get my first A in chemistry. :)
John Ondov CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/01/2018	I love him. He's adorable. Carl is the best!
John Ondov CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 03/24/2018	Underrated. One of the best and nicest profs out there. Actually wants students to succeed.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 03/18/2018	I love him so much!!!
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 jandrade 05/02/2016	Unapproachable, constantly messes up on her powerpoint slides. Exams super unfair. TA messes up just as much in discussion. She's going to need to put a huge curve on this class to make up for all the bad grades her students are receiving.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/04/2014	Great professor, and even better class
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 08/29/2014	Hey, do you like learning physical/theoretical chemistry in a general chemistry class, spending most of class on derivations, tests with convoluted questions that are much harder than you would expect, and getting screwed over for the MCAT, then you'll fall head over heals in love with Julin, and I would highly reccomend him. If you prefer the opposite, go jump out a window before signing up for his class. The whole problem stems from the fact that Julin is a Biochemistry professor not a general chemistry teacher, and he has only taught this class like twice (which probably explains the difference in opinions below). If your the type of person who prefers to learn from the book, then you will have a major problem when taking Julin's class, since exams are only from class material. In addition, I agree with the review below from 5-22-14. Doing lots of practice problems won't help you one bit, since test questions are predominantly concept based. To succeed in Julin's class, you need to rewatch lectures (he records them) and pay attention to every word that comes out of his mouth. Other than that, there is really no way to prepare for his test. Unlike other classes where if you work hard, you are pretty much getting a good grade, that isn't true with Julin. His questions are so bizarre that for the Thermodynamics unit, he asked a question on the history of state functions, but didn't ask a question on Hess' Law, one of the most fundemental concepts for that unit. Gen chem 2 is not a hard class and the material is somewhat interesting, but Julin makes it a lot harder than it really needs to be. My reccomendation is to never take a biochemistry professor for a general chemistry class...
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/07/2014	I actually liked the material in this class and found it to be very helpful for the MCAT. that being said, I couldn't enjoy it one bit thanks to this guy. Absolutely terrible professor, would never take this man again in my life. If your a chemistry major or you really like chemistry, then Julin might not be a bad idea, since his teaching style is that he focuses on the in depth theoretical side of chemistry, and about 2/3 of the tests are conceptual based as opposed to problems. Unlike other chemistry classes where you have to just understand how to do the problems, in Julin's class you really have to know your stuff inside and out. Just knowing how to do the problems won't suffice to get an A in this class. His tests are also nothing like the practice tests that he posts, so watch out for that. He always likes to have 1-2 test questions where you are like "where the hell did that come from...". Not to mention, his test questions aren't even similar in anyway shape or form to what he teaches in class. Also, when you practice doing normal general chemistry problems, it's easy to get thrown off based on how much biochemistry is on his tests. Julin teaches this class like a 300-400 advanced chemistry class and wastes half of class deriving complex equations. There really isn't any point coming to class because you will not learn anything useful. Honestly, there isn't really any way to study for this class, since his tests aren't anything like practice tests, the book, or his lecture slides. I reccomend taking CHEM271 with another professor. Just to let you know how much I hate this man, I signed up for BCHM461 next semester originally with some other guy, however the minute that it got changed to Julin, I switched out in a heartbeat.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/26/2014	Definitely not the worst lecturer ever, but he's certainly not far from it. I've had much worse professors here at UMD. Going to class is literally the biggest waste ever because Julin focuses more on the theoretical side rather than the important concepts. As a result, I feel that I've barely learned anything meaningful. In addition his tests also focus on the theoretical side rather than doing chemistry problems. WARNING: DO NOT get fooled by Julin's practice exams that he posts. He posts one thing, but the exam is literally 10 times harder than what he posts. His exams are also not fair in terms of length, as it is nearly impossible to finish his exams. The questions are also worded so wierdly that you will literally have no idea what the question is asking, when in fact it was actually a pretty easy question. In addition, nearly every question has a biochem example using biological molecules instead of normal chemistry molecules which throws everyone off. He tries to be helpful by offering review sessions, but they are absolutely useless. To sum up, as I said before, he isn't the worst lecturer ever as there are far worse, but I'd probably say he's the worst all-around professor when you take into account his teaching, tests, grading, and most importantly, how unfair of a teacher he is. Also, the general consensus is that he's great for biochem, but horrible for gen chem.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/24/2014	Where to start... Well first of all, let me say that I can't think of a single professor at UMD where I've said this before, but there is absolutely nothing that I like about this man, whether it is his scowl on his face, his teaching style, the way he treats his students, his exams, his grading policy. I can't seem to find one positive thing about him. I seriously think that all the reviewers below were on cocaine when they wrote their reviews. Beyond the fact the he is the most unengaging lecturer ever, Julin's teaching and tests are not even closely related to the textbook, so you need to pay extremely close attention in class. His grading is so unfair that you must have exactly what is on the key to get credit even if you answered the question in a correct manner. If you go to him for a regrade and try to explain your point, he's so adamant and stuck up about his grading policy that he will not give you points. The worst part about this guy is the complex derivations that he does in class, and tries to incorporate calculus. Then when he makes a mistake he spends like 10 minutes trying to figure out what he did wrong. Julin tends to focus on random theoretical bullshit instead of explaining to students how to solve chemistry problems. In addition, on exams he includes so many BIOCHEMISTRY examples in a GENERAL CHEMISTRY class. Also, a word of advice. Many students come into this class cocky because they think that gen chem II is easier than orgo II; it's not. In fact, I now understand why they make you take gen chem II after orgo II. Honestly, the material in this class is not hard, but Julin makes this class 10 times harder than what it needs to be. I'm warning you, Don't take Julin. If I had known the truth about him earlier and not paid attention to the useless reviews below, I would have purposely pushed off gen chem to another semester, even if it means being behind in the chemistry sequence.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Anonymous 05/23/2014	Honestly, I just made an OURUMD account so I could warn all other future students not to take Julin. He is probably the worst professor I've ever had. Supposedly he's great for Biochem, but he's literally THE WORST professor for general chemistry. I had Dr. Dixon for Orgo II and was spoiled, because when I came to Julin, I noticed that he is exactly the opposite (minus the hard tests). This man seriously cannot teach and he will make you fall asleep with his monotone voice. In addition to being a shitty teacher, Julin's tests are the most unfair thing ever. He tests you on the little minute things that are not important and doesn't test you on the major concepts in each unit. That's why you need to make sure that you know literally every little detail on every slide. Also, when you think of Chemistry, you are used to doing lots of algebraic calculations, not in this class. I'd say about 75% of the test questions are conceptual based rather than problem based. Not to mention, that when it comes to regrades, he is extremely stingy with regards to awarding back points. Even if you accurately explain your point and if it makes sense. Being Pre-med, besides the fact that GPA is important, I don't believe that I have learned anything meaningful with Julin, and I don't feel more prepared for the MCAT then I was before I took his class. I never thought I'd say this, but I can't think of a class that I've had before where I felt it was hard to scrape by with a B. Whatever you do, don't do it to yourself.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/22/2014	If you learn by doing practice problems THIS TEACHER IS NOT FOR YOU!!!! He is actually against giving practice problems for his test. Or hw or just any practice in general. You can try and study from the book and other teachers tests but they offer little help. The only way he says to study is to "rewrite your notes" which is very hard because he doesn't do any practice problems during class either. He teaches theory in a very complex way (this guy LOVES do derivatives for things you don't actually need to know) and then expects you to be able to apply it in a very complex way on the test. Because of the lack of practice problems I feel like I didn't fully learn anything. I am taking the MCAT this summer and GenCHEM is by far my worst section because I didn't get the proper back ground knowledge from this class. IF you actually care about knowing the material for the MCAT or any other test you are going to have to learn it completely on your own. His class doesn't prepare you. I have heard he is good for BioCHEM, but he is NOT a general chemistry teacher. IF you care about learning the material DONT DO IT.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Anonymous 05/18/2014	Ok, so I heard that he was a very good Biochem professor, which might be true, but I can tell you that he is literally the worst gen chem professor ever. Not only is he a very poor lecturer, but he is extremely boring to listen to and his lectures are way too theoretical (he likes to focus more on proofs and concepts rather than teaching how to solve problems). That being said, the main reason I gave Julin 1 star is because he is the most unfair test writer ever. His tests focus on abstract theoretical concepts that were barely covered in class rather than solving chemistry problems. You really have to know your stuff inside and out to succeed on his tests. And whatever you do, make sure that you study EVERYTHING on the slides because the things that you thing he is least likely to test you on, he does. Bottom line: Stay away from Julin at all costs. If he is the only professor teaching for the semester, I reccomend pushing it off to another semester just to avoid taking Julin.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/16/2014	Julin is one of the most bland professors you can ask for. During the lectures, he frequently went over the theory behind some of the material and ALWAYS derived equation after equation. This may be helpful, but he asks for none of this on an exam. One lecture he spent the entire class deriving a single equation. Also, he messes up in lecture a lot and makes plenty of mistakes. After a lecture, you can bet that there will be a follow-up email of him attempting to reconcile his emails. His exams are absolute insanity. The first exam he expected us to finish 12 pages in just 50 minutes. Needless to say, almost nobody finished. Questions are always poorly phrased and there is absolutely no way to properly study for anything he writes. Julin is far from the best chem271 professor, but hell this course isn't even about chemistry. At this point, it's more physics/thermo/kinetics.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/23/2013	I feel like I was truly blessed to have Kahn as a professor after having so many horrible science professors at umd. I heard a lot of bad comments about him but his class was my absolute favorite and i despise chemistry. He focuses on learning concepts which is difficult for some people to do. If you have a question he can figure out a way to explain it in a way that makes sense to you. He truly cares about his students and the education that he provides them. I thought I was going to get a B or C and ended up with an A just by following his guidelines. Don't be scared of his class. Just go to lectures, do the homework, review old exams, and have a good attitude about it and you'll be really happy that you took his class.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/09/2013	I was intimidated at first after hearing all the review about Dr.Kahn, but in the end was the most enjoyable chemistry class I have taken. Don't be scared to take it with him just because you've heard bad things. He is helpful, goes slowly, and is very willing to review concepts. He held long reviews before the tests and would answer any question, even those that would appear on the test. Definitely review old exams and ask reccuring questions during the reviews-he will show you exactly how he wants you to answer them and it really helps on the exam. I got a 90 on one of the tests just by reviewing old exams and lecture slides (rarely attending lecture)!
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting a B+ erika_14 12/24/2012	The good: -Her TA Mara is amazing and so helpful -She posts practice exams and formula sheets which are helpful before exams -No conceptss - just problems The bad: -Always makes mistakes.. -Is a bad lecturer -Semi bad at explaining -Can get angry easily Don't waste your money on a textbook, you won't need it. Or just buy the $1 old edition
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 12/18/2012	Let me just start off by saying...this class is tough!!! So much unnecessary work for a 2 credit class! The material doesn't need to be difficult but Dr. Kahn finds a way to make this class a living hell. He is very interested in biochemical applications which he mixes in with general chemistry. The material is very boring (thermodynamics, kinetics, electrochemistry, acid-base titrations, etc)but it is definitely helpful for the MCAT or DAT. Course Structure: 2 midterms (100 pts each) 2 quizzes (20 pts each) Online HW (60 pts, unlimited tries) Final Exam (200 pts) I got a 340/500 and ended up with a solid B! The exam averages tend to be in the mid 60s. The overall class average was around a 65 percent. Dr. Kahn is a humorous professor and he is very knowledgeable and even holds exam review sessions. But he makes the class so hard that he eventually pisses you off. Overall, Kahn is cool but the class is tough! Enjoy...
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/17/2012	Since the +/- system is implemented this semseter, I unfortunately ended up with a B-. That being sad, I am really upset about the new law, but at the same time, I just wanted to say a couple of things about Kahn. He is smart. Enough said. Of course, this guy is a biochemist. Not everyone can even attempt biochemistry as a major. He applys biochemistry concepts into his lectures, which I found quite interesting, but extremely difficult. This class is suppose to be easy, but Kahn makes it so so difficult. I really wanted to drop the class. His quizzes are not easy in addition to his tests. I had to take this man because he was the only one teaching it this semseter. I suggest that you all make the right decision. Since his tests were on theories and concepts, I had a hard time figuring out what he wanted us to know. I recorded his lectures and listened to them religiously. I think that if you want to pull your hair out for a 2 credit chemistry course, that's suppose to be easy, take this man. You will learn, but you will hate yourself for taking it with him. I don't recommend this man to anyone. You might fail actually. But if you are smart and value perfectionism, take him. You will love this man.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 08/16/2012	Exams are fair and proportional to the material taught in class. She has an open door policy with office hours and is extremely helpful. Like any chemistry course at UMD, expect to keep with the course and study! If you have a choice between her and Kahn, take Mignery.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 08/16/2012	Avoid this man as if he were the plague!
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Anonymous 05/22/2012	Dr. Mignerey is a pretty good professor. I found the material very interesting and you can tell she is really enthusiastic about what she does. She was pretty accessible and if you asked her intelligent questions she would answer you clearly. Her exams are kind of challenging. Averages for 2/3 of them were low and because of that there was a decent curve. The final was pretty hard so make sure you come prepared. The exams really do test how prepared you are and if you are not, your grade will pay. Final is 40% of your grade so make sure you take it seriously. You have to go to lecture because she has in-class quizzes that are an easy way to get points. The TA, Mara, is phenomenal. She is very helpful in discussions.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Anonymous 05/14/2012	Some things to know about Kahn: 1. He is incredibly smart. He is also incredibly nice if you are a sincere student. 2. He doesn't teach material superficially. He expects you to understand the material deeply. If you are going to get points on his test, answer the questions thoroughly. The numerical problems on his tests are easy. It's the concepts that make or break you grade. 3. Kahn actually goes pretty slow, so there's no way you should be lagging behind. 4. GO TO EVERY CLASS! and review his powerpoints... because only and exactly what he says in class will be on the test. If you understand what he's saying in class, you don't even need to study much for the final. It is easy to get an A if you know specifically the ideas he has talked about in class, which may not always be captured by the powerpoints. 5. Review old exams. He has been known to pull a couple of questions off them. 6. DO NOT miss the online homework. They are the easiest points in the world. Overall, an excellent teacher with a few idiosyncracies, but his class was very, very rewarding... People who usually give him low ratings typically either don't go to class, or don't pay attention because if you are doing those two things, there's no way you will get anything lower than a B.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Anonymous 05/12/2012	All i know is after dropping chem with kahn this class is a breeze!! Seriously her exams are almost identical to the practice exams she puts up!!! Going to class is a must because there are "quizzes" which are 1 pt daily problems on notecards that you can work on with others.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Anonymous 05/12/2012	Do yourself a favor and take someone else!!!! The dropout rate for my class was so high... i wish i would have dropped
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/07/2012	Kahn is a funny dude. Like everyone else said, he teaches a lot of biochem. Its kind of annoying, but it isnt too bad. The tests arent bad. Theres 2 of them and theyre impossible to understand whats going on. He gives A LOT of partial credit on them. He's funny and tells random stories, which keeps you engaged. He doesnt use the book like at all. Just beat the averages on the exams.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a D Anonymous 03/19/2012	TERRIBLE PROFESSOR. monotonous lectures, unfriendly attitude, unhelpful office hours, hard tests, barely any other grades beside the tests. If you do poorly on one test getting an A is pretty much impossible. Wants all his test averages to be low. literally said "If people are getting 80's or 90's on my tests I'm doing something wrong." He doesn't care if you learn anything, only about the bottom line of his grade distribution. Take anyone else you can.
Sangbok Lee CHEM271 psychologynerd 12/26/2011	-not a good lecturer; not engaging at all- thinks students knows exactly what he's talking about, but they don't entirely -lectures off slides -exams are tricky
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/22/2011	Dr. Kahn is a nice guy and very chill. Although I think that he is too smart and what comes naturally to him might not be so for his students. As a result, his exams are very difficult and rely heavily on a conceptual understanding of the material. Workload for the class is not bad at all. Online homework is very easy and the quizzes are not too bad either. Large curve, but dependent on how well your classmates perform. So naturally, try to beat the average on every exam. Good luck!
Sangbok Lee CHEM271 Expecting an A zhangsta 05/25/2011	Not the greatest lecturer since he teaches off his slides, which are taken right out the book. You can easily do well just reading the book and doing the homework problems. At the very least, you should do the homework problems because many of his exam questions are taken straight out of the homework. His exams are entirely multiple choice so there won't be any partial credit on them. The only other source of possible questions on the exams come from problems that he works out in lecture. Unlike the questions taken from the homework, he'll change up the worked problems so you'll have to work backwards or calculate something during the exam.
Sangbok Lee CHEM271 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/24/2011	Exams got progressively easier and were all multiple choice. He isn't the best lecturer out there and lectures were kind of more supplementary to the textbook and slides. Keep in mind that there isn't truly that much material covered in 271, so self teaching is not all that bad. Overall, he's a nice guy and I've heard better than that other 271 profs out there. The curve this semester was probably around ~7-8%.
Sangbok Lee CHEM271 Anonymous 05/20/2011	EXTREMELY BORING lectures! He's hard to understand and he doesn't answer questions well and moves either too fast or too slow. I fell asleep in almost every lecture as much as I tried to stay awake. But he does post all of his lecture powerpoints online and the TA goes over a lot of the homework problems in discussion, which is very helpful. His exams are very fair...all multiple choice and tests mainly on problems he went over in lecture in his powerpoints or that were assigned as chapter problems. He had a reasonable curve at the end of the semester too. Overall, pretty easy teacher, just really boring
Sangbok Lee CHEM271 Expecting a B Chemguy 05/19/2011	Dr. Lee has been the worst instructor I have had at UMD. Though he seems very knowledgeable about the subject, he is unable to convey that knowledge in any way. He reads his lecture slides verbatim and then posts them online, so attending lecture is frustratingly pointless. Much worse, however, is his use of multiple choice exams and no other assignments. The final was worth 50% of your grade, and there were 40 multiple choice questions. This allowed for no partial credit, which limited his ability to actually assess your understanding of the concepts. Forget to carry a coefficient or make a math error on 4 final problems, and you've already lost 5% of your total grade. Only take Lee if you feel extremely confident in your ability to teach chem to yourself and be a perfectionist on exams.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Anonymous 05/15/2011	He's definitely not the best professor. He tends to rant a lot, goes off on tangents about hypothetical situations, and covers a lot of material that's nowhere to be found in his Powerpoints. That being said, I learned a lot of practical knowledge/application from his class. His lectures are almost solely theory-based. He does very few "examples" or calculations in the class -- these are all assigned for homework. But, his exams test the practical application of the theories that he's been ranting about in class. So, it's to your benefit to go to class, listen, take notes, and really understand the theories. If you're looking to learn how this type of chemistry relates to biology, the body, and life in general, then I highly recommend Dr. Kahn. His class is also very useful when it comes time to take biochemistry, as most of his exam problems are biochemical applications of chemistry concepts. But, if you just want the A and don't care much about the material, another professor might be a better idea because an A is definitely not easy to come by for his class.
Sangbok Lee CHEM271 Expecting an A Letsreviewthisguy 05/13/2011	He cannot speak English, but his exams are very fair, if not easy if you study even a little. He is approachable, and have a interesting sense of humor. I personally never went to lecture, and read the book and did well. But if you are type of person who doesn't like to read the book, and hope to retain everything from lecture, this is not the guy you want to take.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A aralchen 04/23/2011	Kahn is the man. Yes, he's hard and he won't take your crap about how you don't like his class. But he actually teaches. This was hands down one of the most rewarding classes I took at UMD. Don't pass him up because he's an undeniably kickass prof.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/12/2011	Nice guy, but teaches very differently than most professors. Like others have said, he emphasizes theory and tends to go off on some pretty gnarly tangents that no one understands. You will probably be frustrated with his exams, probably frustrated with him sometimes too, but he grades on a monster curve so just be above the class average. My exam grades were roughly D, B+, D and I still pulled off an A since I was above the average. To do well in this class, I recommend looking at his old exams to understand what he tends to test on. Don't just give the old exams/answers a cursory run through--really look at what concepts he tends to cover and make sure you understand everything completely. Unfortunately, you'll have to study his slides as well. They're pretty long, but there are always test questions from the slides that don't appear anywhere on his old exams. If you go to class, you should be able to narrow down the exact concepts you need to focus on. He often skips through a bunch of the slides and doesn't expect you to know them. So going to lecture does help...just try to print out the slides and cross out whatever he glosses over. Cuts down on your studying immensely. Other assignments: 2 quizzes, online homework. Both very easy with some decent effort--should be free points so don't screw those up.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Phoenix_ourumd 12/22/2010	I personally thought that he was a good professor. Yes, he adds biochemistry to his exams but it only helps you to apply the concepts learned in class to real situations. Yes, there's a lot of text on his ppt slides in lecture, but you're not obligated to copy it all down. Just pay attention to the concepts/equations in bold. 2 Exams (100 pts each), 1 Final Exam (150 pts). 60 points for Smartwork (unlimited tries). 2 quizzes in discussion (20 points each, really easy). Substantial curve (350 points is an A). I personally used the textbook throughout the course but it depends on your learning style.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a B+ Anastasia Samsonova 12/18/2010	He is a really good professor, in my opinion. He warns in the beginning of the semester that because he's a biochemist, the application that he's going to talk about are going to pertain to biology. His lectures are very interesting, because from time to time he goes on a rant about geopolitics and hydrogen economy, etc. and to me, it's very interesting. He's very helpful in his office hours and treats students with respect. He'll clarify himself in lecture if you ask him to and go over material twice for you to get it. Basically, if you ask good questions, you're on his good side. He has a pretty good curve, quizzes are straightforward if you study beforehand. For tests look at previous semesters, they'll help a bunch.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Biology Major 05/27/2010	Dr. Kahn is not the most engaging professor at the university. He is very pretentious, and speaks highly of himself and the professors he had as an graduate and undergraduate. In addition, he likes to dump plethora of information at you that is seemingly inconsequential, but really is what most of his quizzes and tests cover. For example, he spent a total of 20 minutes explaining the Blotzzmann distribution but had a 28 point problem about it on the test. The average on the quiz was a 6/15 because he failed to go over things in class which he put on the quiz, or deemed important. He teaches Gen Chem II as a prep class for biochem. And so you do not learn what is given in the textbook. He goes off on tangents. Alot of his problems are about DNA hybridization. He tests on theory. He speaks to the us as if we follow everything he says. He goes by fast, and assumes that we know the material. The only advantage to him is that he curves alot. When I took it this year, a 70% was an 'A.' But he only curves b/c the averages on the tests were very low. The average on the second exam was 50% flat. The tests averages were low, in part, because his questions are verbose and confusing. For example, we had a huge essay type question on the first exam which was all fill-in-the-blank. And you had to use the information from the essay to answer the next part. So if you did not get the first part, you were screwed for the second part. In conclusion, I would like to summarize his class by using a quote he told us about one of the lectures that he gave us: "it wasn't all it could have been," in short a huge disappointment.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/21/2010	I wouldn't say Kahn has any flaws in his teaching ability. He's a nice guy and he goes over the powerpoints in class and posts everything online. He emphasizes theory, which shows on his exams, but you still have to be able to do the calculations. It seems like a typical Chem 271 class covers acid-base chemistry in depth, electrochemistry, and kinetics. He wants you to know the theory, be able to do basic problems, and then he tells you about applications in Biology. That is the biochemistry part that everyone is complaining about. If you're taking biochemistry later, its probably a good thing to get some intro to it. While he definitely does focus a lot on biochemistry, it's not like his tests aren't fair. They assess what he taught. But, if you think you would do better in a class without any biochemistry, then don't take him. His grade breakdown is purely based on curve, based on the following ratios: 25:30:30:15 A:B:C:D/F 2 exams, 2 quizzes, unlimited tries for online hw (free points)
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting a B umterp111 05/16/2010	im not sure how anyone could write these positive posts on kahn (especially the ones recommending to take him) maybe he has changed since you have had him. i consider myself a decent student and will probably end up with a B in 271 but believe me that B was earned. kahn is not a good teacher his lectures are boring and monotonous. his tests are extremely difficult and the averages are very low. he does not do any sample calculations in class or his power points and then expects you to figure them out by yourself. he is in the biochem department which you can tell by the way he tested us. he consistently talked about biochem topics and even tested us on a few. i had friends who were taking the other section of 271 with the other teacher (minegery or something like that) and not was that class easier but they didnt even cover some of the material that we were tested on. he even likes to talk about how his quizzes are straight forward and to the point and yet the average on our second quiz was a 6/15. i would recommend taking a different teacher and i know a lot of people who were in my class that would feel the same way.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 hippoterp 05/06/2010	Firstly, he sucks at lecturing. His slides are pointless in that they have SO MUCH information on them and you can't understand what is going on. When he does math on the board he skips steps and it's really hard to follow. Also, he has these random excel spreadsheets that he expects you to understand. More importantly, if you're inclined in general chemistry you will do well on his exams. If you are not inclined toward general chemistry you will only score around or below average no matter how much you study. Literally-- no matter how much you study. I also didn't have the best TA, but if you can have a good TA, you may find that you do better.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/06/2010	When I first signed up for this course, I expected to learn about general chemistry...instead, I found myself in a situation where I was trying to figure out the basic concepts for p-chem and biochem without having the foundation of general chemistry II. If Dr. Kahn was able to convey the concepts in a clear and effective manner, I'm sure I would have still enjoyed the class. Unfortunately he merely read from his powerpoints (which were full of text and very confusing). He expected us to do derivations on exams when he did not even teach them in class. He also expected us to perform calculations that he never went over in class (He never goes over calculations in class). Overall, his teaching style was not at all effective...the worst chemistry teacher I have ever had. Although I currently have an A in this class, I will finish this semester feeling unsatisfied because I did not learn what I needed to from this course.
Alice Mignerey CHEM271 Expecting an A+ aznnick91 05/04/2010	GREAT Professor! One of the few in the Chemistry department who WANT you to succeed and do well. She is always open for office hours, and her powerpoints-style of lecturing is amazing. If you miss a class it's fine, but better even that she highlights the MAIN concepts, and gives straight examples, so you know what the test will be like (exactly like the study guides). Compared to Dr. Khan, whose averages hover around 50%, and he does concepts, Mignerey teaches by example, and if you attend every class, do the homework, and study hard the night before, and can memorize a few equations and use your brain to manipulate them on an easy 80 point exam, then TAKE Dr. Mignerey!
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/20/2009	If you read his powerpoints and really understand the material, you'll get an A, easily. He basically just lectures straight from his powerpoints, so going to lecture isn't neccessary. And I don't reccomend using the book too much, if you waste your time taking notes from that, and use the powerpoints as a seccondary studying resource, you'll probably do poorly on the exams. His class involved a lot of biochem, so using the gen chem 2 book isn't really helpful. The work load is really light, and involves 2 quizzes and 2 problem sets.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Anonymous 06/05/2009	If you have the chance to take a professor other than Kahn for CHEM271, DO IT!!! I do not recommend that anyone take Kahn for Chem271. Kahn is a very smart guy but he does not know how to teach this course very well. It is very biochemically inclined. Although he curves and tells you an expected curve in the beginning of the class, he does not stick to that curve. Please do yourself a favor and do not believe the grade distribution shown for kahn on this site. It's not true. He gives two exams, one final (its extremely challenging), two quizzes, two problem sets. Discussions are kind of helpful especially for the problem sets and confusing material presented in lecture. He posts the lecture slides on blackboard but i recommend going to lecture (even if it is boring) just so you know what he focuses on for exams and quizzes. By the way, he is in love in Nash's book on elements of statistical thermodynamics (he mentions it constantly in class along with TANSTAAFL). So if you like that book too, then this class might just suit you.
Jason Kahn CHEM271 Expecting an A azn12icefarme12 05/19/2009	So I heard CHEM271 was completely calculation based... this class was the complete opposite with Kahn. There were calculations, such as titrations and calculating E, but a lot of it was theoretical AND there was a HUGE links to biochem. He had mentioned that he'd "throw in a biochem flavor" into the course but it was absurd. Workload is extremely light. 2 problem sets (which the TA practically tells you the answer if you go to discussion), 2 midterms, 2 quizzes, and 1 final. The only suggestion I have for studying is to read his powerpoints a lot and understand the theory behind it. If you want straight up calculations, take the other professor. I heard she (Migner-- I don't know how to spell her name) was easy.
Michael Montague-Smith CHEM271 Expecting an A- cninferno 12/26/2008	Dr. M-S is a really cool, funny, and an easily approachable professor. His lectures were very clear and he always writes everything he says up on the overhead projector so it should be very easy to copy notes in his class. However, he does say some important stuff (what will be on the next exam or on the final, what you HAVE to know, and any other side information) that he does not write on the overhead. I highly recommend him for ANY chemistry course, whether it may be General Chemistry I (CHEM131), Organic Chemistry I or II (CHEM231, CHEM241), General Chemistry II (CHEM271), or Biochemistry I (BCHM461). You will not regret it.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/01/2024

