Schoonover, Rod  

Dr. Schoonover was the best professor i think that i could ever have for chem 111, i mean even though it was during the summer it was a good time. Dr. Schoonover puts thought into his classes and he brings a lot of expriments to class and it was a good time. If anyone has the oppurtunity to take this professor while they are here i would take him because he's a great professor. During the quarter he did say the class was goingto be hard even though it was 111 but if you are having trouble he will help you out and make time for you. He is very sincere with his students and i would recommend himto anyone. The other thing is that he does know a lot- he talks about music, movies, or whatever to kinda bring some life into a class with it's boring. But i would take this professor again in a heartbeat even though he is kinda tough and i will let you on a little secret, he curves the grades at the end of the quarter even though he won't tell anyone that he does. HE ROCKS!!!

Dr. Schoonover was my very first professor at Cal Poly. The first thing he told my class was "The average grade on my tests is 40%". But, he followed up with "However, if you score the average on my tests, you will get a B- in the class." So, I would call him hard, but fair. I had a pretty solid grounding in chemistry already, but the class was still fairly challenging. Yes, his demonstrations are incredible. Yes, he is often funny. However, he is one of the only professors from 5 years ago that still knows my name. (he uses mnemonics) For a good time, ask him about throwing Lithium into a pool...

This guy is a good teacher and a PIMP. Any guy with the middle name "wolfcall" is a pimp in my book.

Why did Barnum & Bailey overlooked this one?

He seems a few french fries short of a happy meal. All you will remember from his class is him almost blowing his head off a few times. Funny guy, terrible teacher + difficult tests= no good. The guy has an attitude.

this guy ROCKS! he is one of the funniest, craziest teachers you'll probably ever have. a lot of people struggle in his class, but he doesn't require homework and he doesn't seem to care much about labs. there are 4 quizzes and two midterms, and he reviewed before midterms. i took AP chem in high school and was lost, but when i took 125 last fall i suddenly understood it all. if nothing else, this guy is fun.

This teacher is great. Not only can he explain things well, he can also make chemistry interesting. His stories are funny and he makes the 2 1/2 hours of class go by pretty fast. True, his tests are a little hard but, he does go over the material that will be on the exam. Wow, his middle name is "wolfcall?"

Dr. Schoonover is an amazing guy and absolutely one of the best profs I've had here at Poly. When I came to this school I was an EE major but Dr. S showed me the light and I changed my major to BCHM a good deal because of his influence. Here's the truth: Engineers are lazy and don't know how to work. When I changed majors I really had to put in some effort. Dr. S has high expectations, so if you want an easy instructor, go elsewhere. But if you want a brilliant professor, probably the smartest prof you'll ever have, who is dedicated to his students and tries to help students LEARN something, make sure you take him. A+.

Definitely the best teacher to take for the Chem Series... Funny, and makes the class seem to go by fast. He never keeps you in there the whole class time. True, if he did spend more time teaching the stuff, maybe i would've made a better grade, because his test and quizes are really hard. I really only concentrated on the labs, and I didn't try hard on the quizes and tests, so I ended up with a C.

Dr. Schoonover has the rare ability to add humor to chemistry. He is also an excellent instructor; he presents ideas in a very simple, straight-forward manner. His tests and quizzes can be tough, but he curves everyone's grade at the end of the quarter. He is an excellent teacher, and makes chemistry not just understandable, but fun as well.

As a Freshman my major was ENVE and I took Chem 125 with Schoonover. He is the reason that I got out of engineering. If you have problems with Chemistry DO NOT take Schoonover. He doesn't go over the material very thoroughly and his exams are impossible. My boyfriend had Bailey for Chem 125 (he got an B+ in Bailey's class) and he had no idea how to do anything on my exams. This was the first and only F I have ever received, which in effect caused me to change my major to something that did not require as much science, especially chemistry. My advise is if you are very good at Chemistry go ahead and take Schoonover but if you have problems take someone else like Bailey.

Times like these, it's embarrassing to be an engineering major. I got an A in Dr. Schoonover's class, really with minimal effort. His exams were straightforward because he pretty much just took problems we did in lecture, changed the numbers, and put them on the exam. Anyone who can't pass one of those exams has to be either LAZY or a complete IDIOT. I found the instructor to be funny, a bit on the odd side, and really intelligent. He brought demonstrations to class nearly every class period. I know that most of my classmates really liked him, so I don't really know what's wrong with the jackass above. I think his is just ripping a good professor because he had the audacity to give him a bad grade. Good riddance, our major is stronger without you!

I had a lot of fun in Chem 125. Dr.S took the whole class to Diablo Canyon which was pretty cool. I hate classes that are totally theoreticle and this instructor always brought a real example of what we were learning to class. I didn't find the exams that bad, but I did have to study (exams were 1/3 multiple choice, 1/3 short answer, 1/3 problems).I came to Cal Poly expecting that classes were going too be hard. It seems to me that that's what college is all about (that, and beer). Take this instructor if you can!

Rod was my T.A. at the University of Michigan in 1986. I still remember taking the class from him, even though it was twenty years ago. I think he was a first year instructor. He was always willing to communicate and explain everything in ways that we could understand.

I would highly recomend Dr. Schoonover for general chem. He's enteraining and he presents the material well. His lectures seem a bit unorganized. It is still very possible learn from them. As far as p-chem, I'm not sure if he gets this very tough material across as well. I didn't feel my grade reflected my understanding of the course material.(it was better than I expected) He is very good at clarifying material in office hours but some of don't have time to go to every office hour he has scheduled. Overall I would say Dr. Schoonover is a better than average professor and I would recommend him to anyone.

Dr. Schoonover was great as a lab instructor. He made the labs clear and his laid back style made them fun. He's got a strange sense of humor but he's awesome. I'm taking him for Chem 128 now for both lecture and lab. Schoonover is great at helping you in lab so I'd assume the same for lecture.

Dr. Schoonover's class is very relaxed. He puts on music the entire lab which is nice. Overall, he explains the labs pretty well, but if you run into a problem during the procedure, he kinda doesnt like to re-explain it again. His quizzes are pretty fair. Overall, he is a nice guy and does a decent job running the lab.

Schoonover had us memorize so many different things. It didn't matter if you understood the concepts- the tests were just based on if we memorized all the element symbols, the solubility rules, the ions, the lewis dot diagrams. I guess he thought if we memorized these things first, the concepts would come around eventually in our heads and everything would make sense. Besides this way of teaching, he's great! Very entertaining and lots of demos!

Dr.Schoonover is a really great teacher and probably the best teacher for General Chem. He teaches the material really really well and although his tests maybe be a little harder than other teaches, his curve for EACH test and OVERALL grade will really help you. Every midterm my grade was curved at least 10% and then my overall grade was curved a good amount too. He makes class really enjoyable by telling jokes, just being his funny self, and doing cool demos every lecture!!! Plus he's a lot better than the other chem teachers from what I've heard from other people taking the same class.

Dr. Schoonover was a great teacher. I would reccomend him for chem 127. as long as you do the review problems and study for the quizzes you should be fine. he also puts the exam scores into a formula which helps to bring up the grades. he is normally clear in his lectures and when it is confusing he is alwasy willing to help clear up any questions.

Dr. Schoonover has a huge ego! He is a horrible teacher. He knows his stuff but is really bitchy when you ask him a question. I hated this class! He is extremely cocky and makes students feel stupid. I would NEVER recommend him to anyone unless I hated them severely!

One of the first thing schoonover does in lecture (aside from blowing up some ballons filled with hydrogen and oxygen) is say, "Your education is in your own hands." Yes the course can be difficult, but not if you use all the resources presented for you. I think many students cause of failure in the class is not doing the suggested review questions. Every day of lecture, schoonover puts somewhere around 15 problems on the board that are concurrent with the lecture. They are not graded so it is easy to say "ill do them later." Doing the problems helps a lot, as many of his midterm questions are new variations of the hw problems. His quizzes are very topic specific: he expects you to be very familiar with recently covered topics. However on the midterms the questions are far more general, and anyone who has been paying attention can easily hit a high mark. Schoonover also has a generous curve.

Dr. Schoonover (and do call him that, not Mr. or Rod), is a very energetic instructor. His lectures are interesting and informative, and he does a good job of explaining the material so that the students understand it. If you have questions, he has office hours, and while a little intimidating at first, he is very helpful. He knows all his students, most by name. He expects each student to be responsible for their education, as they should be. His quizzes and tests aren't easy, but they are straight-forward.

Dr. Schoonover is a pretty good teacher. His lectures are organized and his tests are very straightforward with few to no tricks. If you study hard you will do very well in his class. There are 4 quizzes (the lowest one is dropped) and 2 midterms (1/3 multiple choice, 1/3 fill-in, 1/3 problems) and a final that is the same format. However, if you do not study then you will do horrible. I am taking him again for 128 and not studying for his quizzes is killing me. He is also very approachable during office hours and he is always willing to answer questions by email at any hour of the night. I would take him again, hands down. Really cool teacher.

I didn't really know what to expect with Dr. Schoonover at the beginning as I had just picked his class randomly off of the power list, but eight weeks into it, I am very happy that I got into his class. There is a list of Outsanding Faculty members in my department and I'm surprised that his namei is absent. He's really that gpod, I tried to get into one of his sections in Winter quarter, but all of the sections were full by the second week of registration. it kinda sucks that I can't take him for a following quarter but my priority is high in Spring and I intend to go back. As for his teaching style, he is clear in his presentation, amusing at times, and always fair at grading. He is by no means an easy instructor, but I probably learned more in the last eight weeks than in my entire two years of high school chemistry! Dr Schoonover is energetic, personable [if your willing to approach him on occasion] If your a guy, you'll like how approachable and all around cool he is. If your a girl, you will want to just sit back and watch. Warning: If you look into his green eyes for any period, you may not be able to escape!!

Okay, Schoonover is somethin

Newsflash: chemistry is hard! It dont matter who you have, its goin to be hard. Anyone who changes their major because of a teacher is nuts and probably shouldnt have been there in the first place and shouldnt rag on a great professor because of their own failings. There is a reason why his sections are so hard to get into. I wish I had done better in 127 and I wish I had been prepared better by high school, but Schoonovers not to blame for it. Disregard the silly remarks about his looks or how insanely hard he is, cuz he's quality.

