Kantorowski, Eric  

Dr. K is a cool guy and really great at explaining concepts. His tests are pretty hard, the class averages for the midterms were like 63%, and he'll put little obscure things on midterms that he barely mentioned for a second in lecture.

This class was the best class I've taken at cal poly! Dr. Kantorowski is so great at teaching, he brought in models and worksheets for us almost every single lecture! He held office hours after his lecture and it was basically like a review of everything he just taught us and this helped me remember the material so much better. His grading was really fair and all of the questions on his quizzes and tests were all from the lectures. O-Chem is nothing to be afraid of with this guy because if you care about the class its totally doable! Taking this class with Dr. Kantorowski was the best decision ever and I can't wait to take 217 with him next quarter!

O chem is pretty awful, there's no denying it, but Kantorowski made it a little better. I appreciate that he takes concepts from the book and either simplifies them or goes over his personal ways of remembering/defining things, which tend to make more sense than the way that the book presents them. In the beginning I read all the chapters before we covered them, but he never covers every single section so I just would ask him in office hours what sections we would actually cover and just read those prior to class. That way when he covered them in class it was a review instead of brand new information. He was really helpful in office hours, though you have to at least know what topics you are fuzzy on rather than just show up and hope to absorb knowledge. I wish he posted the answers to the worksheets on his polylearn (like Frantz) but he did post the answers to his weekly quizzes and midterm answers so I could review them for the final. You definitely have to study A LOT, but in the end your grade is improved by lab and the fact that he drops your lowest quiz score as well as counts all of them as one midterm segment. Then if you fail a midterm (or final) it is replaced by your best score (either lab or quiz compilation or midterm)

Dr. K is an awesome professor that explains everything very clearly. Although his tests can be difficult it is Ochem so that should be expected. If you want a professor a good Ochem experience take Dr. K!

I took Dr. K for the entire Ochem series and it was the best decision that I ever made. He explains material clearly and if you study your lecture notes completely you will ace every quiz. Generally, Ochem is a difficult subject that takes a lot of time and effort to understand, but Dr. K made it much easier. Definitely go to office hours if you have any questions as he is always very willing to help. If you are taking the whole series of classes he will readily prepare you for the standardized ACS Organic Chemistry test at the very end. Try to do as many practice problems as you can when you first start out, but it becomes much easier as the quarters go by. Also, don't forget to look at his website linked in his syllabus for old quiz and midterm examples which have different problems but the exact same type of formatting you will see on his material. Good luck!

His lectures are packed with information and fast. He always has something interesting to relate the chemistry with in class, and he loves to share a good pun/joke. He is clearly very smart but NEVER condescending!!! He makes a point to learn everyone's name and you can tell he really cares about his student's learning. He doesn't scale his tests or the class, but most people seem to do fine. His quizzes are not ridiculously hard, and he is very good at making it clear what he will test you on. He is very good at presenting the material and not making it overwhelming. I would suggest getting a few colored pens for the class. He has a lot of handouts which he prints for you. The lab seemed to me to be easier and less work than the general chemistry series. It is not an easy class as you can probably assume, but I highly recommend you try to take it with Kantorowski.

Dr. K is the best professor I have had yet at Cal Poly. He loves teaching almost as much as he loves chemistry. His lectures are interesting, thorough, and organized. In both lecture and lab he has supplemental handouts that he creates himself that prove to be extremely useful, both as notes and references. He doesn't assign homework but has a list of problems he suggests doing out of the book. His exams (two midterms and a cumulative final) are tough but completely fair (he's been teaching for a long time; he knows how to give a fair and comprehensive o chem exam-- and it's o chem, the tests aren't going to be easy). He welcomes feedback on the exams and might curve them if he feels they were too much for the class as a whole. He even held a two-hour review session before our second midterm (on a holiday!), and a three-hour review session a couple of days before our final-- I've never had a professor who's done that. The bottom line is that organic chemistry is probably going to be one of the hardest classes you'll ever take (unless you're a chem major, then you're just getting started), but with Dr. K, you'll end up enjoying the class and have a great time getting to know a great professor. And he does everything he can to help your grade-- you'll see on the syllabus. Take o chem with Dr. K, put in the time (it's a lot; just be prepared for it), and it might end up being your favorite class.

