Tough but fair. Tests were challenging but doable. Lectures were entertaining and useful, he covered more detail than the book. Go to lecture!

Awesome- All these babies crying need to STFU and go study English.

Very good professor!

Ned is a very good professor. He's certainly entertaining. Sometimes I feel like he goes easy on the class with tests and tends to move a bit slow through parts of the material. TIP: Sit close to hear his mumbling.

Ned is a very good professor! By not using power point he is able to explain the different concepts in a much clearer way. His tests are not trying to trick you, but more so make you prove that you understand the things you should.

I have taken org. chem II and org. chem lab with Ned, and I think he's one of the best professors ive had yet. He does not use power point and he asks questions (not to one person) during lecture. His humor is dry, like a nerdy chemist but enertaining. GO TO HIS REVIEW SESSIONS! most of the test is from these. and go to his office hours for help!

Bowden rocks! He actually teaches so we learn something rather than have to memorize. Go to class and review sessions and pay attention. The last few reviewers must have gotten bad grades and don't know anything.

I wish he would teach all of my classes.

He told us what would be on the exams. I went to class and the review class and did very well by listening. Dry sense of humor, but he is a geek.

Great prof! I agree with the last comments. He told us in class what to expect on the exams. Those review sessions are very useful.

Great prof! He is great at helping prepare for exams and to learn the material. The last post was crazy.

Great prof! It is organic chemistry, so it is suppose to be hard! I worked hard and earned my grade, professor Bowden went out of his way to help me and others succeed. This is one class where you get what you put into it.

I wish I could take all my chemistry classes with this Professor. He really cares if you learn the material and if you work hard, you'll do great! A real class act, he's my favorite chemistry Professor at this University.

Bowden is notoriously known as the "hard" teacher. He has acclaimed this label for many reasons, the biggest due to his exams. They are unlike any exams you will take in Chemistry because they are so out of the blue. He purposefully tricks students. Personally, he is not a warm person either and often bursts into laughter when you ask a question.

Great prof. Helped alot at the weekly problem solving sessions. Wish I had more profs like him.

He really cares about students who work hard and want to learn. The tests aren't easy because of the material, but Bowden doesn't try to trick you. He actually is the most straightforward Prof I have ever had at the University of Iowa. If you don't study the material, you'll easily fail, but that should be obvious.

Awesome professor, very intelligent. Emphasizes important material. Helpful, nice guy. I recommend his class if you are taking organic chemistry. Tests are kind of difficult but if you do his previous exams you will do fine.

Took Orgo I last spring. Ned is an AWESOME professor. Those who say he doesn't care were clearly not paying attention. He is kind of a jerk sometimes, but he is a good teacher. If he didn't care, why would he hold extra problem solving sessions to help those who wanted it? Don't take his class if you learn from staring at boring power point slides.

He kicks butt. Loved his course!

I really don't know how people can be anything but impressed with Ned as a professor. He easily cracks the top 3 professors I've had at this University. He really cares about students studying the right things and just tells you straight out what he's going to test over. It doesn't get better than that! Plus he holds review sessions every week.

Organic Chem I... Ned is one of the best professors I have ever had. He clearly goes out of his way to help you understand the material, clearly outlining what you need to succeed. It's ochem... you're going to have to work for your grade but you couldn't have a better professor for it. I was very impressed.

I really enjoyed taking Orgo I from Bowden His lectures were extremely helpful and relatively easy to understand. He held a Problem Solving Tuesday every week that were also really useful. His tests weren't bad if you had done the homework problems in the book, he always threw in at least one trick problem though. I'm taking Orgo 2 from him next

I literally have no idea why people hate him. he makes the material so easy, he holds problem solving meetings, he records his lectures online, and you get an extra 20 pts every test. my favorite teacher so far, i changed my major because of him. the people who dont like him are probably the morons who shouldnt even be in orgo. change to business

Ned is a good professor, but just overall kinda awkward. He writes terribly sloppy, but makes his points clear. Tells you whats going to be on the test and provides plenty of resources for students to do well... BUT he is rather egotistical and somewhat annoying. I think if you get used to him acting like a clown and not knowing it its a lot easier

What a great professor. Funny and laid back. Really focuses on the big picture to help you REALLY understand orgo. Example: Instead on focusing on numbers for kinetics, he gives you a way to just think about it logically. Great guy too, and mentions his wife at least a few times a semester, but in a funny story.

Great prof!

He explains things really well and by giving you the big picture of things he keeps you interested and willing to put in the extra work doing lots of problems to learn organic. Made organic 2 my favorite science class as an undergrad.

The best science teacher, ever.

He is the best professor I've had at this university! He makes difficult concepts easy to understand. He tells you exactly what will be on the exams, and if you can do the practice exams you will be golden! Super helpful in office hours too! Wish I could have taken all of the orgo classes with him!!

Awesome! Very clear about what was on the tests. Only 6 lab reports!

Very clear and good about answering questions. Made me understand much of what I had missed from chem I.

Best professor in my life. I changed my major into Chemistry because of his teaching made me in love with chemistry. Extremely smart and helpful professor. He always does his best to help students understand. Online lecture recordings, office hours, and additional review sessions every week! He is the man!

He is a very warm-heart person, and his class is very interesting. The exam is the most easiest exam I have seen! If you do homework, you at least can get A- or A!

Easily the best chemistry professor I have had at Iowa, and one of the best I've had at the University. He presents material in a way that is easy to understand and is very willing to help outside of class. Also records lectures and holds weekly review sessions

It's not a easy class, but if you work hard and listen to every lecture, you could pay off! If you miss class, do not worry, there are records for every lecture on icon!

So I like Bowden, and I think most other students would too. Only thing I did not like about this class was HOURS of MANDATORY homework. I felt like it would have been more helpful and less time consuming to study on my own. But it helps raise grades for those who struggle with orgo. Recorded lectures were a plus. Baby walks you through everything.

BEST PROFESSOR EVER!!!!

Orgo is tough but Professor Bowden makes it fun and interesting. He records all his lectures and posts them online, which is super helpful. Exams are challenging, but he does give you an idea of what will be on them. He does have online homework which can be a pain, but I think it helps you keep up with the material. Overall, great professor.

One of the best professors I have had! His lectures help make orgo a manageable topic and he is always there to help if you don't understand. Lots of homework given, but is very helpful in the learning process. His exams are definitely hard, but he is very clear what to study and what needs to be known. Overall amazing and absolutely recommend!

Ned is the best. Had him for Organic I for Majors & have him this semester for Organic II. He was hard to learn from at first but he really wants his students to do well & will help you in office hours if you make the time & the effort. His exams aren't easy but the questions are mostly straightforward and he is clear about what will be on them.

Ned is my favorite professor I've had at Iowa. His lectures are clear, and tests are fair. I am so much better at understanding orgo since taking his class. The homework is helpful, and will help you get a good grade on your test. Also, recorded lectures are great if you feel like sleeping in.

Love the guy, but his lectures are very disorganized. He loves putting material from old chapters or Organic I on the tests, so don't think you can just forget stuff once you've learned it with him.

I had Ned for a freshman Mythbusters seminar. One of my favorite college memories is being called a smartass by him. Have a good attitude and he's the nicest guy ever. He had clear expectations and was ready to give helpful feedback.

Great guy. 10/10. Organic Chem is a bear, but he's so funny and makes it so relevant.

moves really really fast through lecture and I could hardly read his handwriting so it was almost better to skip class and watch the lectures on your own time so you could pause rewind and tilt your computer screen 5 different ways trying to decode what he was trying to write. If you can take it with someone else do

I really liked professor Bowden. His lectures were a bit disorganized, but he is fun and entertaining. He also gives a decent amount of online homework. If you do lots of practice problems and understand the major themes from his lectures, you should be okay. Very approachable if you have questions.

