CHEM 2420

Professor Serbulea is really the best professor at UVA but in this class, prepare to work like you have never worked. However, it is worth it because you will end up understanding Organic chemistry very well. IF U ARE PREMED. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE THIS CLASS WITH SERBULEA. If you plan to take it in the summer and want a good grade, i advise you take only the lecture and take the lab later

Professor Serbulea is amazing! She's a very effective professor and so passionate about the subject. She explains everything very thoroughly and all of her lecture/pre-lecture slides contain everything that you'd need to know for exams. This class did take a lot of work and outside preparation, but it was definitely worthwhile especially if you enjoy organic chemistry. Highly recommend for chem majors as well, because you get to learn the material really well and from an amazing lecturer.

This is the hardest class I have taken at UVA. Serbulea DOES NOT CURVE! Discussions are literal hell. Do not take this unless you are very, very smart and hardworking.

Professor Serbulea is a great teacher! She tries really hard during the lecture to actual get you to understand the material. That being said lectures are definitely not the most fun and i did catch myself falling asleep a few times. she does clicker questions that are weighed about the same as a test grade so PAY ATTENTION in class so you get the clickers right. she is definitely a hard teacher but the subject of orgo itself is a beast and really wants her students to do well. If you are in her class GO TO OFFICE HOURS! she is super nice one on one and really really helpful, but in a lecture setting can seem scary so definitely try to develop a relationship with her, she knows the name of everyone in her class anyway so you might as well have a conversation. one bad thing is she tends to run out of time before test day and instead of pushing off the material she hasnt covered she will rush through it and it will show up on your test even if that means you learn a whole new chapter the same day as your test. try to stay ahead of her with that. Orgo is tricky but very cool if you understand it, yes it will take up a good amount of time so dont try to be a super hero and take orgo with a bunch of other premed classes if thats the route you are taking. you will suffer if you try to do too much! GOOD LUCK!

Orgo II is MUCH MUCH HARDER THAN Orgo I. There is a ton of memorizations and so much material to review. It was overwhelming. All of the different pathways and reactions just came down to correct memorizations. I know Serbulea did her best to teach the course, and I think this course is best taught with her. But the material is so dense, and I got the lowest grade I've ever gotten in my academic career. My first ever C+.

If you have to take organic chemistry, you should take it with Dr. Serbulea. She actually teaches the content. Her exams are fair, and there are opportunities such as clicker questions and homework to help buffer your grade since there is no curve. She really cares about all of her students and wants everyone to learn/succeed, so while she may seem scary if you talk to her one-on-one you will learn that she is very understanding and rooting for you to do well. Expect to work harder than you have ever worked for this class, study everything in the book that she says, and keep a running list of every reactant and what it does in a reaction because they will pop up on every test. Know your mechanisms also. Be present in all lectures and discussions and try your very hardest on all the clicker questions and mastering/sapling!

If you took Serbulea for first semester, prepare for more of the same. Topics are interesting if you actually like Orgo like I do, but if you don't, there's nothing difficult to understand. Just tons, TONS, to memorize. Memorize everything in the book and lecture slides, as that is what will be on the exam. I learned it was always better to be safe than sorry. Homework and material and the discussions are all very easy to manage, just remember to remember every mechanism and conceptual detail there is and do around 15 points better than the average to get an A. Good luck!

Definitely one of the best professors I've had. Her tests are hard but definitely fair and once you know how to study for the tests you're set for the class. She actually cares about how well you understand the material and takes the effort to make it easier for students.

Serbulea is sincerely passionate about teaching Organic Chemistry and dedicated to teaching it to you in a coherent, and efficient way. If you do practice problems for every chapter, and go to lecture you will do extremely well.

Best teacher I've ever had at UVA

Serbulea is a hard teacher but as long as you keep up with her lectures by reading the textbook, and doing the problems in the back of the chapters you'll be fine. The homework isn't too bad and the class is doable, if a big time commitment. It's a lot of work and a little stressful but she is the best teacher to take it with.

I don't know why everyone doesn't like Serbulea. I think she is a great professor and very informative during class. If you had her for first semester, there is no surprises for second semester and all the extra credits on the exam is the same as the previous semester. However, the material this semester is definitely harder, with biochemistry (which I hate), but if you do all the problems in the textbook and keep up, you'll definitely get the grade you deserve.

I feel really bad for saying this, but I did not find Serbulea to be that great of a teacher. She is brilliant, but her lectures are extremely dry, and her explanations are verbose. Tests are mostly memorization, which is frustrating if you understand the concepts, but don't remember the names of specific reactions. She cares about her students - assigns homework, has mandatory lectures, etc - but they did not help me at all, personally. If you really buy in, a good grade is attainable. It is just frustrating when you learn more easily on your own, and you're basically forced to learn it her way

Serbulea will help you understand the material better than mccgarvey, but only because you have to know it better for the exams which are pretty nit-picky. Sucks having to go to class/discussion because you have mandatory clickers, if you're just taking this as a prereq (premed, etc) take mcgarvey and you don't have to go to class and you also don't have to worry about discussion or weekly homeworks either.

2nd semester is far more difficult than 1st. The number of reactions you need to know for each test double compared to first semester. The course material is also based heavily on the material from the 1st semester - if you did poorly in 2410, then study like hell over winter break so you're ready for 2420 or be prepared to fail. Test averages are in the mid 60s. She doesn't curve the overall grades, so don't expect it. If the test average is below a 50, she might curve the individual grade, but don't bank on that. Her tests are straightforward - mostly memorization and very little application. Always expect naming, mechanism drawings, synthesis, and ordering type questions.

The absolute WORST professor I have EVER had!! Her lectures are useless, but you have to go because of clicker questions. The homework has nothing to do with the lectures and sometimes you can't even find help in the text. She has no clue what she's doing, she stresses the most unimportant things. She spends endless time in lecture going over the most simple concepts, but doesn't even touch on the more difficult concepts, which you are left to figure out. Avoid her at all costs! Take McGarvey, he's a better lecturer, instructor, and overall chemist.