Retsek, Jennifer  

Dr. Retsek is a wonderful professor. I know that there are a fair share of bad chem professors out there (I have already had to take 2 others), and she definitely proved to be the best I have had. She is a difficult grader, but if you stick to the material, it gets easier to understand as the class continues. She is also great during office hours because she is willing to help anyone and always extends them before a major test. Though there are many midterms and quizzes throughout the course, it helps you stay on top of the information without getting behind. Take her! Her bubbly personality makes the class less frightening and more enjoyable.

Professor Retsek is a wonderful professor to take, if you are doubting your abilities in chemistry. She goes at a very reasonable pace, and is very approachable. In less than two weeks she knew everyones name, and would walk around the room making sure we understood what we were doing. She is more than willing to help. be sure to do all the homework assignments she assigns, as they are indicitive of the material that goes on the quizzes that she gives so often. Unfortunately she can be a tough grader, and the final hurt practically everyone in the lecture as the average grade was a D. But dont let this keep you from taking Retseks class. She makes everyone feel confident with the material she is teaching.

Probably the most ANAL and STRICT professor in the chemistry department...most people would say she is the biggest bitch when it comes to grading, so AVOID her at ALL COSTS...take Friend or Lowell instead!!!

Not particularly my most enjoyable prof, but not my worst. She's very nice, but she and her TA are tough graders, and she lectures pretty fast. However, she does a good job of explaining things if you ask her.

Jennifer Retsek is a wonderfully kind woman. She will do as much as possible to help her students. She'll answer an infiniate amount on the most mundane questions until you get the material if you go to office hours or stay after class. Her lectures are crystal clear and she understands difficulties extremely well. I failed the course but i didn't do the last lab and DITCHED the final. I had NO time for this course and my grade in no way a reflection on her ability to teach. Her shortfalls are in the NAZI style grading. our first assignment was balancing 40 equations and sure enough we got the assignment back with EVERY equation THROUROUGHLY graded. homework and virtually every assignment is like this, but she balances this out by being there while you do the assignments and is incredibly open to help you. take advantage of her effort to help and you will do extremely well in her class. she's a great professor though very picky. i'de recommend her most definately.

Dr. Retsek, in my opinion, is all you'll need to get an A for this class. Attend every lecture, take notes, complete lab assignments on time, ask help from her if you need it(trust me you should take advantage of office hours) I used to hate Chem since highschool but her approach and explanations helped me enjoy learning Chemistry. She is a hard grader and particular about minute details. But you can avoid errors if you approach her and ask her all your doubts. She does curve I think and she is very understanding. Be in constant touch with her and there is no way you can get anything less than an A!!!

Dr. Retsek is one of the BEST Chemistry teachers here at CalPoly. Even if you aren't fortunate enough to have her as your professor, DEFINITELY GO TO HER REVIEW SESSION before the final! The class isn't as hard as people make chemistry out to be; just make sure to pay attention when she's teaching new stuff, and pay attention to the worksheets and packets she gives out. She's approachable and very helpful if you need assistance or answers. Her lectures are quick, but nail down everything that's important.

This is a very hard class. Especially for a first simester of college. If you can take it later I would do that. As far as taking Retsek... She is a good teacher and knows her stuff. She is more than willing to help you out at her office hours. This is just a hard class, and taking Retsek was probably the only reason I did not end up with a D. If you have to take this class take Retsek.

Absolutely take this teacher. She has an incredible gift for teaching! Don't expect not to work in this class though. The reputation the Chem 124 has is well earned- you will work your ass off. The only difference the teacher can make in this class is whether or not you will learn something. If you take Retsek, you will definetely learn a lot, and enjoy the class, as well, because she has a knack for making the dullest of materials seem interesting. Also, one other attribute that blew me away was the fact that if you work your ass off in this class, she will see that, and when it comes time that you need a favor from her, she will be a lot more willing to oblige, letting you turn a lab report in late. However, if you don't put any effort into the class, good luck! I would give her a five, but I can't. Awesome professor. Incredibly fair.

She is tough and so is the course but with some effort a good grade is not impossible. Dr. Retsek really helped with understanding the material and was always in her office when she said she would be. She also answered e-mails in about a couple of hours, and her responses were very helpful. I strongly reccomend taking Dr. Retsek for chem 124

Retsek was an awesome teacher for this class. Her lectures were very well organized and easy to follow. She gives time to do the worksheets in class, so the only homework is the labs. Just do the worksheets and that's all you need to know for the quizes. Her study guides for the tests are very helpful and cover everything that is on them. If you can take Retsek I would highly recommend it.

Dr. Retsek is an excellent teacher. She shows great interest in her students and explains the material for this class clearly. The class is tough in general but Retsek gives you a good understanding of the material. The final was difficult but it was the same for all sections of 124 and out of all the teachers Retsek and Neff made most of the questions. SO TAKE Resek if you can she is friendly, really gets to know her students, and explains the material well in lecture.

She is a nice teacher. She presents the material clearly. Although it is not an easy class, I recommend Dr. Retsek.

The doctor is a great teacher that goes over the material thoroughly and also understands that it is a hard course and tries to help her students. I recommend Retsek, but if you take her do the worksheets(not collected), do the homework(not collected), and pay attention in thermo. I got behind from thermo and didn't do most of the worksheets or homework. If I had I probably would have gotten a high B or an A.

Awesome professor. She presented notes to copy in class that were very helpful. The labs were all pertinent to the information. She's very helpful outside of class and will guide you through any problem. I highly recommend her.

I cannot say enough about this prof. She's great. She presents the material incredibly clearly and gives you all the tools necessary to get an A in the class. She understands when people have difficulties, and is very helpful in office hours, and is always available via e-mail. Just do as much of the homework as you can, especially the worksheets because they are often almost identical to the quizzes, and go to all the lectures. Definitely take the prof. She knows her shit.

Ok, i don't know what that dumbass in chem 111 was thinking, because JR is an awesome teacher. If you don't get an A or a B in her class, then you are just not trying hard enough. She gives you all the info you need to do well, you just have to STUDY IT! I'll admit, her tests were a tad difficult, but nothing nobady will ever have to deal with eventually. She always answers her e-mail and will always be extremely helpful in office hours. Take her if you can, but if you are lazy and don't like to study or do work, (basically what college is all about...) then don't take her. Simple as that.

This class was pretty fair. Workload was good, labs were fun sometimes, but the lectures were really long. You get about a lab and a quiz each week. Make sure you do at least half of each practice worksheet she gives you to study for each quiz. If you do it then, you can do less studying for midterms and more beach trips! Professor Retsek drops your lowest quiz and gives some extra credit. She's really helpful in office hours and curved our class a good 5% too!

