CHEM 1411

Directions can be a bit vague but if you just ask, then everything falls into place rather easily. Each assignment was graded pass/fail which meant that they were all very fast since you would just have to put forth enough effort for a pass and not an A. A few assignments outside of the lab time, but everything was quick, with a good group you should never spend more than half the allocated time in class.

tCFF23 This lab was very easy although it might depend on who your group is. My group got along and divided the work well. There were a couple of really interesting labs although a lot of them were kind of trivial. It also had a grading style where all the assignments were either mastered or not mastered and to get a specific grade you had to get a certain amount of mastereds in different categories. This made the class even lower stress since your work did not have to be perfect to get a good grade.
The class structure would also alternate every other week of workshop which would only be one hour(groups were assigned either the first or last hour of the 3 hour block) and you would plan for the following week when you would actually conduct the lab which may or may not take the full 3 hours depending on lab and group speed.
Murkowchuk made videos before each lab covering all the material we needed to know. My TAs were also both hopeful and constructive.

This course could be somewhat tedious for just being one credit. Each lab incorporated a variety of assignments. The group you receive for lab will make a difference on how smoothly the labs and the assignments go. Overall, Chem Lab was well organized.

#tCFF23

This is kind of an annoying class, but if you give yourself enough time for the postlabs and other assignments you can get an A. Honestly, this class can depend on which TAs and group partners you get, but nothing you can do about either of those, so...

Just make sure to never miss class for any unexcused reason, because the "specifications grading" used by this class (i.e. you need to pass X amount of assignments to get an A) can make it impossible for your grade to recover from one missed class. Make sure to get very familiar with which assignments you need to pass, or "master", to get the grade you want. Most importantly, read the weekly emails they send out ASAP; it clearly tells you everything you need to do for the week.

There were definitely chemistry concepts that could've been taught better, and the last experiment required us to use software that the TAs were clearly unfamiliar with. Overall, not a great class, but it certainly could've been a lot worse.
#tCFF23

Lab is pretty easy but the work can take a good amount of time. Each week will alternate between either having actual lab, which is a 3 hour block, or workshop, which is a 1 hour block. In lab, you run the actual experiment and write a summary as a group. The summary is usually just a few questions and then some data collection. The lab usually does not take up the whole 3 hours and they let you leave if your lab group finishes early. In workshop your lab group creates a plan of how the next experiment will be run, it is usually a list of materials, safety and disposal, and then procedure. On your own, there is a pre lab and a post lab for every experiment. The pre lab is usually 10 multiple choice which just give you an overview of the upcoming lab. The post lab is all short answer questions about data collection and calculations. Throughout the semester there will be 3 in lab quizzes which are all multiple choice questions and ask about the labs you've done so far. There are also 2 presentations and 2 scientific writings you will have to complete. While it seems like a lot, all the work is pretty reasonable and it is very easy to get help if you need it. Also, all assignments are graded on mastery, meaning that you do not need to get every question right to get credit for an assignment. Each assignment is worth 1 point, and if you hit a certain amount of points on the rubric you get that 1 point. They are very transparent on what they are looking for and it is easy to get mastery if you just do exactly what the rubric asks of you. You also get up to 6 retries if you do not get mastery the first time, but I have found that most people I know did not need to use up all 6 of their retries. I also suggest you get to know your grading TA, mine was my lab TA but I'm not sure if some people's is their workshop TA, so that you are comfortable asking them questions about why or why you did not get mastery on an assignment and you can get feedback on your work. #tCFF23

This course is pretty easy to do well in as long as you do all the work. It is graded on a Mastery scale, meaning you only need to get 80% on an assignment to receive credit for it. But you also have six chances, called "tokens", to redo any assignments you do not master. The assignments themselves are pretty easy, they are just tedious and annoying. It is a lot of work for a 1-credit class, I'd definitely consider this to be more like 2 credits. My best tip is to read ahead on what you will be doing in lab the day before, so you can start formulating a plan ahead of time because the TA doesn't really give you anything during lab -- you are on your own.

