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CHEM W 109C
Kalju Kahn
3.2
106 reviews

106
3.2
CHEM109C . 6 Years Ago

Honestly, I enjoyed having Kahn as a professor. Yes, his courses are very challenging and yes, he'll push you to your limit but he cares about his students and about learning. Work hard as he likes this and is very approachable! Don't listen to the negative hype and be your own judge.

0 helpful 2 unhelpful
109C . 9 Years Ago

He expects a lot from you. Hard as all get out, but he expects you to do well which is refreshing and inspiring. Put in the work, meet with him in his office, go to class and be prepared. One of my favorite professors even though he was tough. Half our class dropped by the midterm, but he teaches you how to learn, which is really why you're there.

1 helpful 16 unhelpful
109C . 10 Years Ago

Only take Kahn if you need to. He relies on online lecture videos from Gainer and other online sources to teach the class. He expects you to learn all of the information before coming to class. Quizzes and tests are hard. He gives you too many resources expecting you to use all of them. Upside is that an "A" starts in the 70s.

7 helpful 1 unhelpful
CHEM109C . 10 Years Ago

He enjoys torturing his students and making his students' life miserable. DO NOT TAKE if you are not going to be a professional chemist!! The quiz questions are something you CANNOT find in your textbook. And he expects you to have 100 hours every week to study for his class and it's IMPOSSIBLE.

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CHEM109C . 10 Years Ago

He is obviously one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. He was relearning organic chemistry from the same textbook the students used, and he found a couple of errors in the book. His vitamin pop quizzes are nearly impossible. The exams are overwhelmingly difficult, thus my 54% turned out to be a B+.

1 helpful 6 unhelpful
CHEM109C . 14 Years Ago

He hadn't taught 109c since like 2007 so he was definitely rusty with mechanisms etc but still really enjoyed the class. His tests can be ridiculous but he curves generously. also gave explicit study guides... super chill!

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OCHEM109C . 17 Years Ago

Nearly impossible to understand a word that he says for about the first week or two of class. Talks super fast and it is easy to get lost. He is a very intelligent man but his tests are very difficult so there is always a huge curve. Expect to take CLAS to do well and spend alot of time out of class trying to learn the material.

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CHEM109C . 18 Years Ago

It was his first time teaching the class and it took a while to get use to him...but he definitely listened to the class and when we didn't understand something he took the time to explain it. whether or not the explanation helped is a different matter

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CHEM109C . 18 Years Ago

He is not only hard to understand but comes to lecture unprepared. Students are constantly correcting his mechanisms. Tests are fair though.

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CHEM109C . 20 Years Ago

No Comments

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CHEM109C . 20 Years Ago

He teaches differently by not going exactly by the book. His powerpoints are interesting and he has a good sense of humor. I got an A only because he curves the class. Because he curves, he makes the exams somewhat difficult--so that he can distinguish the A students from the others. He is really approachable and nice.

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CHEM109C . 20 Years Ago

Definately not an easy professor, he requires a increased level of conceptual understanding of the topics. Its a lot of work, but once you understand the concepts your ok. Exams are constructed to test your conceptual understanding, by bringing in additional materials and even essays. Its a lot of work but you come out with more than a good grade.

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CHEM109C . 20 Years Ago

This guy is just horrible! If anyone has taken other Ochem classes and considering taking one with him or another, all I have to say is don't even think about it! Bruice is million times better than him in every way. You can't even understand him because his accent is so bad and his tests are ridiculously hard.

1 helpful 0 unhelpful
162B . 8 Months Ago

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.

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CHEM111 . 10 Months Ago

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.

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CHEM111 . 10 Months Ago

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.

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CHEM111 . 11 Months Ago

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

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CHEM111 . 1 Year, 10 Months Ago

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.

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BIOCHEM1 . 3 Years Ago

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

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CHEM142A . 3 Years Ago

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

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CHEM125L . 4 Years Ago

He will make you want to give up on college and/or life even though you are about to graduate.

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CHEM125L . 4 Years Ago

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.

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CHEMW142A . 4 Years Ago

Get ready to do tons of self- study

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CHEM110L125L . 4 Years Ago

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.

0 helpful 1 unhelpful