I must confess that this is the second time I've evaluated Dr. Schoonover, who was my very first professor in college. Truthfully, I didn't have good things to say about him the first time around as I found him to be intimidating and his class to be way too hard. I'm set to graduate today and wanted to evaluate him again before I left Cal Poly. I can see now that the reason Schoonover was hard for me was that I was not prepared by my high school, although I was a 4.0 student. Basically, I did not know how to study or work hard. Chemistry was one of my favorite classes in high school and I thought then that my high school teacher was good. What Cal Poly taught me was that there is a big jump from high school to college. After 127, I switched into another professor's section and found myself missing how structured, clear and fun Dr. Schoonover's class had been. Not only that, I didn't feel like I was learning as much. Add to this the fact that Dr. Schoonover still knows my name to this day and always says hello and will chat with me often about my future plans. I don't think there's a professor I've had who's taken such an interest in my career and I only had him for one quarter! So my advice is this. Reading polyratings is like a crap shoot. Some people (and I am a prime example) bag on a professor because they're not prepared or lazy or have some other personal issues. I think I was probably a bit oversensitive and timid towards professors. Dr. Schoonover is one of the best professors at Cal Poly and is now one of my favorites. Don't hesitate to take him. Good luck.

Dr. Schoonover gives two exams and four quizzes, all of them at pretty much the same difficulty. Homework assigned but not collected. Comprehensive final. I don't know how anyone would find him unapproachable or arrogant since he goes out of his way to chat with students and tries to get to know us as people. He's cute, his exams are not that tough and he's funny, although he doesn't really tell jokes as much as say funny things. I never thought I could ever pull a B in chemistry but Dr. Schoonover inspired me to work hard. I would definitely recommend him to most students (lazy students should probably look elsewhere).

This teacher really knows what he is talking about, but doesn't effectively get all of the information across to students. I was very intimidated by dr. schoonover and never wanted to ask questions. I was afraid to go go office hours because he makes students feel stupid when they ask questions and fails to realize that some people just are not good at chemistry like he is. He does like students that are good at chemistry, i got the impression that he gets pissed when u dont really understand something and that's what professors are for the help students, not aid them in further worrying about how much they don't really understand a concept. choose another teacher....

DR.Rod Schoonover was great! In lecture he wrote everything on the board, which is very helpful. Plus he is very entertaining as he teaches. About the only thing that I didn't like was so incredibly smart (like whoa smart) that he expected everyone to be that smart. The first day of lab I called him Mr., and he quickly corrected me to say Dr, so just a little hint. He does look out for your best interest and even has grades the next class. He dosen't collect hm, but he gives you a list of problems , that you should most definatly do. His tests are straight forward. But read the book and his notes. In lab, look over the notes before the procedure for the quizzes. Oh and the nomenclature is a must!!!

Jesus fuck, this guy is smart. Someone in the dorms told me that he was like a walking encyclopedia so my lab partner and I would just ask him random off-the-wall questions about whatnot. He knows everything and not in a bullshity way either. I heard him casually rattle off every Modest Mouse album by year and label without much effort. That's just sick. I would reccommend him to anyone because, not only is he super smart, he is really clear and engaging. I can understand why some people could find him intimidating, but that really isn't his fault, especially if your too scared to go to office hours or talk to him in lab. He seems genuinely concerned about students and how well we do and is just a really cool dude. Bonus for the guys: The girls in his class are smokin!

Wow, I'm surprised to see that anyone had slammed Schoonover. He is, without a doubt, the best professor I've had at Poly in the last two years. He has a reputation of being difficult, but truthfully I think that a lot of people either don't work very hard or don't really try. Chemistry in general is hard but he doesn't make it any harder than that. I can't believe how much I've learned in his class. I'm tempted to give him a bad rating so that his class doesn't fill so fast but I couldn't do that to my favorite prof! He gives four quizzes (best 3 out of 4) and two midterms, brings lots of demos to class, and is a pretty funny guy. Take it from one of Schoonover's "smokin' girls"! :)

I cant see how anyone could say anything bad about this guy. Im now in his 128 section and it is just as good as his 127. Im also hoping to crash his 129 course. I can see how he can come off as arrogant, but if you were as smart as this guy, im sure you would too. I did little to no studying for his class, but made sure to go to every lecture and really pay attention in them. They were entertaining anyway,he would always have something off the wall to say. I would also Read over his notes periodically. But again i also ended up with a a C+. If you study a little bit a B or A should be easily within reach.

Schoonover is an amazing teacher! He LOVES the material he teaches and is sooo excited to share the information with his students. If you ever have questions he is more than willing to take the time to explain everything in detail. Dr. Schoonover is an extremely intelligent man - consider yourself lucky if you get the opportunity take part in his wisdom by taking a class with him. PLUS he always brings cool demos to class

Dr. Schoonover is a good guy - and he tells you everything required to succeed in the class. Completing the assigned problems, and going over the problems on the quizzes (as well as the ones presented in class) will definitely make the tests easier. I really didn't try as hard as I should have, but still made out with a B in the end - the curve seemed to be very helpful. Be sure to actually memorize the things he tells you to (there are a few things), they come up multiple times throughout the quarter.

Schoonover was an excellent professor for this class. He clearly presents the material and helps to make it as interesting as possible. He also curves the tests to help us out and give us a better grade. He was very organized and we always knew exactly what we were going to be tested on. He gives lots of examples in lecture and they always pertain to our homework and the problems on our tests and quizzes. I would definitely recommend him for Chemistry.

Ironic ehhh?..Ehhh? I failed Schoonover's class. But I have to say that it was all my fault. As a freshman I wasn't prepaired on the concepts from the two years of Chem in H.S., yes I know I am stupid....I've realized this already. However, learn from my mistake, Schoonover is an awesome teacher who cares about his students and is very easy to talk to, even about school and life. Utilize office hours and actually do the suggested h/w. When you start out in the class start memorizing right away the polyatomic ions and periodic table this skill of recalling elements is imparitive for all tests and quizes. Four quizes were given and the worst was dropped, 2 "midterms" and a comprehensive 3 hour exam(although most students finished way before) similar to the hourly exams. Schoonover gives you the topics to make sure you know on a print out by chapter before all the exams but not the quizes, so use them to check your knowledge. Make this class a priority to do the h/w and if you have him for lab, study your labs for the quizes and go in for help if you aren't sure on something in the lab b/c the points add up on the reports if you miss a few here and there, doh! Read ahead for the upcomming lab, and ask questions, when he explains the lab at the beginning of class. Good luck, and utilize Schoonover's resources as a teacher and intreaging person, maybe even check out his webpage or online radio station on audioscrobbler called shaking through. I will be taking this class again, and I will be taking Schoonover.

Read the ratings carefully. His grading is very, very difficult. The class involves much more pure memorization that the other professors. Also, he is just an Ok teacher and a little weird. I would take someone else.

"dr. rod" as my fellow girlfriends and i affectionatly refer to schoonover as, is an AMAZING teacher.... i honestly feel that i did not take full advantage of his brillance in my 127 class....i am planning on crashing 128 next quarter because only at the end of this quarter have i come to recognize the genious of this man he is passionate about what he teaches as well as entertaining and extremely well at enthusing his students to learn the materials presented. it is rumored that dr. schoonover will be leaving cal poly within year and this news definitly saddens me, as well as my fellow chemistry students. 127 is a ROUGH class to take your first quarter at poly, esp if your high school chem class was a bit under par. i earned a c and easily could have earned a b had i realized the ammount of studying i should have done earlier on in the class. do not underestimate this class and try to absorb all the information or else you will be doing yourself a great diservice as you move onto the next levels of chem.

I was extremely lucky to get a 'C' but that is not because Dr. Schoonover was a bad teacher or because I was slacking all quarter, I was simply underprepared in high school and a good grasp of the general concepts of Chemistry is expected in this class. The tests are difficult but that is simply because Dr. Schoonover is trying to see who has a comprehensive grasp of the subject material. It is a rough class and expect to work hard even though your grades might not reflect how much time you put into it. Chemistry is a fascinating subject, and even though difficult, Dr. Schoonover is able to excite you with his excitement for this class.

I changed my major a year ago so I was a little bit older student among all these first years in Dr. Schoonover's 127 section. I had forgotten all the telling freshmen behaviors (calling him Mister, complaining about having to stay all three hours in a lab, schoolgirl crushes, etc.). This is my third year at Cal Poly and Dr. Schoonover is one of the best professors I have had yet. He does not treat his students like children but he is really nice. He's obviously way smart but not condescending. It's funny that most of my classmates won't know how good he was until they move onto some of the other less enthusiastic, less gifted (and less hot) professors. I would recommend him to anyone who has to take chemistry ... but you cannot slack off. Or you will fail.

Schoonover is a fantastic professor. His lecture notes were organized and explained well. He used a lot of example problems and made sure to answer any questions before moving on. He also understood the short attention spans of his students and used demonstrations in every lecture. He gave 5 quizes (1 on the names of common periodic elements and polyatomic ions the other four from material covered in lecture), two midterms and a final, plus his lab. The quizes covered major concepts taught in previous lectures and had problems similar to his examples. You are tested 99% on his lecture notes and I rarely, if ever, came upon a problem I've never seen before, unless I fell asleep during that part of the lecture. His tests are reasonable. If you devote the time you'll be fine. (I usually studied the night before, which I don't recommend doing!!! But I did read the book and took notes on it, which isn't necessary since it's basically the same stuff in lecture, but it's a great study aid) And he weighs the tests in your favor. So if you did well on one and failed the other it'll average out. He curves everything! When it comes to grading he is more than generous. Sometimes his jokes could be a little corny, but Schoonover is a great guy and I only wish I got him for 128. If you take this course I would also highly advise to take the workshop that goes along with it. And take advantage of his office hours! I didn't, but if I had I might have pulled that B+ to an A-. TAKE HIM!

Schoonover was a wonderful, helpful, and exciting Chemistry teacher. He presents material very clearly; I will be able to use his notes for many future classes. Take this teacher if you wish to learn Chemistry and have a fun time doing it. PS. Schoonover loves explosions.

I was going to write a more detailed comment but I did read the ones before mine. Forget the negative comments, if you really want to learn chemistry, take him. I'm just a freshman but I think this man is really dedicated to teaching.

