<p>This class is absolute worthless. I have always enjoyed Chemistry but this class has really turned me off from Chemistry more than anything else. </p>
<p>I just got done reading the chapter on Thermodynamics, which I found very interesting but the tests absolutely do not measure your true understanding of the subject. </p>
<p>Basically, for the last 2 years, the tests have been almost identical, which almost encourages people to just study old tests rather than learning the material deeply (Great example of shallow learning!)</p>
<p>TA's are probably instructed to grade as ruthlessly as possible. Test I- grading was off by 20 points. Test 2, their adding was wrong, so the final grade was 5 point off. I sent both back for revision- I was so ****ed off.</p>
<p>I have never seen a more boring and less interesting professor- Going to lecture is absolutely worthless since I learn nothing from him but I keep going because I care about my grade and performance.</p>
<p>I am doing OK mostly because I memorized how to do the problems based on the old tests but in reality, what I have learned is terms of "deep learning" is near to nothing. </p>
<p>Our class average now is 55, so I will probably pass with a C+ or B-
but once again, what I have learned in terms of Chemistry is basically nothing.</p>
<p>What is the real objective of a class like this?</p>
<p>To weed you out. I had professors like that, where the tests had nothing to what they lectures or in the book. In fact, I remember going to the TA for help on one of my homework and she pretty much gave us the entire solutions, but we lost several points for no reasonable explanation.</p>
<p>I go to Iowa State but I dont think it has anything to do with my school- I know people who went to similar schools like Purdue, NC State and they say it is exactly the same.</p>
<p>If the whole purpose of a class like this is to weed people out, it seems to be working.</p>
<p>I remember our first day of class, we had about 150 students. Right now, only about 60 show up for lecture.</p>
<p>Yes, that is the course- CHEM 167 at Iowa State. At Purdue, it is CHM 11500. I compared the two syllabi and they are almost identical, even the number of tests, 3 tests a final. I love the material, I was never able to figure out how to succeed in this course. I was looking at the grade distribution this afternoon and the majority of people are performing in the 55-60 range which is “above average” when curved but in reality, it is a C.</p>
<p>“OP, when you say these tests don’t test actual learning, what is the test actually testing? What do the problems look like?”</p>
<p>Well, it is not so much about the material being hard but it is the way they grade it. A typical test will have 7 problems worth 15 points each- so if you miss 2, you are at 70%. Very little partial credit given. </p>
<p>Like ele said, points taken off and you don’t even know why. I remember being so stressed about this class after getting my first test back- but now I understand that this class is probably designed to test you to see how much crap you can take.</p>
<p>I remember feeling down and depressed after getting a 49 on my first test, later updated to a 67, still a crappy score but way above average lol. Kids coming from high school need to be prepared for these type of disappointments because they can really bring you down.</p>
<p>“What I’m reading is that compared to the rest of the class, you’re slightly above average”</p>
<p>Being above average means, getting a C+ instead of just a C. By the end of March, I realized that getting a B would be impossible especially after the professor came out and said “If any of you are hoping that the Final Exam will bump your grade, let me tell you, it ain’t gonna happen”- To me, that was the “Screw it” moment. </p>
<p>So, I started to focus on the other courses. A B was way beyond reach for most students after Test II, so it is very frustrating. </p>
<p>All this class has done is screw up my GPA, it did not weed me out because I still go to every single lecture and recitation, as much as they are worthless.</p>
<p>For some reason, a lot of schools prefer to make the 1st year lecture series a miserable experience for all involved that really just tests how much BS you’re willing to put up with. A few people will succeed because either they have a talent for the stuff or because they work really, really hard, but the point is to scare the average student off.
Is the rest of the degree like that? Probably not, but I wouldn’t say no.</p>
<p>Just did some calculations- If I don’t take the Final tomorrow or get a 0 on the Final, I pass the course with a C-, if I get a perfect score on the final, my grade will be a C+, possibly a B- depending on the final curve. What a waste of time this was!</p>