Retsek is great. The key to doing well in this class is taking really good notes and doing/understanding ALL of the problems on the worksheets since problems on the quizzes/midterms come straight from the worksheets. I did all of the problems that were assigned from the book as well and had a B+ the whole quarter, which is what I ended up with. It's one of those classes where you have to expect to get docked for stupid stuff on labs and whatnot. Keep your grade up during the quarter because the final is a tough 50 question multiple choice test that I thought I got an A on and ended up getting a 37/50. She does curve the final grades a little at the end but not too much. Overall, Retsek is great at conveying information and answering people's questions. TAKE HER.

Very approachable, lecture is long and boring, but clear and helpful. 1 quiz/week & usually 1 lab/week. 3 midterms and a final that can replace your lowest midterm. Challenging course- it starts off pretty smoothly and gets harder. I suggest trying really hard in the beginning of the quarter so you don't get screwed like about 1/3 of the class! Definitely take Dr. Retsek for 124 and 125.

This was a really great class considering that chemistry is the spawn of the devil...seriously...hated chem in high school. Anyway she is a more than helpful teacher and her TAs for this class were great. If there is one thing that you should know about the class is that the labs are a little weird. Take detailed notes during the lab to help with the write ups because you will loose points and you will have to ask to find out why. My major advice is to simply pay attention. Everything will fall into place from there.

Professor Retsek is an AMAZING professor. She knows her stuff and she expects a lot from her students. You need to study A LOT and practice problems until you feel like you're going to die. But it's all worth it. She's a great instructor and very approachable if you need help. She's always flexible and willing to meet outside office hours. She's sweet and kind and treats her students with respect. If you have to take Chemistry definitely take her.

She is an idiot. Just one more in a long line of teachers who put a precedence on work and not on intelligence. She's an idiot, and she seems to want to teach idiots. If you're a mindless drone who likes to study all the time and lack any semblance of the ability to think critically in any meaningful way, then take Retsek, you'll love her!

Dr. Retsek is an awesome chem professor. She presents the material very clearly during lecture, and is very helpful outside of class. There is a lot of memorizing to do in this course, but Dr. Retsek provides everything you need to know; it all depends on how much time you put into it. There are 4 quizzes (lowest one gets dropped) each worth 5%, 3 exams (lowest one can get replaced by the final) about 37% of your grade altogether, lab reports worth 20% overall, the final (50 question multiple choice) worth 20% of your overall grade, and other assignments that make up the other percent of the class. Dr. Retsek does grade a little hard on the lab reports and exams, but she wants to make sure that you understand the material and that you are prepared for the final (which is pretty easy compared to her exams). Definitely use the open hours after class to work on worksheets and labs so that you can get help on them if you get stuck. The T.A\'s are very helpful and knowledgeable. At the end, she gives out extra credit just for taking surveys about her and the course (which really helps if you\'re borderline).

I thought retsek was overall a good chemistry teacher. She explains the information clearly and is very fair and helpful, especially in her office hours. That is where i learned a lot of the info. Also she drops ur lowest quiz and replaces your lowest test score with your final exam score. Some people might be hard on her but its not her that is bad its just that chem 124 is generally a hard class if you dont put time into it. One negative about retsek though is that she doesnt really curve. However i think she is overally a good teacher. I heard neff is a great chem teacher, but i would also recomend taking retsek.

Retsek was more difficult than I thought. Even though she was hard, I did learn a lot. She would have a quiz on week, an \"exam\" the next week, then a break, and then the cycle would repeat itself until the end of the quarter. She gave good reviews for quizzes and exams, but the exams were harder than expected. Overall, she\'s a good teacher if you need to know a chem for your major. If not, I would try and look for an easier teacher.

The class was hard as hell, but Retsek really tried to convey the material well. I put in a boatload of effort for the final, and she curved the class, which boosted by B- to an A. An overall decent professor.

If you are the type of student that does not want to spend the entire quarter teaching yourself, AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Her syllabus says something along the lines of "my job isn't to teach you" and she sticks to that.

She is a great teacher. Even though her tests are hard and I have to work a lot for the class, I'm glad that I took her. She is very understanding and presents her material very well

This class was easier than I expected, though the tests are pretty hard. My lab partner and I weren't chem geniuses, but we fared pretty well. To get As on the lab reports you need to check that you titled,labeled, and labelled everything. Pretty simple, but some took some time to finish. Class is supposed to go 2.5 hours, but we almost always got off over 30 minutes early. There are some example problems available, but did almost none of them. Probably would've helped, but if you are pretty good at tests, then you don't need them. I did pretty poorly on tests (C average) because I always got hung up on one or two problems, which basically sucked up valuable time. Hsd to rush through easier problems, blah blah blah. Retsek is probably one of the best chem profs for 124, along with Neff. No complaints here

Not the most interesting of lectures. She goes at a comfortable pace, and provides all the information you need. You can do the worksheets and know most of the material on the quizzes/exams. The labs are a bit strict for grading, but if you actually read what you get marked down for and fix it, you should get As on most labs.

Retsek is dope. She lays out everything you need in lecture and does examples in class. Tests and labs are both fair. If you do the worksheets you're golden. She prepares you well for the final and most of the time the lab portion of the class ends early. She's very helpful if you stay and do the the worksheets in class or go to office hours.

Professor Retsek makes the material in 124 very easy to understand and makes it very possible to get a decent grade if chem is not you best subject. She has w/s that have problems almost identical to whats on the quizzes and tests. She grades the labs very harshly but that's about it. overall your grade depends on how much work you put into it.

Professor Retsek is an awesome professor. She explains the material very well. Online, she posts up an organized schedule, so you will know what is going on that week. She is very helpful when it comes to office hours and she responds to her emails quickly. She is a little picky when it comes to grading labs though, so be very detailed in your responses. This class isn't that hard if you actually complete the worksheets and read the book though. Overall, I recommend taking her class.

I absolutely ADORE Dr. Retsek! I was really nervous about taking chem since I haven't taken it for 3 years, but Dr. Retsek moved at a reasonable pace and always presented material clearly. She posted a schedule online, so you know what you're going to be learning about each day, and when any tests and quizzes are. She grades harshly on the labs (so answer everything thoroughly!), but the class is completely manageable as long as you study. She had several weddings to attend at the beginning of the quarter, so Dr. Heying and Dr. Neff both subbed for us, and I definitely preferred Dr. Retsek over both of them (although Neff is good, too). Dr. Retsek also made a point of learning all of our names, and there were 118 of us! I would definitely recommend Dr. Retsek because she presents everything clearly the first time, and if you don't get it, she is very approachable and will gladly help you understand the information.

