CHEM 3721

Only take this class if you really enjoy research (or it's required). You learn a ton in this class, both practical skills and how/why everything works, and Venton is really good at making you think. However, the T.A.s make it difficult, grading is all over the place, with very little feedback. This class is hard on your GPA and each report (due every week for the first 7 weeks) takes a while, but most of that is very guided (e.g. Graph this. What does it mean?).

The final project depends entirely on your group. I had an ok group and had a lot of fun with the final project, but the final paper (7,000 words) is individual and really depends on the final data you collect. Grading on this is fair, but it's definitely not a grade booster.

This course is complete shit. Grading was subjective as hell and it seemed like the TA's or Professor Venton couldn't seem to explain why they were taking off points on assignments. Take this course if you would like to be bored out of your mind every Monday for 2 hours and deal with clueless graduate students for 4 hours every Thursday. I would recommend trying to get into a lab and doing a semester of research over taking this course if you are trying to fulfill the Chemistry Major requirements.

If you haven't done research in Chemistry like me, this course will be a requirement. However, I recommend taking it even if you haven't. You actually do learn a lot of practical chemistry and get familiarized with a lot of important but untaught instruments in this course. I say that with a bit of warning, as it is time consuming being a 4 hour chemistry lab course, but getting experience with the instruments will be really helpful in getting a job or trying to get in an upper level research lab.