CHEM 2420

The structure: the professor draws on the board the entire class. You know it's about to be time to leave when he's on the 6th board.

Grading: there are 3 midterms and 1 final. The tests are all structured the same, but vary in difficulty. There's always surprises. They are graded by the TA's which hold reviews in optional discussions. They're not that helpful expect that it makes you review the material, and any association typically helps you remember and learn.

My recommendation: Prepare to learn things yourself and you probably won't learn as well as if you were in Serbulea, but McGarvey is not terrible. You just have to motivate yourself because the teacher won't do it for you. There's no homework, but there's a "curve." Don't rely on that curve, though.

Keeping up with readings help a lot more because it makes the lecture easier to listen to and pay attention.

class was really hard and mcgarvy is a bad lecturer but the material in the book was really helpful and it got me though the course.

Want to watch McGarvey make passionate love to his chalkboard? Take this class.
Enjoy struggling to keep up with the intricate diagrams he frantically and unintelligibly illustrates? You better sign up.

McGarvey is already married to his board, so you might as well get married to the book, who will be your faithful companion throughout this dreadful class you are forced to take.

You didn't choose the pre-med life. The pre-med life chose you...didn't it?

I may be a little biased because I actually really enjoy orgo but I didn't think either first or second semester with McGarvey were that bad. The key to this class is going to all of the classes and taking notes, then a week before the test re-reading your notes, reading the ~3 chapters in the book being tested on, doing every problem in the chapter, and then doing the recommended problems at the end of the chapter. This takes a pretty significant amount of time but this is what I did for all of first semester and this semester and I averaged 20-30 points above average on every test. You need a lot of self motivation because McGarvey doesn't give you homework like Serbulea and Fraser that makes you learn the material and just going to his classes isn't enough. The good news is the curve. For some reason, the majority of students think that cramming 1-2 nights before the test will work even after getting annihilated by the previous tests so the average fell around 55 this semester. Stay ~15 points above that consistently and you should be golden for an A.

McGarvey for orgo 2 is definitely more difficult than the fall. This semester is more reaction-based and preparation of compounds with certain functional groups. Plus he also introduces some biochem topics: carbohydrates and proteins towards the end of the semester. The format of 3 exams and a final is the same. This semester the averages were in the 50s. McGarvey's teaching style is one in which he teaches by showing many examples and expects you to be familiar with them. My advice is to study at least a week in advance for the exams and take really good notes because that's where most of the test questions come from. Know the reagents for the different reactions as well, it helps. The TAs tried their best to be helpful and hold many office hours and the optional discussions, but I honestly didn't find any of it very helpful. McGarvey's class is definitely less time consuming than Serbulea and Fraser and the curve is blessed. The final is long, but overall manageable because he gives you options for choosing the problems. Be ready for a busy semester. Good luck.

Well, every time I write a review (it happens to be about a chemistry professor) the said professor leaves. RIP McGarvey. I will always be a McGarvian.