Professor Schoonover is a difficult,,demanding instructor but he is also very fair. I learned more in this class than any of my others combined. He is unusual because he is both really brilliant and a really good instructor. Somewhat nice but outgoing too. I would recommend him to anyone, unless your looking for an easy A and don't need a strong background in chem (Bush and Neff are better choices there).

The best chemistry instructor on the West Coast. I love Dr. Schoonover.

Dr. Schoonover is an amazing chemistry teacher. He chooses to write his lectures out on the chalk board because it is slower - this helps students keep up and soak in what he has to say. He also is a very funny guy and isn't boring to listen to. He loves chemistry and makes the class easier becuase of his enthusiasm. His midterms aren't that bad and are curved very generously. If you listen to his lectures you will probably get a B and an A if you read. If you are taking chemistry, TAKE SCHOONY.

He's funny, intersting, and brings a demonstration once a week. He's the best chemistry professor. Do the homework and pay attention in lectures. That's all I did and I got an A.

Really amazing instructor, arguably the best chem prof at Poly. Funny, quirky, attractive, unusual and incredibly smart. Warning tho, he does not tolerate whiners.

Dr. Schoonover is amazing. I'm trying to think of what I can say that will make you believe what a great teacher/person he is. I had Schoonover for the entire gen chem series. His class is challenging, but in the best way possible. He presents the information with clarity and Ithe class fun. He will know your name (even if you are in a 70 person lecture)before the first exam. He is both knowledgable and personable. Most memorable words of wisdom from Dr. Schoonover: In our first week everyone was upset because there was a lot of information to memorize and people were saying "my brain doesnt have enough space." He said some along the lines of "the brain isnt like that, it expands the more you learn" He's the type of person you want to have as a teacher, someone who encourages you to open your mind and learn as much as you possibly can. He's wonderful.

He tries really hard to engage and interest the students in Chemistry. He will bring a cool demo usually once a week in relation to what you are learning. Definately try to get him for at least one of your future Chemistry classes!!

Awesome professor. Definitely loves what he does. Class isnt super hard, just a little time consuming if you have to refresh yourself on chemistry from high school.

i learned a bunch. best class ever.

Dude, if you're not in love with this guy, something is wrong with you.

Dr. Schoonover is a great professor. He is great at explaining difficult subjects in a way that makes them understandable. He usually tries to include demos in his lectures, which are always relevant, and usually very entertaining. He can be very funny and he seems like an all around good guy.

Schoonover is a great teacher but hard. He is great in lecture and lab. He explains material very well and learns every ones names. He gives suggested problems and if you don't do them you wont do well in the class. (Just like he tells you at the beginning of the quarter). I didn't do the suggested problems and got a C. His tests and quizzes are really hard. I studied really hard for them and failed them all. Do the suggested problems and go to his office hours early in the quarter and you will do fine.

schoony is good for the most part but his midterms/finals/quizzes are impossible. i took ap chemistry last year and received an A but somehow i got a B+ in this class, because his tests are unfair. He gives you a study sheet and no matter how long you study there are plenty of questions you will be completely unprepared for. hes a little quirky but its a fun class overall but you need to attend lecture to get the material. the homework is voluntary, definitely not necessary. but dont procrastinate on the quizzes or midterms/finals, you will get screwed.

Best professor ever. I miss him and I love him.

Well organized, and presents the material clearly enough. Creepy as hell, though. He likes to think that he is god's gift to chemistry. Extremely moody [like a PMSing 13 year old girl] -- can be super helpful one day and complete jerk the next. Almost always a jerk. Take him if you must, but there are better [and nicer] professors in the department.

My first professor at cal poly, three years ago now since he left, and still the best. Poly took an enormous hit when he left, and the students who came afterwards don't really know what they're missing.

This is another tribute to Dr. Schoonover, after the fact unfortunately. I'm not a current student and he's no longer a Cal Poly professor. My little sister took his class in 2013, during his last tour at Poly, and it was amazing to see his impact through slightly more adult eyes. Schoonover was outstanding and practically all of my classmates would say so. I left Poly with a serious understanding of science, chemistry, and education, and a large reason why I'm successful now. So, another tribute to Rod, who helped me be to be what I am today. Love.

Dr. Schoonover is one of if not the best teacher I've had so far at Poly. His classes are not easy, but you will have fun in them. I had if for both lecture and lab, and actually didn't mind going to lab like I usually do for other classes. The lab environment is very laid back with music playing on his radio. In lecture he is very funny and the demos he does about once a week are the best part. The only drawback is that his tests are very hard. But if you do all the practice problems and go over your notes thoroughly you should do fine, and he adjusts the grades as well. I would definitely recommend Dr. Sschoonover if you get the chance to take him, just stay on top of your work.

I was a little wary of Dr. Schoonover at first, he seems so young and I was afraid I wouldn't learn anything, but he wins you over really quick. At first his lectures may seem a little crazy but you get used to it. Just write down everything he says, even if it's a sidenote like a chemist committing suicide when he didn't get his constant approved or whatnot, because it's sure to show up on the test and it's an easy point or two. It's easy to get excited about a class when the teacher is completely thrilled with what they are teaching and Schoonover totally hypes you up. His quizzes seem like a pain at first but they are so helpful, study for them like a mini-midterm doing all the problems he assigns and reading the sections and you will do fine, on both the quizzes and midterms. His demonstrations are awesome but his lab quizzes suck! Schoonover gets two thumbs up, take him for Chemistry he knows his stuff.

Dr. Schoonover is likely the most intelligent professor at Poly. He knows so much about so many things: biology, chemistry, physics, movies, music, art, culture, history. I was actually rather intimidated by him at first but found him to be really friendly and outgoing and he seems to genuinely care about his students. Yes, he is difficult instructor, but he's up front about it from the start (One day in class, he even said that he would not be doing the class any favors by dumbing down the material. I have friends who took him in the past who say they were really prepared for other classes because of the level of his classes). So, I highly recommend Dr. Schoonover.

I found Dr. Schoonover intimidating at first because he's a hottie and also extremely bright. But after being in his class for a while, I found him to be very approachable. If you do get his class, which can be tough because it's often the first one to fill up, make sure you go to his office hours because he's really cool and easy to talk to. He's not an easy professor but really not that difficult once you understand his testing style and that he refuses to treat us like high school students. If your looking for an easy A, you may want to look elsewhere but if you want to learn A LOT, take Dr Schoonover.

Dude, Schoonover really knows his stuff. I could not believe how much I learned in his class. Just so long as you go to lecture everyday and you do all the homework problems over and over again, you should be able to pull off a good grade.

Doctor Schoonover is a rock star! He is definitely the guy for general chemistry and, from what I hear, for upper division courses. Seriously, I want to marry him someday. The class is difficult but it is chemistry after all, but definately worth it. You'll learn alot! The guy who said below that he knows #everything# is not joking. Just test him sometime.

Schoonover is a cool guy. The hilarious thing about Schoon is that you'll see him downtown at the bars. I'm pretty sure he hates me because everytime I see him downtown (about once a month), I go up to him and tell him to quiz me on my ions or balancing equations. Other than that, I would say he's a great teacher that really knows his material...not to mention parties like a rock star.

As a woman, although it's kinda nice to see a man evaluated on his looks for a change, it really is irrelevant to Dr. Schoonover's teaching ability. His personal life, stories and such, are really beside the point. A number of posts have spoken of Dr. Schoonover's intelligence, which is obvious. If there's a smarter professor at Cal Poly, I don't know who that would be. Some have written that as a negative, but really, don't you want a smart professor, rather than someone who doesn't know what the heck they are talking about? More than anything, Dr. S is a decent guy who cares a lot about his students. If he feels an exam that he gave was too hard, he'll curve it. If you go to his office hours, he'll bend over backwards to help you. If you're having anxiety in his class, he'll help you manage it. He seems to really care about his students and will even go out of his way to visit his students in other lab instructor's sections. To the student who said that Dr. S makes you "feel stupid", well you probably are if you never went to office hours, never asked questions and never studied. This is one of the most straightforward classes I've ever had --- not easy, but clear enough in what needs to be done to do well. He has a great, quirky sense of humor that makes lecture interesting but still informative. He has my greatest admiration and, forgetting his attractiveness, he is a model for how science should be taught at Cal Poly. I would take him again in a "zeptosecond". Again, it's beside the point, but my sister has a huge crush on him.

Intelligent, caring and generally cool instructor. Great demonstrations also. Loved coming to chem class, as weird as that might sound.

Schoonover is the man, Ehhhhh? Ehhhhhh??? He is very approachable and knows everything about pop culture, rock music, the simpsons, etc... Coolest teacher EVER.

Dr. Schoonover is one of the best chemistry teachers i have had at Cal Poly. He is the best teacher I have had for chem lecture because he does a good job of explaining the concepts and outlining the topics before discussing them. It is always a good idea to preview the day's discussion beforehand though. Although he assigns homework problems out of the chapters in the book, he will not collect them. Try to do as much as you can because some of his test problems are adapted from the ones in the book. His tests are fair because they consist of different types of problems to test your chemistry knowledge but definitely not easy. This is a good thing if you read the book, go over his lecture notes, and redo his lecture problems. Go to his office hours if you need more help. Dr. Schoonover is one of the better teachers for the General Chem Series.

Dr. Schoonover is certainly a nice guy. He had a quirky sense of humor that was fun to be around. I think, though, that he had trouble conveying information in a way that your average student could pick up on. Many times, after leaving lecture thoroughly confused, I would go back to the text and find that the material was very easily understood. I think something is wrong if a text can explain a concept more easily than a living, breathing instructor. My only other complaint would be that he does not answer questions fully. I noticed on more than one occasion, with myself and other students, after asking a question, Dr. Schoonover would quickly blurt out an answer and than move on with the lecture. He did not even pause or seem curious as to whether he effectively addressed a student's concerns or not. It was almost pointless to ask questions in class. That being said, Dr Schoonover does convey a sincere, freindly attitude towards students. I believe he sincerely wants to see us do well. I would recommend him if you can regularly attend office hours. Otherwise I would go with another instructor who can more effectively dumb down the information to a student's level.

