- Home
- Search
- Nicholas Deifel
- All Reviews
Nicholas Deifel
AD
Based on 44 Users
TL;DR: Highly recommend this class and professor! This class transformed my uncertainty (borderline distaste) about chemistry into appreciation and comfortability.
-
General Workload: 9/10. Workload was pretty decent and manageable. In terms of specific assignments that were not exams or personal studying, we had weekly HW that took roughly 3-5 hours per week at MAX. If the class had trouble with assignments or found that deadlines weren't manageable, it was very easy to communicate with Dr. Deifel and have them reasonably extended!
-
Grading Scheme: 9/10. Offered a reasonable balance of formative assessments (HW, etc.) and summative assessments (midterms and final). The weight for participation (discussion attendance, etc.) matches that for the final (25% discussion attendance and work, 20% final). Other categories are also easy to get full points in as long as you put in effort and go to office hours consistently (25% HW, 30% midterms).
-
Readings/Textbook: 7/10. I'd say that the textbook can be helpful to supplement lecture material since they proceed pretty quickly! I also found that the readings could be substituted with extra time in office hours instead, where you could practice different assessment problems and apply skills. However, the textbook was necessary because HW assignments were assigned through the online textbook platform (Cengage).
-
Quizzes/Exams: 8/10. Midterms were extremely reasonable for the covered material and didn't contain anything unexpected. Something really helpful that Deifel did before the midterm was hold topic review sessions a few days beforehand. During these, we discussed how to work on certain problems relevant to the listed study topics, as well as reviewed certain conceptual ideas that would be helpful. As of this review, the results of the final are TBA (formatted as 1 hour MCQs, 2 hour FRQs). Occasional tricky conceptual questions, but most of the FRQs were straightforward and mimicked problems covered in office hours or the textbook.
-
Material: 8/10. Material is a fair difficulty and doing the textbook HW is essential to doing well in the class. my biggest recommendation would be going to office hours, which are held consistently throughout the week and for long hours. Deifel + the TAs put in a lot of effort into making sure students were supported.
-
Lectures: 7/10. Lectures are decently organized. However, sometimes Deifel would get a bit excited and go over advanced chemistry class topics that aren't 100% necessary for 20A (like the real-world job applications of spectroscopy).
-
Support: 10/10. Deifel + the TAs value supporting students and hold review sessions for midterms. My biggest takeaway from this class is that you will be 100% supported if you put in even the slightest effort to email questions, go to office hours a few times, etc. TA Cohen was specifically super, super helpful during discussions because she created study guides for difficult topics and was relatively available for office hours / by email.
Amazing teacher. Very manageable workload as long as you don't wait until the last minute to do homework assignments. You do have to pay for the textbook, since he uses Cengage. And 50% of our grade is based on homework and attendance, which are both very easy to get 100% on. Overall, a great teacher and I would definitely take him again if I could.
Deifel was incredibly welcoming, helpful, and an overall fun and engaging lecturer. The class is mostly based on participation - the majority of your grade comes from going to discussions, completing the homework (you have 10 attempts per question, and if you get the question wrong it shows you how to do it), and showing up to class (he tried to use iClicker but it didn't end up working out). The tests and midterms are over exactly what he says he will cover - you understand what you need to study. Deifel also offers tons of office hours where he explains so many concepts and helps answer specific questions from the homework. He truly cares about his students and wants to see them succeed. I highly recommend taking this class.
Dr. Deifel is one of the best teachers I've ever had, and he's made chemistry so much more enjoyable for me. Though the course isn't exactly easy, it's not too difficult to get an A in this class. He provides all the resources necessary for you to succeed. It's very clear how much he loves the subject and how much he loves teaching. 10/10 would take again.
Deifel is such an enthusiastic teacher. He brought so much energy to our 8 AM that I think he genuinely improved students’ moods. He really cares about his students, and it shows. 100% a teacher I bragged about to my friends. Attend his office hours; you won’t regret it.
The content can seem kind of overwhelming at first but he explains a lot, gives a lot of points for homework and participation, and his tests are absolutely fair and manageable.
I think the only complaint I heard was the homework program, but he hates it too so you end up bonding over it (don’t worry, it’s actually set up to get you a 100% on hw- it’s just annoying).
Anyways, I really liked him as a teacher and would love to have a class of his again. Definitely recommend.
