CHEM 1420

Welch is probably the best choice for the introductory chem courses. He is very willing to work with you and the most flexible of all the professors. The course is the same structure as CHEM 1410, with one lecture and one expo section a week. The reading takes a long time and the questions in the chapters are pretty difficult. I suggest having some friends that you can check answers with since your grades on the chapter, lbla, and bit carry a decent amount of weight in your final grade. The exams require a lot of practice to get good grades on. Most of the chem professors changed their exam format, but Welch's were still online and open notes. Personally, I think the group exams were a lot more difficult this semester.

I would recommend to not take the class with Welch. There is one lecture a week and the other class is expo where he says he will review things but does not. The textbook basically taught me the material. In lecture he would go over the most basic information from the textbook. He might be a nice person, but not a good teacher. Yes, the tests are online but that does not mean they are easy.

Professor Welch is one of the nicest people ever. Super accommodating and you can tell he cares about students and chemistry. If you want an A you can definitely get an A. Tests are open note, online, and very similar to Expo (discussion) problems so as long as you understand the main concepts the tests will not be hard. Make sure to get as many homework points because they really do add up. If you've taken AP Chem this class will not be bad. Even if you haven't taken AP you'll be fine if you keep up with the lecture readings.

Welch is a good professor, but not phenomenal. I had Columbus for Intro Chem 1 and I much preferred her over Welch. However, the course is structured in such a way that lectures aren't very necessary if you put in the work to actually read and understand the textbook, so Welch's teaching ability isn't that relevant. I personally think that Intro Chem 2 was a lot easier than Intro Chem 1, but I think it's all pretty subjective.

I took this class as an Environmental Science major looking to fulfill my related science requirement. I decided to take CHEM 1420 over biology, and I am not sure that was the right call. I took CHEM 1410 with Professor Welch in the fall, and it went much better than expected. CHEM 1420 was significantly more challenging than 1410. I doubt that anyone is looking to take this class for funsies, but seriously, only take this class if you need too. Based on my experience with Professor Welch and what I have heard about other professors, I do believe he is the best professor to take this course with. He is easy to work with and very understanding of situations. There were a couple of times throughout the semester where I needed an extension and he was receptive to my situation.

This class was much harder than 1410. Welch is an okay lecturer and is very helpful during office hours. I found that the book contradicted itself sometimes, which led to confusion, and TAs didn't always have the right answers during EXPO. Otherwise, though, Welch is very chill and makes the class doable. Keep up with the homework and check it over with him or the TAs during office hours. My homework grade ended up being the difference between an A and a B, so don't make the same mistake I did. Because it is accuracy-based, it's always good to get as many eyes on it as possible! Watch videos when you don't understand something, and try to stay on top of the material. It is easy to fall behind and not even realize it. Looking back, I wish I had used Welch as a resource more than I did. ALSO, just because the tests are open notes does not mean you don't need to study. The time goes fast, so review at the very least a couple of days in advance,

If you took 1410 with Welch the previous semester, expect about the same level of course work. The course is almost entirely the same minus the fact that there is no final project. I personally found that the second semester was easier, having taken AP Chem. This semester focuses on thermodynamics, electrochemistry, acid-base equilibrium, and gas laws. Some of the chapter readings have a lot of math in them. Be sure to know how to do the math and know how to solve those problems, as it would be beneficial during Expos and the exams. Like 1410, exams are open-note and open-source. Make a study guide of textbook figures, tables, and equations. It does require to remember some of the concepts from the previous semester, especially with orbitals to understand how new theories work and how reactions proceed. Exams are also the same style as 1410, meaning the first part is individual multiple choice questions and the second and third part are the hard group questions.

I got an A in this class, but it was much harder than last semester purely because of Part 2 and Part 3 being more difficult. I separated my review on my opinions on Welch as a professor and my advice for success.

