An amazing professor. Prof. Garand is accessible outside of class, and you can schedule additional office hours with him pretty easily. He also has a good sense of humor. Definitely do take his chemistry courses.

Professor Garand is the best professor I have ever had. He is so enthusiastic about all the course material and that makes the students super interested in the class. He teaches with so much passion and is so welcoming and kind.

This man is such a great professor. You can tell how passionate he is about chemistry, and he really made the class as easy to understand as possible. I would definitely recommend going to class, as 109 is pretty tough, but I can't imagine having a better professor for the course.

If you have the choice to take Professor Garand, please do. I had never taken a chemistry class before this and he made it so easy to understand. His lectures are absolutely incredible. He is such a fun guy who comes to class ready to teach. You can tell he has an immense passion for chemistry and his research.

Garand is an incredible educator. He clearly cares about his students and wants them to succeed. Instead of feeling like hes just talking at you for 50 minutes, his lectures are well organized, interesting, and interactive. 109 is a very hard class for some, but as long as you pay attention and do the pre class activities youll be fine.

This originally had been a class I'd been dreading, but he actually made the class interesting and explained things very well. He's always nice and very approachable when you have a question, and can even make you laugh during a lecture! The textbook is written by the professors, so everything lines up well and is very helpful.

Prof G effectively clarified difficult pre-lec textbook concepts in an engaging manner. The structure of the class - 5 exams, one per unit, no cumulative midterms/final - was not only appropriate for the accelerated pace at which the content was covered, but I was able to better process each unit's concepts. Prof G was concise, fair, and organized.

Prof. Garand was one of the only reasons I liked CHEM 109. The class is extremely difficult with hard material, but he explains it pretty well and goes at a good pace for students. He seems very empathetic, and also makes jokes during lectures. Without him, I probably would've skipped lectures and failed.

Lectures are super helpful in clearing up textbook material. You don't need to do amazing on exams to do well in the class just turn in hws, labs and discussion. Lectures were very organized and funny easy to understand. Grade expectations are given ahead of time so you always know how you are doing in the class. Would definetly recommend.

Mandatory as in don't skip labs or discussions (you turn in assignments that are a good chunk of grade)! Prof Garand was clear, funny, and I liked his teaching. Take advantage of his office hours! This is a pretty hard course, but don't stress if you start off badly--I had a really bad grade at first (oof 1st test), but still worked it up to an A:)

109 was pretty easy TBH and Prof Garand was pretty good.

Best prof. I've had this semester. His lectures covered basically everything in the pre-class readings (still need to do them beforehand for understanding) and he explains everything very well in an engaging manner. I was also worried about the difficulty, but he makes the content very easy to digest; do the readings thoroughly & you can get an A.

Amazing professor! He gives great lectures where he actually explains the content extremely well and sprinkles in jokes along the way. I really can't recommend him enough, he's the best professor I've ever had.

He is an awesome Professor and lectures are always engaging. Chem 109 is HARD. You have to work for your A, but it's completely doable. I bombed the first test and was still able to end with an A. The tests are graded really pickily. Homework and outside of class material is worth a lot of your grade so make sure you stay on top of that.

If you took AP chem in high school and did well in it, without a doubt take this class, and if you can try to get prof G. His lectures were the best I've had at Madison. He does an excellent job of explaining tough topics clearly and concisely. Exams are not easy but if you complete all the other assignments you will be fine! Do the Preclass.

I have just started my college education and have only completed one semester, but I don't know if I will ever have a professor as good as Etienne. Every time I was confused about something I read in the pre-class reading, Etienne always cleared it up. He is very funny and engages with the class well. He made chemistry fun. I would suggest him.

Im about to finish chem 109 and it was my favorite class of the fall semester. I would heavily recommend doing the pre-class readings and gaining a mild understanding for the assigned topics and then attending lecture and solidifying your understanding. Prof G explained everything very well and he also throws in subtle jokes that lighten the mood.