Dr. Retsek was awesome. She is very helpful and makes sure that everyone in the class understands the material. The class is not a difficult class as it is but Dr. Retsek makes it difficult to do poorly in this class. If you can take her I would do so.

BEST CHEMISTRY TEACHER In highschool I had a horrible time with AP chem so I was dreading this class. Retsek has so many easy-to-remember tricks to carry out problems and remember difficult material. Her lectures are very fast paced but her labs and lectures flow together so well so you always get a lot out of the lab. Her tests are extremely straight forward, pretty much if she does an example in class it'll probably be on the test. She also has worksheets on polylearn that she reuses questions from, sometimes verbatim. The one thing that sneaks up on you in this class is the conceptual learning. She spends class briefly going over the background information needed to explain an equation or a certain way of solving a problem, and then solving a bunch of example problems. Just study whatever you write down in addition to the practice problems because half her tests are heavily weighted multiple choice. Her final is a simplified, 100% multiple choice final.

Retsek is super nice and really wants you to do well but the tests are extremely hard and worth a lot of your grade.

Professor Retsek was one of the best professors I have ever had. I came into the class expecting to hate Chemistry as I did in high school, but instead I fell in love with it and it became my favorite class. She explains the material very well, and everything put on tests/quizzes were problems she taught us or put on worksheets for us to complete (which were very helpful), so there were no surprises! In no way is this class an easy A, you do have to work for it, but Professor Retsek makes you WANT to work for it. Take her class if you are gifted with the opportunity!

I got an A- in the class. Professor Retsek is amazing. The actual amount of required work to do outside of class is very small, but she posts additional worksheet problems, book homework, and book readings polylearn. She cares about her students and she's great at conveying chemistry concepts. There is a quiz or test pretty much every week, but they help to make sure you keep up with what's going on. She's super helpful in office hours and is very good at pushing you toward the answer without actually giving it away.

Professor Retsek is a great professor. I didn't realize it when i took Chem 124 as a freshman but as a junior looking back she was great at communicating the material and caring for her students. She even took the time to remember every students' name even though there were about 50 students. I would definitely take her again if i had the chance.

Chill class, just be prepared for the quizzes because they are weighted so they can affect your grade if you start doing poorly on them. Two midterms and a final, and a midterm score can be replaced by the final score. Tests reflected class material and grading was equitable. All exams were a mix of MC and free response. Memorize functional groups, polyatomic ions, chemical nomenclature. Just do it; it's not hard. Random note: the liquid nitrogen lab was the most fun I had in a class the entire quarter.

Dr. Retsek was an amazing professor. She is super approachable, so you don't need to be afraid to ask questions. If you read and understand all of the notes and do all of the worksheets and homework problems she assigns, you can get an A in the class.

I did not appreciate Dr. Retsek while I was taking her class. She provides extremely helpful analogies and goes into appropriate depth for the concepts like light, quantum and microscopic scale particles that require excellent explanation to understand making her lecture every bit worth attending. She could tell precisely which mistake you made on in class problems and is very approachable for questions and clarifications through email. I would highly recommend her for anyone looking forward to learning chemistry.

Most of these other evaluations are spot on. Retsek is extremely helpful and you get the sense that she truly cares about her students. Her PolyLearn is the most organized I have and probably will ever experience. She posts everything there and also sends weekly emails reminding us what is due at the start of class. If you took AP Chem you should have no problem getting a B+ or higher. A lot of the class is review from high school chem. The tests and quizzes were pretty straightforward, but make sure you look at all the details because not knowing one will cost you 2 points on the MC which can add up. Make sure you put some effort into the lab reports too because I literally got one 100% the whole quarter because of dumb mistakes. Overall, Retsek was a great professor and person for 124.

Dr. Retsek is one of the best chem instructors for the 124/127 series. She definitely challenges her students, but teaches in a way that is engaging and clear. Her personality is wonderful and she truly cares for her students. I struggled in the beginning of this class, but going to her office hours is the best thing I did to get an A in the class. She is so helpful in office hours. I honestly don't think I would have gotten higher than a C if I did't go to office hours. It's not an easy class, but Dr. Retsek makes it much more fun and interesting. DEFINITELY take her. You will be lucky if you even get into her class since they fill up so quickly.

Chem 125 is more mathmatical and less concepts than Chem 124. This is still a hard class. The labs take a very long time to do and total 22.5% of the overall grade. There are 3 midterms and a Final with 3 quizes. If you score higher on the final than one of the midterms it replaces that grade. She presents the material very clearly and makes it interesting. If you don't understand something she is very helpful in office hours. This class takes a lot of time and effort. I was studying all the time for it. Thursday nights are not very fun because the only time there isn't a quiz or test on Friday was when there was a lab quiz. If I had to take chem again I would definately try to get her again.

Dr. Retsek is a great teacher. She makes chemistry fairly easy to understand. There is no homework besides the lab reports, which can be done on the computer or handwritten. Be prepared to spend hours studying for this class because the material is excessive and fairly complex. The only reason she gives the qizzes is to make sure you are keeping up on the material (All 3 are only worth 12%), but that is extremely important because you can't cram for this stuff. Her tests are hard but reasonable and her lectures seem really long but she crams everything you need to know in them and in a very easy to go over later format. Great help in office hours and extremely reachable by email. take her, you wont't regret it.

Welllll, what can I say about Dr. Retsek? I honestly think she is about as good as you can get for this course. The CHEM series for engineers is a tough series, no matter who is going to teach it. But Retsek does everything she possibly can to make this class bearable...and passable. She has three midterms, a final, and three quizzes in addition to your lab grade that she calculates for your final grade. Luckily, she drops your lowest quiz score and your final can replace your lowest midterm score. She doesn't curve your grade, but from what I've heard, no one does in this series. But, Retsek does whatever she can to make this class easier and more understandable for the students. She is extremely helpful in office hours and is more than willing to help any student that is willing to ask for help. A final note: spend more time on her prepared worksheets rather than doing book problems. If you can do the worksheets, you can do the book problems and the quizzes. It's obviously best to do both, but worksheets should take priority. Retsek is a solid, knowledgable, and willing professor.

DR. RETSEK IS AN EXCELLENT TEACHER. HW LOAD ISNT TOO BAD. JUST DO THE PROBLEMS OUT OF THE BOOK AND THE WORKSHEETS AND YOU'LL DO GREAT. I'M JUST TERRIBLE AT CHEM SO THATS WHY I GOT A BAD GRADE BUT SHE WAS A GREAT TEACHER. I REALLY ENJOYED IT. TESTS AND QUIZZES ARE KINDA HARD BUT NOT TOO BAD IF YOU DO THE HW PROBS AND WORKSHEETS.

