Fraser has very unrealistic expectations and her lectures are WORTHLESS. You will end up teaching yourself organic chemistry if you take this class. Take regular orgo instead.

By far the worst class I have taken at UVA. Fraser is a very unfair professor and the curve is harsh: a bell curve. I think 50% of the class got grades below a B-. For the 80s series, the curve is usually very generous, but not with Fraser. If you ask questions she just tells you to "go google it". Don't take this class under any circumstances. Drop out and take the 40s series instead.

Be prepare to love your textbook to death and listen to Fraser's rather inane lectures. Answering questions is not her forte. She enjoys telling you how it's in the book and how this would be a great opportunity to conduct some research.

If you are the head of the class for last semester, then you will be at the bottom in this class. Some people start studying for tests even 2-3 weeks before the exam. Everyday. It is their lives. Some people don't have time to spend their whole life on chem, therefore get lower grades, even though they are superior.

Don't take this class unless you love chemistry...Or you took 182 and are now stuck having to take this class

Be prepared to put in at least 20-30 hours of work a week for this class... NO JOKE!

Extremely tough class. Fraser is nice...but insane. This is serious chemistry, but worth it for chem majors. Everyone suffers together and everything's graded on a huge curve. Intense, interesting, frustrating, but good if you like chemistry.

CHEM281 is definitely the most difficult science class at UVA. It will take over your life in the fall. The good news is that if you survive, all other classes will seem easy to you. However, not everybody survives. You should take your time deciding whether or not you really love science before enrolling in this class. Prof Fraser loves her job and she is willing to give lots of time to students. Her expectations, however, are unreasonable. Problem sets take a very very long time to complete. Exam averages are between 30-40%. There is a synthesis project in November that will keep you from sleeping for many nights. Good luck! This class is a rite of passage for true chemists, even biochemists!