AI Rate Professor

Chemistry

Alvin Mao

WLD41C · CHEM300AND305 · CHEM400L · CHEM400 · CHEM400LAB · CHEM300 · CHEM305 · CHEMISTRY300 · 12 lifetime ratings

AI rating
58/100
RMP rating
3.7/5
Take again
58.33%
Difficulty
3.4

The decision

Prefer him for CHEM300 or lab if you want structure and safety nets; be cautious for CHEM400 if you need an easy A.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerTough graderExtra credit and dropsCHEM300 stronger than 400Conceptual lecturesApproachable but strict
  • CHEM300/lab students often , and .
  • CHEM400 reviews are more and .
  • He is caring and reachable, yet many call him a .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

42/100

Drops and help, but tough grading and .

Online CHEM400 still reports hard tests despite EC; in-person CHEM300 is more forgiving than CHEM400.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

36/100

Chemistry content plus problem-heavy exams keeps intellectual demand high.

; in-person comments stress conceptual lectures versus problem tests.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

30/100

Most detailed reviews mark attendance mandatory for lecture or lab success.

; online notes are limited and mixed.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

55/100

; praise clusters in lower-level chem and labs, not upper CHEM400.

Online CHEM400 leans avoid; in-person CHEM300/lab reviews strongly recommend.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

35/100

; lab reports and and dropped scores.

Format shift

Both formats call him a ; in-person CHEM300 students .

Workload

Heavy

40/100

, and hand-written prelabs create a solid workload.

Format shift

Online students report self-study time; in person adds labs and prelabs by hand.

Teaching experience

Average

64/100

and humor, while others say lectures lack examples and .

Format shift

Online teaching reviews are weaker on lecture pacing; and CHEM300 praise is stronger.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

74/100

Quizzes, midterms, and and labs secondary.

Format shift

Both formats emphasize exams; online notes multiple choice plus short answer.

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

10 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

strong for CHEM300 and and EC, but CHEM400 critics cite tough grading and sparse examples.

Main concern

and .

What students said

“He made chemistry tolerable and got students ready for chem 400. He offered plenty of and dropped the lowest score for EVERYTHING.”
CHEMISTRY300
“Stay away from him!”
CHEM400
“I love the way he lectures and makes things easy to understand!”
CHEM400L

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online CHEM400 feedback is mixed: and notes, but weak pacing and .

Main concern

Lectures fell behind and .

What students said

“Very caring and helpful. Always responded to emails within an hour max. Lectures aren't very good bcs he fell behind and really struggled to catch up.”
CHEM400
“Absolutely didnt care about anything, . ”
CHEM400

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are hard and problem-focused, often harder than conceptual lectures suggest.

Problem-heavy examsMultiple midtermsWeekly quizzesDrops lowest exam

Assessment risk

Strict

38/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In person, lectures are conceptual while ; .

Problem heavy examsWeekly quizzesDrop lowest midterm
“Lectures are conceptual, while .”
CHEM400
“3 midterms and them... and quiz.”
CHEM300

Online

Online tests described as pretty hard with multiple choice and short answer plus lots of EC.

Hard testsMultiple choice and short answerLots of EC
“ and short answer. 3 exams and 1 final, lots of EC.”
CHEM400

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“Honestly, I love this professor so much. He made chemistry tolerable and got students ready for chem 400. He offered plenty of and dropped the lowest score for EVERYTHING.”

Voice snapshots generated from 12 reviews (2 online, 10 in person), highlighting course-level split and . Credibility rating: Medium.

🎯 Teaching Quality

64/100

“Prof. Mao is one of the ! He is so understanding and is willing to help students excel and comprehend the lessons.”

⚖️

35/100

“He nits picks the smallest stuff in your lab report and .”

👍 Split Recommendation

55/100

“100% recommend this professor. He is freaking awesome.”

📝

38/100

“Lectures are conceptual, while .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • He KNOWS how to actually teach chem
  • he fell behind and really struggled to catch up.
  • He makes really horrible chemistry puns!

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • he is a because he wants you to have a STRONG chem 300 foundation!
  • if you are an A student, be ready to get disappointed.
  • and quiz.

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • Very caring and helpful.
  • Dr. Mao is a nice guy and he cares about his students.
  • Such a chill& happy guy.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

12

Recent reviews read by the AI

12

Lifetime ratings

58/100

Evidence confidence

Twelve mixed but a modest sample and course-level split reduce certainty.

Inside 12 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 56
4 out of 51
3 out of 52
2 out of 51
1 out of 52

Course coverage

CHEM4004 reviews
CHEM3002 reviews
CHEM300AND3051 review
CHEM3051 review
CHEM400L1 review
Show 3 more courses
CHEM400LAB1 review
CHEMISTRY3001 review
WLD41C1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

10 reported outcomes

A range

6

A+ 1 · A 3 · A- 2

B range

0

No reported values

C range

2

C 1 · C- 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

2

Not sure yet 2