3.2
Quality4.3
Difficulty51%
Would Retake95
Reviews51%
Would Retake
95
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
22
3
18
2
13
1
15
What Students Say
“AVOID unless you already know orgo well somehow”
CHEM201 - 1.0 rating“Honestly, not worth taking this course at all”
CHEM201DL - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
6%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.07 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM201L
4.0
(3)CHEM201DL
3.4
(41)CHEM201
3.3
(49)201
3.0
(1)ORGO02
2.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
201
5.0
CHEM201DL
4.5
CHEM201
4.2
CHEM201L
4.0
ORGO02
3.0
Reviews (95)
Pretty demanding
Lectures very basic, if you did the reading they're pretty pointless. Learned a lot more from recitation and the textbook than the lectures. Has high expectations and can be demanding.
Chemistry, I learn that
Dr. Wang at first seems intimidating and demanding, but once you go to her office hours, you realize how much she cares about her students. She puts so much effort into preparing for class. I emailed her a question, and she posted a two-page help sheet to Sakai in response. So, she is a good, caring, but challenging professor.
Is demanding and has high expectations. She does care about her students and always stays after class to answer questions or past the end of her office hours.
Ochem is hard, get used to that. She gives a lot of time to her students. As in A LOT of time. You can email her, and she will respond. You can find her in office hours all the time. Ochem is hard, Ochem is hard, ochem requires 2hr/day. Why are you taking ochem? It's hard. But you know what, it is worth it.
Organic chemistry with Wang is difficult but manageable with dedication. There are many resources available that she talks about at the start of the year, such as the help room, tutoring, and office hours. She is very nice and relatively clear during lectures but also has an accent. Genuine professor that cares a lot about her students.
She is very nice and inspiring. Her class is EXTREMELY difficult and time consuming. I found lectures to be a recitation of the book and sometimes useless. She is always available and willing to help and wants her students to do well.
Dr. Wang is very passionate about teaching, and she is extremely helpful whenever you ask her a question. She wants everyone to succeed and would often stay after class for 15 min to clarify topics from lecture. To do well in her class requires hard work, but if you read the book, do all the problems, and go to office hours, you should do well.
This class is extremely hard, especially for one's first semester at Duke. Dr. Wang takes pride in its difficulty. That being said, she is completely dedicated to her students' success. She knows nearly everyone's name and relative grade. She has an accent and grammar trouble but goes to great lengths to get the material across. She is amazing. :)
Challenging and expects a lot from her students. Lectures are straight from the textbook, and sometimes difficult to understand because of her accent. Very responsive when you ask her for help. Don't expect a good curve just because it's an all-freshmen section.
Her tests are tricky. So is understanding her accent sometimes. But she cares a lot about her students and will go out of her way to help you if you ask. I found office hours more helpful than lecture. She faithfully follows the textbook, so studying from the textbook is essential. Good professor, very tough and frustrating course.
Orgo will be hard no matter the professor. Wang cares a LOT about her students and knew all 200 of us by name. She goes out of her way to help us, but tests are a bit confusing and the accent takes some getting used to. The class will take a lot of time no matter who teaches it, but Wang is fine. Gives a fair amount of partial credit.
She's good
Orgo 1 is difficult, it doesn't really matter the professor. She is most helpful during office hours, she'll make a lot of effort to understand and completely answer your question.
Orgo 1 is a difficult class regardless of the professor. Professor Wang was nice and was available outside of class often for extra help, but her lectures weren't always very helpful or clear, and her tests were difficult. The class is manageable, but only if you are willing to put in a lot of time and effort on your own.
Tough class, but was much more enjoyable with all freshmen. Learned from Loudon's text and Klein's Second Language book more than lecture. Recitation was also very, very, helpful. The problems were beyond the normal scope of the course, but were well written.
Her tests are pretty hard, but that only prepares you more for an easier semester in Orgo II. Go to office hours. Read the book and do as many problems as possible. Lots of work but rewarding as she says.
IF YOU HAVE PROF. WANG, YOU ARE LUCKY. NEVER, AND I stress, Never in my life had I met a teacher/professor who GENUINELY cares about her students as much as Prof. Wang. SHE CARES SO MUCH, and she WILL go all the way to help. SHE'S AWESOME. She's in no way an easy professor, but if you want to learn solid Orgo Chem, you are just SO LUCKY to have her
She teaches at a very fast rate, so be prepared to keep up. Reading the textbook is a must, and thoroughly reviewing the practice exams is also extremely helpful. Though I've never gone to see her individually, I hear she is very helpful one-on-one and sincerely cares about her students. She can also be sweet and funny.