I've had about eight professors now from the college of science and math and Dr. Schoonover is probably the best I've had and easily my favorite. I found his style of teaching extremely conducive to learning. He grades fairly, tests fairly (if a bit on the difficult side) and has lots of energy in the classroom. Lots of demos and most of them work. And he has lots and lots of fans. The student below *had* to be in the same class as me because the number of stupid questions that Schoonover was hit with per lecture was unbelievable. Some days he would get asked the same damn question like four times, almost word for word. Nothing interrupts the flow of a class more than two or three complete idiots who don't pay attention. This is the same class where girls would text message each other during class, pass notes, study for other classes, etc. And your supposed to read the book before class, you dumb shit, everyone knows that. If you don't, then don't expect to not be lost during lecture. Take Schoonover, he's not going to dumb down gen-chem (which is a bad thing) and he's really not as difficult as people think. I loved this class and this prof and recommend him to all my friends.

Awesome professor, beautiful man. I absolutely loved coming to class. Far and away the best chem professor at Poly.

I had Dr Schoonover three years ago and to this day he still knows my name. Seriously, I learned more in his class than any of the other chemistry classes I had to take combined. The guy must get more tail than a mousetrap because he is constantly surrounded by hot girls, 4,5,6 at a time. A great professor and a decent guy. Be sure to ask him about the flour bombs!!

The single coolest thing I saw Schoonover do, besides all the fire, is on the first day of class he booted out all the dumb-ass engineers who didn't belong in chem 128, the class for science majors. I wish all chem professors did that because an awful lot of my friends were unable to get their classes last winter and probably postponed graduation. Because engineers on this campus think they can take any old damn class they please.

When Schoonover would do experiments in class, I would find myself watching his hands, moving acids, bases and toxic materials around in a flurry of excitement. It was all very interesting and, truthfully, I've never been more aroused in a college class, before or after.

Easily one of the best professors on this campus. His classes are really difficult to get into (they fill up first) but you learn soooo much when your there. He is funny, smart and entertaining though I'm not truly sure he is totally sane.

Hands down the best professor in Chem and probably the whole college. Definately utilize his office hours, he is amazingly patient and helpful. Gen chem is gonna be hard know matter who you take, so you might as well be entertained during lecture. He's an encyclopedia of chem history and chem facts, does amazing experiments in class, eats elements and looks like a rock star. Take him!

love. love. love. love. love. love.

Dr. Schoonover is amazing! He alone gives me incentive to continue my studies as a chemisty major just because I know I'll have him at least one more time before I'm done here. Not only does he present material almost flawlessly, but he's hilarious, brilliant, and has such a genuine interest and knowledge in chemistry that it permeates into the students. Almost everyday he'll do some crazy demonstration accompanied by a crazy story from his childhood. His tests are hard, but curved pretty well. Even it it somehow means seven in the morning classes eigth days a week to have Dr. Schoonover in your schedule, it's worth it.

Yeah, I would marry this incredible man if I had the chance. But, more importantly, he got me into medical school! If you expect to get into med school, vet school, dental school or grad school, you have to take either Schoonover and Keeling. Yes, it seems difficult at the time, but they are the only ones preparing students for the future. If you take Bush, for example, you may have trouble with later classes; he is fun and roly poly, but you just don't get the same depth of instruction. Schoonover also teaches an MCAT class so he has a good idea of the level for success. I worked hard to get into med school and I think much of the success is due to the fact that I was fortunate enough to get some of the best instructors at Cal Poly, instead of those who dumb down chemistry for their own artificial personal validation.

After reading the comment below and checking out his homophobic screed on Kingsbury's page, I feel the need to translate it: "I got my ass kicked by Cal Poly and need to blame someone" and "I am a flamer who has it bad for Kingsbury and Schoonover". The end.

Doctor Schoonover is an awesome teacher. He's tough, but not outrageously so it just makes you do the work. You'll learn AND understand the material. He's kind of intimidating because of how smart he is, but really he's very approachable and loves to get to know his students so once you get over that fear of talking to a professor go ahead and talk to him.

Dr. Rod Schoonover was my first hard professor in college. There is such a jump from high school to college that I was not really all that appreciative of the great professors I had my first year. So, three years after words, I believe now that Dr. Schoonover was the best professor I had during my entire college career. It is really a shame that his talents are wasted on students who don't know hwo college is. Take him if you get the chance..

You will never have a more intelligent professor than Dr. S. I think its kinda weird that people are leaving their digits on here but none the less, he is really an amazing amazing professor. My previous teacher (Bush) was amazing and helpfull and now I have Dr. Schoonover who treats everyone like adults and is all the better. If you've gotten away with shit because of a lax instructor, beware, he WILL CALL YOU OUT. My tutor is a junior and she can't quit talking about how wonderful his upper division p-chem classes are. That's saying something. He has an amazing wardrobe and is quite possibly deranged. I love him.

Amazing. Simply put.

I don't know what to think about his blue hair but I'm seriously in love with Dr S.

I am SERIOUSLY in love with Dr. Schoonover.

Dr. Schoonover, we don't know if you actually read these reviews or not. Word is that teachers avoid polyratings, which is too bad. But just in case. My roommate had you for gen chem last year and would talk nonstop about you and I would just roll my eyes. I took you for the first time this quarter and you have grown on me beyond epectactions. You are the smartest man I've ever met and you are the most beautiful professor. I love your voice, your laugh, your teeth, your frowny face, your purple locks. We have learned so so so so much this quarter and wish we could continue in your class next quarter but it all fillde up. We want to hang out with you!! Your our idol!! Kiss kiss kiss.

he's tough. but i liked him. he's a really good guy and good professor, but i think he's a bit overrated. midterms, finals, and quizzes are super hard but not impossible. a lot of time and work is mandatory to do well in this class and doing the recommended homework definitely helps. also having him for lab helps too because you get to know him better and he is a really approachable guy for help and office hours. the only problem i had was that i noticed that he showed the ladies of my class a lot more attention then the guys... i mean i cant blame the guy for trying to get his mack on especially if he reads these polyratings... the dude obviously has plenty of groupies. respect.

As a senior who has had lots of profs in the College of Science and Math, Dr. Schoonover is one of the best if not THE best. He is funny, professional and always really organized. I also witnessed one of the biggest explosions of my life, which was pretty unforgettable. The course wasn't really all that difficult, the averages were reasonable and he even curved on top. I think if you don't know how to study or if you had a shitty 127 instructor, you might have to work more than "you think you should". My only complaint was that sometimes he would sometimes disappear during lab but we figured out he was next door with his research students. There are easier teachers for sure but I am very happy I had him. I would ignore all the crazy shit on Polyratings.

BEST TEACHER IVE HAD AT POLY! Super nice, makes sure he knows your name by the second week. very helpful if you have problems and tests are hard but not impossible. Do the suggested problems and study more than a day in advance and youll be good.

This guy looked like an overweight Snape from Harry Potter. He’s super egotistical so you can’t get help from him without giving him some type of praise first. If you go to his office hours he’s always late or just doesn’t show up. If you do get in he just rushes you out saying “is that it or anything else”. He has a very condescending tone so don’t mess up in front of him or he’ll just make you feel dumb. If you aren’t prepared enough from 127 you will be screwed. He assumes (that’s probably why he’s an ass) you know all there is to know from 127. He skips over all the algebra for the example equations in class so know your math. He’s never around in lab (maybe he wants to feel wanted) so he waste your time by waiting around for him or looking for him in other labs. Study way more than you think, do all the homework, and read your book, get a tutor take a supplement have study sessions but just don't so nothing or you will fail.

I know exactly who the bitter chick below is and, believe me, she is a nightmare and blames every problem on everyone else. If Schoonover wanted her out of his office you know she was dreadful. I feel sorry for her professors and her "friends".

Best professor for general chemistry and probably the best in the college. He isn't easy but you learn a lot of interesting tidbits/concepts in ten weeks. You can feel yourself get smarter with each lecture.

Fucking amazing green eyes.

I found the instructor to be highly intelligent, well organized and very humorous. Most definitely one of the greats at Cal Poly. Every Friday he had an element of the week and gave a little speel about its history and examples. Sounds corny but it was actually cool. Tests were on the difficult side but very fair. This was the first chemistry class I actually looked forward coming to.

Dr. Schoonover is my all-time favorite Cal Poly instructor. He is funny, smart, caring and creative. I only hope that Poly can hold on to him and gifted instructors like him!

This guy is pissy as hell. Screwed-over doesn't really try to understand the students' questions, but instead gives a quick answer to get us off his back. Oh, and don't say a word during lectures if he's having a bad hair day!

An unusually gifted instructor. Dr. Schoonover has high expectations but also makes the course fun. He is very entertaining, but more importantly, I learned a lot in the course, one which I didn't think I'd really get anything out of. He seemed very popular with my classmates and was always attentive to students, especially in office hours. I would recommend him to anyone!

Dr. Schoonover is a interesting teacher. He likes to blow up and set things on fire. He will have an "element spotlight" where he brings in an element and talks about it. There are 4 quizzes and one is dropped, also two tests and a final. They are challenging, but very straight forward. Use the quizzes to study for the tests, and do the homework problems from the book (which aren't collected or graded) and you'll do fine. He is very energized and that reflects on the class. He is the best chem teacher I've had and I would highly, highly reccommend him.

I think this is one of the best teachers I've had yet at Cal Poly, and I don't much like chemistry (or at least I thought I didn't) so you can believe it coming from me. His lectures are entertaining and he tries his best to be a little crazy to spice things up. The tests are somewhat challenging; he expects you to think, and don't think that you can get by without doing the homework and reworking the in class problems. He's really helpful during office hours and a lot less strict about lab than other teachers I've had. Definitely try to get this teacher if you can.

Luck be a lady named Schoonover - I passed Chem 124 with a C, I eeked out Chem125 with a D, but having recently returned to Chem taking 129 Spr02, I can say without a doubt that my interest has piqued. Prof Schoonover adds several elements to Chemistry that others professors tend to overlook - Intelligence, Humor, enthusiasm, Smoke and mirrors, explosions on the first day of class, toxic chemicals, and war stories from the lab. I felt that this professor above all had a better grasp on communications with respect to the students. I felt compelled to study and understand the material just to match the interest that the professor himself showed for it. Bravo... encore... two thumbs up!