This dude is the GOAT. Easy exams, clutched up an A in the class

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
08/16/2024

I had rainbolt for both orgo 1 and chem chem 2. Can come off very mean and hard initially, but he's actually very chill if u go to his office. His work preps u well, he gives very little busy work, and the entire course is given to you in a very organized way.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/23/2024

Rainbolt was honestly my favorite professor of the semester -- he was engaging, taught concisely, and was very resourceful in terms of module packets, equation sheets, and giving old practice exams. I felt like I didn't work super hard to earn my grade in the class, but that may be due to general chemistry being easier than orgo. I honestly appreciated his chalk-board + paper packets; it felt more old school and I still wrote down lecture notes on my ipad anyway. Many students complained about his exam problems being different from the module packet, but like...what do you expect? I honestly think he exercised gen chem concepts the way that I wrap them around in my head. If you're good at problem solving, you would excel in his class. It doesn't take long to understand concepts in general chemistry because beyond that, it's just simple math and knowing how to use a calculator. He ensures that his exams aren't memorization based because everything is on his formula sheet, and barely takes points off for calculation errors; he just wants to make sure that your path to getting to the answer is correct. I also thought he was a pretty funny guy in class and his jokes were good; he likely toned it down from previous semesters because I did hear some strange things from previous students. I would say give Rainbolt some grace because he has a strong knack for teaching.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/20/2024

Him as a person is annoying and incredibly weird. He tells you to stare in his eyes which like no thanks. He also is not always the best at explaining during lecture, so I just didn’t go. But I personally liked his module packets. They were great for studying and helped make me feel organized when studying. I fully did horrible on both of the exams, but got a 90 on the final and finished with a B-!! I think this semester the curve was like 5%. The exams actually like weren’t bad just don’t over think bc the answer is very easy. Overall, i wouldn’t say take him but you can do mid on tests and still have a fine grade in this class.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/17/2024

this class is for SELF-LEARNERs / STUDIERS. I'm not gonna lie I immediately knew from the first 3 lectures that her teaching style was not going to be useful for my learning so I basically skipped most of the classes. (I become more confused going to her lecture). However, she gives you the resources that you need to get an A. She uploads her lecture slides every class, though I recommend using the textbook along side because her slides don't really make sense without the textbook. Lectures aren't recorded but they wouldn't really help anyways. If you have the capacity to self study, then take this class because her lectures are not necessary. Her practice exams + answer keys are very accurate to how she will test you on her real exams. If you want to be successful in her class then... - review her lecture slides and do all the practice problems - do the discussion sheets (this is absolutely necessary) - do the practice exams (also absolutely necessary) - do the homework (a "free" 20% of your grade). Homework is ~20% of your grade (100 / 475). It is done through the ALEKS homework system which is an online software. It is a hunk of junk and barely makes you learn stuff. I've spent 50 hours doing it throughout the whole semester which is horrendous. At least it is just completion based. As a self studier I see no problems with this class, just don't expect the professor to feed you information. Also, she has a handy dandy summary sheet for what you need to study for the upcoming exams. - Good luck, not that luck has any factor into your academic performance anyways. happy learning.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/14/2024

I really liked Rainbolt. I never once talked to him or participated in class, so I was definitely not a "favorite" like other reviewers on here say but I still did really well and enjoyed his class. His modules are very thorough and contain all the information you need about a topic. He tries hard to keep students engaged in lectures and is a pretty funny dude. I felt like he genuinely cared about his student's understanding and success in the class. I went in very intimidated because of the rumors but ended up really liking him as a professor. He definitely has no tolerance for stupid questions but he does appreciate participation. I felt like his exams were fair if you studied the module practices and quizzes.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/10/2024

take a moment to read my review. I think Rainbolt is a great lecturer, and generally engaging person. I believe he may have started out roughly which attributes to the poor reviews for orgo and previous gen chem classes, but honestly I think I made the right choice taking him for gen chem this semester. He's a very blunt person, but I don't think he's rude -- people just need to take his sense of humour lightly and move on with their lives. To be completely honest, he's actually very considerate to my class. His equation sheets are STACKED for exams (I mean like...he even provides units for every constant we need, everything is practically given, no need for memorization). When we asked for old exams as practice, he gave us old exams for practice. His modules, although inconvenient because they're on paper, are pretty decent for review and practice. When he grades, he gives huge partial credit as long as your thinking process is right. His exams are not as hard as people make it seem -- he cares more about the process/application of topics, rather than getting the correct answer, which I appreciate. He's ensuring that we learn. He doesn't even seem intimidating or rude like many others have said, just eccentric... but when you actually talk with him, he's pretty nice and overall a chill dude. I find that a lot of professors on terpplanet are rated by personality which is unfair; I would take Rainbolt any day over an overly nice professor who can't teach.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/07/2024

I would not recommend taking Dr. Mignerey. I had her for CHEM271 but would probably not recommend her for any other course because I'm sure her teaching style is the same. She almost never explains concepts in a way that students understand. Most of the time, she just spent the entire class period copying exactly what was on her slides to a piece of paper. She would start a train of thought and then forget what she was talking about and say "okay yeah so..." and then move on. I still went to lectures but paying attention honestly just made me more confused sometimes. The saving graces were Sam, the TA, and that her exams were very similar to her practice problems. But, I don't really think I learned much in this class and wouldn't recommend taking her.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/07/2024

I would not recommend taking Dr. Mignerey. I had her for CHEM271 but would probably not recommend her for any other course because I'm sure her teaching style is the same. She almost never explains concepts in a way that students understand. Most of the time, she just spent the entire class period copying exactly what was on her slides to a piece of paper. She would start a train of thought and then forget what she was talking about and say "okay yeah so..." and then move on. I still went to lectures but paying attention honestly just made me more confused sometimes. The saving graces were Sam, the TA, and that her exams were very similar to her practice problems. But, I don't really think I learned much in this class and wouldn't recommend taking her.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/06/2024

Not a very strong instructor. Her lectures are very disorganized and almost entirely practice-problem based. This might have been fine, except for that the vast majority of her lectures are spent trying to find and correct her own mistakes (and fighting with her computer). I personally eventually stopped attending lectures, and only went to the discussions and GSS classes to learn the content elsewhere. Otherwise, her exams are fair and very similar to her practice exams, and she seems to be a nice person. The homework system she uses (Aleks) is pretty time intensive, but a good resource for learning content. I have heard from other students that she grants extensions on homework pretty generously.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/02/2024

I actually took Rainbolt for Orgo I and wasn’t the biggest fan of Rainbolt, but gave him a chance for Gen Chem II (since the only other option was Mignerey and I’ve never actually taken a course with her) and I’m extremely glad I did. Maybe I was a bit too harsh on him during Orgo I or he completely changed his lecture style over the past year but I absolutely love this class. There’s no homework, you have to purchase the module packet but it’s so extremely helpful and gives you all the information necessary to do well on the exams, there’s weekly quizzes that aren’t too hard (just makes sure to have your notes with you), and the exams are pretty fair. Rainbolt has also been posting previous semester exams to help us study which has been EXTREMELY helpful!! The only complaint I really have is that your grade is essentially all exams so it’s crucial you actually study and do well, especially if your class averages are relatively high and there’ll be little to no curve. I also have always enjoyed the pre lecture videos and am glad he’s kept doing those!! Overall really glad I took Rainbolt again especially since he’s become significantly better at navigating ELMS!

