Palandoken, Hasan  

Dr. Palandoken is a good O chem professor, and you will be in good hands if you take him. His lecture is very concise, and he will only ever test you on things he went over in lecture; reading the textbook is mostly just for your own understanding (but do the suggested practice problems!!!). He curves the class at the end so that the average grade is around a 70-75%, and then he also will drop your lowest quiz score and one of your midterms if you did much better on the final. This means, however, that if you're at a 79.something% at the end of all of that, he will not bump you up to the higher grade, but I guess that's fair. My biggest critic (as many other people will say) is probably his personality. Most of the time he nice, if a little dorky (he goes on tangents sometimes about his experiences in "the industry" that may or may not be that relevant to us). He teaches a little differently than the other O chem professors but I think the bulk of the curriculum is the same. He can be an abrasive guy at times, especially if he's stressed out, and this can make lab (if you get him) stressful. He will also spend a lot of time lecturing in class about how we should study more, which we need to hear but can be exhaustive. Ultimately he cares a lot about us and wants to form a positive relationship with us, and you can do that by going to office hours and proving that you are putting in the effort with grades. O chem is hard regardless of how great your professor is, but it is definitely very possible to be successful with Dr. P if you follow his plan and do practice problems, read over your notes, read the textbook, and go to office hours if you're still not getting it.

If you are an individual who does not work and has the time to put in all the effort you can gather for this course with this professor then by all means go for it. For those, like myself, who have a busy life outside of school should consider someone else who doesn't have such high expectations. Dr. P seems intimidating at first to most people but once you get to know him a little better and visit him regularly in office hours then you will find that he is not terrifying at all. Take his advice for studying seriously! EVERY SINGLE DAY! That was the mistake I made in the beginning, but even though I tried to make up for it in the end, it did not matter as far as my grade goes. Start studying the first day, make your organic sheets in a way that the material makes sense to you, and ask any questions you have without being scared to approach him. His exams are not easy and he does grade heavily, so be aware of that. If you have lab with him, then please follow directions and pay attention to everything you are doing because he will approach you every single time you do something incorrectly. This is part of him teaching you that detail is important and to be aware of the safety of others and yourself most importantly. The exam and quizzes in lecture are strictly timed so if you are a fast worker who actually studied very hard then you should do fine. My biggest struggle on the exams and quizzes was running out of time and not finishing what I started. This class really made me realize how poor my study habits were and how studying every single day is the best thing you can do especially in the quarter system. Take Dr. P if you are the type of person to take things seriously, pays attention to detail, and can show him that you are trying your best because he knows who is and who is not. Best of luck!

A lot of people say that this professor is a bit intimidating and has a strong personality, which is true, but the key for his class is to just follow his directions. You definitely need to do the recommended practice problems in the textbook and study every single day which he lectures on repeatedly, but trust me, it freaking helps and is the key to success in his class. I wanted to write a review for Dr. P because he really cares about every single student and he makes an effort to remember everyone's names and going to his office hours are extremely helpful. I was going through a hard time in life that quarter and fell extremely behind because of that and unfortunately failed the class, but he was very understanding to my struggles and helped me as much as he could. If you really want to learn O chem and practice good study skills, I recommend this professor. Also, try to keep a good connection with him by going to office hours and showing him that you are making an effort because later on in life he can give a great recommendation letter. However, try not to take his lab because he is definitely unnecessarily harsh and stressful and can make you feel like an idiot if you make a small mistake. but there is no lab final, just three lab quizzes. If you do have to take his lab, pay attention to everything he says, write everything down and make sure to do the pre labs, otherwise you will have a hard time.

Everything Dr. Palandoken does in his class is to help you. This is the biggest thing you have to grasp when taking this class with him. You'll hear horror stories about how mean or difficult he is, but ultimately you will be glad he pushed you so hard. His grading system is set up to be fair, but will not punish you for having an off day. His lectures-and labs if you have him-are fast paced but straightforward. If you put yourself out there, ask questions, participate in lecture, and make your effort known, you will be rewarded. This class was definitely one of the hardest classes I've ever taken, but like anything really, if you put in the time and effort you will do just fine.

ok first of all--any review of this man that has the words "unfair" or "unclear" in them should immediately be ignored. on the FIRST DAY (!) he talks about how obsessed he is with fairness; his class, his grading, and his teaching are demonstrations of that. he never tests on material not explicitly covered in lecture, and he knows exactly what he wants out of his students. that being said, while the speeches about studying 90 minutes a day and making organic sheets can be repetitive, he's right. he knows how to study organic chemistry. that's why he has a PhD in it.