He was pretty damn good, I didn't study the material as much as I should've but most of the time I still tried. I failed a few quizzes, got C's on midterms, got a B- in the lab, and got a D+ on the final but came out of the course with a C. He's really good at teaching, just the material is hard, and tests and quizzes can be tricky.

I honestly do not understand how Kantorowski's ratings are so high. At least in the last few years, based on my experience and the experience my friends have had with this professor, he is one of the most unorganized and unnecessarily difficult professor out of all the ochem teachers. He teaches material that is way beyond the scope of the class just because his research is in it (and makes you memorize useless material such as pKa values when he could've finished teaching us about syn and anti addition at the end of the quarter that he didn't get to!), jumps around in lecture in the most convoluted confusing way I've ever seen, and will not help you in office hours because there are 20 confused people there every session. In lab he's just as bad, will not answer your questions. The book work he assigns is not a good representation of his exams, and be ready for lots of kiss ups in his class. Would not recommend, terrible experience. For perspective I received 2 As in Ochem II and III (which are harder classes) and I really owe it entirely up to my professors who were way better, i didnt change how much or hard i was studying at all, just better professors who cared more.

This is my second class with Dr. K and he is awesome! His lectures go really fast but he teaches the material super well. There are a lot of reactions in this class so make flashcards! I recommend rewriting the lecture notes ASAP and practicing mechanisms the same day you learn them. He assigns a lot of book problems but don't feel like you need to do all, I tended to do every other one and skip them if I understood it. Doing the book reading and taking notes on it is really helpful only if reading helps you learn. There are two free response midterms and a cumulative multiple choice/free response final. The multiple choice is the hardest part of the final. The midterms are usually in the same layout: nomenclature, predict products, multiple choice, combined spectroscopy, and then writing out a mechanism. Make sure to check his Chemwebs site to get old practice tests. His notes are great and understanding even the little details is important because he will put random things from his notes on the tests (structures, side-margin reactions, etc). I highly recommend attending his office hours regularly if you can. It helps build a good relationship with Dr. K and it's really helpful practicing trickier reactions than what he goes over in class. A big part of this class is synthesis and combined spectroscopy so if you're struggling with that go get help! Dr. K is here to teach you and he can't help you if you don't make an effort.

I was told Ochem II was the hardest in the series. I was a little scared, but because I had Dr K for 216, I knew I was in good hands. Dr K is freaking the BEST. My favorite professor at Cal Poly so far, hands down. I took him for 216, and the reviews are SPOT ON. He brings great models, amazing handouts that break down trends down easily, and is one of the most organized lecturerers I have ever come across. Extremely knowledgeable, has 20+ years of experience teaching, and I literally BECAME a better note taker because of his lectures. He is so organized, absolutely loves Ochem, and is very friendly and very helpful in office hours. I am set to get an A in the class and though he has very challenging exams, he really really made me learn the material. Ochem II was tough not going to lie. I'm a pretty fast student and I pick up things quickly, but I was putting in 25-30 hours JUST in ochem so try to take a 12 unit quarter if possible. He made ochem my favorite class in college so far. I absolutely would recommend Him to anyone!!

Honestly, I don't see what all the hype is about Kantorowski. He is the laziest, most ineffective professor that I've had here at Cal Poly, and that's saying a lot. He is a funny guy, sure, and I'm sure that's why many people like him. But if you actually need help from him, he seems like he could care less about any problems you could be having. He's all about making things easier for himself, and not actually being helpful. He's incredibly lazy when it comes to grading/creating exams/etc. and waits until the last minute for everything. His lectures are very unorganized and all over the place, and he presents the material in such a manner that it's very hard to follow. He also definitely plays favorites and favors certain students openly. If you've had him for the entirety of the o chem series, you'll be fine, because you'll have learned how to take his tests and will not have actually learned organic chemistry. Do yourself a favor and take a different professor. There are many better ones to choose from in the chemistry department.

