Ki-Young Byun is a Chemistry professor at Northeastern University rated 1.2/5 by 28 students, with 4.7/5 difficulty (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Ki-Young Byun professor reviews and ratings: 1.2/5 from 28 student reviews at Northeastern. TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
I would rather be taught organic chemistry by a degenerate camel with schizophrenia rather than suzie. i didnt think it was possible to be so mis-informed in a subject you are required to have a PhD to teach...ORGO1 2010-10-20 03:57:15 +0000 UTC
THE WORST TEACHER ON NORTHEASTERN"S CAMPUS BY FAR. PLEASEEEEEEE TAKE ANOTHER TEACHER IF U CAN. She is the WORST and I'm a very good student.CHM213 2010-07-15 19:39:33 +0000 UTC
Most horrible teacher. Not helpful, book cannot be used to study because she doesn't teach from it. Memorization of the study guides is the only way to get a good grade.CHEM2313 2010-04-25 16:07:04 +0000 UTC
By far worst teacher I have ever had. My life was miserable during this class. It was so bad a tutor couldn't even save you. I am pretty positive she got fired so no worries anymore. BU can have her back!CHEM3301 2009-12-14 14:29:30 +0000 UTC
Made the mistake of concentrating on the lectures for the first Orgo test. She'll cover the basics but will throw curveball questions. The second test, I ignored her lectures and used soley the textbook and had a much better understanding of the material. However, if you have a friend who already took this class, cling onto them and don't let go.CHEM311 2009-12-01 14:50:08 +0000 UTC
Definitely not a good teacher. If youre looking to be taught organic chemistry, don't take Byun. Everyday I question how she managed to get a PhD in Chemistry, because she has the hardest time answering the simplest questions and frequently gets confused by her notes. Its like she doesn't understand what she's doing. Reading the book is necessary.CHEM2311 2009-11-20 11:38:28 +0000 UTC
I respect the fact that Prof. Byun is new, however I feel that her incompetence, at any level of education, is unacceptable. Her nose is buried in her notes throughout class, writing and talking at the same time, as if she were talking herself through the material and not us. Students did exams in pencil and changed answers for a re-grade.CHM311 2009-08-30 02:01:49 +0000 UTC
If you are smart this class is easy. I got a 100 on almost every test. You have to read the book and notes and learn her test style and you should do fine, as her tests cover only a small fraction of the total material. Yes, overall she's a pretty bad teacher and I didn't learn much, but if you put in the work you'll get an A.ORGO2 2009-07-21 16:26:40 +0000 UTC
If you can, avoid her. Warner is even better. She doesn't know the subject. If you ask a question, she won't be able to answer it. AHHHHHHHHHH!ORGO313 2009-04-11 21:27:33 +0000 UTC
You can't just rely on your lecture notes. She is very unclear with her teaching, and going to her office hours and asking questions is useless because her answer most of the time is, "You just gotta know" or she'll give you a page number. She makes it hard to establish a student-teacher relationship. She's always rushy in class and office hours.CHM314 2009-04-01 10:34:51 +0000 UTC
The WORST teacher I've ever had here. Suzie sucks. She's just awful in every regard- she doesn't understand the material and is constantly corrected by students. She goes through notes at a rapid-fire pace but doesn't explain them nearly enough, and asking her a question is a flat out waste of your time.CHMU314 2009-04-01 07:43:10 +0000 UTC
Class notes don't prepare you well for class, if you can even understand your notes because she goes unreasonably fast and without much clarity. Test were too hard and had problems she never covered in class. constantly needed correction. Avoid her if you can.CHMU311 2008-12-24 22:30:30 +0000 UTC
It seems unfair to have a horrendous professor for Organic Chemistry. I mean, the class is hard enough without a teacher who comes to class every day like she stumbled in by accident, but Byun's level of complete incompetence in all matters organic chem is really the iceberg to the proverbial Titanic that is my gpa.CHM312 2008-12-02 20:42:16 +0000 UTC
her tests are hard (b/c she doesnt make them up)but she also doesnt teach the material at all..horrible teacher... avoid at all costsCHEMU313 2008-11-06 18:02:49 +0000 UTC
During the semester, 2 kids (or the same kid twice) got a question right on the blackboard. Both times resulted in the whole class applauding. I understand Orgo isn't supposed to be easy but unfortunately her lectures make things worse which is frustrating. You'd think that her tests would somehow be related to her lectures but they're far from itORGO1 2009-12-04 02:00:57 +0000 UTC
Ki-Young Byun has an average rating of 1.2/5 from 28 student reviews.
Ki-Young Byun's classes have a difficulty rating of 4.7/5 based on student reviews.
Data updated July 2026.