Dr. P has easily become my favorite professor here at Cal Poly. His lectures are extremely organized, and follow the same format for every topic. He writes everything on the board which is what I prefer, and he provides plenty of examples for each topic, which sets you up for being able to do the more advanced practice problems well (with some of your own inferring of course). The grading system is very fair, but the exams are quite hard. I haven't heard any bad things about him, just that people have heard bad things. I have nothing but good things to say. If you go into his office hours he will try to get to know you on a more personal level, and really does seem to care. The first day of the class, he went on a 15-20 minute "rant" but it was him explaining how he truly feels satisfied with his life by playing a small role in all of his student's careers. He really does care about you if you actually try in the class. The class is very hard, and yes I am disappointed with my B, but I would recommend Dr. P over anyone else.

Dr P is one of my favorite professors ever. I had him for 216 and 217 lab and lecture. While its true that he's a hard ass and his class is difficult, its because he wants you be the the best version of you and be a successful adult. If you go to office hours and put effort in his class he will love you. Once you get past his hard exterior, he is very caring and sometimes joking and teasing goes back and forth between him and students. He loves to talk about random nerdy things out side of o chem and he will give advice if you ask. Be polite and do what you're supposed to do and lab and he won't yell at you. He is an amazing teacher. He presents the material clearly and concisely and really helped me understand o chem. If you follow the systems he puts in place like copying all your notes and doing the homework problems you should get a least a B. Getting an A is very hard but thats only because his tests focus on details too. I would recommend him if you are driven when someone has high expectations for you and if you work well under stress. tip: don't ask questions he's just answered unless its in office hours. If you have a disability or problems just come to him because he truly cares.

I'm the person from the last review. I forgot to add that none of the homework is to be turned in but its very helpful and you should always do it. He also makes good problem sets that are helpful and help you see quirks in different reactions. He has quizzes close to every week and drops the lowest one. There are two exams and a final. He has a system where if your grade is higher overall with one of the exams dropped he weighs the final more, or he weighs the final less if your two midterms are better. He curves the class but he will never pull you down and last quarter he gave a very generous curve. Midterms and finals are hard but if you do all the practice problems without the answer key you should be fine. The only caution I have is be VERY VERY meticulous in lab; do all the procedures the right way, follow lab safety, close the god dam funnels for the waste, clamp things the way you're supposed to, clean your glass multiple times, be safe in general. He tends to be scary and reprimanding if you don't do those things, but if you do everything right there are no problems.

O Chem is obviously a difficult class in general. Dr. P is a SUPER amazing professor. Yes, he can be mean and demeaning sometimes or make you feel like you're a complete idiot. BUT, if you are willing to try and show an effort that you actually care about your grade, he will spend hours helping you. For 216, i was failing and never went to office hours until just before the final (which i regret), but he helped me for HOURS and i ended up with a B in the class.I took Dr. P for 216 and 217 and am very grateful. He definitely prepares you very well and tries to get you to actually understand that material. 2 midterms, quizzes every non exam week, and he does curve the class at the end. He expects a lot from his students (he recommends studying 90 minutes everyday for this class), but hey you have to be willing to put in a lot if you're taking O chem because that means you're in a major that requires some deep intelligence. Bottom line, TAKE DR. P.

Dr. Palandoken is a hard ass, plain and simple. He has really unreasonably high expectations and is scary to ask questions to. He openly favored a certain student which is annoying because no matter how hard you study, you won't get an A unless he really likes you. So kiss some ass or take a different professor (I would choose the second option if I had a redo)

Highly recommended!! Dr. Palandoken gets graded harshly because his classes are tough (ie. he has quarters where he may only give a couple A's), but he is an extremely intelligent individual and does a great job presenting the material clearly. If you want to actually learn the material (ie. for the MCAT, etc.), then I would definitely recommend taking his class. However, do not expect it to be easy and be prepared to put in some hard work to get a good grade. Overall, great professor!

I think Dr. P tends to get lower ratings because he is extremely tough. But with that said, he is also the best ochem professor that I have had. He expects a lot of his students, but does a good job clearly explaining all concepts. If you are up for a challenge, and truly want to learn organic chemistry, I would highly recommend Dr. Palandoken.

