very good prof

She's not a bad teacher. She tries to explain things the best she can, but unless you pay very close attention (which nobody does) or are actually interested in chemistry (which you could be, but the large majority aren't)it will be difficult. CHEM101 is not going to be easy no matter who the teacher is, so don't expect a good grade. she's just meh

She is an excellent professor. Class is insanely difficult. Study like its your life, because you will think your ready for the exam...but your not, and never will be. Exams are tricky. Not like exactly like the problems in the book. However, she is good and will help. Go to the tutorial lab. It's really really helpful. it's hard, but take with her

Excellent teacher! Highly recommend!! Don't know why the bad comments. I am in her class now & she's great! Chem, esp.orgo, is difficult, but she is the best! Loves what she's teaching, enthusiastic, VERY VERY helpful, answers any questions, doesn't try 2 trick u. Just Pay attention, study hard & use the resources available 2 u, & you'll do well.

I was in her class, dropped it because I decided not to do the BS but instead the BA in psychology...her class is HARD as any chem class will be, she tries to explan things, her test are KILLERS!! study like its your life, all the answers on the tests are possibilities if you make small errors, tricky tricky tricky!...gives group work & hmwk weekly

Its a chem class. of course youre going to need to put in the extra work! But shes a great teacher, always happy to be there and teach. Study from the book, come to class, do all the groupwork, tests are difficult. I wish someone would have told me to pay more attention to the stuff in the beginning of the semester..it never goes away!

Best Professor I've ever had. Extremely helpful in class and during office hours.

Orgo is HARD and Gierasch does an excellent job teaching. Her exam are fairly straight forward and her lectures are actually informative. However, the actual material is really tough and requires a lot of outside study time.

wonderful teacher!! attend class, she has group work for credit. very helpful

Tiff is pleasant but she teaches the easiest problems in class. Everything makes sense then but the exams really test what you know. I just wish she had taught harder stuff in class instead of expecting you to learn it all from the book's problems. Very helpful during office hours.

She is the best professor at UMBC.She is extremely helpful.She wants everyone to pass the class.She has most office hours than any other professor at UMBC.Organic is a hard class to understand, but she available to help you everyday.Not an easy A, with the help of Pro. Gierasch its possible.Class curve is not huge,possibly one exam can be dropped.

Very friendly and charming personality.I enjoyed learning in this class alot, she actually does the prblms in class and explains concepts along the way. Instead of pure conceptualization like Carpenter does.CPS used in class, but just for attendance, not for grades. Just follow along in class and you should be ok for the exams.Discussion sucks tho.

She's a good professor and her tests are pretty fair.. She can be kind of rude though.

Gierash is the best teacher I've ever had in college. Especially for chemistry she really knows how to explain and simplify everything. I'm actually looking forward to taking organic chemistry because she is teaching it!

BEST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD. Her exams are not easy but they are very fair and based only on what is taught in class. She is head of the chem tutorial center. Provides previous exams, online homework, homework problems in the book, and flexible office hours. Her grading policy is more than fair, at times I think she is too nice. Amazing teacher!=]

Pros: great teacher, highly articulate, exams test on essential stuff instead of crazy puzzles and are just like old exams, tons of office hours, easy to follow during lecture. Cons: sometimes standoffish/cold when approached at office.

She's awesome! I expected a difficult class but she made orgo so easy to understand! Exams are straight fwd and have a free response section too! She knows what she's talking about and can explain it all very clearly. I learned tons and did well at the same time :) Take her for Chemistry!!

She is one of the best teachers for orgo. She is clear and tells you what you need to know. She doesn't make it unnecessarily hard but its orgo so its going to be a little bit hard.

She is definitely 'better than average' professor. She is very willing to help students even when students come to see her outside of her office hour schedule. Lectures, however, a little boring and monotonous.

Tough teacher but explains very well. Tests sometimes have concepts that are not exactly gone over in class. Exam average for one exam was a 54% hahaha...

Tries to explain thinks in lecture.

