I thought Professor Mason was "Satun", but Dr. Gilbert is a "SUPER SATUN"! Actually, these two so called "humans" really enjoy failing students. What low you can go?

Worst teacher ever! He does not explain the material. It seems he really does not care for teaching, he should just stick to resarch so no one has to deal with him. I agree there surely is a nice place in hell for this man.

teaches qualitatively, but gives quantitative tests.... i'm giving him a bad score becuase i just dont like him.

worst professor ever. total idiot. i got a B however he is true work of acedemia and no wonder he is not still working at los alamos.

If you have a choice, don't take a class with him. He is the worst professor I have ever had. 2/3 of our entire class is failing (out of an original 100 or so). He's an ignorant, egotistical moron. The average on our 1st exam was a ~34 or something, out of 100. This wouldn't be bad, but he DOES NOT curve ANYTHING!!!

i went into the class loving chemistry because i needed it for my major but when i got there everyone including myself was failing. he made the class terribly difficult and i basically learned on my own. if you have a chance do not take this class or drop it like i did. i have friends who stayed and they regret it. HE IS THE WORST.

easily the worst chem professor I've had at NIU. Terribly boring and he pretty much expects you to learn everything on your own. Stay away

The guy turned me off when I went to talk to to him about the test scores and someone was there telling him about how she broke her arm on the way to the test and he said too bad so sad. He is not willing to help and he is very mean to all his students. Stay away from this one! He will not advance you at NIU if you want your grade point average!

not a very pleasant person to be around, and not very helpful. i'm pretty sure most people are failing, he doesn't seem to care. i think he understands chemistry i just don't think he can teach it.

Beware! If you don't have an extremely strong background, or you don't want to read the book 10 times and teach it to yourself, stay away from this guy. He doesn't teach and when he does, it doesn't make any sense. If you ask him for help, he treats you like you're a nuisance. He told me that if he couldn't teach me the material no professor could!

Professor Tom Gilbert is absolutely horrible for beginning chem courses. Apparently, the higher you are in the series the better he is. His tests are faulty and if you bring it to his attention, he won't give you points back. He also has 2 e-mail addresses that he won't respond to. He's absolutely horrible.

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This was probably the worst teacher i have ever had. Going to class will not help you. You have to teach yourself. I got a B in the class but that is only because i spent about over 50 hours studying for this class. He expects freshmen to be experts in chemistry and he does a crappy job of teaching you what you could learn better by reading the boo

This teacher gives quizzes that are worth 10 pts and you get only 10 minutes. It really hard to complete when you begin the math sections. You never get homework so if you do bad on the quizzes you have to get really good grades on the exams. Other classes don't have time limits on quizzes and get to re-do them as much as they want.

Doesn't teach, merely just rabbles on about stuff in no real order, and without a sense of clarity. Also made it very clear he cares more about his research than us the first day of class.

This man is terrible! There is no doubt that he is the worst teacher at NIU. He has some skewed belief that he is God's gift to chemistry. Unless you are a scientist, taking BASIC chemistry with this man is a bad idea! He is always "correcting" the book, and thinks that if you don't learn in his class you are a lost cause who is beyond help!!

there is no chance at doing well unless you go to another teacher and ask for help... unless you can understand what the word "thing" means in all of his definitions then you're screwed.He messes up on his notes and has to go back to the beginning of the class notes to fix what he had done wrong in the first place. Don't take his class!!

Worst professor I ever had. If you are struggling and ask for help he won't help you. He will tell you to get a tutor! Everyone I knew in his class at the time ended up failing and had to retake it! I would recommend doing everything you can to not have him as your teacher. He will ruin your semester and stress you out!

He is the worst teacher ever. he has 10 question quizes in 10 minutes - kinda hard to do a chem quiz in that short of time. he is not helpful when you go for help - he told me to just memorize the book and do the questions in the back. he is so boring - DO NOT TAKE HIM FOR CHEMISTRY - YOU WILL REGRET IT!

He is a horrible professor i honestly learned nothin in class i have a love for chemistry and he made me not want to take any more chem classes because i thought i would never understand it His quizes are hard and you only get 5 minutes People just stopped going to lecture after a while you are better of studyin in your own Best part is the Curve!!

This is the worst teacher in the entire campus. He is not helpful, he tells us the book is useless and wrong all the time and talks down to us everyday in class, like we will never be good enough for his stupid class. Even my T.A. said he felt bad for me on what a horrible stupid teacher this guy is. The Chem curve is HIS fault cuz he sucks.