One of the worst professor I have ever had. Her lectures are a not as thorough and more confusing version of the book -- often delving into simply useless stuff. Her lectures are hard to follow, and honestly pointless. If you've ever want a self-taught class, take this. But watch out, even if you know the book... she throws random stuff on the test
This is a hard class. No one will hold your hand. You are competing against the best and brightest from the freshman class. The competition is ruthless. Only the strongest survive.
Prof. Wang is honestly one of the best professors I have ever had. Recitation is useless. You must read the textbook to be successful, so read ahead when she tells you to and lecture will actually be useful to you. Go to office hours and do the practice tests and you will do well! Phenomenal prof who cares a great deal and is very helpful!
If you take orgo with Dr. Wang, you really have to teach yourself from the book. She's not very clear or organized in her lectures. She's an incredibly sweet person if you talk to her during office hours, but really she makes organic chemistry more difficult than it has to be.
Aweful teacher! Absolutely disorganized during lecture. Her accent makes it even harder to understand. Her tests are really hard and cover material that was never covered in class. Basically, you have to learn everything by urself from the book. She did curve class to a B+ though, so at least that was nice of her.
Challenging but truly cares about her students. A little disorganized during lecture, so read/take notes on textbook chapter before class. To study for tests, review practice exams, recitation sheets, and suggested book problems. If you study hard and get help when needed, you will do just fine. Prepares you very well for Orgo II. Take her class!
Professor Wang is a really nice, but her lectures are very disorganized and you don't get much out of it. You MUST read the book in order to pass, Her tests are based completely off the textbook, but there are always curveballs. Her accent also makes it very difficult to understand her. I wish I'd waited to take orgo with someone else.
A very hard class, but it's organic chemistry so the difficulty should be expected. Dr. Wang is very willing to help students outside of class. The office hours are very helpful and when answering questions, she engages students to think. People say students coming out of her class better master orgo.
You need to read the book, lectures are basically useless. The tests are very difficult and often cover topics that were barely talking about in class, so make sure to use the practice exams. It is a doable course if you are prepared your first semester.
Lectures are useless and she is a terrible teacher. Your better off just reading the textbook instead of going to class. The only thing that saved me in orgo was having a great TA and the practice exams online.
Prof Wang tries her best to make sure we understand the material. Her lectures correlate with the textbook, so it is essential you read the textbook before lecture to understand what is going on. She posts previous year exams which are VERY useful for the midterms. The class isn't easy, but it's manageable if you put in the effort.
Takes pride in the difficulty level of the course. Lectures usually run over about 10-15 minutes, are sometimes not clearsomewhat confusing. She repeats the exact same information from the book. Really cares about her students and willing to help, great in person but not very useful in lecture. Must read book to pass. Tests are very difficult.
This class is seriously hard, especially if you take it with all the other first-year students. Lectures are very long, basically a repeat of textbook info. You need to read the textbook and do a bunch of problems for practice if you want to do well in this class.
Prof. Wang is honestly one of the nicest professors at Duke. She cares SO MUCH about her students and wants them all to do well. Yes, the class is hard. You will most definitely have to put in the work, but her door is always open for asking help. She stays after class and extends office hours for her students. Glad I had Freshman Orgo with her.
Tests are very difficult and takes pride in course being very hard. MUST read book to pass, lectures are confusing (esp when coupled with her accent). Flies through material, and lectures usually run late. Overall, I thought she made the course more difficult than it had to be
Dr. Wang is definitely the best professor for Chem 201. The class wasn't easy, but if you put enough effort in, you'll get a lot out of it.
Unlike Chem202, I really disliked Wang's freshman orgo section. She was just extremely unclear and difficult to understand, and really didn't teach the tested concepts that well, or at all in some cases. We pretty much had to learn everything from the book, which is not that unusual for a class like orgo I guess. Overall I would not take again.
Professor wang is a bit rude. she consistently calls out students in class and isn't very kind to them. additional, her lectures are EXTREMELY unclear. i regret taking orgo first semester because she was my only option. the class is essentially entirely teach yourself as the lectures WILL NOT HELP. don't bother going. read your book, cry.
She is the single worst professor I've ever had. She is not clear in lectures, she mispronounces key chemistry terms, her exams are actually impossible, and her office hours consist of people who actually know what is happening and discuss recent studies rather than helping students. This class was the worst decision I've ever made.
Dr. Wang is an amazingly knowledgeable chemist. She is also an amazingly ineffective instructor. Her lectures are cursory and generally unhelpful in preparing for exams, and exams expect a depth of knowledge that can hardly be gained without memorizing the textbook. There's no need to take this class first semester. Just wait.
Professor Wang is really enthusiastic about Orgo, which is great. She is also willing to help and explain things to you until you get it during office hours, but you have to put in the additional time and effort to seek out that help. Her tests are very fair but she is a harsh grader and does not reward too much partial credit.
Dr. Wang is an exceptional chemist and an atrocious instructor. While she career her students, she simply doesn't have the ability to convey information to a large group. The lectures tend to be disorganized and often don't explain the content expected on the tests. You don't need to take this course first semester; just wait for the better prof.
She has an accent and sometimes jumps around topics without giving detailed explanations, so teaching is not very clear. She is a sweet person, though, so if you try to approach her and ask for help, she will be there for you.
Very hard to understand lectures, and writes terribly hard tests. She is nice though.
If you like chemistry and are ready for a challenge, I recommend taking her class. I should note a few things: GO TO OFFICE HOURS. They were more helpful than lectures (she goes fast and it's easy to get lost), but lectures did makemore sense if you read the book beforehand. She is also very willing to take time out of her day to help her students.
Dr. Wang taught the freshman-only section of organic chemistry during the fall. Her accent hinders understandability, but overall she is an excellent teacher. I definitely would take the class again.
Couldn't understand lectures because of accent. Taught myself all material from textbook. Seems nice but unaware. Will attempt to help students by randomly calling on them during class then make fun of them if wrong. Tests near identical to practice tests, so memorize those.
Best professor I've ever had.
Im writing this during lecture. She is a terrible professor with unorganized lectures that are hard to follow. This class comes down to how good you are at teaching yourself from the textbook, except her tests are way harder than the textbook material. Ive never hated a class so much. Honestly, just wait until sophomore year to take orgo!
I have no idea how she is a professor. genuinely it would be better if a random sophomore taught the coarse. you won't be able to understand her speak, so lecture is useless. everyone regrets taking her class. she tries though. AVOID unless you already know orgo well somehow. just wait until next semester. don't put yourself through a nightmare
Honestly, not worth taking this course at all. Just wait til spring to have a better professor. Her accent is strong and lectures are very unclear. Writes very difficult tests, usually with at least one or two questions on material that wasn't supposed to be on the test. You can tell she has exceptional chemistry knowledge, just can't teach it well
Its pretty hard, especially with all the snakes in the class. However, if your last name is Du, you will Du GREAT!
Worst experience I have ever had in my educational life. You are surrounded by ultra-competitive people on one side while getting shanked by a professor who has a ruthless grading criterion and egregiously difficult exams. Furthermore, to add salt to the wound, you get to witness the sophomores enjoying their exams with their cheat sheets. :(
I really enjoyed Dr. Wangs class. She gets a bad reputation for being difficult, but if you put the work in youll see good results. Shes also a genuinely nice woman and really cares about her students. Go to office hours!
Qiu Wang is a nice person, but her class is the worst decision I have made. Please, take orgo next semester with a better teacher. The tests are insanely difficult; she would put in topics 1 or 2 chapters ahead of the current readings. We had 2 extra chapters to read compared to the other classes, and, in general, other classes had it way easier.
This class was really rough honestly. The tests were really hard no matter how much you understood the material. This class literally pushed me to go to CAPS. If you want to spend your 1st semester stressing over this class, be my guest but I regretted my decision frequently throughout the semester. I did well by the skin of my teeth.
You will definitely learn a lot of chemistry, but I don't think it's worth the trouble freshman fall. The class is already hard enough and Dr. Want makes it even harder with her emphasis on reaction mechanisms and seemingly unlikely products forming. I advise you to save yourself the trouble and take it with an easier professor.
Don't let anyone here scare you too much. Dr. Wang is an amazing professor. She is super sweet and extremely knowledgeable about chemistry. Her class and her tests are insanely hard, but her curves are extremely reasonable: most people got a B or above. She also prepares you extremely well for orgo 2. No regrets taking this my freshman fall.
Orgo with Qiu is really not that bad. It's tough, yes. But if you do the textbook reading and really keep up with the work then you will do well for sure. She is very knowledgeable and her office hours definitely clarified her at times fast paced lectures. Although the class was difficult, it made 202 with Widenhoefer an absolute breeze.
Dr. Wang was ok. I didn't actually go to many of the classes and instead only read the textbook and ended up doing fine. The tests were mostly reasonable, and I think if you really put in effort you'll do well. But if you're unsure of first semester orgo, it's better to wait until the spring with Baldwin or Canelas.