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/10/2024

Fantastic professor! He is fair. His class utilizes the homework, power points and the textbook. For the exams, at the beginning of each power point there are chapter objectives. These chapter objectives match the questions he is going to ask on the exam. There are no gimmicks nor are there surprises, what he teaches is what he tests.

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
01/03/2024

i took this professor after reading the reviews thinking he couldn't be that bad, but omg. I'm sure he's a lovely person and he's definitely very smart, but he could not lecture in a way that allowed me to understand the material. i genuinely struggled more in this course than i did in organic chem 1 or 2 and i fully believe that is the fault of the professor. i stopped going to lectures once i realized that the topics discussed were rarely related to the homework, and they were impossible to stay awake in. the practice problems were useless as they were never fully worked out, and the posted lecture slides didn't include solutions so i couldn't use them to study. the only way i managed to pass this course was by attending the GSS sessions and completing the online homework, which sometimes provided feedback for incorrect answers. also, it didn't help that the TA was even more unorganized and i didn't learn anything from discussions either (but still had to attend because i needed those participation points lol). it's really unfortunate that the instruction was so bad because i feel like the material shouldn't have been as hard as it was. the exams were rough, and the class typically averaged around 50-60%.

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
12/20/2023

You guys. Please. don't take professor wang. Although he is very intelligent and very very nice, you will not learn in this class. I had to spend hours outside of class teaching myself concepts that he went over in lecture because he is unable to teach. He does very few example problems and skims over very important topics. he is also very bad with communication unless you come to him in person. I have written him several emails he has yet to respond to. His accent is also very very strong and it can be difficult to understand at times. The exams are basically reworded questions from the textbook which was nice as it always felt super familiar, however, they do not give any partial credit on exams. There have been questions where i have gotten almost completely right but because of a small error, it would deduct me full points. this was too much stress for a two credit class...

Andrei Vedernikov
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
ninjas117
12/14/2023

Pmuch no curve in this class. be prepared to STUDY THE PRACTICE EXAMS.

Andrei Vedernikov
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
12/14/2023

I am not that great at physical chemistry lol but shout out to Bryan the ta for hosting the most amazing review sessions and sending them out to us as recordings. saved my ass fr. stopped going to class few weeks in, slides did not help imo but provides some context. youtube lol. Dr. V is nice and he just talks very softly. sit in the front if you do go. lectures are not recorded. homework on pearson due every week just about. he really does like going into theory behind the problems but might not go through a problem. can tell is a professor who really likes the subject he teaches. i stayed up pmuch whole night studying for final. DO THE PRACTICE EXAMS!!!!!

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/13/2023

DO NOT TAKE HIM! He is very hard to understand and he "posts" slides to CANVAS. However, you do not get a complete version of the slides "because of Pearson". This leaves you barely understanding what he says, unable to copy down complete class slides online, and with the hope you can write down the slides in lecture before he moves on. You are lucky if there's a practice exam. He will also acknowledge that its an intro chem course and then treat it like its the most important thing of your life. Basically, you won't understand him, can't make up slides you miss, and have to pray you study the right material for the exams.

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/07/2023

Dr. Wang is a very sweet and approachable person, and does really try to help his students succeed (answers questions in lecture, takes student feedback into consideration, etc.). However, my issue with this class is that he’s a pretty insufficient lecturer. It’s got nothing to do with his accent (I have multiple other professors with accents and that’s no issue) and really because the lecture feels inconsistent/unorganized. He uses a powerpoint but it feels like he’s sort of making up what to say on the spot and spends an inconsistent amount of time on the different topics. He also tends to talk himself in circles when answering questions. We got a practice exam for the first exam but not the second one. The homework was ok, although I didn’t like the platform (especially in comparison to the organic chemistry homework or ExpertTA). Sometimes you’d get hints/feedback, sometimes crucial information/values weren’t given, and sometimes they were unnecessarily hard in the wrong ways (like estimating certain values on a graph rather than making the axes divisions smaller). Overall, if you don’t go to lectures anyway, this class is fine–if you really rely on lectures to learn I’d recommend the other professor.

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Anonymous
12/01/2023

He is a nice guy but he barely speaks english and his lectures are so disorganized. His first test wasn't bad, but the second one was horrible and brought my grade down ten points. This was the first chem exam I have scored below average since gen chem 1 (including orgo), so that is showing something. I have taught myself the entire class through the textbook, he has not taught me a single thing the entire semester. The class is a joke with such low averages and no one even attends class because you can't understand him, so it isn't an effective use of your time to even attend lectures. The only way to do well is memorize the textbook.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
10/27/2023

Mignerey is a great teacher who actually teaches us everything we needed to know to do well in her class. Her exams were EXACTLY like the practice exams. She was great at showing us the problems we had to solve and show us how to do it while integrating the concepts.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
10/27/2023

Horrible Horrible teacher. His style of teaching is very confusing and he tends to also skip important stuff. His exams are hard and not in what we learned in class. His class is poorly managed. If you care about your Gpa, don’t take rainbolt

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
10/17/2023

I love prof.Mignerey! She taught us everything that we needed to know for our exams. Exams were very fair and her office hours were really helpful. Overall 10/10 and would take her again.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a C
Anonymous
10/17/2023

Horrible teacher, has a terrible attitude. Exams are not fair at all and he expects us to know things he didn’t teach. Just don’t take him if you value your gpa and mental health.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
10/17/2023

Great professor, knows what she is talking about. The classes she teaches are difficult classes so this is why she tends to get bad reviews. Her test are fair and just like any other teacher teaching the course.

Amanda Schech
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
08/19/2023

Unfortunately, the first time I took CHEM271 I barely passed. This time around I had Dr. Schech, and it didn't take long for me to realize that she is absolutely the best chemistry lecturer I've ever had. Her lectures are incredibly organized and she records them so you can watch them over or catch up if you miss class. She is super thorough in her explanations and often engages with the students so it's hard to doze off. Honestly, I often get bored in chem lectures but the way she presented the information was genuinely interesting at every moment. On top of the discussion worksheets and homework, she also posts recordings of her going over extra practice problems that are incredibly helpful. The exams were fair so as long as you do the practice problems/homework and understand the nuances of the concepts (which are explained in lecture) you should do well. She also responds to emails quickly!

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
08/12/2023

ok some ppl gotta chill; this dudes not that bad and his personality is fine. hes made me chuckle on occasion. i struggled just bc im bad at gen chem. yes the second exam and the final were tough (he made them tougher bc "the first exam's average was way too high"). however, despite him saying he wouldn't curve the class bc we were supposedly sooo smart i still pulled an A- bc of the fatass curve at the end. so hes at least sorta reasonable. i didnt love how many trees he killed with the ~100 or so pages of modules PER PERSON IN THE CLASS. and honestly his prelec videos made more sense than his lectures. man also needs to get an ipad or learn how to use the projector.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/29/2023

AYE I have to chime in here because all y'all are some BUTTHURT snowflakes. PEOPLE ARE LEAVING OUT SO MUCH CONTEXT WITH THEIR REVIEWS & STRAIGHT UP LYING!!! So many reviews saying hE DiDn't CuRvE BOIIII he literally added 8% to everyone's grades at the end of the semester. Y'all are exaggerting him "throwing" chairs and "saying shut-up" like boohoo maybe you should stop talking when he's giving a lecture. Also, people saying his pre-lecture videos are bad are insaneeee. He literally explains concepts so well in them and provides a general overview of what the material will look like with some practice problems. SMH sure his exams are difficult but since when has the chem department ever been a walk in the park. "hE ChoOsEs FaVoRitEs" yeah yeah but ever realize his favorites are people that PARTICIPATES in class, ask questions, and go to his office hours? You can't expect him to "favorite" you if you show up to his office hours for the first time during the last week of class. That one review saying the final exam viewings had a small spreadsheet where you can see everyone's courses in the grade... it was all by UID, no names. Tell me that you've memorized everyone's personal UID and can see their grades... Y'all are so soft and these reviews are doing a DISSERVICE to this man, a genuinly good professor. Stop being so extra...

Bonnie Dixon
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/23/2023

Dr. Dixon is one of the best professors at UMD if you get the chance to take her. Her HW assignments are extremely difficult but they prepare you for the exams. She has C.A.N. on Tuesdays over zoom where there are extra practice problems and concepts discussed, and her class notes are all organized on her iPad. Hint: Do well on all of the HW assignments and get above average on exams and you will be fine. If you have time to attend office hours and ask questions, and are not afraid to be humbled this is your class! If you don't have the time to invest in the content do not take this class with her because she will make you work for the grade you want. This class was immensely challenging as is any chem class at UMD, but taking it with Dixon prepares you so well for the MCAT and for future biochemistry classes. Work hard and try your best and you'll get the grade you deserve.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
IfCourseEvalsWereHones
05/22/2023

I have to go against the grain here... Given that he's a new lecturer at UMD, I think we shouldn't blame him for not knowing how to use Canvas. Make your own spreadsheet and put in your own grades... it's not that difficult. I also have to add that his pre-lecture videos and modules ARE actually helpful in understanding course material. He ACTUALLY explains concepts well during office hours. He'll help you solve problems and walk through the steps. I really liked his teaching style. I also think he has reasonable expectations for the students... and the quizzes and exams are doable. I think people will only complain of his exams because he really forces you to think outside the box. I did poorly on his second exam, but after seeing the answers and the steps he took, it was sooooo doable. I do have to say, however, the difficulty exam questions are twice that the difficulty of module questions. Sure, his attitude can use some work. However, you can easily get on his good side if you participate & answer questions during class (he asks a lot of questions to make sure we're engaged) and show up at his office hours or even email him. I liked his humor too. However, I would agree that he is condescending and doesn't seem like he can show empathy. ALSO, PEOPLE ARE LEAVING OUT THE FACT that he only gets angry when YALL TALK SO MUCH during the lecture. Yeah... there are much better ways in addressing people talking during lecture than "throwing" (highly exaggerated) and saying shut up (why take this personally), but I think y'all softies can handle that. Stop being so extra. Are there better professors than Rainbolt? Maybe. Is it all doomed if you take him? Certainly not.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/21/2023

I’m seeing a lot of negative reviews for Rainbolt but I’m going to give the most honest review as concise as possible -to address the “throwing chair” and “shut up” comments made by other students, he only did that a total of like 3 times and it was to get the class’s attention at the beginning of class. No doubt it was strange but it was only bc the entire class would not let him begin lecture. -He is a great lecturer, and encourages students to ask questions. Though sometimes if you ask a question that he just answered, he does come off as condescending when answering it. -He is no doubt and strange guy with an interesting demeanor, but it honestly made the class more engaging. -He often let us out early, and additionally would drop jokes and humor the class (to the best of his ability) -He had 2 exams + final and yes the second exam and final was hard. He didn’t give us too many practice problems to help us study, which is main reasoning for the loss of one star. Personally, I was able to do decent on both exams just based off of the modules he gave us, but more problems would’ve definitely been appreciated bc I went into those exams concerned af. We have weekly quizzes and homework modules which helped bring up people’s grades. He also curved the class at the end. Overall, if there’s another option, take them. But don’t feel as if you got the worse teacher with Rainbolt.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/19/2023

Man is so bad. Not a great lecturer and relies on his "modules" to teach mostly which have a decent amount of mistakes in them. They're pretty useful but he lacks comprehensive material before exams so I'd just redo the entirety of his modules before them. His prelecture videos are much better than his actual lectures, so I wonder why he doesn't just lecture like a normal professor instead of doing his flipped classroom experiment where he teaches like it's a high school class where he just hands you a worksheet to do. I'm not a bad student for reference, I have a 4.0 and got an A in stocker for orgo 1 and an A in MS for orgo 2, but I struggled more in this class than I did in either organic chemistries so that that as you will. I've never received below a 92 in chemistry before this class and my exam grades were 85, 77, and a 80 for the final. If you're wondering why I had an A with these exam grades it's because he gave a fat 8% curve at the end of the year which meant that I was comfortably sitting at an A. Exams are ridiculous and don't correlate to the level of depth he went into in class. During the final exam viewing I swear there were about 5 girls crying after seeing their grades. I felt a little bad for them, but not too much because I'm a dick. You have to keep in mind however that these people passed both organics before this class, and I've never seen someone cry over a chemistry grade before this, so again, take this as you will. 4/10 professor, I've seen worse teachers in high school, but this is my worst academic experience so far at umd. Upside is that I didn't work nearly as hard in this class as compared to organic because no matter how bad the professor is, the material for gen chem 2 is still braindead easy

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a D
Anonymous
05/18/2023

such a rude individual, cannot teach, thinks we can learn only from example without previous explanation, needlessly hard exams with little to no curve. Literally single-handedly tanked my gpa with his bs. Not enough time for quizzes that are on subjects we did not go over in class. This guy seriously needs an attitude check. I don't understand how Anyone could ever rate him higher than one star, DO NOT TAKE HIM EVER.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/18/2023

do not take him. Really bad at teaching. Unreasonable hard exams.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/18/2023

Straight narcissist, who lacks empathy. Slams tables in class and throws chairs across the room if he hears even a peep from anyone chatting. Demands respect even though he belittles majority of the people who ask questions in class. Created by far the most unfair midterm I have ever seen throughout my entire academic career, one that EVERYONE complained about. He never even addressed the fact that the midterm was unjust, he just continued to make everyone more stressed about their grade by gatekeeping the class average and repeatedly saying he’s not going to curve. He gives no proper exam preparation material other than these module packets which he creates. That’s the only study material we have to work with yet somehow he still thinks it’s a good idea to make the exam questions on concepts we have never practiced while everything on the exam barely resembles anything from class or our homework/the module packets. Worst teacher ever, UMD has yet to bring in a proper GenChem2 Professor. I’m honestly so disappointed with UMD, the Chem department and whoever hired this bozo.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a C-
Anonymous
05/17/2023

He's actually sick and twisted for not curving the class. The topics in this class are easy (imo) as a gen chem course. The problem sets are helpful with understanding the concepts (highly recommend taking time doing them). I didn't watch any of the pre-lecture videos because he goes over what's on them in class. I've done above average on all the exams so I am shocked that I'm ending with a C-. The average on the second midterm was a 60 and he still isn't curving. The modules are helpful in understanding the concepts but do NOT rely on them for the tests. He is exceptionally clueless when it comes to how to study for the exams which is worrisome as he is the professor. If you asked me a month ago, when I had a B in the class if I would recommend him, I would say yes as he gives a lot of practice. However, if you ask me today, I would say no. Even though I did well on the exams, he made the final harder than expected. I also hate how he talks down to his students. I shouldn't even be upset because a lot of people are failing after the final but it isn't fair how he is grading the course based on his teaching style. It was sad seeing people cry when they saw their final exam :(

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/17/2023

WORST PROFESSOR EVER. screams in class and throws chairs around. Exams are completely unfair and he refuses to curve. his own TA told us we should've taken anyone else. Incapable of using technology and hates when students ask him questions. You can't be a bad professor AND hate answering questions.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
05/17/2023

This class was A LOT. I will say that at the beginning it was pretty simple and easy to follow along because he was super consistent with providing a lot of materials for us to practice form, however that really changed in our second unit. Our second exam was so hard and not doable for most of the class (avg was a 60%) and he did not curve. The class is doable with him, but don't get comfortable with his style of exams/teaching throughout the course because it will change. The final was okay, definitely better since we had 2 hours to complete the exam but a curve could've been really helpful to most of the class.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/17/2023

Lectures – Rainbolt's lectures are fine, he teaches you as if you know nothing, which is a good way to teach, but that's where the positives end. Doesn't record classes. He gives everyone modules as the only form of material and expects you to prepare using it. Materials – No supplemental practice outside of modules Attitude – He gets angered very easily in class and throws chairs around. Has a very condescending tone when you talk to him Exams – Honestly the worst part of the class. He curves downwards in a way where he takes off an egregious amount of points for the smallest mistake. When you go to check with him after picking up exams, he shows way to much attitude and doesn't give back points easily. The average grade seemed to be around a 70% and he didn't curve at all

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/17/2023

I would avoid taking Dr.Rainbolt at all costs. Truly the worst professor I've ever had at UMD. He made the course necessarily difficult because the class average was "too high for a Chemistry course" after the first exam. He was extremely rude and condescending to questions asked. Also, he refused to make a study guide or give students any indication of the material that would be on the exam. In addition to this, he didn't know how to use the platform Canvas so it was hard to have an accurate representation of where you stood in the class. I would give Rainbolt 0 stars if I could. Taking his class will make your life miserable.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/17/2023

Honestly, he's just a really rude person. I will admit he does explain concepts well at times but to get to that point, you need to first experience his abrasive side: yelling shut up at students, flipping chairs etc. Also his exams are really weird in that some reflect the content well like our first exam did, and others, like the second , being far from what we expected. He also does not know how to use ELMS so it is hard to tell what your grade is or to find data like the class average. This does not matter because he refused to curve our class despite our low-ish average on the last two exams. I would not recommend him but he might be your only or even best choice :(

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/17/2023

Just plain rude. The first half of the course went so well, with fair homeworks and quizzes, and a first exam that, while challenging, was fair and similar to provided material. It seems as though Rainbolt after the success of the first test, that the course was "too easy", and made quizzes and the second unit exam much harder. This then correlated in a challenging final exam, where the average was a low C, and the second exam having a D average. This would be fine if the course was curved similarly to other chemistry courses here, but nope, he decided a curve was not needed. To show final exam scores, he put a copy of a spreadsheet on the board at the viewing, in 3-pt font so that no one could read it, and displayed it so that everyone could view anyone in the courses final score. In addition, I watched him repeatedly laugh in the faces of students who asked him about regrades and wrong questions. Personally, I don't find joy in crushing the dreams of students who are trying to become future physicians, but clearly Rainbolt either doesn't care or gets off on sadism. Overall, just wouldn't recommend, unless he happens to change his ways in the future

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/17/2023

Our first exam was very fair and really reflected the modules he gives out. THEN, apparently he was mad that his average was too high for the first one, so he made our second exam impossible for a 50 minute exam and everyone's grades' tanked, and he still made our final ridiculously hard. Final was way too hard for a final, it didn't help anyone's grades it just dropped them more.He also refuses to curve the class. Class was not helpful, he just gave us problems to do and then asked people to solve them which ate up so much time. It's also important to note that he is highly unprofessional- he cusses every class, and even yelled the F word in office hours- honestly just a psychopath, he also broke a chair from shoving it too hard during class. If you really work hard you wont fail, but you also wont get an A bc there's no way to read his mind and hes legit the only chem professor who doesn't curve which is just unfair.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/17/2023

I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN A REVIEW FOR ANY PROFESSOR BUT DR. RAINBOLT .. AVOID THIS MAN AT ALL COSTS!!!! trust it is not worth your mental health if there are other options. his exams are tough. If you really have to take him make sure you spend a reasonable amount of time studying and know that the amount of time for the exam won't even be enough. He always made homework due the same day as the exam day which was very tedious. This has been my hardest chemistry class smh. Don't get me started on his attitude. He is rude and does not care for his students at all. The manner he used was unnecessary tbh. There also is no curve so be aware of that. I could go on and on but do what you want with this information. I personally would rather never take another class with this man.