I took Dr. Schoonover for the entire general chem series and was happy I did. He's one of Poly's best professors and is always well prepared, articulate, dresses nicely and maintains a fun but professional atmosphere in lecture and lab. I thought it was amusing that his classes were usually about 80% girls. He is not easy but really not that difficult once you get into the groove of college expectations. Sometimes I wasn't sure why we covered certain topics/subjects but by the end of the quarter, everything made perfect sense. I would recommend Dr. Schoonover to anyone!

I'm one of those people who found Dr. Schoonover intimidating, at least at first. I don't know if it's because he's super smart or hot hot hot or what. Sometimes he is a little short with people who are obviously not working very hard in class. By about week seven or so, I just thought he was cool and was doing better in chemistry than I ever did before. I wish I had taken him for the entire sequence. If you hate chemistry or are a skater, you're probably better off with Neff. But if you're willing to be challenged and want some fun out of the quarter, you won't go wrong with Dr. Schoonover. I never once fell asleep in his class and that's saying alot. Watch out for lab quizzes!

Schoonover is a wacky and crazy guy. I've never met someone who want's nothing more than to taste all the elements on the periodic table, or who drinks liquid nitrogen out of a cup. If you want an enjoyable quarter, take Schoonover!

In my 5+ years at Poly, I have heard lots of stories about instructors, but never as many as about Prof Schoonover, who seems to be a magnet for them. Over the years I have heard that he (a) was born on a indian reservation, (b) makes a part-time living as a professional gambler, (c) was engaged to a vegas exotic dancer, (d) has a dead girl's eye in a jar in his house, (e) broke his teeth from drinking liquid nitrogen, (f) has a brain so active that he can only get 3 hours of sleep a night, (g) has four kidneys, (h) plays crazyass electric guitar, (i) has an encyclopdiac knowldege of music, (j) is a millionaire, (k) my buddy swears he saw him hanging with Tara Reed in vegas last summer. If even one of these is true, it makes for a pretty interesting guy. I do know that he is always surrounded by hotties and I have personally seen girls in a bar literally throw themselves at him. Oh yeah, he's awesome professor too, probably the best science guy here.

Dr. Rod Schoonover is the kind of professor that just makes you want to learn the material, do well on his exams, go to his office hours and sit down and have some beers with afterwards. He's very smart but not in an ultranerdy geekazoid way - in fact, he's kinda hot. I have had six or seven chemistry professors at poly and Schoonover is both my favorite and the best. Everyone taking chemistry should try to get him for at least one quarter. Be sure and ask him how gallium tastes!

If you REALLY want an idea of this prof, check out his website (i searched through poly to find it). "The Electric Treehouse" gives you a good idea of what you are in for with DR (!) rod wolfcall schoonover... add this to meeting him and you wont help but agree with some of the statements below!

I've never really had a professor like Dr. Schoonover before. He is young and educated in not only science but music and movies and lots of other subjects. He's always organized, funny, cares about the students, and not bad to look at at all. I have recommended him to all my friends but his classes usually fill during the first couple of power days, so you may need to crash.

If you just follow polyratings to pick your profs, you might be in for a surprise with Dr. Schoonover. Yes he is funny and yes he is extremely intelligent. What is not written so much about him is that he is quite difficult and the class in general is hard. You can't just go in and expect that he will single-handedly teach you everything you need to know. If you slack off, you will fail, especially in 127, which is quite a bit harder than high school chemistry (no matter which prof you have). It is a shock at first when Dr. S walks in because he is young and hot and funny and peculiar and you may seem comfortable right off the bat, but don't ever ever forget. This is a chemistry class and will knock you on your ass in one week if you don't work. Dr. Schoonover is undoubtedly one of the best professors at Cal Poly and you will learn a lot if you are ready, but his class will be your worst nightmare if you just try to skate by. Print this page and put it on your refigerator... Lots of fun, smart and sexy, but demanding. If you are willing to work, you will be rewarded; otherwise, be prepared to change you major to business.

Dr. Schoonover is an amazing man, beautiful in so many ways. I have never had a professor who cared so much about my performance in his class and others I was taking. I'm not sure how he gets anything done because students just want to hang out in his office and chat, staring into his green eyes or talking about music or the simpsons or whatever. i cannot believe that he (a) is straight and unmarried and (b) hasn't won every teaching award in the university. His tests, though, are pretty hard so make sure you study "more than you think you should." His war stories about the lab are priceless! Good luck.

One of the oddest, smartest and best professors I've had at Cal Poly, nearly all of the comments below are true, in my experience at least. One thing not mentioned though is his eerie ability to memorize students' names while he's taking role on the frist day of class! Once during office hour's I watched six different girls ask him the same exact and easy question from homework and his patients never waivered. Even I was getting annoyed by them. He seems to be a babe magnet going to his office hours allowed me to sit next to and meet some of the hottest chicks on campus, no lie. He is also very funny but never cracks actual jokes. My lab partner wrote down pretty much all of the hilarious things he said during lecture and reading through them at the end of the quarter was hystrerical take him if you can!

Dr. Schoonover is probably the best instructor in the Chem department but he's not easy. If you're looking for an easy teacher, go for Maxwell or Neff, but if you actually need to understand chemistry for a later class, go for Schoonover. I know people who took an easy teacher for 127 (Endres) who are being destroyed in chem 128 in Gragson and Schoonover's classes. He's kind of quiet at first, especially during lab, but if you chat with him, he'll open right up and has the prettiest smile. I want to marry him too!

Classy, beautiful, intelligent. My favorite so far at Poly and quite possibly the best professor at Cal Poly. Many students love him to death.

The best professor in the chemistry department and possibly the best one in the university. I found Dr. Schoonover's style to be very easy to learn form and he is very nice, though I did find him intimidating in the beggining. He's really really smart and he knows everybody's name after the first day of class. There is some memorization in 127, not as much as in your BIO classes, but when he says to memorize things, your grade will be destroyed if you don't. As he sez in class, this information is NOT OPTIONAL and you will be penallized over and over again if you don't get the element's and ion's into your head right away.

DuDe! this guy is awesome! Sure i didn't get teh best grade but i attribute that to my own laziness. OUt of all teh chem teachers in teh 122, 128, and 129 series i think he is one of the best considering i had a different one for each. This guy helps you so much the only thign is that his tests are killer so if you need help go to his office hours cause he is more than willing to help you through what you want and need to know.

Dr. Schoonover is a rock star! Owww!

Not only do I tell all my girls how awsome Doctor Schoonover is, I want to marry him and have all of his children. Good luck in getting his his class because it always fills like in the first two days. He speaks like five languages and is easy to talk too adn is a genous all around. I LOVE LOVE LOVE him!!

Dr. Schoonover is not easy but while in his class you know that your getting a solid foundation in chemistry. He is entertaining but more importantly you learn a lot of stuff, both big and little things. His element of the week is way corny but addicting, I found myself wondering the day before which element he would bring to class - bismuth blew my mind! I've had several chem professors so far and he is by far the best.

i have had dr. schoonover for the entire 127, 128, 129 series and i have to say he is amazing! his classes are very difficult but he will not cheat you. he is one of the most fair professors i have had at cal poly in regard to his grading, especially in lab. he is super understanding of students needs and problems understanding the difficult material. in 127 i wanted to drop out of school it was so hard for me to understand and grasp the concepts, and now that 129 is ending i am considering changing my major to biochemistry just so i can take p-chem from him. (i wish he taught organic!!) he ispires his students to try their best and invigorates them with a love for knowledge, not only in the sciences but in everyday life. he is genuinly interested in who you are and will try to get to know you (and remember things about you any other professor would have let in one ear and out the other). he is an amazing person and i just wish i could have been that persian girl he learned sanskirt in an attempt to win her love in his undergraduate years...jha

Dr. Rod Schoonover is an interesting and complex man. I think many of students might find him arrogant althouhg he is very very outgoing and trys his best to get to know everyone and make connections. He is seriously relly attractive and funny, although not in a jokey way, and he is sometimes he seems less than fully approachable. Honestly I don't know if he's to blame and I get the feeling that he is more than a little shy underneath. To the point, Dr. Schoonover is easily the best professor I have had in chemistrtry and seriously the star of the chemistry deprartment. His exams are tough but this is chemistry so there really is no worthwhile easy road anyway. He has beloved by many students and if he's really a millionaire than all the better and his green eyes are amazeing. Take him if you1 can..\1!.1

All I can say is Dr. Schoonover is by far the best chem prof. I have had. This guy will make chem fun. I can honestly say that taking his class made me actually like and enjoy chem. He is very enthusiastic and you can tell he loves what he teaches and he teaches it Damn well. The class is hard and so are his tests and quizzes but they are fair. It is possible to do well in the class if you work. I learned more chem from his class than I did in the previous two quarters of chem. Take his class if you can. He is a great prof. and a nice person. try and get him for both lab and lecture

I fear that I'm not onyl student who feels that this way, but I absoluteley adore Schoondog. So much that I would let sereously him do all my girlfriends in right of front of me before I got to him. Fuck yeah he's crazy brilliant and smart but he's sexy nd strange,, moody and different nd sweet and sour and comnplex too boot. Kind to sorta mean and the same time. He speaks Russain and Indian and well help you with kinds of calculus of physics problem to. I want be the jha grl and run away with him and have his chidlren. Do it!

Schoonover is great. Tests and quizes are straight forward. He is a great lecturer and fair grader. Though the material is not easy, he presents the material clearly and efficiently. His is really funny and interesting in class. I would definetly take him again, even if it was at 7:00 am. I highly reccommend him.

For the first time ever, I saw Dr. Schoonover downtown tonight. I tried to listen in on his conversation with some hot townie babe but I think they were speaking Russian. I found him so intimidating when he was my professor, for two quarters, but he is really sweet. Just as previous entries indicated, he is flocked by random women but he seems cool with it. His class was very difficult and I complained but never to him. He embodies what college should be about for me and I would give him every teaching award if possilbe.

The crosseye freshman never understand what chemistry GOD Schoonz is until they brick wall into other professors. He is rock star class is hard he sometimes moves too fast but is extremly wortwhile.