Instructor:
When deciding if you should pick Welch, remember that he is a good person but an okay professor. He is a professor that will work with you on strategies to improve or just work one on one. I personally really liked him as a person, but he is not lenient in grading. There were instances (specifically with part 2) where a very low percentage of students got a question correct, but he didn't remove the question or think about editing it. His lectures are also not very clear or concise.

Advice:
1) Go to Welch's office hours:
I know this is basic, but I can't stress this enough. I recommend asking him specifically your conceptual questions and not the TAs. He often guides you to the main ideas of the chapter that you will see absolutely see later on exams.

2) Part 1 of the Exam: (I got As on all the individual sections)
These are mostly math and the big conceptual ideas. Practice LBLAs/BITs/Expos --> do NOT ignore expos because it will come back and suprise you. Make a cheat sheet with formulas, concepts, and explanations. Remember exams are open note and you can refer to this during your exam (and you should). Teach the material to friends or outloud to yourself.

3) Part 2 and Part 3
These were absolutely DREADFUL this semester. My advice is to try to type your thoughts on part 2 to make it easier for part 3. When you type your responses, try to focus on the content you learned in the class. Otherwise, it is unfortunately a game of chance.

4) Not all TAs are created equally
Be careful when asking questions to undergraduate TAs!! They do NOT have the answer keys, so when you ask them question be aware they could be wrong. It is best to go to a few TAs and feel out how much they know. I found a few good ones, but most were horrible. I can't stress being careful enough.

5) The Final
It was a pretty hard final. There were a few odd questions that made it hard to do exceptionally well. I'd say the majority of questions were easy, but then some of them were just not necessary.

This class is much, much harder than chem 1410 (in my and many of my classmates' opinions), so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The focus is on weird, big concepts ranging from batteries to nuclear chemistry to kinetics. Welch is a pretty good lecturer for this sector of chemistry, but you will need to do a lot of outside prep before exams. The textbook readings are LONG for this semester (usually longer than 1410), and took me quite a bit of time. Prepare yourself for a lot of math...

Utilize your classmates when you are allowed. Make sure you have a clear understanding before the exams - I made equation sheets of each unit as I learned them so I had all my math in one place. Definitely utilize office hours for tophat questions. My biggest advice is to use expo and chapter question homework as a cushion - spend a lot of time on them. I usually had a high tophat grade in 1410 (97-100) which gave me a little wiggle room to do poorly on one or two exams. However, this semester I slacked and had 92-93 (which is high yes, but could be better with the resources of office hours and google), which forced me to work really really hard before exams.

The exams were not awful, though the group questions are much harder than semester 1. The final was not too hard, but be prepared to study a lot and know a lot of big picture ideas. Overall, although 1420 is way different and harder than 1410, an A is attainable if a proper amount of time and effort is put in.

This is the worst intro class I have ever taken at UVA. I firmly believe that unless you have some sort of chemistry background before this class, you will struggle. The exams are made incredibly hard for no reason, especially considering that they are open note and open resource and STILL difficult. Exams are 3 portions: an individual portion of about 15-30 questions, an individual portion with no time limit and 5-6 very difficult questions you're expected to research to answer, and a third portion which you do with your expo group. The second part of these exams was so ridiculous I don't think it should be included at all. The course also contained tophat chapters of up to 30+ questions due every Monday before you actually have learned the material you're being asked questions on. There is also an expo portion of the class where you meet every week to do questions as a group. You additionally have to do LBLAs and BITs (both tophat question assignments due each week) and a portfolio for each chapter due immediately before an exam. This class has so much work involved that is so unnecessary, and much of it does not contribute to the learning of the material. I had an incredibly difficult time in this class even with the amount of time and effort I put into it. Many of the concepts my friends or expo group members would help me with were things they had previously learned in chemsirty courses and remembered, rather than actually things they learned in this class. Be prepared for a lot of work.