Dr. Retsek is an excellent teacher. During lecture, she would go over the material thoroughly. Her tests are tough, but fair. More importantly than the grade though, I feel like I learned a ton during this class. Even though she was a tough grader, I would still recommend her as a teacher. She's very helpful during office hours as well as after labs.

She is cold hearted on the verge of getting kicked out of cal poly and woudn't round my grade up .15% she is just an ice queen!

To the whiner below: Your blame is misplaced. If you're on the verge of getting kicked out, it isn't Dr. Retsek's fault, it is 100% yours. And who fails general chemistry?? Do you have gak for brains or are you one of those freshmen, just released from mommy and daddy's roof, who party day and night and then bawl when you end up failing college? This is Cal Poly, not UoP or Chico. And believe me, if you couldn't pass 125, you wouldn't get very far in the College of Engineering anyway. Get your resume for Applebee's all polished because that's all you got in your future, dumbass.

To the arrogant jerk below: Rude, pompous comments are one way to NOT succeed at life. You can excel at academics and still have no social skills whatsoever, and in the end, not get very far overall. Anyway chemistry is a hard-enough subject for many people but Retsek managed to present it in an understandable fashion. I'd say she would be the best one out of all the others that are teaching 124/125.

She is a very tough grader. She expects everything to be perfect on the labs. I recommend not taking her. She is not at all helpful during her office hours and she doesn't explain things clearly.

TERRIBLE!!!! DO not take her!!! your GPA will go down. seriously. She failed half of our class. She is so uptight. she marks you off for anything. She is not at all helpful during her office hours. Do yourself a favor and don't take her.

What is there to say. First of all her lack of organization is something to be said for. She constantly failed to inform the class of quiz and exam dates. She is not very helpful during her office hours. All she'll do is ramble on about how stupid you are and tell you that you should reread the book after you read it 4 times before. Seriously one of the worst teacher I have ever had. She does not cover any of the material that is on her tests. She just doesn't have good teaching skills. Avoid at all costs.

Retsek was excellent! She is an awesome teacher and if you dislike chem, she is a great choice. The material is hard but not as hard as the material in Chem 124. Lecture is pretty boring but she does cool experiments for you. She is very helpful in office hours and is a really sweet person. I definitely loved her but the material sucked for me.

I had to write this years later after having Retsek. The reviews are way harsh. She is a wonderful person and loves teaching. Chem is just a hard class, these freshmen don't know what they are saying. Jen just expects a lot from her students, we do go to Cal Poly, not some loser JC. She is one of the reasons why Cal Poly produces the best graduates. She knows her stuff and teaches it well and yes, you do have to study a good amount for her tests and quizes. Study a good amount and fix your mistakes and you'll do fine. She is cares about her students and wants them to learn. Take her, you are in college to learn, not to just get a grade.

Prof. Retsek was a great professor. I am not that great at chemistry, but if you try hard in her class and lab, she recognizes it. After I got the second midterm back and didn't do too well, I went to her office hours and she went over every problem with me until I understood it. Her class is hard, but you learn a lot in it. She also does a lot of fun experiments in class. The best part of her lab is that if you stay after the experiment is over, she'll help you with you graphs and lab problems. My lab group would stay after to do graphs, and she'll guide you in the right direction, and then sign off on your graph which means you'll get full credit for it. In this class you have three midterms and five or six quizzes all together. The quizzes are tough, so don't just study the morning of. If you do all of her handouts and book problems the quizzes will be easier. The midterms are really hard as well, the average was always around a 60 or so. I studied my butt off for her final, a good ten or twelve hours, and I got a C on it. I was so happy with that grade. All in all, she's a great prof, and if you get the chance to take her for any class, you definitely should!

Dr.Retsek is a cool and caring teacher. I had her for lab which is much different than lecture I bet. She's very straightforward and very smart. I got a D because I suck at chem but retsek is cool.

AMAZING! I loved her... not only is she personable and makes an attempt to know every students name in class, but she is extremely fair on tests and quizzes! Her final is almost the exact same questions that come from the first 3 midterms, like over half were with changed numbers or elements! Highly Highly suggest her, she is so helpful in office hours! I would never take another chem teacher!

Dr Retsek was a very straightforward and honest teacher. People complain about her but I feel that everyone will get the grade they deserve. Going to office hours and staying in class when she gives you worksheet time do not go unnoticed. She is aware of those who try hard and have troubles and those who simply don't care. She wasn't as good as Christina Abel in my opinion, but overall a good teacher and I would recommend her if you don't mind working a bit and really want to learn Chemisty.

TAKE HER. She is amazing. The class was pretty hard, but she explains everything so well. I took her in the studio and she was awesome. She tries to get to know everyone. She's awesome in office hours: she'll basically give you the answers to labs if you go in to see her. Her tests are pretty hard, but as long as you know the lecture notes, do the homework, and do the worksheets, you will easily get a B or higher. She understands the difficulty in the course. I'm pretty sure she curves at the end of the quarter. I would take her again if I could!!

Great teacher. Tough, but its a tough class. Extremely approachable. Despite what your grade says, you usually learn a lot. Be prepared to work. I learned nothing from Chem 124 and was worried about 125, but Retsek takes care of you.

She's a great teacher, a lot of people fail because of there lack of work, but there really isn't that much work. There is no homework, just a weekly lab which is exceptional, and studying for the weekly quizes. Just do the worksheets, and you can pull off a good grade. Doing the worksheets correct, makes quizes cake.

Retsek is an amazing chemistry professor. I had her for both Chem 124 and 125 and I learned so much from her. She is incredibly knowledgeable and her teaching style is perfect for chemistry. The material is hard, so be ready to do a lot of work in order to do well. If you ever have trouble understanding anything do not hesitate to ask her, she is always willing to help and is very approachable. She is an outstanding professor and a wonderful person.

Retsek is a great chem teacher! Many people complain about her tests, but if you just go to every class and take good notes you'll be fine. She writes her test straight from the notes, so there was never really any surprises on the tests. You do have to study a decent amount for this class though, but that's kind of expected.

I will never forget the first time I was in her lab. She walked around the room after she had given instructions and introduced herself individually. She already knew my name and it was really cool that she wanted to get to know me. She was always available and flexible to meet during office hours. She was a great lecturer, keeping me awake and I understood the material only because of her.