Schoonover is an amazing teacher. I had him for both 128 and 129 and in both classes he was awesome. He isn't the easiest teacher, but he definitely makes sure that you will actually understand Chemistry. His demos were one of my favorite parts of lecture, you will know what I mean when you take him. Overall if you want to learn Chemistry and understand it really well take Schoonover. Besides he is hot so it's an added bonus :)

Some students complain that Dr. Schoonover is super hard but these must be the same kids who wait until the night before to study and skip a lot of lectures. I had three different genchem professors (Bush, Hagen too who are both good) but Dr. Schoonover is by far the clearest lecturer and the most fun. If you stay alert in class and keep up with the material, you can easily pull a B. Also completing labs right after doing the experiment has really helped my grade. Really brilliant professor.

Dr. Schoonover is the best teacher you will have at Cal Poly. You should take his class even if you don't need to take a chemistry course. He's lectures are entertaining and informative. He does a lot of demos in class which are all more extreme and fun than you will get in any other chem class. He is very talkative in lab and wants to get to know you. Dr. Schoonover is a cool guy, so don't hold back. If you can, take his class!!

Now that I'm done with general chemistry - the new plan: become Mrs. Dr. Schoonover and procreate.

Awesome! Simple as that. He knows everything about everything and his class is one of the few where working steady pays off double. Yeah, and all you chicks who dream of pulling him apparently havent witnessed the 10 that is his girlfriend. No chance. Obviously this guy knows what he's doing both inside and outside the classroom!

Apparently Dr S is currently in Russia on assignment for the government. I'm simply amazed at all the crazy stuff he does. Definite baller.

i recomend everyone to take dr. schoonover aka the schoon-dog. i enjoyed class, and i actually learned stuff and was able to apply it to real life. i am not naturally gifted at chemistry but schoonover i was interested in his class. to study for the tests, he gives you plenty of material, i recommend doing as many practice problems as possible and studying way before the tests. all the problems on the tests are in the notes, so go over all of the practice problems in your notes he goes over in class.

I'm not sure that freshmen should even be allowed to post to polyratings. How could someone who has taken exactly one college chem class even know whether or not a teacher is too hard? I've had Schoonover for several classes and while he is challengeing he makes it clear how to do well. You have to take chem for a reason so you might as well take it from someone who teaches it well and *at the right level*. I had him for 127 and 129 and another instructor for 128 and, though she was "easier", I learned a ton less than I did in the other two quarters and it hurt me later in ochem and on the MCAT.

The only kids who think Dr. Schoonover is too hard are the ones who don't care enough to study as much as they know they should. If you need chemistry for future courses (or the MCAT like me) or want something out of your education, you should try your best to get him. He will help you feel smarter than your friends and you will learn so much in lecture. I'm in ochem now and so thankful he was my gchem professor two out of three quarters (and my quarter with Bush was just okay). For students in say Animal Science or Kinesiology you might do better with an easier instructor (like Jones or Immoos) although you won't learn as much. He's funnier than hell, something completely lost on half of the cowgirls in the room, and ridiculously brilliant.

I hated chemistry before I enrolled in Dr Schoonover's chem 129 class. I've had Dr Bush, Dr Gragson and Dr Schoonover (in that order) and those other teachers pale in comparison. He is definitely the best professor I have had at Cal Poly so far, is caring and nice beyond belief. I have had three SWS classes in chemistry and each one admits that Schoonover is the best general chem professor in the department. The word is out that he is leaving for Russia next year, which is a giant blow to the department, but make sure you jump into his class when he gets back!! LOVE HIM!!

Dr. Schoonover is an AMAZING Professor!!! Ok, I got D's in 127 and 128 but not in 129. Partly because of the way the teachers teacher. My 127 teacher sucked big time, 128 was a little better but still new to everything and now, Schoonover just did an amazing job. He makes every effort to teach you what you need to know and gives you study guides and a lot of help when you go to office hours. He is also a great lab teacher (his quizzes are so easy! just read the lab and its a for sure A). Lecture are NEVER dry, he is also funny keeping your attention by doing lots of demos, telling stories and (in our class) tasting an element! Take Schoonover, BEST chem teacher at Poly

Nothing short of inspirational.

I would not be on the track that I am now without him being my professor so many years ago. I'm headed to one of the best medical schools in the country and would never have gotten there without him. He changed my life.

This teacher F-ing SUCKED! Now doing my maters at ASU in Biology I realize how s****y of a teacher Rod was. I'm now a TA for one of the greatest professor at ASU for undergrads and never realized how great someone could be at teaching until I got here. EVERYONE at POLY should know they are missing out on NOTHING. Unless you were one of his pathetic students that thought they were getting a good education from him. Open your closed minded eyes and realize he was a pathetic piece of S**t that got his kicks from dumb students that praised him for his unprofessionalism.

Dr. Schoonover is a brilliant man, but he's also got the ego to match. He is/was an outstanding professor who has the ability to present material in a clear manner. The exams were hard, but not unreasonable, and generally fair. He was my first professor at Cal Poly (and one of my most memorable), but I lost much of my respect for this man when he decided to air his dirty laundry and hate on his colleagues for no legitimate reason. It's unfortunate that he is leaving at the end of this year -- the department will be losing one of its strongest faculty; however, as a person, I don't think he will be missed.

On my list of brilliant people to inhabit this earth. Dr. Schoonover teaches you chemistry like no other, but, most importantly, he teaches you how to be human. Inquisitive, reflective, understanding, and a kind soul. His stories left me laughing into tears and smiling until my face ached. You can tell that he's experienced great and terrible things and manages to remain humble despite them. Dr. Schoonover rekindled my love for learning, the world, and being alive. Not a quarter goes by when I don't think back to spring of my freshmen year. I miss his compassion and am sad I only had the opportunity to take one class with him. Pchem would have been an adventure. Hope you're happy wherever you are.

Dr. Schoonover was ... was probably too cool ... for San Luis Obispo. ... [T]hose who didn't get into his sections knew that they were missing something. ... But the place is not the same without him, although so many students will never know the difference, and think that roly poly absent-minded professors have always been the norm.

Dr. Schoonover is very smart, funny in an offbeat way.

Dr. Schoonover was my professor for organic chemistry lab and he was so awesome. I saw him downtown tonight surrounded by a flock of insanely hot blondes and he seemed to be holding up okay. I think my girlfriend has a crush on him but I'm pretty okay with it. Be sure and ask him about Elizabeth Armstrong if you want to see him squirm and light up at the same time. He is definitely one of the best professors at Cal Poly.

--I don't know if professors read these, but your class, in just 10 short weeks, changed my life. Dr S was wonderfully attentive, on point, and always prepared. Only late in the class did we learn that he was a physicist instead of chemist. I love that and I love him. Highly recommend his classes going forward. -- acd 262.3753

Dr. SChoonover is an awsome, brilliant and somewhat goofy instructor. He loves to give demos that consist of fires and explosions....hes been known to injure himself in the process. He explains the material very well. His exams are straight forward but they can be on the difficult side. However, if you understand the homework, the problems he does in class and the quizes you should be fine. If you have any problems hes very approachable in his office hr.

if you are chem or biochem and have to take the p-chem series, take it with schoonover. he at least makes it bearable. it's a tough class to begin with, and he is a tough professor, but he at least curves it. so as long as everyone is in the same boat you are of not doing so well on a test, you'll be fine. he's a really kooky guy and has a really good sense of humor. classes are fun cause you're always waiting to hear what's gonna come out of his mouth next. also, he usually does a demo at least once a week. and most of these demos include fire or a loud bang or both. kinda of reminds you why you're a chem major!! so basically, take schoonover. p-chem is gonna be hard no matter what, but at least this way you'll have some fun too.

Dr. Schoonover is no doubt the best professor I've ever had at Cal Poly. Two midterms, four quizzes, final exam, homework not turned in. You must study for the p-chem series at least ten hours a week. Any less than that and you're screwed. Dr. Schoonover is not only a great lecturer but one of the few professors that doesn't use power point. Thank god! His exams are f___ing hard! I've never sweated so much in my whole life. But there's no time limit to his exams (within reason) Yes, he has high expectations, but what's wrong with that? This is college, it would be an insult if his expectations were low. If he knows that you're lazy and not trying in the course he's not as helpful to you, but if he knows you're a hard worker (and he can tell if you are or not) then he will help you a lot. He'll even email you an answer at like 2am. Talk about dedication to his students. He's excited about the subject and teaching, has great demos, is humorous, and very caring about his students. In a nutshell if you want to learn more than you ever thought possible from a class then take Dr. Schoonover, if you just want to get by then don't. Cal Poly will be lucky if they can hang on to this professor. Disregard any negative comments about him.

What can you say about a guy who turns down attending Harvard and Yale Law Schools to come to Cal Poly? I really like his honest style of teaching plus he's smart and stylish and easy to approach. I hope Cal Poly can hold on to him b/c he's one of the best professors here.

One of Cal Poly's best instructors. Take him.

What can you say about Doctor Schoonover except that he is mayhaps the greatest instructor ever. He is hilarious, easy to aproach, understanding, caring, and one of the smartest people I've ever met. He loves what he does and remembers your name. He wants everyone to succeed and his fun style of lecturing helps to keep you interested and not fall asleep. Don't get me wrong this is the hardest course I have taken but Dr. Schoonover made it fun. If pchem can be fun. I highly reccomend him to everyone who has to go on the dreadful journey of pchem.

Schoonover is one of the best professors i've had at poly. he presents material very well, but it's up to you to study for quizes and tests. the tests, by the way, are brutal. do NOT ditch class or you will get screwed. basically, if u put in the time, you'll do fine.

Schoonover is an overrated professor, and a bit of an asshole. Sure his lectures are funny and entertaining, but they aren

I can't believe how ridiculous most of these comments on PolyRatings are! I seriously think you should have to take a breathalyzer test before posting comments! To the point, I was one of 70 or so students that had Dr. Schoonover for the full year physical chemistry sequence and it was really incredible. At the end of the year the class gave him a standing ovation, only the second time I've ever seen that in my college career. If you are willing to work in this difficult class, Dr. Schoonover will be there for you. From what I understand, the other p-chem instructor is easier but you actually end up getting a worse grade. Highly recommended for upper and lower division courses!