Bonnie Dixon
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/16/2023

I actually really enjoyed having Dr. Dixon! This is the first time she's taught the course completely in-person for a whole semester, and she came fully prepared. She taught everything perfectly and provided students so many extra credit opportunities and office hours to ensure we passed. I'm taking down one star mainly because she does CANs, which are required to go to/watch to succeed in class, as exams are primarily based on those and our homework. However, I firmly believe that you have to work for your grade, so office hours and outside work are a must! If she does teach this course again and anyone is interested in knowing how she curved typically: After the first and second exams, the average was 66.67% and 65%. A 50-51 was a C-D cutoff, a 65-68 was a B-C cutoff, and an 81-85 was the cutoff for an A. She doesn't release the final cutoff scores, however, if you have a B overall with the curve and got an A on the final, she'll round it up to an A-. The final is super easy, she provides you with every single question you'll need to know for the exam. An A is super possible on it!

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/15/2023

Bad professor overall, at least for CHEM 271. Expects you to learn through pre-lecture videos and modules that he hands out for each topic, which is good in theory, but his pre-lecture videos aren't good and doing the modules becomes more difficult once you have more work to do. Also, he had errors in his module keys which confused people. His lectures were OK at best, usually just talked from the modules and had students do module questions in class. Half way through the semester he just stopped making discussion worksheets so that limited the practice available to module questions and GSS worksheets. The GSS instructor may have had a mental disability or something, but his keys were illegible and riddled with mistakes and wrong answers, making it so difficult to study off of them. His first exam was fine but a little to long since the class was only 50 minutes. His second exam was way harder than anything he had shown us before and had the same problem of being to long for the time allotted. The majority of the class failed with the average being a 62%. From what I heard, he did not think of curving, even after the majority of the class failed. His personality is entertaining for like the first day, but then he just becomes annoying and can be a dick to students. Try and take someone else.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
05/15/2023

Don't take him!! He has anger issues and is not accommodating at all. Also, he doesn't give out practice exams so it's hard to know how the exams will be like. Also, our class filed a complaint against him, so that lets you know how bad he is. :(

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/14/2023

Doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. Lectures are incredibly disorganized and he writes on the chalk board in a huge lecture hall so nobody can see. He can't use canvas properly (grades are so weird and confusing). He has anger issues (throws things during lecture, including chairs). He pretends to care, but will make you feel stupid if you ask a reasonable question. Also, very not generous with curving. DO NOT TAKE!! I wish I could give him a 0, but I can't so I gave him a 1.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/11/2023

DO NOT TAKE HIM IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE. I believed the past reviews and took him and I regretted it. The environment he creates in class is so uncomfortable. If there is slight chatter (which will happen since it's a huge lecture hall), he throws a chair or says "Shut Up" every five seconds. He does not know the material at all. Once, someone asked him if he can go over a question he wrote in the modules and he couldn't even solve it. He never puts accurate grades on Canvas so we never know what we have in the class. He is really rude during office hours. I once asked him how to do a problem he set up in class but never solved, and he just said "Do you even come to lecture? Have a good day and bye." I never encountered a teacher like him. I don't even know why UMD hired him. Please stay away if you can.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/08/2023

Horrible teacher, he talks down to his students. He is so condescending and doesn’t care about his students. The way he talks to students is so wrong and he’s genuinely a rude person.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/07/2023

My roommates are taking this class and oh my goodness I’m sick if hearing about this man. He posts his lecture videos so late. He is rude and creates an environment where people don't want to talk in class. Roommates used to love chem, but this class has created nothing but complaints.

Bonnie Dixon
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/06/2023

Proff Dixon was a quality professor, really seemed to enjoy engaging with students, posted a bunch of helpful materiel including completed class outlines, zoom meetings every tuesday, and extra help for homeworks. Homeworks are difficult but there’s literal step by step examples hidden in her course materials. Tests are an easier version of homework material, make sure you understand each homework question she hints and watch CAN videos. Tests are rushed and expected to not be fully completed as she includes more points than you can earn. Overall, go to lecture, reach out if you’re really lost (don’t wait till last minute), and this is a type of course in which if you don’t apply yourself, it’s your fault you earned that grade.

James Rainbolt
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/05/2023

This man is a red flag with anger issues. He gets irritated when the class is "talking too much" and tells us to shut up when we are whispering. He is extrememly unprofessional and likes to fling chairs and bang the desk when he wants to get the class' attention. He genuinely created a hostile enviornment for learning and rarely answers questions in class in a helpful manner. 90% of the time he says to see him after class if you have a question. This man needs his ego checked. Not even sure he will curve, but exam 2 had an average 0f 60% because he wanted to lower the class average. I really hope he curves. Wish me luck for the final :'(

Andrei Vedernikov
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
01/03/2023

Dr. Vedernikov is a rather underwhelming, but decent professor. The class is extremely consistent in both workload and difficulty, as you'll be expected to do one online homework assignment every week and the exams are extremely similar to the practice exams. However, the lecture slides are generally not helpful as they do not relate to the homework, and he speaks too softly to hear when he is lecturing at the front of the lecture hall. He will oftentimes not demonstrate how a problem is solved, or if he does, he goes into theory that is beyond the scope of this class. If you are any good at teaching yourself, you'll be fine. Otherwise, choose a different professor.

Andrei Vedernikov
CHEM271

Anonymous
12/19/2022

The lectures and discussion are mostly conceptual while the exams which are worth 400 out of 520 points of your total grade is on equations and word problems. His curve is predetermined before you even step into the class and he will not deviate from it. This curve was only 2% and even people within a percent of passing would still not pass because according to him "once points are put into ELMS they are final". If you rely on curves or do not want to take a "teach yourself" class DO NOT TAKE. If you do go to lectures he has a thick accent and goes through his slides (which are not posted till after lecture) very quickly and doesn't answer any questions.

Andrei Vedernikov
CHEM271

Anonymous
12/19/2022

His curves are predetermined before the class ever starts and he will not stray from it. He only had about a 2% curve which is not a lot for a chem class. His teaching and slide has nothing to do with what is on the tests its just conceptual. The textbook is what has all the actual problem sets and content you need to know. If you are like me and have a hard time teaching concepts to yourself DO NOT TAKE HIM. The TA was not helpful and just made the class even more confusing. If chem is not your forte or you normally rely on curves to help your grade this is not the class for you.

Andrei Vedernikov
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/08/2022

Thick accent, speeds through the slides and doesn't work through problems (just clicks too fast). Smallish curve (A-85%, A 88%), doesn't take questions. Lots of side theory stuff that won't be tested and not enough practice problems during class. Read the textbook early. I would have an A/A- rather B+/A- if I started reading the textbook earlier, usually I rely on the prof.

Elizabeth Griffith
CHEM271

Expecting a C+
terpderp
11/05/2022

Nice professor, exams are hard, does NOT know how to curve. A C should not be curved to a C+ idc. Avoid

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/22/2022

I could give Dodson a zero star if there is an option. Even after a year after taking her CHEM271, I still can't forget how much my mental health suffered during that semester because of her. I absolutely do not agree with the comment saying "these reviews are pretty average for premeds who didn't get a 100% and are mad at the professors for it." First, do not make assumptions before making nonsense comments about students who suffered solely due to the professor's faults. Maybe she was nice to you in CHEM690, but CHEM271 was completely different. Second, Dodson was merciless and obviously did not care about her students. I got all A's in college. She was the worst professor I have met where the grade I got on exams did not reflect my ability/understanding of chemistry. She did not respect students' comments and made us lose points on the final exam for her mistakes. DO NOT take Dodson!

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/19/2022

Idk what all of these 1 star reviews are about. She was a very effective lecturer. The homeworks (online software) were directly related to the exam and were not too time consuming. The exam content was very clearly stated. Seriously if you need to study, just go back through the homework questions. They even have complete explanations and a whole textbook to refer to. The reason I missed the cutoff for an A was a stupid mistake I made but I don’t see why you couldn’t earn an A in this class. She is a fair grader and doesn’t leave anything up in the air. So really if you’re leaving 1 star reviews here because you’re salty you don’t know what a pKa is, please re-evaluate your decision to blame it on Dr. Dodson. Dr. D, thanks for your time and I’m sorry you have to see all this unnescessary hate. Peace and love.

Elizabeth Griffith
CHEM271

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/18/2022

honestly, she really does want her students to succeed and will give outlines of exams. However, they seem easy but they are not. Its all about how you perform as a student, if you are old at conceptual multiple choice questions - this is the right teacher for you. I am personally better at straight forward math and would prefer calculations on an exam. this class makes you work hard, but at least there are clickers and homework to boost your grade!!! PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT SHE SAYS. she hints at her exams while teaching and you do not even realize.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/17/2022

Dr. Dodson is honestly not as bad as I was expecting based on the previous reviews, but I definitely understand some frustrations. She is a good lecturer and although the first exam was completely unmanageable, she was willing to make changes on future exams. Her curve was fair and we received timely feedback (she is very communicative on slack). In my opinion there is too much weight on the slack participation requirement and she did not release recordings until right before the final. I found her to be a little inflexible but overall the class was manageable and I would choose her again if I had to take the course again.

Elizabeth Griffith
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/15/2022

Dr. Griffith was by far my favorite teacher this semester. She is super energetic and encouraging which is fantastic in a chem teacher. She makes this very difficult class feel easier by a little bit making you feel like a kindergartener who just wants a treat for doing school, but like in a good way. Definitely take her if you have the chance.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting a C
Anonymous
05/10/2022

- I'm not premed lol - I sat in the other teacher's class and she genuinely wanted her student to succeed and prepared them for the exams so pls just don't take Dodson she makes It harder for you than It should be 1. Positive- She had a good lecturing tone, she was understanding at a time, and she sounds nice 2. Negative- She has no past practice exams, her exams were extremely hard and we were all not prepared. She made mistakes many times in her lecturing and students often had to correct her. Both my exams were graded incorrectly with correct answers marked wrong. She didn't offer her recorded lectures till the last week of classes. She didn't give out practice exams or problems for us to practice. I really felt like she didn't care about how we were not doing well on exams. Her exams were so long that most of us couldn't finish in the class period. The graded question in class for attendance often closed before many people could submit Them making them lose points. It was a really unforgiving glass I wish I could have taken It with the other teacher who cared about her students. In the hws if there was an issue with grading you couldn't get a regrade. She doesn't give out the exam solutions. She doesn't give hints on what could be on the exam.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/27/2022

Professor Dodson was nowhere near as bad as other folks have written here. She really is a very kind and understanding prof, and I didn't feel the exams were 'impossible', they were challenging but certainly manageable.

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Anonymous
01/04/2022

Was definitely one of the best chem professors I've interacted with in the infamous chem department. I'm glad I signed up for him and hope you get to take him too! Easy grader compared to other profs and is very sympathetic towards his students. For his first time teaching this course he did incredibly well!

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/19/2021

Even a year after taking this class, I am fuming over how poorly Dodson handled teaching. In response to some of the other reviews saying we are just "angry pre-meds who didn't get 100%" -- no, we are just students who were treated incredibly unfairly and with none of the reassurance that she seems to be giving the 690 course. There is absolutely no other class for which you will find 50 1-star reviews- and there is a reason for that! Dodson gave very little useful practice to actually prepare us for exams, gave no opportunities for partial credit while also making problems especially difficult and convoluted so we would make mistakes on math things that weren't even directly related to the main chemistry concepts we are supposed to learn, which was ironic considering she made a mistake on the final exam and then refused to admit to it and give points to the students who answered the question based on how it was given. My grade went up as well but this means nothing- I am a solid A-/B+ student and this class was both taught horribly and did not test us accurately on our knowledge. Considering I got an A+ in the lab portion of the class (which tested us on similar concepts), but a C in this one only goes to show that this is an issue with the professor teaching the course. Save your mental health and GPA and avoid Dodson.

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/17/2021

Completely ineffective lecturer. Has a very heavy accent which makes it hard to understand his lectures but even with that his lectures aren't very helpful. Doing the online homeworks is really all the practice you need to do well in this class. Majority of the class didn't show up to lecture at all. However, as a person he seems pretty nice and the exams weren't as difficult as the other professor's class.

Efrain Rodriguez
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/15/2021

Rodriguez is . . . fine. He is a decent lecturer, but makes mistakes at least once every couple classes if not every class, which is annoying because he usually doesn't recognize it until halfway through the problem. His homeworks are easy enough, but I felt the exams were harder than any practice material he gave us. He does give a fair amount of partial credit though which is nice. However, he didn't give us an answer key for a final practice exam which was irritating. Dr. Schech guest-lectured for the beginning of the semester while he was on paternity leave and she was GREAT, I honestly wouldn't have realized how mediocre Dr. Rodriguez was in comparison had she not filled in for him. Overall, if you take him be prepared for harder exams but the class itself is pretty manageable.

YuHuang Wang
CHEM271

Anonymous
12/13/2021

I don't care what anyone says, Dr.Wang is a great professor! He really wants you to understand the concepts and will answer any questions, I recommend recording the lecture and following it with your notes at home. The book will help you through this class so put in work and do the examples and the practice questions. The homeworks are hard and take time but if you really really practice you can do great. He also listens to the classes concerns and will adjust the class accordingly. One of the best chem classes I have taken at UMD.

Efrain Rodriguez
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/08/2021

Efrain is a super nice man. He doesn't really seem like he knows that much about chemistry but he is very considerate it seems like. The exams I thought had a few surprises, but any chem class will be like that. If you study and read the book you should be fine.

Efrain Rodriguez
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
11/01/2021

Efrain is not a good professor, however his exams are unbelievable. Our class's averages were in the 50s, and he laughed about it. He does not seem to care if students do well in his course, and the GSS leader (redhead girl, idk her name) is not useful in any way

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
09/10/2021

Absolutely atrocious professor. Teaches the course in such a convoluted and unclear way all while maintaining an attitude of inflexibility.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
06/10/2021

She sent an email a couple weeks after class that the final exam grade was wrong. Ur bois grade went up. That's a dub in my book 10/10 greatest prof ever.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/23/2021

Quite literally the worst chem class I have taken at UMD (even though it was supposed to be the easiest since most of the material is covered in high school chem, CHEM131, CHEM132, and CHEM272). She made the class much more difficult than it should have been and gave a sorry curve at the end to try to fix all of her mistakes (which barely brought any of our grades up at all). She was not prepared for lectures, could rarely give a straightforward response, and made questions MUCH more difficult than they had to be. The TA was NEVER prepared for discussions (WHICH WAS HORRIBLE SINCE ALL THE LECTURES AND DISCUSSIONS WERE MANDATORY) and he always had tech issues. I went to every lecture and every discussion and even asked/answered questions but I still didn't get full points on participation (like what more do you want from me?!). The exams had questions where you would have to beat around the bush with so many unit conversions and she tried having fun while making the questions which in the end just made them more confusing than they had to be. She constantly made mistakes on the exams due to this and had to put the corrections on slack WHILE we were doing the exam knowing most students are focused on trying to finish her long confusing exams and trusted that the professor wrote the exam and checked it multiple times beforehand to ensure her students would be able to solely focus on the exam and not worry about professor mistakes. I did everything in my power to try to get the best grade in this class (which is a lot since I got 4.0's in gen chem I and both orgos) and still couldn't get an A- in this class because of her horrendous teaching style. Side note: don't listen to the people that put 5 stars, they're either trolling or really sucked up to the professor this semester. Another side note: Don't get me wrong, she's not completely a monster. She has good character overall and tried to take some initiative by listening to student concerns (for example she started doing practice problems during lecture since some students requested it, but the practice problems were NOTHING like the exam questions). However, I HIGHLY recommend she listen to all of these 1-star reviews and start fixing all of the holes in her teaching style and exams.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/22/2021

Super simple course with a great professor. If you have critical thinking skills, the exams will be straightforward. Highly recommend prof Dodson!

