CHEM 3410

It really is such a shame when a genuinely nice professor is teaching a class that is so miserable. Look, P-Chem is hard. Quantum mechanics is hard. I'm not denying either. But if you are going to present difficult material, students deserve to be taught in a way that actually makes them comprehend the material.
Substance of the class: 3 lectures per week (recorded!) with one "optional" weekly discussion. Discussion is almost mandatory because you will get major hints on how to study and work for the exams. Your grade is based on two exams (15% each), six problem sets (30% total), a final exam (35%), and participation (5%, this part was never actually explained). The exams are really not terrible - they don't require much calculation - but you have to be able to understand the material. Problem sets are nearly impossible without going to office hours. There was one question which required a Taylor expansion - a concept which was never explained, never hinted at, never covered in class, and something the vast majority of the class hadn't done in years. Which brings me neatly to
The content and instructor: Quantum mechanics is an entirely different way of looking at the world. It requires a totally different thought process, and totally different math. Except the math that is actually required to do quantum mechanics is, for some reason, NOT A PREREQUISITE. Harrison does not care; he plows through and requires it anyway. Lectures are mainly him rambling away about random topics in quantum mechanics that "he thinks are cool" with the entire class looking at him like he has two heads. Equations are not explained, new notation is thrown in at random, and disgusting derivations are done at lightning pace with new math every six seconds. This class ought to require ODE and LinAlg as prereqs at a minimum, and to not do so is downright cruel and unfair to the people trying to learn.
Harrison is really nice, though - very understanding, and if you take the time to get to know him and go to his office hours, very charming, helpful and a genuinely nice man. But he doesn't seem to comprehend that the intuition and knowledge that he's built up over thirty years can't be taught immediately - and the class suffers as a result.
Do your best, buckle down, and go to office hours - you probably will do better than you think. The grade distributions are not that bad - nobody failed last year! But don't expect to understand a single thing you learn.

Harrison is a very nice person, but not very helpful as a lecturer. His slides are helpful but he doesn't ever explain the equations, variables used, or basic concepts. If you're confused by something he randomly brings up, it'll show up about three chapters later in the textbook. With that being said, read the textbook (Mcquarrie) to get help on basic principles and what said variables/equations mean, but it can also get pretty dense at times so I'd recommend skimming. Honestly, TMP Chem was my professor for most of the semester, up until the spectroscopy stuff. Go to the grad TA office hours for help on problem sets. Exams average around a 70 after he curves but you should be able to do well on the problem sets (in the 90s). Remember, this class is just a class and it will be over soon. Good luck!
#tCFF23

This course is essentially a physics course. If you have a physics and math background, this class is not hard (especially if you've taken modern physics). If you don't have a physics and math background, you might have a harder time. In my experience, physics and math courses require a different way of thinking, and the way to learn these subjects is by doing practice problems. The good news about this class is that Prof Harrison curves generously (added 25 points to one of our exams!), so don't be discouraged if your exam grades are low. We had biweekly homework assignments.

The semester started ok, but if you didn't read in depth about the material covered in class, you were not going to understand a single thing that he says. I am not one to do readings before class and it got to a point that I would go to class (to tell myself I'm doing a good thing) and not pay attention and do other work. This was fine, but made homework and exams much more difficult. Homework was long, but you usually got 2 weeks to do them and if you checked them you could get pretty good grades. I will say, the one things that probably saved my grade were the TAs. They'll help you a lot with the homework and help you figure out what to study (especially the undergrad TAs). The exams were rough, and this semester they were in class (so only 50 minutes). The first exam average was a 67 (after a 5 point curve I believe) and the second exam average was a 68 (after a 25 point curve), but the there is also a HUGE curve at the end of the class. #tCFfall22

This was a great class. If you pay attention in class, especially to what he is spending his time on such as figures and concepts, then you will do well. There are 5 problem sets that if you follow along in the book and ask questions during office hours when needed, you will also do well on. I learned a ton in this class.