Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Positions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted.

Class record · CHEM · MCAS

CHEM 5513

Synthetic Biology: at the interface of Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering · 1 instructor on record · 4 sections

What the course score is made of
90BC evaluations4 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2022 – Spring 2026
Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of
70thMore challenging than 70% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
94BC — “Intellectually Challenging”4 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of
78thMore work than 78% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
60BC — “Workload”4 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

The only instructor on record

4 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallenge
Abhishek ChatterjeeChemistry934 records78th70th

There is no ranking to read here: Abhishek Chatterjee is the only instructor with evaluation records for CHEM 5513, so the number is a record, not a position.

Also taught by Abhishek Chatterjee

3 other classes
ClassInstructorsCourse score
CHEM 2242Honors Organic Chemistry II513 records86
CHEM 4465Biochemistry (Chemistry Majors)47 records75
CHEM 5560Principles of Chemical Biology35 records77

Other CHEM classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
CHEM 1110General Chemistry II33131 records65
CHEM 1109General Chemistry I2494 records67
CHEM 2232Organic Chemistry II2879 records76
CHEM 2231Organic Chemistry I1947 records74
CHEM 1128Gateway: General Chemistry Discussion II518 records76
CHEM 2241Honors Organic Chemistry I1015 records76

The line

All 13 items · means across 4 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9561st pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9029th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9348th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9661st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8935th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9042nd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9571st pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8939th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
725th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
754th pctl
Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings
WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.
6078th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9470th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9467th pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

4 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Abhishek ChatterjeeSpring 202601948660
Abhishek ChatterjeeSpring 202501918960
Abhishek ChatterjeeSpring 202401918960
Abhishek ChatterjeeFall 202201949760

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.