CHEM 2411

CHEM 2411 is never going to be a breeze, but with Professor Burnett, it's not bad at all. He's a nice person, and his grade distribution is very generous. I'm not sure what the curve on this class was, but it was definitely more than what I deserved. An A is very realistic if your lab report and exam grades are above the class average. As in every lab class, however, your grade is very dependent on your TA, especially since the TAs grade the lab reports that are worth 50% of your grade. It's a good idea to foster a good relationship with your TA and to go to their office hours to figure out their lab report grading style.

As for the actual lab time, it usually ran 2-3 hours--rarely the whole four hours. There was a short lab quiz at the start of each class, so studying the material ahead of time was essential. We were allowed to work with partners, and sometimes in groups of 4. The labs were actually quite useful for learning fundamental chemistry techniques, and there seemed to be a focus on the bigger picture rather than memorizing small details (a positive). The exam was tough but very doable.

If you have to take this class, definitely take it with Burnett if you can!

Proffessor Burnett is somewhat of a god among men for undergrads at UVA, well liked and known for a very generous grade distribution. This certainly holds true for this course, however, the structure of it was frustrating nonetheless. The difficulty of this lab is entirely dependent upon your TA. Some TAs were super easy graders and rarely gave bellow a 4 out of 5 on lab reports, others would hand out 2.5s like candy. As someone who had to suffer through a TA who graded harshly this class made my semester hell, and required an insane amount of time and effort on lab reports to succeed. Despite these grievances this class isn't as hellacious as Hunt's and very manageable if you have a good TA, or even a bad one. Good luck!

I've realized that not many people review lab courses because typically students don't have the chance to pick their professor or their TA.

With that said, there are a few things I'd like to say about the structure of the class, writing lab reports, etc.

Structure of the class: CHEM 2411 consists of a weekly lecture, lab, and recitation. During the lecture, Burnett just introduces the content of the lab and reviews the procedure. He doesn't take attendance, and the powerpoint is posted on Collab, but he only speaks for 30 minutes. Some material can be included in the lab report.

The lab begins with a 10 minute quiz worth 10 points. The quiz may be on the procedure or on the lab book. They're written by the TA's and are usually 2-3 free response questions. 3 credit classes don't get to work in groups, but 1 credit classes get partners. Everyone gets their own cabinet and corresponding key with glassware/instruments, so if you break anything you pay for it. Percentage error does not count towards your grade. If you get a good TA (typically a graduate student), they won't look over your shoulder and make you sweat. They'll just let you do your thing. Undergraduate TA's are a different story. They can be condescending, and students don't learn as much from them as they do from graduate students.

Recitation is critical for lab reports. Some people do well without going, but people who do go are 80% more likely to do better because recitation covers what TA's are looking for and explains in more depth than the lecture precisely what happened in the experiment. I suggest recording the lecture.

Grading: Burnett claims that he curves the classes depending on the difficulty of the TA's so that it's fair, but TA's can also affect how people do on the final, which is a huge factor of your grade. Undergraduate TA's don't teach as well as graduate students, but graduate students (not all but I can think of 2) can grade harder. There's also a small factor of ranking. The TA's rank students. The lab notebook is also graded.

Lab Report: Every TA is picky in what they want. My TA wanted specifics, so my lab reports ended up being 7 pages long even though there's supposed to be a 3-page limit (single-spaced). Know what your TA wants by going to their office hours, but know that often times TA's don't answer questions directly. Instead, they'll say maybe and then ask you a question to direct you to the answer (which is fine because it makes you think), but undergraduate TA's might blow off the question by just saying "that's possible," and end of story. Also, TA's stress that the lab report is YOURS, so they're not going to tell you specifically put this or that in it. They'll just say that's probably important or up to you.

My recommendation: try to get a graduate TA if at all possible. This lab does reinforce topics in organic chemistry and does force students to learn their mechanisms, but you won't learn from a crappy TA, and you need/want to learn to do well on the final.

The Final: Forget the lab book and focus on the powerpoints and worksheets. Also keep your mind open and expect the unexpected. Know alternative routes and what if's of the experiments.

Honestly not a bad class... Just make sure you follow your TA's guidelines for writing the lab reports and you'll be good. Exam was a little tricky though but still manageable. I got a 70 on the exam but still got an A in the class.

Pretty straight-forward class. I think it's twice the amount of work that Hunt's class has to do since there are two labs per week but I don't think it's more difficult. If you go to Mike's recitations and your TA's office hours, then you should be good. It's also helpful to record during recitation because almost all the lab report theory comes from there. It took about 6-8 hours to write up a report, so it's not horrible.

Everyone said to take chem2411 with Burnett in the summer, and you would get a better grade. This may be slightly true, but this class was still unfair. Your grade depended on your TA; if he/she was a hard grader, too bad. No curving was done to even out sections. I know someone who got the best score on the final exam, and still got a B. If you are worried that you will FAIL Hunts class, take this. If not, take it during the year and be happy with the B he gives you, and enjoy your summer. This class is a summer ruiner, and although slightly less of a pain than taking it during the year, it is graded even more arbitrarily and unfairly