I don't know why everyone doesn't like Serbulea. I think she is a great professor and very informative during class. If you had her for first semester, there is no surprises for second semester and all the extra credits on the exam is the same as the previous semester. However, the material this semester is definitely harder, with biochemistry (which I hate), but if you do all the problems in the textbook and keep up, you'll definitely get the grade you deserve.

I feel really bad for saying this, but I did not find Serbulea to be that great of a teacher. She is brilliant, but her lectures are extremely dry, and her explanations are verbose. Tests are mostly memorization, which is frustrating if you understand the concepts, but don't remember the names of specific reactions. She cares about her students - assigns homework, has mandatory lectures, etc - but they did not help me at all, personally. If you really buy in, a good grade is attainable. It is just frustrating when you learn more easily on your own, and you're basically forced to learn it her way

Serbulea will help you understand the material better than mccgarvey, but only because you have to know it better for the exams which are pretty nit-picky. Sucks having to go to class/discussion because you have mandatory clickers, if you're just taking this as a prereq (premed, etc) take mcgarvey and you don't have to go to class and you also don't have to worry about discussion or weekly homeworks either.

2nd semester is far more difficult than 1st. The number of reactions you need to know for each test double compared to first semester. The course material is also based heavily on the material from the 1st semester - if you did poorly in 2410, then study like hell over winter break so you're ready for 2420 or be prepared to fail. Test averages are in the mid 60s. She doesn't curve the overall grades, so don't expect it. If the test average is below a 50, she might curve the individual grade, but don't bank on that. Her tests are straightforward - mostly memorization and very little application. Always expect naming, mechanism drawings, synthesis, and ordering type questions.

The absolute WORST professor I have EVER had!! Her lectures are useless, but you have to go because of clicker questions. The homework has nothing to do with the lectures and sometimes you can't even find help in the text. She has no clue what she's doing, she stresses the most unimportant things. She spends endless time in lecture going over the most simple concepts, but doesn't even touch on the more difficult concepts, which you are left to figure out. Avoid her at all costs! Take McGarvey, he's a better lecturer, instructor, and overall chemist.