Basel Zaitoun

CHEM2A · 14 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 38/100
RMP rating: 2.7/5
Take again: 40%
Difficulty: 3.9

The decision

Avoid if you need a ; only consider if you already know chemistry and can handle a harsh classroom.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerPolarizing Chem 2ADemeaning classroom toneHard confusing examsExtra credit when positiveStrict lab safety

and lenient scales, many report demeaning treatment and impossible exams
Exams often feel mismatched to lectures with
Positive reviewers highlight and lowered A/B/C cutoffs; negative ones warn to protect GPA and mental health

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

35/100

Positive students mention lower cutoffs and , but many still struggle for .

All evidence is in-person.

Is the course easy?

BrainBurner

18/100

Chemistry difficulty , and material students say was not taught.

All evidence is in-person.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

20/100

and lab with forced full lab stay.

All evidence is in-person.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

40/100

About 40% would take again; strong praise cluster conflicts with a .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

48/100

and lowered letter cutoffs; critics call him a tough grader with slow grade posts.

Format shift

In-person only.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Lots of , and .

Format shift

In-person only.

Teaching experience

Poor

40/100

and funny; many describe demeaning tone, rushed lectures, and unhelpful answers.

Format shift

In-person only; .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

80/100

Exams and .

Format shift

In-person only.

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

15 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person Chem 2A is highly polarized: , and easier grade cutoffs, while many others report demeaning behavior, long labs, and exams on untaught material.

Main concern

, and high drop rates.

What students said

“ ! Would give ridiculously long exams on stuff not covered in the lectures or slides... Preserve your GPA (and sanity) and !”
Chem-2A

“Gives practice exams that are identical to real exams and offers . ..is lower than all other chemistry instructors.”
Chem-2A

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.

In-person chemistry exams , and often beyond lecture coverage, though some get practice exams and .

Long hard examsMaterial beyond study guidePractice exams sometimes identicalExtra credit on exams

Assessment risk

Strict

30/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

as long and complicated with material not always on the study guide; a subset praises identical practice exams and per-exam .

Long examsMaterial not on study guidePractice examsExtra credit on exams

“ the study guide.”
Chem-2A

“Gives practice exams that and offers .”
Chem-2A

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“He could be very demeaning when students got answers wrong which made me feel uncomfortable asking questions. .”
Voice snapshots generated from 15 in-person Chem-2A reviews with a sharp positive-negative split. Credibility rating: Medium.

⚠️ Classroom Climate

25/100

“constantly targets students for anything, whether that's missing a class, answering a question wrong, or asking for clarification.”

🧪 Teaching Praise Cluster

75/100

“The best Chemistry instructor in Norco College... . Also, 64/100 (rather than 70) is "C".”

📝

30/100

“ .”

👍 Recommendation Split

40/100

“I wouldn't wish Dr. !”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He speeds through lessons and reacts negatively towards questions
I had him as my lab professor and loved him

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

I got 88% and got an "A" in the class
He started with 64 students and roughly 25% of them remained when
..is lower than all other chemistry instructors

Theme 3

⚠️ About Respect & Safety

Not really respectful and won't be shy to call you out in front of the whole class
Also very serious about safety
Made a racist joke stating I was texting someone from Zimbabwe

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

68/100

Evidence confidence

15 recent in-person reviews show a , so credibility is moderate-high for the conflict itself.

Inside 15 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 56

4 out of 50

3 out of 50

2 out of 50

1 out of 59

Course coverage

Chem-2A15 reviews

Reported outcomes

No letter grade reported results lead the reported letter grades.

15 reported outcomes

A range

A 2

B range

B+ 1 · B 4

C range

C 1 · C- 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Audit/No Grade 1 · Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 1 · Rather not say 3

Basel Zaitoun

Avoid if you need a x x x x; only consider if you already know chemistry and can handle a harsh classroom.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

BrainBurner

Mandatory

Depends

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.

⚠️ Classroom Climate

🧪 Teaching Praise Cluster

📝 x x

👍 Recommendation Split

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

⚠️ About Respect & Safety

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

No letter grade reported results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

Avoid if you need a ; only consider if you already know chemistry and can handle a harsh classroom.

📝