This course should be worth more than one credit. It is an excessive amount of work. Luckily everything is graded on a mastery basis, meaning you only need to get about 80% of questions correct on assignments to get an A. Additionally, you can decide wether or not to complete the lab report assignments based on what grade you want in the course. You also have the chance to redo 6 assignments if you don't get the "mastered" grade through the token system. The labs don't seem to correlate with CHEM 1410 material and you have to have a decent understanding of stoichiometry and reactions because they won't teach you how to solve problems. Definitely watch the prelab videos if you don't have a great chemistry background. The quizzes are open notes and also contain a lot of information that Morkowchuk covers in the videos.

Lab sessions alternate each week between a 50 minute planning session and a three hour lab. Come prepared to planning sessions by reading the overview otherwise you won't be able to finish in time to get the TA's signature. My lab group was usually able to finish labs with about an hour to spare.

This course has a ridiculous amount of work for one credit. Avoid taking it at all costs. Dr. Morkowchuk is a fine professor and she makes expectations clear. She communicates well with the class and explains things thoroughly. The work isn't the most difficult, but the amount of work is literally absurd for just one credit.

Intro chem lab is structured well, except your entire experience starts with a few dice roll. With the nature of the course being taught by TAs and students working in assigned groups, you better pray that your TAs are chill and that your groupmates don't suck. Luckily for me, my experience was really great, but it shouldn't be hard anyways to change the trajectory of your grade if you are indeed stuck with horrible TAs/group members.

The lab itself is a lot of work with a prelab, the 3 hour lab itself, a postlab, and several lab reports and presentations. The grading is based on mastery/not yet mastered which I think is great since you're also given a good amount of tokens to exchange for a chance to redo a writing assignment or a quiz.

The assignments and all are really simple and easy, but the real struggle is figuring out the lab procedure within the time. The TAs aren't meant to be directly involved, but mine were able to guide us in the right direction if we were really lost or screwing our self-designed procedure up. Despite being a bit stressful at times, if you can work well your group, the rest of the course is smooth sailing. Just make sure to read ALL the instructions and the course should remind you of high school chemistry lab (for better or for worse). #tCFF23

I found this course somewhat enjoyable but a fair amount of work for a one-credit class. Pay close attention to the grading rubric, as all the grading is mastery-based, and failing one assignment can bump you down a letter grade. The course experience is luck-based, as some TAs are much better than others, and you'll need to get along well with your lab group. I believe that Morkowchuk actually teaches some of the sections, but I only saw her two or three times throughout the semester. The assignments to put extra effort into are the quizzes (three total) and the group projects/presentations, as you will need to pass all of these to receive an A in the class. Additionally, pay attention to the scientific writing assignments, as the rubric on these can be harsh. Failing one quiz, group project, or writing assignment will automatically bump you down. There are retakes for the quizzes, but if you fail a second time or miss the retake period, you're screwed. #tCFF23

So it says that Professor Morkowchuk teaches this course, but in reality all of the labs are run by one or two TAs and you occasionally watch videos explaining what you're going to do for a lab by Professor Morkowchuk. I found chem lab extremely boring. I thought CHEM 1410 was fairly good (for perspective, most people hate it), but the lab was so useless. The experiments we did were simple enough that a middle schooler could do all of them. The experiments didn't have anything to do with the content we were learning in lecture all year. They also didn't teach anything themselves. If you have intro chemistry 1 (CHEM 1410), you have to take this lab, but be warned that it is not going to be fun and it's going to take some time since the lab is a three hour chunk.

