Scott Snyder

Professor Snyder, hands down, is the best science professor I've ever had. Somehow, some way, by some awesome orgo magic he made me enjoy getting my lazy self out of bed so I could get to class on time for an 8:40 AM lecture. No small feat considering the fact that I'm chronically late to everything--I kid you not. Graduations, games, dinners, dates, everything but this class. And he was able to do this by simply doing what professors are supposed to do--teach. While I usually tend to like all my professors, I must admit that many of them can't actually teach. Yes, these professors are brilliant but the vast majority lack the skills necessary to engage and interact with large groups of people. Professor Snyder is not one of those professors. His lectures are generously peppered with relevant and often times hilarious jokes and pop culture references that are great for breaking up the monotony of early morning Orgo lectures. He even played a "training" montage for us during the last week that included the Rocky theme song and the original Karate Kid movie theme song. Lectures: All lecture materials are available online. I never even cracked open that dreadful McMurry book (great for me since I never bought the thing) nor did I do any McMurry problems. To be honest McMurry is probably one of the worst O-chem textbooks known to mankind. (If you're going to use an O-chem text, che…

Snyder was our instructor for the second semester of freshman organic chemistry, and there were some highlights in his class. In comparison to Breslow, who (though well-meaning) was very confusing in his style of teaching and his creation of examination and never had office hours and constantly left class too early because of his trips to Switzerland, Snyder actually had office hours two to three times a week and had a very clear and organized style of teaching. He would always refresh our memories about materials covered in prior lectures, and would move systematically in his covering of material. In office hours Snyder was very nice, helping with homework and answering questions and trying to calm the ravenous and brownosing premed hounds (foaming Harvard Medical School despair and evil cut throat ectoplasm from their mouths) at his door. That being said, the last third of the class came like a freight train to the students, with a large amorphous and gelatinous beastly caricature consisting of random and confusing topics (amines, pericyclic reactions, some weird radical material, etc.) that ultimately led to this massive panic attack in realizing how much material was covered in the class. The worst part, was his final (45ish % of your final grade) was poorly constructed and ultimately far too long. I honestly feel like there were 50 single-sinded pages all stapled into thi…

He is the best teacher in the chem department. (Unfortunately for Columbia, that's not saying as much as it should.) He does not make the material any harder or easier than it is. He simply presents it in an incredibly organized manner, and gives straightforward exams. His problem sets and practice exams are good indicators of what to expect on actual exams. Definitely go to office hours for the problem sets (It ends up being a group session, and is very helpful). His lectures are perfectly constructed. I highly recommend going, even if it's on Fridays.

I agree with parts of the previous review. Snyder's review page reads too one-sided and there's a need for different perspectives on his class. He's a very good professor and a wonderful person but in terms of his lectures, I cannot give him an entirely flattering review. The big problem with professor Snyder's style of lecturing is that he goes way too fast, and even though he appeared to have slowed down his pace by the middle of the semester (perhaps due to student input?), he was still very difficult to follow. I think this problem can be attributed to the fact that Snyder does not usually allocate time during lectures to questions from the class (unless you raise your hand and interrupt his lecture to ask a question, and not everyone feels comfortable doing so). Although Snyder is very helpful during office hours and is willing to answer questions after class, getting used to his one-hour, I-am-not-going-to-stop style of lecturing was a challenge for me, and I think future Orgo II students should be aware of this (so that they know what to expect) before stepping foot in this class. Granted, some people in the class are able to follow through Snyder's lectures without a hitch, but I guarantee you that many others, including myself, found his lectures to be infuriating. I am not saying that Snyder does not make an attempt to engage the class because he certainly does; he p…

Lots of problem sets, annoying quizzes staged at stressful times, exams that can make or break you (depending on your abilities to take tests), and an evil final.