This was the worst teacher I had my first semester at NIU. I do not reccomend having him as your teacher. If you can drop, do it. I have several friends who had him too and ended up failing and having to re-take chemistry. I stopped going to class after about a month because he reads from powerpoints that he posts on blackboard. He is confusing!!!

THIS PROFESSOR IS HORRIBLE!!! He CANNOT teach. He expects you to know everything that he does. If you do not get above a C on the first test, he tells you to drop the class. He contradicts himself and the book all the time. DO NOT TAKE A CLASS WITH HIM!!!

Worst teacher ever! makes everything harder than it really is. i stoped showing up for his class halfway through the semester. Don't pick this guy or you will Fail!

Worst teacher ever! makes everything harder than it really is. i stoped showing up for his class halfway through the semester. Don't pick this guy or you will Fail!

Horrible teacher, doesnt exaplin any thing. the tests are just insane

Academic bully, not a teacher. Makes students feel stupid for asking questions. Writes test material he fails to teach. Derives some sick pleasure from making students feels dumb. Elitism at its finest. He would make a fine researcher but in my opinion he shouldn't be teaching. I agree with everyone who said DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR

WORST TEACHER EVER! DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER, YOU WILL FAIL!!!!

This guy makes his class much harder than he needs to. I figured out some of the material earlier than he "taught" it and he totally twisted it to make it difficult to learn. He does not give study guides, when other chem 110 professors do. He really DOES want to see you fail. He is unapproachable and condescending during his lectures. FIRE HIM!

He is terrible. He talks down to students. Maybe we dont know it, BUT that doesnt mean he has to rub it in our faces. Do not take him. Material in lectures are not on tests. Stay away from him if you can!!!

Worst teacher ever. I asked him questions and he made me feel stupid and would tell me that I couldn't understand it because it was too high of level for me. I asked him to help me during his office hours and he turned me away because my question were not specific enough. Only good thing is that he is fun to doodle on your notes.

DONT TAKE THIS CLASS. its impossibly hard and they tests are ridiculous! avoid it if you can.

If you need to fail a class next semester take this guy

If you want to fail and are looking for that one class that will surely lower your gpa LOOK no further!

Chemistry was my major until I began attending his class. In high school, I did so well in chemistry (received an A) that I was placed into advanced chemistry second semester of junior year and received a B+. Then I attended his class and received an F. His lectures are very unclear, and hard to follow. His exams are inconsistent with his notes.

Some men just want to watch the world burn. This teacher just wants to watch his students fail. Trust me, avoid him at all costs. His class will give you ulcers.

Gilbert is one of the worst teachers ive ever had. I relied on everyone but him to pass and still failed. He will talk about things you don't need to know and basically ensure you on the first day that you will fail his class. I definitely did.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS CLASS! He is absolutely horrible. He does not care whether or not you pass. He is not helpful at all. Take it with a different teacher.

Sure go right ahead and take his class. If you like F's

His lectures are him just reading straight from a powerpoint for 50 minutes. Not many students can learn this way. HATED the lectures. Exams are way harder than they need to be. only has exams grades no homework, therefore if you don't do so well on a couple tests your grade is in the toilet. GET ANOTHER PROFESSOR EVEN IF IT MEANS AN 8am!

Worst teacher I've had at NIU. All he does is read from his powerpoint, which barely makes sense. His only grades are the tests, no homework or extra credit. If you fail a couple tests, you're screwed. STAY AWAY.

All I can say is that I wish I read all of these comments before I signed up to take his class. Everything you read is true. You will not pass this class unless you are some sort of born chemistry genius and do not need to learn at all.

Makes it obvious he hates teaching, students, and wants to make us all fail. How is he still teaching?

Hmmm... This professor is just flat out wrong. I took him for chem 211 literally the hardest 200 level course I have ever taken. No help outside of class, no help in class. Goes too fast on the power points and only give an edited version on blackboard. He believes he is teaching at Harvard or something because his class is way too difficult

This was the hardest class I have ever taken. He is an awful professor, and it is obvious that he does not care about his students. Maybe about half of the students showed up to take the final - which is saying something! Would never ever ever recommend him to someone. Have to retake class next semester because he was so terrible.

He has a misplaced sense of pride for his subject. He can't stand it when anyone actually does well in his class because he wants people to know how demanding chemistry is. Exam 1 avg. was 80%, Exam 2 got unbelievably harder and the avg was 40%. I also corrected his answer key with evidence from the book and he would not give me my points back.