I have never taken a professor that has made chemistry more engaging and well received in a learning environment. I sat near him in lecture, he was funny and gave subtle jokes towards students and clearly seems like a guy I would like outside of the classroom too. Etienne the goat fr.

Really well-organized class, which is very appreciated considering its difficulty. He's a great lecturer and a great dude. I recommend this class if you passed the AP Chem exam. It is a lot of work, but you get used to it. Do the homework, even the littlest things, because every point counts (currently learning that the hard way)!

I'm about to finish Chem 109 and I'm so happy I had Professor Garand. People say this class is very hard, but if you took AP Chem in high school and go to lectures it's not difficult at all. Just take notes on the pre-class and you'll be okay.

Professor? Great. Class? AWFUL. Chem109 is HARD. I'm probably going to get a C or a BC in it. They don't curve the tests. The tests aren't horrible if you do the practice test, all the practice questions and the homework assignments. The pre class podias are graded-DO NOT FORGET TO DO THEM. All the labs were dry and very boring. I recommend 103 104

Prof G. is a fantastic professor who puts a lot of effort into his classes. Chem 109 itself is a difficult course and will require a lot of studying, but it never felt like I didn't have the resources to succeed. Prof. G's lectures are fantastic and taught the material in an accessible manner.

Prof. Garand is just awesome. Took him for 109 and loved it. Im not amazing at chemistry but Garand made me want to try. Funny dude, good lectures, just difficult material. Stay on top of readings and reach out to TAs if you want to succeed, theyre really helpful.

I don't have a single bad thing to say about the professor, but the class was incredibly hard.

He gives very good lectures but the exams are difficult and account for most of your grade.

He interacts with the class very well and has fun doing it. I would reccomend him to anyone considering this class. His class wasn't hard, it's just hard material.

Has a very cute cat! Great Chem professor, would take again soon. Lots of study materials and support

Every week, there were three pre-recorded lectures by Prof Garand per week. He was very clear in his descriptions of the topics. I would highly recommend Prof Garand, however, I would not recommend Chem 109 unless you absolutely need to. I worked on this class for 30+ hours/week and still barely finished with a B. Be prepared to WORK

I loved taking this class. Professor Garand makes lectures interesting and fun. This class is very hard so you need to have a solid chemistry background and work ethic.

I took AP and Honors chem in HS and this class was HARD. That said, it was hard in a good way. The grading is difficult on exams, and online labs suck, but overall this class was a good wake up to college challenge. Garand obviously loves what he does and encourages student to utilize every ounce of potential. Take if you like being challenged.

Garand was the best teacher for chem 109. this course is hard but he makes it so much more enjoyable and fun! to be successful in this class stay on top of your game and put in the work to study a lot for the 3 exams and final, they aren't easy but the class had a massive curve! he will help you in Office hours(go before exams!!!!!!)

Enjoyed having Garand as my professor as he explained topics clearly and went through practice problems in depth. The class itself was fairly difficult, especially for those who did not have AP Chemistry backgrounds. Labs were a good way to boost your grade, and studying far ahead of time for the tests is a must.

I took this class thinking that 2 years of "Honors" Chemistry in high school would have prepared me... they didn't. If you don't have a STRONG (AP) background in chemistry, this class will be hard for you. However, the professors and TAs are very helpful from my experience and there are a lot of avenues for help that you can take advantage of.

Garand is awesome. His lectures are entertaining, and he goes at a speed that is comprehendible. The class is difficult, and the exams are nowhere near easy, but studying days prior will help your grade. I learned a lot in his class, and highly recommend if you're interested in chemistry.

The class is very hard. He is not very organized which makes it a thousand times harder to understand what he is talking about. I was not able to understand his lecture even if I went.

Etienne lectures are power points of notes that he explains as you copy them down. He has some experiments in class and assigns homework that will be about the same difficulty as test. However, be careful on test because they will take points at about any chance. My favorite explanation for missing points was "you explained too much".