Qiu Wang is an amazing Chemist who cares about her students. She goes into great depth and covers a lot of stuff you will not learn with other orgo professors. That said, the class is very difficult and will require a LOT of time outside of class. She is also a bit difficult to understand during lectures at times.
Dr. Wang's class is difficult. Be prepared to study A LOT and still get destroyed by exams. Lectures are fast paced and can be hard to understand, so you need to read the textbook. That being said she is a nice and caring professor. Overall if you are willing to work hard, the freshman orgo section is worth taking with her. Go to office hours!
Dr. Wang does not lie when she says her class will be challenging and demanding but also fun and rewarding. Make sure youre always 2 weeks ahead in the reading; she goes supersonic, especially during the last 5 minutes of lecture. However, she cares and will make sure you understand orgo WELL. you will be a master of intramolecular rxns at the end
Dr. Wang expects you to have in-depth knowledge of organic chemistry, and if you read the textbook as intended and genuinely put in the work, you are rewarded. Ensure you space out your learning and don't try and cram. She is difficult yet predictable and very reasonable. Your grade largely depends on the effort you are willing to put in.
Professor Wang means good, but she really just CANNOT teach. She has a pretty heavy accent and fails to speak in full sentences meaning that you struggle to understand her point and she is unclear about what's relevant and needed. Her lectures are non-mandatory and your grades are based on 3 impossible tests and the final. Do not take orgo with her
Dr. Wang is very caring and does her best to make sure students understand the concepts. Her content is sometimes more in depth than other professors for some subjects here and there and that makes the class particularly interesting. Her exams include a number of interesting tricks but they're easy to work out by practicing with previous exams
Lectures did not help at all- if anything they just made me more confused. Taught myself everything from the textbook. Exams often covered really niche topics and were therefore not reflective of your overall understanding of concepts. Freshman section is far too competitive and overall a horrible way to begin your time at Duke. WAIT TIL SPRING
Dr. Wang's class was challenging yet enjoyable. Content can be heavier than other orgo classes (freshmen only), and exams are difficult yet predictable if you do the practice tests. That said, she is very caring, esp during office hours. Her curves also seem very nice (A-/B+ avg) and she def makes you understand orgo well for future classes.
Professor Wang's class is incredibly time consuming, as she will warn you on the first days of class. She also doesn't teach in lecture, so there is a significant amount of reading. Grades are entirely based on exams and the lab. That being said, Wang herself is an incredible professor who deeply cares about your success if you get to know her.
Prof. Wang is known for putting very hard problems (arguably beyond the scope of our learning) on exams. Lectures are not that helpful for learning new content, but she is always very willing to help outside of class and is clearly very knowledgeable. Attend office hours and grind the hell out of the textbook. The final curve is generous, however.
Dr. Wang is a spectacular chemist, and I genuinely enjoyed orgo with her. This class works best if you like studying independently. Tests and labs are very reasonable.
Prof. Wang really cares about her students and wants them to do well both intellectually and mentally. She guides students through the process instead of giving direct answers, which was really effective for me. Her exams are hard but predictable with previous tests, and her in-depth content prepares you for future courses.
Dr. Wang wants her students to come to class prepared so instead of lecturing her students she can let them practice problems on the white board. For me, this worked really well and helped me internalize the material. She cares a lot about her students (she has brought in chocolate for us multiple times) and is helpful during office hours.
Dr. Wang is a great teacher, despite the extreme rigor of her class. She is understanding and very available to answer questions outside of class. That being said, her teaching in lectures is nowhere near sufficient to learn content. If you do the practice exams and study a lot, this class will be very rewarding, whether you're a freshman or not.
Wang may not be the best lecturer, but she is very accessible outside of class and stays after class to help students. She really cares about her students learning how to learn and her exams definitely reflect that. Though notoriously difficult, I feel prepared for the rigor of any other future course here at Duke.
Do the problems from the discussion sets, practice exams, and textbook. Also, try to understand the theoretical reasons behind phenomena rather than just memorizing rules. If you read the textbook beforehand, the problems she does in class are great supplements and really test your knowledge. With all this prep, the tests are pretty light.
Dr. Wang is an extremely nice person; she stayed after lectures to answer questions, answered emails quickly, and hosted weekly office hours/extra office hours prior to exams. Going to office hours/doing the practice exams will help a lot with the midterms. With that said, don't take this class if you love yourself and just wait until spring.
Professor Wang is kind, caring, and hilarious. Her lectures are confusing and fast; definitely preview the material before class to get the most out of lecture. GO TO OFFICE HOURS! I learned much more in office hours than in lecture. Exams are difficult but manageable if you study with the provided practice exams; final curve is very generous.