This lab was really annoying for several reasons. The concepts weren't necessarily difficult but instructions are very vague and the TA's are rarely helpful. They give you a very brief overview of the topic then give you a document summarizing of the experiment and expect you to conduct it on your own. Just about every group is confused at first then figures it out as they go. Our lab TA barely spoke English and sometimes didn't even know how to help us. It would definitely help if more focus was placed on learning necessary concepts BEFORE doing each experiment and if TA's were more prepared to help. Fortunately you're almost always working in a group and able to get by ok.
#tCFF23

This is definitely a case of hit or miss with your TA. I had Miles and he was awesome. I also had a great group. I think the titration we did was rushed because of time constraints, but Miles was patient. I cannot say the same for Morkowchuk, she was visibly mad. I actually really enjoyed lab - the experiments, my group, TA, etc. I can definitely see how that would go south if you didn't have all those things I mentioned. I think Miles was great when helping out students and making sure they were prepared for lab. The grading was fair, all the way until the final lab report.

The first thing people need to understand is that this lab is run and graded by TAs, not Morkowchuk so don't get mad at her. My TA (Paolo) was clearly uninterested and didn't want to be there, but an easy grader. Overall, the lab can be annoying because you can fail an assignment by just a little bit and how to then use a token to redo. Labs were fun and I did like my group, but this class is kind of one you need to just suck up and get through it because its not horrible, but not amazing either.

I think the main thing that makes or breaks this course is the TAs you get, which unfortunately is pretty random. Your lab group also makes a huge difference. I was fortunate enough to get a really chill lab TA, who helped us out when we were confused while performing experiments. My workshop/grading TA was also chill and helped us out when we didn't know what to do while planning our experiments. If we didn't have this help, the class would've been much more difficult, as you really have to plan each experiment entirely on your own without any background knowledge. In terms of work, it's a lot for a one credit class. You have to write plans, prelabs, lab summaries, postlabs, and two full-blown lab reports. You also usually have three quizzes per semester (my class only had two because of the November 13th shooting). You also have to create two presentations on two experiments that your present to the entire class with your lab group. Even though it was a lot of work, the grading system was really nice because it was mastery-based instead of points-based. As long as you got more than 80% of the questions right on an assignment, you got mastery. There's a table that shows you how many masteries you need on each different type of assignment in order to earn each letter grade. One thing that I would recommend is to try to sign up for an odd section number lab because then you are done a week early, as the even sections have a one-week delayed start due to lack of lab availability. #tCFfall22

Can be easier or harder depending on your TA, but pretty easy on the whole. My TA was fantastic. Getting an A or A+ is extremely easy as long as you show up to lab and workshop and do the assignments. Half the weeks, we had "workshop" instead of lab time because there were so many sections running, which was basically just an hour-long session where we planned our experiment. Experiments are not difficult and I think we were only there for anything close to the full three hours twice. Everything is graded as either Mastered or Not Yet Mastered, so don't spend longer on assignments than you need to. Just fulfill the requirements to the best of your ability. #tCFfall22

I honestly enjoyed this class a lot and yes, it was more work than needed for a 1 credit class, but it wasn't ever too difficult as long as you watched the prelab videos or went to online office hours. I liked the mastery grading scale because it made it pretty easy to get an A+, as long as you did your work. A lot of lab depends on how well you work with your lab group and if your TA grades generously. #tCFfall22

You will hear a lot of horror stories about this course, but as an architecture student who made an A, let me tell you that this course is not as bas as people say. Your TA really makes or breaks this class for you. If you get stuck with a really strict TA who is a harsh grader, then this class will be a lot harder for you. Most of the TAs are reasonable, and the course if based on a rather complex mastery system that helps minimize grading differences between TAs. This course is way more work than an 1 credit class should be, but it is a pretty manageable load with a pre-lab and post-lab due every other week and another smaller assignment due on the weeks in between. The most challenging part of the course was writing plans during workshop weeks. I found that 50 minutes was no where near enough time and my group was often very lost. Reading the overview document and working closely with a TA is a must. One nice thing about the course is the token system. At the beginning of the semester you get 6 tokens that you can use to redo an assignment or turn in an assignment late. This can be a lifesaver if you're struggling with a particular assignment type or concept. Overall, this course is not as bad as people say it is as long as you're willing to put in the work and do not get stuck with a harsh TA.