Welch is really nice but I hated this class (and chemistry in general, so I'm biased here). I feel like sometimes he didn't focus on what was emphasized in the test/Expo, and more on general trends where you had to teach yourself the specifics later on. I felt like I could study for hours, go to TA hours with every question I had (the TAs for this course are great btw and super helpful), etc and still do poorly on the exams. I think time was my biggest issue, so definitely try to have everything organized beforehand to make it easier for yourself.

The format was basically the same as 1410 with the 3-part tests with different weighting for each test, expo, portfolio etc, except there's no final project to boost your grade. HIGHLY recommend going to TA hours about confusing questions on the TopHat assignments because all of it combined is 30% of your grade (!), and it definitely saved me when I did bad on exams. The TAs are all really knowledgeable and totally willing to sit down and go through the questions with you and how to do them. I would also suggest studying the content a bit before going to Expo - for the first few Expos I was pretty much useless because I did the chapters so ahead of time that I basically forgot everything by the time I got to Expo. For the later ones I felt a lot more prepared and able to contribute because I read over my notes, went to office hours, and talked to classmates about confusing concepts.

Also, don't get too stressed about the part 2/3 of the exams. I'm pretty sure everybody bombed one of those sections for at least 1 test (I know I did) but at the end of the day, it's just 1 class and just 1 grade so don't freak out.

This class is a definitely harder than 1410. Professor Welch's presentations are no longer helpful and only focus on the easier concepts while you will be left to teach yourself the harder concepts. That being said, he is still the best professor to take this class with. He is very accommodating towards any extensions and is also more then willing to give extra help for understanding. I would 100% recommend him, but be prepared to work hard because Chemistry at UVA is not easy. #tCFspring2022

I think Welch is a really nice guy and is one of the most accommodating professor's I've had. He definitely wants you to succeed in this course and is sympathetic to your struggles. However, whoever designed this course did a terrible job. The textbook is an absolute nightmare and is ridden with typos and confusing sentences. It will confuse you more often than actually help you through the material. Welch's lectures, on the other hand, only cover the basic material and going off his lectures alone will not prepare you for the test. I did well in the class by putting up with the textbook, going to lecture, and REVIEWING WHAT WAS DONE IN EXPO! I cannot stress that last bit enough.

I did not like this class. Professor Welch is a nice guy but a lousy teacher. Granted, I took this class during Covid times so it may be different for future students. Yes, he did lecture, and his lectures were good. However, he did not lecture enough. We were expected to teach ourselves chemistry using an online textbook that the intro chem teachers wrote for us. It has some typos and a lot of the content is not written with expectations that students have to teach themselves. I would spend 6-10 hours every weekend reading the textbook, taking notes on it, answering the TopHat questions (30-40 questions), watching his lecture, taking notes on that, and answering lecture questions. There are also textbook assignments throughout the week to do. I was so burnt out by the end of the fall and spring semesters solely because of the unnecessary workload of this class. My AP Chem knowledge definitely helped get me through this class. Btw, DON'T take this class with a Monday lab. You will have to spend 2+ more hours on chem over the weekend if you do this.

I got an A in this class but it required too much time and energy. Take three sets of notes: one for the textbook, one for his lecture, and combine those two and make a study guide for the exam. These study guides will be what you study for the final. Redo all textbook, expo, and lecture questions in preparation for exams. I went to all TA reviews and actively participated in them. If they continue to run these, I would definitely make use of them and ask any questions you may have. The individual parts of the exams (Part 1) are usually pretty straightforward and doable, but the second and third parts are what will ruin your grade. I would spend hours working on the 5 MCQ part of the exam (Part 2) and still get a D on it, so don't waste your time trying to search the depths of the Internet for help on this part. Make sure that your expo group is smart because the third part of the exam revisits those 5 MCQ and your group has to answer those questions together.

If you're trying to choose between Welch and other teachers, I'd probably go with Welch because he is the kindest of the options. Even though his email communication is really slow and sometimes nonexistent, he's pretty understanding if you can't make a deadline or something. Make sure to have a group chat or some friends to check work/ask questions with since the class is heavily reliant on teaching yourself.

