I thought Scerri was amazing, even though I am not doing well in the class. He is sarcastic and caustic in addressing the students, which makes the class just that much more interesting. If you are taking the class, DO NOT BUY THE BOOKS, you only need the course reader. His demos are absolutely irrelevant but it does wake everyone up, and the day he plays his guitar is a good day. In terms of the course material, he explains it well and the TA's only help move things along. If you have to take the class, take it with Scerri.

(also look him up on youtube)

KNOW THE READER!!!

Do yourself a favor and avoid this man like the plague. Not only is he not a good teacher, but he doesn't even seem like a good person. I've never talked to the man, but during his lectures he just reaked of arrogance. However, you can't avoid his lectures because you wouldn't be able to understand anything from his reader on your own. During his lectures he wastes at least a good ten minutes saying some silly jokes, which are normally funny, I've got to hand him that, or he'll perform an experiment which has as much relevance to the pertaining topic as cheese. His tests are not easy either, especially the final. And the online quizzes, even though they may have been easy points, were a waste of time and normally were off topic.

Either way, I would avoid Scerri if I were you. Simply put, he may entertain you, but his entertainment leads to no results in the end and you get absolutely screwed.

the course was rather reasonable. u can't expect to come to ucla and not study and get an A. you have to study for this class. definitely fully understand his course reader because his tests are all based on his course reader. make sure to also skim through the textbook. it's a good supplement for the course reader..becuase sometimes it's hard to understand. if u can get a covel tutor. they are really helpful.

DEFINITELY go to TA gagik. he is a DAMN good ta. his review sessions are.. seriously really helpful. if u want an A go to all themidterm/final review sessions held by gagik.

the lectures are somewhat boring/entertaining
boring becuase some topics are just bleh. entertaining because of scerri's "selfness", his interactions with the students and his demo's that wake the sleepers inthe middle of lecture.

and ive also heard that scerri is one of the better chem teachers in the chem department. so if u can get scerri get scerri for chem 20a and b. He is def easier than the other teachers esp becuase his tests are straightforward. goodluck.

Professor Scerri is a MUCH better chem professor than professor Baugh. I had Scerri for chem 20A and thought his tests were fair as long as you know everything in his course reader. His lectures are organized and his demos are fun to watch. I have Professor Baugh right now and lets just say he can NOT teach as affectively as Scerri. My advice is take Scerri for both chem 20A and chem 20B if you can and avoid baugh at all costs.

The best advice I can offer is to look at his past exams and memorize every solution. Scerri writes very confusing and poorly worded questions, but he writes the same questions every year. Scerri is a bit of a jerk in office hours. If you have a stupid question, he'll ensure you feel stupid for asking it. Also, don't be afraid to speak with him about the grading of your test. I was bitter about the phrasing of one of his questions, so I went in and complained and he gave me the points. It turned an A- paper into a very high A, and I didn't have to bother with the TA's. One final note, Scerri will scare you by telling the average is a C+/B- and one standard deviation is one letter grade. This simply isn't true. If you score a standard deviation above, you got an A. His overall grading is a bit secretive however, and I have the instinct feeling he's quite generous. Several of my friends did poorly on the first midterm but did well on the second midterm and final and got an A. Enjoy Scerri's class, because he's a heck of a lot better than Baugh and Pang.

This professor just talks and does not care whether u understand what he's talking about. I hear that his Fall quarter classes are hard and that he teaches better during other quarters. The TA's (at least the 2 I went to) were awful. Tutoring at AAP is the best, it helps a lot when u don't understand anything that the professor lectures. However, compared to the other techer's who are taching the same class, he's easier. I got a C in the class, I was expecting a B- the least, I got a B+ on one midterm and a C on the other. make sure that u read his reader before going to class, that's probbaly the only way that u can understand much in class and get a better grade.

This professor is very good at explaining the material and has intrusting in class demos, at times. The most important thing to remember is to buy the course reader and have it memorized, if you want an A. Buying the book is almost useless, most people never even opened it and can even be confusing at times. His tests are not easy, but seemed fair.

Scerri is a great professor! I loved every minute of his class. His theoretical approach to chemistry is delightful. Oxtoby is the most horrible textbook ever. Get Munowitz on reserve at Powell. It's the lecture notes explained out for you. Good luck!

Scerri is the BEST! He doesn't act arrogant as i was expecting. He just has that British stance and elegance. he's what i always imagined a true professor to be. even though this was the hardest class i've taken so far, it was my own fault for not studying. he's an excellent prof and his TA's are so funny and really affective. Do the HW! He's understanding in the fact that he knows people will fall asleep so he always does a demo in the middle of the lecture that has nothing to do with what he's teaching but it's really great. i definitely recommend this class. he's totally earned my respect. and his British accent makes it all even better. TAKE HIS CLASS, STUDY HARD AND HAVE FUN!!! (By the way, it's pronounced "Sherri" not "Scary")