The exams are like a religious experience. I hate them and yet I love them. And I love Dr. Schoonover, despite the mad wicked bone-stretching he has inflicted on us thus far.

one word: BALLLLLLLLLLLLLLINNNNNNNNNNN'

Dr. Schoonover is a talented lecturer and is passionate about Physical Chemistry. The nature of the material creates a challenging class and he was more than gracious with his grading methods. His teaching style is a little bit on the abstract end but it seems just to be an extension of his unique personality. He is quite helpful and approachable with any questions. The work load is heavy for this course but its P-Chem so I don't know what else you would expect. I plan to take Dr. S for the whole series if possible.

I've been in Schoonover's pchem courses all year long and had him for two of the three general chemistry classes and he is seriously the most amazing person and professor. He has purple hair, white teeth and the craziest sense of humor. Endlessly quoteable. He calls his exams "experiences" because they are three hours long and border-line insane (the last one full of unicorns, tree-people and mermaids). His last equation-sheet had tiny subiliminal messages like "you you make me feel brand new" and "pchem is my lady". He told our class this quarter that not only is he on his way to a nervous breakdown, he intends to take half of us with him. Now that is just funny. Word is that he's leaving next year to work for the State Department in Russia so you know there's going to be a sick bon voyage party somewhere downtown in June. He is intimidating beyond belief (you will likely never meet anyone smarter or more knowledgable) until you sit down and talk with him and he turns into the nicest most caring guy you could ever hope to meet. Professors come and go but you will never experience anyone quite like him and you should definitely take him while you can. I feel sorry for the kids next year who are going to miss out on his crazy brilliance and feel ashamed that Poly never gave him a teaching award while he was here.

Dr Schoonover is P-chem. Dr Schoonover is AXE. Dr Schoonover is the Chemistry Department. Losing him is the most serious blow to Cal Poly.

Dr Schoonover no longer teaches at Poly and has apparently gone to the State Department for good. It\'s really a shame, because of all the good to great professors here, he was simply The Best. He was universally acknowledged as being the best gen chem professor and his sections usually filled up in the first or second day. I\'m watching Dr Hagen\'s students agonize through pchem and it was never that way with Dr S, who had a gift for being tough but fair and always fun. I wish there had been a way for Cal Poly to find some way to hold onto him but I\'m thankful I had gen chem and pchem with him before he left.

He is gone and everyone knows he was the best professor ever. Its sad beyond words.

horrible teacher. weird and creepy. glad he won't be here until I'm gone.

I'm about to graduate and Dr Schoonover is still my favorite all-time professor. He is funny, energetic and makes it easy for students to learn. I hope he comes back to Cal Poly.

I'm finishing my PhD this weekend and coming back to this website to let Dr Schoonover, who I know left a few years ago, how much you meant to me in case you ever come back and check this site. However crazy and cruel it can be. Rod you gave me the inspiration to strive for higher education. I didn't believe in myself until you sat me down in your office when I was a freshman and again as a junior and told me to aim high. I did aim high and I'm finishing with a PhD from one of the world's most established and recognized programs. You are the reason for my success and I will never forget it. Back in the day you were known for your purple hair and your looks and all that stuff that's frankly hard to remember, but your wisdom and your kindness is what stays with me so many years later. I hope to take a faculty position in 2017 and, if that works out, you will be my example to try to inspire those who follow me. You've inspired thousands of us and I hope you take that to heart as you follow your own path after academia and into public service. Love always.

Just two weeks from graduation and I wanted to evaluate my favorite professors. Some students find Dr. Schoonover intimidating, as I did at first, honestly. Over time I came to realize that he really just holds approppriately high standards for students. Its' clear that the thing he really doesn't respect is laziness and cutting corners. If you go to office hours or talk to him after class and show that your working hard he will bend over backwards and work hard for you. In fact I think he may be one of the most sensative, caring profs at Cal Poly and easily one of the smartest, most talented. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that you really havent taken P-Chem unless you took Schoonover. Yaaay for Dr. S!!! (:

To all Gen chem students: Please try to limit this page to evaluations ONLY, and I don't mean about his looks. Please note that chemistry is a subject which requires hard work and studying, no matter who your instructor might be. That being said, Dr. Schoonover is an outstanding professor. I've had him for several classes now, and can honestly say that what makes him a good professor is his high standards and his ability to present material clearly. Yes, the material is hard, and requires a lot of study time, but isn't that what we want as scientists in training? Knowledge is the basis of our future careers, and what better way to get a leg up than to have an instuctor who will challenge you? No matter what class you have Dr. Schoonover for, if you study hard and go to his office hours WHEN you need help, you will not regret having him as your professor.

I have had a lot of professors in COSAM and Dr. Schoonover is easily one of the best. He's not my type at all but I get why lots of girls ^ and guys ^ throw themselves at him. Everyone in the college seems to know that he's the smartest guy on campus which is seriously intimdating. On the other hand he is really easy to relate to and is hilarious in an unusual way (he seems genuinely crazy for half the course and no one knows where this comes from -- word is that all the chemicals he tastes has made him start to lose it). He is fun to talk to, good with women (almost to much) and has a complex sense of humor. If you want a chemistry experience, take Dr. Rod Wolfcall Schoonover because he is off th hook.

Whoa, where did this guy come from? He is awesome. Last quarter was really really tough but now I look forward to coming to pchem.

Unprofessional and lazy. He should probably go back to D.C.

This professor really knows what he's talking about and is 50x better than who we had last quarter. I personally don't find his purple hair unprofessional but that's just one guy's opinion. He is definitely not easy so the number of disgruntled students is not surprising. But I've learned a lot and he's probably the best prof I've had this year.

Cocky, out of it all the time, and tries way too hard to come off like he's cool. It's retarded to watch a 50 year old guy with stringy purple hair and bracelets from hot topic think he's better than everyone else. What a joke! Take good notes in lecture and teach yourself from the book and you'll do good on exams. Don't bother going to office hours because he'll spend the whole time showing how he's so much smarter than you are and that whatever question you asked was stupid in the first place. It's creepy when you see him out at the bars trying to pick up girls, avoid him unless you want to get hit on. This guy must have ate the other guy while he was in DC! Avoid his section if you can.

Ermahgerd. I was in the same pchem course with the author below [it is obvious who he is] and wanted to add to his obviously well researched analysis of Schoonover. I'm not sure whether he thinks he's better than everyone else, but he is definitely better than you author. Let's elaborate. Schoonover teaches the most difficult course in the chem department and he teaches it very well. Almost no one but you disagrees. You, on the other hand, consistently score low C's in your classes and make excuses for your sad scores. Schoonover wears vaguely interesting clothing while you adopt the same pathetic uniform that every insecure cornhole here at Poly does. By the way, it is obviously only to the narrow minded that those bracelets are American Indian, not hot topic. Continuing, Schoonover gives inspiring public lectures on how to help Poly chem & biochem students do something with their lives other than head for the lab bench, while you hide behind drunken anonymous postings on St Patrick's Day. I could go on and on critiquing your existence but let's just stop there. For everyone else Dr Schoonover is def not an airhead, his purple hair is mildly interesting, and I couldn't care less if I was to see him downtown like a normal human being.

AMAZING TEACHER. Very understanding. Super awesome in office hours. I'm so sad he's leaving at the end of this year! PLEASE take him if you have the opportunity. He'll change your life.

I don't think the poly comments reflect the scoonover experience very well. This is a serious and amazing professor . They should breathalyze inputst from now on.

I had no idea there was so much drama around a single professor. I have found him absolutely amazing, probably the best teacher I've ever had. I feel that any hostile remarks towards Schoonover comes from a dark place. He is a nice professor who wants us to do well.

Legend has it that Schoonover's mother is one of the playmates on the wall at Bulls. No one seems to know if true though.

Since most of the reviews here are from general chemistry, I thought I'd offer some perspective from someone who just finished a full year of physical chemistry with Dr. Schoonover. Simply put, the guy is a genius, knows tons of stuff about tons of things, but he is also extremely approachable. I thought I would hate pchem with all the horror stories floating around. At first, it was very intimidating. By week 6 of 351, it started to grow on me. By 352 pchem was my favorite class and I've absolutely loved 353. I'm even considering pchem or biophysics as a career. Dr. Schoonover is truly an inspiration, cares deeply about his students, and all chem/biochem majors should make sure they take him for pchem. I cannot say enough good things about him. Yes, he's difficult and challenging. The courses are hard. But after all, as Dr. S says, we're attempting nothing short of explaining all of chemical behavior. I am proud to be one of the students whose "brain has been rewired" by pchem from him.

I guess all this doesn't really matter since this is Schoonover's last quarter at Cal Poly, but I'm really surprised anyone can say anything bad about him. The guy works his ass off, is always available to students night and day and still comes to class with a lot of energy. For example, so that more students could graduate on time, Schoonover willingly took twice the number of pchem students this year than usual, doubling his teaching load. A group of students petitioned the department for him to teach a fourth quarter of pchem and he agreed to teach it, on top of everything else. He is amazing and his committment to students and teaching is superhuman. Frankly I don't know how any professor deals with the job, underpaid, underappreciated with whiny, lazy and underprepared students taking anonymous shots at them via Polyratings. Who would want that job? I really don't blame Dr. Schoonover for leaving but it will be devastating to this university when he does. I sort of feel like I, my fellow students and this college in general really let him down. He will be missed.

Sooo, when did this website become such a little gossip board? Anyway, I graduated from Poly two years ago, worked in industry last year and just finished my first year of grad school in biochemistry/biophysics. I would never have made it through this year had I not taken Dr. Schoonover for the pchem series. He has the reputation of giving insanely difficult exams but, looking back, I think that's because he's one of the few profs still holding up the high standards that Poly used to be known and respected for. He requires you to think but really it's not that bad, he's just one of the few who's doing what a professor is supposed to do. If you are going off to grad school (or think there's even the slightest chance you will, in either chem or biochem) you definitely need to take Schoonover and avoid the other pchem instructor - he presents the material at way too low a level. I am one of the few Americans here and my classmates are primarily international students who arrive much much better prepared. Simply stated, I did well in my first year of grad school (and on the GRE) only because I took Schoonover for pchem and Rigler for biochem. By respecting my abilities and being willing to challenge students, they opened doors that I didn't know were there, gave me options that i didn't know I had, and quite definitely changed the direction of my life. I am saddened to read that Dr Schoonover may be leaving because, despite all the bitching-moaning-whining that the "difficult" profs seemingly have to endure, particularly from freshmen, the number of students that he has profoundly influenced must now be in the thousands. Cal Poly would be smart to do everything it can to hold on to him. For those still at Poly and reading this, don't be afraid to let your professors know how much you appreciate them (if you in fact do). They are far and away better than any professors I've met here at this big name research university and you simply don't know how good you have it.