Dr. P's class is not a cake walk but you will learn so much in his class. Recopy your notes after class, do the hw, got to office hours, make a list of the mechanisms, and a list of the syntheses. He really just wants you to succeed.

my name is Nick Piper and I'm a fourth year. I fucking hate palandoken and think he is a dickhead. Fuck him. Also, I think i'm hot shit. I'm an arrogant person and think that I am the shit in chemistry. Fuck yeah. I'm superior to everybody. I'm gonna go to med school and think that I am so cool. I play rugby and am the best at it.

I learned that if I were to take up hunting, I should shoot deer, not bears, because a bear will hunt me back if I successfully wound it. Fascinating! I didnt know that the key to production and operations management was so brutally simple!

Dr. Palandoken is a nice enough person, but an ineffective teacher, at least in this SURVEY of organic chemistry class. The class most definitely did NOT feel like a survey class. It was extremely difficult, and tests were not reflective of what was taught. Topics were skimmed in lecture and homework problems were assigned, but the test questions were far more difficult than one would expect after doing the recommended studying and problems. He goes over a topic so fast and writes a ton of stuff on the board that makes NO sense to a non-chem major. It's extremely frustrating. No partial credit, harsh time limitations, and a "your shit out of luck" attitude if you don't understand the material made this class painful. Have to retake with a teacher that will hopefully TEACH. He might be different in the major's o-chem classes, but he needs to reevaluate how to teach the 312 class for the rest of us.

Dr. P is awesome. He presents the material clearly and will spend the first 2-3 weeks strictly reviewing on the fundamentals. There are weekly quizzes, and the upside to that is that it requires you to keep up with the course. He expects his students to study at least 1.5 hours a day, which is manageable but make sure you stick with it- it will be worth it in the end. There are two midterms and one final; you can get your lowest midterm replaced with your final, which shows that he cares about progress and improvement. You may also drop your lowest quiz out of 7. He will expend a great amount of energy emphasizing the importance of keeping up with this rigorous course, and by doing so, study EVERY day! Ask him about his research, he's a credible organic synthesist and has done some awesome work in the past. He really cares about his students, so I highly suggest taking him if you can!

Sucks to suck!

Things I wish I had known before enrolling in Palandoken's class: - Almost every lecture was preceded by a massive rant about studying every single day for a minimum of an hour and half. First few lectures... okay, thanks for the heads up, appreciated... But seriously, week 9? These routine lectures accuse students of not studying. Every student in chem 316 studies regularly, with VERY little exception considering that these are smart, serious students. So, this is not only wasting everyone's time, but making those who are studying HARD and doing poorly feel terrible about it. - If you don't understand something, he is generally not helpful. Just angry that you don't get it. He needs to take a chill pill. Sometimes he even catches himself being unreasonably upset. - Palandoken's exams are very hard. Fair enough, since this is a difficult subject and he wants his students to learn the material thoroughly. However, what is awful about them is that it seems his main goal is to make you lose points in any way possible. His problems often require you to answer a set of four (hard) questions, then answer several other questions based on your answers to those first ones... which adds up to, any tiny little mistake on any part of the problem = no credit. On these he offers no partial credit because they are set up like multiple choice. Where he does offer partial credit, he is EXTREMELY stingy and will mark you off a huge amount of points for any mistake you make. He also puts things you have never seen before on the test, AND puts you on a tight time budget, so that many students either don't have time to finish or don't have time to look it over for mistakes. Our test averages were one D and one F, which he said were "good" averages. A little irritating considering that almost every student is putting in more effort than for any other class, ever. - At the beginning of the quarter, he told us that he wouldn't put things from the lecture before the test on the test. He didn't keep this promise at all. He would do a full-on two hour lecture just 2 days before the exam teaching us huge amounts of information we needed to know inside and out, requiring mass "cramming" before each exam. This is funny because he tells us that cramming will NOT work for organic chemistry - pretty true. - He is very moody. One question asked can send him into a fit, which will end up spiraling him back into one of those 20 minute lectures about how people should be studying more. Not exactly approachable. - He openly favors some students. He likes to make friends with his students, and reminds you regularly that he can "tweak" your grade if he likes you... he actually used those words "If I like you." So make sure that, on top of the 1.5+ hours you spend studying daily, to put in some time to suck up. - One small pet peeve of mine: he keeps you a couple minutes over every day. Annoying if you have another class to get to. Also, if he has tests or quizzes to pass back he won't do it until the end of the lecture so you have to stay after class to get your test. Pros: - You will learn Ochem very well from him if you put in the time (which really is TONS of time). - You can drop one quiz, and you can also drop one test and make the final worth half your grade if you choose to do so. However, the way he grades and makes exams, this is hardly a saving grace. If your SOLE goal in life is to learn chem 316 thoroughly, then go for it, but I would strongly advise avoiding this professor. Taking him means subjecting yourself to a quarter of long, insulting rants, and also risking a low grade even if you understand the subject well. If you're going to learn it well either way, you might as well get a good grade for it and learn it in a nicer environment.

