CHEM 1610

This class is definitely a weed-out. The material isn't horribly difficult, but you definitely need to know your stuff to do well. I would highly recommend reading the textbook and keeping up with your ALEKS topics. Prof Metcalf really doesn't care about his intro classes, so the lectures don't teach you what you need to know, but still go. This is definitely one of the classes where doing the little things (answering clicker questions, meeting ALEKS mileposts) will help your final grade.

So I took this class before Metcalf started using ALEKS, but it was still just as bad. I've talked to people who used ALEKS and they learned more than I did from Metcalf's lectures. Definitely read the textbook, answer clicker questions, and keep a binder of all of your solved ALEKS problems, because basically everything you need to know will be taught through ALEKS

Lecture in this class was unengaging. This was due in part to the large class size, but Metcalf had a curious ability to lull me to sleep that has so far gone unparalleled. The content itself was not too hard, read the textbook when necessary.

All the reviews are basically the same... so here are FAQs and Common Myths...
-I heard Leung wrote the tests, so his class was better: MYTH. At most, Leung's average is only 1 question higher than Metcalf. (Which is 4% because the tests are multiple choice... but still insignificant considering it's 1 question) Leung does write the tests, but the state of being in his class will not give you an advantage. In fact, starting this year, Metcalf started writing some questions as well.... and honestly, I think Metcalf is a better professor. Leung cares about his students and explains concepts well, but Metcalf is a better lecturer. Chemistry is a difficult class though!!.... because of this, it's also difficult to teach. Keep that in mind.
-I heard the tests were full of trick questions: half and half. Some of the questions can be very tricky, but the tests are somewhat fair (and difficult). He gives you a practice test beforehand and at least a fourth of the test is identical. (some numbers and words may change) Someone told me to treat every question like a tricky question.... dont. I actually scored worse with that mindset.
-I heard it's hard to understand Leung with his accent: Sometimes. But honestly, if you pay attention, you won't have a problem.
-If I didn't take AP Chem, I'm going to fail!: MYTH. This is an Intro-Chem class. You're not expected to know AP Chem. If you put the time into ALEKS ahead of time and you seek for help on difficult concepts, you will do fine. I actually performed better than most of my peers who took AP Chem. (fyi: i'm not a genius. I just went to office hours and tried my best)
-Is there a curve? NO. I don't know why EVERYONE says this. THERE IS NO CURVE. You do get 1% extra credit if you turn in all of your ALEKS assignments on time (homework). Your lowest test only counts for 5% of your grade while the others are worth 15%. (basically a drop) You also get a generous grading scale: 90% = A and 87% = A- .....etc.
-How much time should I expect to burn from this class?: This class does kill a lot of time. I spent about 1-4 hours on ALEKS (average of 2), about 2 hours a week studying with an upperclassman who knew his shit, and around 2 hours studying with my peers. Overall, about 5-8 hours a week.
-How should I form study groups?: Make sure you're not the smartest person in the group.

This class. Gen Chem. The worst class ever. It's basically a weed-out class. Professor Metcalf is a great guy. He's caring, enthusiastic, and nice...however, he's an awful professor. Sometimes he teaches things that are not pertinent to the class and the tests. Take this class with Leung. Leung may have an accent but he writes the test so you'll have an advantage when it comes to tests and exams. The Aleks do help...use that as your study tool. It's tedious but it's a better learning source than lectures. Make sure you put in a lot of effort...whether you like chemistry or not.

This is by far the worst class I've taken at UVA so far. Metcalf has no idea what he was supposed to be teaching, and taught so many things that were useless and not important for the quizzes. If there weren't clicker questions, I would not have gone to the lectures because I did not learn a single thing in them. Luckily I had taken AP Chem or I would have severely struggled. Take this class with Leung if you can.

This class is the hardest class I've taken in my life. For those of us who didn't take AP Chem, this class was a nightmare, so be prepared to do a lot of work outside of lecture to keep up with the class and stay on top of the material. Make sure you stay on track with the ALEKS online hw, it's pretty helpful and that 1% extra credit really comes in clutch at the end.
As far as Metcalf vs Leung goes, Metcalf is a decent lecturer (probably slightly better than Leung in that regard). That being said, they are both terrible and I recommend you go with Leung purely because his class tends to do better on the tests, and that's all that really matters for this class. He generally emphasizes a lot of topics in lecture that end up being on the test, while Metcalf kind of does his own thing and his grades are slightly lower. The tests are all trick questions and are extremely difficult, so study every topic very throughly well ahead of the test (going over the practice tests is not enough preparation at all). Read the textbook, do the practice problems, do the practice tests, do ALEKS, and MAYBE you will have a shot at passing. Just don't have high hopes for this class, grind through it like every other engineer or pre-med.

This class was definitely the most unnecessarily difficult class I have ever taken. Professor Metcalf is a really nice guy who knows what he's talking about, but he is not a good teacher, and his PowerPoints/lessons are incredibly confusing. I would have been incredibly lost for the most part, if it weren't for Aleks and my peers. The fact that many struggle with this course despite having taken advanced chemistry courses in the past should be enough of a warning sign. While it's true that you should be fine as long as you keep up with the reading and go to his office hours because he is a helpful, knowledgeable professor, there are far better professors who teach this course as of this semester. Do not choose Metcalf.

Very boring class with very hard tests. Averages were at least 5 percent below the other classes and there was no curve on anything. The homework is very time consuming and I didn't find it very helpful. Take the class with Welch.

Lectures are very difficult to follow. Tests averages are always 5-10 points lower than the other classes. No curve is given for this class. If you have to take this class then take it with someone who is not Metcalf.