Professor Anyika has been my favorite professor. She is extremely caring and will help her students understand the material. She will sit with you one on one until you understand if you ask her. Ochem is a hard class but if you go to office hours, understand the practice problems, and go to office hours you should be fine. Definitely recommend!!
I enjoyed taking this class, definitely recommend for those who want to have a strong foundation in chemistry! Midterms and final were very fair. All the problems found on tests were variations of the practice problems in the textbook (she posted scans of these w/answers too). I also liked how she posted the answers to midterms so we could correct.
I loved Mercy! Structured her class in a way that we could undertand the difficulties of chemistry. Midterms are worth more than anything else in her class. Make sure to do the aleks, also worth a lot. But overall a good class, in prep for Chem 1A. She's so fun and charistmatic.
Prof was great at explaining simple concepts and creating a positive environment for ppl new to chem, but I felt she never spent enough time on the harder ones/stuff that actually appeared on tests. Midterms (3) and final heavy with mandatory sections, but those really helped anyway. Definitely great prep for 1A, tests structured just like theirs.
As the lowest level class, Mercy was great at explaining the basics of chem by using analogies. She was willing to provide help outside of class with office hours, and her jokes made the class enjoyable. She always came in with a happy attitude. Glad I took this class because it prepared me a lot for 1A.
Prof. Anyika was encouraging & supportive with a great attitude, but wasn't the best at explaining the harder concepts appearing on exams. Most of that came from the ALEKS hw and mandatory sections (with a great TA, thank you Priscilla!). Class has 3 midterms, 3 quizzes, & a final. Would rec as a refresher/intro to college chem before taking 1A.
She is a good professor, but the lectures were sometimes confusing; she gave examples for easy questions (one example per question) but went over them too fast for challenging questions. The tests are not too bad, and the Aleks homework is probably the most difficult part of this class. My TA was the GOAT and explained concepts better.
Professor Anyika was a great professor, however, sometimes her lectures and explanations can be confusing. if you go to office hours, ask questions, and do book problems you can pass with a good grade. Most tests have a couple questions from the book so it's good to practice those.
I was worried going into Anyika's class because I heard negative reviews from my peers about her teaching and difficulty, but I learned so much from her and really appreciated how she made herself available outside of lecture. I went to her office hours frequently and she gave clear explanations. Her exams are fair if you go to lectures.
She thinks she's a really smart, awesome professor but she's just ok. Her ego does not match her skill, and is critical on students unprompted due to her ego trips. Just not a fun person to be taught by, go for your other options if you have a chance.
I really liked her style of teaching. For 109A and 109B her tests were a little unfair especially compared to the other professors. They were full of little exceptions and trick questions. Ochem is a hard topic overall but Anyika is super nice and wants you to learn. She is supper accessible if you need extra help or have questions.
She's lovely. Had her for B and C, very caring and human which is important in these brutal classes to not feel so insignificant. The classes are hard, and the time is limited so it's equally hard to teach this course. Her exams were challenging but fair, whatever practice sources she says test questions will come from are true, it will happen.
Had her for the full series and she is my favorite professor ever. The series is very hard if seeking an A, but this is not her fault. She is funny, transparent with material that can appear on tests, and will give credit if you defend your answers well. She goes the extra mile to help students pursue outside opportunities. I highly recommend her.
109B made me hate Ochem, loved 109A/C. 109B is the worst one out of the series (got an A in 109A) will be hard no matter who you take. Her lectures are great, clear, concise. Tests are difficult + based on book probs/reading/lecture/wksts. The synthesis questions killed me. Super stingy with partial credit. Funny and sweet, but MERCY has NO MERCY.
Ochem is actually just a hard subject and Mercy is very passionate about what she teaches. She has clear lectures and is very open to questions. Even though I got a C-, it was 100% on me, SO DO THE BOOK PROBLEMS. Professor Mercy is a great choice for chemistry, so dont skip out on her.
she's super funny but definitely not a good teacher. got confused when teaching her own material and had zero sympathy for students who were struggling. if you need to actually learn in her class or don't have full confidence in teaching yourself the material, don't take
read the textbook, do book problems, and go to office hours
Incredibly tough, leaving the exams and feeling like an idiot is normal. That being said, she is very clear on the material, and is incredibly helpful in off time. Not an easy professor by any means, but if you are willing to put in the work you can get a good grade. Tests were hard, but not impossible. Get friends to study with and do CLAS.
Everyone makes her out to be way worse than she is; it's the class itself that's difficult for some. I found her lectures to be clear for the most part, and I understood the material she was teaching. You'll be fine, she doesn't bite.
She is very funny but her lectures were sometimes confusing. Aleks was a pain in the beginning and end, the middle was okay. As long as you do what she says you'll be alright but her tests were infuriating since it would sometimes have material we didn't do in class. You'll basically teach yourself.
Professor Anyika is a great, funny person, but not a great lecturer. I felt really confused when I went to class and understood things better if I just taught them to myself. She tries to make things easy but it doesn't end up that way :/
One of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. Her tests are ridiculously difficult and unpredicatable. Students were in tears after every midterm. When students tried to ask for explanations to test questions she got incredibly defensive and refused to give out any partial credit. I considered changing my major after taking her class.
Although chemistry at UCSB is notoriously difficult, Professor Anyika and her TAs do their very best to help students improve, especially outside of class time. Students that put in the effort will see it reciprocated by them. The professor is very lighthearted and funny.
Lectures get confusing and she falls behind in material compared to other professors. Wastes too much time on Iclicker questions that didn't teach you anything and has annoying quizzes on Gauchospace that were unnecessarily hard. Tests are hard in general but she tries to trick you for no reason. Overall not worth taking