This guy cannot teach! Learning Stoichiometry in Chem class is like how you learn formulas in Math class, except this guy doesn't even bother showing you how to even use it! That and he really does not seem like he cares a bit, in addition to the rest of his teaching being much to be desired.

Doesn't teach but read off my PowerPoints. Half my class failed. He is extremely rude and makes it known to his students that he doesn't care about them and won't help if you ask for it.

Professor Gilbert has been on teaching probation for almost a year and a half now due to many of his students failing. My classes avg for our first exam was a 39%. He does not teach you anything that is relevant to the exam, but if you miss his class you will more than likely not pass. He makes it extremely evident that he does not care about us..

He is the absolute worst professor on the planet. His class is so hard and you have homework that takes up to 7 hours to do every week which for me was impossible with 18 credit hours. He makes no sense and you can study all you want for his tests but youll probably fail. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS

Awful professor. Avoid his class... Doesn't teach, just reads off his powerpoints and then makes the exams nearly impossible. Homework is on average 80 multistep problems a week online with no hints.

How Gilbert still has a job at NIU is beyond me. He honestly is the WORST professor I've ever had. Half my class failed due to his lack of teaching skills. His TA Ashley helped so much more than he ever did. Oh, and the homework he assigns is just as ridiculous as he is. Get ready to spend 8+ hours on it! Wish I would've never taken his class..

The first thing that I have to say about professor Gilbert is that he does not seem to consider that students take classes other than his during the semester. Homework assignments due weekly. 80 problems each, most problems have multiple parts. His lectures don't contain many helpful examples, and when you ask him questions he just repeats himself.

Professor Gilbert's class was not awful. He is not very personable and must think we are only dedicated to his class. Average test scores were a thirty percent in a large lecture class. He assigns 80 questions for homework and grading is ridiculous.

Gilbert is a horible teacher, he clearly doesn't care about his students, his exams are graduate level, does not prepare you for the exams, in lecture he reads from powerpoints with little to no explanation you literally go to lecture and learn a definition, he gives extemely difficult homewok that is nearly impossible to get a perfect score on

Literally the worst professor I ever had. I am a straight A student with a GPA of a 4.0 in the medical field. I STRUGGLED beyond belief in this class and had many meltdowns. The homework is nothing like the stuff he lectures on, the quiz's are not anything like the homework, and the exams are worse. 80 questions of homework. impossible. DONT TAKE.

Do NOT take his class, it will ruin your GPA. I am a straight-A student and I put so much effort into his class- tutoring 3-5 times a week, paying for Chegg to do the homework, reading the book, doing everything I could- and I failed it. He does not even pretend to care about his students, and he is very rude when asked questions he thinks are dumb

By far the worst professor at NIU. Does not help the students at all. I asked him for some practice problems for an exam and he told me to read the book. Choose a different professor, even if that means an 8am

Professor Gilbert goes down in my book as the worst professor I have taken. He treats a 200 level class as a graduate level class and could care less if you passed or not. 80 questions for homework with essay questions, quizzes barley correlate with lectures, and tests are HARD! More than 75% of my class dropped, and there was about 100 students.

His class is hard but not impossible. He was very condescending, unapproachable, and liked to brag about how many students failed the test. He's a good lecturer but his tests are pretty difficult. I recommend taking another professor.

Took him for inorganic chem. was the most merciless professor Ive had in my life. Test were hard and he didn't curve. 80% of the class failed. DO NOT take him unless you're a genius.

60 homework problems every week (graded kind of harsh), you aren't supposed to ask questions in lecture, he doesn't communicate well with the TA, the lecture and homework don't prepare you for the exams, and, in general, he comes off as rude and uncaring toward students

Dr. Gilbert is by far the worst professor I have ever had. Just about anything possible to make this class harder, he does. It is glaringly obvious that he only teaches so he can continue his research. The only reason I passed this class is because homework points were increased from previous semesters and Chegg carried me through it all.

Avoid this professor at all costs. I wish I had known about this sooner otherwise I would have too. He clearly doesnt care about students education and made it clear his research is his priority. Ive also asked for help to which he responded to just drop the class if I couldnt handle it. No amount of studying can prepare you for the tests.

If you want to spend your whole semester trying to pass this class then you should take Gilbert. You have at least 3-4 hours of homework a week in this class and none of it will pertain to the tests you get. You're also probably going to have to invest in Chegg study because the homework problems can't even be solved by tutors at NIU.

Each week, we had 60 homework problems, and each problem had multiple parts. It took me 8-10 hours each week to do homework. Most of the stuff taught in lecture had nothing to do with the homework. The TA and recitation are the only way to do well in the class unless you're really good at figuring things out on your own. Take someone else.

Professor Gilbert was THE worst professor I have ever had. As an MEE major I was required to take chem and he made this simple subject into a nightmare. 50-100 book problems stacked on top of 50 homework problems PER WEEK in the online textbook. His tests asked bogus questions like recalling specific information about something mentioned in lecture

Gilbert is just about as uncaring and terrible as they come. Tests are impossible to pass and can't be studied for. The TA can lecture better and in less time, so why not hire them as a replacement? Starting off a semester by saying that you don't curve AND the majority of students don't pass your class doesn't make you anything but bad at your job

I went to his office to dispute a grade on the very first test. He had an incorrect answer labeled as the correct answer, and I went to his office with the textbook to prove to him that I was right all along. He actually got mad at me and told me, "if you miss the next letter grade by that point I'll give it back"... NO SIR I WAS RIGHT GIVE IT NOW

Worst educator I've ever had. My homework took up 5-8 hours of my week. His lectures are basic, and the completion homework teaches us the actual material. Then, the graded homework is way more complicated than what we learn, resulting in horrible grades. You end up doing over 250 questions of homework. Doesn't care for his students learning.

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!!! HE IS THE WORST! He dismisses his students pleading to curve the grade, puts the most random details he said once in a lecture on the exams, and sooo many people dropped out. I legit have anxiety attacks because of his exams. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!

I see little point in clarifying this guys weaknesses, because he would refuse to change regardless of the criticism. By far the worst professor/educator I've ever had. Has zero care and understand for his students. Everything you've read in the other reviews is true. If you sign up for him, as he said in one of his email "deal with it"

He literally is just bad at teaching. Or at least online cuz of covid. He doesnt respond to emails, doesnt give any type of study guide or guidance of what is most important to know, instead of showing slides he would literally type 15 paragraphs of text and expect us to understand what he was talking about. Just an awful professor. Sorry.

He told us that we should not rely on him, the TA, or the textbook for what will be on the test, and he makes the homework, tests, and quizzes. significantly harder, more confusing, and more time consuming than other professors of the same class make them. We will be tested on things many chapters ahead, and he is very rude.

The best advice I can give you is that if you are looking him up to know if you should take his class, do not. Homework doesn't match the test and no office hours. There is a comment on here that says he says not to rely on him, the TA or the book and the study hints, correct. Studied for 20+ hours each week and still failed. Many people drop him.

If there is any possible way for you to switch classes from this guy, do it. He refuses access to the tests once you've submitted them, as well as your homework. The homework is an extreme amount, and it took me and my tutor 3 hours to complete 17/100 homework problems. He believes it's counterproductive to try and learn from your mistakes.

The amount of work in this class is insane. When I went to express my concerns to Gilbert about not having enough time to do the work and genuinely understand it, he suggested I go get checked out for a learning disability. I am a 4.0 student. His class' dysfunction is everyone else's fault except for his. Do not take him.

Stay away from Gilbert. Worst teacher.

Stay away from Gilbert his exams are tougher than other professors that teach the subject. We had a exam today and he messed up by not posting the reference sheet and caused a bunch of students to waste time of the question instead of working on other problems.

If you don't NEED to take this class, stay away. I don't know how he's been able to make chemistry even more difficult than it is, but he has. He goes over three slides a class and tells us everything should be intuitive. Exams are built so I don't think you could get over a 90 even if you cheat. The TA is never in the loop. Horrible.

If you don't need to take this class, please stay away. Gilbert goes over three slides a lesson and says everything should be intuitive. Exams are set up for students to fail. Homework doesn't match the exam content. The TA is never in the loop. He could not care less about the people he's supposed to teach. Take biology if you can.

Do NOT take courses taught by Thomas Gilbert. Take them from any other school/community college, and transfer it. The grading policy is unchecked, and you will receive C, D, and F scores without the chance to view your mistakes and learn or ensure there are no grading errors. If you need to retake for grade replace, he is the only professor.

I've never met a more incompetent professor. People don't like Adelman and that's fair, I don't like him either, BUT Adelman has multiple choice exams just like Gilbert, however, Adelman is somewhat merciful because he actually provides a curve. Gilbert has a VERY similar exam structure and doesn't curve even when the class average on exams is 60%.

He is absolutely awful and not engaging whatsoever. He doesn't lay the foundation for subsequent material that we are made to learn. He sends you off in hopes that the smartbook will do his job for him. He also doesn't share his slides in fear of them being copyrighted. He fears cheating websites, so instead he chooses to deprive you of resources.