Schoon is by far the BEST teacher at Poly. The past three quarters have been a very enjoyable journey even though it was Pchem. I will admit at times i disliked the guy, but he is great and SOOO understanding of his students, you just have to be willing to go to him when you need help. I am definitely just an avergae student but with hard work i got B's throughtout the entire series. It alot of hard work but the most rewarding experience in the end.

Difficult prof but worth it if you manage a decent grade and stay on his good side. An attractive guy who works hard at coming off hip and "cool." Not sure how he juggles it all but the mystery and hype about his personal life that are intriguing at first now seems banal and more than a little sad. A professor who ... often ends up turning off many students who would otherwise benefit from his knowledge.

Scroll all the way down the list of ratings for Dr. Schoonover. I mean all the way down. Doesn't it tell you something that he has twice as many reviews as professors who've been here for twice as long? Whether good or bad, he will make an impression on you, and probably change your life at least a little. He is inspirational if you take the time to listen. He's fun if you can lay back and enjoy learning. He will care about you if you care about his class. Yes, he can come across as arrogant. If you ask me, it's more self-confidence than anything else, and it's well deserved at that. Yes, he's extremely odd and will take time to get used to. If you're open minded and a little strange yourself, you may find it a refreshing change from the ordinary. Yes, he's a difficult professor. Nobody said chemistry was supposed to be easy, and he only expects so much because he truly wants you to walk away with a real understanding of the material. Yes, he's hot. Enough said on that one. Professors like Dr. Schoonover renew my faith in the educational system, and in professors in general. And if it weren't so much work, and if i thought I could actually do it, I would get a PhD and follow his lead.

Hard fucking prof but got me into med school because I completely thrashed the chem section of the MCAT. Threw myself at him gradutation weekend and playa just stared at me but I recovered. He's a sweetyheart but kind of a dick at times. Smartest man you will ever met and i wanted to take his dna. LOVE him. Best profe at Cal Poly, hands down.

you cannot say that you have had pchem, and this say you got a degree from poly, unlesss you took pcem from dr rod schoonover. He is the chemistry department..

Overrated! I had schoonover for p chem last year and he was okay at best. Lectures are funny, I’ll admit, but the guy is pretty full of himself. But no wonder he thinks he walks on water reading all of the fan club comments from the ladies below. I saw him get pretty sloppy downtown a couple times and was embarrassed for him. Not a role model.

For every douchebag who writes shit like the previous entry, there are at least fifty students who actually passed and appreciate Doctor Schoonover for what he is - dedicated, intelligent, effective and approachable. Check it, I'm a guy, straight and still think he's great. He does'nt fit into your stereotype of a poly professor, you know the roly-poly kind that wears frumpty t-shirts, shorts and birks and has the adacity to be unmarried, social and straight. God-forbid! What kind of person signs onto PolyRatings and spreads lies/gossip about a prof's personal life anyway? What a cunt.

Oh my god, I miss him so much. There are many professors at Cal Poly who are great, but there is only *one* Dr. Schoonover. He is the best instructor I have ever had at Cal Poly. This after four years of chem courses.

The two most impressive professors I ever took at Poly were Professors Schoonover from Chemistry and Black from Biology. Everyone knows that Dr Schoonover is as brilliant as he is unique. Not just the kind of prof you want to have a beer with but one you want to talk hard core philosophy or music with - over beer (or vodka). I\'ve heard that he left because of in-fights in the department but I hope thats\' not true. I know my life would not have been the same if he didn\'t believe in me, both in gen chem and pchem. He will be missed.

Schoonover flew back from Kazakstan to come see us at graduation. The best professor ever, both in ability and in dedication. Cal Poly is not the same wihtout him.

Best professor at Cal Poly. He has female students throwing themselves at him but so would I if I were a girl. I think he is the future of Cal Poly, he is sociable, with us students and our parents, but also with the rest of the faculty. I feel stimulated, in many ways, during lecture. These days won\'t last, we all know, but I\'m happy to have experienced his unique musky smell for ten weeks now. Fun!

Best professor in my five years. I can\'t believe he\'s not coming back. That is terrible news..

His pchem 4 course made me want to study pchem. I\'m in grad school now and dr s is still the best instructor i\'ve ever had. I adore him, more than i ever did in san luis. ignore all the crazy personal shit on polyratings, if you want to learn chemistry and especially physical chemistry (from someone who knows his shit unlike hagen) take dr schoonover. he is a god amongst men.

I've been in college for awhile now, and the best professor I ever had was Dr Schoonover. The man is seriously amazing and when he returns will set the campus on fire again. Love his green eyes.

Those who never had Dr Schoonover are just left with his legacy. He was insane, motivated and brilliant. No one is like him, and every professor knows this.

The smartest man you've ever met with uber sex appeal. You just really want to be cornered in the coffee shop with him and talk. I hear he's coming back and I will totally be in his fifth year class. Love love love love him.

This is one of the university's great professors. This man teaches the hardest subject in COSAM without notes, is engaging and charismatic, and fair. Any negative comments are a bigger reflection on the insecurity of students than the ability if this man to teach. Many of us who don't usually write reviews are huge fans.

Seriously the best professor at Cal Poly. He still keeps in touch with some of us and wants the best for us. Dr Schoonover was a life changing professor and I'm so so so happy I was able to have him before he was scooped up by the federal government.

Such an amazing, amazing man. Brilliant and funny. I would run away with him if it was appropriate.

All my girlfriends and me miss hanging out with Schoonover. What a loss.

In the hardest class in COSAM, nothing short of amazing. And those amazing GREEN fucking eyes.

The best professor I ever had. No blow the best college professor I could ever have. This us the most caring professor ever. I love this man.

I am no longer at Cal Poly, having graduated a couple of years ago, and am now a graduate student in chemistry. I had Prof Schoonover for a couple of general chemistry classes, undergraduate seminar and two physical chemistry courses. He is, to this day, the best chemistry professor I've had and, frankly, one of the people who inspired me to change my major (from biology) to chemistry. He really isn't that difficult -- he is challenging but good grades are always within reach with a bit of effort -- and I believe he teaches each course at the appropriate level. For example, in CHEM 127, much of the material is quantum mechanics and nomenclature. That stuff simply has to be memorized, there's no other way to learn it at that level (or do you really expect freshman to be able to solve the Schrodinger equation?? You get to do that in CHEM 353 by the way). Contrary to the previous comment, Schoonover is one of the _fairest_ professors in terms of grading I've ever had, taking miniscule points off for calculation errors if you've got the conceptual part down. As the previous commenter says, read the polyratings carefully and then separate the disgruntled, the bitter and mean-spirited from the rest. One feature sorely missing from Polyratings is a chance to see how well you do in all of your classes. Last point: there is a reason that his classes fill up first.

I think its safe to say alot of people are intimidated by Dr. Schoonover and it sometimes comes out in mean ways (like the comment below, someone whose obviously never even had him). And for good reason: I myself have had six classes with the man (both freshman and senior levels) and he continully blows my mind how much knowledge he has stored in that crazy brain of his. In one sitting you could hear stuff on particle physics, indie rock, languages, vodka, guitar chords and suicidal thermodynamicists! You get the feeling from other profs that everyone knows Schoondog is the little genius AND mad bomber of the department. On top of that he knows how to teach extremely well at a high level while making classes fun. He does come off as arrogant and standoff-ish at first but if you spend anytime with him you realize that he is a sweetheart. Yes "Swoon-over" is easy on the eyes and yes he seems to be gradually losing his sanity as the year wears on, but that is all part of the fun. For instance, he was always trying to find ways to play practical jokes on my advanced pchem class, not quite ever getting them right. (BTW, if you take pchem with another teacher, you are likely to feel like you missed out and that other students see your chemistry education as maybe less ligitimate). He is definitely one of the top five professors in the college of science and possibly the most unusual combination of crazy/shy/intelligent/hyper/funny/rockstar you will ever meet.

Dr. Schoonover was my first professor in college and one of my last. In fact, I have had him for 6 classes total, two as a freshman, three as a junior and one as a senior. Clearly he is my favorite instructor at Poly but I really believe that he is the best instructor on campus. I have seen him handle seriously difficult questions from smart asses in class, help/assist other professors when they need help, stay extra hours to help students and be a sweetheart when students are having difficulties. He's a hard instructor, something I believe that he is proud of, but he is also that professor you will remember, someone who made a real difference in the trajectory of your life. I have seen females throw themselves at him, some of them my friends/classmates, and he seems to deal with it well. Not sure exactly how he has stayed single all these years. I have never seen him asked a reasonable question that he did not know - on the odd occasion he doesn't know some obscure fact, his eyes light up as if he's really enjouying learning on the spot. Take him but don't expect an easy time of it and, if you're lucky, you can see him on occasion downtown with his buddies. Treat him to him a shot of Jameson, if not for you, for the thousands of students who absolutely adore him but don't get the chance.

I have had Schoonover for five courses, four in physical chemistry and one in general chemistry and he is the best professor I've had in my four years at Poly. My mind was blown every lecture in 405, the best class of my undergrad career. Another pchem professor won the distinguished teaching award this quarter but most of our class thinks that Dr. Schoonover was robbed. I do know that he has made more of an impact on students than any other prof in the chemistry department, me included, and I consider him flat-out inspirational.

Dr. S. If you read this please come back to Cal Poly. No one here, especially in physical chemistry, compares to you.

Straight up baller! I\'m so happy I was able to take 405 from him before he left. He doesn\'t miss a beat, and explains information so clearly. He\'s definitely made to be a teacher. I hope he comes back to Cal Poly 1) for the students, and 2) to put Dr. Gragson in his place. Go team negative Kelvin!

Very difficult professor, but someone who gives you hope/life. This man is the everything;

No one though Schoonover would ever come back. He has been a spy in Russia for many years now and everyone is certain he'll be assassinated back in california. the man is also a great teacher, on top of all the other stuff.