Deifel is a a great professor. He's a little goofy but super helpful professor and has lots of office hours. He is genuinely rooting for everyone's success and really tries to make lectures engaging and fun. Even though it was an 8am, CHEM 20A is one of my favorite classes I had this quarter.
The content of the class was very difficult for me but in his review sessions, he goes over exactly what is going to be in the midterm and finals. Would highly recommend! He may be homeless(?) and divorced but he really loves chemistry.
Professor Deifel is easily one of the most caring professors at UCLA. He takes the time to learn each of his students' names, and he makes himself available even late during the night to help students. He is not only passionate about chemistry, but he is passionate about making sure that all of his students succeed. In terms of grading, Deifel made it very easy to earn an "A." Half of your grade is determined by homework (based on completion, not homework) and attending discussions. The other half is based on the final and two midterms, which are pretty reasonable in difficulty. Overall, I'd 100% recommend taking this class with Deifel!
Diefel is exceptionally enthusiastic and it is apparent that he is passionate about what he teaches and genuinely cares for all of the students. He's pretty humorous, which made his lectures engaging and enjoyable. I found the materials covered in this class to be pretty tough, but this has more to do with the nature of the subject, and Diefel does his best to make the best out of the experience. 50% of the grade comes from homework and attendance, and while the homework on the Owl can be convoluted and not always relevant, it is easy to get 100% on them. His midterms are fair and he always hold a review session before each. Overall, his class was one of the most enjoyable that I have taken in a long time and I would definitely recommend and gladly take again.
One of the best professors I've ever had. Very knowledgable in chemistry and has genuine care for all his students. Midterms are fair (not too hard, not too easy), and if you are ever struggling with a concept, Professor Deifel holds office hours throughout the week and is very responsive. He does an excellent job preparing students for the next class in the Chem 20 series. Would 100% recommend taking his class.
Professor Deifel makes chemistry at 8:00 AM not only bearable but actually enjoyable. Homework and participation account for like 50% of your grade, both of which are easy to get full credit on. The midterms are fair and he gives a detailed review session telling you exactly what to expect. He is always willing to hold office hours and is incredibly responsive to messages. Overall, you can tell that Professor Deifel is quite devoted to the field of chemistry and his students, making his Chem 20A worth taking.
TL;DR: Highly recommend this class and professor! This class transformed my uncertainty (borderline distaste) about chemistry into appreciation and comfortability.
-
General Workload: 9/10. Workload was pretty decent and manageable. In terms of specific assignments that were not exams or personal studying, we had weekly HW that took roughly 3-5 hours per week at MAX. If the class had trouble with assignments or found that deadlines weren't manageable, it was very easy to communicate with Dr. Deifel and have them reasonably extended!
-
Grading Scheme: 9/10. Offered a reasonable balance of formative assessments (HW, etc.) and summative assessments (midterms and final). The weight for participation (discussion attendance, etc.) matches that for the final (25% discussion attendance and work, 20% final). Other categories are also easy to get full points in as long as you put in effort and go to office hours consistently (25% HW, 30% midterms).
-
Readings/Textbook: 7/10. I'd say that the textbook can be helpful to supplement lecture material since they proceed pretty quickly! I also found that the readings could be substituted with extra time in office hours instead, where you could practice different assessment problems and apply skills. However, the textbook was necessary because HW assignments were assigned through the online textbook platform (Cengage).
-
Quizzes/Exams: 8/10. Midterms were extremely reasonable for the covered material and didn't contain anything unexpected. Something really helpful that Deifel did before the midterm was hold topic review sessions a few days beforehand. During these, we discussed how to work on certain problems relevant to the listed study topics, as well as reviewed certain conceptual ideas that would be helpful. As of this review, the results of the final are TBA (formatted as 1 hour MCQs, 2 hour FRQs). Occasional tricky conceptual questions, but most of the FRQs were straightforward and mimicked problems covered in office hours or the textbook.
-
Material: 8/10. Material is a fair difficulty and doing the textbook HW is essential to doing well in the class. my biggest recommendation would be going to office hours, which are held consistently throughout the week and for long hours. Deifel + the TAs put in a lot of effort into making sure students were supported.
-
Lectures: 7/10. Lectures are decently organized. However, sometimes Deifel would get a bit excited and go over advanced chemistry class topics that aren't 100% necessary for 20A (like the real-world job applications of spectroscopy).