This is a class where not only is the content hard, but the exams are written to be difficult and tricky. You need to do the weekly chapter reading WELL so that you understand the concepts before you go to lectures. It is also SO important to do practice problems before the exams to study, do not just read over your notes it will not be enough to do well in this class. The homework, portfolios, and other assignments besides exams can seriously help boost your grade so do well on them you won't regret it at the end of the semester. Overall you need to teach yourself most of this class, you will not be holding hands with the staff if you're struggling.

If you took 1410, the course is more or less the same structure as that (lecture, optional problem-solving session, expo). In my opinion, I thought it was a similar level difficulty-wise, but since I was used to the format of the course, I did spend less time on this course compared to last semester and ended up with the same grade. The most helpful thing I found when studying for exams was redoing all the Tophat questions - the expo questions are less important because they tend to be more difficult and beyond the scope of the course. I would say your expo group is very, very important for group exams. Not all groups are made equally, but I guess you can't really control that - YOU can be/become the "smart one" in the group! Professor Welch was really understanding about special circumstances given the covid situation, so if there ever is a problem, don't be afraid to let him know. #tCFspring2021

I took CHEM 1410 and 1420 back-to-back with Welch, and I highly recommend taking chemistry with him. He is super understanding, kind and responsive. With that being said, intro chemistry at UVA is HARD. I takes a ton of work and effort every single week, and despite you feeling prepared, you don't live up to your expectations. Keep your head down and work hard, but definitely take it with Welch. Because of COVID, we had the opportunity in both semesters to hear lectures from all of the professors and by far Welch's are the most thorough and complete.
#tCFspring2021

I can say with confidence that this class was much harder than 1410. I am premed so I had to take the year of chem courses, also I highly recommend taking this in spring right after 1410, it's a good way to stay up to date on material. The content is very dense and this semester had much more math involved, which can be a good thing for some and a bad for others. Overall, it was difficult I can't lie. It requires a lot of time and work and collaboration, but you can still come out with a good grade.#tCFspring2021

I had Welch for 1410 and 1420 and the man is awesome. 1420 is more difficult than the first semester, but Welch is super understanding and really nice. Definitely go to his office hours because he's go over TopHat and Gradescope questions that you need help with. I actually liked the class on Teams because we got to work with smaller groups which made the class seem not as massive. There are 4 tests and five homework/class assignments due throughout the week each week. It's a bit intimidating at first, but if you make a schedule and get into the rhythm of completing them you'll be fine. I ended up with an A in the class. You got this!

Second semester chem is harder than first semester. I would not recommend taking it with Welch. Welch's lectures move slowly and never cover the most difficult part of the subjects that inevitably end up on the exams. Expo style remains confusing, frustrating, and feels pointless. The group exams are harder second semester than they were first semester and some included concepts that we literally had never talked about in expo, lecture, or the readings. Workload is about the same as first semester- I credit my success in this class to taking thorough chapter notes every week. I have been unimpressed with how difficult it is to communicate with Professor Welch and the TAs. Overall, my advice would be to avoid expo-style chem at UVA if at all possible. Also, look at the GPAs and grade distributions of all the professors before deciding to choose one because they are a nice person.

After taking 1410 first semester of my first year, I was initially pretty intimidated by this class. That being said, for me, this class was relatively easier than 1410. Welch is a great professor and was very patient when people asked questions. He takes the time to explain things in lecture and makes class enjoyable. He cracks jokes and makes the atmosphere a little lighter, which is good because an hour and a half chem lecture is never fun. The content of the class is relatively easy with some hard chapters scattered in-between, but if you did fine in 1410, then you should do fine in this class. The class has a lecture at the beginning of the week and expo at the end. Expo is a time where you work in groups to figure out tophat questions and professor Welch has a chance to explain concepts in depth. Tests consist of in-class tests, followed by a take home individual portion that is 6-7 questions. Then during expo, you and your group discuss the answers you chose and come up with a group answer to submit. The grade you get in that group portion is your group test grade. In-class tests are easy and asked simple questions while the individual take home portion is super hard (but you get to google things). Overall, the system in which they distributed the tests don't really help, but it is a benefit to your grade. The major thing to remember is to get a 100% on the group portion because it'll help your grade a lot. The final is similar to tophat questions. Welch writes his own tophat questions and he also comes up with questions on the final so make sure that you understand the tophat questions. I got a 100% on the final and an A in the class so it's not impossible to succeed, but you do have to put in enough time to go over everything and understand concepts. (In reality, you don't need to memorize everything you read in the tophat chapters, Welch will tell you what you need to know).