EJK is seriously the coolest professor I've had at Poly. He is extremely knowledgeable and his teaching style is fun and challenging. He goes out of his way to stay extra after office hours and gives review sessions for both midterms and even the final. Idk what the person with the negative review for 218 was talking about. Anytime I needed help, Dr. K took the time to explain whatever concepts confused me. He takes a personal interest in every student that takes the time to try and ask him for help. I would suggest him to anyone that wants to have a solid grasp of organic chemistry by the end of their 216-218 career.

Dr. K is the absolute best professor I've ever had at Cal Poly!!!!!! I was terrified before staring Ochem because I heard it was the most difficult class at Cal Poly but taking it with Dr. K was the best decision I've made in my life. I had him for the whole series (216/217/218) and you can tell he cares a lot about his students. During each of the classes I had with him he scheduled review sessions before midterms and finals and held office hours which were really like a second lecture (so so helpful). He got to know every one of his students, and cared about all of them (even the ones that did not have the whole series with him). He not only gave his students a solid grasp on all of the important concepts, but he taught us how to think critically about difficult problems which was a very valuable skill to learn in my college career. His tests and quizzes are extremely fair and pull from the last few lectures of material, so if you show effort in the class it is very possible to do well! EJK is seriously the best professor at Cal Poly and anyone lucky enough to take his class knows this!

Good ochem professor, definitely recommended.

Dr.K is by far the best Chem professor to take! He is extremely helpful and returns tests very timely. I would not have passed the course without him.

I love dr. k He is amazing, take him if you can. My favorite science teacher I have had here at cal poly. His tests are exactly from his notes, study those a lot and you will ace the tests. he is very enthusiastic and willing to help. AMAZING

I passed! Great guy, the class was very intense, lots of information in a small amount of time. Office hours are good to go to. Review material as frequently as possible. Lab saved me. READ! Study and make a bunch of flash cards.

I miss-pronounced this guy's name so many times, I think I gave him a complex. He doesn't even know how to say his name anymore. I think he's jewish, or something, based on the name, but there's also a little bit of Japanese thrown in there. But back on topic... I was taking chem 312 with this guy and i was on the verge of falling asleep, just like most of the class. 7:00am courses do that to people. So one day, he brings in this box with some holes in the side and sets it on a hot plate. No one even noticed until the damn thing started jumping around and yelping in agony. Then, the box catches fire, and falls off the table. We were all like, "what the fuck?" but Kanto-ski (his nickname) just started stomping on it. After that, he just started lecture like nothing happened. we never did find out what was in the box...

Great teacher!!! no homework, just suggeseted problems from the book. GO TO CLASS! His tests are exactly what he covered in class. He is willing to help and a great prof overall. Dont be afraid of O chem Dr. K makes it easy

Dr K. is fantastic. The class is demanding, but if you keep up you'll do allright. If your having problems, he's in his office with the door open all of the time. He will gladly answer your questions even if you come outside of the designated office hours. His test are fair, and there wasn't anything unexpected on them. He keeps a website with loads of helpfull information, and he'll have your tests back to you within 3 days. Bottom line - I'd recommend him to everyone!

Dr. K is awsome. He really want his students to do well in his class. Dr. K doesn't want his students to memorize a lot of materials, instead he helped us to understand the basic principles of o chem, which is important to do well in o chem. If he say he's going to be in his office hours, he's there, and sometimes he even stay longer just to make sure his students get his help. I recommand Dr. K to everybody who needs to take o chem.

Dr.Kantorowski is a great teacher!! Ochem is an incredibly difficult class, and the students can use all the help that they can get. Dr.K made himself very accessible to his students, and is always eager to answer any and all questions. He is usually in his office even if he doesn't have scheduled office hours, and will sit there and work problems with you until you understand them. I definitely suggest taking Dr.K if you get the chance!! He is also a great lab teacher for this course.