Organic chemistry is not an easy course. Palandoken will prepare his students for 317 as well as 318/319. The only piece of advice I have is to attend office hours regularly and study every day. Yes, his midterms are challenging, and there are weekly quizzes, but they are representative of the material presented in a real-world application. For instance, one of his experiences as a grad student consisted of creating an IV for a patient, which required problem-solving skills and to think critically. Organic chemistry is just one of those courses that requires most, if not all of your time to master. If you are interested in learning the material clearly and want to further your studies with it, I highly recommend taking Palandoken (he himself is an organic synthesist and has created some compounds in his studies). However, if you're looking for an easy pass, this may not be the right choice for you. By far my favorite professor at Poly!

I had a lot of problems with this professor, mainly because of his time constraints. I ended up getting a C in the class even though I studied literally 2 hours a day. This is because the time constraints on his tests. I ran out of time on every test and quiz and didn't have time to check any of my work. Pair that with the fact that he's a completely anal grader and takes points off for stupid shit like if your arrows aren't perfect. Even so, I wouldn't have cared about his grading policies if he'd given us more time. Without the time constraints, I thought he was a super good teacher, both in lecture and lab. I understood the material. I knew it so well that, if I had more time, I probably would've gotten high As on all examinations. With the amount of effort everyone put in, everyone could have gotten an A. Our class was pretty smart.

Dr P is a super nice and funny guy. His notes are VERY organized and his writing is very legible which is really nice. There are weekly quizzes (you get to drop the lowest one) and sometimes they are take home. He recommends that students study 1.5 hours a day, EVERY day and he will repeat this in every class so do it!! He can be a little bit intimidating one on one but he really likes it when you go to office hours. He's a great lab instructor and is totally willing to help you since it is challenging. The time constraint on the tests is the hardest part. You need to be 100% confident with everything you know so that you can pull it out in a very short amount of time. Don't take this course too lightly because it will literally consume your life!

I am currently sitting here procrastinating studying for my last couple of finals in my first year of professional/grad school and it got me thinking about who at Cal Poly stands out to me as someone who helped pave the way for my success up to this point. And I have to say, Dr. Palandoken is at the top of my list. I had a few other professors who got my best from me simply due to my stubbornness (and they are on my list too), but Palandoken was one of those guys who made me think about how my efforts in a single quarter would play into my success overall as a student. Everyone knows that o-chem is only important as a subject if you're going to be a chemist or a pharmacist, but it is an important rite of passage for anyone who wants to go on to the next level in their education. I took the later o-chem classes with other professors and Dr. P was the only one who made me see why this class was important and gave me this drive to push to do well for more than just an A. Anyway, I can't help you much in regards to his tests and whatnot because it has been awhile, but when I look back a year later this class is in the top 3 classes as far as preparing me to move forward with my education. It will be a difficult class so you might as well take it with Dr. P! Oh yeah, and if he makes you do those stupid "organic sheets" still, put some effort into them because they helped me with the MCAT.

Dr. Palandoken is probably one of the most intelligent teachers I have ever had, and knows the subject well beyond what is needed. This is where the problem may arise. He is also one of the most arrogant teachers I have ever had. He treats the subject at times as if we were supposed to already know all of this and are all idiots. He is not approachable at all with questions unless of course your a girl then he will have no problems with answering your questions. Overall I would not recommend him, unless you are okay with asking questions and the professor being frustrated. In lab he always seemed to be grumpy. His tests always had a way to trick you and would always have an emphasis on something that we hardly went over in class. This may have to do with the condensed class during the summer. He just always seemed on edge and definitely favored some students over others.

