Donald Hong

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Donald Hong Expecting a B+ Anonymous 02/15/2026	I took BSCI 160 with lab, CHEM 131 with lab, CHEM 231 with lab, and a gen ed simultaneously and earned a B+, including an 85% on the final exam. My grade reflects the challenge of balancing multiple demanding courses, not the quality of instruction. Dr. Hong is an excellent professor who takes the time to thoroughly explain reaction mechanisms and the reasoning behind the problems. While not all of the material covered in class appears directly on exams, his goal is to help students truly understand the concepts rather than simply memorize reactions. On the contrary, Dr. Hong clearly outlines what is to be expected on the exams and his homework closely aligning with the content you are tested on. His practice exams are more difficult than the actual exams. If you can complete the practice exam in roughly 50-60 minutes, the actual exams will be a breeze. It can feel overwhelming if you do not review the material before the lecture, so I highly recommend pre-studying and using the supplemental textbook Organic Chemistry as a Second Language. Dr. Hong’s supplemental slides are also extremely helpful. Although many students may overlook them, taking the time to review these slides significantly improves understanding of the reactions and underlying concepts. Organic chemistry is essentially a new language, and there is definitely an adjustment period. However, note cards, consistent practice, and repeated exposure to the material are key to success. Pros: - Homework is for completion grade - Plenty of practice material - Practice exams are more difficult than actual exams Cons: - Speaks fast - Does not post extra credit hints in notes - Could be more interactive with the class during lecture Keys to Success: - Notes cards - Practice Problems - Pre-study the material, - Be proactive and stay ahead of the class
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/29/2026	imo Dr. Hong is a great professor and I'd recommend him highly. He explains things well, puts effort into making lectures interesting/entertaining, clearly cares about the students, and is just a chill guy. Some folks blame him for speeding through content - that's fair, but I feel like it's not his fault. OChem is just a hard class with a lot of material to pack into one semester. Going to class is not gonna be enough; no matter how good the professor is, you gotta familiarize yourself with the material on your own. Besides, I'd rather get through all the material a bit faster and have some time for review than be scrambling close to finals because we didn't cover the last couple topics in time. To his credit, Dr. Hong gives a LOT of practice material: between weekly homeworks, practice exams, past exams, past discussion worksheets, etc. (all can be found in ELMS), he makes sure students have many chances to grapple with material and really lock the concepts down outside of lecture. I know it's tedious but you should do that extra practice, it will be a huge help. (also, Dr. Hong seems to like reusing questions from practice worksheets/tests to reward you if you did them :D ) I should also mention that his TA / GSS leaders (Dennis / Ariana & Sophia) are super nice and helpful, I'd definitely recommend going to discussions / GSS if you want help with a particular topic, have questions about the material, or just want even more practice. Exams are not easy but they are definitely fair. Usually there'll be a few tricky questions but nothing egregious. He also emails a list of exam topics before every exam, so if you just follow that you should be good. I'd recommend going to all his lectures (as aforementioned I think he explains things clearly and thoroughly, plus he sometimes gives hints for bonus points) and sit in the front rows if you can (so you can hear him better, and so you can participate). TLDR: Dr. Hong is a very solid professor and a lovely person as well. If you lock in for lectures and use the resources he and his TAs provide, you'll definitely do great in his class.
Donald Hong Expecting a W Anonymous 01/10/2026	This is literally a warning; take any other professor. He is a HORRIBLE professor. For context, many of the people who had him this semester signed up originally for Dr. Falvey or Dr. Stocker, and they both dropped their sections last minute, making him our professor. He was previously Dr. Falvey's TA. Dr. Hong is smart and knows organic chemistry, but he should NOT be teaching organic chemistry as a professor; he doesn't know how to teach a whole section, and he is better off as a TA. The lectures were useless because he would go SO fast, and when anyone would ask him to slow down, he would say ok, but then not do it. It is impossible to stay on his pace. It's as if he is just going over the concepts and talking to himself, as opposed to actually teaching students who know nothing about organic chemistry the steps of what is going on. He is so quiet with the mic as well; it's so frustrating. I sat in the front and still had trouble hearing him. His notes are extremely difficult to keep up with and understand, even when posted. I remember he would ask if we had questions, hands would be raised, and then sometimes, he would move on as if he didn't see those hands. I am guessing he is just trying to fit everything he can within that lecture, but that doesn't actually mean students are learning. Lectures aren't recorded, which doesn't help. The homework sheets are up to 9 pages sometimes and are very hard, but they are only worth 5 points. The homework is due on Fridays, but sometimes we wouldn't learn the content for the homework until that Friday, making it much more difficult to keep up. They are based on completion, which is good for easy points (not worth much anyway), but you shouldn't rely on that, as you won't know what's going on if you don't understand the concepts. His averages are also horrible, but the curve cutoffs are ridiculous. Something so annoying is that we would finish exam topics weeks before we actually took them, so you would finish Exam 1 content, then learn Exam 2 content for 1-2 weeks, and then take Exam 1. Organic chemistry is undeniably difficult, but Dr. Hong made the experience much worse than it should have been. I tried to be understanding, as it is his first time being a professor, but I feel he doesn't care to understand why so many of his students are doing badly and how his teaching is contributing to that; it just seems off. I guarantee you that you will have to self-teach the entire course if you take him. If you're forced to take him, I suggest getting a tutor early on (and paying if necessary) so you can keep up with the material from the beginning. Nonetheless, I do not think ANYONE should take him, wait another semester if you have to. One could argue that if you are taking organic chemistry for the second time, he won't be so bad since it's not completely foreign to you, but if this is your first time, you should not take him, and this is me being generous.
