This class can be super frustrating if you get a TA that grades really hard. Make sure to stay on top the the work early in the week so that you have time to attend office hours. Also, I would recommend taking it later in the week because you will have the ability to go to office hours the day prior to anythings due date (not possible on Mondays because office hours either are limited or do not occur on the weekends.

This is a pretty easy lab course and the material isn't too difficult to master. The quizzes are a bit difficult but ended up being alright. Mathematica is a bit annoying to work with but after you learn how to use it is becomes okay as well. Overall, lab wasn't bad at all and it is manageable although the workload is a bit much for a 1 credit class.

Overall, this is just a class you have to suffer through. It's disorganized at the beginning with little instruction (though this does depend on your TA). Weekly assignments like plans and pre-labs are small and annoying but relatively easy as long as you put in the work. The worst part is the post-labs for just being tedious. Cannot emphasize this enough but GO TO OFFICE HOURS. Some TA's are notorious for never responding to emails and besides, it's always easier to talk in person. Best to go to your TA whose grading your papers, but if you can't, go to others, just keep in mind that a lot of stuff is graded per individual TA opinion so there will be discrepancies. I struggled the most with the quizzes - that was where I lost all my points. If you have Morkowchuk for lecture, you have a leg-up because she goes over lab-related concepts in class, but if you don't (like me), you're screwed. I studied a lot and did all the readings but still, average quiz grade was like a 12/20.

Obviously, for the most part if you're taking this course it is because you have to for a requirement, so this review is somewhat obsolete, but I figured I'd be helpful and give advice/what to expect. For the first few sessions, this seems really badly organized and in need of clearer directions and better instruction, but if you feel this way, don't panic, it does get better. Initially, you have little to go on for what to include/not include in post labs, which are the largest portion of your grade. My strategy was to follow every piece of TA feedback to the letter in following post labs, and to read the sample reports you are given on collab to assist. Overall, the course was decent, and labs were generally easy to understand, plan, and execute, the hard parts mostly surrounded the post labs and write-ups, with the rest being relatively easy. Just focus on feedback and it is a very survivable course.

For a 1 credit lab, this course is a considerable amount of work and the grading is often strict. The prelabs in Mathematica can be annoying but they get better as the semester goes on but the postlab writeups usually take a decent amount of time to complete. If you can I would recommend going to your TA's office hours so you know exactly what they are looking for. Also, the lab quizzes can be tricky but overall, aren't too bad.

Morkowchuk truly cares about you! Coming from a student who got an A, try your hardest on all of the pre-labs/ other Mathematica assignments. Don't worry too much if you have a particularly strict T.A. because at the end they work some magic and the grades are definitely evened out across all of the T.A.s. That being said, if you feel like your T.A. graded you unfairly, speak up!! Morkowchuk is always happy to help.

I enjoyed lab although I wish it wasn't just one credit because it often had way more work than many of my other classes. Although you can't really pick you TA, I had Leah Dignan and she was great. I really enjoyed the class and enjoyed learning about the concepts, however, quizes were very difficult and I would definitely recommend studying basic chem stuff, not necessarily mentioned in class. Leah was a good TA and she graded hard, in preparation for future chem classes. I enjoyed writing the papers and they didn't feel too stressful when they were spread out over a time frame. Good class.

Chem lab was not that hard because you basically do the lab as a group. The pre-lab just takes a lot of time if you don't have any background in coding and stuff. What you get in the class basically depends on your TA, so I advice to go see them during office hours for help or just to talk to them so they know you. Also the quizzes are worded so awkwardly and it was confusing, but as long as you have a good understanding of the lab and concepts of the lab, you'll be fine.

The thing about Chem Lab that makes everyone hate it so much is that it's so vague and confusing and nobody tells you if you're doing anything right or wrong - directions are pretty unclear and its a lot of figuring stuff out as you're doing the lab. Most TAs aren't too helpful because the class is structured in a way where they can't really give that much help anyway, so I'd recommend really getting good communication going within your lab group. The actual assignments aren't usually that bad but they are tedious and take up a lot of time so get them done early and give yourself time to check it over with a friend. You only do a total of 4 experiments which weren't that great but hey this is a prereq for a lot of other science classes so just do the best you can and you'll get out alive.

Chem lab isn't the best course. The labs aren't too boring, but the pre labs and post labs aren't the best to help understanding of the subject. To be honest, your grade completely depends on your TA. Not much you can do about that. Honestly, there's not much to say for this course, since it is pretty much required for any engineer, pre med, or science major. It isn't too hard, but it will be a pain sometimes.