She is the best professor I ever took at UMBC. I wish she can teach all my chemistry related classes throughout my entire college career. She is definitely good at explaining and her lecture is very friendly and interactive. As long as you print out all the prenotes before class and take notes+do wileyplus ungraded hw, you'll ace the class for sure

Class requires work, but that should go without saying. Dr. G makes it a lot easier, consider yourself lucky if you get to take this class with her instead of other professors. Very helpful, you ace exams if you PUT THE WORK IN, which most people don't want to do. She made me want to minor in chemistry (which I'm now doing).

Dr. Gierasch is very easy and understandable professor and she tries to help out students as much as she can even outside of her office hours as long as you put your efforts into it, I don't think this class is hard at all. Although exams are sometime contains 2-3 tricky questions, if you think about it, you will get it.

Gierash was more clearer than Perks but at times she would get confused or mess up on a problem. Go to to her office hours or the chem tutorial center and you'll do find in the class

If you must take Orgo II, take it with Gierasch. She is extremely approachable, her lectures are crystal clear, and she provides you with plenty of grade cushion and extra credit opportunities. Her tests were hard---after all, its orgo---but they were fair. Nicest prof. at UMBC, and I am not a fan of orgo.

Dr. Gierasch is very smart. Went to Harvard and is very willing to help. She wants to make sure you really understand the material. She also is careful to not criticize when you get the answer wrong and that's important when actively learning.

Definitely read the chapters and take notes on them to understand what you are doing. She kind of expects you to read ahead, and ofcourse no one does, but make sure you take notes in class and review, since she picks up certain points from the chapter that she would test you on specifically. Overall she is quite nice and peppy.

Go to class, clicker points count.Don't cheat,she will catch you.She is nice,go to her and tutor asap.Read book. Do practice book problems she assigns.Do ACE Organic earlier than day before it's due.Do practice exams.

Difficult exams but she does give you a learning objective sheet so at least you're guided. Clicker questions are really important! Overall, I think she's one of the best chemistry teachers I've had so far. She's very smart -- went to Harvard!

Professor Gierasch is far by the best professor I've had so far at UMBC (third year student). She explains the material very thoroughly. She's full of energy and is genuinely passionate about what she teaches, which makes learning all the more easier. Exams are not easy, but if you do the assigned textbook problems and go to class, you can get a C

One of the best professors I've ever had, I hated general chemistry and basically failed 102, but Gierasch turned that all around with an upbeat attitude and energy, its like she transfers the energy onto you. Easy B, exams are EASY if you study, I was shocked, made me realize how smart I am and how much potential I have.

Showed me that Orgo gets a bad rap and isn't as hard as people make it seem. If you put in the work and know your stuff, it really pays off. Gierasch pulls some tricks sometimes but it helped me. She has a great attitude about class, is genuinely concerned about how students are learning, and tries to make it as easy as possible. Def recommended!

if you read before class,ask questions, memorize/study the material every week, and do lots of practice problems, you can do well. the problem is that that is not practical. its hard to do well in this class because there is way too little time for the tests, and it makes it very hard to show your understanding. its sad b/c the material isnt hard..

You will definitely need to put time into the class, its really as hard as you make it. The book is your key to understanding everything. Khan Academy is useful too.

Best Organic Chemistry Teacher there is. You definitely need to work very hard but she is a great teacher and has an extremely organized class.

One of the best science professors in general. I honestly believe she makes organic chemistry seem like the easiest thing ever. Her tests might not be EASY, but they are by no means over-the-top. Plus, as long as you pay attention in class, that is what you will see on the test. A really great chemistry teacher!!

That woman is a force of nature. She's full of energy, obsessed with Orgo, and speaks chemistry like it's her first language. If you're thinking about taking Orgo, you know you're in for a world of hurt, but she presents the material in a way that's easy to process. This course is a greater challenge for your work ethic than your mental ability.

