CHEM 1411

Chem lab is really annoying. You have to take it and my rating is aimed more toward the class with the TAs. Each lab is composed of about 25 students with one TA. Choose wisely on your TA because they can make or break your grade. Some TAs are very easy while others can make it very difficult. You have to learn to code in chem lab with mathematica. At first mathematica may seem VERY difficult and tedious. I hate mathematica. You have a ton of work per week that should make the class more than one credit. SIS says there is about 3.5 hours of lab per week. Sometimes you may only use 1.5 hrs or you could go the full 3.5 hours. It just depends. The lab itself is pretty doable but it is just a lot of homework and dealing with TAs. In class you have to plan out your lab with very little detail so that always takes awhile. Make sure to keep on top of your lab group and get a good TA. Those two things make or break your grade.

Chem lab is run almost entirely by teaching assistants, so you need to be careful that you get a good one - a bad TA will make the class much more difficult. I also recommend requesting to have your lab group positioned in the front of the room near the TA, as it makes it a lot easier to hear instructions, which helps immensely, especially because some of the TAs talk very quietly. In this class, you only have labs every other week - off weeks are a workshop class in which you plan for the next week's lab and sometimes do group presentations. The labs themselves are fairly fun, as they involve a lot of self-direction, but the postlabs (in Mathematica) can be a hassle, and written components can take a very long time to prepare adequately. For written, non-Mathematica postlabs, the TAs often grade much more harshly than is reasonable for a 1-credit class mostly taken by first-years. Additionally, FIND OUT WHICH ONE IS GRADING YOUR PAPERS - the TAs all went to different undergraduate universities, and as such, their standards for lab reports will differ accordingly. It's best to attend office hours for the one you know will be grading your lab reports, as what they tell you in office hours will more closely align with their grading standards. Group in-class presentations for workshop usually require two to three hours outside of class to prepare, but those are easier than the postlabs and are much lower-stress if you plan ahead of time who in your group will do what.

TL;DR: some TAs are all right, but the quality of the TA will greatly affect your ability to do well in (and enjoy) this class, and that can be a rather risky gamble. This class is a deceptive (and arguably unreasonable) amount of work for a 1-credit class.

Chem lab isn't the best course. The labs aren't too boring, but the pre labs and post labs aren't the best to help understanding of the subject. To be honest, your grade completely depends on your TA. Not much you can do about that. Honestly, there's not much to say for this course, since it is pretty much required for any engineer, pre med, or science major. It isn't too hard, but it will be a pain sometimes.

The thing about Chem Lab that makes everyone hate it so much is that it's so vague and confusing and nobody tells you if you're doing anything right or wrong - directions are pretty unclear and its a lot of figuring stuff out as you're doing the lab. Most TAs aren't too helpful because the class is structured in a way where they can't really give that much help anyway, so I'd recommend really getting good communication going within your lab group. The actual assignments aren't usually that bad but they are tedious and take up a lot of time so get them done early and give yourself time to check it over with a friend. You only do a total of 4 experiments which weren't that great but hey this is a prereq for a lot of other science classes so just do the best you can and you'll get out alive.

Chem lab was not that hard because you basically do the lab as a group. The pre-lab just takes a lot of time if you don't have any background in coding and stuff. What you get in the class basically depends on your TA, so I advice to go see them during office hours for help or just to talk to them so they know you. Also the quizzes are worded so awkwardly and it was confusing, but as long as you have a good understanding of the lab and concepts of the lab, you'll be fine.

I enjoyed lab although I wish it wasn't just one credit because it often had way more work than many of my other classes. Although you can't really pick you TA, I had Leah Dignan and she was great. I really enjoyed the class and enjoyed learning about the concepts, however, quizes were very difficult and I would definitely recommend studying basic chem stuff, not necessarily mentioned in class. Leah was a good TA and she graded hard, in preparation for future chem classes. I enjoyed writing the papers and they didn't feel too stressful when they were spread out over a time frame. Good class.

Morkowchuk truly cares about you! Coming from a student who got an A, try your hardest on all of the pre-labs/ other Mathematica assignments. Don't worry too much if you have a particularly strict T.A. because at the end they work some magic and the grades are definitely evened out across all of the T.A.s. That being said, if you feel like your T.A. graded you unfairly, speak up!! Morkowchuk is always happy to help.

For a 1 credit lab, this course is a considerable amount of work and the grading is often strict. The prelabs in Mathematica can be annoying but they get better as the semester goes on but the postlab writeups usually take a decent amount of time to complete. If you can I would recommend going to your TA's office hours so you know exactly what they are looking for. Also, the lab quizzes can be tricky but overall, aren't too bad.

Obviously, for the most part if you're taking this course it is because you have to for a requirement, so this review is somewhat obsolete, but I figured I'd be helpful and give advice/what to expect. For the first few sessions, this seems really badly organized and in need of clearer directions and better instruction, but if you feel this way, don't panic, it does get better. Initially, you have little to go on for what to include/not include in post labs, which are the largest portion of your grade. My strategy was to follow every piece of TA feedback to the letter in following post labs, and to read the sample reports you are given on collab to assist. Overall, the course was decent, and labs were generally easy to understand, plan, and execute, the hard parts mostly surrounded the post labs and write-ups, with the rest being relatively easy. Just focus on feedback and it is a very survivable course.

Overall, this is just a class you have to suffer through. It's disorganized at the beginning with little instruction (though this does depend on your TA). Weekly assignments like plans and pre-labs are small and annoying but relatively easy as long as you put in the work. The worst part is the post-labs for just being tedious. Cannot emphasize this enough but GO TO OFFICE HOURS. Some TA's are notorious for never responding to emails and besides, it's always easier to talk in person. Best to go to your TA whose grading your papers, but if you can't, go to others, just keep in mind that a lot of stuff is graded per individual TA opinion so there will be discrepancies. I struggled the most with the quizzes - that was where I lost all my points. If you have Morkowchuk for lecture, you have a leg-up because she goes over lab-related concepts in class, but if you don't (like me), you're screwed. I studied a lot and did all the readings but still, average quiz grade was like a 12/20.