CHEM 1420

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Got an A+ in this class. Very fair and Welch is by far the best for intro chem. The final is just like the other exams and the exams are just like the textbook questions, so if you review the textbook you'll be fine.

Having taken AP chem in high school, I didn't find this course all that challenging. The majority of it will be review for those who have taken AP, with maybe 2-3 chapters that are new. It's all the same set up as 1410 so there won't be any surprises there. Unfortunately, Welch's tests are no longer online and open note. He shifted to in person with a 1 page front and back cheat sheet. The tests can be hard, but they aren't anything you won't expect. They aren't unfair in any way but he will test on basically everything so you have to be confident in every single topic from each chapter. I have really mixed feelings about Welch as a lecturer because he is such a nice guy but I didn't love his teaching style. Most lectures the first 30-40 minutes would be background info about why the unit was important or how it ties into chemistry. This was sometimes interesting, but it was never relevant on an exam and was never helpful in my understanding of the content. I wish he would've spent that time teaching what would've actually been on exams. I know a lot of other people also felt this frustration, and it kind of felt like you were just teaching yourself all of the content sometimes. I will say, I went to his office hour a few times and he was super helpful. Having taken Morkowchuk for 1410, I personally liked her teaching style a lot more and thought she covered a lot more content in lecture than Welch ever did. The final was similar to the midterms and you will do well if you practice using old exams. He also made a 2 hour long review video answering peoples questions which I found very helpful.