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/21/2021

Taking CHEM271 this semester with Dr. Dodson, it was quite apparent for most students that her teaching style and approach is substandard and unnecessarily convoluted. The course curriculum mainly follows the textbook material and concepts and would best serve as a student's guide to completing the course with relative ease. For such courses, the lectures should serve as a time for the professor to teach concepts, cover example problems, review exam practice questions, and overall make it easier for students to grasp the subject material. However, Dr. Dodson lectures are an enormous waste of time. I attended the first couple of classes, hoping to gain a better understanding of the subject material in CHEM271, but was faced with the challenge of trying to understand why she made simple concepts and basic problems utterly confusing and complex. After realizing that the textbook and khan academy offered me a better chance in performing better on exams, understanding course concepts, and approaching problems, attending lectures served no purpose beyond earning a participation grade. Moreover, the exams in this class were a total mess. Her exams questions do not reflect the level of difficulty and course concepts as seen in homework's, class examples, and textbook problems. You would think taking her practice exams may possibly be helpful, however, they are also an immense waste of time in preparing for the exam. As for the exams/finals itself, the questions were fraught with errors and composed of a majority of calculation intensive problems for which Dr. Dodson offers no partial credit. Overall this semester was utter shambles, I strongly recommend taking any other professor.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/21/2021

I have no new stories to add because I believe the 40 1.0 star reviews below fully illuminate the magnitude of her shortcomings as professor, teacher, and empathetic human being. What I will say is in response to the few positive reviews left below. For the 5 star review left on 5/20 addressing ill-prepared students who are upset about their grade, I understand! There are always students in any class who have not done their due diligence and as a result, their grades suffer. That is not the case for this class. Never before has a professor left so many students feeling this undignified and wronged because of her insensitivity and inflexibility. I challenge you to find another professor with this many negative reviews. There are none. There is absolutely no way in CHEM271, where the majority, if not all the students, are aiming for pre-professional school, would be unprepared. Especially because everyone in this class necessarily had to have done well in organic 1 and 2 in order to enroll. The average on the final exam was a 51%. No organic final ever had such a low average. Since when was general chemistry 2 the pre-med weed out class? Her exams were made purposely to trick her students. She expressed multiple times that she would complicate the questions in order to test our "mastery and flexibility" of the content. But to what purpose? What does that teach her students? What does it do but tantalize her oddly niche fascination with chemistry? When the first midterm was held on a faulty software system, the class average was 10-15% lower than the other two midterms. She made no effort to address this besides switching the future tests to ELMS. Any reasonable professor would make further attempts to not penalize their students for technological faults. She immediately expressed after the second midterm, when students did much better because the software was not a barrier to success, that she would no longer consider curving the class -- fortunately this changed when she further tanked the class average with the final. BUT, that doesn't change what her state of mind was: she felt no need to correct her own mistakes because the students in the class worked extra hard to compensate for her mistakes. To conclude, I would also like to state that I firmly believe that the 5 star review written on 5/19, was written by her herself. No else one would write that. Honestly, just read it yourself and compare it to any other one.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/20/2021

She wasn't a great professor, but she doesn't deserve 40 one star reviews. All of the other reviewers have accurately described the mistakes that she made this semester. However, this was her first semester teaching, and I have faith that she will take into account the feedback given in future semesters (even though she didn't do that much during the semester). This environment was not a great place to learn as a student and definitely wasn't a great place to teach for the first time.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/20/2021

Dr Dodson is very inflexible. She is unwilling to actually listen to student concerns even when it is at the point where the entire class is giving her the same feedback. Whenever students asked her how she recommends that we study for the exams or what content we should focus on, she was unwilling to provide them with any advice or guidance and always gave the simple answer, "everything is fair game". The first exam was a mess where many students were either locked out of the exam or were unable to submit their answers in time due to the exam settings, and as a result, Dodson accepted exam answers for up to a week after the exam where many students took unfair advantage. Her exams were much more difficult than any practice material/homework and had no partial credit even though they were math heavy, meaning that a small calculation error would immediately cost you up to 5-7 points. I also disagree with her "solution" to this mess which was to give us a small curve. The purpose of a curve is to cover for the students' mistakes, not the professor's. A curve normally implies that the exams/course content was difficult, resulting in a lower class average; however, in this class, the issue lied in the way the professor ran the class. Taking in answers for a week after the exam leading to skewed results, lack of partial credit, disorganized discussions, and typos in exams lead to results that do not reflect a student's actual knowledge of course content, and slapping on a curve in an attempt to cover up these mistakes do not actually solve them.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/20/2021

Dr. Dodson is the most incompetent professor I've had at the university. Her lack of transparency and accommodations ended up punishing students - students who work diligently to maintain their GPA in their rigorous STEM classes. The semester was totally unfair and remains as a very painful memory in all of the students who suffered from Dodson's incompetence.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/19/2021

I truly feel bad for Dr. Dodson. The reviews are not indicative of her as a professor. She is caught in a crossfire between students who were ill prepared and did not get a grade that they wanted. She is very nice, accommodating, and overall very pleasant. This is a difficult course and the textbook is a must.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/19/2021

Whoever wrote the 5 star positive review on Dodson, it sounds like Dr. Dodson wrote that review in a vain attempt to stop the flood of 1-star reviews. Unfortunately, I can not recommend anyone to take her. Every part of your review can be refuted by the countless anecdotes and negative experiences faced by the class, and Dr. Dodson's inability to take responsibility for her actions further illuminated how incapable she was. Furthermore, the countless errors on exams, typos during lecture, hostility and defensiveness when asked questions regarding her ability, and overall lack of teaching experience serve as a beacon to how terrible the semester went. I would have rather taken the class without the professor because at least then I would have been at peace knowing that I was teaching myself rather than relying on the countless errors on her exams.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/19/2021

While the professor seems to care about the students, the many mistakes and unfair aspects of the class ultimately led to many unnecessary issues that students had to deal with. Most students failed the final exam due to the many typos present in the exam and the lack of transparency when it came to what students should study for the exam. There was no partial credit for calculations in any of the exams despite the math intensive nature of the class. Many students were given up to a week to work on the first exam due to issues present in the program that the exam used. This provided an unfair advantage to some students since a lot of us were only given about an hour to work on the exam while the others had up to a week. The curve at the end of the semester wasn’t enough to make up for these issues and left students with grades that didn’t accurately portray their understanding of the subject. Hopefully something is done about this so students won’t have to deal with the consequences of the way this course was conducted.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/19/2021

Dr Dodson is very inflexible. She is unwilling to actually listen to student concerns even when it is at the point where the entire class is giving her the same feedback. Whenever students asked her how she recommends that we study for the exams or what content we should focus on, she was unwilling to provide them with any advice or guidance and always gave the simple answer, "everything is fair game". The first exam was a mess where many students were either locked out of the exam or were unable to submit their answers in time due to the exam settings, and as a result, Dodson accepted exam answers for up to a week after the exam where many students took unfair advantage. Her exams were much more difficult than any practice material/homework and had no partial credit even though they were math heavy, meaning that a small calculation error would immediately cost you up to 5-7 points. I also disagree with her "solution" to this mess which was to give us a small curve. The purpose of a curve is to cover for the students' mistakes, not the professor's. A curve normally implies that the exams/course content was difficult, resulting in a lower class average; however, in this class, the issue lied in the way the professor ran the class. Taking in answers for a week after the exam leading to skewed results, lack of partial credit, disorganized discussions, and typos in exams lead to results that do not reflect a student's actual knowledge of course content, and slapping on a curve in an attempt to cover up these mistakes do not actually solve them.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/19/2021

While this course may have had its ups and downs, I need to give Dr. Dodson 5 stars for always working her best to teach us this semester and for always being very caring and understanding. I think it is important to emphasize that this was her first semester teaching this course, and it is human nature to make mistakes along the way. This class may not have been perfect, but I can say for a fact that Dr. Dodson cares deeply about all of her students, and I know that she worked very hard to find the most effective ways possible to resolve issues. For example, one time she literally stayed 30 minutes after office hours ended to help me understand concepts that were covered that day!! Only professors with true dedication would do that! To students who are disappointed in how this course went - please please please schedule a meeting with Dr. Dodson! She is such a genuine and amazing person and is very open to hearing and listening about your concerns and how she can help. Also, I really want to emphasize again that we are all human! Humans make mistakes and we can not completely bash Dr. Dodson for hers! So, I urge you all to understand that Dr. Dodson really did try with all her effort to make this semester a good one for us, but naturally, there were bumps along the road which no one could have foreseen and that is not her fault. I know Dr. Dodson is an incredible professor, and I believe with all my heart that she never meant for any of us to feel hurt or frustrated.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/19/2021

The other reviews have already more than adequately emphasized all of the professor's shortcomings in teaching this course. The textbook will teach you far better than she ever could, even though she teaches directly from the textbook. Do yourself (and your mental health) a favor and do not take CHEM271 with Dodson.

Taylor Plank
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/19/2021

Absolutely not. Plank is very passionate about the material she teaches but I do not recommend her. I genuinely did really good on the homework and the book practice problems but her exams were so hard for no reason. The questions on the homework did not prepare you on the exam at all. I put so much time and effort in this class and I think its unfair not to curve. Try to avoid her If you actually care about your mental health and your GPA.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/18/2021

Worst possible Professor ever. DO NOT TAKE HER. You will regret it. Barely any curve. Does not do problems correctly in class. Exams are all multiple choice or 1 number answers without any option for partial credit. Too many typos on exams and expects you to see corrections on slack rather than email. I can 100% say she is the worst Professor you will ever have so save yourself

Taylor Plank
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/18/2021

Spring 2021 was Dr. Plank's first time teaching General Chemistry 2 at UMD. All things considered, given the online environment and her first UMD experience, the class was taught very smoothly. While the pace was relatively fast, Dr. Plank was always willing to give recordings of lectures if you asked for them, and she always kept the notes slides up-to-date by making them accessible through the ELMS course files. For valid reasons, the synchronous lectures were not made publicly available unless asked, because it would incentivize people to not attend. Dr. Plank encouraged participation, which were easy free points that also helped us stay on track with the course material (at the very minimum, show up to discussion - you don't even have to talk - and you'll receive these). While she had no practice exams to reference due to the fact that it was her first time teaching the course with the specific structure at UMD, she still made sure to give us comprehensive practice through practice problems for each chapter and through Mastering Chemistry. I personally did not find discussions to be the most helpful place for practice since I did not feel most engaged with them, but they were a resource too. Dr. Plank was also always open to contesting homework questions- speaking from personal experience, I found an error in a question, and she ended up giving back points to everyone who experienced the error, and all it took was a quick email exchange. Additionally, when we had some technological discrepancies with the first exam's Mastering Chemistry platform, Dr. Plank not only allowed us to submit regrades, but she also allowed us to complete an extra credit follow-up assignment to make up some points. She was apologetic, and it was obvious she cared about our success. Dr. Plank was one of the very few, if any, professors at the UMD Chemistry department who actually took the time to communicate and help students, and her willingness to help us and to keep us on track were a testament to how she actually cared about us learning the material, which she explicitly stated. I do not agree with the unfairness that some of my peers are claiming with regard to this course, because Dr. Plank was ALWAYS receptive to our questions, whether we asked in-class, at office hours, through email, or through Slack, where she made herself readily and directly available. She was responsive no matter how many times we asked about grading and curves as well, and while it can be frustrating to not do as well as you had hoped, the average for this class was relatively high for the chemistry department, and given how straightforward her exams and final were, we frankly do not need one. I understand that the COVID-19 pandemic and online environment has caused an incredibly stressful, grueling experience for us college students, but I think that makes it even more necessary for us to take a step back and process what has happened in order to show more grace before projecting the pent-up frustrations and stress that naturally came from this year of online classes.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/18/2021

While I strongly feel that Dr. Dodson is a very kind-hearted professor who cares about her students, the manner in which this course was conducted was very unfair and I agree with all of the reviews posted thus far. Moreover, I find it disappointing that we are asked to complete course evaluations and told by the university to reach out to admin when we have concerns, yet our voices this semester were not heard and our feedback was not utilized. I know that many of my peers and I expressed the concerns listed earlier in the reviews during midterm evaluations, but the only aspect of the midterm evaluations that was taken into account by the professor was the lack of example problems given during class. I am curious to know why the other, more serious concerns, such as those relating to the flaws in course organization, were not addressed and why the chemistry department did not take immediate action to fix them. I also know students reached out to the chemistry department mid-semester, but they did not show much interest in helping to resolve these issues-- perhaps it was a busy time of year for the department with midterm exams, but at the same time, I feel that even if it is just a single student reaching out about a concern, the department should prioritize finding ways to help and guide that student. Finally, I am saddened to see that the chemistry department has not yet released a statement regarding the feedback on Dr. Dodson's CHEM271 course. A simple letter saying that they have read the reviews and understand our frustration would be enough to make my peers and I feel heard right now, but there has not been anything yet. I feel like Dr. Dodson truly did everything she could to help teach us the material this semester, but given that the course instruction this semester did not meet most student's expectations, I believe it is now in the administration's hands to give Dr. Dodson's CHEM271 students the grades they deserve. (Personally, I feel my grade is not a reflection of the work I put into this class as well as my potential, and this is justified as my grades in UMD chemistry courses in the past have been substantially higher.)

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/18/2021

This class was absolutely legendary. Given that I had taken multiple finals in the previous day and I had woken up at 6 am to study for this final, to say that I was in a depleted mental state is an understatement. There was no end in sight, and the endless barrage of questions beat me down as I continued to fight my way through the beast. Then, it came. A question that was unsolvable. No answer choice made sense. I felt what remaining sanity I harbored drip away as I carefully reviewed every choice and the wording of the question statement, no answer choice made sense. I scrolled up to look at the remaining time, 30 minutes, and then back down to look at the question again, no answer choice made sense. I looked at my notes, no answer choice made sense. Then, it hit me. I stopped, and placed my TI-30X calculator at a crisp 90 degree angle to the side of my desk. I closed my eyes and attempted to beam myself into the maker of this question's head; what was the learning outcome? What was the point of this question? What were we even trying to achieve? After a couple minutes of rigorous thought, it hit me. I had failed to completely train my Esper powers for this exam. I shook my fist and cursed at the sky, I had not only failed myself, but big daddy Pearson as well. I selected my answer choice in shame and submitted my exam. I highly suggest Dr. Dodson if you want to find out if you have psychic powers or to train already existing ones. Attending the lectures were especially key for training the power of telepathy, as not only was every practice problem practically taken out of the book, but made into a riddle of sorts as you never know what information within the problem might be correct or just a typo. My biggest gripe with this class was the essentially mandatory attendance, which for a forgetful person like myself (still working on my Astral Projection) ended up hurting me in the course whereas I did fine on the exams. I believe the department was misleading with the course title, CHEM271 should be renamed as WIZARD101 for full transparency. Other than that, I rate this class 5/5 stars, or 0/5 points because I selected the wrong multiple choice answer.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/18/2021

Dr. Dodson was by far the worst professor I have taken at UMD this far. She was unable to explain concepts well, which is especially tragic once you consider that CHEM271 doesn’t have to be terribly difficult. She was not accommodating at all and completely unresponsive to student concerns. It was as if her pride got in the way of her ability to make improvements the course. I got through this course by relying on the textbook and what I learned from Dr. Schech’s CHEM272, which was taught much better. I should’ve known that this class would have been a mess from the moment I found out that the lectures were synchronous for no good reason. I’ll give her some slack (pun intended) since this was her first time teaching the course and she tried to be nice, but it should honestly also be her last time teaching the course.

Taylor Plank
CHEM271

Expecting a D-
Anonymous
05/18/2021

Even during a difficult time as the COVID 19 pandemic, she was absolutely awful and inflexible. I did every homework assigned and received As on all of them, I was able to complete them without too many issues with the help of the textbook as her lectures were too confusing to really get much out of them. The questions in her exams were much more complicated than what she covered in lecture and did not allow for partial credit despite the intensive math. The first exam was administered through MasteringChem which is a fine website for homework but absolutely horrible for exams, as I was kicked out of the exam after the first question. When I was let back in, I could only see one question at a time and could not change my answer after entering it in the allocated space, and between the time crunch and my inability to view all of the questions in the exam, I had no way of estimating how much more work I had to do and how much time I had for each question. Needless to say, my grade on this exam was absolutely awful. And it did not get any better! I practiced more and received a better grade on the second exam, but the third exam was again quite difficult. For a 2 credit class, I spent more time studying the textbook and practice exams than some of my other 4 credit class this semester, and despite everything, it got worse! I strongly recommend taking anyone BUT her. Save yourself from the headaches and the tears, college is already stressful as it is. She doesn't even curve the class. She refuses to curve... Please do not take Plank. GPA and mental health will be ruined forever. + No curve.