The labs you do in these classes are basically like high school chemistry labs. They are very boring, and require so much busy work. There are two labs where you literally just have to sit for like 30 minutes waiting for water to boil. It is such a waste of time. The grading system also is so stupid. Its based off of mastery or non mastery which is confusing and so stupid for a college level class. Everyone says intro chem is a weed out course, but this class is easy. The work you do is easy, its just a lot of work.
#tCFspring2022

Far too much work for a 1-credit class, especially if you are coming into the course without any prior chemistry experience. The prelab and postlab assignments are not difficult - the challenge is creating a plan with your group that allows you to obtain data for something there's a good chance nobody in your group understands. Lab on experiment days is a stressful environment. Be sure to review your plan prior and communicate well with your lab group, delegating tasks if necessary to save time. It is also crucial to have a TA who wants their students to succeed. I was very fortunate to have Summer.

The mastery grading system that is implemented certainly has its advantages. Regardless of if you master an assignment, it is important to revise any errors and complete your understanding of experimental design before the quiz. If you complete all your assignments on time and strategically use your tokens, it isn't difficult to get an A+ in this lab without having to do the final postlab.

I got an A+ in this course. It is very easy to do well in this course IF you have a lenient TA. The grading scale is mastered or not yet mastered. You can redo 6 assignments using tokens. You only need around 80% on every assignment to get an A+. There are a few presentations, and two lab reports. The labs themselves are VERY painful because everything is poorly explained. The labs always feel like a game of guess and check, and your lab group makes a big difference. I never met the professor for this class, she introduced herself the first day, but you will likely never see her again. I recommend this course because the grade itself is easy to achieve; however, it is a dreadful class.

The TAs in both the workshop and the actual lab itself were really helpful and knowledgeable in answering questions. My lab TA was Nhu and she was really nice. The labs were pretty easy and rarely took up the whole 3 hours allotted. Specifications grading/grading for mastery was also really nice and took off a lot of pressure (I could get some wrong on a quiz and still get the same grade as if I hadn't gotten any wrong). Prelab and postlab questions weren't that difficult though they could be time-consuming to answer. We had to give a couple of presentations but they weren't hard to do - basically it's the same information you already have from your planning/postlab. I think the experience also depends a lot on your lab group for the semester.

Boring and very easy labs. They use a mastered/not yet mastered grading system (80% or above is mastered) and you get 7 tokens to use to redo assignments or turn them in late. My TA was an easy grader, so I was able to get an A+. But it is a super easy class that is 99% taught by TAs.

This class entirely depends on your TA, so pray you get a good one. The quizzes are by far the hardest thing to get mastery on, but you can always use a token for them (the redos are similar to the original). The post labs and pre labs get really annoying by the end so try and get them done early because otherwise they will take you forever and it’s not fun. Always make sure you talk to your group so nothing gets messed up during your experiment and check your experiment plan with your TA so that you don’t end up doing something totally wrong.

This class is more work than you would expect from a 1 credit course, but it's all easy busy work, so I didn't mind it that much. The weeks alternated as "workshop" weeks and "lab" weeks. On workshop weeks, you only meet for one hour to plan the experiment with your group. On labs, you meet for as long as it takes to complete the lab. Some weeks, we were done in 1.5 hours, other weeks it took the full 3 hours. The experiments are fun and not difficult, and the TA was very helpful. Instead of traditional grades, you either pass or don't pass each assignment, which takes the stress off of always striving to get a certain grade on an assignment. Depending on how many assignments you pass, you are assigned a letter grade at the end of the semester. Don't let this scare you though- it is not hard to get an A.

This class was okay. Professor Morkowchuk was fast at responding and she was very clear with directions and good at explaining things. It’s just a very time consuming class. You have prelabs and postlabs due before workshop, 3 hour lab periods, scientific writings, and presentations. The class isn’t hard but the grading system is weird. You need an 80% or higher on every assignment or quiz in order to master the assignment; anything lower and you get a 0. You get 6 tokens for the semester which you can use to fix what you messed up in assignments if you failed them, but you should plan to use those on the quizzes because you need to get mastery on every single quiz in order to get an A in the class. Make sure to make cheat sheets for those. TAs are kind of slow at grading so always check Gradescope so you know when they release things. You only have a certain amount of time to use a token.

