The coursework is manageable, but be ready to put in the time on assignments. Attending lectures is crucial - you'll get a lot more out of the class that way. For study prep, Unstuck study and the free textbook were super helpful.
Prof Kahn was a great first impression of UCSB for me as a transfer; always asking the class for ways he could improve our quality of learning and he implemented them. Grading was fair and there were lots of ways to earn easy points, like vocab pop quizzes or extra credit. He also likes to recycle questions sometimes on exams/homeworks.
Truly one of the best teachers I've had at UCSB. I was worried about taking this class because I've heard he's very tough, but he's literally so sweet. He cares so much about his students individually. He stayed late in his office to help me with homework, slowed the course down, and asked us what he could do to improve his tests and listened 10/10
The contents aren't too difficult, but you should expect devoting a lot of time in homework assignments, which is like a small project each. Attend lectures definitely saves your time.
Note: Only take CHEM 111 if you are serious about learning how to analyze real chemical kinetic data computationally. This is an excellent course that will teach you a lot and leave you with great, practical materials to use for analyzing kinetic data, but know that it is a hard, fast-paced class with heavy use of Mathematica.
Great professor. He certainly has high standards & expectations, but he puts a lot of time & effort into the class materials to help you. He appreciates when the class is prepared & participates in discussions & will call on people if it gets too quiet. Don't be intimidated by him though, he is extremely willing to help any student who is trying.
All I can say is don't take his class unless you are truly passionate about chemistry or biochem. He is very smart and his classes are very hard
Hard, but if you study enough, you should be fine. Plus there's a generous curve. Nice guy imho.
The way Kahn teaches brings out your best. His courses are intense, but he is by far the nicest and most helpful professor I've had in my entire 4 years of school. Be prepared to study hard and be challenged-- he sets his bar pretty high.
I don't understand people's comments on here. While he is intense (teaches undergraduate courses as graduate courses), he is by far not the worst professor here at UCSB (try some of the ChE profs!). He is available for questions and curves the class at the end (even if the average is an F!). I recommend taking him if you want to really learn.
Kahn is a good one if you want to learn practical methods and ther applications. Makes you work a lot. Coveres topics beyond the text but works hard to help students understand material. Posts helpful lecture notes online. Overall, Kahn is an excelent prof: knows his stuff, always there to help.
A beautiful series on drug design. Entertaining lectures, laid back classroom setting, chill homework assignments, crucial feedback. Kahn does everything that other professors try to do. Most professors suck, but Kahn is an exception. It is clear that he has been in academia his whole life because he has perfected teaching. Very enjoyable.
Dr. Kahn's classes are VERY HARD but his material is always interesting and he constantly pushes students towards harder concepts. If you really try and work hard you will succeed. Please go to his office hours if you need help. He is very kind and supportive, even if he may seem intimidating. DO NOT CHEAT OR SLACK OFF IN HIS CLASS
Don't take him, switch to biochem MCDB or take biochem at another UC. Always thinks someone is cheating, too much homework and assigns before midterms. Made us read a article on wikipedia to find the mistake when it wasn't there as a quiz question. Extremely condescending, started off with 44 students and about 16 were. Avoid him at all cost plzz
He will make you want to give up on college and/or life even though you are about to graduate.
He's passive-aggressive and doesn't grade fairly. Some students answered the same question essentially the same way and one got no points and the other got full credit. He will kick you out of class for using the solutions as other students cause he considers it cheating. His tests are on things he barely covers.
Get ready to do tons of self- study
If you're looking for an A but not willing to work day and night, avoid this man at all costs. Change to biochem in the bio dept if necessary. He is a great professor if you want to learn difficult concepts in great detail. His theory manuals sometimes get difficult to keep up with. Heard rumors that he's mean, but he's always been very kind to me.
Kahn is by far the worst professor Ive ever encountered. 3 quizzes/week on useless material. Intent on throwing students off, last minute updates to assignments, quizzes, exam structure. Abused his power to intimidate students. Hardest class Ive taken for only 3 units. AVOID AT ALL COSTS, THIS PLAGUE OF A HUMAN WILL RUIN YOUR SEMESTER AND BEYOND
the guy should be fired for abusing students, UCSB admin I hope you are reading this and this guy needs to go. There are plenty of good prof. out there except him, no direction in class, mood points, disorganized, and does not know the content but pretends that he does. A complete joke, who hired this guy, he needs a class in manners.
It's been a nightmare I wish I could wake up from. If you think about pre-med, DO NOT take his class! If you need biochem for graduation, I recommend taking it at another UC. You will thank me later.
Professor Kahn is a very difficult teacher. He's also the only teacher who will give you access to concise explanations of extremely complex and theoretical material. You are not disillusioned if your reason for taking his class is to have an opportunity to use your knowlege set to look deeply into chemistry. You are if you think A+ is ab initio.
I was enrolled in the biochem lab series with Dr. Kahn for the entire year (3 quarters). He is VERY TOUGH and my mental health was the lowest it has ever been. However, you do gain A LOT out of this series. He always challenges you and pushes you harder than any professors ever will.
I am not exaggerating when I say he is by far the worst professor I have ever had in 4 years of college, and probably one of the worst humans I have ever had to interact with in my entire life. There are hard professors sure, but he is more of a billeting jerk who tries to make students feel stupid compared to him.