Taylor Plank
CHEM271

Expecting a D
Anonymous
05/18/2021

Pretty sure the 271 review on here is from Plank herself because everyone was confused the whole semester. Everything was pretty messy and the averages for exams were in the 70's but she refuses to curve even though other CHEM classes usually curve to a B-. I guess she curves to a C/C- so please avoid her at all costs. The first exam was horrible and so many students had a hard time navigating the exam.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/17/2021

my grade dropping 14% after the final should tell you everything you need to know after studying my butt off for this final. the worst parts of the course was the lack of being accommodating enough to allow for partial credit in a math heavy course, the lack of practice problems/tests -she literally only provided 2 eleven question practice tests as the only practice problems and nothing for the final exam (where the average was an E and no one got above a B btw probably heavily due to that decision), her not wanting to release specifics on the curve after releasing final grades (meaning we just have to sit and wait for days until they process on Testudo for all 230 students), and her not saying anything, absolutely nothing, about how she accounted for points with all her errors on the exam. Like are we just supposed to forget that it even happened? What was with the lack of transparency? It isn't illegal to disclose information about the curves and grade cutoffs after everything has been graded and submitted? It isn't illegal to offer information on how many questions the final was going to be so we could prepare pacing ourselves better? Also, who's sincerely going to wait till June to review their final with her after the semester is over and summer/summer classes begin? I definitely learnt a lot in this class with the significant one being how to cry

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/17/2021

Everyone wrote some very justified dissertations about why this professor was horrible. But to keep it short and sweet, unless you are 100% sure you will never make a single calculation error in a multi-step math problem, save yourself the trouble (and about 10 points per exam).

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/17/2021

Echoing every other review on here, do NOT take her if you can help it. Her grading was horrendous, she was incredibly inflexible during a global pandemic, and had pretty ridiculous expectations for her students for a 2 credit class (the expectations which differed verbally from what was on the syllabus). She refused to give us recorded lectures unless we had a serious emergency, so we could never even go back and listen to what she said or watch her do example problems. That being said, the lectures themselves were horrendous. We had to go to them for participation, but for the first half of the semester, she would just discuss basic theory while giving us really challenging homework and exam questions. I tuned her out after about the fourth lecture. In terms of grading, she refused to give any partial credit, where CHEM271 is a super heavy math class, so if you made a simple calculation error you would get 0 points on a question. When I booked a private appointment with her to voice my concerns about how my effort wasn't being reflected in my grade, she simply told me to practice more, where I had already been using all the resources she had given us. When asking her how to study for the final, especially when she refused to give us answer keys to previous exams, she told us to do every. single. problem. in the textbook. That's around 3000 questions. There was no guidance on how to study, no actual teaching, and your best bet was to work off the textbook because her actual teaching was ridiculous. I urge you to listen to the reviews here and do NOT take this class with her if you can help it.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/17/2021

This was by far the worst chemistry class I have taken in college thus far. Dr. Dodson did not know how to teach the material, and her lectures were just a copy/paste from what was in the textbook. She could never answer anyones questions and always told people to refer to the slack for questions later, where usually a student would answer. She clearly did not know the material very well, and I ended up learning everything solely from the textbook. Not only were her lectures super unhelpful, but the exams did not reflect the material she "taught" and it was frustrating how they were way more complicated as we were completely unprepared. She also did not have any resources for us, and would not even bother to give us practice exams for the final. She never reciprocated to the students' needs and clearly had a lack of understanding on both content for her class and general teaching skills.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/17/2021

It’s been two days since the final...and I just found out there were 4 typos on the exam. She uses slack to give out announcements, and I only used slack to check for announcements of exams and other stuff. Turns out she posted on slack during the final that there were 4 typos on the exam, and then she says we were supposed to be in the zoom call to find out what the typos were. Through reading these reviews I also learned we were supposed to be participating in slack for participation points, but in the syllabus it says it’s ok to just attend lectures and discussion. I’ve never been more confused about what’s going on or what I’m supposed to be doing than in this class, unless at least a year or two has passed since this review and she has been able to get her lectures and class together just don’t take the class. She’s a new teacher so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, but she could’ve made the course so much easier on herself by listening and acting on the students advice.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/16/2021

I think all of the other reviews hit the nail on the head but I have to repeat our frustration towards this professor as, even during a difficult time as the COVID 19 pandemic, she was absolutely awful and inflexible. I did every homework assigned and received As on all of them, I was able to complete them without too many issues with the help of the textbook as her lectures were too confusing to really get much out of them. I used past exams from other professors to review and practice for each exam, yet the questions in her exams were much more complicated than what she covered in lecture and did not allow for partial credit despite the intensive math. The first exam was administered through MasteringChem which is a fine website for homework but absolutely horrible for exams, as I was kicked out of the exam after the first question. When I was let back in, I could only see one question at a time and could not change my answer after entering it in the allocated space, and between the time crunch and my inability to view all of the questions in the exam, I had no way of estimating how much more work I had to do and how much time I had for each question. Needless to say, my grade on this exam was absolutely awful. And it did not get any better! I practiced more and received a better grade on the second exam, but the third exam was again quite difficult. As my grade was heavily suffering from the first exam, I messaged her to make her aware of my concerns, but she was quite unhelpful and simply told me that she could not do anything about it and I had to suffer through it. For a 2 credit class, I spent more time studying the textbook and practice exams than some of my other 4 credit class this semester, and despite everything, it got worse! In our final she made 4 typos that heavily influenced the questions, and decided to correct them on Slack DURING THE EXAM! The only window I had open during this exam was... well the exam itself since she had told us to refrain from using slack. Yet she claimed that it was not her fault, as she had sent an announcement on slack and said something on the zoom call during the exam. I did not go to the zoom call because I did not want to be distracted by other students asking questions, so of course I did not hear or read anything about the typos and I wasted a lot of time on those questions that were indeed worth a lot of points. I strongly recommend taking anyone BUT her. Save yourself from the headaches and the tears, college is already stressful as it is.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/16/2021

Lectures were not useful, exams did not coincide with lecture and hw and too many issues in the exams , so disappointing since 271 isn’t a very difficult class like Orgo is notorious for.:( very sad that my gpa will be affected by this class

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/16/2021

handled the online environmen terribly

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/16/2021

This was one of Dr. Dodson's first semesters teaching chemistry and it could not possible be more apparent how utterly unprepared and inexperienced she was. Lectures were an absolute waste of time as her teaching style was so convoluted, and the practice problems she walked us through were filled with errors that she did not take any time to proofread before teaching to her 200+ students. Much of lecture time was spent completing these practice problems together, but when she walked us through these problems she managed to make them more complicated than they otherwise would have been had we just used the textbook. Oftentimes when students asked her seemingly rudimentary questions, she did not have a response and would say she had to check her notes. As mentioned in a previous review, she somehow managed to make relatively simple content seem more difficult, and I am sure most of the class would have been better off by just reading the textbook. As for exams, she refused to even give partial credit on an extremely calculation-intensive course with multi-step math problems, which just seemed like pure laziness on her part. The final was also filled with numerous typos which she notified the class of only on Slack during the exam (no one expected to have to routinely check Slack during a time crunched final), then proceeded to refuse culpability for her mistakes and blamed the class for not checking Slack during the exam. I do not think I have encountered a more incompetent professor in my life, and I will be shocked if I one day do.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/16/2021

This is by far one of the worst professors I've had at the University of Maryland. During COVID-19 she was not at all accommodating. All of her lectures were set at a scheduled time, and you wouldn't have access to them unless you had a serious excuse. She doesn't take into account that other students have other responsibilities. (Not only that, but she posted them a couple of days before the final to everyone (who is going to watch hours of lectures, when she could have set them out every week like every other teacher)). Participation is HIGHLY subjective. I went to all of the lectures, discussions and commented on the slack, and yet I did not get the full credit! It takes a heavy hit on your grade. Furthermore, during our final exam, she made 4 typos on the exam and posted them on SLACK. I don't know any other professor that does that. Most professors send an email from ELMS, especially because the exam is CLOSED book and internet. She specifically states to contact her on slack if you have any questions or to join the zoom. How am I supposed to know there are errors on the exam? Her lecture style is horrible, and I personally learned more from the books. The homeworks are easy and do not set you up for her exams at all. Her reviews/prep work for the exams are USELESS! She makes them so easy but when you take the exam it's not at all what you expect. In addition, during the first exam, it was on mastering chem and for some students the exam glitched. She let those students turn in their work 7+ days later and yet all of the other students had to do the test at the allotted time period. This was totally unfair, and she honestly did not care. She is just really EXTREMELY confusing and just all around not a good gen chem II professor! If you have the choice, take any other professor but her.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/15/2021

The worst possible professor in the CHEM department, or in any department period. Just a couple of the things CHEM271 students had to endure this semester (buckle down this is gonna be looong): 1. The first exam was administered through MasteringChem, and had a feature where you had to lock in your answers before moving forward. No one was aware of that before taking the exam, so that, along with multiple other technological issues that arise, accumulated to a horrible exam. She then let students submit the answers FOR A WEEK after the exam, which I'm sure many students took advantage of - I think this speaks for itself. Then, we were told that the exam would not be dropped, and that no one hates MasteringChem more than her...ok. 2. We never received a practice exam that was analogous with the level of difficulty, or even represented the problems we would see in her exams. Also, not once were we given a solutions manual to any exam because she, in her exact words, would "not be doing that." Had questions about the first exam while studying for the final? Professor Dodson's exact words at Office Hours: "You're just going to have to figure it out." 3. No partial credit on a SINGLE exam. Your calculations had you off by more than 0.5 of the answer? Sorry bestie, that's a 0/5 on the question (on an exam out of 50 points)! 4. As mentioned in a previous review, we were told at the beginning of class that participation is accrued by one of the following: attending lecture, going to discussion, or posting in Slack. Then, halfway into the semester when the first half of the semester participation was tallied, and most students lost multiple participation points, we were told that we had to attend lecture AND go to discussion (which was not always helpful) AND/OR post in Slack. The expectations outlined in the syllabus was FAR different than the expectations she verbally set, which I have honestly NEVER encountered in any class in my time at UMD thus far. 5. When she made a mistake while writing on the board and students pointed it out in lecture, she said "Sorry guys, I'm being dyslexic" twice. Disclaimer: she may be dyslexic in reality which we don't know, but if she isn't, that's an extremely discriminatory statement propagating stigma from a professor who is in a position of power. Many students felt highly uncomfortable from these comments. UMD prides itself in being an extremely welcoming school which prides itself on inclusivity, and I'm certain that comments like that do not fit with the school's moral tenants it strives to uphold. 6. THE FINAL. Oh, the final. She told us electronics was strictly forbidden on the exam, THEN makes MULTIPLE typos which affects the meaning of the questions, and posts corrections on Slack (which we were told not to access during the exam). When students mentioned this and highlighted the unfairness, she said "the corrections were also available on the Zoom call." ?????? The expectation for attending the Zoom call was ONLY if you had questions on the content, so none of us thought to stay in the Zoom call in the case that our professor makes huge mistakes on the exam (isn't that what proofreading is for???) Then, when this was brought up, she silenced us by telling us that people were still taking the exam, so we were to refrain from discussing the exam. Typical response from an individual who won't take accountability for their actions. It's extremely unfair to uphold us to a standard in which we cannot make mistakes on the exam so we get no partial credit, then she goes and makes multiple mistakes in writing the final exam. Make it make sense. Just do yourself a favor and take ANY other professor - college is already stressful and Gen Chem is already a lot to handle, especially with having to take 272 at the same time (Dr. Schech is AMAZING at teaching that class BTW), so any other professor would honestly be better than what Dr. Dodson will put you through. I'm sure Dr. Dodson is extremely knowledgeable in her field, and it is evident she is extremely passionate about the research she does. However, if UMD is interested in having professors that encourage students to develop a passion for Chemistry or who encourage students to learn/enjoy in the subject, I, along with many of my peers in her class this semester, would wholeheartedly suggest that you allow Dr. Dodson to sit out on teaching. She will bring nothing but misery to students, induce unnecessary anxiety, and instigate extreme apathy and negativity towards Chemistry as a whole.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/15/2021

This is my first time leaving a review, and if that does not tell you something about how bad this professor is then my next paragraph will. Her lectures were extremely disorganized and littered with mistakes in almost every single one, and her practice problems/homeworks/other material were blissfully easy compared to the actual exams she would give, which were often absolutely absurd in difficulty and tested you on your ability to think through her tricks and lack of information rather than the content. She did not offer partial credit, which is insane when you could answer one 8 point question correctly aside from one part yet get no credit for your knowledge. When my friend asked her for help, she told her she was "too busy" and to ask classmates in the Slack chat...the final nail in the coffin was when she had four major typos on her final exam which cost students around 15-20 points, and then blamed students for not checking the Slack chat- when she was the one who wrote a final and didn't bother to look through and check that she made no typos! Aside from that, even the TA could not answer some the questions she asked us on exams, going so far as arguing with students for 30 minutes before later admitting he was wrong. If a graduate TA couldn't solve a problem, then it should not be used to measure the knowledge of undergraduate students. There is probably no curve in the class either, as she doesn't ever own up to her mistakes and realize her teaching style is not effective at relaying and measuring our knowledge. Do not take her if you want to learn and be tested accurately!

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/15/2021

If your goal is to learn chem, don't take this professor. We spent the first 5 minutes of the class talking about astronomy and I successfully learned more fun facts about outer space that I will never use again in my entire life. Additionally, the wealth of knowledge that I learned in the lecture was so tiny that the homework and 5 minutes of astronomy intro every day gave me more information on exams than her actual teaching. Quite impressive how disorganized she was and how often she would backpedal on her own notes due to so many mistakes. I'd rather just have someone read the textbook to me as that would give a stronger understanding of chem than paying attention to the disorganized and unmotivating lecture that she would give weekly. Take anyone else for your own good.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/14/2021

Do not take her please for your mental health. Dr. Dodson is by far the worst professor I have ever had at UMD. My absolute greatest complaint is her lack of partial credit and inability to account for the rampant cheating that is clearly going on. The double standard and hypocrisy in her methods astounds me. Dr. Dodson makes 3-4 mistakes per lecture, the textbook is filled with errors, our final exam had 4 typos, but somehow it's fair that students are heavily penalized for the tiniest mistakes during the exams. Her grading methods are grossly unfair and in no way accurately assess mastery of content. Each question is worth a huge amount of points, and if we make the slightest mistake, we lose a large percent of our grade. If a student presses the wrong button on the calculator for the last step of a complicated math based question that takes multiple steps to solve, they get zero points even if they did everything else correctly. Or if they knew how to solve almost everything but couldn't get to the final answer, they still wouldn't get a single point. These questions can be worth up to 14% of our grade, which significantly impacts our overall grade. Dr. Dodson wouldn't even tell us which questions we got wrong on exam 1 so we couldn't even ask for regrades. She gets defensive when students bring up the issues (and I still can't think of a valid reason for why she didn't release correct answers to exams or why she won't let us scan our work for partial credit - considering many other chem classes online do both of these). Even if you have an excellent understanding of the material she taught in lecture and from the textbook, the exams are all or nothing so the tiniest mistake ruins your grade. Takeaways: grading did not adequately ascertain level of understanding, she wasn't open to suggestions, she didn't address student concerns, and the hypocrisy regarding ability to make mistakes was very unfair.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/14/2021

I am sure that Dr. Dodson is a great researcher and person but her teaching style and course set-up left me incredibly disheartened and discourage. I do not recommend her CHEM 271 at all. Lectures: Her lectures followed the textbook EXACTLY. Therefore, during lectures, all the practice problems are the basic/easy ones that only need one or two equations to solve. The homework and exam problems, where our grades are at stake, are much much MUCH harder. Grading: Her grading was very ambiguous, especially for participation. Since the class did not have many grading opportunities (just homework, exams, and participation), the participation weighed more heavily on everyone's grades. She did not clearly outline how the students can obtain participating points, causing many students to lose out on points that cannot be obtained past a certain time in the class. Exams: Dr. Dodson's exam setup is where I have the most grievance. Her exams were calculation-heavy (nearly 80-90% of each exam) but had no partial credits. She flat out rejected a student's suggestion of allowing students to turning PDFs for partial credits. I lost 14% on an exam because I calculated the last step in a seven-step problem wrong. On Exam 1, she decided to use Mastering Chem as the platform, which glitched like crazy. Then she was forced to accept late responses and granted everyone full credits on a couple of questions. Many students took advantage of this and the academically honest students were unnecessary and unintentionally penalized. In addition, she did not release our grading for the first exam so we could not even ask for regrades. To her credits, she did discontinue using Mastering Chem for exams. Her practice exams were not true reflections of the actual exams and neither were the practice dynamic module that she assigned. Her exam questions were also tricky and did not test students' understanding of chemistry topics. Tl;DR: Horrible lecture style. Horrible calculation-heavy exams that do not have partial credits. 100% DO NOT recommend.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/14/2021

No partial credit for a calculation-heavy course, does not understand difficulty of problems, unorganized TA

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/14/2021

Horrible lecture style, tricky exams that are made to test random skills rather than chemistry. No partial credit on anything, and a lack of understanding. Her final had 4 typos worth 20% of the exam. What's funny is that she explicitly stated to NOT be online other than ELMS during an exam, yet posts typo corrections on SLACK and expects students to be avid enough to check slack about important announcements like test typos. Her homeworks are incredibly easy to do, but her exams are terrible. Her "review" with practice problems solve to give you a false sense of security before aggressively pulling the rug beneath you during the exam and exposing the obvious lapses in her teaching. Additionally, the TA didn't understand half the material, and once argued for over half the discussion about a test problem where he was incorrect. Imagine that, a TA, who has the answer key, spends over half the discussion on defending the incorrect answer only to then backpedal and waste everyone's time. An absolute mess of a semester online, and I would recommend Dr. Dodson to seriously reconsider her teaching style and reevaluate if teaching is something she wants to pursue, as it is obvious her pedagogy ability has not been sharpened at all throughout her academic career in undergrad or graduate school.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/14/2021

A person who's speciality is astronomy should not be teaching General Chemistry II. The homework honestly taught me more than anything the professor did in this class.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/11/2021

TA for discussion was lost in the material, unhelpful, and his "practice exams" were as far removed from the material as possible. Every exam seemed to not have any correlation to what is shown in class or from what was presented. Homeworks were easy, yet gave no actual practice as their difficulty in comparison to the final exam was completely different. The textbook and khan academy is your best resource, but the material presented in class is really easy, yet the teacher somehow manages to make each problem hard, confusing, and are written to be tricky rather than test student knowledge. Lastly, the lecture was unclear, useless, and a waste of time. We would spend over 10 minutes on one question during lecture, over 20 minutes for one question for discussion, yet are expected to do even harder questions on an exam with half the time. Do yourself a favor and take any other professor.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/10/2021

Dr. Dodson's CHEM271 class was an absolute mess. The first exam she administered had countless issues with it (once you answered a question, it locked and you could not change it, the program glitched and time was cut short for some students, the exam was insanely long etc.). To "fix" the particular issue of the exam locking out before time was up, she allowed students to turn in answers to the exam up to a week after the exam was administered. It was widely known that some students may have taken advantage of this system for the benefit of their own grades (Dr. Dodson acknowledged this as well), but she basically told her students that nothing could be done about the dishonestly. She did discontinue the use of that exam platform, but people who were academically honest really got the short end of the stick. Besides this first exam fiasco, other notable issues included a disorganized discussion, unhelpful "practice exams", and participation points that seemed impossible to accrue. I genuinely learned everything for this class from Dr. Schech's CHEM272 lab and the book. I believe Dr. Dodson is knowledgeable in her field and is a great scientist, but her teaching style was not the best and she really made this class something to worry about for a lot of students.

