Jeffery Davis

This professor has taught: CHEM231, CHEM237, CHEM241, CHEM247, CHEM441, CHEM447, CHEM498N, CHEM611, CHEM640, CHEM641, CHEM647, CHEM648F, CHEM648K, CHEM648N, CHEM650, CHEM889C, CHEM889D, CHEM889G
Information Review
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
04/12/2023
He is the sweetest professor ever. I had Tue/Thurs 8 AMs with him. 8 AMs. And he made it bearable and entertaining. Take Davis!!!!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/29/2022
Amazing professor. Stocker, Koppel, Friedman and the other dude straight up need to take a page out of his book. From the very first day of class I could tell he really cared about his students and wanted us to pass..no other chem professor gave off this vibe. He even thoroughly explains practice exams. The lowest exam grade is dropped and theres an extra credit opportunity. The extra credit at the beginning of the semester saved me. The content is not easy, but Professor Davis is an angel and it's a shame he doesn't teach every semester. However, grades are only based on exams. Literally if you take anyone else for orgo 2 you're stupid.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
IfCourseEvalsWereHones
12/19/2022
Just leaving another 5-star here... nothing much more I can add to the other reviews. Best professor I have ever had hands down. Super thoughtful, understanding, and caring. Dr. Jeffery Davis must be protected at all costs.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/18/2022
Dr. Davis makes orgo 2 enjoyable. The exams are the only thing that contributes to your grade, but he gives you plenty of resources to study from and he makes lectures entertaining. Study the practice exams in advance of the midterms and you will be fine. He drops one midterm, but his 3rd midterm in particular tends to be more difficult than the others. He explains concepts very well in office hours, and he isn't condescending towards students. Overall best orgo professor there is.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2022
Davis is one of the kindest and caring professors. If you put effort into this class, you will get an A. His lectures are fun and he puts breaks in. His curve is also great, which is that if you get 80 or above, it’s a guaranteed A or A-, and he drops the lowest exam score. His tests are very fair and he prepares you for an A in the class. Study the notes in and out and PRACTICE. He’s an amazing professor— would definitely recommend him over any of the other ones.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/16/2022
Davis is an amazing professor, especially for the chem department lol. He's so chill, kind, and caring. One thing I love about his classes is that he gives 5 minute breaks. He also gives a lot of real life examples that make orgo so much more interesting. He gives 4 exams including the final and even allows you to drop the final (since its not cumulative) if your grade is good enough. I took Freidman for orgo 1 and he would rush everything so much if we were not on track. With Davis, he never rushes anything and is really organized. There's no homework or anything so you have to study to do well on the exams.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/08/2021
Most flexible orgo professor. Extremely kind and understanding. Although there are ONLY 4 exams that contribute to your grades, no hw or anything he really ensures that you do well. He award a lot of partial credit and bonuses. One exam gets dropped. He’s very well organized and cares about his students.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Anonymous
12/02/2021
Davis is the first teacher I met that actually cared if you understood the material and did not rush the material. If we were behind in the topics in the syllabus he didn't rush he wanted to make sure we understood it. He also dropped one exam and curved so if you had an 80 or higher you had a guaranteed A.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/01/2021
Honestly, despite my grade, Davis is a great professor. It is not his fault that I did not understand the concepts. Lots of resources are provided to do well, and the only reason I even passed is because of his more-than-generous curve on the class. If you understand orgo, he is great. The only thing I can complain about is the fact that there are no homeworks or assignments, so your grade is purely exam based which is what hurt my grade so badly. He is passionate and an extremely nice guy, so take him if you can!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM231

Anonymous
05/19/2019
He's a really great professor and makes lecture fun by telling stories and throwing chalk at the walls like the other reviews mentioned. The class had 4 midterms and a final but we got to drop one which was nice.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM231

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/10/2019
One of the most passionate professors. He truly wants students to learn and enjoy organic. There's a reason he fills up first!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM237

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
12/18/2015
I took this class last semester and I struggled a lot with organic chem and obviously didn't do that well, but Jeff Davis - or as my friend and I called him, JD - was an awesome teacher. He definitely made the class better and he was very fun and even had silly demos where he pretended to be a molecule laying on the table and showed how a molecule could be held in place by adding certain things in the solution. Even though this was for majors, he kept the majority of the material the same. I felt only at a disadvantage because we didn't stress pKa and naming all that much like the other classes. Our tests were very similar to past tests that he posted on ELMS for us to do for practice. Not many surprises. We had a flat ~15% curve and lab was a large portion of our grade. That actually helped me since I did poorly in lecture.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM247

