[CHEM 0241]
Organic Chemistry I

Rate This Class

Professor: Byers

Value of Course / Overall Score

Not Much (23.1%
Average (15.4%)
Valuable (61.5%)

Material

Friendly (23.1%)
Average (23.1%)
Competitive (53.8%)

Class Atmosphere

Boring (23.1%)
Average (53.8%)
Fascinating (23.1%)

Prep Time Needed

1-2hr (0%)
3-5hr (7.7%)
6-8hr (15.4%)
9-11hr (23.1%)
12+ hr (53.8%)

Grade Weighting

Harder (30.8%)
Average (0%)
Easier (69.2%)

Adequate Assistance

Yes (84.6%)
No (15.4%)

Would Recommend Class

Yes (53.8%)
No (46.2%)

Evaluation Comments for Byers

  1. Organic Chemistry is a lot of work. There is no way around that. However, Byers was an amazing professor who really cares about his students and is very good at explaining difficult material. Although there are mixed reviews here, I absolutely loved him as a professor. I am a biology-minded pre-med, but Orgo was probably my favorite class of last semester. I also didn't do very well on the first midterm/lab report, but ended up doing outstanding in the class. A really great experience. I have never worked so hard or gotten so much out of any class at Midd.
  2. No Comment
  3. No Comment
  4. Byers really seems to be a love-him or hate-him kind of professor. I personally find him completely disorganized, and hard to follow during class. It is fairly easy to just read the textbook, do practice problems, and get along fine. But the class is not enjoyable. Byers's quizzes and exams are easier than Bunt's, but Bunt's encouraging and cheerful style make the class ENTIRELY better. Take orgo with Bunt if you can!
  5. I came away from this class with a solid understanding of the fundamentals of organic chem. Byers is without a doubt the most disorganized and idiosyncratic professor I have had at Midd, but he is great at explaining tough concepts and his tests are fair. I was very apprehensive about learning the organic nomenclature but the workbook that we used made it a breeze. Make sure you do the readings and assigned book problems and you should be fine - but be warned that the last few weeks of the semester are the most overwhelming, so be on top of the basics by then.
  6. Professor Byers does not do a great job teaching the material. if you havn't taken 107 with him, chances are that you will be confused most of the time. H doesnt explain broad concepts and the parts of this course dont seem to link together at all. On top of tough material, he slights questions and makes confused students feel inadequate. DO NOT take this course with byers if you can help it. if you must, be prepared for bad chemistry jokes and a professor who doesnt stop talking about his own organic chemistry accomplishments.
  7. the bottom line is take orgo only if necessary or if it truly interests you. This class is very challenging and I can guarantee you that you will work harder in this class than you ever had before. That being said the amount that you learn in this class is incredible and it's cool stuff! Byers' lectures can be disorganized and confusing, read the textbook. That being said he's a super nice guy and ALWAYS available for help take advantage of that.
  8. It helped a lot to stay on top the of optional problem sets/reading -- even though it took about 2 hours a day of outside work. The material is very challenging and Byers sometimes doesn't do the best job in his lectures -- I spent a lot of time teaching myself the material outside of class. Weekly quizzes force you to stay on top the material, which helps for the 3 midterms throughout the semester. It's pretty much constant work, but once you get it its a rewarding experience. I would probably try to take it with a diff professor if you can, but overall Byers is fine.
  9. Byers does not explain the material nearly as well as Bunt does. He was very disorganized in lecture and it didn't seem to connect a lot of the concepts that we were learning. I basically taught myself out of the textbook, which was very helpful for the exams. The exams were not that difficult is you took the time to gain a basic understanding of the material. Take this class with Bunt if you can, he organizes the material very well and makes it easier to see the "big picture" of organic chemistry.
  10. Organic chemistry is straight forward, but it requires a lot of work to do well. Do a LOT of practice problems, then repeat, repeat, repeat. He is generous with office hours, and be sure to pay attention when he says something in class along the lines of 'many people make this mistake' or 'you'll see this a lot'. PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE CLUES. That his hint that hewill be testing you on that an it is a common problem that people get off. He will easily dock 4 points from a reaction mechanism question if you don't, so be warned. Also make use of his practice tests. Over all, orgo is great. Don't be afraid of it, whether it is for your major, grad school, or med school. The information and the way the class is taught will prepare you well for anything in science.
  11. this is definitely a tough class, and requires you to organize yourself so you can keep up. unless you need it for premed or your major, i would definitely not recommend it
  12. Prof. Byers is AMAZING! I'm not saying that just because I did well in his class. I didn't really do that well, but I have to say he is a GREAT teacher. Organic Chemistry is tough but Byers is ready to help you the entire time. He is so incredibly friendly when you go see him for help and wants you to succeed in the class. He goes out of his way to make sure you understand what he is talking about when you see him for extra help. You can tell he truly loves teaching. Although Organic Chemistry was a really hard class, I would sign up for another class with Byers any day. He was awesome and his test questions were very fair.
  13. Tough class, but not necessarily as unmanageable as some make it out to be. Keep up with the problems, and ask for help early if you need it.

INSTRUCTIONS : Click class or professor names to see scores, Click to submit your own review.

All classes taught by Byers :

All professors who teach this class:

Evaluate this course

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

My Evaluation of Organic Chemistry I by Byers

1 Value of course and concepts to overall education:
2 Did you find the material presented ...
3 Overall class atmosphere:
4 Hours per week spent preparing for class:
5 Were your grades deserving of your efforts?
6 Professor or assistants were available to help, if needed:
7 Would you take another class with this professor?
8Would you recommend this class to a friend: