Donald Hong

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Donald Hong Expecting an A Anonymous 12/20/2025	Before you start going down a rabbit hole of organic chem 1 professors, you need to tell yourself that this class requires ALOT of outside class effort on your own. Professor Hong was a fine professor but he is DEFINITELY not the only reason I'm getting an A in this course. Once you get over the "teaching yourself" requirement (you'll be teaching yourself no matter who you get), you can choose your professor more clearly. The course is split into three midterms and the final. Exams alone are worth about 91% of your grade and the rest is on completion based weekly homeworks. The Homeworks being completion is super important, so you can get the easy points and go back and actually attempt them on your own. Every single lecture ran up until the last minute, and he is a fast professor so make sure you're paying attention. His exams are pretty fair to the material, but he did like to throw 1 curve ball on the third midterm. His final had questions copy and pasted from the midterms which was really nice. The curve changes based on the average class grade (he wants the average to be a B-), so you don't really know where you stand until after the final. I think the main reason I was able to sit through his class was because he made really serious moments a lot less tense. He would always be making jokes, doing countdowns when revealing exam grade averages, putting pre-meds against one another, overall his humor brought some life to the class (this is lowk controversial but I thought it was funny). Overall if you have the opportunity, take his class Here are things I did to do well in this class that don't have to do with the prof: - Attend EVERY lecture (he doesn't record) going to lecture is non-negotiable in this class if you want to stay on top of material considering how fast it is, and he's always saying what will and will not be on exams during class - Textbook notes!! He gives weekly chapters and chapter practice problems that I did on my own which helped my foundational understanding so much. This was lowk the only way I knew what I was looking at during class - GSS! GSS! GSS! If you skipped everything so far, my one advice is to go to GSS. The only way you really know where you stand with the material is if you do practice problems without using your notes. The way GSS is designed is you attempt a practice problem, and the leader will come around and help you. It is SOO humbling to realize how little you know what's going on but being brutally honest with yourself is the only way you'll improve, and the leader will explain it to you so easily (Shoutout to Diallo!!) - practice problems: do some everyday. Even if it's like 20 minutes (which can sometimes be only one problem) do it everyday. - K last thing, this class is extremely hard and it's okay to struggle in it. Everyone who says it's like a new language is telling the truth, so you can't really use any background knowledge or context clues to solve problems. It's either you know how to do it because you've practiced 100 times or you don't because you didn't practice. If you make a clear plan from the beginning of the semester, dedicate a lot of time and slowly build up to the exams, you'll do extremely well in this class. good luck!
Donald Hong CHEM231 Anonymous 12/18/2025	Dr. Hong moves very fast in lecture, but his exams are very fair and will pull parts directly from past homeworks and practice exams. There is also extra credit on his exams, and he gives hints during class about what it will ask (usually something to do with Nobel Prize winners).
Donald Hong Expecting a B Anonymous 12/18/2025	I would definitely recommend trying to take someone else for Orgo. He doesn't really teach any of the important concepts, but rather spends the entire lecture going through random problems without really explaining the steps. He mumbles a lot and flies through the notes, making it impossible to keep up or understand what he's doing unless you somehow already know all the important concepts that you need to know for the exams. I ended up having to teach myself practically the entire course.
Donald Hong Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2025	I agree and disagree with some other reviews. Dr. Hong moved very fast in the lecture and often did not explain concepts clearly. It was hard to understand sometimes since he spoke so fast and quietly even with a microphone. Tests were fair but very difficult after the first exam. It seems like he wants to make it a bit harder than it has to be. It ends up not being as bad, but I personally would think it was going to be super hard which reduced my performance. There are a lot of resources he provides including supplemental slideshows, old discussion worksheets, and practice tests. I found the free textbook was not helpful. I paid for his recommended and it was much better, but still lacks certain concepts. As someone who relies on reading the textbook to understand, this was very difficult due to it not lining up with the class. The final was much easier than expected. He often uses questions from a supplemental worksheet, homework, or practice test. I recommend doing every possible problem he provides before an exam to prepare. If a fast pace is not good for you, definitely try to take a different proffessor. The cutoff for an A- before the final was an 80, but he has not said if the cutoff changes with the final.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/13/2025	Whatever you do, avoid this professor at ALL costs. I would give him zero stars if I could. This semester was his first time lecturing a class, and he's not well-suited for it at all. He speeds through his notes so fast that by the time you're done copying, you've missed what he said, and he's moving on to the next. If you're absent for a lecture he posts his notes but they're hard to follow without explanations. I had to get a personal tutor to be able to understand the material. I'm basically paying someone else to teach me the material. There are curves, but they aren't as high as they should be. Our last midterm, the class average was a 50%. Take anyone else if you can!!!!!