Anonymous
05/24/2015
Dr. Davis is a great professor. He is certainly one of the most animated and passionate instructors I've ever had. He would run around, throw chalk at the wall, and talk really loudly while teaching. Also, he is excellent at explaining difficult concepts and reaction mechanisms, something that other Orgo professors struggle with. We got through chapters 1-13 (but skipped most of 8), so we were responsible for A LOT of information on the final. That said, I feel really well prepared for Orgo 2. The one downside is that his lectures tend to be disordered. If you require highly structured lectures to learn the information (like I do), then this might be a problem. After the first couple of weeks, I learned how to use the textbook to organize all of the material in my mind. All in all, I'd recommend taking Dr. Davis! Also, Taylor is a great T.A.!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM237

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/18/2015
Dr. Davis was a really interesting lecturer and his exams were extremely fair. Textbook problems and practice exams are helpful.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
12/09/2012
hard course (duh its orgo II) but prof davis was a great professor. exam averages got higher over the course of the semester, first was low 60s, 2nd was high 60s and 3rd was 77. lecture is long but he has small breaks throughout it. discussions were VERY helpful (my ta was Kim). look at old tests and practice mechanisms and concepts over and over again.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/24/2011
great professor. He is a lot easier that any of the other ones. I took dixon for orgo 1 and when i took davis for II, i felt so smart and it seemed as he went really slowly in comparison. But he is a great lecturer and answers any and all questions. The average for the first test was i think a 65, then second was 72 then third was 79. The exams got easier and you started to understand what he also wanted. He is a really easy and good lecturer. We went a bit slow. But I highly recommend him if you can for any class.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
arorasub
12/20/2011
Davis is an excellent teacher. He tends to not cover many topics, but this works in your favor because the amount of material is bearable. I would say I didn't try amazingly hard in the course, which is why I ended up getting about 86% in the course(which is an A since 80 is the A cutoff). This is a course where getting above a 90% without a curve is very possible. Anyway, to do well in his course here are your tips: 1. Review the notes he gives in class. Many questions on the exam are easy multiple choice questions which you won't ever focus on if you don't go to class and take notes 2. Do every single GSS worksheet. Many questions are pulled straight off those. 3. Think about resonance structures for pKa and stability problems. 4. Look at old exams. 5. GO TO CLASS! His lectures will definitely pique your interests. Overall, he is swell guy, but don't get on his wrong side.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/17/2011
Davis is amazing! He obviously loves teaching and cares about the class. I only went to office hours once, but in that one time it helped me figure out how to think of exam problems so much better. He does reuse problems, or gives very similar problems. In 4 exams, there was only one straight synthesis problem. The rest were roadmaps. He loves to test you on the reasoning behind why things are the way they are in orgo, to test your understanding. Not a lot of memorizing, more understanding based as a class. Go over old exams that he posts and previous exams from the semester to study. He also gives you breaks in the 75 min lectures which is really nice. Overall, if you have the option you should take him.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/11/2011
Davis is a good teacher. Obviously orgo2 is going to be a hard class, but he does his best to make it interesting. 3 exams, and the final. 80 is an A, 70 is a B, and etc. You can use the book if you don't get whats going on in class.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Anonymous
09/16/2011
Davis is a great, engaging teacher. His lectures are all you really need (thank goodness) so the textbook is really supplementary at best. Just take really good notes and learn them, and you'll be set. Davis has fair exams, no curve balls, and gives out A's via a cut off (I forget how many points is the minimum). Overall definitely the best prof you can get for Orgo II. And if ever you're confused, ask! He is very open about taking questions and having students participate. I actually enjoyed the class and the content, which I never imagined I'd say about Orgo.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
zhangsta
05/26/2011
He was a very engaging professor who was very enthusiastic about teaching which made orgo a little more bearable for me. His lectures were taken out of the book for the most part, but he explained the concepts well enough that you prob don't even need the book. His exams were very fair and tended to place more emphasis on understanding material rather than memorizing reactions. Do the recommended problems and you should have no problems on any of the exams.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/22/2010
Davis is awesome! I got the feeling that he really cares about his students and he loves answering questions. His teaching style is great and engaging. His exams have a lot of borrowed answers from previous exams and are doable. Going to class is super important because sometimes minor things show up on exams. I didn't use the book too much, but I thought it helped for the sections I did use it in. I honestly didn't think I could get an A in this class, but a lot of us improved drastically for the third test and final.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
crazystudent
12/20/2010
Absolutely excellent teacher!!!! He explains things in such detail. He did go a little slow and we didn't get to a lot of chapters in the syllabus but that's in your favor! He's extremely personable and easy to approach. Just a great guy! The way I got an A in his course: I never missed lecture, I recorded his lectures and wrote down everything he explained. His exams are straight from lecture. I never once touched the book although that may not work for everyone. My notes were detailed enough because I recorded his lecures but if you don't record then you may need to use the book. I got a B in Dr. Dixon's orgo1 and was able to pull off an A in orgo2 with Dr. Davis. I high recommend him!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/14/2010
He went a bit slow (we didn't even get to 5 of the chapters on the syllabus) but I found that this was very helpful in understanding the material, though I know it went too slow for people who understand Organic Chem well, and can learn it quickly. He makes the class interesting (as interesting as Orgo can be) by using real-life examples! Also, you will do VERY well on his exams if you study the problems he does in class AND in past exams (both previous exams during the semester and from past semesters). He always reuses exam questions, and half the final was questions we had seen before. Best bet to get a good grade! He also tests more on concept than memorizing reactions, which is really nice!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM237

