General Chem with HORRIBLE prof or don't take at all first year?

[Kurk]

My choices are either take chem 1 with a very crappy professor (rate my prof—and it's not mixed good and bad reviews; they're all terrible) who's known not to give back points on quizzes when it's their mistake, poor conveyor of content, etc or not take it this semester. Their class has like 10 seats open and all the other chem classes are maxed out.

I sound very immature writing this, I know, but why take a chance?

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[HappyPomme]

you dont always get to choose ur profs, so might as well just accept that and learn to do well in a class no matter who the prof is. And who's to say that next year it wont be the same prof for chem 1.... Dont worry about it too much, you can get a study group set up to help you achieve the high grades ur after, and the semester will be over faster than u know it. Good luck!

 

[WolfsBane]

My choices are either take chem 1 with a very crappy professor (rate my prof—and it's not mixed good and bad reviews; they're all terrible) who's known not to give back points on quizzes when it's their mistake, poor conveyor of content, etc or not take it this semester. Their class has like 10 seats open and all the other chem classes are maxed out.

I sound very immature writing this, I know, but why take a chance?

For once you dont sound immature. I think that you should not waste time, but study as hard as possible and make sure that you dont have the issue of needing back points. There will always be bad professors and that is what happened here. I think that since each chem is a prerequisite for the next one its not worth the loss of a semester.


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[deleted836285]

My choices are either take chem 1 with a very crappy professor (rate my prof—and it's not mixed good and bad reviews; they're all terrible) who's known not to give back points on quizzes when it's their mistake, poor conveyor of content, etc or not take it this semester. Their class has like 10 seats open and all the other chem classes are maxed out.

I sound very immature writing this, I know, but why take a chance?

Tell your school you have a scheduling conflict and try to squeeze yourself in a different class!

 

[caffeine jitters]

Does your university have Drop/Add during the first week of classes?

 

[JamesLee89]

I recently took Gen Chem 1 & 2 during the summer with "horrible professors" according to rate my professor.com

Yes, classes are typically hard with these type of professors since they are more likely not a easy class if they are receiving low ratings on ratemyprofessor.com but it made me study harder than ever to fully absorb every theories and concepts. I was one of three students to get A in Gen Chem 1 and one of two students to get A in Gen Chem 2 in my class. I have also gotten LOR from each professor.

In the end, these type of professors wants you to understand the concepts rather than you memorizing for each tests.

Don't let the ratings discourage you from taking the class! Many of them are just trying to find easy way out but doesn't gain very much from the course.

 

[helloboys]

Better get used to it. At my school, most of our professors barely know how to speak English. You need to take it now, or you will be 1 year behind, because this course is a pre requisite to organic chemistry and some biology classes.

 

[Spliced]

Some bad advice given to you here by others. I would take it with a better prof. There's nothing wrong with taking the course 2nd year if that doesn't work.

 

[Kurk]

Alright I'll suck it up only after trying to squeeze into one of the other sections.

 

[caffeine jitters]

Some bad advice given to you here by others. I would take it with a better prof. There's nothing wrong with taking the course 2nd year if that doesn't work.

......aside from the fact that he will be a year behind.....

 

[redhotchiligochu]

The greatest feeling is being able to come out with an A in a class taught by a tough/unreasonable professor. Rather than avoiding tough issues in life, why don't you learn to overcome them?

School may be tough but the real world ain't rainbows and butterflies either!

 

[helloboys]

Some bad advice given to you here by others. I would take it with a better prof. There's nothing wrong with taking the course 2nd year if that doesn't work.

We are giving our opinions. Who are you to decide what is considered bad advice? It is general chemistry, which shouldn't be too difficult. The only reason why the prof probably got bad reviews is because all the "med kids" that will end up not going to med school take it. There are some courses where only one prof teaches it. What will he do if the only prof is bad at teaching? And the most important thing is he will be a year behind, which is the worst thing. So don't go around saying what is bad advice and what is good advice.

 

[WolfsBane]

Some bad advice given to you here by others. I would take it with a better prof. There's nothing wrong with taking the course 2nd year if that doesn't work.

This is our objective opinion. You may be right bit the way to prove you are right is not by putting others down. We are saying from experience that when someone is in a hard class you can just give up or you can perservere and feel amazing. Thats not to say you should not take the other professor if that is possible. There will always be bumps in the road so might as well start dealing with it now.


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[Spliced]

......aside from the fact that he will be a year behind.....

How will he/she be a year behind? if you're not applying this cycle and can come back for a semester then why make life hard for yourself. You have nothing to prove to anyone. It's time to be wise and not "smart." I don't know their exact situation but from the information given it would be wise to play it safe and get an A rather than take the course, hate it, do poorly, then repeat. Of course take advice with a grain of salt as my experience will be different than anyone else's.

 

[Spliced]

We are giving our opinions. Who are you to decide what is considered bad advice? It is general chemistry, which shouldn't be too difficult. The only reason why the prof probably got bad reviews is because all the "med kids" that will end up not going to med school take it. There are some courses where only one prof teaches it. What will he do if the only prof is bad at teaching? And the most important thing is he will be a year behind, which is the worst thing. So don't go around saying what is bad advice and what is good advice.

