Drew, Michael  

Chemistry and Biochemistry

3.00/4.00

20 evaluations


CHEM 124


Freshman
A
General Ed
Oct 2011
Dr. Drew is awesome. He's a really young guy and tries to be as engaging as possible. Chemistry isn't everyone's favorite subject (particularly mine) but Dr. Drew made it a relatively interesting course. Quizzes are pretty easy, tests are a little harder. Do well on the quizzes and it'll compensate for any roughness on the tests. That's how I got my A.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2011
I took Honors Chemistry at my high school and understood the material fairly well, so i thought this would just be a fast-paced review. Wrong. Somehow Dr. Drew managed to make me so confused that I had to go back and read from the beginning (converting, balancing equations, etc)and then follow up with reading from the chapter we were currently covering. He doesn't seem to answer questions clearly, it just makes me lost and have more questions. During labs, I can never seem to find him, he always just stays on one side of the room. If you do take this class, make sure you're prepared to read and study on your own or in a study group. He just makes chemistry ten times harder than it already is.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Support)
Dec 2011
It was his first time teaching Chem 124 to a group full of freshman, so I'm giving him a little slack. He was an excellent instructor, though. Nothing too wrong with him. He was able to communicate with the students well, but it was hard for him to relate to our difficulties. I understand it's college, but sometimes we need help in a class like this. We are expected to remember ALL of high school chemistry (which I didn't). The class is VERY difficult...requires lots of reading and studying. I ended up with a 68% after the final (before he curves it though). If you're naturally good at Chem or you took AP Chem, the class should be a lot easier for you. Dr. Drew definitely knows what he's talking about, but sometimes his lectures are really hard to follow...


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Dec 2011
He is a pretty good professor. The class starts out tough, and you are expected to know almost everything from high school chemistry. I didn't use the book that much either as much of his tests and quizzes were directly form the notes and labs. Do some studying on your own and go to his office hours and you should be fine.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Support)
May 2012
PERSONALITY: Dr. Michael Drew- he's a friendly guy and usually positive about things. Approaching him for help is not an issue and after class chat can be entertaining. LECTURE: He makes good use of the technology in the lab, allowing everyone to get a close-up view of the notes he writes as well as using the room speakers to amplify his voice so that not a word is missed. This makes for a clear and informative lecture. That said, viewing it all from a computer screen and hearing his voice through a microphone may de-personalize the lecture, as well as make it difficult to ask questions. LAB: Straightforward chem lab. Can be fun at times, daft at others. If you don't like writing lab reports, there is some good news. The ones you do have to 'write' consist of report forms that you simply fill out on a computer. There are also a good number of labs (at least a third) that don't require out of class report forms. FINAL THOUGHTS: For a newbie professor Dr Michael Drew was a pleasant surprise. He turned out to be pretty adept at his job. If given a choice between him and another professor with a slightly higher rating, I'd probably opt to take Drew.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Support)
Jun 2012
It is Dr. Drew's first year teaching, and even with that, he turned out to be a great professor. He is incredibly intelligent, and tries really hard to clarify things for you when you ask him questions. Definitely feels like he's getting more comfortable with what he's doing in class. At the beginning of the quarter, it was pretty dry and dull, but he starts getting to know his students and opens up, and the lectures become a lot more interesting. He has a really good sense of humor. It is highly recommended you do the assigned problems he gives, because his tests and quizzes ALWAYS contain some sort of calculation seen on the problems. Plus, they help you understand the material way better. For the most part, the labs are interesting. The gas chromatography, semiconductor, and spectroscopy labs are really fun. They kind of make the class not seem so bad. I really enjoyed this course, I definitely learned a lot, and I gladly recommend Dr. Drew to any 124 student.


Freshman
C
Required (Support)
Jun 2012
Ugh, I got a C+. I got Bs on the first two midterms but Ds on the third midterm, final, and the majority of my quizzes. He is a good lecturer and is very helpful both in-and-out of class. I went to countless office hours throughout the quarter and they were all very helpful. It was also fun to talk to him about random stuff that was completely irrelevant to the class. On a more serious note, I averaged an 89% in the lab portion of my grade but I remember loathing every last one of them- especially the Atomic Spectroscopy and Heat of Combustion. The lowest grade I "should've" gotten in this class is a B but I just kept screwing up on those quizzes- they weren't even that difficult! If given the chance to take Drew again, I'd probably do it. Only next time, I'd make sure to have a better eye for detail and to NOT take Chemistry & Physics simultaneously- that was a disaster. Dr. Drew may have only been 29 years old at the time when I had him, but that doesn't mean that you should take him lightly. Overall, he's a good professor but his mellowness, dreariness, and lack of spirituality may lead some people astray.