For a 1 credit class, there is a great deal of work. However, the post-labs should never take you too long, nor should the pre-labs. I never found myself overly stressed with this class. We were in the actual lab every other week. However, because of this format, we had to write our own procedures for each lab, which proved to be very difficult, especially if your group is bad.

If your group is bad/lazy/not a good intelligence balance, FIX IT before it's too late. While I received an A in this course, I always left the lab feeling distressed due to the lack of help or knowledge from my group. There was another girl in it who helped a ton, but the boys were useless and literally so rude too.

Anyway, if you work hard and go to office hours you will get an A. My best advice is to make sure you make a conscious effort to do well on the quizzes. They are open note and internet, which is nice. I never studied, but I did organize tabs and old PDFs before the period. Make sure you understand conceptual aspects of each lab to master the quizzes. While you might know how to do the math, sometimes there are curveball questions that don't make sense.

The pre-labs are relatively easy. Check with a friend so you know you got them right, maybe one who is in the section a week before you so theirs is already graded. For summaries and plans, just make sure you answer every single question and have headings. They don't care if the info is correct, they just care that it's there.

For scientific writings, WORK on these more than a night before. You will most likely get a M grade on both if you work hard, but make sure you truly go in depth and have reputable references to fall back on. Overall this class isn't too bad. Work was manageable. My least favorite part was having to be with the obnoxious boys in my lab group and having to do most of the work while they fooled around.

To be perfectly honest, I did not like this lab very much. Firstly, you very occassionaly see the actual professor (there is a different TA per lab section). Although the labs aligned pretty well with the material being taught in the CHEM 1410 lecture, I thought that the labs were pretty boring and vague. For a 1 credit course, the amount of work required (a prelab, postlab, and summary per lab) was a lot of unnessecary/busy work. I was also disappointed with the grading system since it was based on a mastery/failure basis. For example, there were three quizzes for the semester and if you got more than 3 questions wrong (out of 10) on any quiz (or the try-again attempt), the highest score you could get for the course was automatically knocked down two whole letter grades (an A-), which really sucked assuming you did all of the other work for the course.

The work was pretty tedious. You had to submit a pre-lab, post-lab, and a summary/lab plan each week. On top of that, you have to do presentations, scientific writings, and quizzes. Your experience will depend a lot on your TA and your lab group. Most of the times though, you'll have very little instruction on what to do. I left a couple of the experiments barely even knowing what the main objective was. There was also some stuff that you were just expected to understand? Which was confusing. In general, this class was a hit or a miss.

The grading system for this lab is so confusing at first, that they showed us a whole video explaining it. Once you figure it out though it makes sense and is manageable. You will have a lot of work in this class. You are expected to write your own experimental plans with a group, do 2 presentations, write summaries for each experiment, and do pre-labs and post-labs for each experiment. This combined with 1410 ends up being a lot. The TAs were very helpful during this class and in workshop. You go to lab every other week and the weeks in between are workshop weeks where you write your plans for the next week's experiment. You also get tokens to re-do assignments if you don't master them which is nice and helpful. You can do well in this class relatively easy if you work hard and get everything done on time. #tCFfall2021

This class seemed like a lot of work for a one credit class, although it wasn't necessarily hard. I was able to do it no problem without being in the lecture with the help of the with the prelab content and workshops. My TA took weeks to grade the assignments though, which is frustrating if you have to redo an assignment. In the labs itself, it seemed like nobody knew what was going on because directions are so vague. Also, Microsoft Teams, the platform used for all the material, is extremely user unfriendly. Overall, this class is not bad at all, just annoying. #tCFfall2021

Professor isn't present, lab is run by TAs. The course is really straightforward and a lot of it is convincing the TAs you know something as opposed to actually absorbing it. Only pain is gathering the will to do the work for a class that's so basic and teaches you very little outside the main CHEM course.

