Philip DeShong

This professor has taught: BIOL600, CHEM241, CHEM247, CHEM647, CHEM650, CHEM889C, CHEM889D, HONR218O, NACS600

Sort By:

Information	Review
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting a B jesss 01/04/2016	Often heard very harsh things about Professor Deshong but it is not always true. I like to think that negative feedback most times come from lazy students. So I enjoyed his class. He is as many have said a great lecturer. He knows what he is talking about, you will def learn a great deal about Orgo 2. He does expect his students to have a solid background in Orgo 1. So make sure that you know your SN1, SN2, E1,E2 Concepts very well. His test often did caught me off guard but I didn't think that they were impossible.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting an A sfrail 01/02/2016	DeShong is great! All I ever want from professors is for them to be clear and teach what they test and DeShong meets that perfectly. His lectures are well organized and he has central concepts that he holds through the whole class, which really gives you an understanding of orgo and not just a random set of mechanisms to memorize. I also just want to stress how great his test set up is. The first page always has exactly the same kind of material so you know exactly what to study and know and exactly what to work on. The weighting is fair, and the questions are always things that you would expect based on how much time he spend on it in lecture. There were a few confusing issues with grading done by other graders but they were at least consistent, and he has very clear instructions and reminders for submitting regrades if you need it. He includes biochem in his lectures and other cool stories and facts about chemistry which is super fun! If you're someone who hates all of it you'll probably find it less interesting but it definitely kept lecture engaging and kept the class interesting, which is especially important for an 8am class. tl;dr TAKE DESHONG!! You'll learn orgo, it'll be interesting, and you won't get screwed over
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting a B grapes 12/16/2015	Unlike in the math department, professors in the chem department are allowed to write their own finals emphasizing whatever they think is important, so regardless of how the professor is themselves it's important to consider what sort of test taker you are. In De Shong's case, there is less emphasis on procedural thinking (synthesis isn't as present as it was on my Orgo I prof's tests) and more on memorization of biochemical processes and structures. That's not to say things like mechanisms aren't the meat and potatoes of the course because that's gonna be the case with ANY professor, but you'll probably prefer De Shong if you are a pre-med memorization machine or biochem major because it'll give you an edge over the other students. Also, if you don't learn through lecture and just skip it, I wouldn't recommend taking De Shong because participation points via clicker questions can make a pretty big difference. He doesn't care if you stay after the first 5 minutes, but showing up in the first place can be a pain. As for the man himself, he was alright. Has a funny rude sort of humor and sometimes tells cool anecdotes related to that day's lecture. I thought he spent too much time focusing on biochem, but that's something that comes down to your preference. Overall, I personally would have chosen another professor for this course because I'm not biochem but he is not bad to have by any means. (And that comment by that other reviewer about orgo as a second is spot on. USE THAT BOOK.)
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting an A helpmeimdiene 02/26/2015	DeShong is absolutely hilarious and is the best lecturer I have ever had at UMD. His exams are soooooooo fair and there are no synthesis problems! Also, his NMR problems are soooo simple compared to other orgo professors. He mainly cares about mechanisms and reagents. HOWEVER, this class is inherently difficult no matter who you take it with. To do well in Dr.DeShong's class, I had to put in a little bit of work almost every day and read the orgo 2 bible (a.k.a orgo as a second language). Take this class with him, put in the work, and you won't regret it!
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting an A sheena 01/07/2014	This man. omg. Phillip is my homeboy and if you don't take him, you are making a big mistake! He is great at teaching, always keeps things interesting, and loves to touch on biochem at least once each lecture, which is nice because you see it in your later bio classes and it's mindblowing because you first saw it from DeShong. I have no idea why, but our 8 am sections scored like 50% averages on the tests. The tests were honestly not that hard. They were very fair, and after the first exam, you know EXACTLY what to expect on future exams - format is always consistent. If you want ridiculous tests, and synth problems, see Dixon. DeShong is very approachable, super friendly, and is HILARIOUS. Seriously, I couldn't have had a better 8 am. Clicker questions were kinda annoying because of glitches with setup and losing credit for stuff like that...but DeShong's attitude totally made up for it. He has great handwriting!! Also he is the sassiest man to have roamed the chem building and genuinely wants his students to do well, even if some dudes on here are saying that he's impossible or whatever. Honestly, it is okay. Just practice problems on your own time and you are A-ok! DeShong 4 eva.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting a B rzipper 12/23/2013	Dr. DeShong is the best Chem lecturer I have had so far. I really looked forward to his lectures. But his test are a real challenge and the grading on his tests is unforgiving. But there is the curve. My only complaints: I wish he gave a list of all the reactions he expected us to know from day one. The department needs to find a better textbook. Orgo II is a VERY time consuming course. Tons of reactions to memorize and many challenging concepts. You need to do lots of problems. So I would highly recommend that you do not have any other classes which are time consuming when taking this course.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting an F funboy 11/18/2013	Class sucks some serious b*tt. Do not EVER take this man. Averages on each exam was about 45-49% range. UMD is probably putting his @$$ on probation after this semester. He teaches too much biochem in a organic course and he also does not care about student concerns. Don't believe me? Well take the class, get a 49% and screw yourself over. Goodbye. If I could give this troll 0 stars I would.
Philip DeShong CHEM237 Anonymous 06/19/2011	He is a GREAT lecturer and very approachable. He welcomes questions and really wants you to participate in lecture. He also has weekly review sessions where you can ask questions and do practice problems. However, he does push you hard! He expects a lot out of his students. His tests were very, very hard. I think our test average was in the fifties or sixties. He also doesn't drop any hints about his exams. The questions are really unpredictable.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting a B+ samhallen 07/13/2010	Take Orgo with Dr. DeShong if you can. Dr. DeShong is extremely knowledgeable in organic chemistry. He explains everything very well, and really only tested us on stuff he taught in lecture; the book was only used as a guide and for practice problems. He also made the class interesting - even though I did better in orgo 1, I truly appreciated the subject matter and really understood what was going on. Dr. DeShong is also hilarious. His commentary and funny verbal musings made every lecture enjoyable. I rarely left class without laughing at least once. The curve wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad either. I think a 75% was an A. Dr. DeShong's knowledge, fairness, humor, and overall ability to relay his chemical passion to his students makes him a fine professor. take him take him take him.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting a B jwhite89 06/01/2009	Great teacher, has weekly reviews and is clear about whats going to be on the tests, curve is pretty good to.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2009	He is one of the best professors for chemistry. His tests are extremely fair. He only tests you on stuff that he teaches in lecture. The book is just there for practice problems and to reinforce the information. He can be a little pretentious, but I thought he was kind of funny in that rude way. He is definitely helpful if you ask him for it. He is extremely knowledgeable in o-chem and definitely knows what he is talking about. He made the class really interesting.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 Anonymous 05/19/2009	I don't know who terpterp is referring to, since Dr. DeShong is the best chemistry teacher I've had yet. He really goes into depth with the material, and is fair (mostly) on the exams as well as with the grading curve. Highly recommend you take o-chem1 or 2 with him.
Philip DeShong CHEM241 terpterp 12/10/2007	He is an AWFUL professor and person. He only seems to care about himself and could care less about his students.