Andrew Van Der Poel is a Computer Science professor at Northeastern University rated 3.81/5 by 696 students, with 3.87/5 difficulty and 68.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Andrew Van Der Poel professor reviews and ratings: 3.81/5 from 696 student reviews at Northeastern (68.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Discrete is known to be an EASY intro to cs course, but drew makes it difficult. Recitations feel mandatory. Only cs1800 instructor to give us a project. Boring lecturer, does not explain well. I'm a 3rd year CE/CS major and somehow this class is harder than my higher level cs classes.cs1800 2026-02-13 18:04:32 +0000 UTC
Good class structure and really good lectures, but it definitely gets harder towards the end of the semester, and the material gets more theoretical/harder to follow, so it's easy to fall off/stop paying attention towards the end, which can have a substantial grade impact.CS3800 2025-12-10 05:23:40 +0000 UTC
Yeah this guy is the goat. His classes are test heavy, but he sets you up to succeed. The tests do not deviate from what he wants you to learn, and it's pretty obvious what that is. Taking theory of comp w him right now, and not much has changed. If you don't want busy work and actually want to learn this is your guy.CS3000 2025-10-03 18:37:40 +0000 UTC
He is really good professor. I have learn a lot of useful CS useful knowledge from his class. Definitly recommend to take his class.CS5001 2021-05-23 23:47:14 +0000 UTC
Clear in explaining ideas, patient with all students and being fun with answering questions. Would definitely take his class again if I have a chance.CS5800 2020-12-10 01:30:27 +0000 UTC
if u take his class ur choosing the more challenging route. hes really nice but im a ds major and didnt need to take algo so his "setting you up for algo" was not helpful for me and just made the class more difficult. Trust i work hard and this is the only B on my transcript for a reason.cs1800 2025-10-31 20:43:49 +0000 UTC
Drew was awesome. Theory Of Comp is hard in general, but I really like the quiz and homework set up. There was very little that was unexpected and he prepared you well. He is so awesome personally, as long as you pay attention. I love him hes so goatedCS3800 2025-12-09 18:13:19 +0000 UTC
Quickly switches through topics without fully explaining the concepts. Will include things on exams that he barely went over in class. Take someone else if you can.CS3000 2024-04-24 04:28:47 +0000 UTC
Drew is absolutely a gem and amazing in Algorithms! He does not assume that students know the pre-requisites and covers every topic right from the foundation and gradually advances the level. Graphs are the best! Assignments are well designed to cover lecture concepts, med to high difficulty. Definitely recommend him! You won't regret :)CS5800 2020-09-18 16:50:21 +0000 UTC
Definitely a way harder class with him than with other professors. However, this sets you up better for Algo in the long run. You should take the time to make sure you understand everything as you learn it so that you aren't overwhelmed when studying for tests.cs1800 2024-12-17 01:48:15 +0000 UTC
He is a good professor, but unlike most classes, it's actually somewhat hard to get a good grade in CS3800. He is very reasonable and helps students even outside typical work hours through the online forum. My only complaint is his handwriting, and I really think he should just type out his slides.CS3800 2025-12-08 18:07:45 +0000 UTC
Extremely good professor who is nice and coolCS3000 2022-10-27 21:06:27 +0000 UTC
Did a great job teaching the course in the pandemic. Always reachable on piazza and outside. Makes regrading interesting by introducing challenges.CS5800 2020-08-08 18:16:59 +0000 UTC
Insanely hard intro level class. Most ended with Bs or lower and the homeworks were a lot. Does not provide support to students and will not explain well in class. I attended every class and he does a terrible job at explaining. I'm a smart student but this class took it out of me do not take it with him unless you are a teacher's petcs1800 2024-11-21 19:25:27 +0000 UTC
Drew is a nice dude. Took algo with him and loved it. For Theory of Comp, the course structure is awkward. We spent most of the time on FSA, the relatively easy stuff. On undecidability and complexity, he went through large amount of content in a short amount of time. The assignments are only out of 30 points so there isn't any room for error.CS3800 2022-08-23 03:15:23 +0000 UTC
Andrew Van Der Poel has an average rating of 3.81/5 from 696 student reviews. 68.0% of students said they would take them again.
Andrew Van Der Poel's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.87/5 based on student reviews.
Andrew Van Der Poel has taught CS5800, CS1802, CS3800, CS1800, CS3000, CS3001, CS5002 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.