He is so very good at explaining all the little details with O-Chem. It's a freakishly hard class, but he sums it up well, and he's always available for questions. Take lots of notes, ask lots of questions, and study with the old classes tests that he provides. Know the mechanisms and you are set. Flashcards help. Just asking him stuff helps. Homework is not turned in, but do the suggested problems and you'll know what's on the tests. He was gone for a week and other guys taught who were not nearly as good. I'm taking him again next quarter (and possibly again in 318 if he's teaching it) since he's been so good.

SIMPILY AMAZING!!!! YES I ENDED UP WITH A C IN THE CLASS BUT I THINK THAT IT WAS MORE MY FALT THAN ANYTHING ELSE...DR. K IS A GREAT MAN, TEACHER AND PERSON IN GENERAL...HE IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE SUBJECT WHICH HELPS THE STUDENTS GET MORE INVOLVED RATHER THAN FALL ASLEEP... IF YOUR GONNA TAKE O-CHEM AT CALPOLY TAKE DR. K FOR LEC AND LAB IF POSSIBLE...YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT I PROMISE!!! P.S. DONT BE AFFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS OR GO TO HIS OFFICE HOUR...VERY NICE GUY!!!

Great instructor!!! Explains everything very clearly. Very straight forward quizzes and exams. The best quizzes and exams ever! Has a

Dr. K is one of the best professors I've ever had. The class isn't easy, its Ochem and it will take a lot of work. But Dr. K's lectures are exellent, he is good at breaking down the concepts and connecting everything together, he doesn't move to fast, its easy to take complete notes because he writes everything on the board that's important (some teachers don't), and he always welcomes questions. His tests are fair and his grading is fair. He's always available in office hours, he schedules review sessions before exams to help the students out, and he gave us various study tips to help us prepare and do better on the tests.

Simply amazing. One of the best professors at Cal Poly...he's hard, but prepares you extremely well.

Super nice guy...slightly nerdy but nice. Explains things well but tends to be short with people who ask questions. Great in office hours. The course goes fast so keep up with the reading. And DO the homework! Get the pushing electrons book if you can get it for around $20. It's helpful. Also, if you have a Mac, know that the Spartanview that comes with the text does NOT work with your OS. Form study groups early and go into office hours at least once a week. He gives quizzes every week you don't have a midterm and he gives three midterms. Also, do the reading for lab because he WILL give pop quizzes in lab. Keep up on your lab notebook...basically...he requires a lot of work but he's a good prof. DO NOT MISS LECTURE!

organic chemistry is really hard, and dr. k is a challenging professor. if you\'re going to be a whiny baby about taking ochem you should probably take someone else. I took him for the whole series, and he is the best teacher I\'ve had by far at cal poly. if you put in the time, you will come out actually knowing something and being able to appreciate ochem.

Dr. K is amazing... I took the entire series with him and I honestly miss not having this class every other day with him. He is very challenging if not the most difficult ochem teacher at cal poly, but ochem is NOT going to be easy. You will actually appreciate ochem from him, but be ready for this series to take over your life. You're making a BIG mistake if you don't take Dr. K!

Let me talk a little about EJK. First of all, this man is the absolute best human you could ever, EVER, be blessed enough to take Organic Chemistry with. I can say this from experience, as I had Palandoken when I took it the first time, and was miserable for all 11 weeks of it. With Palandoken, nothing made sense and there was no such thing as the ability to ask questions. However, EJK is the complete opposite of the spectrum - no, not ON the other end, IS the other end. I have never had a professor who is so willingly to work his ass off to help/make his students learn the material. And not just learn it to learn it, but also HOW and WHY things work the way they do. He's so passionate about the material that his enthusiasm shines through every lecture and every lab. His exams are tough, but completely fair. They are not designed to trick you whatsoever, but instead to truly test that you understand concepts and are able to work problems and ideas. As a lab instructor, he is also basically an organic god. He explains why things do what they do, and makes lab seem not like 3 hours of imprisonment, but 3 hours of encouragement and conversation (plus he plays music in lab and that's just awesome). So in conclusion - tl;dr - Kantarowski is fantastic, take him, do work, do well.