This course is meant to be challenging! However, Professor Welch makes it manageable. He’s extremely knowledgeable and very kind! If you have to take this class with anyone take it with Welch! For the tests go over the practice problems in the textbook and for expo exams justify your shader’s with information you’ve learned in class! If you keep up with the work you’ll be fine!

To preface this review: I received an A- in this class. I think that is important to note because I did well in the class, and I still think it was one of the most poorly taught classes I've ever taken. I think the TopHat readings are helpful, more so than the lectures, but they still don't seem to be that relevant to the material on group exams. Those are the most absurd exams I've ever taken. You can research for hours and still not understand what is going on. I feel as though they are a game of chance because much of the time the group exam questions are not even remotely related to what we learn in class. Furthermore, I was incredibly disappointed with the way distance learning was handled. Prof. Welch had technical difficulties, which is understandable, but we should have had access to another professors materials or had a more relaxed TopHat grading scale. This is not super relevant to future classes, unless of course it is taught online in the Fall. In that case, I would recommend doing everything in your power to avoid taking this class with Prof. Welch.

I can genuinely say that I had no idea what was going on in this class for a long time, and I'm a chem major. However, this is probably because I spent most of class doing other work. His lectures are just not captivating at all. I don't think he's that bad a professor, it just wasn't for me. TopHat was the one thing that helped me out. The powerpoints aren't that helpful (they're like 140+ slides bc he uploads a PDF version with the little animations, so they're very hard to effectively go through). You need to be in class to understand as he's explaining his ppt. However, even though I dislike TopHat, it was the most useful thing about this class. The exam questions are similar to the BIT questions, so it's useful to start studying from there (he even gave us this tip to study for the final). I ended up with an A in this class, and that's because Chem 2 is easier relative to Chem 1. It's not a bad class, but it's very individually focused (a lot of teaching it yourself type of deal).

Okay so I got an A+ in this class. It isn't too difficult, I put in about 3-7 hours a week, usually about 4-5 for this class. I don't know what the people below me are talking about in terms of the final. I got 100% on it and so many questions were very similar to the other 3 exams that we took or questions on TopHat. That being said, the group exams and online exams are pretty dumb. They are useless grade boosters or grade destroyers, depending on how you do. They have no point at all and you don't really learn anything. The 3 exams in-class portions are pretty easy to study the TopHat LBLA and BIT questions (not Expo). An A+ habit is to always take notes while reading the chapters, this will basically double the reading time but the 2-4 hours you'll spend a week doing the chapter will 100% pay off later in the semester and before exams because you'll have good notes to look at. If there's something you don't understand google it, organic chemistry tutor on Youtube is really helpful! There's a good amount of buffers heading into the final exam. Because of the COVID thing, the final was easier, if you're taking it on-grounds I expect the final will be difficult the way it was when I took Chem1410. In that case, you should study very hard. I think Welch isn't too bad, he's a nice guy but his teaching leaves a lot to be desired. He is easy to reason with and will be very accommodating. I don't love chemistry but this class really isn't bad, I did enjoy the increase in math compared to the first semester. Make sure you remember the trends discussed in various units as Welch loves to ask questions about them. TopHat sucks but you'll get used to it. I personally didn't learn anything from lecture and I know many people that felt the same way. If you understand the stuff on TopHat you'll be completely fine. Also everyone's doing TopHat starting Fall 2020 I believe so it really doesn't matter who you take it with. Also, very little information from this will be covered in orgo so just try and get a good grade! Relax, You'll be fine, this class is nothing like the monster called Organic Chemistry that awaits many of us!

