Kathleen Kilway - University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

Professor: Kathleen Kilway

Department: Chemistry

College: University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Awesome person all around. Great teacher for really hard material. Lots of homework, but answers in solution manual. No quizzes besides one pop quiz after first semester. Tells you exactly what will be on the exams

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

She seems like a nice enough person but sometimes she'll be inadvertently mean when you ask questions in class. There is literally NO organization to the way she gives lectures if she heard me say that she would say she goes by the chapter outlines she posts, but she doesn't really. She skips around and the way she covers things is nonsensical

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This course is nothing like Gounev's or Benevide's class. I was very overwhelmed my first time taking her course. Try to study in advance. She goes faster than any of your professors and half of the time you won't really understand what she's teaching. It's up to YOU to form study groups outside of class and to keep up with the fast pace.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Kilway is the best and the hardest. Attend every lecture and SI sessions. Go to her additional reviews. You get to know her personally, and she takes a vested interest in you. Potentially, a great recommendation letter if you put in the work. She is brilliant and sometimes hard to follow in lectures, but you will never meet anyone more caring

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321322
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Take the off sequence class. Tests are long and difficult barely time to finish. Lectures aren't great. Half of the class will drop or fail.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Her main focus is to get students to succeed. She may seem very jagged at first, but after the first or second test it is really easy to see how warm and kind she is. The way to do well in her class is to write down exactly what she writes. When studying it is wise to actually do the homework questions, rewrite your notes, go to Saturday sessions.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. Kilway, don't read any of the bad reviews on her bc those are students who most likely did not put the effort. Organic is not as bad as it seems if you make an effort. Go to her Saturday sessions, SI session, and rewrite notes. Organic is such a doable and fun class! She's an amazing instructor and I have learned so much from her

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Great Professor. But expect to work for your grade. She provides all of the tools necessary to succeed in her class, but at the end of the day it will be your responsibility to utilize them. Organic Chemistry is just the understanding of basic concepts, and a lot memorization of mechanisms and reagents. But there's too much to know, so don't cram!

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Kilway definitely makes you work for your grade, but if you go to her outside of class she will do everything she can to help you succeed. She gives you great tips on how to study and TAKE HER ADVICE because it really does help. She can be a little weird in class (like when she makes you sing happy birthday to people) but overall she is awesome

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Kilway definitely knows her stuff and is one of the most renown organic chemists around. However, she is a very odd character. Be ready to quickly copy down what she writes on the board and memorize quiz questions. Find outside sources for clarity and definitely study for tests. Her tests are straightforward however they are very difficult.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM322
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I did not like Kilway for all of Chem 321, and 322 was even worse for me. I failed my first test, and got a low C and high C respectively on the second 2 tests. Somehow I managed to pull off a 96% on the final (without electricity) and get an A- in the course. The course is harder at UMKC than at most universities (ask anyone)

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Kilway is definitely a unique character. Whether you love her or hate her, you still have to respect her. Her class was tough, but she knew how to teach the subject, and did it very well. I still contemplate on how to feel about her as a person. But aside from her personality, her teaching skills was great. Do not think you can cram and pass.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ORGO322
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

She is the main Organic Chemistry professor at UMKC, and probably the most infamous professor in the state, with the awards and credentials to back it up. I took Orgo 1 at another university, and the professor there would always mention her. Anyways, take good notes, practice & practice, Memorize your quiz questions for exams, and you may survive.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

She's wonderful. Her exams are extremely difficult, but completely fair. She doesn't throw any curve-balls at you. She tests you only on the material she went over in class, but the problem is that there's just so much and she goes in very tiny details over everything. Extended SI sessions will save your life. the text-book does very little help.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM322
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Part 2: How could you expect a student to not lose focus on an exam while they are holding a cell phone as a means of light? She would have been accountable for not rescheduling the exam outside of this 3rd class underfunded university. I would highly encourage anyone to take this class with the off-sequence professor.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM322
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

For our final exam, we lost electricity 50 min into the exam and were forced to use our cell phone flashlights to complete the exam. An unprofessional move on her end. Even more than that, she didn't offer any extra credit to the exam for the MAJOR obstacle of not having light. Read part 2

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Great Teacher! She cares about her students and wants you to do well and exceed. I wish her class wasn't so test heavy. Basically half of your final grade is the final exam. Lots of pressure. Usually is verbatim but she never tries to trick you.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Organic Chemistry is going to be hard no matter where you take it. But If you are not intending to put in many hours of work outside of class, please do yourself a favor and take it with somebody Else. Dr. Kilway expects you to know everything she teaches you like the back of your hands. Her class will be unlike anything you've ever experienced.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Although her exams can be completely awful, they are absolutely fair because she most definitely went over all of the questions in class. Dr. Kilway herself is one of the most caring professors you'll ever meet. Her lectures are great and she is pretty entertaining; I never fell asleep or gotten tired once. Study your quiz questions for exams!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM321CHEM322
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

If you don't pass this class, it is absolutely your fault. Dr. Kilway is an amazing teacher and she knows exactly what she is doing. Her exams are extremely nerve-wracking, and known to often induce panic attacks. But considering that this university is mainly for students going into medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, etc., that should be expected.