Taylor Plank
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/06/2021

The first couple weeks of the class were pretty messy because she was assigned it a couple days before, but I think she was a great lecturer and had fair expectations from students. The lectures were really straightforward and she provided a lot of examples on how to do problems. The exams were also very similar to the homework and practice problems she provided. She was really responsive to students and responded to emails and slack messages quickly. The only negative thing I could think of is that her lecture was a couple weeks behind lab but that seems to be an issue with a lot of chem courses.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/04/2021

If there is another professor, take them instead. I had her during an online setting and found her lectures boring and not helpful. Her lectures did not reflect the exams and homework given. She does not provide adequate practice examples and her exams were on elms with no partial credit so if you got a question wrong you were automatically down 6 percent.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/26/2021

The material in this course is the easiest material that you will have in a chemistry class, yet somehow she still made it confusing. I learned everything I know from the lab 272. She didn't give any partial credit for a course that is nearly entirely math, she wasn't very available via email, and she just wasn't receptive to students' needs. Also, the material taught in class was directly out of the book and super simple, yet the questions on exams were much more difficult. She is a nice lady and I wish her the best but do not take her if there are other options, the other teachers will be better.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
04/22/2021

HORRIBLE. Do not take this professor.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/21/2021

horrible professor, probably handled the online environment worst out of anybody i've ever taken.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
04/21/2021

Honestly, she is a very nice and respectable person, BUT she is EXTREMELY confusing. What we learn in class and the activities we do outside of class are COMPLETELY different from what is presented on her exams. Majority of the time, the lectures and homework are very easy and you will need to resort to reading the textbook to learn what she wants.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
04/21/2021

I went from getting A's in my previous two semesters of chemistry to hoping to pass this one. Honestly, I did not know what to expect coming into this semester since it's her first time teaching this class but my experience has not been good at all. The exams are brutal and the HWs and the practice material is not reflective of what's being tested.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
04/21/2021

In my opinion, I don't recommend this professor. Classes I've taken related to chemistry have been pretty straight forward, providing practice problems, reasonable help, and practice exams that relate to the exams you take. However, being in lecture we learn the most basic ways to solve problems but the exams don't reflect what we've learned in class to the same degree. After attending lectures, reading the textbooks, and redoing all the hws, I opened the practice exam and it had ridiculously complex problems with what some material that seems irrelevant to this course. She expects you to have knowledge that was not taught in lecture or covered in the textbook. I wish discussion would have been taught better (the TA also admitted to needing help from the professor to do specific problems). She's probably a great scientist and researcher but is obviously lost in delivering material in a reasonable way to students. In addition to this, her syllabus states "18 points will be counted through regular participation in AT LEAST ONE or more of the following: (i) Zoom class meetings, (ii) Slack discussions, or (iii) instructor office hours." However, after attending all of the lectures, which satisfies the requirement, I did not receive full credit. I'm really trying my best in this course but when I receive grades back from my exams I get so discouraged.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/19/2021

so trash.... doesn't provide practice problems, her practice exams are horrible, lectures completely unstructured. i've gotten A's in every other chem class without needing to touch the textbook but its a must with her. her class is awful.

Leah Dodson
CHEM271

Anonymous
04/19/2021

She is one of the most confusing professors I have ever taken, doesn't provide practice problems, and her exams do not reflect the material she teaches. Any practice problems that she does provide are significantly easier than those on the exam, which sets you up to fail. I highly recommend you do not take this professor. She doesn't answer questions will and is often confused herself.

Efrain Rodriguez
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/09/2020

I had a Rodriguez and Jarzynski for Chem271 online on alternating weeks and I have to say I found just reading the textbook better than his lectures. The online textbook for this class is a MUST. Saved my life.

Bonnie Dixon
CHEM271

Anonymous
04/29/2020

I will be 100% honest, I had dixon for orgo 1 and LOVED her. I understood the concepts really well because she knew what she was doing. She has a good system for chem 231 and I will not take that away from her, HOWEVER she has been awful for Chem 2. Her first exam was way to difficult for no reason. Her lectures in person have been very confusing and she makes it hard for us to connect different equations to the problems we need to know. I will say that since quarantine she has had better lectures prepared, but that still doesn't mean she is an overall good chem 2 professor. I have personally sent her multiple emails throughout the semester asking for help and she has not responded. She finally got back to me after bombarding her with multiple emails regarding something very important and she got mad at me because she felt I did not even need to send her an email in the first place. She is super unreliable online and her "office hours" that she says you have to go to are not effective in an online setting. She has made this class terrible for me. I have liked chemistry until I took her Chem 271 class. Don't talk her for chem 2, ONLY CHEM 231!!! She has a good system for that class but for chem 2 she does not.

Pedro Bueno
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/23/2019

It was his 1st semester teaching the course so most of the times, it took him a bit longer to get the point across. He has a wonderful personality and always wants you to succeed in the course. He tries to be funny during his lectures by using (really random/querky) analogies to help lessen the stress/make a mark in your mind. The HW is in MasteringChemistry and you can basically find everything online.

John Ondov
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
11/21/2018

Much more clear in office hours than lecture. Overall, a really good professor. Carl, as my friends call him, wants his students to learn and do well.

John Ondov
CHEM271

Anonymous
04/21/2018

IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE, TAKE HIM! I'm about to get my first A in chemistry. :)

John Ondov
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
04/01/2018

I love him. He's adorable. Carl is the best!

John Ondov
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
03/24/2018

Underrated. One of the best and nicest profs out there. Actually wants students to succeed.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
03/18/2018

I love him so much!!!

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

jandrade
05/02/2016

Unapproachable, constantly messes up on her powerpoint slides. Exams super unfair. TA messes up just as much in discussion. She's going to need to put a huge curve on this class to make up for all the bad grades her students are receiving.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
09/04/2014

Great professor, and even better class

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Expecting a C
Anonymous
08/29/2014

Hey, do you like learning physical/theoretical chemistry in a general chemistry class, spending most of class on derivations, tests with convoluted questions that are much harder than you would expect, and getting screwed over for the MCAT, then you'll fall head over heals in love with Julin, and I would highly reccomend him. If you prefer the opposite, go jump out a window before signing up for his class. The whole problem stems from the fact that Julin is a Biochemistry professor not a general chemistry teacher, and he has only taught this class like twice (which probably explains the difference in opinions below). If your the type of person who prefers to learn from the book, then you will have a major problem when taking Julin's class, since exams are only from class material. In addition, I agree with the review below from 5-22-14. Doing lots of practice problems won't help you one bit, since test questions are predominantly concept based. To succeed in Julin's class, you need to rewatch lectures (he records them) and pay attention to every word that comes out of his mouth. Other than that, there is really no way to prepare for his test. Unlike other classes where if you work hard, you are pretty much getting a good grade, that isn't true with Julin. His questions are so bizarre that for the Thermodynamics unit, he asked a question on the history of state functions, but didn't ask a question on Hess' Law, one of the most fundemental concepts for that unit. Gen chem 2 is not a hard class and the material is somewhat interesting, but Julin makes it a lot harder than it really needs to be. My reccomendation is to never take a biochemistry professor for a general chemistry class...

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
06/07/2014

I actually liked the material in this class and found it to be very helpful for the MCAT. that being said, I couldn't enjoy it one bit thanks to this guy. Absolutely terrible professor, would never take this man again in my life. If your a chemistry major or you really like chemistry, then Julin might not be a bad idea, since his teaching style is that he focuses on the in depth theoretical side of chemistry, and about 2/3 of the tests are conceptual based as opposed to problems. Unlike other chemistry classes where you have to just understand how to do the problems, in Julin's class you really have to know your stuff inside and out. Just knowing how to do the problems won't suffice to get an A in this class. His tests are also nothing like the practice tests that he posts, so watch out for that. He always likes to have 1-2 test questions where you are like "where the hell did that come from...". Not to mention, his test questions aren't even similar in anyway shape or form to what he teaches in class. Also, when you practice doing normal general chemistry problems, it's easy to get thrown off based on how much biochemistry is on his tests. Julin teaches this class like a 300-400 advanced chemistry class and wastes half of class deriving complex equations. There really isn't any point coming to class because you will not learn anything useful. Honestly, there isn't really any way to study for this class, since his tests aren't anything like practice tests, the book, or his lecture slides. I reccomend taking CHEM271 with another professor. Just to let you know how much I hate this man, I signed up for BCHM461 next semester originally with some other guy, however the minute that it got changed to Julin, I switched out in a heartbeat.

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/26/2014

Definitely not the worst lecturer ever, but he's certainly not far from it. I've had much worse professors here at UMD. Going to class is literally the biggest waste ever because Julin focuses more on the theoretical side rather than the important concepts. As a result, I feel that I've barely learned anything meaningful. In addition his tests also focus on the theoretical side rather than doing chemistry problems. WARNING: DO NOT get fooled by Julin's practice exams that he posts. He posts one thing, but the exam is literally 10 times harder than what he posts. His exams are also not fair in terms of length, as it is nearly impossible to finish his exams. The questions are also worded so wierdly that you will literally have no idea what the question is asking, when in fact it was actually a pretty easy question. In addition, nearly every question has a biochem example using biological molecules instead of normal chemistry molecules which throws everyone off. He tries to be helpful by offering review sessions, but they are absolutely useless. To sum up, as I said before, he isn't the worst lecturer ever as there are far worse, but I'd probably say he's the worst all-around professor when you take into account his teaching, tests, grading, and most importantly, how unfair of a teacher he is. Also, the general consensus is that he's great for biochem, but horrible for gen chem.

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Expecting a C
Anonymous
05/24/2014

Where to start... Well first of all, let me say that I can't think of a single professor at UMD where I've said this before, but there is absolutely nothing that I like about this man, whether it is his scowl on his face, his teaching style, the way he treats his students, his exams, his grading policy. I can't seem to find one positive thing about him. I seriously think that all the reviewers below were on cocaine when they wrote their reviews. Beyond the fact the he is the most unengaging lecturer ever, Julin's teaching and tests are not even closely related to the textbook, so you need to pay extremely close attention in class. His grading is so unfair that you must have exactly what is on the key to get credit even if you answered the question in a correct manner. If you go to him for a regrade and try to explain your point, he's so adamant and stuck up about his grading policy that he will not give you points. The worst part about this guy is the complex derivations that he does in class, and tries to incorporate calculus. Then when he makes a mistake he spends like 10 minutes trying to figure out what he did wrong. Julin tends to focus on random theoretical bullshit instead of explaining to students how to solve chemistry problems. In addition, on exams he includes so many BIOCHEMISTRY examples in a GENERAL CHEMISTRY class. Also, a word of advice. Many students come into this class cocky because they think that gen chem II is easier than orgo II; it's not. In fact, I now understand why they make you take gen chem II after orgo II. Honestly, the material in this class is not hard, but Julin makes this class 10 times harder than what it needs to be. I'm warning you, Don't take Julin. If I had known the truth about him earlier and not paid attention to the useless reviews below, I would have purposely pushed off gen chem to another semester, even if it means being behind in the chemistry sequence.

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/23/2014

Honestly, I just made an OURUMD account so I could warn all other future students not to take Julin. He is probably the worst professor I've ever had. Supposedly he's great for Biochem, but he's literally THE WORST professor for general chemistry. I had Dr. Dixon for Orgo II and was spoiled, because when I came to Julin, I noticed that he is exactly the opposite (minus the hard tests). This man seriously cannot teach and he will make you fall asleep with his monotone voice. In addition to being a shitty teacher, Julin's tests are the most unfair thing ever. He tests you on the little minute things that are not important and doesn't test you on the major concepts in each unit. That's why you need to make sure that you know literally every little detail on every slide. Also, when you think of Chemistry, you are used to doing lots of algebraic calculations, not in this class. I'd say about 75% of the test questions are conceptual based rather than problem based. Not to mention, that when it comes to regrades, he is extremely stingy with regards to awarding back points. Even if you accurately explain your point and if it makes sense. Being Pre-med, besides the fact that GPA is important, I don't believe that I have learned anything meaningful with Julin, and I don't feel more prepared for the MCAT then I was before I took his class. I never thought I'd say this, but I can't think of a class that I've had before where I felt it was hard to scrape by with a B. Whatever you do, don't do it to yourself.

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/22/2014

If you learn by doing practice problems THIS TEACHER IS NOT FOR YOU!!!! He is actually against giving practice problems for his test. Or hw or just any practice in general. You can try and study from the book and other teachers tests but they offer little help. The only way he says to study is to "rewrite your notes" which is very hard because he doesn't do any practice problems during class either. He teaches theory in a very complex way (this guy LOVES do derivatives for things you don't actually need to know) and then expects you to be able to apply it in a very complex way on the test. Because of the lack of practice problems I feel like I didn't fully learn anything. I am taking the MCAT this summer and GenCHEM is by far my worst section because I didn't get the proper back ground knowledge from this class. IF you actually care about knowing the material for the MCAT or any other test you are going to have to learn it completely on your own. His class doesn't prepare you. I have heard he is good for BioCHEM, but he is NOT a general chemistry teacher. IF you care about learning the material DONT DO IT.

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/18/2014

Ok, so I heard that he was a very good Biochem professor, which might be true, but I can tell you that he is literally the worst gen chem professor ever. Not only is he a very poor lecturer, but he is extremely boring to listen to and his lectures are way too theoretical (he likes to focus more on proofs and concepts rather than teaching how to solve problems). That being said, the main reason I gave Julin 1 star is because he is the most unfair test writer ever. His tests focus on abstract theoretical concepts that were barely covered in class rather than solving chemistry problems. You really have to know your stuff inside and out to succeed on his tests. And whatever you do, make sure that you study EVERYTHING on the slides because the things that you thing he is least likely to test you on, he does. Bottom line: Stay away from Julin at all costs. If he is the only professor teaching for the semester, I reccomend pushing it off to another semester just to avoid taking Julin.

Douglas Julin
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/16/2014

Julin is one of the most bland professors you can ask for. During the lectures, he frequently went over the theory behind some of the material and ALWAYS derived equation after equation. This may be helpful, but he asks for none of this on an exam. One lecture he spent the entire class deriving a single equation. Also, he messes up in lecture a lot and makes plenty of mistakes. After a lecture, you can bet that there will be a follow-up email of him attempting to reconcile his emails. His exams are absolute insanity. The first exam he expected us to finish 12 pages in just 50 minutes. Needless to say, almost nobody finished. Questions are always poorly phrased and there is absolutely no way to properly study for anything he writes. Julin is far from the best chem271 professor, but hell this course isn't even about chemistry. At this point, it's more physics/thermo/kinetics.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/23/2013

I feel like I was truly blessed to have Kahn as a professor after having so many horrible science professors at umd. I heard a lot of bad comments about him but his class was my absolute favorite and i despise chemistry. He focuses on learning concepts which is difficult for some people to do. If you have a question he can figure out a way to explain it in a way that makes sense to you. He truly cares about his students and the education that he provides them. I thought I was going to get a B or C and ended up with an A just by following his guidelines. Don't be scared of his class. Just go to lectures, do the homework, review old exams, and have a good attitude about it and you'll be really happy that you took his class.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
01/09/2013

I was intimidated at first after hearing all the review about Dr.Kahn, but in the end was the most enjoyable chemistry class I have taken. Don't be scared to take it with him just because you've heard bad things. He is helpful, goes slowly, and is very willing to review concepts. He held long reviews before the tests and would answer any question, even those that would appear on the test. Definitely review old exams and ask reccuring questions during the reviews-he will show you exactly how he wants you to answer them and it really helps on the exam. I got a 90 on one of the tests just by reviewing old exams and lecture slides (rarely attending lecture)!

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
erika_14
12/24/2012

The good: -Her TA Mara is amazing and so helpful -She posts practice exams and formula sheets which are helpful before exams -No conceptss - just problems The bad: -Always makes mistakes.. -Is a bad lecturer -Semi bad at explaining -Can get angry easily Don't waste your money on a textbook, you won't need it. Or just buy the $1 old edition

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
12/18/2012

Let me just start off by saying...this class is tough!!! So much unnecessary work for a 2 credit class! The material doesn't need to be difficult but Dr. Kahn finds a way to make this class a living hell. He is very interested in biochemical applications which he mixes in with general chemistry. The material is very boring (thermodynamics, kinetics, electrochemistry, acid-base titrations, etc)but it is definitely helpful for the MCAT or DAT. Course Structure: 2 midterms (100 pts each) 2 quizzes (20 pts each) Online HW (60 pts, unlimited tries) Final Exam (200 pts) I got a 340/500 and ended up with a solid B! The exam averages tend to be in the mid 60s. The overall class average was around a 65 percent. Dr. Kahn is a humorous professor and he is very knowledgeable and even holds exam review sessions. But he makes the class so hard that he eventually pisses you off. Overall, Kahn is cool but the class is tough! Enjoy...