Donald Hong Expecting a B- Anonymous 01/06/2026	DO NOT TAKE DR HONG. I had him for his first ever orgo 1 class and it showed. He would go to fast in lecture and when confused and went to office hours he would be rude and not tell you what you need. His tests were (besides the final) were abnormally hard and had averages lower than all other Orgo teachers (67,57,50). The worst part if he would give practice tests saying they are similar to the tests (which was only true for the first test) and the practice tests would have almost nothing we needed to know for the test. His main move in lecture is going through the unit fast doing an abnormally hard question for 15 minutes and after you copy it down going "But I'm not going to test you on that" essentially wasting your time. Hes a smart guy and knows it and forgets that we are all undergrads trying to do well. Only reason its not a 1 star is because his curve was slightly better than he said it would be.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/31/2025	Dr. Hong isn't the worst professor, but if you have the choice to take someone more experienced, I would suggest doing so. With that being said, he is bearable. He is overall a fair professor despite going VERY fast during lectures. He also posts the homeworks and discussion worksheets, which you need to do for practice to pass his class. I would also suggest going to the GSS, those are very useful. With that being said, he does go FAST. He goes incredibly fast, and sometimes it is hard to keep up with him during lecture. I do find myself watching organic chemistry tutor at times due to his speed. However, he is always open to answering questions, especially during his lectures. Just make sure not to fall behind because he doesn't record lectures.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting a C- Anonymous 12/23/2025	As someone who took Orgo 1 with Stocker and with Hong, I would say take Hong. I really liked his lectures, and his order of teaching the material made so much more sense compared to Stocker, imo. He gives homework thats worth completion (which is so helpful, stocker does not), and the exams are made up of problems that a 100% from discussion worksheets, homework sheets, and from practice exam packets. As long as you review homework and practice exams you'll do fine. As for lectures, he does go pretty speedy with the material, but as long as your phone is away and you actually lock in you'll be fine. This class is hard no matter which professor you have so just take the class with someone who makes the material understanding for you. As for his first time teaching this class he did great so I can only imagine his improvement for the future. This guy is also funny. I laugh a lot. Also if you've seen breaking bad you'll definitely have a fun time.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/23/2025	I can see how Dr. Hong's lectures may be hard to follow at times, but he seemed to improve as the semester went on. You will likely need to supplement with outside sources to understand some topics. He often moves quickly and also rambles during lecture. However, he is passionate about chemistry and teaches with enthusiasm. There are plenty of resources available on canvas, including supplemental notes, worksheets, and charts. His exams are quite fair in my opinion, because most of the problems were very similar to those on the homework/ discussion worksheets. Additionally, his final had problems of the same style of the midterm and one question was identical. Overall, Dr. Hong is a solid professor and it is very possible to succeed in his class.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2025	I can see how Dr. Hong's lectures may be hard to follow at times, however I thought he improved as the semester went on. It is probably necessary to supplement his lectures with outside sources as he can ramble and his notes are not always clear. However, he is fairly passionate about chemistry and taught with enthusiasm. There are some helpful resources available on canvas, including supplemental notes, worksheets, and charts. His exams were fair in my opinion, because they would largely have problems similar to those on the homework/ discussion worksheets. Additionally, his final had some questions that were exactly the same as those on the midterms. Overall, he was a solid professor and it is very possible to succeed in his class.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2025	I'm giving this review from the perspective of someone retaking CHEM231 after getting a B- the first time. (I had Stocker) I originally signed up for Stocker, but Hong ended up replacing her on Testudo last minute. I was skeptical from the get-go, but I ended up staying because he makes it so that the average in the class is curved up to a B-. As someone retaking the class, this was music to my ears. I was taking CHEM241 at the same time as this class, so I honestly rarely went to lecture. The few times I did, I could only follow along because of the background knowledge I already had. He is pretty quiet and goes over things very fast. I'm also not a fan of how he teaches the content by drawing on his iPad. He does post annotated notes from lecture, but they are hard to decipher unless you know what you're looking at. I would recommend pre-reading before coming to class. Also sitting near the front lol. Dr. Hong needs to work on his projection a little. I will say that I really appreciated the homework. They were graded on completion and they were free points as long as you tried enough. To study for exams, I would just redo the weekly homework worksheets and I was SET. The tests mimicked these worksheets to a T. They were also really good review of the concepts went over in class. I would primarily study by going over the mistakes I made in the homework, ensuring that I didn't make them again. They are pretty lengthy, so don't do them the night of. They are due 11 pm on Fridays. Sometimes, he'll go over the last bit of content you need for the HW on Friday's lecture, which is kinda annoying because you won't have the notes to follow along with until the day it's due. His exams were always very fair I feel like. Doesn't mean you didn't have to study like hell for them. Make sure you exhaust all the practice, but this goes for any organic chemistry class, to be fair. The averages seemed pretty typical for an Organic Chemistry I class. I was comparing them from when I took the class for the first time with Stocker, and they were pretty comparable. The final was SO SO reasonable (at least in my opinion). A lot of the pages were straight up copied from old exams. I demolished that final (oh yeah). Dr. Hong is not the best professor I've had, but I think he deserves some grace since this is his first semester as a lecturer. He's also one of the better ones for sure. He genuinely cares about his students and is really flexible and lenient if you communicate things in advance. I think it's only looking up for him from this semester onwards (assuming he takes all advice and student concerns seriously). He's also just a chill guy. I had to take the final early because Orgo I final conflicted with the Orgo II final, and he greeted me by name (even though we haven't interacted before ever) and was cracking jokes with me lol. Something to note that I thought was kinda funny is that I ended up getting a higher grade (percentage-wise) in Orgo II than I did in Orgo I this semester after retaking it with Hong. Take that as you will.