This class is very hard. His tests are very difficult and will make you feel like you are going to fail the class. I got an A in the whole gen. chem series but have had great struggles with his class. He is a good teacher and knows the material well but he is probably one of the harder O chem professors. I recommend doing what he says (and he will say this CONSTANTLY) but STUDY every day or do not take him for your professor or you will not get a good grade.

Dr. Palandoken is by far one of the most intelligent professors I have taken at Cal Poly. His class is by no means easy and he does frequently stress that in order to achieve in any organic chemistry class work must be put in. As a teacher he has the skills to answer any and all question accurately and clearly. He cares about his students and is very passionate about what he teaches. With that being said, it's remarkably easy to fall behind in his class. If you choose to take him be prepared to work for your grade and make sure to stay on top of his lecture. The class is graded based on the lab, quizzes, and exams. There is no homework.

Dr. Palandoken is a great instructor. He is probably the most methodical and thorough professor I've ever had. His lectures are extremely clear and organized. Dr.P. has a reputation of being difficult and teaching beyond the level of the course. However, most students who take ochem will be involved in some sort of health profession. I think he wants you to try harder, because as time goes on, the stakes get higher. If you need extra help, he's awesome in office hours. Ochem isn't easy, and he lets you know. His test and quizzes are designed to challenge you, make you think critically and find a solution QUICKLY. Partial credit is seldom given, just like in real life. Take him if you want to learn the material, you might learn a little about yourself in the process, too.

He's a great teacher! He requires his students to truly understand Organic Chemistry. I have had him for 316, 317 and am taking him for 318. He truly loves Organic Chemistry and therefore requires students to put in effort into his class. He doesn't allow for people that cram in his class to get an A, there is to much material to cover. However, if you do study every day like he says, the ability to get an A is tangible. If you do the required work for this class, Organic Chemistry isn't as challenging as many people say. He gives lots of practice problems and is really helpful in office hours. Other teachers are easier, but Palandoken prepares you for taking the mcat, pcat etc where you have to know and remember Organic.

Palandoken is a knowledgeable professor who is also a condescending jerk. His class will definitely prepare you for future courses, but crush your self confidence. He says he wants to inspire students to further their education, but honestly he was the final reason I switched out of being a chemistry major. If you're planning on taking him, have fun hearing the same jokes day after day and working hard to get little/no reward.

I really enjoyed learning organic chemistry and found all of the reactions, mechanisms, and syntheses very interesting. But this is not because of Dr. P. He made the class miserable. Although he is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to o-chem, he knows this and he isn't afraid to make all of his students feel inferior. His expectations are impractical, and he finds a way to make you feel guilty if you skip even one homework problem. Don't get behind... You can't afford it. If you do poorly on a quiz or test, don't go to him because he knows that you haven't been keeping up and he is not afraid to rub this in your face. Also, don't ever make a mistake in lab! Not only will he treat you like a complete idiot and make sure that you know that he's disappointed in you, but he will take off points for that lab. He never understands when students make mistakes because how could they when his directions and explanations were so clear and flawless? Even if you study 24 hours a day for his class, Dr. P will still find a way to make you feel like you're not trying hard enough. Don't ever ask questions in class– he will just embarrass you and make you feel stupid. Just pretend like you understand everything he lectures on, then go home and study your ass off to really understand it. Study in groups and do practice problems non-stop until you're sure you get it. The tests are do-able if you have really mastered the material, but especially if you have old exams of his. The people that claim that they like Dr. P are the oblivious ones who actually think that Dr. P likes them as well, when it's obvious to everyone else that Dr. P likes no one. My advice for this class is to find a way to study the material that works for YOU. Don't let Dr. P's expectations overwhelm you– almost no one actually lives up to them. Also, try to avoid confrontation with him as much as you possibly can if you would like to save your self esteem.

Palandoken is an interesting guy. He knows more chemistry than any other teach I have met thus far; however, his big problem is that he also believes that he knows it all. So basically when you want to ask a homework question or get confused mid lecture, think twice about asking him, and prepare for a humiliating response to your question that leaves you feeling like an idiot and he convinces you that you're going to fail. But in all honesty he had the best, most accurate strategies for teaching and he explained concepts well. This class will consume your life, and lab with him is a death sentence... Don't take lab with him! But overall stay up with studying.. Best of luck!

