I would not recommend taking Professor Hall for Chemistry 1201. I've always been a straight A student, who did well in high school Chemistry. Hall is definitely a nice guy with an amusing personality, but everything I learned was my own doing. He gives a ridiculous amount of Mastering Chemistry homework that did not contribute to my understanding of any concepts whatsoever. There are no bonus points. His lectures were hard to follow, seemed very jumbled, and not helpful at all.
So, who would I recommend taking?
Cook.
I had many friends who were in Cook's class, and this is what I have been able to gather about her:
- She gives you the option to buy (15$) an awesome condensed study guide that will help you with literally EVERYTHING. It's extremely clear. Had Professor Hall even mentioned this guide in the beginning of the semester, my grade would not have suffered. Unfortunately I found out about this guide the night before the final.
- She gives LOADS of bonus points. I compared my tests with Cook's tests and ALL of her tests had a bonus question. She would also give out homework bonuses that drastically raised everyone's grades. One friend told me she had an 89, but would probably have a 60 if it wasn't for all the bonus points.
- Her exams are easier. She gave more conceptual questions, whereas Hall's were mostly intricate math/formula problems.
- Students have a much better understanding of Chemistry after taking her class. They knew all of the formulas and exactly what each problem required.
- She doesn't give even close to the amount of homework that Hall did. Because of that, students were not weighed down by trying to finish something annoyingly long in a really short period of time, and thus were able to understand everything much more.
Hall's class seemed like one big vicious cycle. Ugh.