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/17/2012

Since the +/- system is implemented this semseter, I unfortunately ended up with a B-. That being sad, I am really upset about the new law, but at the same time, I just wanted to say a couple of things about Kahn. He is smart. Enough said. Of course, this guy is a biochemist. Not everyone can even attempt biochemistry as a major. He applys biochemistry concepts into his lectures, which I found quite interesting, but extremely difficult. This class is suppose to be easy, but Kahn makes it so so difficult. I really wanted to drop the class. His quizzes are not easy in addition to his tests. I had to take this man because he was the only one teaching it this semseter. I suggest that you all make the right decision. Since his tests were on theories and concepts, I had a hard time figuring out what he wanted us to know. I recorded his lectures and listened to them religiously. I think that if you want to pull your hair out for a 2 credit chemistry course, that's suppose to be easy, take this man. You will learn, but you will hate yourself for taking it with him. I don't recommend this man to anyone. You might fail actually. But if you are smart and value perfectionism, take him. You will love this man.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
08/16/2012

Exams are fair and proportional to the material taught in class. She has an open door policy with office hours and is extremely helpful. Like any chemistry course at UMD, expect to keep with the course and study! If you have a choice between her and Kahn, take Mignery.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
08/16/2012

Avoid this man as if he were the plague!

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/22/2012

Dr. Mignerey is a pretty good professor. I found the material very interesting and you can tell she is really enthusiastic about what she does. She was pretty accessible and if you asked her intelligent questions she would answer you clearly. Her exams are kind of challenging. Averages for 2/3 of them were low and because of that there was a decent curve. The final was pretty hard so make sure you come prepared. The exams really do test how prepared you are and if you are not, your grade will pay. Final is 40% of your grade so make sure you take it seriously. You have to go to lecture because she has in-class quizzes that are an easy way to get points. The TA, Mara, is phenomenal. She is very helpful in discussions.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/14/2012

Some things to know about Kahn: 1. He is incredibly smart. He is also incredibly nice if you are a sincere student. 2. He doesn't teach material superficially. He expects you to understand the material deeply. If you are going to get points on his test, answer the questions thoroughly. The numerical problems on his tests are easy. It's the concepts that make or break you grade. 3. Kahn actually goes pretty slow, so there's no way you should be lagging behind. 4. GO TO EVERY CLASS! and review his powerpoints... because only and exactly what he says in class will be on the test. If you understand what he's saying in class, you don't even need to study much for the final. It is easy to get an A if you know specifically the ideas he has talked about in class, which may not always be captured by the powerpoints. 5. Review old exams. He has been known to pull a couple of questions off them. 6. DO NOT miss the online homework. They are the easiest points in the world. Overall, an excellent teacher with a few idiosyncracies, but his class was very, very rewarding... People who usually give him low ratings typically either don't go to class, or don't pay attention because if you are doing those two things, there's no way you will get anything lower than a B.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/12/2012

All i know is after dropping chem with kahn this class is a breeze!! Seriously her exams are almost identical to the practice exams she puts up!!! Going to class is a must because there are "quizzes" which are 1 pt daily problems on notecards that you can work on with others.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/12/2012

Do yourself a favor and take someone else!!!! The dropout rate for my class was so high... i wish i would have dropped

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/07/2012

Kahn is a funny dude. Like everyone else said, he teaches a lot of biochem. Its kind of annoying, but it isnt too bad. The tests arent bad. Theres 2 of them and theyre impossible to understand whats going on. He gives A LOT of partial credit on them. He's funny and tells random stories, which keeps you engaged. He doesnt use the book like at all. Just beat the averages on the exams.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a D
Anonymous
03/19/2012

TERRIBLE PROFESSOR. monotonous lectures, unfriendly attitude, unhelpful office hours, hard tests, barely any other grades beside the tests. If you do poorly on one test getting an A is pretty much impossible. Wants all his test averages to be low. literally said "If people are getting 80's or 90's on my tests I'm doing something wrong." He doesn't care if you learn anything, only about the bottom line of his grade distribution. Take anyone else you can.

Sangbok Lee
CHEM271

psychologynerd
12/26/2011

-not a good lecturer; not engaging at all- thinks students knows exactly what he's talking about, but they don't entirely -lectures off slides -exams are tricky

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/22/2011

Dr. Kahn is a nice guy and very chill. Although I think that he is too smart and what comes naturally to him might not be so for his students. As a result, his exams are very difficult and rely heavily on a conceptual understanding of the material. Workload for the class is not bad at all. Online homework is very easy and the quizzes are not too bad either. Large curve, but dependent on how well your classmates perform. So naturally, try to beat the average on every exam. Good luck!

Sangbok Lee
CHEM271

Expecting an A
zhangsta
05/25/2011

Not the greatest lecturer since he teaches off his slides, which are taken right out the book. You can easily do well just reading the book and doing the homework problems. At the very least, you should do the homework problems because many of his exam questions are taken straight out of the homework. His exams are entirely multiple choice so there won't be any partial credit on them. The only other source of possible questions on the exams come from problems that he works out in lecture. Unlike the questions taken from the homework, he'll change up the worked problems so you'll have to work backwards or calculate something during the exam.

Sangbok Lee
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/24/2011

Exams got progressively easier and were all multiple choice. He isn't the best lecturer out there and lectures were kind of more supplementary to the textbook and slides. Keep in mind that there isn't truly that much material covered in 271, so self teaching is not all that bad. Overall, he's a nice guy and I've heard better than that other 271 profs out there. The curve this semester was probably around ~7-8%.

Sangbok Lee
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/20/2011

EXTREMELY BORING lectures! He's hard to understand and he doesn't answer questions well and moves either too fast or too slow. I fell asleep in almost every lecture as much as I tried to stay awake. But he does post all of his lecture powerpoints online and the TA goes over a lot of the homework problems in discussion, which is very helpful. His exams are very fair...all multiple choice and tests mainly on problems he went over in lecture in his powerpoints or that were assigned as chapter problems. He had a reasonable curve at the end of the semester too. Overall, pretty easy teacher, just really boring

Sangbok Lee
CHEM271

Expecting a B
Chemguy
05/19/2011

Dr. Lee has been the worst instructor I have had at UMD. Though he seems very knowledgeable about the subject, he is unable to convey that knowledge in any way. He reads his lecture slides verbatim and then posts them online, so attending lecture is frustratingly pointless. Much worse, however, is his use of multiple choice exams and no other assignments. The final was worth 50% of your grade, and there were 40 multiple choice questions. This allowed for no partial credit, which limited his ability to actually assess your understanding of the concepts. Forget to carry a coefficient or make a math error on 4 final problems, and you've already lost 5% of your total grade. Only take Lee if you feel extremely confident in your ability to teach chem to yourself and be a perfectionist on exams.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Anonymous
05/15/2011

He's definitely not the best professor. He tends to rant a lot, goes off on tangents about hypothetical situations, and covers a lot of material that's nowhere to be found in his Powerpoints. That being said, I learned a lot of practical knowledge/application from his class. His lectures are almost solely theory-based. He does very few "examples" or calculations in the class -- these are all assigned for homework. But, his exams test the practical application of the theories that he's been ranting about in class. So, it's to your benefit to go to class, listen, take notes, and really understand the theories. If you're looking to learn how this type of chemistry relates to biology, the body, and life in general, then I highly recommend Dr. Kahn. His class is also very useful when it comes time to take biochemistry, as most of his exam problems are biochemical applications of chemistry concepts. But, if you just want the A and don't care much about the material, another professor might be a better idea because an A is definitely not easy to come by for his class.

Sangbok Lee
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Letsreviewthisguy
05/13/2011

He cannot speak English, but his exams are very fair, if not easy if you study even a little. He is approachable, and have a interesting sense of humor. I personally never went to lecture, and read the book and did well. But if you are type of person who doesn't like to read the book, and hope to retain everything from lecture, this is not the guy you want to take.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
aralchen
04/23/2011

Kahn is the man. Yes, he's hard and he won't take your crap about how you don't like his class. But he actually *teaches.* This was hands down one of the most rewarding classes I took at UMD. Don't pass him up because he's an undeniably kickass prof.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/12/2011

Nice guy, but teaches very differently than most professors. Like others have said, he emphasizes theory and tends to go off on some pretty gnarly tangents that no one understands. You will probably be frustrated with his exams, probably frustrated with him sometimes too, but he grades on a monster curve so just be above the class average. My exam grades were roughly D, B+, D and I still pulled off an A since I was above the average. To do well in this class, I recommend looking at his old exams to understand what he tends to test on. Don't just give the old exams/answers a cursory run through--really look at what concepts he tends to cover and make sure you understand everything completely. Unfortunately, you'll have to study his slides as well. They're pretty long, but there are always test questions from the slides that don't appear anywhere on his old exams. If you go to class, you should be able to narrow down the exact concepts you need to focus on. He often skips through a bunch of the slides and doesn't expect you to know them. So going to lecture does help...just try to print out the slides and cross out whatever he glosses over. Cuts down on your studying immensely. Other assignments: 2 quizzes, online homework. Both very easy with some decent effort--should be free points so don't screw those up.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Phoenix_ourumd
12/22/2010

I personally thought that he was a good professor. Yes, he adds biochemistry to his exams but it only helps you to apply the concepts learned in class to real situations. Yes, there's a lot of text on his ppt slides in lecture, but you're not obligated to copy it all down. Just pay attention to the concepts/equations in bold. 2 Exams (100 pts each), 1 Final Exam (150 pts). 60 points for Smartwork (unlimited tries). 2 quizzes in discussion (20 points each, really easy). Substantial curve (350 points is an A). I personally used the textbook throughout the course but it depends on your learning style.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a B+
Anastasia Samsonova
12/18/2010

He is a really good professor, in my opinion. He warns in the beginning of the semester that because he's a biochemist, the application that he's going to talk about are going to pertain to biology. His lectures are very interesting, because from time to time he goes on a rant about geopolitics and hydrogen economy, etc. and to me, it's very interesting. He's very helpful in his office hours and treats students with respect. He'll clarify himself in lecture if you ask him to and go over material twice for you to get it. Basically, if you ask good questions, you're on his good side. He has a pretty good curve, quizzes are straightforward if you study beforehand. For tests look at previous semesters, they'll help a bunch.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Biology Major
05/27/2010

Dr. Kahn is not the most engaging professor at the university. He is very pretentious, and speaks highly of himself and the professors he had as an graduate and undergraduate. In addition, he likes to dump plethora of information at you that is seemingly inconsequential, but really is what most of his quizzes and tests cover. For example, he spent a total of 20 minutes explaining the Blotzzmann distribution but had a 28 point problem about it on the test. The average on the quiz was a 6/15 because he failed to go over things in class which he put on the quiz, or deemed important. He teaches Gen Chem II as a prep class for biochem. And so you do not learn what is given in the textbook. He goes off on tangents. Alot of his problems are about DNA hybridization. He tests on theory. He speaks to the us as if we follow everything he says. He goes by fast, and assumes that we know the material. The only advantage to him is that he curves alot. When I took it this year, a 70% was an 'A.' But he only curves b/c the averages on the tests were very low. The average on the second exam was 50% flat. The tests averages were low, in part, because his questions are verbose and confusing. For example, we had a huge essay type question on the first exam which was all fill-in-the-blank. And you had to use the information from the essay to answer the next part. So if you did not get the first part, you were screwed for the second part. In conclusion, I would like to summarize his class by using a quote he told us about one of the lectures that he gave us: "it wasn't all it could have been," in short a huge disappointment.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/21/2010

I wouldn't say Kahn has any flaws in his teaching ability. He's a nice guy and he goes over the powerpoints in class and posts everything online. He emphasizes theory, which shows on his exams, but you still have to be able to do the calculations. It seems like a typical Chem 271 class covers acid-base chemistry in depth, electrochemistry, and kinetics. He wants you to know the theory, be able to do basic problems, and then he tells you about applications in Biology. That is the biochemistry part that everyone is complaining about. If you're taking biochemistry later, its probably a good thing to get some intro to it. While he definitely does focus a lot on biochemistry, it's not like his tests aren't fair. They assess what he taught. But, if you think you would do better in a class without any biochemistry, then don't take him. His grade breakdown is purely based on curve, based on the following ratios: 25:30:30:15 A:B:C:D/F 2 exams, 2 quizzes, unlimited tries for online hw (free points)

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting a B
umterp111
05/16/2010

im not sure how anyone could write these positive posts on kahn (especially the ones recommending to take him) maybe he has changed since you have had him. i consider myself a decent student and will probably end up with a B in 271 but believe me that B was earned. kahn is not a good teacher his lectures are boring and monotonous. his tests are extremely difficult and the averages are very low. he does not do any sample calculations in class or his power points and then expects you to figure them out by yourself. he is in the biochem department which you can tell by the way he tested us. he consistently talked about biochem topics and even tested us on a few. i had friends who were taking the other section of 271 with the other teacher (minegery or something like that) and not was that class easier but they didnt even cover some of the material that we were tested on. he even likes to talk about how his quizzes are straight forward and to the point and yet the average on our second quiz was a 6/15. i would recommend taking a different teacher and i know a lot of people who were in my class that would feel the same way.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

hippoterp
05/06/2010

Firstly, he sucks at lecturing. His slides are pointless in that they have SO MUCH information on them and you can't understand what is going on. When he does math on the board he skips steps and it's really hard to follow. Also, he has these random excel spreadsheets that he expects you to understand. More importantly, if you're inclined in general chemistry you will do well on his exams. If you are not inclined toward general chemistry you will only score around or below average no matter how much you study. Literally-- no matter how much you study. I also didn't have the best TA, but if you can have a good TA, you may find that you do better.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/06/2010

When I first signed up for this course, I expected to learn about general chemistry...instead, I found myself in a situation where I was trying to figure out the basic concepts for p-chem and biochem without having the foundation of general chemistry II. If Dr. Kahn was able to convey the concepts in a clear and effective manner, I'm sure I would have still enjoyed the class. Unfortunately he merely read from his powerpoints (which were full of text and very confusing). He expected us to do derivations on exams when he did not even teach them in class. He also expected us to perform calculations that he never went over in class (He never goes over calculations in class). Overall, his teaching style was not at all effective...the worst chemistry teacher I have ever had. Although I currently have an A in this class, I will finish this semester feeling unsatisfied because I did not learn what I needed to from this course.

Alice Mignerey
CHEM271

Expecting an A+
aznnick91
05/04/2010

GREAT Professor! One of the few in the Chemistry department who WANT you to succeed and do well. She is always open for office hours, and her powerpoints-style of lecturing is amazing. If you miss a class it's fine, but better even that she highlights the MAIN concepts, and gives straight examples, so you know what the test will be like (exactly like the study guides). Compared to Dr. Khan, whose averages hover around 50%, and he does concepts, Mignerey teaches by example, and if you attend every class, do the homework, and study hard the night before, and can memorize a few equations and use your brain to manipulate them on an easy 80 point exam, then TAKE Dr. Mignerey!

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
Anonymous
06/20/2009

If you read his powerpoints and really understand the material, you'll get an A, easily. He basically just lectures straight from his powerpoints, so going to lecture isn't neccessary. And I don't reccomend using the book too much, if you waste your time taking notes from that, and use the powerpoints as a seccondary studying resource, you'll probably do poorly on the exams. His class involved a lot of biochem, so using the gen chem 2 book isn't really helpful. The work load is really light, and involves 2 quizzes and 2 problem sets.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Anonymous
06/05/2009

If you have the chance to take a professor other than Kahn for CHEM271, DO IT!!! I do not recommend that anyone take Kahn for Chem271. Kahn is a very smart guy but he does not know how to teach this course very well. It is very biochemically inclined. Although he curves and tells you an expected curve in the beginning of the class, he does not stick to that curve. Please do yourself a favor and do not believe the grade distribution shown for kahn on this site. It's not true. He gives two exams, one final (its extremely challenging), two quizzes, two problem sets. Discussions are kind of helpful especially for the problem sets and confusing material presented in lecture. He posts the lecture slides on blackboard but i recommend going to lecture (even if it is boring) just so you know what he focuses on for exams and quizzes. By the way, he is in love in Nash's book on elements of statistical thermodynamics (he mentions it constantly in class along with TANSTAAFL). So if you like that book too, then this class might just suit you.

Jason Kahn
CHEM271

Expecting an A
azn12icefarme12
05/19/2009

So I heard CHEM271 was completely calculation based... this class was the complete opposite with Kahn. There were calculations, such as titrations and calculating E, but a lot of it was theoretical AND there was a HUGE links to biochem. He had mentioned that he'd "throw in a biochem flavor" into the course but it was absurd. Workload is extremely light. 2 problem sets (which the TA practically tells you the answer if you go to discussion), 2 midterms, 2 quizzes, and 1 final. The only suggestion I have for studying is to read his powerpoints a lot and understand the theory behind it. If you want straight up calculations, take the other professor. I heard she (Migner-- I don't know how to spell her name) was easy.

Michael Montague-Smith
CHEM271

Expecting an A-
cninferno
12/26/2008

Dr. M-S is a really cool, funny, and an easily approachable professor. His lectures were very clear and he always writes everything he says up on the overhead projector so it should be very easy to copy notes in his class. However, he does say some important stuff (what will be on the next exam or on the final, what you HAVE to know, and any other side information) that he does not write on the overhead. I highly recommend him for ANY chemistry course, whether it may be General Chemistry I (CHEM131), Organic Chemistry I or II (CHEM231, CHEM241), General Chemistry II (CHEM271), or Biochemistry I (BCHM461). You will not regret it.

Reviews for CHEM271