AI Rate Professor

Physical Sciences

Richard Lavallee

CHEM11 · CHEM1427 · CHEM1086 · CHEMI10 · CHEN10 · CHEM10 · CHEMISTRY10 · 192 lifetime ratings

AI rating
28/100
RMP rating
3.2/5
Take again
25.93%
Difficulty
4.3

The decision

Avoid unless you already know chemistry and want a rigorous, high-effort STEM bootcamp.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerBrutal Chem ExamsTough GraderTest HeavyFast LecturesHardcore Prep Only
  • Intro chemistry with him is widely described as extremely hard with and homework.
  • ; a minority say he prepares future chem majors well.
  • , and a tough personal style dominate complaints.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

MissionImpossible

16/100

, and many drops make an A rare even for hard workers.

A few online A grades exist with heavy practice; .

Is the course easy?

BrainBurner

12/100

Pace is fast, workload is high, and .

Difficulty is extreme in both formats, especially in person.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

30/100

and warn that skipping means you will not pass.

as not mandatory; in-person is stricter.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

26/100

and most students urge others to pick a different chem professor.

Online is mixed; .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Harsh

18/100

Students report , and little partial credit culture.

Format shift

Harshness is the dominant in-person theme; .

Workload

Overwhelming

18/100

Large weekly problem sets, labs, and constant practice are required just to survive exams.

Format shift

and test prep.

Teaching experience

Average

42/100

and inspiring for chem majors; many call him condescending, rushed, and unsupportive.

Format shift

Online quality varies with recording issues; in-person is highly polarized.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

82/100

Course is test-heavy with labs and .

Format shift

and in-person reviews.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

47 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

lectures, and high drop rates, with a vocal hardcore minority praising preparation.

Main concern

and questions can be met with condescension.

What students said

“ and unexpected.”
CHEM10
“ , and he grades based off how many answers you get right.”
CHEM10
“ . period't ... .”
CHEM10

Remote format

Online

3 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online CHEM10 experiences split between A students who grind practice problems and others who call recorded lectures unusable.

Main concern

Self-teaching from recordings and .

What students said

“if and . He checks only the highest HW and Lab, and also he gives three chances to do HW!!”
CHEM10
“ if you don't do the extra practice he provides.”
CHEM10
“he tells us to watch his recorded lectures that arent possible to follow bc the audio isnt in sync.”
CHEM10

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

and are repeatedly described as much harder than homework or lecture examples.

Test HeavyHard Unexpected ExamsPractice Problems CriticalDrop Lowest Exam (some terms)

Assessment risk

Strict

22/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

not match lecture or homework.

Test HeavyExams Mismatch HomeworkStrict Lab Deductions
“He teaches well, but and unexpected.”
CHEM10
“The practice he gives you is not like the test.”
CHEM10
“Online hw/quizes, inclass problems, and practice sheets DOES NOT match nor DOES NOT prepare the student for the exams.”
CHEM10

Online

Online students say you fail exams without all extra practice; .

Hard ExamsExtra Practice RequiredDrop Lowest Exam
“ if you don't do the extra practice he provides.”
CHEM10
“This professor gives no but and 3 HWs.”
CHEM10

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“ .”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, , and polarized STEM fit. Credibility rating: High.

🔥 Difficulty & Exams

12/100

“ and unexpected.”

⚖️

18/100

“He always will find and .”

👎 Recommendation

26/100

“ . period't ... . Literally, anyone else.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Goes way too fast during lectures.
  • He makes you feel stupid when you ask questions.
  • if you are going to pursue chemistry, then I couldn't imagine a .

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • Not an easy A class, but .
  • Brags about how MOST people fail his class or withdraw.
  • He grades extremely hard.

Theme 3

🧪

  • Lots of homework.
  • .
  • this class would require between 20-5 hours a week.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

192

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across many years , and low recommendation with detailed repeated patterns.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 565
4 out of 535
3 out of 528
2 out of 525
1 out of 539

Course coverage

CHEM1038 reviews
CHEM113 reviews
101 review
111 review
13211 review
Show 6 more courses
13391 review
CHEM10861 review
CHEM14271 review
CHEMI101 review
CHEMISTRY101 review
CHEN101 review

Reported outcomes

No letter grade reported results lead the reported letter grades.

29 reported outcomes

A range

4

A 4

B range

8

B+ 2 · B 6

C range

5

C+ 1 · C 4

D range

1

D 1

F

1

F 1

No letter grade reported

10

Drop/Withdrawal 7 · Not sure yet 3