Professor Palandoken is by far a very informed and knowledgeable instructor. It's hard to disagree with that considering all reviews do note that about him. However, his major flaw is that he does not sincerely care about his students. He cares about their "success" and is willing to go to lengths of bashing on students if they are confused or fell behind a little. It's easy to fall behind in the class, but he stresses the significance of the too much that it becomes stressful even to look at him. This class will consume the majority of your time, so be prepared. I'm a math major hoping to switch to chemistry, but I ultimately decided to stay in my major due to his class and unneeded speeches at the start of the class. More so, due to hardships during the quarter I had to withdraw from the course because of his own added stress. Great instructor, very informed, but not the guy you'll want to associate outside your academic career due to his cocky, inconsiderate rude attitude. Don't let this push you away from taking him, but do understand the amount of time (and self-confidence) you are putting at stake.

Fuck Palandoken

I thought I knew what stress was before this last quarter. Turns out I didn't...halfway through Dr. Palandoken's OChem I class, I was twitchy, on edge, and exhausted. He tells you to study an hour and a half a day. If you're the kind of person that reads that and says, "Nah, I'll just study before the tests", you're going to crash and burn. Dr. Palandoken obviously loves his subject, but holy shit is there a lot of work involved. Near-weekly quizzes, tons of information in lecture, jam-packed 3-hour lab sessions, and midterms that don't pull any punches. The class average for the second midterm was something like a 60, and the overall class average before the final was around the same number. I have no clue how I pulled away with a B (god bless the curve), but after spending so much time worrying about this one class my grades weren't as good in my other classes (mostly my own fault). For the love of god, get a study group! Use his organic sheets! Study every (EVERY) day! Or take Carroll or Eagon and breeze by Ochem I getting over 100% on the tests. Either way.

This guy went to shitty ass Chico State and is taken it out on his students for because he went to a shitty undergrad college. Yeah, I get it, he has a PhD in Chemistry, but still, I don't give a shit. He's still a conceited and arrogant SOB.

Dr. P is one of the nicest and most understanding professors at Cal Poly. If you show the absolute minimal amount of effort in his class by going to office hours or asking questions when appropriate, your relationship with him will be just fine. He's clearly very invested in his students' success, and wishes to do everything he can to help them succeed. If he knows you've been trying and are doing poorly on exams or quizzes, he will catch you after class and insist you come to office hours to talk to him about it. If you show interest, effort, and motivation to do well in his course, he will in turn try his hardest to help you do well and learn the material. His class in general is stressful, but not because of his manner of presenting information. He's very clear; sadly, it's just a massive quantity of material. It does stack up on itself, though, and is applicable in future parts of the ochem series. Honestly, give him a shot. If you respect him and his course, he will in turn respect you. Study everyday, at least a little bit, go to office hours, and go to his OCS. If you take his class, you WILL do well on your MCATs. You'll know ochem in your sleep.

Ochem professors that are an easy A do not exist. However, I have yet to have a bad one. Dr. Palandoken is probably my favorite professor of all time. I'm not just saying this because I love chemistry, but he genuinely cares for is students (enough to spill his guts in front of the class before every quarter.) He tends to pick on the people he likes, so make sure you get to know him. He's really laid back, and believes in the power of positive thinking. Feel free to talk to him about anything if you have him for lab, I'm sure he gets bored being the goggle police. If you want to do well in his class: Know Mechanisms, don't just memorize products Do the suggested problems he sends out Make sure you keep up; you have weekly quizzes (although if he feels that he hasn't covered enough, he will make it take home.) Yes you have a lot of midterms and quizzes, and they are rigorous. He drops the lowest test AND quiz so you are allowed quite a bit of wiggle room versus other classes. He also does some really cool research, ask him about it.

All of the O chem teachers at cal Poly are really good. They know what they are talking about and you will learn a lot. The only bad thing with Palandoken is that there is NO partial credit. O chem is very difficult and small mistakes can be made. Problems have many many steps and if you mess up on one of them you will get 0 points out of 10, which is a letter grade. The partial credit hurt my score. If you have a choice take Costanzo. He is the best professor ever. He gives extra credit and presents material very clearly. I had him for 316 and 318, but his class filled up for 317 so I was stuck with Palandoken. Overall he is not a bad second choice.