As someone who took both semesters of this course with Professor Welch, I can honestly say he was one of the worst professors I had at UVA. I will say that 1420 was easier material wise for me, and I ended up with an A this semester (B last semester), however I had to work very hard to do so. This course is basically self taught, because it consists of an expo and lecture. The expo is probably the worst part, as you sit with a group of people once a week to work on a set of difficult tophat questions, and get minimal assistance from TAs who are either your age or a year above you. The individual part of the exam is easy, but the group part is near impossible and for two of the tests it is a huge portion of your grade. The expo style overall teaches you nothing, and is an easy way out for the professor. Take it with Morkowchuk if you can, as she is teaching it traditional, and she will probably prepare you better for orgo.

Worst class I have ever taken at UVA. This class absolutely sucks. I came into this class wanting to be a chem major and left it hating chemistry and the department. The group exam questions are unreasonably unfair and completely unrelated to what we learn (or should I say teach ourselves). This class is 90% self-taught and 10% Welch talking about the basics in lecture (which we didn't even have once online). The chapter readings teach me more than Welch does and it still isn't enough compared to what is expected in expo and on the exam. I studied SO HARD for the final. I seriously spent over 2 hours every day for a week before the final doing all the practice problems and reading and taking notes on the chapters and still got an 82 on the final, are you kidding me? He even said the final was supposed to be easy, I can't imagine how people did who didn't study. I did all the readings and took notes on every single one, I took notes in lecture (when we had it) and worked on the problems with my group, yet still am probably going to end up with a borderline B+/A-. I have never been more frustrated. TAs are willing to help but most of the time don't know much more than we do, and Professor Welch wants to help but is always overbooked or his office hours are crazy busy. Once we went online nothing changed except the fact that we didn't have any kind of instruction (he just posted lecture slides with no comments). The same exact was expected of us during online, when we were getting half the instruction as before. I do not recommend taking this class with Welch, especially if you have to do it online. There is no organization to this course and good luck getting any help if you need it.

I wouldn't say this class was fun, but taking it with Prof. Welch was definitely a positive experience. If you go to lecture, take notes, and do the homework you should be fine and be able to grasp the concepts. Of course taking classes with friends is fun, but I'd really recommend finding a friend in this one so you can be in the same group as them during chem expo.

I have mixed feelings about this class. Instead of being taught in the standard lecture form, this is taught in a format that involves one lecture a week, one class of group work, and online assignments due 3 times a week. Much of the class involves teaching yourself the material. The tests are also structured differently. Instead of being the usual in-class test, they are broken up into 3 parts: an individual, in-class exam, a take-home online exam (that is open notes but much more complicated), and a short group exam. I took 1410 in the standard lecture format, and after taking the two types of courses, I think that I like this format better. The tests are a bit more reasonable and aren't as large of a portion of your grade. Additionally, there are a lot of resources that you can pull on to be successful. There's a whole slew of TAs, an online question forum, your group members, and of course, Welch himself. He's a nice guy. However, my issues with this class largely stem from TopHat. The chapters we are assigned on TopHat are not very helpful and do a poor job of teaching the concepts. This is worsened by the fact that we have to complete questions based off the chapter (that are graded partially on correctness) before we've been formally introduced to the content in lecture. Thus, use outside resources to supplement TopHat!

ok so FIRST OF ALL, people hate on Welch because they did poorly in the class. But let me tell you, his exam curves are giant. I know several people who failed all three of the midterms and still got an A- in the class. Mastering is annoying and weekly questions can be super challenging, but lecture is always fun and non-stressful. Clickers are participation only and exams are fair. People got bumped up a ton on midterm exam grades, like 20 points. But seriously, if you study the lecture slides (especially the clickers!!) and weekly questions, you won't need the curves. He also curves the entire class at the end so people can get into orgo. I got an A+ before the class curve, and it was absolutely manageable. Pro tip: read the material before class and come with questions in mind!

