Blaine Harrison - West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Professor: Blaine Harrison

Department: Chemistry

College: West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM012
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Right off the bat, this is a very difficult class. You have to put in the time and all the work . If you blink, fall asleep, or not pay attention you won't pass. This (ochem) is one of those "weeding" classes in the chem major to see who really wants to stay . It will prepare you well for upper division chemistry classes for its difficulty.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Tests are difficult, but he gives you a practice exam. Make sure to review all homework questions with him, it is great practice. The lectures are sometime slow and dense. Slow model builder. Easy to talk to, and labs are graded fairly. Must study, memorization is key.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM002
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Does virtually nothing to help, or guide students. A show-off. Would never recommended.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM030A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Chemistry isn't easy but Harrison does a reasonable job explaining each concept. He isn't the best at answering students questions but he reviews the material at the beginning of every class. He's a tough grader with the labs and expects you to do them right. Exams are long but not too difficult. Will give points for doing most of the work correct

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Be prepared to work in this class. Do every suggested HW problem 2x, always ask questions if you dont understand the topics. This isn't your typical community college like a sociology class, this is a Organic Chemistry class that is preparing you towards for graduate school. Attend class everyday otherwise you will be lost when you come back.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12CHEM12B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Tough class, but it is possible to do well. He tests your UNDERSTANDING of the material, so don't think you can everything and think you'll be fine. It's all about comprehending the material and being able to apply what you've learned. His exam problems may not be what he went over explicitly in class, but he gives you what you need to solve them

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: 30A
• Grade Received: F
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He doesn't like answering questions, and when he does , he leaves you with more questions than you started with! The online homework usually has nothing to do with his lectures. He is a very difficult grader and is poor at explaining

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is a fair(but tough)grader & expects a lot from students. I don't regret taking his class. I know more about ochem than any of my buddies at UC's. He teaches you all you need to know about ochem. I knew it inside & out by the end, well enough to tutor it. Great teacher, lots of work, awesome subject. Ochem is how everything works.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I personally thought Mr. H was a great teacher. He cares about his students, and because of this he puts you through hell. He is difficult and expects a lot but explains things very well. I enjoyed the class a lot. It really rewards your work efforts. I've learned more here than I could have at any UC or CC. He prepares you for Upper division well.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Harrison doesn't baby his students. He treats you like a college student. If you're not willing to work, you'll fail. There is no extra credit and or 2nd chances but I appreciate it. He is a caring teacher despite what others have said and has explained things to me a million times over. Show him you care, and he'll show you he cares.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Harrison is one of the best chem teachers I've had. It's a hard class, but it's ochem for crying out loud. I found that many people weren't willing to put in the work to succeed. Yes, Harrison is difficult, yes he is a tough grader, but he is a teacher who is always available and willing to help (ONLY if he sees you are putting in the effort).

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM002
• 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:

We are now almost to finals week and less than 1/2 of us remain. The class started with 40 students. I have seen several of my classmates, myself included, break down in tears of discouragement over the poor quality of the professor's instruction and expectations when it comes to the labs and exams. He strongly dislikes explaining materials twice.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Cold as ice towards his students. Does nothing to help you when you ask questions and makes you struggle to figure everything out on your own. He also doesn't post final study guides and gives poor advice on preparing for all other exams. After this class I can kiss my 4.0 GPA goodbye. If I could give him a rating under 0, I would.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Read the instructions EXTREMELY CAREFULLY or you will bomb exams; not because you don't know your stuff, but because he changes trivial details of the problem that result in different answers than you'd expect. Its like trick questions. If stressed about finishing before times up, you won't catch the small minutia that cause catastrophic failure.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM002
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Save yourself the trouble and take your classes with someone else. This instructor avoids answering questions and makes the material more confusing than it should be.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM2B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Lectures were confusing and unclear so you will be teaching yourself out of the text book instead. It'd be better to use step by step lists and clear rules for each type of problem instead of talking through and writing problems on the board like he does. He's impatient with you if you don't understand him the first time he explains something.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM2B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Syllabus clearly lacked instructions on how to gain access to online homework so when we asked him to clarify where and how, he literally shrugged, said "I don't know", and proceeded to lecture. His lectures are confusing and when you ask for clarification he will also refuse to do so because he thinks you weren't listening.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: 12A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The worst professor I've ever had. He outright refuses to answer your questions and is a poor communicator when it comes to his assignments.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM30A
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Ignores you when you ask questions or just shrugs his shoulders and says he doesn't know. He does the bare minimum to help his students succeed. He makes you grade your own labs with answer keys that are full of typos! What's worse? He doesn't tell you about the typos unless you ask.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM12A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He didn't talk about Gandalf!!!