online class. too much work for a 2 unit class. a lot of requirements per assignment. you have to show a lot of work for very little points. also makes you buy her book which she changes every year. ta was nice

Super vague grading rubrics, unnecessarily difficult quizzes, and assignments are almost never returned on time/are graded very harshly. It's only a 2 unit class but I genuinely spent more time on it than any of my 4/5 unit classes. You are also required to buy the poorly written textbook and corresponding lab manual.

This class is more work than gen chem but youre kinda forced to take it since theres literally no other profs. Youre forced to buy ridiculously written textbooks made by Petra. The classes are inconsistent based on the TA you get since the textbook doesnt help and you need to constantly ask for clarification. Communication sucks good luck buddy

Very poor professor, labs are poorly set up and TA's grade lab-work extremely ungenerously

She wouldn't even cancel classes for the coronavirus when the entire campus was closed! Clearly did not care about student's health whatsoever. TA's teach the class and she simply writes the textbooks to make money off of them, and you can't resell them because it changes every year.

The TA teaches the class and some grade much harder than others. UCSB doesn't give the option of taking anyone else so you just have to try and get lucky with your TA. Also be prepared to do hours and hours of homework for yours labs. On average I spent 10-15 a week. But I'm also not very good at chem, so it depends on you.

You dont actually get to meet her really, you just have a TA. I absolutely loved my TA and LA and they were super chill so I loved this class, but Ive had friends with not great TAs and they hated it so it all really depends on what TA you get. Final is harder than the exam questions.

no one ever meets her, but the final is hella hard. Be ready to study a ton, but it may not even help

Although she doesnt grade any your HW, she designs all the experiments which are useless and took more than 5hours to do the HW. Besides, this course shouldnt be a 2credits class!

It all depends on your TA. Mine was super chill so I liked the class. Lab reports make up most of your grade so if you do well on those and score alright on the quizzes and final then you'll pass. If you want an A, study the lab manual before class and you're basically guaranteed an A. Disclaimer: I actually like chem so it may be different for you

Petra is a good person, but sometimes the labs were unnecessarily specific. Plus, your grade is totally dependent upon who your TA is. I was blessed with a normal grading TA, but I knew others that were totally wrecked by their TA. Also, this quarter, the lab final had a TON of questions that were NOT on the study guide.

i hate her

As the gen chem lab series goes on (from A to C) her explanations of the labs get worse and worse. Once you get to Chem 1CL don't expect to learn anything from reading the manual because she doesn't explain anything you need to know for the pre-lab or review questions. I'm sorry you poor confused souls who have to take her lab course.

-CHEM 1AL should really not vary in difficulty based on the TA you get. -A good number of TAs are difficult graders and take of easy points for little mistakes % the lost points really do add up & hurt your grade. -Don't rely on the curve -On the flip side, quizzes and tests should be easy if you are on top of it and easier than CHEM 1A. -READ!

Granny Petra is amazing. definitely an eye candy. I get distracted by her look in lecture all the time. She's like the loml. *Heart-eyed emoji inserted here*

Participating in the Learning Assistant (LA) program with Prof. van Koppen has been the best academic experience I've had at UCSB so far. Petra is very caring and approachable, and is always willing to take feedback from TAs and students alike. I'd recommend the LA program to anyone who enjoys teaching and chemistry.

Very patient at her office hours

Labs are not useful, long and uninteresting.

petra is nice but very serious and a tough grader. Her tests are difficult as well.

She likes to derive equations using calculus, but she's also very straight-forward regarding what the student needs to know/memorize. Her tests are mainly based on what she discusses in class. I-Clickers will help you grade. Don't underestimate the quizzes. If you really have no other choice and need to skip, read the book in detail.

Chem 1B is the hardest course out of the chem series. Make sure you read the book and go to CLAS. She extends ALEKS due dates frequently, but make sure you do it anyway. Teaches very closely to Price.

Her class is incredibly stressful. She emails practice problems on things she hasn't even begun to cover yet, and expect you to have a full understanding of them by the time you come to class. She skips over basic concepts, focuses on complex things that you will never see in the real world. Her demonstrations can be fun, but her class is useless.

Lab completely depends on your TA. I had Andrew Cook. He was pretty cool, fair grader. Things to note: lab reports will be due 3 days after lab at 4pm, so keep that in mind when choosing a time. Also if you have lab 12-2:30, it can get tricky to get food because dining commons close at 2:30. I had class until 11 (dlghuge line) and ort was closed

I felt that Van Koppen's class was a good, challenging course. She sends out a lot of emails with work that you can constantly be doing... and I regret not having done more of the recommended questions. That is the key to success in her class along with getting help early on. CLAS is a great tool, but office hours were mildly helpful as well.