Kelley Danahy is a Chemistry professor at Northeastern University rated 3.54/5 on Rate My Professors by 95 students, with 4.0/5 RMP difficulty and 60% who would take them again (RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated October 2026).
Kelley Danahy professor reviews and ratings: 3.54/5 from 95 RMP ratings at Northeastern (60% would take again). RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
I almost cried in these lectures at least once, and she said doing better than a 65 was "good" on her first exam. She also doesn't curve. Take Jude Matthews.CHEM2313 2026-10-15 20:43:08 +0000 UTC
Professor is kind, but has high standards... which is personally a positive because you shouldn't be able to just skate through orgo. You have to actually do the work. She's funny too and genuinely cares for her students.CHEM2311 2026-10-06 19:31:47 +0000 UTC
Danahy is a very nice person, but her tests are impossible. Studied for hours on end, yet still felt completely unprepared for each test. The topics covered between the last test and the final are rushed and poorly covered, so there was no shot the "final redemption" policy would apply. Love Pensive Cat, but not this class.CHEM2313 2026-01-26 21:51:39 +0000 UTC
I think it's silly that everyone from spring 2026 rated her so low.. The lecture hall was practically empty for most of the semester. of course your grade will suffer if you self-study orgo without any outside input. She's a fair grader, and I would even say generous, I did badly, but only because I literally never studied. She rocks.CHEM2311 2026-09-11 03:16:49 +0000 UTC
As a ChemE who had Danahy for Orgo 1, this was my favorite class of the semester. Puzzle sets were short and sweet. Office hours make the semester enjoyable. I always go into her exams thinking they're going to be harder than they are. I'm coming out of the course feeling like I know how to do useful things with Orgo. Her humor is icing on the cakeCHEM2313 2025-12-23 22:57:51 +0000 UTC
Idk why people hated her so much last semester, orgo 1 is tough no matter what prof you have. She was very nice and explained everything patiently during office hours.CHEM2311 2026-08-24 19:35:00 +0000 UTC
I am reading all of these bad reviews and truly wondering if I was the same class as y'all…Like yes her exams are hard but the comments about there being no support are just false. She has 3 hours of office hours per week, responds to emails in like 10 minutes, and has 3 excellent TAs. She is also extremely kind and nonjudgmental.CHEM2313 2025-12-18 04:18:38 +0000 UTC
Professor Danahy is kind and wants her students to succeed, but Orgo is tough. Practice exams felt manageable, yet actual exams, especially the final, were much harder and heavily application-based. There's no curve or extra credit. Despite mastering and understanding the practice material, my exam results didn't reflect it.CHEM2311 2026-04-30 18:41:41 +0000 UTC
Danahy is an amazing teacher who really cares about her students. This course is of course challenging, but she sets us up for success. Her exams are all free response, so if you prefer MC, take it with another teacher. I really enjoyed this class, and it has made me appreciate chemistry more! My D in her class is a reflection of me not her!CHEM2313 2025-12-15 23:13:33 +0000 UTC
She was a really good teacher, but her tests were super hard, and she doesn't curve.CHEM2311 2026-04-27 16:33:54 +0000 UTC
Super nice and caring; very accessible and approachable outside of class for extra help. Lectures are given via her iPad, and her notes and weekly homework are very useful to learn from. If free-response exams and "content mastery" aren't your thing, take the other professors with MC tests.CHEM2313 2025-12-15 22:18:29 +0000 UTC
The lectures and the practice exams make the tests seem like they will be so easy, but last minute she always makes the exam 50x harder. The Puzzle Sets which she grades are almost impossible because you are allowed to use 'outside resources' but there are none that can even help. Please take ANYONE else, she is nice but she is extremely tough.CHEM2311 2026-04-27 14:59:25 +0000 UTC
Take someone else if you can. I loved orgo 1 and got an A, but did terrible in this class. Exams are extremely hard and despite studying nonstop, I felt hopeless. The exams have content that we never covered. Some puzzle sets were easy, and some were very hard. She also doesn't curve, give extra credit, etc. She's nice, but the class is so so hard.CHEM2313 2025-12-15 20:53:32 +0000 UTC
Take any other professor but her she has a massive ego and millennial humor. The exams themselves were hard and does not compare to the study material that she provides in which she barely provided any. Save yourself and take another person, if not then prepare to STUDY like your life depended on it. Do NOT trust the good reviews.CHEM2311 2026-04-26 18:50:04 +0000 UTC
Honestly liked her for orgo 1 and did well. However, this class was so bad for orgo 2. Insanely hard exams and randomly pulls out mechanisms no one has ever seen. I studied like 30 hours a week and still felt blindsided on her exams. Take Matthews instead.CHEM2313 2025-12-15 01:55:05 +0000 UTC
Kelley Danahy is rated 3.54/5 on Rate My Professors from 95 ratings. 60% of RMP reviewers said they would take them again.
Kelley Danahy's classes have a difficulty rating of 4.0/5 on Rate My Professors.
Kelley Danahy has taught CHEM2311, CHEM2313, CHEM5628, CHEM4629, CHEM4628 at Northeastern.
Data updated October 2026.