Although this class is tough, Dr. P is great at presenting material in an organized manor. His tests are probably some of the hardest I've taken, but if you study consistently, the tests will be way less of a shock. Weekly quizzes are a guarentee. Talk to him in office hours! He is such an understanding guy and really wants the best for his students. He is very inspiring and sympathetic if you just communicate with him. MOST IMPORTANTLY, DON'T fall behind in studying. Or you can easily fail this class.

Dr. Palandoken is an INCREDIBLE teacher. He actually cares about how his students do in his class, and is very thorough in his lectures. Sometimes it feels like he is going at a mile a minute with his curriculum, but the most important part about his class is that he PREPARES YOU for the next level. There is no such thing as an easy O'chem class or O'chem teacher, and P-Doke is by no means an easy professor. His proton nmr's on his tests are brutal, and he expects a lot out of his students for his syntheses on exams. The biggest adjustment to his class is the time crunch that he provides. I can honestly say that after two quarters with him I breezed through his quizzes because I knew what to expect, but the adjustment is difficult. People bitch and moan about how all he does is tell you to study every day, but at the end of the day it is how you study that matters. For me, I kept a reaction notebook with every single type of reaction we have ever learned. It was really helpful. Filled it cover to cover. Take P-Doke if you want to actually be prepared for the MCAT, or any other graduate-level test. I guarantee that while at the time you will be hating him, in the end you will be beyond compared for any Ochem thrown at you down the road.

This man invokes lukewarm feelings in me.

Organic chemistry is a very challenging subject. That said, Dr. Palandoken was the best ochem prof that I had out of three. Pros: Dr. P wrote every reaction and mechanism that he wanted us to know on the whiteboard and he has excellent handwriting. There was never any ambiguity regarding what we were tested on. There was a quiz every week that there wasn't an exam which helped me stay up on the new material. Dr. P provides practice tests and worksheets. Take maximum advantage of these tools; they are much more helpful in preparing for exams/quizzes than the book problems he assigns (all optional). Cons: Like I said, this subject is hard and Dr. P writes very challenging, but doable exams/quizzes. However, unlike Dr. M who gives easy exams, Dr. P prepares you for the next level & the MCAT. If you don't spend some time every day practicing mechanisms and synthesis problems your chances of getting a passing grade decrease exponentially. Although Dr. P may come across as an arrogant jerk, that is not an accurate description of his character. He is very intelligent and expects the most from his students and if often disappointed when students don't put in the necessary effort to succeed. I was initially terrified of Dr. P, but I went in to his office hours weekly to clarify hw questions and he was SO NICE. He asked me about my goals and plans and I could tell he truly cares about his students. If you make the effort to succeed in Dr. P's class, he will do everything in his power to help you. Good luck!

This professor is cocky and can be a little demeaning. He is the professor you hate and wish is your best friend. This class will consume all your time. And if you pass with a C or better you will no Organic Chemistry better than people who took most other professors. This class will by no means be easy, however, this will class will teach you more than organic chemistry. Take this professor. Take him for the whole series.

far and away the smartest ochem professor i've met at poly. and, imo, pin fuckin point intelligence is something needed in any professor. I took him for ochem 1 and 2 and am super grateful for it. I feel like I have such a solid foundation. would definitely not recommend him for the 2nd quarter if you didn't have him for the 1st.. but yeah, could chill out a bit. unfortunately, most of us don't care as much as Dr. P

Dr. P is the best professor I have had at Cal Poly. He truly inspires you to learn and fufill your goals. He has three midterms and you get to drop your lowest one. Best thing a teacher could do. Weekly quizzes which you also get to drop your lowest score. He does have a time constraint on tests but its for a good reason. He is trying to help you develop your problem solving skills. Because lets be real, people who take this class either are chem majors or want to be doctors. I think people just get this stigma against organic chemistry and if they fail a class they blame it on the teacher. This is a hard class and you need to put more effort into this class then any other. Also get to know Dr. P or as they say (P2). He is very friendly and willing to help out the students who actually care.

This man does not have feelings. However, eh is a pretty cool guy and doesn't afraid of anything. A great ochem teacher that really sets you up for the next level and an hero too.

He's a fucking douchebag. It doesn't matter how hard you try, if you're one of his stupid pets, you'll get an A. Otherwise you'll get a C. Or worse. Avoid at all costs.

Dr. Palandickhead