I did not like this class. I think most people in engineering or similar majors will have to go through this, and it seems as if Barr is the only option. I'm sure you see all of the other reviews and I would likely agree with most of them. Unfortunately, this might just be the hazing for engineers that we don't get otherwise. Some people would say go to office hours or do the problem sets, but I'm really not sure how much my studying was worth it for the exams. If you want to do well in this class, I recommend not taking a difficult load and studying 10+ hours a week and also have a passion for chemistry and hopefully have taken AP Chem and gotten a 5.

I loved this class! The professor made every student feel welcomed and supported throughout the whole quarter. He gave out way to much of his time to help his 113A students while still having to do his lab and his general chemistry class. Professor Barr loves what he does and what he teaches. Him and Pujan created new ways to teach us the material. The material is pretty heavy but, with their support it was fun to learn. Be aware this is not an easy class, and it takes a lot of hours! I would recommend taking this class with no labs or other chem/math heavy course.

tbh his class is hard af but u sure do learn a lot… im a chem major and this class has been making me consider other majors :) if you don’t have a choice and end up taking Barr u seriously need to have an open schedule because office hours is the only time where you can ever get answers to anything and they’re basically extensions of the lectures cuz some of the info covered there is so important. Don’t take this class with a heavy schedule because it will take up the majority of your time. He refuses to curve the final we just took was god awful. His exams are extremely difficult just like his problem sets are (except without the internet or ur notes) good luck lmfao and do the problem sets and go to office hours and prepare to sacrifice a lot

No. Absolutely not. Professor Kristopher K Barr is my worst nightmare that I would rather not wish upon my worst enemy. I feel joyous for those joining UCLA in 2023 for they shall be spared by Barr, while pity envelopes me for the students of his next endeavour.

I think Barr is passionate, but my experience with him was terrible. The exams were tough, and he would not listen to class feedback. To be honest winter quarter was just a nightmare all over. The whole class experience was akin to experiencing a firebombing 24/7. That said, I understand it was his first time. I just wouldn't take him again. UCLA Chem department needs to do better, as their restrictions during covid probably was also terrible and made it harder for Barr to accommodate us. I heard he got better, so take my review as you will. I just can't say he was a good professor based upon my experience.

It's clear Barr is excited about teaching and his lectures are well put together, but the structure of his class is a little annoying and difficult at times. The worst aspect is that there are no answer keys to anything, so you need to make time for office hours if you want to check your work, and even the TAs don't often understand the problems he writes. The midterms were challenging and the wording of the questions made it even harder. The final was much more straightforward and there were a lot of opportunities for credit in other areas besides the tests (homework, discussion, etc).
Making time to go to office hours and completing his problem sets early so you can study from them makes this class doable.

Worst teacher I’ve probably ever had, confusing overly fast-paced lectures, unnecessarily difficult tests. If you’re only option is Barr, just don’t take the class

Enjoyed it. He gave tons of partial credits and extra credits on his exams which made them not as stressful. I almost cried trying to read the textbook, and I honestly don't think it's helpful at all. You don't need to understand everything that's on his problem sets. Go to his lectures and maybe his office hours if you're not sure about something.

This class is honestly one of the worst classes I have taken at UCLA. The quarter started off ok, but you soon realize that reading the textbook will not help you on the exams. He barely covers the material you need to know in lecture and the only way to try similar problems to the exams were to work his optional practice problems that he NEVER released the solutions to. Literally the only way to figure out how to do these problems were to go to the professor's office hours as sometimes even the TAs couldn't figure them out. His zoom office hours no joke had 100+ people sometimes. Overall, he acts like he sympathizes with his students, which makes it even worse when he absolutely destroys the class with exams. Avoid taking this class with Barr at all costs.

i switched out of my chemistry major after taking this class