Professor Snyder is simply terrible. I have no idea why so many people are applauding him in this review page.He gives far too much work and relies way too much on memorization. His exams contain wacky "apply-your-knowledge" questions that are just downright ridiculous and all the other questions require you to memorize a ton of mechanisms. His problem sets are far too long and difficult, and he just simply floods you with too much crap for your brain to handle. Albeit a good teacher, he moves way too fast. Reconsider and don't listen to the lies on this page.

As I finished Snyder's final, a mystifying thought crossed my mind: "Do I really want this class to be over?" You read that correctly- I was sad to be leaving Snyder's class. Out of my 6 semesters at this school, I am hard pressed to think of a more dedicated professor than Dr. Snyder. His classes were at 9 am MWF which absolutely sucked, but every lecture Snyder would be there early, have a recap of the previous class written up on the board, and was answering eager post-bacc questions about a problem set that wasn't due for weeks. Moreover, Snyder held two 1.5 hour office hours a week in which students could ask direct questions about the p-sets that would be graded, and he would not bat an eyelid as he answered the question fully and in a way that made sense. He was also very responsive by email even though he has a million other things going on in his life (google him and be prepared to have your mind blown). I did well in the course, and I did so by using all of the course materials Snyder makes available on courseworks (I did the psets honestly and then went to office hours and then put my final answers on paper in a group of students), and before each test I would do the old psets and midterms as well as read the supplemental textbook notes that Snyder wrote (yes, the man wrote his own textbook for the course). Halfway through the course I stopped using the course assig…

I was new to Snyder's class this semester, since I took first semester orgo with Sames. The difference between the two is, to use a cliche, like day and night. Snyder is one of the most efficient and organized professors I've encountered. He lectures at a brisk pace but always slows down to emphasize the important points. What's incredibly helpful is that he takes 5-10 minutes at the beginning of class to review material from the previous lecture. This is a great way to double-check the mechanisms you wrote down in a hurry and to refresh your memory before plunging into new material. Last semester, the McMurry textbook was my lifeline. Sames' lectures were hard to follow, so I read and reread the McMurry chapters. This semester, Snyder made me realize how inadequate the textbook is. No, Snyder doesn't teach out of the textbook; he only follows the textbook's way of organizing the material. But his lectures are really thorough, and he provides supplemental explanations (read: a mini-textbook) to go along with his lectures. He teaches the material so well that you don't really NEED the textbook. This man's dedication is also amazing. He holds two office hours per week and a review session before each exam. For the third exam, he even trekked to campus on a Saturday to give a review session when he could have easily made one of the TAs do it. For someone whose first semester prof…

Organic Chemistry I Overall a good teacher. He tries REALLY HARD, he's very patient and pretty thorough for 66% of the material. The last third of the material becomes really rushed, and to make things worse, it is the hardest material of all. The biggest downside is that, because he is so dedicated and friendly, waaay too many people take his class. This means that you will have a ton of super-stiff competition. Tons of pre-meds take this class, which means that they go to every office hour and study endlessly. This subsequently reduces the curve to essentially zero. Recitations are easy, and this helps your grade a little in the end. The "practice tests" he gives out are overly simplistic and can be very misleading. They often lull you in to a false sense of security for the exam. Problem sets are plentiful, but overall helpful in reinforcing the material. ALSO: my biggest gripe with him was this blatant lie he told us early in the semester. He said that organic chemistry is not about memorization. This is false. For the second and third exam, 95% of the material is just memorizing approximately 45-60 reactions and their mechanisms, electron-by-electron. This is quite annoying. Then on the final, you have to use each and all of these reactions as interchangeable tools in creating new compounds.

AMAZING!!! I'm a rising senior that has taken a plethora of pre-med classes, and Professor Snyder is the first professor I have had that shows a genuine care for his students. Needless to say that he is brilliant and gives great, organized lectures, he strives to make your experience painless and fun. He works very hard--holding a ton of office hours, responds quickly to emails, and grades the exams fast. he is certainly one of the BEST professors i have had at columbia. DO NOT MISS OUT ON HIM!!!