Can't do her justice in this textbox. Strives to know any of her students that approach her or volunteer an answer. Not only is she brilliant in chemistry, she is brilliant in knowing how students absorb the material, can't overstate that. This makes her literally one of the best professors out there, and certainly the best I've had in all my years

I love classes that are rigorous to a certain extent. She's literally a professor that expects you to be on your A game every class, let alone exam days. She tests concepts that aren't specific to the chapters being tested! Other than her class bringing down your GPA (as most get Cs), she does know a lot-and expects the same. Take with someone else

After her classes, I LOVE organic chemistry. Most people got D's on exams, but I always got A's. Go in with a good attitude and you will see that organic chemistry is BEAUTIFUL! Dr. Gierasch is really enthusiastic and SO nice. These were my favorite classes I have ever taken. If you had Carpenter for 101/102, Gierasch is really similar, but better.

She is a really good teacher, she made orgo actually interesting even though I had no prior interest in the subject. Study hard the tests aren't easy but she doesn't try to trick you either.

Dr. Gierasch is a fantastic teacher! She is extremely organized, helfpul, and fair. Her passion for chemistry is contagious, and her enthusium for teaching really makes her approachable and helps make the material much easier to understand. If you have to take orgo, take it with her. One of the best professors I've encountered at UMBC!

I had Dr. Gierasch for both 351 and 352, and I cannot say enough good things about her! She is friendly, approachable, and has a passion for what she does. She is incredibly helpful and will do anything she can to help you as long as you meet her halfway. Her tests are incredibly hard though, so be prepared to work for your grade.

Phenomenal Professor! She beats every other professor hands down in teaching this course!! It is a privilege and honor to be in her class!

I had another lady professor for CHEM351, who often boasted about herself and some fellowship she got from Govt. She skipped all difficult topics, e.g. atomic & molecular orbital theory. I took Dr. Gierasch for CHEM352, and what a difference it was! Although she was much harder, but very helpful and fair. Wish I had Gierasch for CHEM351 as well!

Dr. Gierasch is an excellent liaison between the textbook and the students. Be sure to do all of the in/end of chapter problems! Be sure to go to the chem tutorial center for help, or office hours. Exams are hard; however, they can be easy when you over-prepare, starting about a week out from the exam. Final exams are ACS. Curve was 1-1.5%, 3% MAX.

I really respect Dr. Gierasch since she perfectly teaches her class the real organic chemistry. Only one complaint however is that She should have never allowed other professors to cover the spectroscopy section which was on exam one. That killed most of the students chance of getting an "A" including me. So heart braking and SAD.

I personally don't mind Orgo as a subject. and Gierasch is a good teacher. But this was difficult. I had a lot going on the first exam, got a C. Then, had a 93% going into third exam and after the final ended up with an %82. she gives lots extra credit but doesn't compensate. I'm a straight A student but first time in my life I was pleased with a B

She is the best!

Dr. Gierasch is a really good teacher, she is very knowledgeable about organic chemistry. She requires A LOT of out of class work, which is fine by me. The one thing I found is that some times she can be very condescending and that can be a turn off in her class. In my opinion, Dr. Perks is more approachable. Her curves are max 2% in general.

If you are a student who cram one day before the exam, you will be history! Dr. Gierasch is truly the best professor I have ever had during my college years.

I fell in love with Orgo after taking her class and I'm a Math Major! That being said; her exams are not easy and you need to prepare at least a good 3 days before each exam. Got to her for help and practice, practice, practice! She's the best person for the job!

Take her! There is no other professor that teaches orgo like her at UMBC. I took orgo 1 with perks and ended up not learning the fundamentals. It is just I didn't like the way perks teaches. However, Dr. Gierasch has different style of teaching. To do well in her class, study everyday and REMEMBER, pay attention to the DISCUSSION QUESTIONS!

she is very good. try to take her if you can.

Very enthusiastic, passionate, and extremely knowledgeable; actually makes you want to learn Orgo (you can tell she 3 Orgo). Office hours were helpful. Class is all clickers and her going over them; no "official" lecturing. This class will require a lot of time outside class. Exams were extremely difficult and detail oriented.

