CHEM 1810

This class is HARD. I took this class first semester of first year because I loved AP chem, and I really regret it. Do not take this class if you don't really push yourself and put in the time and effort to deeply understand all of the concepts. That being said, the curves for the exams are very generous. There were 3 exams, each worth 25% of your grade, and "problem sets" that added up to 25% of your grade. The problems sets were an easy 100 for completing them. You can do pretty bad on all of the exams and still pass, but this class will drop your GPA if it doesn't click with you.

Harman genuinely cares about his students succeeding. I was up for the challenge in this class, due to my affinity for chemistry. However, be aware, this class's exams are HARD. They challenge you to use your general knowledge from class and apply it to specific situations. I ended up finishing the class with a B, but I'm not too bitter because it could have been a lot worse. Harman acknowledges that the exams are difficult, allowing test corrections to regain 50% of the points you missed. The amount of work you need to do outside of the classroom doesn't take that much time, and it's an easy A to 25% of your grade.

Heads up, this is a COVID specific review. Harman is such an amazing professor and person, I highly recommend attending office hours at least once just to get to know him. You grade is comprised of three exams, each 25%, and three problem sets that make up the last 25%. There's no real homework other than videos and readings that help you understand the content learned in lecture, but aren't graded or specifically on exams. The exams are based entirely on lectures, all of which were recorded, which was a godsend. Re-watching lectures before tests helped a lot. Highly recommend getting your answers checked on the problem sets because it guarantees you an easy 100 in that category. The first two exams you'll be able to do corrections on and get up to half of the points you missed back, which is really generous, but the questions are hard so that's why. Just know that around half of the class ends up with an A, so don't feel too bad after you get your first test grade back! Good luck!!
#tCF2020

Harman is amazing!! Fantastic lecturer and really great at explaining concepts. He genuinely cares about his students succeeding and offers test corrections. However, the class is crazy hard. Only take if you genuinely are interested in chemistry. As a point of reference, I came into this class having gotten a 5 on AP Chem with near perfect grades, and I STILL had to work my ass off to get a good grade. But if you are considering chemistry or pre-health, consider this course!!

Let me preface this review with, "I was not prepared for this class". I don't know who let me take it, but I definitely did not have the prerequisites to get a good grade in this class. I definitely recommend coming in with an AP-level knowledge of chemistry and not just general high school chem. That being said, even though I was struggling throughout this semester with this class, I absolutely enjoyed it. Harman lays out the material very simply and gives you a lot of extra material that is not required to look at but is super helpful if you don't get the concepts.

You don't have any homework within this class other than three group problem sets that correspond with the test for that section of the material. That being said, practicing the concepts and reviewing your notes outside of class will really help you with exams.

Harman is a wonderful teacher and will make time to help you understand the concepts. I wasn't able to make his office hours this semester as I had a class during that period, but he found time to meet with my at least three times to make sure I understood what I could of the class. I wish I had a better grasp of chemistry so I could enjoy what I learned more, but Harman made it as pleasant an experience as he could.

Also, the exams are difficult, I will say that. That being said, you have a chance to get half points back and there is a curve. You should do fine if you have a good amount of knowledge of chemistry coming into the class and you study.

i genuinely loved this class so much; this is why i want to be a chem major. waking up for the 8 am classes was a bit rough, but i was always so interested in lecture that i had no problems paying attention. i didn't do any work outside of discussions and studying for exams (didn't watch thinkwell videos or review unless there was an exam coming up), and i think i have an A right now even without the curve (final might change that though). i actually enjoyed taking the final-- the questions on problem sets and exams were pretty funny sometimes. i've never been this conceptually challenged by a class, but the way everything came together and made sense in the bigger picture multiple times during this course made it all worth it. i honestly don't even care what my final grade ends up being, as i feel like the experience was very much worth it over 1410 regardless. also, i had a lot easier of a time than my friends in 1410 (less work, fewer assignments, less frequent and shorter exams), so i'd recommend this class to anyone who feels like they have a good chemistry background from high school.

Professor Harman is truly a great professor. He is extremely knowledgeable and always willing to help. I have only good things to say about this course and highly recommend it to anyone coming in as a first year with some high school chem experience. It's less work than chem 1410 (at least according to my friends who took 1410) and the curriculum develops in a way that makes the material really approachable, and at least in my experience led to a really good conceptual understanding of chem. There isn't really any homework (problem sets are done during the discussion section), so the only time you spend on this class outside of lecture is watching thinkwell videos (basically an online textbook), which he stops assigning about halfway through the semester, and studying for tests. Speaking of tests, he accepts corrections for all of them, giving a nice bump to grades.

One thing to remember is that if you take this course you are in the 800 series for chem, which means that you will begin taking orgo (CHEM 1820) your second semester, although you can switch out of the 800 series to the 400s if you want. Between lab and lecture this is 6 credits 2nd semester dedicated to chem, which took me by surprise when I was signing up for classes so I thought I would mention it here.

HARMAN is the GOAT. He is an amazing an engaging lecturer. Chem 1810 is 100% worth the investment if you love chemistry. It really is a gen chem-orgo hybrid, and I honestly didn’t realize when we started doing organic chem which made exam 2 much harder. You get half credit back on exams and problem sets are basically completion, so the grade really takes care of itself. The class is not easy, but if you took AP Chem and felt like you had a good handle of it, the first exam is super easy and requires very little studying as it’s mostly review. If you didn’t take some form of AP Chem, I have no idea how you would take this class as the gen chem is extremely fast paced and taught thru a lot of review videos. HARMAN releases 2 past exams to use for studying which I found really helpful in knowing what type of questions will be asked on exams. I found the lab to be more stressful than the lecture. There isn’t really homework or assignments outside of 3 problem sets, so you have to make sure you are staying on top of the material or you’ll be stressed on exam week. Overall, if you love chemistry and want a challenge, take this class!

Dr. Harman is a fantastic lecturer and person, and he prioritizes your understanding of the subject more than your performance on the tests!! The people in this class are genuinely passionate about Chemistry, and we became a really tight-knit group towards the end! I had IB credit coming in and having that background was extremely helpful as Harman does not go super in-depth into the general chem aspects (though his Thinkwell videos are always there to refresh your memory).

The three exams were 25% each and the remaining 25% were the three problem sets that are graded on completion. You also get half points back for doing corrections on the exams, so don't stress about your grade as long as you performed around average. The final exam was absolutely brutal compared to the first two exams, so make sure you start reviewing early! There is no formal homework, so it is on you to keep up with the content. Highly recommend reviewing the recorded lectures from 2020 starting a week before the exam (and a study group)!

GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS! He makes sure that you understand everything that may not have clicked during the lecture! With everything that happened this semester, the harder content towards the end was definitely rushed and while I wish that was not the case, Harman was extremely generous with the final curve! I would recommend this class to anyone considering to major in Chem/Biochem! #tCFfall22

Professor Harman is a fantastic professor. He's open, he'll answer any question you have. His enthusiasm and sincerity is palpable in every word.

Before this course, I had never even taken high school chemistry course in it's entirety. I absolutely got my a** handed to me in this course. Due to generous curvature, I was able to end the course with a B+. For context, I would consistently score 10% lower than the class average on exams. I remember seeing my first exam grade, a '60'. My stomach felt convoluted in a way I had never experienced before.

anyway, MOST IMPORTANT
Harman always says have fun with it. Be enlivened and may you embark on a wonderful immersion in chemistry!