I cannot say enough good things about Dr. K! he was by far the best professor I have ever had pleasure of having. His tests are challenging, however he prepares you very well in lecture. He is an intelligent man but is still able to relate to his students and teach the material on the concept that we know nothing ( which for the most part in Ochem is true). Take Dr. K if you want to have a good experience in organic chemistry, you won't regret it!

When signing up for Chem 316, I had the option to choose between Dr. Kantorowski and Dr. Frantz. However, since it was Dr. Frantz's first year teaching, there were no polyratings and Kantorowski's ratings were really high so I chose Kantorowski for 316. I regretted that decision from the start. Kantorowski, I agree, is a nice guy if he likes you. I had the unfortunate position of being one of the many he didn't like. As the quarter went on, I and several of my non-white friends noticed that his favorites were always of the white majority and those he didn't like weren't. On top of that, it was clear that he also liked those who kissed up to him. If you basically bowed down to him, he loved you and tried to help. I never did that and in turn that gave him another reason not to like me. Now to talk about him as a teacher. I did not learn anything from him in 316. He rushes through every lecture and goes so fast that you'd be lucky if you actually understood what he said. The only reason I understood anything was because the SWS; if it wasn't for that I would've failed the class. The average on the first midterm was a 70% and the average on the second midterm was a 67%. Both very low averages and from what I heard the averages were even lower in 317. Going into the final you think that you are going to fail the class, but because of how low the overall class average is, he is forced to have a large curve (keep in mind at the beginning of the quarter he says he isn't going to curve).

It's been almost a year since I took 316 with Dr. K and all I can say is that even though it was O-Chem, I still miss his teaching style and lectures and jokes take Dr. K if you can!

Dr. K. The man, the myth, the legend. This guy is as genuine as they come and truly cares about his students. Ochem was not my favorite class, but he made it less miserable. He is super nice and will do his best to explain any questions throughly without seeming condescending. I took him for the entire series!

My first class with Dr. K was intimidating because I wasn't too confident in lab. My best advice is that it's ok if it breaks or you do something wrong. You will only learn from the mistake. That is better then being timid in a hands-on lab. The next time around I was prepared for his teaching and what he expected. He is straightforward with presenting the lab quiz questions and as long as you know WHAT YOU DID, HOW YOU DID IT, and WHAT YOU USED you will do fine. You need to understand what's going on for once. You can't just show up and expect to get by. HE IS GREAT!

Dr. K is cool in the classroom but you can tell he is a major dork. His lab quizzes weren't too bad but we had a couple questions which were ridiculous (The publish date on our book?) but he makes an effort to learn everyones name and is pretty easy going. He may come off as arrogant if asked too many questions though

Dr. Kantorowski is a great professor, really explains the material clearly. Answers questions with confidence. Midterms are taken directly from the notes, but kicked up a notch, so reading the book as supplement is a must. Put some effort into the class and you can come out enjoying Organic Chemistry. Yes. Enjoying it.

Dr. Kantorowski is a teaching machine! He is a very skilled lecturer but he goes very quickly so drink a lot of coffee before class. He definitely does not baby his students; he's not a hard-ass, in fact he seems like a very easy going man, but I get the sense that the reason he is harsh is because he wants his students to genuinely learn the material. The subject is super interesting anyway so just go in with a positive attitude and he will make it a great experience for you.

