CHEM 2410

I took this class fall 2024. Organic chemistry is known to be one of the most challenging courses at UVA, and that is very true. This course covers a lot of content and reading the textbook is essential to understanding what is happening in lectures. He typically covers one chapter per week. Chruma has one homework assignment due every week on Friday nights. The homework assignments were not too challenging if you are caught up with reading. They usually take about an hour. The group assignments during expo/discussion were very difficult. Even with TA help and help from Chruma most of our group scores were around 25/40 points. Unlike general chemistry, the TAs and professor do not tell you if you have a wrong answer or are going in the wrong direction. This doesn't make sense because the assignments are supposed to help us learn and practice the content. The exams were very challenging. There are five in total (4 midterms and 1 final). There is no multiple choice, all the questions are free response and require you to draw out detailed chemical processes. The first two midterms were not bad, but the last two midterms got increasingly harder to pass. I highly suggest taking Chruma's final exam. It is cumulative and easier to get points on some of the earlier chapter topics. He drops the lowest exam score (including the final), your lowest group assignment, and the lowest homework grade. There is no curve and he does not round up unless you are within 0.05% points away from the next highest grade.

I took Professor Chruma's class in the Fall 2024 semester and got an A. He remembers almost everyone's name even if you have only been to his office hours less than five times during the semester. Generous extra credit and the exams are not hard at all. He does handwriting notes every class and provides lecture recordings. Exams account for 50% (4 midterms and 1 optional final), homework (one assignment per week, usually takes 1-3 hours) accounts for 18%, and group work during discussion makes up 32% (easy to get a 95%+ with the help of TAs and smart teammates). There were review sessions before each exam, which were super helpful.