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/27/2010
He was a great guy! I have really enjoyed his class. Orgo is really easy, if you attend all of the lectures, and do the practice problems, and tests that he gives you. If you have any question, he is really approachable, and explains really well. I really recommend him if you want to enjoy Orgo.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM237

Expecting an A
sillyputty184
04/19/2010
Best professor ever. Great guy in general and very approachable. Animated, loves what he does and actually cares. Supplies you with sample exams and study problems (not collected but a load of help)Will take one question from the most previous exam and put it on the next exam. Usually the question everyone gets wrong on, say, exam one will appear on exam two. Fair guy. Had a great time; and it was orgo!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
02/07/2010
Very sweet professor. Approachable and fair. Take good notes during class and do the assigned problems/ reviews. Do any practice exams available. A very effective teacher, I could not have learned so much about ochem from anyone else.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a C
littleflower5
03/26/2009
Dr. Davis is the most animated science teacher I have every had. He really makes an effort to make organic chemistry as easy as anyone can. He is a little hard to follow in lecture because he doesn't write on the boards in a very organized fashion, and most of the important points to take away from the lecture are only verbal and no notes are provided. Remember to do all the readings and problems even though they are not for a grade! They make loads of difference!
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
rbterp
03/08/2009
I thought Dr. Davis was a great professor. I agree with previous reviews - definitely review class notes and previous notes b/c I didn't do so well on the first exam after doing tons of book problems. Dr. Davis wants you to learn reasons behind reactions, and doesn't emphasize nomenclature or cover some of the reactions in the book (which is good during the class, but you'll have to learn that stuff eventually if you plan on taking the MCAT). Dr. Davis is also very approachable if you ever go to office hours.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
vdawg
12/31/2007
A really, really good teacher. He goes out of his way to clear up any doubts and really cares that you understand the material. Almost all his exam questions are from old exams posted online. The key to doing well is reviewing the lecture notes. For the first exam I studied all the sections in the book, did all the book problems, memorized all 20 mechanisms, and got a 56. For the next 2 exams I did the book readings, but concentrated a lot more on reviewing lecture notes and problems from old exams and got As.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/29/2007
Curves the class at the beginning with 80 and up is A, 70 and up is B, etc. Very nice, always willing to answer questions during lecture. His exams are not too hard but they are not very indicative of his lectures. He loves resonance, pka, explaining why a product is faster or more stable on exams. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HIS OLD EXAMS. he repeats a lot of his questions from old exams. Also, he'll put q's from exam I on exam II and so on.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Anonymous
12/27/2007
Dr. Davis is a really good professor because he doesn't strictly stick to the syllabus- he goes at his own pace. On our syllabus we were supposed to get through 9 chapters over the semester and we only got through 6. At the beginning of each class he puts up the assigned readings and homework problems for the next lecture on the board in addition to what he plans to cover in lecture that day; I found that doing the readings beforehand really makes what he teaches in lecture easier to understand. He had a built-in curve from the beginning as 80% and above is an A so he doesn't curve individual exams. It is possible to get an A. I bombed the first exam and then got Bs on the other 2 exams and the final and I got an A. The way I improved on the rest of teh exams after the first one was going over LECTURE NOTES and his old exams. He recycles questions from his old exams from previous years as well as the exams he gives that year. And some of the problems come DIRECTLY from lecture notes. He's very approachable and a really good professor because his main concern is how his students tackle the course and learn. He's not concerned about completing x amount of material in the semester.
Jeffery Davis
CHEM241

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/17/2007
He's a really nice guy. Very willing to listen and answer any questions you might have. It took a while to get used to his teaching style. He focuses on understanding reactions, mechanisms, etc. as opposed to just remembering reactants/products which can make his tests extra painful. He curves pretty well, I had a 66.8% by the end of the semester and it curved up to a B (I was ecstatic). There is automatically a 10% curve built into the class (80%=A, 70%=B, etc.) so that helps alot. All in all, good class, but unfortunately our TA was terrible so it kind of brought the class down.