Richard Holder - University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Professor: Richard Holder

Department: Chemistry

College: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM302
• 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:

I hated this professor. He doesn't believe in computers. There's no study material or resources online. He comes to lecture with pages of prepared notes and switches them out very quickly so we have no time to write anything down. He is very unapproachable, hard at hearing, unhelpful, rude, and thinks his way of teaching is the best.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: OCHEM301
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I was terrified because I read the comments on ratemyprofessor it made me want to drop out from his class right away. But I am glad I stayed and got A. Here are the things you need to do in order to get an A. READ THE BOOK! GO TO LECTURE! DO THE PRACTICE EXAM CAREFULLY! GO TO SI/CAPS FOR HELP. GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS TO ASK QUESTIONS.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM302
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Holder is an incredibly knowledgeable professor. Although, he does teach to the board and not the students making it hard to understand the material for the exams. He does however drop your lowest exam and sets a nice curve at the end of the semester.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM302
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DO NOT slack off! Take notes, do practice problems recommended, & read the book! He cannot explain very well to students, but suggests a CAPS tutor, GO TO THE TUTOR! Practice exam given out a week before an exam. Lowest exam is dropped. His tests are very hard though (avg. 40-45%). Cumulative final. Curve given @ end of semester. Good luck to you!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I personally felt like going to Dr. Holder's lectures were pointless. He talked quietly and to the board. He did not explain things thoroughly and I was pretty lost during lectures. I had to read the book in order to understand the material. Also, his tests are hard and he tests material that are not in the book. He is also a hard grader.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: 301
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Holder is really a cute little old man. He is very sweet &knows Organic Chemistry well but at a professional level, not to where he can explain it to people who have never seen bond line structures before. This is a VERY HARD CLASS! If you plan on taking it I would suggest another teacher or prepare to learn everything yourself, your book is LIFE!!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHEM302
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I got through his class by reading the text book. Lots of NMR and IR spectra test questions. He curves at the end of the semester. Class average for his tests are 40-50%.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: 302
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Never teaches to the tests.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM302
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr Holder is one of the best professsors at UNM. He knows his material better than any other O Chem teacher and shares is love for the subject! Very easy to talk to and great in office hours. However, his lectures are often confusing and it is not always clear what he wants you to konw for the test, and what he is just sharing because its interesti

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Holder is the real deal. He is helpful and inviting to questions. He presets organic relationships about everyday pharmaceuticals. He gives practice tests that closely resemble exams. Every test is accumulative, but this forces one to master the material, ultimately to where the final is a breeze. Read before class since he goes quickly.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Holder is a really nice guy, but his lectures don't do a whole lot of good. He teaches what he thinks is interesting, which is often several reactions listed on the board without any explanation. He skips over the fundamentals of each new chapter and gets to the meat of it making it very hard to understand whats going on. Plan on self teaching.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

O. Chem is not easy, but I believe that Dr. Holder does a great job in explaining the concepts. He's very friendly and easily approachable. He recommends problems to do from the textbook in addition to providing a practice exam to work on before the real one. He also holds at least one review session before each exam as well. Great professor!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He seems like a nice enough man and he is good about office hours, but his lectures are often incomprehensible. He goes into a lot of detail and covers things really quickly, so it's easy to get lost during his lectures. I ended up mostly teaching myself out of the book.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: OCHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Holder is one of the best teachers at UNM. He loves the subject and he goes into alot of detail. I studied alot for this class but there was never anything on the test he didn't go over. He encourages students to come to his office hours and seek help. Not an easy A but it was worth it!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His class is really hard. C work in his class is A work in any other professor's class. He curves at the end, but it's discouraging to study for hours and hours and still get Cs and Ds on the tests. He's a nice guy, but I would say to choose another prof for ochem if you can.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

His class is HARD. He curves at the end but it's pretty discouraging to study for hours and hours and still get Cs and Ds on the tests. Class avgs are usually in the 50s and 60s. He's a nice guy but his tests are way too hard.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Although his class is not easy and he covers the material in extreme detail, he is always willing to help students, and goes out of his way to answer questions and make sure students are prepared for exams. Not an easy A, but a great prof to learn O-chem from if you are willing to put in the study time.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I would say choose another professor for the dreaded O Chem

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

In person a very nice guy. He definitely knows his chemistry, too much in fact to be teaching Organic Chemistry. If you missed one second of what he was saying, the rest of the lecture would be incomprehensible due to its complexity. But overall, an excellent resource for chemistry and the department.