Gilbert grades his tests in a black box. He won't let you see what you did wrong or where you lost points. I spoke with him to see if I could look at my graded test in his office hours with a scheduled appointment. After long negotiation, he said the best he could do is tell me which type of questions I missed while I have no view of his screen.

This class was already difficult and this professor does not care about your well being at all. He shows up, does a lecture, and leaves. No time for questions or class participation at all. There is no gauging of learning, there is no assistance. Using the syllabus grade calculations I thought I failed, but need with a B somehow.

By and large, the worst professor I've ever had. He is the only one I've ever heard say that he DOESN'T want students to ask questions in class. An actual quote from Gilbert: "The slides will not be on Blackboard because I copyrighted them." If you would like an excuse to drop out or change your major, Gilbert is the man to make you do it.

Thomas Gilbert one word to describe this man, horrible. he has NO empathy for students' lives or mental health. Thomas changed me as a student and a person, in a bad way. He expects you to already be doing chemistry in the womb and know everything he should teach us. Thomas Gilbert is one of many things, a teacher is not one of them.

What a terrible teacher. Boring lectures, I learned more reading the textbook than any of his lectures. I've thankfully only interacted with him once or twice but each interaction was dripping with malice for me as a student. Tests written to trick you, I get the sense he wants you to fail his class.

I sit next to someone in class who is an honors student and works very hard to maintain all A's. After the midterm I saw them start to panic about their GPA because they didn't pass the exam (everyone I talked to failed). They studied for hours on end and took notes in every class. I am just trying to get by with a C because there are no exam curve

Every week there is a study module and 33 homework questions that may have multiple parts.Pearson estimates that some lessons may take 10+hours. Lecture has nothing to do with homework. Tests are insanely hard. If you fail the final you fail the class. no curve. The other prof has 10 homework questions, final isn't cumulative, and there is a curve.

Not a terribly hard class, but the professor does not try to advocate for the students or meet in the middle. I stopped going to lectures after the midterm (which i got a 36%) on and used an online tutor for the rest of the semester. Avoid him as a professor if you can. I got a 52% on the final but still passed with a B.

Professor teaches lectures, proceeds to give you pearson homework that looks like nothing we learned in the lecture, then proceeds to give you a midterm that looks nothing like the lectures or the homework. Not sure if it's an ego thing, guarantee that you will fail all of his tests. He curves the grades though, so at least there's that.

You like to learn? do it yourself, no professor needed, just fail.

Professor Guilbert assigns an overwhelming amount of homework, which is basically the only thing saving students' grades. The best grade in our class for the midterm was a D. His teaching is unclear, exams are extremely difficult, and overall he's a very poor instructor.

Although professor Gilbert is clearly deeply knowledgeable about chemistry, his teaching methods are not effective for an introductory-level class. He often assumes a high level of prior understanding, moves quickly past foundational topics, and does not patiently address basic questions, which can leave undergraduate students behind.

He clearly hates teaching and the students unlucky enough to get stuck in his classes. He actively makes the course less friendly by making the notes and himself inaccessible. And he tells you stuff is on exams, and then gives a completely different exam. He isn't just a bad teacher. He is unethical. Must be nice to have tenure.

I unfortunately failed the final so despite doing well on everything else I have an F rather than a C I earned due to his Final exam policy. What he teaches does not do a good job at reflecting on assignments and it shows his exams look nothing like HW, quizzes or the DSMs. If you have the luck of taking someone else please do.

Plain and simple he's probably one of the poorest profs. at NIU. The online homework thru Pearson give you good practice but means nothing when you get to the final. TESTS ARE MADE TO TRICK YOU! You will likely not feel confident on a single answer. His policies are ridiculous. No curve. Does not take advice. Rude and disrespectful. Waste of money!

I have never seen a teacher/professor so uninterested in teaching. He knows what he is talking about but could not care less about teaching. Gets very mad when there are any questions. Homework isn't doesn't always correspond to what's on the exams.

If there is anything to take away from this course it will be TO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR! but unfortunately THERE IS NO CHOICE. He is the ONLY one teaching the course,if you survive his exams, then you definitely do not need anymore degrees. I think the department should look into his teaching skill. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A RELIGION, GET ONE AND PRAY!

Avoid Professor Gilbert at all costs. I had only heard bad things about him, and they were all true. The 60+ problems due a week for homework sometimes doesn't even match what was in the lectures. Be prepared to spend hours outside of class on work. I would rather take chem at community college than take it with him again.

Literally the hardest class ive taken in my life, this man is evil