AI Rate Professor

Chemistry

Maria Somma

CHEM12A · 3 lifetime ratings

AI rating
42/100
RMP rating
3.0/5
Take again
33.33%
Difficulty
4.0

The decision

if you already love chemistry and can handle a stern, test-heavy pace; many students report humiliation and .

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerTest heavyStern old-schoolLots of homeworkCaring but harshFast-paced
  • passionate and and unfair to others
  • and and fast pace
  • Public grade announcements and harsh treatment of struggling students are major red flags

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

Two students reported A grades but only with , and concept-focused exams; .

.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Fast lecture pace and concept-heavy exams make the content intellectually demanding for most students.

.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

15/100

and students are told to attend all lectures.

.

Is this professor recommended?

Avoid

32/100

Only one of ; others warn of abuse, unfair tests, and not recommending a busy semester.

.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

28/100

Tough grader and graded-by-few-things tags plus claims of .

Format shift

.

Workload

Heavy

25/100

Lots of , and warnings not to take with a busy semester indicate a heavy load.

Format shift

.

Teaching experience

Average

45/100

Some call her caring and effective; others say she shouts, uses others' tests, and fails to sustain kindness.

Format shift

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Assessment method

FocusOnExams

72/100

Test-heavy and graded-by-few-things tags show exams and quizzes dominate over other work.

Format shift

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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

3 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person CHEM12A is fast-paced, test-heavy, and attendance-mandatory; some praise her passion while others call her abusive and inconsistent.

Main concern

Public shaming of , and exams covering untaught material.

What students said

“Dr Somma loves Chemistry and nurtures passion in students.”
CHEM12A
“Even if you're trying to get by with a C, she is abusive to students.”
CHEM12A
“Falling behind even a little bit will overwhelm you because of the pace that she teaches at.”
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 emphasize concepts and speed; students report untaught content can appear on tests.

Concept-focused examsMust be fast during examsTest heavy

Assessment risk

Strict

35/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and fast-paced; one student says she uses other teachers' tests covering material not taught.

Concept examsTest heavySpeed required
“Complete all HW-- .”
CHEM12A
“ ”
CHEM12A
“ so they will include content that she has not covered.”
CHEM12A

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“ if you actually need to understand chemistry. Even if you're trying to get by with a C, she is abusive to students.”

Voice snapshots generated from 3 in-person reviews, highlighting polarized teaching quality and harsh classroom climate. Credibility rating: Medium.

🎯 Teaching Quality

45/100

“Dr. Somma is a very old school professor who is effective but takes some getting used to.”

⚠️ Student Treatment

20/100

“she is abusive to students. She can show kindness but she can not sustain it.”

📚 Workload Intensity

25/100

“ if you have a busy semester.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Dr Somma loves Chemistry and nurtures passion in students.
  • She is stern but helpful.
  • You MUST stay on top of the material.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • Falling behind even a little bit will overwhelm you

Theme 3

⚠️ About Classroom Climate

  • shouts at the class when upset
  • underperforming students are fixated on, creating embarrassment

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

3

Recent reviews read by the AI

3

Lifetime ratings

55/100

Evidence confidence

Three detailed in-person reviews from 2022-2023 show polarized views; sample is small but comments are rich and consistent on pace and tests.

Inside 3 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 51
4 out of 50
3 out of 51
2 out of 50
1 out of 51

Course coverage

CHEM12A3 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

3 reported outcomes

A range

2

A 2

B range

0

No reported values

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

1

Rather not say 1