Timothy Dransfield is a Chemistry professor at Northeastern University rated 3.36/5 on Rate My Professors by 83 students, with 4.5/5 RMP difficulty and 52% who would take them again (RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated October 2026).
Timothy Dransfield professor reviews and ratings: 3.36/5 from 83 RMP ratings at Northeastern (52% would take again). RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
He gets a bad rep for no reason. I think most of the bad reviews are just due to it being a very demanding class. If you do a TON of practice questions and listen to all the tips, he gives you'll be fine. There is a lot of homework and attendance grades that also keep ur grade not too bad since tests are very hard, but he's a very generous grader.CHEM1161 2026-05-09 19:12:45 +0000 UTC
Tests felt very different from lectures. There were lectures where he raised his voice, which made the class uncomfortable, and several classmates I spoke to felt similarly. After exams, he would comment on low averages and say things like “I'm surprised not a single person studied,” which was insane.CHEM2161 2026-04-28 17:54:26 +0000 UTC
Great professor, but he had to teach so much material that it made the class very difficult. He is very passionate and funny.CHEM1151 2026-04-16 16:01:41 +0000 UTC
My biggest advice is to study and practice problems ALL THE TIME. He did an amazing job all semester. I received a bad grade because I did not adapt to the class's difficulty quickly enough. He gives you a ton of resources and support to do well. He's a stickler for participation, so come to class with a good understanding of the content.CHEM1161 2025-12-16 02:31:27 +0000 UTC
This class is hard. There is nothing wrong with the professor himself, the curriculum is what is stacked against you. Dransfield is a good teacher that seems to get a bad rep from these reviews. He is always willing to answer questions, explain things further, and is a very generous grader. He gives you everything you need to succeed in the class.CHEM1151 2025-12-23 01:09:40 +0000 UTC
I don't get all the bad ratings. Prof. Dransfield was a great professor, he explained concepts very well. The content was challenging and tests were very difficult, but he gave partial credit on multiple choice, curves were generous, and offered extra credit opportunities. If you put in the work and attend his office hours, an A is very attainable.CHEM1161 2025-07-24 23:20:48 +0000 UTC
Professor Dransfield did everything he could to make it possible to get a good grade in this notoriously difficult class. He is a very intelligent guy and great lecturer, he records the lectures daily, gives partial credit on multiple choice questions, and was great with curves. If you need to take chem1151, Dransfield is EASILY the best choiceCHEM1151 2025-12-22 03:27:33 +0000 UTC
i always hoped the T broke down so i had a reason to miss the class and avoid hearing him yell throughout the whole lectureCHEM1161 2025-06-10 14:38:18 +0000 UTC
Dr. Dransfield is extremely knowledgeable in his field (Got his phd in atmospheric thermochemistry from harvard) and his incredible talents are almost wasted on first year chemistry. He is a great lecturer and will debate chemistry or quantum mechanics with you all day if you want. Highly recommended for motivated students who want to learn.CHEM1151 2025-12-20 02:19:08 +0000 UTC
Very enthusiastic professor, his lectures are super helpful. Participate in class, he's more likely to help your grade if he knows you. People that don't like him just don't pay attention, I got a 64 and 71 on 2 of the 4 exams and still ended up with an A- so I hope that helps! He scales too and provides a bunch of different resources for practice.CHEM1161 2025-05-20 20:14:26 +0000 UTC
This professors class was good but he talked really fast which made it hard for me to learn. He's very passionate about chem but when you don't know what's happening, he has a tendancy to make you feel silly.CHEM1151 2025-12-20 01:22:56 +0000 UTC
not helpful at all. very test heavy and wouldn't let me take a day off for recitation WHICH IS A ZERO CREDIT COURSE because i had the flu.CHEM1161 2025-05-14 18:31:17 +0000 UTC
Any bad ratings from here are really outdated, because Dransfield was the GOAT. He's both energetic in lectures and easy to approach afterwards and is willing to help out anyone who shows up to office hours. Grades were curved a lot too, to the point where the average grade in the class was like a low A-.CHEM1151 2025-12-11 03:02:17 +0000 UTC
He is great at teaching and if you put the work in you can do well in this class -- even if you hate/suck at chemistry. Although, at times he can be a little belittling and rude but he also knows what kind of student he is talking to. Sometimes you will hate his class, but in the end he was a great teacher for a fast paced and difficult class.CHEM1161 2025-04-25 18:10:39 +0000 UTC
Bad ratings for this professor are cope. This guy is the first professor at the school that I've noticed genuinely cares about his students academically and emotionally.He is disgustingly educated and a great teacher.He emphasizes LEARNING.Try your best, do what he advises you to do, and you will get an A. I didn't get an A cos I didn't listen.CHEM1151 2025-12-08 19:31:18 +0000 UTC
Timothy Dransfield is rated 3.36/5 on Rate My Professors from 83 ratings. 52% of RMP reviewers said they would take them again.
Timothy Dransfield's classes have a difficulty rating of 4.5/5 on Rate My Professors.
Timothy Dransfield has taught CHEM1161, CHEM1151, CHEM2161, CHEM3431 at Northeastern.
Timothy Dransfield has received: COE Outstanding Teacher of First-Year Engineering, College of Engineering (2025).
Data updated October 2026.