Linda Zarzana - American River College, Sacramento, CA

Professor: Linda Zarzana

Department: Chemistry

College: American River College, Sacramento, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

She is energetic &makes her class atmosphere light. Tests are from the study packets &are really easy. Shes a good teacher &is helpful during office hours. Looking at the notes &exams of other 401 professors in the district, I can say that shes the easiest. The downside is she wont grade lotta stuff, so final grade would come out as a surprise.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

everything in her class was alright except she takes forever to grade things, as all my exams were a B plus and 1 A and did all the homework and almost got full credit on the quizzes still ended with a B in her class and without posting any grades on canvas at all, she didn't show up in the final exam and no one know what they got in their finals.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This class was a breath of fresh air after Chem 400, there is a lot less material that you cover in 401, its just in greater depth. Zarzanas teaching style may seem strange at first, but you get used to it after a few weeks. Tests are super easy as long as you go over the beacon packets. Only downside to this class is she doesnt grade quickly.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• 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:

I don't understand the bad reviews, she baked cookies on the first day! She's kind, knowledgeable, makes you really think & LEARN chemistry. I improved my grade in her class because of her hands on lecturing style. Office hours and beacon packets are there, exams are straightforward, there's no excuse to do not do your part and achieve an A!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Z is one of the best professors I've ever taken. Her teaching style is extremely different from the traditional power point style, which took some getting used to. She has you do a lot of partner work in class and forces you to think for yourself. Don't bother buying the textbook, because she prints it out and hands them out during class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Zarzana is one of the best profs I have ever had and I encourage people to take her class if they have to take chemistry. Chemistry is not an easy subject but if you go to her office hours and ask her questions she will love you and do her best to help you out! She has also brought us cookies twice this semester :)

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Zarzana is a great professor, but she doesn't grade anything on time. It may seem like there's a lot of homework to do, but it becomes routine so you get used to it quickly. Labs are easy and fun at times. You won't understand anything in lecture but if you ask her individually she will go to the ends of earth to make you understand. Amazing lady.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This is zarzana's class... I worked my butt off for every HW assignment, did every extra credit, got between 80-100 on every biweekly quiz, and got B's and an A on the exams- I ended with a B in her class... (No grades were every posted). But my friend did not do half the HW or quizzes, no extra credit, and got an A... You do the math...

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She might seem hard in the beginning but trust me once you get to know the way she teaches the class gets easy ! in the beginning i was quite nervous about the class but trust me her class made me love chemistry her lectures are quite fun since it involves group work and participation. Do the old exams and practice test they help a lot.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Final grades were due three days ago, and I have all my other grades, except hers. Zarzana cannot grade in a timely manner to save her life. That being said, complete the entire beacon packet she hands out and study it for the exams and you will be fine. Go to her office hours and discuss the answers, as you think it's right but it won't be.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Zarzana has a lot of homework, usually one paper and one online quiz homework per class session. Exams are entirely curveballs, but it's applying what you've learned in class. Know the concepts (very well) and calculations, and you should be fine. She cares about your well being, but you come out of the class feeling like you learned nothing.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sooo, my final is coming up in 2 days and I have NO CLUE what my overall grade is. If you're the type of student who likes to get their graded work back on time then DO NOT take her. She takes months to grade exams as well. The material covered in lecture doesn't help with her online quizzes or her exams. Her grading is subjective as well.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She gave up on our class after Spring Break. Things became so unorganized. No graded homework or labs. No one knows their grade and it is a week from the final. Just a big mess. The exams are odd, material we never went over. Better hope she likes you for a good grade. EVERYTHING IS SUBJECTIVE. Clearly dislikes some students and loves others. Bad.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Zarzana does not teach, cancels a lot of lectures/labs, gives assignments that are never finished, 3/4 into the semester and no one knows their grade, we don't even know what we got on our 1st exam. Taking her class feels like Russian roulette, some of us work really really hard but have NO clue what our grade will be... and neither does she.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I wish she would actually teach something.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Zarzana expects you to understand the concepts rather than give you rules to memorize and regurgitate--which I admire and appreciate. Homework everyday, worth a ton of points. Save your time and Google online quizzes, you learn more on the worksheets. Tests follow HW questions and practice tests--study these and understand everything for an A.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Zarzana is a brilliant and creative instructor. Her teaching style is very unique, and makes a difficult class feel "pHun." Take this class with a friend or two, or prepare to make some friends, most lectures involve group work. She can you teach you how to learn more effectively, extremely valuable. Embrace the quirks and you will have "pHun."

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM305LAB
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She expects excellence in the lab. She will make you do experiments over and over until you get them "right" even though you technically made no errors. She's a nice lady but kind of irritating in that respect.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She just wants you to think. daily homework that prepares you for tests and easy labs that focus less on proper note taking and more on thinking conceptually about what is happening. Ask her questions, but don't expect her to just hand you the answers. Life is about problem solving. This class just lets you get some practice doing that.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM401
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

The thing is Z is great if you are one of her favorites, but if you're not one of her favorites your grade will suffer. This is the reason she never posts grades, because grading is subjective to her. A students final grade reflects her personal opinion of them and not there actual class performance