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Jul 2012
Dr. Drew why are you soooo handsome :]

CHEM 125


Senior
D
Required (Support)
Mar 2012
Dr. Drew is not a good professor. I don't blame him for my D because I didn't put the effort in that I should have. That being said, I dreaded all of his lectures because they were so terrible. It was only his second quarter teaching and his first quarter with this course so I give him some slack, but still. Lectures consisted of him writing equations on the board and defining each variable. He never went over derivations or theory behind them, just said this is the equation for this situation. When people asked questions he said something like, "That relates to the pressure." I frequently found myself thinking, "Duh, the question is how does it relate" The lab is not unique to him but it sucked anyway. We were always ahead of the lecture so we never knew what was going on. Also, if the lab manual says that there is an optional portion, expect to do it. The worst part of the lab though is that Dr. Drew gives periodic lab quizzes in which you will be required to remember mundane specifics about labs you conducted up to 3 weeks ago. Very lame and really unfair. If I had to do it again, I would avoid Dr. Drew at all costs. I would wait another quarter before I took Dr. Drew again. Thank God I'm done with Chemistry.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Apr 2012
Dr. Drew is for the most part the epitome of an average competent professor. He knows his chemistry, has clear slides and a good plan for lectures, and follows the syllabus so people will frequently skip lecture because, lets be frank, it's pretty boring. The material is there and clearly presented, but chances are your mind is somewhere else. Luckily with a lab and quizzes you get good feedback throughout the quarter on how you understand the material. Dr. Drew's labs are a bit dull, but require a significant amount of paperwork and good understanding of the material. If you go into office hours he will answer your questions, but it's not exactly an exciting visit. His quizzes and tests are difficult. All in all, Dr. Drew has a well organized course and can present chemistry clearly, just not in an engaging manner. You'll learn but be glad you're done.

CHEM 128


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
May 2013
I love love love Dr. Drew. He is a perfect human being. First off, he is not "hot" but more of a "nerdy cute". He is adorable and makes funny little jokes about some of the concepts that you can't help but laugh because he is so adorable. Needless to say I sat in the front row every lecture. I also had him for lab and he was really helpful. If you have questions he is always willing to explain and reexplain a concept to you. His tests and quizzes are really straight forward and don't try to trick you. I would recommend taking the SWE workshop that goes along with CHEM 128 also because that helped me a lot! I'm honestly considering switching to a CHEM major to have more classes with him. Gahhh, love him.


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Jun 2013
Damn good Teacher, very helpful in office hours and lecture notes were very clear. Shame he is leaving Cal Poly, they lost a good one.

CHEM 129


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2013
Dr Drew is a great professor he is so nice and always willing to answer questions. He also has a dry nerdy sense of humor but its really cute. He is a regulation hottie so thats a plus too. I wish i had to take more chem class just so I could have him as an instructor again but sadly i am a bio major not a chem major :(

CHEM 312


Senior
A
Required (Support)
Jun 2012
I really enjoyed Dr. Drew's survey of organic chemistry class, I felt I learned a lot of relevant stuff for my field. He is great at lecture and funny (in a nerdy way) at times and he even gives out his own handouts (with answers!) so you can practice organic chemistry on your own, which prove to be extremely useful in preparing for the tests, which were based on the notes, handouts, and study guide he gives out a week before each midterm (there were three in total). Oh yeah, he also dropped the lowest midterm for the final if you got a better score. Awesome teacher overall, I would recommend if you want to learn the subject at a good pace. Keep in mind though he is not easy, you definitely need to make this class one of your priorities to get an high grade in the class.


Junior
C
Required (Major)
Jun 2012
Dr. Drew was funny and understands his material, however he does not understand that this course did not contain students who all want to be chemistry majors. Dr. Drew taught the course like he was reading from a book, and I was left to try and teach myself the material. His office hours are a joke because he does not look at you and repeats himself instead of trying to help you understand. Dr. Drew is a horrible teacher... amazing chemist, but Horrible Teacher!


Junior
D
Required (Support)
Jun 2012
So, obviously I got a D, so my review of this guy isn't going to be glowing. But let me explain why his teaching style did not work for me. First off, his lectures were very unhelpful. They were boring as well, but it is O chem so I understand that. He basically just drew stuff on the board, pointed to it, said what it was, and moved on. He also was not good at answering questions. He got uncomfortable when students asked and would generally give a fast, nondescriptive answer. He graded his homeworks in a very weird way. Even when I got frustrated with his grading and tried copying the answers word for word out of the book, I'd still lose random points. The test questions were nothing like the questions in the textbook, so it was very hard to prepare for tests. He's a nice guy, but not an effective teacher. Hopefully my second time around I'll understand the material better.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Jun 2012
Dr. Drew is fantastic. As long as you do your part in the class and stay on top of the material an A is very easy to accomplish because his exams are always about 100 times easier than you imagine them to be, and unlike most teachers, his homework problems actually reflect the difficulty of the exams. He also gives you credit for doing homework which is awesome. Overall he is a very good teacher, very intelligent, very nice/approachable, and super cute as well :)


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2012
So sexy!


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Support)
Nov 2012
Dr. Drew is an amazing organic chemistry professor! Ever since coming to college I have dreaded having to take organic chemistry because of the horror stories, but Dr. Drew completely changed my perception of organic chemistry! He made me actually enjoy chemistry for once, as he explains the material very well and in a logical step-by-step manner. CHEM 312 has been one of my favorite classes since coming to Cal Poly, and is more doable than the general chemistry series thanks to Dr. Drew. Study adequately throughout the quarter and several days in advance for the midterms and you should do well in Dr. Drew's class, as long as you do not mind the task of memorization!

RELS 757


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Nov 2016
I learned that if I were to take up hunting, I should shoot deer, not bears, because a bear will hunt me back if I successfully wound it. Fascinating! I didnt know that the key to production and operations management was so brutally simple!