Pretty much everything on the exams comes from what he teaches in lecture. He tries to be funny and is literally so smart. Records all of his lectures and puts them on ICON so if you miss some or don't want to ever go its ok because you can watch them on your own. He pretty much tells you which topics will definitely be on the exams

I highly recommend Ned. I admit Ned made me work for my grade, but why wouldn't you want to put in the work? Ned was one of the best professors I have encountered at Iowa. I am not Ned writing this, but I do want the current students to listen to me. When you apply for a job, how many applicants do you think you are applying against? Hundreds!

I would suggest not going to the lectures and watching his recorded ones online. I was able to better understand the material if I could rewind and keep up with his writing. He is a very nice and funny guy and always told us "this WILL be on the exam so study this" which was extremely helpful. Exams are very hard but work HARDER and you'll be fine!

He is one of my favorite professors that I've had. He is super caring if you put in the effort. People usually find tests hard but they are almost identical in format to the practice exam. Take Orgo with him and you will definitely pass. The curve is huge and you only need to get above a 72 on tests to get an A.

I love Ned! The reason people dislike him is because Orgo is a hard class and it's easy to take it out on the professor. He is straight to the point. If he isn't going to test you on something, he won't waste your time going through it. You will need to work for it, but he is an amazing professor.

Without a doubt, my favorite professor so far at university. He is hilarious, and actually makes the content somewhat enjoyable! However, the exams are challenging. I cannot stress this enough, do the practice problems in the back of the book and the ones on ICON. The only way to get an A in orgo 1 and 2 is by doing practice problems. You got this!

I wish more professors were like Ned, one of the best professors I've had at Iowa. Lectures alone will not get you a good grade, you need to have a good grasp of the material by doing the practice problems. Lectures are also recorded which is helpful to go back to when studying. Exams are very straight forward and similar to the old exams provided.

While yes it sucked that our grades were 90% from exams, but this was the Chem departments doing not Bowden. He did an awesome job explaining the subjects and using his TAs to give out a ton of tutorial videos. Also ITS ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1 you cannot make this subject easy put in the work to do well. People are just salty it wasn't an easy course

Professor Bowden is a top-notch professor. It's obvious that he cares about both the material and his students. I'm not going to lie and say that Organic 1 was easy - it wasn't. However, Professor Bowden made it easier to succeed in this class and made sure that each student had a understanding of the course content. Do the "optional" homework!

Tough class but still not impossible. Unlike many other classes where the professor is simply trying to weed out students and create impossible tests and doesn't seem to care if students aren't actually learning, Bowden seems invested in his students and cares about the content. Great guy.

Bowden is by far the best professor I've had. I keep seeing people rate him poorly which is crazy because he gives so many extra points. It's a tough class and you have to put in the time, but if you do that it's hard to fail. I have no idea how people on here are mad, I feel they don't respect the class's difficulty and just want a cakewalk.

While this class is about OChem, it's also mainly about using your resources that Bowden has clearly laid out for you for success. Try out each TA, attend SI sessions, and you'll be fine. Bowden really does want his students to succeed in his class, so attend his office hours or email him questions. If an English major can get an A, you can too

If I could take another class with Bowden I would. Orgo is a hard but doable class. Go to lecture, go to office hours, and go to SI and youll do fine- its a hard class to fail, especially with how he sets it up. Most people that don't like him didn't try to get to know him/ get help from him- I will continue to go to him for orgo II help next year.

Ned is the best professor I have had at the university thus far. He cares about his students, is hilarious, & will help you understand. The class is difficult (but thats because its organic chemistry), if you go to class/office hours you will do fine. Practice exams were given & exams were capped at 100, so you had an extra 20 points/exam

The students who struggle in Bowden's class are students who want an A for the minimum effort. This class is HARD, but he gives you exams with 30 extra available points and the A range is above 77%. I did horrible in the beginning but managed to come back by putting in a lot more practice. Study hard, take the class seriously, and you'll get an A.

Professor Bowden is a very funny guy and does explain things well if you ask him questions. The only thing that I did not like about his course is that he is a very tough grader and does not believe in partial credit AT ALL.

Bowden goes through many practice problems in class and he also keeps the lectures interesting. He also straight up tells you whats on the exams. If you put in the time, take advantage of resources, and do a bunch of practice problems you'll be fine.

People think he's bad but he's actually a great lecturer. Ochem is just super challenging and people aren't ready for that. Yeah his handwriting is terrible but you can figure it out. Nothing will prepare you for his exams though. You HAVE TO stay on top of material, try and solve some problems every day, review recorded lectures, and you'll be ok.

Overall he did a good job I belive at explaining difficult content. Your grade in course really depends on how much work you do outside of class. He gives you lots of resources for extra help and it's up to you to do it! Overall he is a pretty good professor

Ned is an amazing professor, he explained everything in ways that are easy to understand. A lot of people claim ochem to be hard but it's really not, I think it's been the easiest class I've ever taken. It just depends on how much time you put into the class. The class overall was so fun to learn about and you'll do great if you are eager to learn

I honestly was so scared going into organic chemistry due to all of the negative things I heard about Ned Bowden. However, I found his teaching styles and lectures to be very easy to follow and genuinely engaging. He explains exactly what is on the test and gives many practice problems and examples in his lectures. I enjoyed taking his class!

Ochem is pretty difficult but Ned gets a pretty bad reputation especially from students who struggle in the course. He give curves the grade ranges before the semester starts and then gives a 20 point buffer on all the exams (120 points, graded out of 100, everything about 100 is an 100) he also explicitly tells you 25% of the test questions before

Organic chem is tough, but this prof breaks it down. Definitely attend class, do practice problems, and use resources like Unstuck study to stay on top of the material. Not easy, but you can do it!

Dr. Bowden is a pretty good professor on one condition: you try to make it work. Lot's of peers dislike Bowden, yet they never went to office hours, or even talked to him. His exams are extremely difficult, but with the 30 point buffer and the already drastic curve of the course, it doesn't matter. If you work hard, you will absolutely love Bowden.

He's a tad overhated but I can see some peoples' arguments for why his class sucks. It's for sure very test heavy and the exams are difficult. Also sometimes is not very good at getting his point across. Do those practice problems, and study a lot. His curve is ok.

People disrespect proffesor bowden because they dont do good, he tells you exactly what he expects on exams. The class is hard and it shouldnt be suprising that youll need to put in more work than previous courses. With that being said he explains things decently and keeps lectures engaging. Overall dont be scared of bowden if your willing to study

He is amazing!! Organic chem is a hard class so idk why people are expecting it to be easy... his lectures can be confusing but he's really good at explaining the material in office hours

I don't know why so many people complain about Professor Bowden, I thought he was great. This is a difficult class, but he tells you exactly what you need to know and is super helpful during office hours. He genuinely wants you to understand the material, which is why the exams are hard. If you put in the effort however, he will also!

Ned is a great professor. The material is dense, and his tests are tough but if you put in the work, it will pay off!

The reviews made me a bit worried going into his class but after going through it myself, professor Bowden was not bad at all. Organic chemistry is hard, attending lecture just isn't enough and that's not his fault. His lectures were pretty engaging but at times he did seem to oversimplify things. If you put in the work, you will be fine.

Bowden gives you a lot of information regarding what he expects from you. As long as you practice and do the homework, you will be fine.

Ned does a good job of explaining the material in the time that he has during lecture. However, he lectures very quickly so spending so time out of class reviewing the material goes a long ways. Doing some book problems is helpful but don't overstress on ALEKS. Exams are straightforward with a nice curve.