Donald Hong Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2025	Good professor
Donald Hong Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2025	The class was well structured compared to other organic chemistry courses that other professors teach. I mean Org chem is fast, so no matter what teacher you take you will have to put in work to keep up. Overall complete all his practice problems, come to class daily, put in your best effort on all the homework’s and you should be in good standing with the class. Personally, I enjoyed how Dr, Hong was approachable, and he had a fun personality which make the class more interesting.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/21/2025	i have never been more lost in my life. if u wanna have a life outside of studying and orgo do urself a favor and get a tutor or something to stay on top of material. exams 2 and 3 are BRUTAL, averages around 50-60. he doesnt seem to understand that this is new material to us and he moves VERY fast throughout lecture, often not taking any questions seriously. a ta said to try to stop taking notes to understand the material, but that doesn't exactly help come exam time. theres weekly homework upwards of 11 pages that i had absolutely no clue on. theyre completion, which is nice, but it doesn't really help me learn. i felt EXTREMELY stressed before exams, especially hearing the averages from other professors. i know he's still relatively new as a professor, but he's gotta slow down or take a different approach. i had a 73 and it was curved to a b+, but i know other professors did not need to curve that much at all. his extra credit questions are SOMETIMES related to content we learned... but not often. other prof are automatic easy points but his are abt nobel prize winners and random stuff. no review before exam either, often multiple weeks into NEXT exam's content right before taking exam. im pretty good at following lecturing using an ipad, but i just could not keep up with him during class. good luck.
Donald Hong CHEM231 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/20/2025	This professor is horrible. I went to class the first month and learned NOTHING!!! He went so fast and only self-wrote eveything, making it hard to follow. While other classes had guided notes, making it easier to listen and learn. After I realized that I would be spending an hour and 15 minutes sitting in a class where I try and copy notes that make no sense (of which he posts his notes), I started not going. I didn't go to class ever unless it was an exam day. I self-taught all the content by using YouTube videos. Not to mention, he has weekly worksheets due at 11:00 pm on a Friday (graded on completion), and it is very hard to complete them because he doesn't give you the weekend to actually take in the information learned that week. He isn't a bad lecturer, but you should come to class prepared with prior information if you want to actually learn in class. The worst part, he would SPEED RUN all the content. He would already be three lectures into Exam 2 content before taking Exam 1, which was very frustrating. If you want to pass this class with him, I would do ALL THE WEEKLY WORKSHEETS and discussion worksheets to study. He posts the answer key to the weekly worksheets a few days after they are due. He usually takes questions from the worksheets and puts them on the exam. Besides that, I would just learn from YouTube videos because you most likely won't retain any information in lecture as he goes so fast.
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 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/19/2025	Genuinely goated professor, very helpful in office hours and clearly knows what he's talking about. He's a great professor, a great guy, and I cannot recommend him enough if you want to succeed in orgo. He provides you with every resource you need to pass, and if you use them to their fullest, you will pass. His exams are super fair, his class is entertaining, and he makes the content digestible. Take him if you can!
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	As a person, I think Dr. Hong is nice. He tries to make jokes and whatever in class and he's not a bad person. However, this course is already hard and he did not help make anything easier. He goes very fast and talks quietly so it's so hard to understand and keep up with lectures. People ask him almost every class to slow down or talk louder and he literally laughed once when someone asked. Attendance isn't required, but if you don't go you can't really understand the notes he writes because they're kind of all over the place and he doesn't really explain anything. Most of the things I learned in this class I taught myself. One positive thing is that the curve is pretty generous (as of right now a B is 68%) but honestly I would not recommend Dr. Hong.
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 an A- Anonymous 12/08/2025	A lot of people trash talk him but I really liked Dr.Hong. It was his first semester teaching orgo and I think he did great. I feel like if you go to lecture, do the homework (easy 5 points just for completion), and study using his practice exams along with some YouTube videos, there's almost no way for you to fail the course. No chemistry class will be an easy A but if you put in the work, taking Hong won't be bad.
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.