CHEM 1420

I took this class to fill a prereq for a major (I'm not premed) and all in all it wasn't too painful. I didn't do the best on the second quiz or the weeklies, but I ended up with a B+ in the class, which I was happy with. To do well, you need to stay on top of your stuff, but that's just like any other class. In short - work. Listen to Professor Leung and go to office hours if you're confused. It's a class that a lot of people have to take, but it's doable and you can do well (even get an A!) if you put in the time -- but actually put in the time.

Leung is rude and completely uncalled for. He degrades students and other professors at the University. He blames the students for getting low scores on his exams, even though he doesn't do an adequate job of teaching the concepts. He is always arrogant about what he knows and how little you know as a student. If you want to be degraded and told how much of a failure you are this is the course for you. DO NOT TAKE LEUNG. Take your money elsewhere until UVA gets ahold of Leung's antics.

Leung is extremely smart but he doesn't teach the concepts very well. He really likes to teach something and then give a clicker question just to prove that what he just taught doesn't always apply. His quizzes are ridiculously hard and the discussion commonly doesn't relate to the weekly.

If you took AP chem in high school or an equivalent level chemistry class, you will probably do decently. Aleks is a lot more difficult second semester because it goes into topics beyond just general high school chemistry. For 1410, I really liked Leung and respected him as a professor. However, second semester for 1420 he became completely apathetic. He shows up 5-15 minutes late every class, and then blames his student for poor grades. I think he has something going on in his personal life because there was a drastic change of work ethic as a professor that just didn't seem normal to me. You should really keep up with aleks and go to office hours throughout the semester if you have questions. Try to do really well on the first quiz, the second quiz is always the worst. Also, take EVERY extra credit opportunity you can get, even if the work to get it doesn't seem worth it. You will need the points! For me it was finishing aleks early and getting badges on a site called peerwise, so whatever it is for you just do it!

Personally, I really liked this class: Leung is a great lecturer and challenges us to think about the material and not just memorize facts or use math (hoping that it will lead to the correct answer). Leung will blow your mind with some of the math tricks he knows and his ability to do mental calculations. Second semester of intro chem is not that bad, just pay attention in lecture, do the reading, do ALEKS, and go to office hours before the quizzes (or if you're confused about any material he goes over) and you will be fine. If you do all of that you can end with at least a B. His quizzes are definitely challenging, but this is a weed-out class, so it's to be expected.

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Leung really tries to help you out and wants you to succeed. The weeklys, ALEKS, and peerwise really help your grade and you can get extra credit if you do the homework on time. Read the book and go over the practice exams, he tends to make them very similar

This class was very daunting in the beginning, but it really pushed me to become a better student. The professor and the TA's are there to help you succeed as long as you put in the outside work that is necessary. Do all the reading the professor tells you to do, go to office hours, read AHEAD, and do your ALEKS ahead of speed. Everything in this course is built for you to succeed as long as you do the work. That being said, the material in this class is extremely difficult, and the exams teach you how to think in a different way than most people are used to. A very beneficial course. Also, don't take it if you aren't really passionate about what you are planning to study.

This class was a major pain. The quizzes were hard. The best thing to do is to read the textbook and pay attention during lectures.