CHEM 2321

I took this course online during COVID so keep that in mind when reading this review. I didn't interact with Professor Chruma at all, so I don't know what kind of professor/lecturer he is, but he appears like a nice guy. Orgo I lab was so difficult and stressful, but Chruma made a lot of changes for Orgo II lab which made it much more doable. I don't know how it'll be for in-person classes, but for us, we had to watch a ~20 minute lecture video of him every 2 weeks and then take a 5-question prelab quiz based on it (super easy). I didn't read a single word from the textbook and still did well in the class (I got an A). The labs this semester were way more straightforward and easier to do compared to last semester. There were some prelab questions, in-lab questions based on the experiment and then some postlab/conceptual questions after the lab. We were given 1-2 weeks to complete and submit the labs which were usually around 6-7 page word documents. I recommend not leaving them to do for the last minute and posting your questions on piazza or asking your TAs during OHs. The experiments themselves weren't really that interesting, but he did a good job of making the videos more clear this semester. I recommend studying the basic calculation questions (percent yield, etc) for the final exam and definitely looking over his lecture slides he uses for the prelab quizzes as well. They never asked specific questions from the actual experiments themselves on the final, so don't worry about that. We had to do beyond labs worksheet since we were online, but I don't think you'll have to deal with that when you're in-person. There were 5 experiments in total. Good luck :)

#tCFspring2022

I took this course because I'm pre-med and not a chemistry major nor minor. Overall I liked this class. The amount of work is fair for a 1-credit class, and the material was, for the most part, relevant to material learned in lecture and interesting. There were 5 experiments for the whole semester. Each consisted of a pre-lab assignment (pretty short, worth 10 points), a pre-lab quiz (very short, frequently just a lab-safety/lab-procedure knowledge check), the experiment in the laboratory, and a post-lab (longer, includes data analysis, conceptual questions, and a 1-2 paragraph experimental writing).

You only go into the lab every other week. Experiments generally took less time than the full 3 hours, and we often left early. On weeks where you don't go into the lab, the post-labs were due via Collab by your lab time.

I didn't interact much with Professor Chruma; simply watched his pre-recorded lecture videos before lab each week. Your grade is largely dependent on your TA.

My advice, don't procrastinate on the post-lab too much; give yourself enough time to go to your TA or Professor Chruma with questions since sometimes the conceptual questions can be a little bit tricky.

As with Orgo I lab, your experience in Orgo II lab will 100% depend on your TA. For my TA, she was a very nice person but it was her first time teaching an orgo lab so she was learning right along with us. She also would take points off of the assignments for very minor things that my friends' TAs would've not cared about. My friend's TA gave everyone a 100% on every prelab, postlab, lab notebook, and TA evaluation, but that was not the case for me. The actual labs are pretty fun, with good vibes if they're playing music. The prelab videos were much shorter this semester, as were the prelabs. The postlabs were more intense this year and are worth 50% of your grade, so do your best on those. There is also an in-person, closed-note final exam like Orgo I lab, so be prepared for that. Fortunately, it was very similar to the practice exam. As long as you are prepared for each lab and take your time on the assignments, you should be just fine. #tCFS24