Dr. Retsek is an awesome chem professor. I never got to take Dr. Nef who seems to be the unanimous favorite for chem 124/125 but I think Retsek is a firm number 2 if not number 1. She presents the material in a clear organized manner. She also gives you a study guide and worksheets of her own design. If you can do all the worksheet problems and know the things on the study guide there is no reason you should not ace her tests. She will also drop your lowest quiz score and if memory serves your final grade can replace one of your midterms as well. When I took this class it was a combined lab and lecture and we always finished at least an hour early. You were free to go after the lecture but she would always hang around until class was out which means free one on one tutoring if you don't understand the material. She also makes a strong effort to get to know you and she knew my name within a week even though the number of times I talked to her one on one was only a couple times and late in the quarter. Take Retsek if the opportunity presents itself great person and a great teacher.

After having Dr. Retsek for Chem 124 and 125, I would definitely recommend her as a professor in the future. She conveys the material very clearly, and if there was something you didn't understand, she is easily approachable in office hours or after class. Tests and quizzes aren't the easiest, but then again, chem isn't the easiest of subjects in my opinion, either. If you put in the work, your grade will reflect it, and the same goes for the other way too. Don't put off the labs, because they can be very frustrating if you have to complete them the night before they are due. Overall, Dr. Retsek is a great professor with a love for the subject, and is good with recognizing student difficulties.

Retsek is a solid chem professor. She is genuinely nice and helpful, but the class isn't easy. Do yourself a favor and take this class immediately after 124, as there is a lot of overlap that is not really reviewed. Retsek has pretty organized lectures that cover essentially all the info you need to know. Do the practice problems assigned and you really shouldn't have that much trouble with the tests. TAKE THE WORKSHOP; IT IS WORTH IT. The problem with this class are the labs. They are horribly boring and graded extremely hard by the TA's. Put a lot of work into them and you're still not guaranteed an A. So after taking 124 with Neff and 125 with Retsek, they are both equally as good. Neff is a bit easier, but retsek IMO did a better job portraying the material. I would definitely take her again if I had the chance.

Retsek is one of the best professors I've ever had at Poly so far. She is a fantastic lecturer and really gets her point across. She is extremely helpful in office hours, which are important for understanding concepts and the labs. Her quizzes and tests are very straightforward; she never tries to trick you. They take studying and don't put it off. Overall, my advice for this class is to not procrastinate studying and doing the labs. Also, really make sure you understand the concepts both conceptually and mathematically. I say take Retsek, she will not disappoint.

After taking Retsek and Neff (the 2 standout chem teachers) I completely preferred Retsek. Her lectures are MUCH clearer than Neff's and waaaaay more organized!! That being said, her class is much harder than Neff's. You WILL have to study for Retsek and she is guaranteed to nit-pick your labs to pieces. But the way she has the grading set up is very fair. I got a D on the first midterm and A's/B's on everything else and ended up with an A in the class. But you must study, and don't procrastinate on anything. Out of the 2 I would reccommend Retsek, especially if you have seen the material before. Also take a workshop or study session with it and you are golden!

I liked Dr. Retsek. I took her for 124 and 125. For 124, it was a 7AM lecture. I slacked off and didn't go to class sometimes. I ended up getting a D. She knows all students names within 2 weeks of class. For 125, there were 3 take home quizzes, 2 in class quizzes, 2 midterms each 20%, a final that's 20%, lab is 20%, and participation is 2.5%. Do well on the lab reports and tests and you'll be fine. Also, the final can replace a test.

I took Professor Retsek for Chem 124 and decided to take her again for Chem 125. The reason is because I liked her teaching style. She is very organized/structured and she tells us what she expects from us. Her notes are easy to read. She responds quickly to her emails. The exams aren't that challenging. You just have to understand what it is asking for. If you read the question incorrectly, you may end up losing over five points on one question. On the first exam, I ended up getting a C. After looking over the exam, I realized that I could have gotten more questions right if I just looked over my notes more. However, Professor Retsek drops your lowest exam score and replaces it with the final exam (if you did better on the final exam than on the regular exam). I got a B on the second exam and ended up getting an A on the final exam. She curves at the end of the course too. PolyLearn is always updated. In my class, you have two exams (each worth 20% of your grade) and six quizzes. Four out of the six quizzes are take home quizzes. They are pretty easy. The labs are what can pull you down. Take the effort to make sure everything is in the proper format and you will be ok.

I've only ever heard great things about Retsek. However, after taking her class, I have mixed feelings. She teaches extremely well, but the class moves VERY fast. Every second of the class is used. She lectures very fast and writes unnecessarily over-detailed notes. You will definitely have to go back and simplify. She provides worksheets that you do in class, worksheets to do on your own outside of class, and homework to do if you still need it (None of these are graded). The quizzes will kill you if your don't study (at the rate of about one a class) but the midterms and final are very straightforward if you know what you're doing. Take this class if you are a very hard worker and are serious about succeeding.

10/10 would take again. Amazing teacher! The class moves fast so be prepared for that but the class itself is very fair. Midterms reflect the homework. Be prepared for quizzes!

Honestly, Retsek is one of my favorite professors at Cal Poly. She took the time to explain everything presented in the notes during class. There were ample examples during class as well for reinforcement of the material. The labs also integrated well with the lecture topics. She provided many supplemental worksheets which helped me a lot for the quizzes, midterms, and final. She was very helpful in office hours. If you have the chance to take Retsek for Chem 125, definitely do it. The class is a lot of work but she makes it worth your time.

I am someone who seriously struggles with Chemistry, but for some reason chose to major in it. I had a less than satisfactory experience with my previous chemistry professor and was hoping for a fresh start this quarter. While I struggled academically and came to the realization that I need to get out of science entirely, this is in no way, shape, or form attributed to any fault of Retsek's. She spent countless hours with me in her open office hours, was always available to give advice, and graciously handled my (admittedly many) breakdowns. I had only ever taken one basic chemistry course before coming to college, so I was not at all prepared. Retsek reminded me of this, and reminded me to believe in myself. I cannot thank her enough for all she has done for me. If you have any opportunity to take her class, I would highly recommend it.

Dr.Retsek is an excellent professor and I suggest taking her given the chance. She explains things clearly and she also knows that 3 hours is a long time to be in class and has breaks. That being said, CHEM 125 is still a difficult class and it will take a decent amount of work outside of class. Make sure to do the homework even though it is not graded. Also she is very helpful during office hours. Another suggestion is to make sure you understand the labs because a large amount of the quiz and exam questions deal with the labs.

Okay Retsek isn't all that bad but she sucks. I took her this quarter and she is really a picky teacher. If your sig figs are wrong (these of which I still don't understand) she takes off points. She expects you to know a whole lot about chemistry before you even take the class which sucks because like me, I had a bad chemistry experience in high school and knew hardly anything upon taking this course. There are a lot of people who know what they are doing which makes it bad as well. So be careful upon taking this class if you are going to.