Donald Hong CHEM231 Anonymous 12/13/2025	Okay. I will say that the Dr. Hong hate is relatively overstated, as he is pretty chill as a person and is willing to go over the worksheets with you during office hours. His office hours are pretty useful, as he's a pretty chill dude and seems to do better in the smaller groups than in the large lecture hall. He also gives LOTS of practice problems (another tip - do not go to discussion unless your TA is cracked, because orgo discussion is basically just glorified group office hours and he does give you the answer keys). Homework is graded on completion as well, and they can be pretty hard. The best thing is that he gives lots of practice problems. With that being said, the worst thing about this class is the GRADING. And the godforsaken curve...we haven't had our final yet, but the curve is actually ridiculous. As of rn you need around a 50% for a C- (which is pretty good), but you need an 85% for an A-, not even an A...which is pretty unfair given that the other classes have much lower thresholds to get an A. Also, all the comments on him SPEEDING through class are absolutely true. I once went to the nightly solving sections (done by any Orgo I prof), and during Koppel/Hirschauer's sessions they both mentioned that their classes are behind Hong's. He also does end topics WEEKS before the actual date of the exam, so sometimes you could be halfway through Unit 2 by the time the Unit 1 test rolls around. But really, if all else fails, go to the GOAT JG (better known as Organic Chem Tutor...for those of you who aren't on YT). To be fair though, Hong is new, so he might adapt his teaching a lot.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/12/2025	He's a funny guy and I bet he was a good TA previously but he is lacking as an instructor. I feel that his instruction was just way too fast and it was hard to digest information at the rate we were going, additionally he would assign a worksheet on Monday due Friday but a lot of the times we didn't learn all of the information required for the worksheet until that Friday morning, making the worksheet very hard. All 3 of his midterms were incredibly difficult so make sure to go to GSS or tutoring.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2025	My goat, genuinely one of the best proffesors i've ever had makes ochem a lot of fun and interactive. I think it should come without question that this is a difficult course but i've taken this class while taking 2 other higher level major courses and had no problems with it. It was not easy by no means and it took time to understand, i think you should know at this point you need to put time in outside of class to understand the work and he stresses that. Tests are not too bad and often reflect exactly what was on the homework's, also atleast 10 points of extra credit each test. Anyways great teacher and tries to make ochem at least a little enjoyable.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Anonymous 12/10/2025	I think many of the positive reviews of Dr. Hong are of him as a TA, and much has changed in his first semester as a professor. He's teaching style is extremely disorganized, as it is impossible to keep up in class with how quietly he speaks and how quickly he writes. He tries to pack what would be a whole week of teaching in another professor's orgo class into one lecture and expects us to stay on pace with him. His worksheets are impossible to do but theyre completion, however his exams aren't much different so if you don't understand the worksheet you wont have much better luck on the exams. I think it is telling that his lecture had one of the lowest averages of all the orgo classes, with 48% on the most recent midterm exam. Its bizarre how these can be the averages on the exam yet he still has the worst curve of all the orgo classes, where you practically need a natural A to earn an A in the class. It was such a waste of time having to watch videos and teach this entire course to myself while other people I knew taking orgo had countless resources from their professors to thoroughly prepare them for exams. Save yourself the hassle of wasting time trying to decipher this guy's teaching in addition to committing yourself to an already extremely difficult class and take someone else.
Donald Hong Anonymous 12/10/2025	Exams are extremely difficult, and he often tests material that he never actually teaches in class. DO NOT TAKE HIM!
Donald Hong Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/09/2025	Please do not take him. I thought he would be easier than other Orgo professors because he was flaveys TA and this is his first year teaching but this was not the case at all. Exam averages are the lowest out of all other Orgo 1 professors. Also the cut of for an a is 85 at the moment which is absurd for Orgo.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/09/2025	To an extent that isn't understandable he holds a strong disdain for students that miss lecture. Has given information that will be on test as extra credit in class, would remove them from the notes post class and tell students not to tell those who missed the class. Notes are can get hard to go through after lecture because he doesn't really document them and talks through them more. Compounded with the fact that he doesn't record lectures makes understanding effectively difficult. Class is extremely fast paced and often time you wont be able to effectively write down notes without missing out on new topics. Last bit also make jokes in the middle of class which are funny to him but often leave the lecture hall silent because people are struggling to keep up.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/06/2025	Whatever you do, DO NOT take Dr. HONG for Orgo 1. He is the WORST teacher I have ever had at UMD. He rushes through content during the lecture like we are taking a summer class, leaving the entire class clueless about every single topic. Additionally, he talks VERY FAST AND QUIETLY, SO YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HEAR what he is even saying. Organic chemistry is a difficult class, and he makes it EVEN MORE DIFFICULT than it has to be. His averages are significantly lower than other professors, and instead of doing something about that, HE SAYS, and I quote, "if you fail, it's okay, I have a contract, so I am not going anywhere". If you do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on tutoring just to learn the content that you are paying tuition for, do yourself a favor and take ANY OTHER PROFESSOR.