Do not take this class if you want a good impression of chemistry.
Dr. Wang is clearly very knowledgeable about organic chemistry, and she makes it very clear at the start of the year that most of the learning will be done on our end through reading the textbooks. She is mainly there for clarification. Exams make up the majority of grade but are predictable based on previous years. Great foundation for orgo!
Wang is such a wonderful and kind person, however everything stated in reviews here could not be more accurate. She cares a lot about her students so its unfortunate that she's not a great lecturer and creates hellish exams (the curve is generous!) Regardless, I would recommend students who can take the class freshman fall not to wait.
Dr. Wang gives you a very deep understanding that is wonderful for building a foundation in orgo. Her lectures are actually very helpful for solidifying and clarifying information gathered in the textbook, but be warned that her tests are very difficult and may require you to logic your way to the answers based on trends that you hopefully learned.
Professor Wang is excellent - funny, personable and extremely accessible over email. She's even better during office hours and forces students to think critically. However, the class is rigorous, with lots of material and tough examinations - be prepared to work hard for this class. Nonetheless, she leaves you with a robust foundation of Orgo 1!
If you do not excel in chemistry, do NOT take it with this professor. She is a great person, but I would not take another course with her again. Her lectures were very pointless, and she just taught the chapter, which you have to read in advance to understand anything. The only assignments toward your grade are the three exams and the final.
Was about to rate 2, chose 3 as she is nice, but I can't say Prof. Wang is a “great” lecturer. She is clearly a master of ochem and can answer any question, but her 8:45am lectures carry little info due to her subpar oral English. All content is expected to be self-studied prior class. Graded only by 4 exams + lab, no homework—grateful to get an A.
Dr. Wang say, is an extremely nice/funny person. However, her 8:45 AM MWF lectures aren't very useful as you've gotta read the textbook beforehand so that you're not sitting there clueless. The class is only graded on 4 exams + lab, with the tests being very hard. However, the curve is generous and help is very accessible outside of class.
Dr. Wang is unclear and hard to follow. Her tests are incredibly difficult and often based on small exceptions rather than subject knowledge. If you can avoid taking her at all, please, please, please do it. If, by some unholy stroke of luck, you are stuck in that classroom at 8:45 AM with this professor, I am truly sorry.
If you only care about the grade or value your mental health, wait until next semester. If you're there to learn chemistry, I 1000% recommend Wang. She is extremely nice, charismatic, and you will learn so much about chemistry and yourself as a student. With that being said, the class is insanely difficult and the textbook sucks. GO TO OFFICE HOURS
Dr. Wang is an amazing professor. Her lectures clarify concepts very well and her humor helps the information stick! The textbook isn't always the most helpful so I'd recommend watching videos about the topic if they are available and make sure to go to office hours--they are so, so helpful.
oh boy where do i even start. wang is my sunshine. every day i go to class and her lecture makes my day. i dont know where i would be without her. she is the goat.
Professor Wang is, to be frank, a terrible teacher. Her lectures focus heavily on unimportant topics while skipping past the topics that are on the test, which are considerably difficult. Office hours will be your best friend. However, the curve at the end of the class is VERY generous. She is also a geniuenly nice and caring person.
Dr. Wang likes to emphasize the "why" behind all the concepts in the course, so taking her class is very beneficial for those who would like to have a good chemistry foundation. HOWEVER, if you are looking for an easy A, I would find a different professor. (I highly recommend this course for chemistry majors.)
Worst prof I've ever had. Hands down. Lectures were absolutely useless because she doesn't know how to teach. Tests are impossible and don't reflect what we learned. Had to self study using the textbook. Please don't make the same mistake as me by taking orgo freshman fall. WAIT UNTIL THE SPRING to get a better teacher.
Her lectures are horrible and not helpful for the tests at all. I had to teach myself everything outside of class and that even was not good enough because her tests are impossible- full of exceptions/tricks. The only redeeming quality was that the curve at the end of the semester is very forgiving.
she's really nice as a person but terrible as a teacher. It's simply unfair for you as a student to take her massively hard class while other kids who take it in the spring have it so much easier. The tests are full of exceptions and tricks and she teaches too much stuff that doesn't come back in orgo 2 and is just a waste of time.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
6%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.07 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM201L
4.0
(3)CHEM201DL
3.4
(41)CHEM201
3.3
(49)201
3.0
(1)ORGO02
2.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
201
5.0
CHEM201DL
4.5
CHEM201
4.2
CHEM201L
4.0
ORGO02
3.0