Professor Retsek is a great teacher. She knew everyone's name in the class by the end of the second week, which is amazing considering there were 100 people or so in the class. She doesn't go too quickly, but make sure to keep up with the recommended homework problems because those help a lot on the tests and exams. She gave us three quizzes and three tests plus a final, so if you do badly on one exam you have room to improve. She is always willing to help you if you have a question. I would definitely take her again.

this is a hard class if u dont go to office hours, she doesnt scale her grades, but she should. Retsek is a very fun and happy teacher and it is an entertaining class

Retsesk was a good teacher overall. I really struggled with Chemistry along with about 1/3 of the class. Though she didn’t seem to recognize this until the final weeks of the quarter she did recognize my personal effort and made additional efforts help me pass her class.

She's a really sweet teacher, and very helpful if you go to office hours. This is just a really hard course and she doesn't give any breaks. Even if you feel like its a lost cause, study your ass off for the midterms, and it'll help you a lot on your final. The final is easier than the midterms, or at least it was for me because it was based on concepts instead of the little details in the book. She lets you replace your lowest midterm grade with the final grade. It allowed me to get a B in the class even though I had a D, D, and C on the midterms. WATCH SIG FIGS.

Dr. Retsek was a very helpful and approachable teacher. Her lectures were very straightforward and she presented the material very clearly; she doesn't drone on like some teachers. She wants to help you and is EXTREMELY helpful during office hours.

Took Chem 127 with Dr. Retsek and she hadn't taught it in a while since this quarter but she was still really great. She explains things well and is very understanding. If you go to her office hours, she is friendly and will offer to explain whatever question you have several ways to make sure you understand it. There was a quiz almost every single friday, and sometimes there are also lab quizzes in which you can use a notebook. There are 3 midterms, one final. If you score better on the final, it can replace one of your midterm grades which is nice.

Best CHEM teacher ever!!! Try to get Dr. Retsek at all costs!! Very approachable and explains material well. Made chem my favorite class this quarter.

Take Professor Restek!!! She is an amazing professor!!! I started off my first exam with a D and I had no idea why because I felt like I grasped all the concepts well. It was soon after going to her office hours that I realized I only knew the concepts at surface level. I didn't do any of the homework problems and I didn't make use of her office hours. Don't make this mistake!! You will have to save yourself at the end of the course like I had to. Basically I changed my study habits completely and didn't miss a homework problem from then on out. I went to as many office hours as I could and I got as much help as possible. By the second exam I received an 80 which was MUCH higher than my first exam. It was also above the class average for the second exam. I ended up getting around a C on the final and my grade stayed at that because my lab grade wasn't so great and same with my quizzes. Make sure you keep up with material so you do well on quizzes since they do make up a good portion of your grade and make sure you get help for lab if you need it. Overall she is a really good professor and she presented all the information so clearly. Start off taking this course seriously from the start and putting all your effort into it. It will be worth it in the long run. Make use of those office hours because Professor Retsek is VERY approachable and her goal is to help you succeed. Although I got a C I am satisfied with the knowledge I gained in the course and I know I have a well built base.

Retsek is the first professor to motivate me to invest time into writing one of these reviews, she is great. She exceeded my expectations ten fold. As a student in her class, I would receive daily emails consisting of a recap/review of the day, along with helpful reminders of what to prepare for i.e. homework, quizzes, midterms, pre-labs etc. Her lectures are well organized and effective because she does a notable job utilizing the computers in the Baker Center (rarely uses the board); she can easily talk, write, and answer questions without getting flustered or confused. Her class is tailored towards a motivated student that will diligently take notes and listen because her lectures are quickly paced and to the point. Her midterms were difficult, but extremely fair. She wrote the midterms with the notorious "universal" chem final in mind; if you don't do well on one of the two midterms, she WILL replace the lowest with your final grade (assuming it exceeds the lowest of the two). Retsek is a passionate professor who genuinely wants her students to succeed. I highly recommend her.

Dr. Retsek is a gem! She's is super nice and was always patient with me during office hours. She's just a really cool gal and a vary talented instructor. Hands down the best teacher for any Gen Chem class.

DR. RETSEK IS THE BEST CHEMISTRY TEACHER AT CAL POLY! Trust me, I took Dr. Retsek for Chem 127 and as I talked to other students with other teachers they all hated them because they were horrible but Retsek is the bomb! She is so intelligent and really knows everything about chemistry. She seriously never gets anything wrong and if you are stuck on a problem and you don't know why, she will immediately find what you did wrong and help you fix it. She gives out a lot of quizzes but the material is very predictable as long as you go over your notes and do practice problems in the book. She doesn't grade homework but she encourages you to still do it and you definitely should because it really helps you get practice and stay on top of things. I got a B on both her midterms and if you do better on the final than one of your midterms, she replaces your worst midterm grade with the final grade. RETSEK IS THE BEST!! TAKE HER!!

Mrs. Retsek was the best chem teacher I've ever had, and normally I hate chemistry. She knew how to present the material in a way that makes sense, and as long as you pay attention in class and ask questions, the class isn't that difficult. Her labs are fun, but can be graded a little hard. Overall a great class and I highly recommend her as a teacher.

Okay so I saw that no one has submitted a poly rating for Retsek's 127 for almost 2 years so I know I had to. I had her for Fall Quarter, and I absolutely loved her. She is a great lecturer, but it's only through office hours where she really shines. She is extremely down to earth and relational, and will sit down with you to help you get through a problem. I went to office hours nearly every week, and I also recommend that you sign up for her supplementary workshops as well. I came into Chem 127 without taking AP Chem, so I was scared at how well I would do, but through her expertise and ability to effectively present course material clearly, I ended up with one of the highest grades in the class. She is one of the best Chem professors here at Cal Poly, and I feel more than prepared for my next series of Chem. Very relational, very organized. I would be honored to take her again!

Chemistry is always really hard, but the quarters that I hate versus like chemistry have depended so far on whether I have Dr. Retsek. She really takes the time in class to clarify details and explain concepts in ways that make them all relate together. She understands questions and breaks them down to simple enough levels for students to understand. Her tests are really hard, and require a lot of studying, but if you understand all the material she's reviewed in class there won't be anything surprising on the test. What is gone over in lecture is usually the difficulty of the tests. I would highly recommend her for 127 and 129 as well

Dr. Retsek is the best professor I have had at Cal Poly. She is approachable and always answers questions clearly and effectively. She gives tons of example problems and optional homework that helps you succeed. The class is by no means easy, there is a lot of work and studying is a must. But she is extremely fair and the class is pretty entertaining. I would 10/10 recommend taking her!