Felt in love with orgo when I took her. The best professor ever. Attend class, take notes, do problems from the back of the book and you should be fine. The exams are fair and not that difficult. She is very helpful.

Simply amazing! Passionate, fun, understandable, knowledgeable, and cute.

Organic Chem. with Dr. Gierasch isn't easy but she does everything to make it easier. There is a tutorial center to help outside of class and if you read and keep up with the pre-class assignments you will do fine. Definitely not an easy class but if you put in the time you'll get an A.

Dr. Gierasch cares about both the subject matter and her students. Her lectures are helpful as long as you read the book ahead of time. She is very willing to help students that are struggling and she is often in the Chemistry Tutorial Center. Make sure you go to lecture and form a study group!

Wow! She knows the material very well. Honored to be her student. She is way too much for UMBC. I loved her class. Whatever she taught and assigned to read is on the exam. If you pay attention and study, you will get a good grade.

Great professor by any standard.

I LOVE HER! SHE IS SO FUNNY AND AMAZING PROFESSOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing professor! She's so passionate about chemistry and makes me more eagar to study organic chemistry!!!

She's the best lecturer. Very funny and enthusiastic about her job, makes everyone like the subject; even though, orgo gets challenging sometimes. I loved her classes. Definitely one of the best profs.

Very helpful and patient to explain things. She really wants people to do well. She puts a lot of time into her lectures and models, and ochem was actually kind of interesting thanks to her. Would take again (except it was pretty hard).

She is very nice and willing to help. Her exams are pretty difficult and organic chemistry is already a pretty difficult concept. Helps you try and learn ways you'll remember.

By far the best chemistry professor I have had at UMBC and elsewhere! Love to see her teach a senior or graduate level course, and I shall be the first one to seek admission into her class! She is thorough, tough, and fair. She is an asset to UMBC!

Excellent but hard professor. Makes you work hard and earn your grade.

Dr. Gierasch is really inspirational, nice, and always willing to help you-pushes you to work hard! Lectures are mainly clickers, so get yourself into a study group. Exams were really tough (mult choice + free resp), so don't wait until the day before to start cramming. Had to memorize around 20-30 different reagents used for synthesis per exam.

As an instructor in Organic Chemistry, Dr. Gierasch is super hot!! She is smooth, smart, calm, patient, and a highly skilled teacher, while also making one work hard for one's grade. She is an ideal professor to teach this course! She does not seem to be getting enough recognition as other instructors in the department who are really not as good

Dr. Gierasch has helped me out countless times. I don't even think I'll have my current love for chemistry if it wasn't for her Orgo I & II classes. Didn't do my best in the Chem 351 and 352 of course but still, there is no denying that she is great and goes out of her way to make sure you understand and have help if you meet her. The passion tho!

She is the best chemistry professor ever. Though I am struggling through the course, she has helped me and worked with me so the experience is less painful. TAKE HER FOR ORGO I and ORGO II.

SHE IS DA BEST, literally. You cannot find a better, more knowledgeable, caring and funny chem professor than her. She is everything 3

Dr. Gierasch is very nice! Everything in the syllabus is clear and executed well. Orgo is hard, but she makes the lectures interesting. She answers emails in a timely manner and is very approachable. She is a fair grader.

Though many stem professors at UMBC are proficient, Dr. Gierasch really knows her stuff. She implements well her knowledge of the material in a way that is exciting and easy to understand. Her class environ feels homey and more like a discussion and less like a lecture. Regardless, she still manages to cover all the core concepts with few examples.

Gierasch is a much more lenient professor than Perks. Perks adds random difficult questions that look like they came from a 50s typewriter. Having Gierasch for 352 was a blessing. Her exams are challenging, but she gives you reading guides, learning objectives, practice exams, and partial credit. She is really sweet, and great at teaching.