The general consensus on opinions was to take it. Sure there are courses where only one prof teaches it, but in this case he/she has options and I will give my best advice with the information given and if they are unsure of their ability to perform well with the prof, it would be wise to not waste time and money and take a safer option. I don't see how he will be a year behind, you can always take the courses another year. So yes by telling the person to take a course to "See how it feels like with a difficult prof" is most definitely not wise advice.

 

[Spliced]

This is our objective opinion. You may be right bit the way to prove you are right is not by putting others down. We are saying from experience that when someone is in a hard class you can just give up or you can perservere and feel amazing. Thats not to say you should not take the other professor if that is possible. There will always be bumps in the road so might as well start dealing with it now.


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I understand what you are saying. I'm not putting anyone down. I'm giving the better option in my opinion. I would rather someone get an A with a better prof than take it with a bad one and get a bad mark, thus wasting more time and money to retake the course. Sure they will have to take hard courses sometime but in this case there are options. As i have said earlier, its time to be wise and not smart.

 

[hizi]

go to the office of other professors and ask if they can make an exception with you. Tell them there's a conflict with your schedule or something like that....

good luck!

 

[Spliced]

go to the office of other professors and ask if they can make an exception with you. Tell them there's a conflict with your schedule or something like that....

good luck!

this is good advice as well. people will always drop the course come first week of class, some offices can put you on a waiting list. But i wouldn't take it due to ego.

 

[hizi]

this is good advice as well. people will always drop the course come first week of class, some offices can put you on a waiting list. But i wouldn't take it due to ego.

I know... it will look bad if he gets a bad grade with that professor. I personally wouldn't take the risk. I would wait for the first week for people to drop out or go and talk with other professors (they will always make the exception in my experience). It always worked out for me when I was in college.

 

[Spliced]

I know... it will look bad if he gets a bad grade with that professor. I personally wouldn't take the risk. I would wait for the first week for people to drop out or go and talk with other professors (they will always make the exception in my experience). It always worked out for me when I was in college.

Yea, especially since its a pre-req thus an important course. Many schools want to see at least a B in these. Why risk getting a bad mark? i don't get it.

 

[Kurk]

Guys don't waste your time and energy on this thread. I'll report back later to tell you the outcome. In the meantime, will the BS required liberal arts courses help my application assuming I do well? I'm somewhat considering transferring to a public university to save a good chunk on tuition and avoid the BS classes.

 

[I-hate-alginate]

My choices are either take chem 1 with a very crappy professor (rate my prof—and it's not mixed good and bad reviews; they're all terrible) who's known not to give back points on quizzes when it's their mistake, poor conveyor of content, etc or not take it this semester. Their class has like 10 seats open and all the other chem classes are maxed out.

I sound very immature writing this, I know, but why take a chance?

You don't sound immature at all. First of all, chem 1 is on the DAT, so you want to take it with a good professor who teaches the material properly. If you're paying for classes, why not pay for the quality ones out there. I know some people on here are telling you to take it because it will toughen you up, but you will take many courses in your junior and senior year that will toughen you up, so take it one step at a time.

 

[Life of Pablo]

Lol I'm going to go against what most people are saying. The grade your receive is much more important than "sucking it up" and "trying to do your best". If you don't think you'll do well in this professor's class, don't take it. If you're the type of student that typically does well no matter what, then go ahead and take it. At the end of the day, ADCOMS don't see the reviews on "rate my professor" - they just see the letter grade. GPA is most important so don't let an a-hole professor ruin your grades.

 

[blablabla1]

Just keep in mind that pushing back Chem to next year means having to squish in your prereqs into a shorter amount of time. Not to mention that with the competition getting fiercer, having some experience in the upper level bios is becoming more and more necessary (especially for schools that are making those courses requirements rather than as a recommended course)

So while you may save some grief now, you may be creating an even worse situation for yourself in the future when you join a bunch of extracurriculars, gain leadership positions/research, and generally have more responsibilities

 

[Kurk]

Good arguments from both sides. I managed to get squeezed into a chem class with a different, much better professor (albeit they give pop quizzes).

 

[blablabla1]

Good arguments from both sides. I managed to get squeezed into a chem class with a different, much better professor (albeit they give pop quizzes).

Pop quizzes are the best. They keep you on your toes and constantly up to date on the material so you learn good time management

 

[deleted738762]

Guys don't waste your time and energy on this thread. I'll report back later to tell you the outcome. In the meantime, will the BS required liberal arts courses help my application assuming I do well? I'm somewhat considering transferring to a public university to save a good chunk on tuition and avoid the BS classes.

Yes. A lot of dental schools require a decent amount of english, writing, and literature classes as pre-reqs. Plus most of the time they are relatively easy A's so they indirectly help your application by supplying the occasional boost to your GPA.

 

[asdf1234qad]

Gen chem is similar to high school chem in my experience. Gauge how you comfortable you are with chem and decide on your own. In objective science classes (presumably the grade is >90% based on tests, and lab in some cases), the quality of the professor does not mean squat if you know you're capable of performing on tests and studying on your own if you have to.

Lots of students in college expect the subject to be straight up taught to them, probably because they feel entitled to it after paying tuition. Professors who push students to learn rather than handing out study sheets will have the worst reviews on ratemyprof, but that doesn't actually mean they are bad professors. All information has a source, and ratemyprofessor's source is the average college student... take that how you will.