Very respectful, good at explaining, answers questions nicely, encouraging, interesting lectures and demonstrations. All in all, he's an amazing professor.

Made chem 109 so much better, I absolutely loved him as a professor. Very organized in lectures, and really knows his stuff well. Always willing to answer questions and cracks jokes all through lecture. Garand's da bomb

GOOD LUCK. This class is very hard. Be prepared to spend countless hours studying for JUST this class. What makes it especially hard is the pacing. Despite the difficulty of this course, Professor Garand did a solid job at teaching. He was always available to discuss material during office hours. GOOD LUCK WITH THIS CLASS. BE STRONG.

Professor Garand was my favorite professor this fall. He knows how to engage the class and teaches the material well. The exams are hard and outside studying is important. Use materials like the discussion packets to help with your study. There is a bump at the end of the class, but don't rely on that to get an A. Go into office hours

Easy A if you did well in AP Chem in high school. Claims that a 90+ is an A but my friend got an 86 and ended up with an A. Definitely take 109 if youre mildly decent at chem.

It's only my first semester on campus and I have a feeling that Prof. Garand will be my favorite professor that I will ever have. Funny, extremely smart. The material moves quick, but it's not hard to keep up in lecture. Discussion packets and online homework help a lot. You learn a lot. The prof and TA's always respond to piazza.

I didn't take any chemistry in HS, so stepping into 109 was pretty difficult. That said, Garand is definitely one of my best professors and his lectures have been crucial to my doing well in the class. He's a tough grader and the exams aren't easy, but as long as you attend lecture and put in the outside study you'll do well.

Chem 109 is a VERY difficult course. That being said, there is nobody that I would rather have as a professor. Prof. Garand does a good job keeping the class engaged with a lot of fun demos and covers everything in class. However, a lot of time is needed outside of class to be successful in this course (regardless of the professor).

Prof. Garand was a really great teacher and he tried to make general chemistry a little more interesting than it really is. You rely heavily on your TA's and outside learning but he taught almost everything we had on the exam during lectures. Make sure you put in the outside work or you will NOT pass.

Garand makes this class very enjoyable and is a great option if you take Chem 109.

He is amazing! His lecture is well-organized. Probably one of the best chem professor!

His lectures are very organized. He always trys to bring some humor into the class. He is also accessible and caring. Chem 109 feels a lot better with Prof. Garand.

He is an amazing professor I would choose him again if I took this class the second time. He makes CHEM109 a lot easier than I expected because he knows what he is doing. Also, keep in mind that you need to work hard off class in order to pass the exams.

He knows exactly what he is doing and his lectures are very well structured. The demos are very informative and I the exams are fair.

If you are taking chem 109 you probably also took AP Chem in high school and they are virtually the same class and same material. If you didn't don't get discouraged its still a passable course you just might have to do extra work or work harder than some others. Overall worth taking, challenging but passable if you actually try and give effort.

This is Chem 109. It is supposed to be hard. You WILL struggle in this class. Even if someone like Poliakoff were to teach class it would still be hard. With that being said, Garand is amazing. He is possibly the best prof. He is hilarious. My friends in chem 109 have different professors, and they seem to be struggling. One of them dropped out.

This class makes me want to pull my hair out a lot less because of this guy. He keeps the content as fun as it can be and really lightens the mood in the class. Keeping that in mind, he doesn't really provide the necessary examples in some cases. This class's tests are miles harder than any homework you will receive, so be ready.

Chem 109 is really, really tough. That being said, Prof. Garand is the man. He is really laid back in lectures and in addition to being hilarious, his lectures are clear and informative. He has blown up things in demonstrations in the majority of his lectures, which is a bonus. All chem 109 tests and labs are very hard, however, so work very hard.

Garand's 109 class is no walk in the park, but if you have to take the course I highly recommend this professor. His accent is very noticeable but in a hilarious (laughing with, not at him) kind of way and he is still easy to understand. Goes at a very reasonable pace during lectures and performs cool demos often. This guy is so funny and kind.