Dr. Retsek was the bomb. She was very helpful in explaining topics that were harder and super approachable. I went to office hours a lot ad found it the most helpful since she was really able to give one on one feedback. She was encouraging and really wanted us to succeed. The tests were pretty hard, but she gives tons of practice worksheets and problems to help prepare.

Dr. Retsek is the bomb. She does a really good job of explaining the concepts in detail and the ways that make them all relate together. She's really good at taking the complex stuff and breaking it down into simple enough terms for us to understand. Her tests are really hard, but totally fair since she never tests you on anything that wasn't covered in lecture. I recommend doing as many practice problems as possible. I also highly recommend going to her office hours, and was there probably three times a week. They're super helpful, and I think I could've easily gotten an A in the class if I took advantage of them earlier in the quarter.

Dr. Retsek is fantastic. I had her for both Chem 127 and Chem 129 and I found her teaching style to be perfect. She presents the class material in a way that is very easy to understand and answers a lot of questions in class. She gives out a ton of worksheets regarding the material being learned as well as a quiz each week pertaining to old and new material (usually what was learned the week of and the week prior to the quiz). The notes you take in class and the worksheets she hands out are what you NEED study for the quizzes. If you know each and every concept like the back of your hand, you will do great. Her midterms are difficult but not impossible. I felt like her quizzes and exams (2 midterms and 1 final) were always straightforward. As long as you put in the study time and the effort, you will find every course taught by Retsek to be very manageable. I HIGHLY recommend going to her office hours. She is very helpful. I enjoyed her teaching style and her help so much that I went back to see her for help when I was in Chem 128. TAKE HER CLASS!

I really enjoyed Dr. Retsek's class and I think she's a great teacher. She was very patient and answered all of the questions I had for her during office hours. She uses little metaphors or sayings to help you remember things - one I remember is "metallic bonding is like if you stack oranges and then pour sand over them; the oranges are the nuclei and the sand grains are the electrons, they are flowing over and between everything and don't belong to any one orange/nucleus". If you take her class, you need to know how to do all parts of the lab because she will test you on that during the exam. The exams are harder than the quizzes, but that is because they include lab info and tie things together into bigger picture. Retsek gives one quiz a week and they are not very challenging. There is also the option to replace one of your midterm grades with the final, which is nice if you bombed one of the midterms. Retsek cares about her students, and I would recommend her class to anyone!

I had her for lab, she is good at explaining the lab, and what we are going to do in the lab. She only lets you to work with partners. Her policy on the labs is that you must turn them in that day, unless it is a long lab or material that you have never seen before, but for the most part they are due that same day. if they are late you lose 25% of the points. she is a very hard grader on the labs, i lost alot of points due to sig figs, and units, make sure you have the right sig figs and units. The three quizs that you take are extremly hard and challanging.

Dr retsek is a great teacher and presents the material very clearly. She is super nice and very approachable with problems or concerns. Best way to study is to do all the homework and especially the review sheets she hands out in class. She is kinda tough or grading and can be very tricky about how she sets up her problems on the test so know your shit backwards and fowards before going into it. Not sure about the curve because i havent got the grade yet but I did about 10-12 percent better than the class ave and currently am looking at about 77% so either alot of people are getting d's or she'll hook up the curve. Overall a really nice lady and a good teacher, just a tough grader.

Dr. Retsek is AMAZING. If you want to succeed in this class, do every single assignment she gives your or at least most of it. The homework she posts online accurately reflects what's gonna be on the quizzes. She's extremely organized, always emails you a day before class to remind you of what you should expect to bring in the next day, and she is ALWAYS willing to answer questions.I'm not that great at chemistry but she made it soo easy to understand. Like I said, USE ALL HER RESOURCES. She is such an awesome professor and if you're lucky enough to find an open spot in her class, take it!!

She makes her own worksheets for the class, reads through the book and outlines it before lecture, and she is very helpful during office ours. She is very fast paced in lecture but she is to the point and there is always a point and her in class examples are very helpful for homework. Yes, she assigns a lot of book problems and I honestly stuck the worksheets but then you know how she asks questions on the midterms.

I loved professor Retsek. Her testing style was very different from my 127 class, so I found her tests to be very difficult in the beginning. Once I realized what I needed to do to succeed, I was able to greatly improve. She is extremely helpful both in class and in office hours. Plus, she presents very difficult chemistry material in a way that is much easier to grasp. I would recommend her above many other chem teachers. She cares so much about each individual student and will memorize all of your names! Pretty amazing in such a huge class.

I took Retsek for Chem 128 after reading her reviews on here. However, after taking this course with her, I don't understand why her reviews are this good. The class is extremely fast paced. The material that she presents during lecture is completely different than her exams. I did most of the homework problems she assigned (although they weren't graded) and they were significantly easier than her exam questions. The class average for both exams were about 63%, yet she did not curve it and continued to test us on the same exact material the majority of the class missed. She lectured the for over an hour, and only gave us 45 minutes to complete labs so they were constantly rushed. Super nice and friendly professor, but did not like her style and organization of things, and the unnecessarily difficult exams.

Teacher is good in that she explains concepts well and gives us a ton of practice examples to prepare us for tests. However, her tests are ridiculously harder than the material she gives us to study for it. I know this because I have been getting all A's on her quizzes, worksheets, and labs but then got a 73 on the exam. The average was very low and she does not make it manageable for students to get high grades on her tests. You'll probably learn a lot in this class, but expect to have trouble on exams even after doing well on all the preparatory material.

If you have the chance to take Dr. Retsek for 128, do it. Yes, the class is very fast-paced, but she uses her time so effectively. The only issue is that there were frequently time crunches to complete the labs, so she often had to extend their due dates. She does the best she can to make you successful in the class, so when she tells you to use her resources – USE THEM. I personally struggled in 127 and was super discouraged coming into 128, but she was such a joy to learn from. She assigns homework questions (you don't turn them in) that she recommends in order to get some extra practice, but she also gives you worksheets for each individual topic throughout the course. I would just make sure you put forth the effort to spend time outside of lecture revising the material, and especially completing those worksheets because they are extremely useful in preparing you before quizzes and exams. Her quizzes are extremely fair, just spend time going over the lab the was performed the week prior because you're tested on those. There's nothing that should really surprise you when it comes to the midterm and final because she goes super in-depth with the information. She also hosts a review session right before the final and it's super helpful!! Utilize her office hours, she often has tons of students come in to ask questions but she makes sure that she's able to alleviate any confusion that a student has concerning the class. She's the best, take this professor!!

