Michael McCarthy

CHM1B · CHM1A · CHEM22 · CHM22 · 39 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 28/100
RMP rating: 2.4/5
Take again: 38.46%
Difficulty: 4.1

The decision

Avoid unless and can tolerate group-dependent grading with almost no direct instruction.

Best fit · Self Taught ProNo Lecture POGILSelf Taught ChemistryTough GraderGroup DependentHeavy Homework

Almost no traditional lecture; class is POGIL group worksheets and self-reading.
, and quizzes that often feel misaligned.
A minority adapt and praise the method, but and unhelpful.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

Some students earn As with drops and steady work, but , and group zeros make an A a real grind.

Online ; in-person adds group penalties and strict lab grading.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Chemistry content is hard and made harder by almost no lecturing and .

Both formats require heavy self-study; online is fully site-based while .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

18/100

as mandatory for group work and participation grades.

; the few online reviews report attendance not mandatory.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

36/100

and most reviews urge students to pick anyone who actually lectures.

; online is mixed but .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

; group zeros, hard-to-perfect assignments, and strict no-late policies are common.

Format shift

In-person highlights group grading penalties; online notes no .

Workload

Heavy

25/100

, and group activities create a heavy ongoing load.

Format shift

Both formats report lots of homework; online and workbooks.

Teaching experience

Poor

35/100

Most students say he rarely lectures, gives vague answers, and leaves learning to groups or websites.

Format shift

; online complains of and only Knewton Alta.

Assessment method

Balanced

55/100

Mix of group chem activities, homework, labs, quizzes, midterms, and .

Format shift

Online leans quizzes/exams on Alta; , and exams.

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

36 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

In-person is group-workbook heavy with , and lab/homework load that frustrates most students.

Main concern

, and self-teaching of hard chem topics under strict policies.

What students said

“This was the . Uses POGIL which is highly dependable on the type of people you have in your group.”
CHM1A

“He doesn't explain material well, so a lot of learning is self taught. Expect .”
CHEM22

“You basically have to teach yourself in lecture because he expects you and 3 other people to solve a worksheet based on topics you probably have never heard of before.”
CHM1B

Remote format

Online

3 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online sections and little teaching; passable only if you stay on top of weekly work.

Main concern

You teach yourself from a paid site; and no real lectures.

What students said

“If taken online, you wont have any lectures and will have to teach yourself everything from a website called Knewton Atla.”
CHEM22

“Most of the material you'll "learn" is from Knewton Alta and it doesn't properly teach you the material.”
CHM22

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams and quizzes are often hard and poorly aligned with lectures, with and paid online testing tools.

Hard examsSome take-home midtermsPaid quiz platformsNo clear study guidesOral lab quiz

Assessment risk

Standard

45/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person midterms and guides, plus lab quizzes and oral checks.

Difficult midterms and finalsOccasional take-home midtermNo study guideOral lab quiz

“From what I remeber taking him spring 2024 is that he doesn't teach specifically... .”
CHEM22

“ so be prepared to answer any question he might have.”
CHM1B

“No study guide for the and for the didn't teach.”
CHEM22

Online

Online exams and as hard with no and scores locked as final.

Knewton Alta quizzesHard examsNo extra credit

“ knewton Alta and whatever you get that your score.”
CHEM22

“The but you should pass if youre able to do the reviews from K.A.”
CHM22

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Save yourself from stress and pick someone else who actually teaches and provides guidance, like a TEACHER.”
Voice snapshots generated from 39 reviews spanning online and in-person , and group-work themes. Credibility rating: High.

📚

35/100

“Ironic, since he but expects YOU to teach yourself by reading these incredibly challenging topics.”

👎 Low Recommendation

36/100

“Not a if all other classes are full.”

⚖️

28/100

“if a person in your group wouldn't turn it on on time, you would all get a zero”

📝 Heavy Ongoing Work

25/100

“Expect , and frequent assigned group work.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He , and if you ask for help, he'll give you a riddle half the time.
Lectures are literally just you and 2-3 other people in your group trying to finish an entire workbook
or teach, uses a workbook and groups for students to self teach.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

expects u to know everything on the exams but doesn't teach anything lol
The majority of people did terribly on the final, and he had to change how the .
but

Theme 3

👥 About Group Work

Random groups makes the class way more harder.
Kinda depends on who you get in your group tho.
Uses POGIL which is highly dependable on the type of people you have in your group.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

39 recent detailed reviews across CHEM22, CHM1A, and CHM1B show consistent themes of , group work, and .

Inside 39 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 56

4 out of 57

3 out of 53

2 out of 55

1 out of 518

Course coverage

CHEM2217 reviews

CHM1A13 reviews

CHM1B5 reviews

CHM224 reviews

Reported outcomes

B range results lead the reported letter grades.

39 reported outcomes

A range

A 8 · A- 1

B range

B+ 5 · B 10 · B- 1

C range

C+ 2 · C 6

D range

D 1

F

F 1

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Not sure yet 1

Michael McCarthy

Avoid unless x x x x x and can tolerate group-dependent grading with almost no direct instruction.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Mandatory

Avoid

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

📚 x x x

👎 Low Recommendation

⚖️ x x x

📝 Heavy Ongoing Work

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

👥 About Group Work

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

B range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

Avoid unless and can tolerate group-dependent grading with almost no direct instruction.

📚

⚖️