William Detrich is a Biology professor at Northeastern University rated 3.2/5 by 14 students, with 3.9/5 difficulty (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
William Detrich professor reviews and ratings: 3.2/5 from 14 student reviews at Northeastern. TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Professor Detrich really means very well. He'll always help struggling students, offers plenty of extra credit on his exams, and outside of the course he is a great guy. However his lectures can be exceedingly boring and textbook reading is required to do well. Exams aren't "easy" but are fair and it is very possible to do well with a little effortBIOL1101 2013-12-11 12:37:44 +0000 UTC
Prof Detrich is one of the best professors I've ever had. He is extremely clear and explains the material in a way that is easy to understand. He designs his class so the material is presented in multiple ways in multiple medias. His tests are more than fair, and he's very approachable in office hours.BIO1101 2011-12-09 18:44:36 +0000 UTC
His lectures are boring, but very helpful. He explains clearly and gives a lot of resources to study from. His quizzes are online and easy! Considering he is teaching biology, the class is easy.BIOL1101 2012-12-02 15:40:34 +0000 UTC
Worst teacher! He's not original and literally stands up there and reads the book for lecture. Tests are all book based, yet impossible. Class is useless. If you have the misfortune of taking this class, pass it only by memorizing the book.BIO1101 2011-04-05 11:26:27 +0000 UTC
It was hard paying attention during lectures, but if you listen close, Detrich has some valuable info. Dropped the lowest of 4 exams, which were pretty easy. Cross reference the lectures with the textbook. You form a group at the beginning of the year, and there are various unhelpful activities and assignments throughout the year.BIOL1101 2012-02-21 15:44:10 +0000 UTC
He's extremely knowledgeable in his field, and because of that he sometimes doesn't get his point across clearly. He's a great guy, and always willing to help. Make sure you go to class, and study for the exams. Group quizzes are hard, but labs and pre-lecture quizzes are easy.BIOL1101 2011-12-01 16:08:43 +0000 UTC
Outside of all things Biology, he's a very nice man but in class, he can be a bit boring. All of his powerpoints are directly from the textbook. Do well on the Prelecture quizzes, labs and clicker questions because they are super easy and a GREAT grade booster.BIOL1101 2011-11-30 22:32:39 +0000 UTC
When I first looked up Detrich here and saw the bad ratings I was really scared about what was coming at me. I was really surprised, the quizzes are a bit tough because they're mostly applying knowledge and not just reproduction, but the exams were quite easy and the case studies, clicker questions and online homework boost your gradeBIOL1101 2011-11-17 14:48:16 +0000 UTC
He teaches all his material straight from the textbook, and his tests are exceedingly difficult. The amount of work that you have to put in to do well is almost not worth it...BIOL1101 2011-11-13 20:17:31 +0000 UTC
Detrich is the nicest professor you will ever have. The material is hard and he's very smart so he talks to you expecting you to understand. You will probably have to go to office hours because his tests are pretty much impossible. Sometimes he teaches with Dr. Jeffrey Grim and he can be sort of sassy but overall they're pretty helpful!BIOL1101 2011-10-31 13:44:16 +0000 UTC
Prof. Detrich is a nice guy who really knows his stuff. You can learn a lot from him if you put in a good amount of effort. It's college.BIOL1101 2011-10-17 14:59:59 +0000 UTC
Absolutely terrible. Avoid him at all costs. I managed to do well in the class by spending obscene amounts of time reading the textbook on my own. His tests are EXTREMELY difficult, and his powerpoints are literally ripped right from the textbook. Monotonous teaching puts biology enthusiasts to sleep. I think he means well, but should not teach.BIOL1101 2011-04-20 20:10:49 +0000 UTC
Worst teacher I've ever had in my entire life. I switched out of the biology major, because his teaching was soooo horrendous. All he does is talk about his research with the ice fish all class. Avoid him at all costs.BIOL1101 2011-04-08 18:51:12 +0000 UTC
Absolutely horrible! Biology should not be taught from a textbook. Needs to be more original with his teaching skills. Exams were extremely difficult. No idea how to teach.BIOL1101 2011-01-27 20:53:12 +0000 UTC
William Detrich has an average rating of 3.2/5 from 14 student reviews.
William Detrich's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.9/5 based on student reviews.
Data updated July 2026.