She is the best orgo professor at UMBC. Smith's exams are all free response and perks exams are written weird. But smith and perk give a bigger curve than gierasch. only curve 65 is C. Read the book for clickers, pca. Go to lecture, she gives a good idea of what is going to be the free response. for the MC do a lot of book problems

Your final grade is made up of 3 components: Pre-Class Assignments (PCA), In-Class Clicker Questions, and Exams. The PCAs are only 3 questions that you complete on Blackboard. You get 2 chances, so your PCA overall grade shouldn't be bad. Plus, she drops the 4 lowest PCA grades. For the in-class clickers, you can work with people.

I don't write reviews often, and I rarely give 5's, but Dr. Gierasch deserves it. Organic chemistry will always be a difficult class, so you need a professor who is organized, experienced, and fair. Her class was the most well organized and balanced of any STEM course I have taken.

Great professor. She does an exceptional job at making organic chemistry somewhat enjoyable, and she cares about the success of her students. She provides the pieces necessary to succeed, but it's your job to put them together. Work smart and work hard to get an A in her class.

Gierasch is an amazing professor! You can tell she really cares about her students and wants everyone to succeed. This class is no walk in the park, and if you want an A be prepared to put in 10-20 hours a week for lecture, readings, notes, and practice problems. Tests are fair and homework/clickers are almost free points if you put in the work.

The fact that Dr. Gierasch has such a high rating for such a hard class should speak to her efficacy as a teacher. In class she works through problems very logically, then helps you do harder and harder problems by applying the same basic principles. Out of class the book is very good. Exams can be hard, but a good work ethic will see you through.

Dr. Gierasch is by far the best teacher I've had at UMBC and probably my school career. She really cares about the kids and wants everyone to learn. orgo 2 isn't bad at all, as long as you grind the work out. If you actually read before class and pay attention to her lectures, it'll be a swift, if not, you can still get an A ( i read once b4 class)

Best orgo professor at UMBC. Orgo isn't easy but Dr. G explains the material very well and the book is gold. Read the book, go to class, go to tutoring and office hours and u'll get a decent grade. Read BEFORE class, it help with the clickers. Go to class, you get a good idea of what is going to be on the FR. MC is hard, Focus on old exams.

One of my favorite professors, hands down. Dr. G makes it easy for those who follow her advice. Read the textbook before class (it's one of the better ones out there anyway), come to class, then before the exams make sure to do review learning objectives, recommended problems, and old exams (this one especially). Also, goto tutoring or office hours

Dr. Gierasch is a great professor and will answer any questions you may have. She is very respectable and connects the material to real life examples which definitely helped me to understand. The material is very hard and if you don't put in the work up front, you will fall behind which is what happened to me.

As a transfer student, I only had Dr. Gierasch for Orgo 2, because I took Orgo 1 a year prior(!). While I've always liked Orgo, her teaching style took a bit of time to get used to. But, she's an amazing professor, and ultimately, everything she requires in the class is for your benefit. 10/10 would take again.

Love her to death!! Best prof on campus!! :)

She is an amazing professor, even though the class itself is difficult. She gives extra credit for almost every exam and the final and spends time during class on homework questions that went bad. Exams were hard, but each one is weighted differently based on the grade. Take clickers seriously because they can seriously help your grade.

Great professor, I had her for CHEM 351 as well. She gives you tons of resources to excel in the course. It all boils down to how much effort you put into the class. Her multiple choice exams are difficult. Do well on PCA/clickers, do all the survey's for EC, and put effort into the HW problems and you should do well enough in the class.

Maybe it's because chem 101 and chem 102 got me accustomed to this style of learning, but I would learn things almost immediately in this class. We would read before class, and during class the prof would make sure our knowledge is solidified. She def cares about her students, and wants everyone to succeed.

Dr. Gierasch was amazing and knows a lot about organic chemistry. She delivered content in an organized and logical manner. Exams were fair and she gave plenty of time to complete them. Organic chemistry is tough but working in groups and asking her questions makes it so simple. Wish she taught CHEM 352 online...