I took this class during covid, and I am so, so glad that it was made virtual. Although BeyondLabz was annoying to use, it was incredibly easy for writing prelabs, post labs, and summaries. I enjoyed this lab because I had a good group and TAs, but they are not entirely dependent on how well you do. I highly recommend going into office hours and going over all of your assignments, they usually drop some hints that will boost your score. Also, lab quizzes are difficult, I recommend going over all of the procedures and equations you encounter. All of the assignments need to be super detailed, so make sure you put in a lot of effort on the little things, or you'll get points taken off. The prelab assignments don't take super long, but some of the post labs take a while. All in all, put in the time and you'll do great! #tCF2020

Intro class doesn't teach much if you've been through high school chemistry (it does teach something depend on your background). Though the class experience depend on TA and your groupmate - meaning your luck. Hopefully you won't disagree with your groupmate on the procedure and finish the lab late. Postlab is the most dangerous thing in the class, do pay attention to every requirement and put max effort. Don't follow the example entirely because it actually has lots of problems.
Don't take the morning class if you are not a morning person or you will be pissed with a headache.

** ONLINE PERSPECTIVE **
This class is entirely based on your group. My group was solid, everyone worked hard and did well. The time blocked out for this class is 3 hours, but the longest it's ever taken is 2, and the average is about 1.5 hours, so keep that in mind. The chemistry is not hard, and the write-ups and other work are generally pretty easy.
In the online version, the background chemistry is pretty minimal.
Overall the course is a required one for ENGR and is highly dependent on your group.
#tCF2020

It's a hit or miss with your TA. I got a chill TA for my lecture, but a crappy one for my workshop. The better your TA is, the better your grade will be. Overall, the class was unnecessarily hard for a one-credit class. #tCF2020

Since this semester was online, the course experience may not have been typical. The labs were done on an online platform called Beyond Labz, so it took a while to get used to. In my experience, the TAs were not very clear with their instructions and told different sections different things. I would recommend going to your TA's office hours to specifically ask, or you will get points off for random things not related to chemistry, such as formatting. #tCF2020

I never once saw or heard from the professor the whole course, it doesn't really matter who you take it with. The whole class is directed and taught by TAs, who were perfectly nice. However, online lab absolutely sucks. I did not learn a thing, and I know that's not the professor's fault, but this class taken online was a joke. My group took around 20 minutes to do a 50 min lab each time. I hope this class never has to be taken online again.
#tCF2020

This was definitely not a favorite class of mine, but it wasn't horrible. Granted, I took it during COVID so the lab was all online, and honestly they weren't too hard--but I can't say how that translates to in person labs. Also, we never took the full three hour period to complete our work. The schedule alternates so that one week you have a workshop to write your plan for the experiment, which you have an hour to do, and then the following week you have three hours for the experiment. But the online experiments at least were pretty straightforward and sometimes took no longer than an hour/hour and a half. Professor Morkowchuk didn't do a ton on this course, it's mainly led by TAs, but the emails she sent and lecture videos she occasionally posted were always informative and helpful.
Really how much you enjoy this class comes down to your lab group and the TAs. I had a great lab group which made the workshops and experiments more enjoyable, but I didn't have great TAs - they provided help when we needed it but weren't engaged with the class and were a little wonky with grading sometimes. For those of you that this is a required course for, it's not the best class ever by a long shot, but it's not too bad.

This class can be super frustrating if you get a TA that grades really hard. Make sure to stay on top the the work early in the week so that you have time to attend office hours. Also, I would recommend taking it later in the week because you will have the ability to go to office hours the day prior to anythings due date (not possible on Mondays because office hours either are limited or do not occur on the weekends.

This is a pretty easy lab course and the material isn't too difficult to master. The quizzes are a bit difficult but ended up being alright. Mathematica is a bit annoying to work with but after you learn how to use it is becomes okay as well. Overall, lab wasn't bad at all and it is manageable although the workload is a bit much for a 1 credit class.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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.