William Giessen is a Chemistry professor at Northeastern University rated 3.6/5 by 26 students, with 3.2/5 difficulty (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
William Giessen professor reviews and ratings: 3.6/5 from 26 student reviews at Northeastern. TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
It is with profound sadness that I write to inform you that Professor Bill Giessen died on March 25th after a long illness.NONTAKE 2010-03-29 15:46:17 +0000 UTC
TERRRIBLE man!!! and especially a terrible professor. never had any prior chemistry experience and he expects that you're familiar wtih the first few chapters. WAY TOO OLD to be still teaching! he cant even breathe. faces the chalk board and doesnt teach anything. tests are more difficult than practice exams, hes unorganized, and shouldnt teachCHMU211 2007-07-24 19:32:30 +0000 UTC
It takes a bit to be able to get used to his teaching style, but I liked the class, and didn't need to go too often to do well on tests. He tries to make jokes, but if you don't know something he can be condescending, and assumes everyone knows everything about chemistry.CHEM211 2007-04-07 10:51:50 +0000 UTC
Have never had chemistry, and havent learned anything yet because everything is taught at too high of a level. He is wayyy too old to be teaching, hard to understand, heavy german accent. WAIT FOR ANOTHER TEACHER! Random pop quizzes, 2 finals + midterm. practice midterms are very easy compared to the actual midterm.CHEM1 2007-04-02 23:08:32 +0000 UTC
hes very knowledgable about the subject and has a lot of enthusiasm, but is class is just boring. his quizzes are very hard and he really plays favorites.CHM151 2007-02-02 12:52:48 +0000 UTC
He's fun. Make sure your always listening because he might start making a joke about his german ancestors, hunting ze bears.CHEM151 2006-01-04 21:23:37 +0000 UTC
hes a good teacher just assumes that everyone knows all the stuff so he is a little fast but great professor!CHEM 2005-12-13 09:33:26 +0000 UTC
too fast paced. hard to understand. assumes that student knows. if you ask a question that he thinks is easy/stupid, he will put you on the spot. i good personality but that isn't enough. Better off with Professor Dimilla.ENGINEERCHEMI 2005-10-22 16:45:28 +0000 UTC
Funny guy. Explains things well overall, athough you do still need to read the book to really understand the concepts. His accent is a little weird to adjust to at first, but over time it becomes easier. He tries to keep it interesting and likes to involve students, so pay attention! I recommend him.CHMU151 2005-10-08 19:36:50 +0000 UTC
This guy is awesome he is so passionate about teaching and will help you understand.GENCHEM1 2005-05-24 16:16:50 +0000 UTC
He was very energetic and passionate about his subject. He was also interested in getting the students involved in the lectures. The class itself is considerably demanding and required many hours of work a week outside of class in order for me to get an ACHM211 2005-04-12 17:37:47 +0000 UTC
Good teacher overall, but I hate how he calls on people in class.CHEMISTRY 2004-02-16 11:48:05 +0000 UTC
he's a great guy. he tries to do everything he can to get students to understand the material. he goes out of his way to help students in any way he can.CHEM3 2003-11-16 19:57:52 +0000 UTC
No CommentsCHM 2003-07-23 18:00:35 +0000 UTC
He is a good guy, but his lectures don't really help you on the tests or quizzes. Do all the homework.. ALL OF IT! He's a lot better than Reiff though.CHM1132 2003-05-23 11:45:33 +0000 UTC
William Giessen has an average rating of 3.6/5 from 26 student reviews.
William Giessen's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.2/5 based on student reviews.
Data updated July 2026.