Dr. Retsek is an excellent professor, however her tests are very hard. Do as much practice as you can. Do all the homework problems and re-work the examples given in lecture if you want to do well in the class. The hard thing about this class(and chemistry in general) is you have to understand the conceptual part as well as know how to do the math in order to do well. Study your lecture notes a lot and make sure you understand them! Her office hours are held in a common room in Baker. Go! Go and do your homework, lab reports, and studying. Do your work at a different table and approach her when you need help. She is very approachable and explains concepts very well. Our section met 3 hours twice a week. It was very hard to sit and pay attention through the first two hours of lecture before we started the lab. Read the labs before so you don't make a mistake and have to redo part of it(this happened to a lot of groups in our section). Take Retsek but be prepared for hard tests!

I really liked Retsek. She was hard but all the chem teachers are hard. She did present the information very clearly and as long as you understand it you can do very well. She was super helpful in office hours and curved a few people at the end. Basically, if you have the option 100% take her:)

Extremely rude and entitled professor. She talks down to students but demands respect. There are much better professors that you can take for 128 that are there to help you, rather than point out your flaws. Took the entire chem series and by far my least favorite professor. Her exams were very difficult and she does not do a good job of covering material in an effective manner to prepare you for exams. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR.

My experience with Retsek was a mixed bag. I went into the quarter with high hopes due to her really positive ratings, but after taking her, not so sure her teaching style is for me. Chem 128 was the hardest chem class I've taken (I took chem 1 and O chem at my previous school, and got a B and an A, respectively). Part of that is due to the material, but also, Retsek's tests are ROUGH. Her lectures felt like they were put on the back burner to make time for the lab, it was a "studio" class, so it was a 3 hour block used for both lecture and lab time. All that being said, Retsek is very approachable for help outside of class. I emailed her photos of my work with questions multiple times and went to office hours as much as I could, which all helped dramatically. However, I still scored about the same on every test, 74-75%, which is low for my standards, but HIGH compared to the class average which was a 50-60% on all tests! I did literally every practice problem from her worksheets (provided for practice, not graded) and attended office hours regularly, and still found myself pretty much literally failing every quiz and getting mid C's on every test. The jump in difficulty from her practice problems to her test problems is HUGE. The tests are part multiple choice and part free response, however even though there are usually less than 10 free response, they are worth the major bulk of your grade, some worth 11-15 pts a piece! Miss one, and you've dropped a letter grade. In summary, this class takes A LOT of outside work and a VERY solid background in chemistry. She doesn't take any time really to review concepts from previous courses, and expects you just to know it. I like her as a person, and felt she was super helpful and patient in office hours, but this class pretty much destroyed my confidence in my chem knowledge.

Professor Retsek does a great job of presenting the material in a way that's easier to understand. She gives great analogies and tries to get the whole class involved to demonstrate a particular topic. Although the labs are due at the end of class, I never had an issue finishing them because she gave us enough time. She's great a teaching, but when you ask her questions one on one she can sometimes be a little mean and come off unapproachable. However, I know this is not her intention and that she cares a lot about her students because she has everyone fill out a long survey specific to her on how she can improve her class. Retsek is one of the best gen chem professors, try to get in her class!

This class is really hard but Dr. Retsek is really nice. She presents material in a clear way but the homework she assigns is almost never like her test questions. Tests are really hard and you have to study and go to office hours almost everyweek.

Easily the best Chem professor I have ever had. Not only did her labs completely coencide with the lectures perfectly, but she made sure you understood them both perfectly. Do the homeworks, and you will do perfect on the tests.

Dr. Retsek was really helpful in explaining things if you went to her office hours with questions and wasnt condescending in the least. She really cares and will go back and reteach a topic if she feels the class hasnt figured it out yet. So far my favorite chem teacher. =) Homeowrk was optional, but really helped with knowing what test and quiz questions were going to be like. Her only thing with lab was to have really, really in-depth observations and at least try to answer the questions.

Dr. Retsek, I think, is one of the best teachers in the chemistry department that you can get. If you have the chance to take her, please take her. The notes she gives during lecture (although sometimes a little boring) are extremely helpful, and are the basis for the study guides for the tests. Make sure you do the suggested homework. First 5 weeks I slacked off and failed the 1st midterm, failed many of the quizzes, and didn't do the homework. After that slight reality check that I didn't understand acid-base equilibria (yes, equilibria, stuff from 128) I did all the homework, sat in the front of the class to pay more attention during lecture, and I aced the second midterm and the proceding quizzes. Luckily she allows you to replace your first midterm score with your final. If you do better on the final than the first midterm, she will change your first midterm grade to the grade you received on the final (so the final can be worth about 38% of your final grade). I never went to office hours and I received a B+ (almost an A- when after the first midterm i had a D). So make sure you stay on top of everything, go in if you really just don't get it, and you'll do fine. Oh, and the stupid ACS test, don't worry about it. It's mostly 128 stuff and barely any 129 stuff. I received a B in 127, a C+ in 128, and a B+ in 129, I didn't study but I looked through the book and went, oh yes, we studied that, but I don't really remember it, oh well. I scored a 42/50 and ended up in the 99th percentile. Make a guess if you're not sure, work fast, and don't stress because the average for cal poly students is a 30/50 (60%) and the part that goes on your final grade for 129 (10% usually) is curved anyways and doesn't really affect your grade THAT much.

She presents the material clearly but she grades really hard. I think about half the people in our class failed.

Her Chem 129 class is very hard. She is a really tough grader when it comes to quizzes and tests. I barely passed. I know for sure that about half the class failed.

I had Dr. Retsek for the lab portion of CHEM 129, and she was the best. She explains everything so well, and she is so helpful in office hours. I hope that in the future I can take another class with her because she was by far the best chemistry professor I've had.

Retsek was the best professor I have had at Cal Poly so far. Retsek is willing to help you succeed if you are willing to put in the work to succeed. She writes her own notes as the lecture goes on (no BS power points) and is willing to stop and answer questions during lecture. She writes her own practice problems that really come in handy for studying for the quizzes and exams, and she is always willing to go over the practice problems in office hours. Overall, Chem 129 is a really hard course and Retsek does her best to set you up for success, but YOU have to be willing to put in the work to succeed.

Man, this teacher did horrible things to my gpa. she needs to work those fat titties off and teach the material the right way. And on top of that, her tests were intentionally completely different than the problems done in class and in the book. Not to mention the curve for the class was one of the worst i ever seen. Straight D's and Low C- with a random A and a few B's. If you want a good grade, skip this trick.

Wonderful professor. Definitely would recommend.