AI Rate Professor

Foothill College · Chemistry

Brendan Mar

CHEM12A · CHEM30A · CHEM1A · 1A · 49 lifetime ratings

AI rating
78/100
RMP rating
4.4/5
Take again
72.22%
Difficulty
3.3

The decision

if you want a and are willing to study hard for a fair but demanding course.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerSupportive chemistry teacherHard examsFlipped classroomGenerous partial creditHigh study demand
  • Mar is widely praised as , and strong at explaining chemistry.
  • flipped lectures, homework, labs, studying, and .
  • Grades can be fair or and , but organic chemistry sections are much riskier.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

58/100

An A is realistic with , and , but it is not low-effort because exams and chemistry content are demanding.

because there are zero online reviews.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

34/100

Chemistry and organic chemistry are repeatedly described as fast, concept-heavy, and .

All course-easiness evidence comes from in-person reviews.

Is attendance flexible?

Recommended

55/100

, but students strongly recommend going to class, office hours, workshops, and practice sessions to succeed.

Only in-person reviews exist, and as highly useful rather than uniformly required.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

78/100

Most students recommend him because he is supportive and fair, but the and heavy workload make him a poor fit for students seeking an easy class.

Recommendation .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

70/100

He is often described as fair or , and support, though some organic chemistry students report strict grading.

Format shift

All grading evidence is in person, with Chem 1A and Chem 30A sounding more forgiving than Chem 12A.

Workload

Heavy

32/100

Students repeatedly cite lots of , and substantial exam preparation.

Format shift

All .

Teaching experience

Excellent

87/100

Most reviews describe Mar as , and genuinely invested in student success.

Format shift

Teaching evidence is entirely in person and consistently strong despite some complaints about pace and vague answers.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

, and post-labs, with exams often driving the difficulty.

Format shift

Only in-person reviews exist, and , and exam preparation.

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

50 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

All analyzed reviews are in person and show a strong teacher with , and meaningful support outside class.

Main concern

Students must handle a flipped format, heavy studying, and .

What students said

“O-chem is a challenge and the flipped classroom can be an adjustment”
CHEM12A
“do all the work and watch the lectures and you'll get an A :)”
CHEM1A
“You'll have to work hard for that A but he will help you a lot!!”
CHEM12A

Remote format

Online

0 reviews

Low confidence

No stored summary is available for this format.

Main concern

No main concern is stored for this format.

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are often hard, long, and concept-heavy, but , and review support make them fairer than purely harsh testing.

Hard ExamsTest HeavyPartial CreditPractice ExamsNo Clear Proctoring Evidence

Assessment risk

Strict

38/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person reviews repeatedly mention difficult , and no clear evidence about open-book rules or proctoring.

Hard ExamsTest HeavyPartial CreditPractice ExamsMidterms And Finals
“ ”
CHEM12A
“ , so you have to actually know the concepts”
CHEM12A
“Gives an insane amount of partial credit for tests”
CHEM30A

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“You'll have to work hard for that A but he will help you a lot!!”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and . Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

87/100

“Genuinely one of the classes where I learned the most.”

🧪 Course Challenge

34/100

“O-chem is a challenge and the flipped classroom can be an adjustment”

⚖️

70/100

“He gives a lot of , as long as he sees you understand the concept.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • . it is a flipped classroom and his lecture vids are easy to follow and informative.
  • He truly wants students to succeed.
  • Professor Mar is amazing at teaching and explaining things and make things makes sense.

Theme 2

📚 About Workload And Difficulty

  • Expect to study A LOT.
  • Class requires lots of studying + memorization.
  • His exams are super hard + long, 7 pages.

Theme 3

📈 About Grades And Exams

  • do all the work and watch the lectures and you'll get an A :)
  • Gives an insane amount of partial credit for tests so that you think you failed but get back an A.
  • This is not an easy A class.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

49

Lifetime ratings

95/100

Evidence confidence

The analysis is based on 50 detailed in-person reviews across many chemistry courses and years, with consistent evidence about teaching quality and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 535
4 out of 56
3 out of 55
2 out of 52
1 out of 52

Course coverage

CHEM30A17 reviews
CHEM12A15 reviews
CHEM1A12 reviews
1A6 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

38 reported outcomes

A range

27

A+ 4 · A 18 · A- 5

B range

1

B+ 1

C range

3

C 2 · C- 1

D range

1

D 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

6

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Not sure yet 1 · Rather not say 1 · Rather_Not_Say 1