B in 351 and an A in 352. Her classes are structure amazingly. Reading the section before class and taking a reading quiz ensures that you are familiar with the content, and going over the section in class hammers it in your brain. Also doing practice problems in class makes it stick, as well. 10/10 would take again. I still remember everything.

Gierasch might seem rigid, but the point is to make sure that we really understand the material. I can for sure say that the depth of my knowledge in chemistry has certainly increased after this semester. Drops homework, ICAs, and PCAs. It is 3 credits but I treated it as if it is a 4 credit course.

Prof Giearasch was very nice and taught/ explained well, unlike Perks. This class is probably the hardest I have taken at UMBC so far.

I had Dr Gierasch for CHEM 351 and 352. She is an amazing professor who knows her stuff and genuinely wants her students to succeed. If you ever need more individualized help, she has weekly office hours which are super helpful. Success in Orgo comes from doing your own practice. If you consistently put in your own work/time, you'll be successful

Dr. Gierasch is the best professor I've had the pleasure of learn from. She gives good lectures and assigns work that keeps you practicing. Orgo 1 isn't very hard as long as you make sure you understand the practice exams. She also takes student feedback seriously and will implement it mid semester. Class was really fun and I wish I took it sooner.

If you get the chance, take orgo with Dr. Gierasch. She genuinely cares about her students and the class. The class will be difficult but that is to be expected anywhere cause it's orgo. Be prepared to read the textbook and do a bunch of practice problems.

She was my anchor even though I failed. I took her with Perks and Gierasch is so sweet and made up for all I didn't understand with him. Retook the class with just Perks but still watched her linked videos because she makes sense. Really makes an effort to know students and is accessible outside of class. Class is hard, but she helps make it better

Super dynamic and energetic lectures. Very helpful and friendly in answering questions. Makes organic chemistry much more approachable. You definitely need to keep up with the course, but then it flows really well.

Dr. Gierasch co-taught Organic Chemistry I with Dr. Perks. She was a much better lecturer than Dr. Perks. She made the material digestible, which was nice.

I had her for both Chem 351 and 352. She is super nice and available for one on one help all the time. Her exams are pretty reasonable. My biggest issue is most of the class is learning on your own and then coming to lecture for review of materials. She explains things well and enjoys teaching chemistry!

I loved taking both Orgo 1 and Orgo 2 with her. She explained things really well and made clear what the expectations were going into the course. She is available outside of class time and is very responsive to student concerns. The tutoring that was available for the class, which is run by her is also amazing. Highly recommend

Had her for orgo 1&2. The amount of work you put in reflects your grade. If you read the textbook carefully and understand the concepts, the exams aren't bad. Sometimes couldn't follow her logic during lectures but would go back and review all questions covered in class, after reading the textbook. Understand the chemistry instead of memorizing!

Prof. Gierasch makes organic chemistry more manageable. Her lectures are engaging, but the class is still challenging. Using resources like the textbook, Khan Academy, and unstuck ai really helped me grasp the material.

Orgo is a very difficult class; she made it so easy for me to understand and digest the material. You could see peoples' faces in lecture light up as they started to understand what she was saying. Just reading the textbook is numbing, please make sure to go to lecture. Her teaching style makes this class so much easier.

Everyone knows Orgo is hard, but I went into the class thinking it would be the class that ruined my GPA. Dr. Gierasch made Orgo easy to understand and so interesting that it quickly became my favorite class at UMBC. Highly Recommend. 10/10

Gierasch is a fantastic lecturer and an inspiring chemist. Her lectures are informative, and she gives you all the tools to succeed. Do all the work before class, come to class with questions and a good foundation, and keep practicing as much as possible until the exam. Learn the content instead of the exam and you will appreciate Orgo even more!

Easily one of the best professors at UMBC. It's one thing to know the content, it's another thing entirely to know how to teach; she understands students like no one else. She made a year of orgo so easy to where I questioned why anyone found it hard at all. I hope my future professors can compare to just how incredible she is.