Donald Hong Anonymous 12/06/2025	Dr. Hong isn't the worst professor out there, however I wouldn't necessarily suggest him. He is a fair professor, however I feel like there are some things that he could do to really go the extra mile and aid students such as more organized notes! Go to class because he will occasionally throw in extra credit hints in the lectures that will show up on exams which won't get posted on Canvas. He is also kind of quiet when he speaks even with the mic in my opinion. Also really wish he would reiterate information more Something I noticed he does often is ask the class questions throughout lecture, and when someone responds and gets the answer right, he moves on acting as if we all understand and does not explain WHY so that can be really annoying. He is always open to answering questions though so don't be scared. Overall really stay on top of lectures, DO NOT fall behind, and go to class because he does not record lectures, and his notes make no sense if you are not in class to hear.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/03/2025	DO NOT TAKE DR. HONG. As soon as you enter the class, he treats you like youre a breaking-bad fanatic and know the ins and outs of orgo. The only upside is that his worksheets occasionally have practice problems that show up on the exam. Otherwise, he speeds through notes in class, ALWAYS goes overtime, is disorganized with notes that are hard to follow if you happen to miss class, and refuses to post certain resources on canvas. At the beginning of the semester, he said he was going to teach the course like it was a "summer class," forcing us to rush through topics and be ahead of every other Orgo 1 lecture by 1-2 weeks. He also ends the topics taught for the midterm exams WEEKS before the exam actually happens and gives no review day, so by the time you actually take midterm 2 you're already halfway into content for midterm 3. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt since it is his first time teaching but it is clear he would be better suited as a TA rather than a lecturer. The one day we had a different orgo 1 professor sub our lecture was the only day content made sense. The only way to possibly succeed in his class is if you are retaking Orgo 1 and already generally know the info of the class before walking in. If you can take another professor or hop on the waitlist, do it.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Anonymous 12/02/2025	I am honestly surprised by the other reviews I have seen of Dr. Hong so far. He talks extremely quietly and fast in lecture. There have been multiple times when students have to raise their hands and ask him to either speak up or slow down (this happens at least once a lecture). A TA of this class told us to actually stop taking notes because it is impossible to keep up and understand at the same time. I have had to teach myself every topic in this class through tutoring and YouTube videos. Dr. Hong does not record his lectures and only posts the notes which he writes as he goes during the lecture making them often confusing. His weekly homework worksheets are very difficult and are on the same level of difficulty as the exams. There is extra credit on each exam, but the questions make no sense and are usually unrelated to the topic (ex. He will ask about a random Nobel Prize winner) while the other classes had simple extra credit like “what did you dress up as for Halloween?” I usually do not get any of the extra credit and neither does anyone else I know taking the course with Hong. He also does the curve based off class average, so the curve is not as big as the other classes. Right now, an 87 is an A in our class whereas other classes have an 80 as the A which seems unfair due to the difficulty of the subject. Organic Chemistry is a difficult subject no matter what, but I did not feel prepared for it from the lectures with Dr. Hong. No student should have to entirely teach themselves a class of this level of difficulty.
Donald Hong Anonymous 11/19/2025	Have him for organic chemistry 1. Its his first time teaching the actual class I believe but he is actually a really good teacher, especially from what I've heard compared to other teachers. His exams are extremely fair, pulling questions from the homeworks and practice exams. He does talk very fast and moves/writes very quickly, but I do think that is just because of how much content is in the class. He posts all his notes (does not record lectures) and the textbook is free. He is very nice and has a dry sense of humor (dad joke core) and will definitely help with any questions you have. Out of all of the orgo teachers, I think he is definitely one of the better options
Donald Hong CHEM231 Anonymous 09/22/2025	Good teacher, very nice -> first time teaching the class collectively but is genuine and cares for his students to succeed. Not sure about curves right now but the way he's teaching it makes a lot more sense (coming from a person retaking Chem 231 -> f*ck Dixon). He tends to go a little fast and past lecture time but it's not the end of the world. You also get plenty of resources.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Anonymous 09/12/2025	Nice but moves very fast
Donald Hong CHEM241 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/22/2025	Super cool, very fun, passionate about chem. Provided condensed notes to better keep track of big topics and many helpful practice worksheets. He is very lighthearted and class was enjoyable and constructive.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/06/2024	Donnie was undoubtedly one of the BEST TA's that I have ever had. He was my TA for Dr. Falvey's CHEM231 course. Donnie is very passionate and truly wants to help you to learn what is going on. I hope that one day he becomes a professor, he would make a great one.