AI Rate Professor

Chemistry

Kathryn Colby

CHEM51 · CHEM50 · CHEM10 · CHEM101 · 18 lifetime ratings

AI rating
54/100
RMP rating
3.7/5
Take again
60%
Difficulty
3.3

The decision

Take Colby only if you can teach , and will use her worksheets and hard.

Best fit · Self Taught ProFast-Paced LecturesExtra Credit HeavyLecture HeavySelf-Study OrientedPolarizing Chem Teacher
  • Reviews and confusing self-teach lectures
  • as mandatory and missing class leaves students lost
  • and exam outline help strong self-starters, while and frustration

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

54/100

A grades and heavy are possible, but weaker students call her a and say self-teaching is required for an A.

Online reviews sound more grade-friendly; and drop stories.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

34/100

Chemistry content is already hard and her fast, .

Both formats call pacing hard; online adds long lectures and tutoring needs while in person stresses board speed.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

16/100

and missing lecture leaves you lost, with tags like Skip class? You won't pass.

; one online CHEM51 review said attendance was not mandatory.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

58/100

About 60% would take her again: self-starters who use worksheets love her, while .

Online reviews are warmer overall; recent in-person CHEM51 reviews are more polarized.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

52/100

and , but multiple students call labs nitpicky and label her a tough grader.

Format shift

Online comments emphasize clear criteria; in-person comments split between and .

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Lots of , and labs create a heavy ongoing load.

Format shift

; online sometimes softens due-date pressure with end-of-term deadlines.

Teaching experience

Average

62/100

Many praise caring support and , while others say she writes problems without explaining and confuses the class.

Format shift

Online experiences skew more positive; in-person quality swings from 1 to 5.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

72/100

Classes revolve around frequent exams and , and MasteringChemistry work.

Format shift

and labs most; and exam prep.

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

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

In-person CHEM50/51 experiences range from exam-aligned and supportive to rushed board work that .

Main concern

Fast lectures, limited explanation when stuck, and .

What students said

“Save yourself!! She does not teach you the material clearly.”
CHEM51
“What she teaches is actually on the .”
CHEM51
“She also gives a ton of ”
CHEM51

Remote format

Online

3 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online reviewers generally praise clear criteria, helpful lectures, flexible due dates in COVID terms, and recent in-person critics.

Main concern

Fast online whiteboard pacing can still be without tutoring.

What students said

“Absolutely amazing ! She is the .”
CHEM51
“very understanding and ! :)”
CHEM10
“Had during COVID and she was really helpful with having all HW due at the end of the semester, not weekly.”
CHEM51

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are central and often outlined in advance, but still frequent and unforgiving of careless mistakes.

Exam-Aligned TeachingMultiple Choice ExamsFrequent TestsWorksheet PracticeExtra Credit

Assessment risk

Standard

48/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In person, she often previews exact problem types, but , and can still feel confusing.

Tells Exact Exam Problem TypesFrequent TestsMultiple Choice ExamsTest Reviews
“she prepares you really well for problems that will be on the exams)”
CHEM51
“ and packets she gives in class because you can easily lose points for dumb mistakes since exams are multiple choice.”
CHEM51

Online

Online students say lectures and claims of proctoring tools.

Lecture and HW Align to ExamsPlenty of Worksheets with Keys
“the homework and and her lectures will help big time with the exams.”
CHEM51
“she gives plenty of examples and worksheets with keys.”
CHEM51

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“I do not recommend this professor to those who are not confident in chemistry and can not teach themselves.”

Voice snapshots generated from 18 reviews (3 online, 15 in person), , and . Credibility rating: High.

⚡ Polarizing Teaching

62/100

“Save yourself!! She does not teach you the material clearly.”

🎯

70/100

“What she teaches is actually on the .”

🎁 Lifeline

68/100

“She also gives a ton of ”

🚫

40/100

“AVOID if you cannot understand the !!!”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Lectures are VERY fast paced but always covers everything
  • She does not teach but writes problems on the board
  • Colby is a funny and down-to-earth professor

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • She also gives a ton of
  • you can easily lose points for

Theme 3

📅

  • If you miss lecture you will be lost, so showing up for every single lecture is a must
  • A lot of homework,but manageable
  • LOTS OF HOMEWORK

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

18

Recent reviews read by the AI

18

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

Eighteen reviews across many years and courses with detailed, mixed opinions and both formats provide a robust and consistent polarization signal.

Inside 18 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 59
4 out of 52
3 out of 52
2 out of 53
1 out of 52

Course coverage

CHEM5110 reviews
CHEM504 reviews
CHEM103 reviews
CHEM1011 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

16 reported outcomes

A range

8

A+ 4 · A 4

B range

3

B 3

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

5

Drop/Withdrawal 2 · Not sure yet 3