This course was rough because it was so early in the morning, but I highly recommend taking CHEM over the summer with Welch! He's very helpful and willing to answer questions during class. Because summer classes are much smaller, there's more time to get to know your classmates and do group work while getting to know Welch as well. His tests were very fair and his lectures are thorough. He also stops every now and then to answer questions and adjusts his exams based on what he was able to get through. He didn't expect you to memorize the tiny petty things that the other professors make you, so you spend your time wisely memorizing and learning other things. Beware, summer classes can get annoying since they're every day with everyday assignments, but much easier than taking it over a semester (btw lab was also SO easy!!) To do well in this class, you need to review your notes after class every day and stay on top of the homework and assignments. Welch was very understanding about personal circumstances if you missed class or made mistakes on the online assignments.

This is a tough course. No joke. It is much tougher than CHEM 1410. Coming from someone that got a good A, know that you will need to put hours in doing Mastering Chemistry and Weekly Questions (as well as reading and studying). Luckily, these cushion your grade a good bit, so do well on them. Go to office hours and the TA's will help you a good bit. Going on Friday afternoon allows you to get help with the Weekly Questions which will help greatly. The problems take longer because this semester is all math and formulas. Welch's exams this semester were real tough and I wish there was more time for them because it would have helped me greatly. He curved all of the exam averages to a 77, so you want to be doing better than the class average and you will end up with at least a B-. If you're looking for the easiest professor, just go with Colombus. From what I hear, it's crazy easy. But, if that's not an option for you, be prepared to put in some work. Just remember that Welch isn't trying to put you down. I'm pretty sure that there is some guideline or curriculum that he has to follow if that makes you feel any better. Do the practice exams but understand how to do problems that would be even harder than them (because that will likely be what is on the exam).

Listen here yall. You will think that Welch is great, and perhaps you've heard rumors that he's the good professor to take for this class. HOWEVER Welch has recently turned and now his exams are quite honestly harder than the other professor's without the curve (Metcalf) or open notes (Columbus). Welch is a really great guy, but he has absolutely no concept of what constitutes an 'easy' exam. The trend for exams was downward for the class as a whole, with the first average being a 71 and the second a 67. The third has yet to be released, but I can guess it will be around a 55. People leave the exam room crying, there is a mass vomiting in the Clark bathrooms before exams (so use the bathroom in a different building). This is a weed out class, be warned.

Chem 1420 is a tough course but required for many things. Welch is by far the best teacher available and relatively fair in terms of grading. He curves all tests at the end so that the test average is around an 80. He's also really flexible in terms of deadlines for Mastering homework but you should do it on time because it's good practice for the tests

This course (Gen Chem II) is definitely harder than Gen Chem I (CHEM 1410). I'd definitely recommend taking the course with Prof. Welch because he is a really great professor. The questions aren't overly tricky, but they do a good job of testing your understanding of often complex chemistry concepts. This class is definitely difficult and you HAVE to put a lot of time into studying (even if you've taken AP Chemistry).
I would recommend reading the pertinent chapters before an exam and DEFINITELY do the optional textbook problems he assigns. While the textbook problems tend to be easier than the problems on his exam, they test concepts more and can help you gauge your understanding of the content.
This is a tough course for everybody, so treat it as such. (study, study study)

Professor Welch has very good intentions and really wants you to learn the concepts. He's not trying to overtly trick you in any of test questions. However, he seems to have the habit of making mistakes on tests and correcting them day of and also being unintentionally awkward with phrasing. Clicker questions are not graded for accuracy and overall, I thought his method of grading was quite fair. I would definitely recommend Professor Welch for Chem 1410/1610!