-
Support: 10/10. Deifel + the TAs value supporting students and hold review sessions for midterms. My biggest takeaway from this class is that you will be 100% supported if you put in even the slightest effort to email questions, go to office hours a few times, etc. TA Cohen was specifically super, super helpful during discussions because she created study guides for difficult topics and was relatively available for office hours / by email.
Amazing teacher. Very manageable workload as long as you don't wait until the last minute to do homework assignments. You do have to pay for the textbook, since he uses Cengage. And 50% of our grade is based on homework and attendance, which are both very easy to get 100% on. Overall, a great teacher and I would definitely take him again if I could.
Deifel was incredibly welcoming, helpful, and an overall fun and engaging lecturer. The class is mostly based on participation - the majority of your grade comes from going to discussions, completing the homework (you have 10 attempts per question, and if you get the question wrong it shows you how to do it), and showing up to class (he tried to use iClicker but it didn't end up working out). The tests and midterms are over exactly what he says he will cover - you understand what you need to study. Deifel also offers tons of office hours where he explains so many concepts and helps answer specific questions from the homework. He truly cares about his students and wants to see them succeed. I highly recommend taking this class.
Dr. Deifel is one of the best teachers I've ever had, and he's made chemistry so much more enjoyable for me. Though the course isn't exactly easy, it's not too difficult to get an A in this class. He provides all the resources necessary for you to succeed. It's very clear how much he loves the subject and how much he loves teaching. 10/10 would take again.
Deifel is such an enthusiastic teacher. He brought so much energy to our 8 AM that I think he genuinely improved students’ moods. He really cares about his students, and it shows. 100% a teacher I bragged about to my friends. Attend his office hours; you won’t regret it.
The content can seem kind of overwhelming at first but he explains a lot, gives a lot of points for homework and participation, and his tests are absolutely fair and manageable.
I think the only complaint I heard was the homework program, but he hates it too so you end up bonding over it (don’t worry, it’s actually set up to get you a 100% on hw- it’s just annoying).
Anyways, I really liked him as a teacher and would love to have a class of his again. Definitely recommend.
Deifel is a a great professor. He's a little goofy but super helpful professor and has lots of office hours. He is genuinely rooting for everyone's success and really tries to make lectures engaging and fun. Even though it was an 8am, CHEM 20A is one of my favorite classes I had this quarter.
The content of the class was very difficult for me but in his review sessions, he goes over exactly what is going to be in the midterm and finals. Would highly recommend! He may be homeless(?) and divorced but he really loves chemistry.
Professor Deifel is easily one of the most caring professors at UCLA. He takes the time to learn each of his students' names, and he makes himself available even late during the night to help students. He is not only passionate about chemistry, but he is passionate about making sure that all of his students succeed. In terms of grading, Deifel made it very easy to earn an "A." Half of your grade is determined by homework (based on completion, not homework) and attending discussions. The other half is based on the final and two midterms, which are pretty reasonable in difficulty. Overall, I'd 100% recommend taking this class with Deifel!
Diefel is exceptionally enthusiastic and it is apparent that he is passionate about what he teaches and genuinely cares for all of the students. He's pretty humorous, which made his lectures engaging and enjoyable. I found the materials covered in this class to be pretty tough, but this has more to do with the nature of the subject, and Diefel does his best to make the best out of the experience. 50% of the grade comes from homework and attendance, and while the homework on the Owl can be convoluted and not always relevant, it is easy to get 100% on them. His midterms are fair and he always hold a review session before each. Overall, his class was one of the most enjoyable that I have taken in a long time and I would definitely recommend and gladly take again.
One of the best professors I've ever had. Very knowledgable in chemistry and has genuine care for all his students. Midterms are fair (not too hard, not too easy), and if you are ever struggling with a concept, Professor Deifel holds office hours throughout the week and is very responsive. He does an excellent job preparing students for the next class in the Chem 20 series. Would 100% recommend taking his class.
Professor Deifel makes chemistry at 8:00 AM not only bearable but actually enjoyable. Homework and participation account for like 50% of your grade, both of which are easy to get full credit on. The midterms are fair and he gives a detailed review session telling you exactly what to expect. He is always willing to hold office hours and is incredibly responsive to messages. Overall, you can tell that Professor Deifel is quite devoted to the field of chemistry and his students, making his Chem 20A worth taking.