Clifford E. Berkman

Great teacher. Knows his stuff really well. Yes, there will be lots of memorizing in this class. Be sure not to fall behind. If you take this class after reading the reviews expecting to see Brad Pitt teaching, you will be sorely disappointed as I was. I was literally laughing when I saw him the first day of class. If you're into that dorky geeky look then he's your man. Like attracts like I guess. All in all, great professor.

Dr. Berkman is one of the best teachers I've had in my entire college career. He makes concepts very clear and easy to grasp. He also posts copies of past exams so you can have an idea about his testing style. There are no tricks when it comes to his tests. Everything he says will be on the test, will be on it. BEWARE: There will be alot of memorization, but it's nothing a deck of flashcards can't handle.

P.S. Before I enrolled in this class, I read over these reviews. In addition to his great teaching style someone noted how attractive Dr. Berkman is. I have to agree he is VERY CUTE. When he's lecturing, sometimes I just wanna run up to the front of the class and give him a hug. Oh yeah, I'm not white either.

Dr. Berkman is a wonderful teacher and can make a big difference for those brave enough to take ochem. His lectures are clearly organized and closely follow the text. He provides practice exams before each test which I highly recommend doing. If you completely master each of the practice exams you should have no problem with the actual tests.

Due to the confusing nature of the course, I would recommend completing the reading assignments before attending class. This will help to keep you from becoming totally disoriented, which is not uncommon for this subject in general.

Dr. Berkman has a solid teaching style that is supported with a well outlined lecture series, lots of homework material, and exam material that provides assessment as well as challenge. Dr. Berkman makes available to his students an online learning tool, which is complete crap, but his availability during lectures and outside the classroom more than makes up for this.

I took Dr. Berkman's class with little preparation, and was surprised to find how approachable he made the subject matter, which is a testament to all the teacher's who strive to make it a point to be mindful of their student's feedback.

I highly recommend Dr. Berkman to students of any educational background who are interested in Organic Chemistry for whatever reason. I came with only curiousity, and took away knowledge. Excellent teacher.

Dr.Berkman is a great teacher. It helps that he has a sense of humour too. I have nothing bad to say. There is a cycle to who teaches CHEM 333, therefore I highly recommend everyone to take his class when he becomes available.

My friend and I loved Dr. B's class. He was always available to speak to and he helped every student as much as he could. His lectures were very interesting and fun. He kept everyone excited about chemistry with his good humor. We learned a lot from him and Highly recommend him to anyone who plans on taking OChem.

On a personal level, Dr. Berkman is highly sexy, and has beautiful eyes that can put in a deep trance. When he looks at you it's like he's looking into your soul, and you feel all warm inside. Maybe it's just us but we find Dr. Berkman Hot. P.S. were not white. so you know we for real!

Dr. Berkman is an outstanding professor of organic chemistry. I strongly recommend that students who take his class also take advantage of his office hours, which are very helpful; don't be deterred by the line of other students who are doing the same. In fact, his office hours often become a group tutoring session in which you learn from fellow students as well as from Dr. B.

As a teacher and as a person, he is funny, engaging, and warm. He is clear in his explanations--and, incredibly uniquely in the chem. dept.--he designs his tests to reflect the actual abilities of the students, and thus rarely needs to institute a curve. This means that though the class is tough, you will at least know basically where you stand grade-wise.

He is also a good pre-med advisor for people who are pre-med.

If you have to take OChem, you would do well to take it from Dr. Berkman. He has a lot of enthusiasm for the subject, and clearly has an excellent command of it. Equally important, he is an articulate, organized lecturer, and lectures with a good deal of humor and warmth. It can be difficult to reach him for office hours, but only because so many other students flood his office! It's very clear that he extends himself for students who are interested in learning the material.

About the exams: At least in the past, he has had 3 midterms and one final, and you get to drop one midterm. The final has been worth 50% of the grade, which naturally causes a certain amount of anxiety, but all of his exams are very fair. In fact, it was clear to me that the exams could have been a lot harder.

Dr. Berkman goes out of his way for his students...he loves the subject matter and it shows. He is always available to the students who seek his advice and assistance. It doesn't matter if it is during his office hours or not. If he has the time, he will do all he can to make sure that you understand. Don't be fooled by this generousity. He does expect you to do your own fair share of the work. And he does give difficult exams to make sure you know the material. All in all, any class he is teaching that I need.....I am there!

Dr Berkman is the most oustanding teacher I have ever had the pleasure of taking. His knowledge of Organic Chemistry is wonderfully displayed in his cool, relaxed teaching atmosphere. He literally makes Ochem fun. He presents the material in such a way that it can actually be understood the first time, and if it's not he does it again a different way. The class was always encouraged to do better, and his liberal office hours and constant, never waning open office door policy make him more accessible than he should be to his students. His tests are challenging, thought provoking but very fair, and he keeps his most recent old exams on file for students. In lab, he is always ready to help, but never too pushy to step in and do the work for you. He's not a hand-holder, but a good advisor. The best instructor I've ever had.