Dr. Kantorowski was frustrating as a professor for CHEM 317. Admittedly, I do think he is an adept CHEM 316 professor as he was really excited about the topic and provided good visuals which he integrated very well with the course topic; however, I think he falls short for the second class in the series. While he is a good lecturer, I believe that he is a lazy professor as he does not provide many practice problems/worksheets other than his recommended problems from the textbook. Also, he will never post quiz solutions and he only reviews the quizzes briefly with the class right after you take them so write down the answers fast! Plus, he takes forever to return the lab reports and was very critical when grading so you could repeatedly lose points for a small mistake you didn't know you were making but you wouldn't know to fix your error on the lab reports until it's almost too late in the quarter. And there were some sketchy occurrences this quarter such as when he cancelled lecture because he deemed it too hot out and instead told the class he would be holding office hours instead, except he decided to lecture on the course material he was supposed to cover in class that day in his OH to anyone who showed up and then sent out an email saying that everyone was responsible for reading up on those sections from the book and learning them for the midterm. I feel that while he is very knowledgeable, he is mot clear on his expectations and was really frustrating. Recommend for 316, not 317!

I was able to take both Chem 316 and 317 with Dr. K, and I would not have had my OChem experience any other way. Not only is he a fantastic professor, but he's just a great guy as well. I had him for lab both quarters, and not only does he help with any problems or issues that you may have, but he plays music the whole time and it's actually damn good music. As for lectures, he's fabulous there as well. He's very clear about his expectations and what reactions/information he wants you to know. His quizzes can be tricky, but when they are actually too difficult, he feels bad and will give opportunities for extra points. His exams are difficult, but only because they're so comprehensive. You can't slack off in his class, but that goes for any OChem class. He has a set point scale for overall grades, but will normally lower the thresholds for classes based on overall performance. TL;DR - Kantorowski is fantastic. Take him. You'll write a rave review after you're done, too.

Dr. Kantorowski is the man. He is extremely helpful and almost always in his office even when there aren't scheduled hours.He presents the material in a clear and easy(well as easy as ochem can be) way and he does reviews before exams. Give me a break reviews this guy really wants the students to do well. He is very understanding and helped me through a difficult time with my health. I highly reccomend him to anyone who has to take ochem.

This man is the greatest professor I've ever had hands down. Ochem is in and of itself just a challenging subject. The class will definitely challenge you, but this guy works his ass off to make it approachable and accessible for those who want to learn. Use his office hours, even if you don't have questions, he'll find something to work through with you. Go to class, study your notes and always make sure that your lab manual is up to date. Be sure to use the examples he gives you and model your notebook after them. His grading is very fair and he always gets exams back to you right away which is great. It's obvious that he loves his job and the subject that he teaches so enjoy the experience you get out what you put in. I took the entire series with him and I'd honestly do it again in a heartbeat if I needed to. In all, take Dr. K, you won't regret it.

I had Dr. Kantorowski for Chem 316-319, and am so stoked to have had that opportunity. Without a doubt one of the best teachers for one of the most difficult series of classes I've taken at Cal Poly. You can't go wrong with Dr. K. Trust his recommendations - do the homework, go to office hours, review and rewrite your notes before each lecture, make flashcards, and read the book if you have to. There's no getting around it, Ochem is challenging. But put the time in with Dr. K's class and he won't let you down. Best of luck!

Dr. Kantorowski is a really good teacher!!! He explains everything well, the lectures and quizzes are straight forward. Midterms and finals can be more challenging because they cover a lot of materials, but Dr. K gives quite a lot of partial credits. He is also a funny guy and i enjoyed the class so much. He liked to pull out some fun fact/background of the topics we were going through, sometimes they did help memorizing the stuff!!!

OHHH EMMMM GEEEE! so dreamy. kantorowski, the k man, or kdawg, ftw!!!!!!!!!!! hammett plots are my lover....we had many hammett babies (not me and dr. k, me and the hammett plot). grignard fo life. i've had lots of grignard babies too. flame dry me first, add iodine, copper, and i'm good to go. what am i? a round bottom flask!!!! money money money! In all seriousness, 470 is a really good class. people think that the combination of physical chem and organic chem would be the child of the devil , but it was fun. DON'T THINK PCHEM, THINK ADVANCED MECHANISMS! So take this class. It's a good elective and hammett plots are really really cool. The class is also about how they found what mechanisms are; it's not just a guess!! SO TAKE IT!!!

Fine teacher, but a little dry in the presentation. I wouldnt suggest having her at 8:00 in the morning, might be difficult staying awake.