John Gelder - Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Professor: John Gelder

Department: Chemistry

College: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I studied so hard for this class I spent a ton of time going over all the material on the website and the book. I have all A's in a science degree and almost got a C despite my best efforts. He isn't a mean or bad man, but this was super hard and geared towards people with a natural understanding of chem. I can't see a new problem & do without prep

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Everything in Dr. Gelder's class is smooth sailing UNTIL YOU GET TO THE EXAMS. I bombed almost every single one during CHEM1314 and CHEM1515. However, Dr. Gelder is a wonderful guy who really loves chemistry and his students. I truly enjoyed his class even though it kicked my rear. I worked my tail off for a B in 1314 and a C in 1515.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I was terrified to take Dr. Gelder for Chem 1515, but let me tell you he is INCREDIBLE! He is a great teacher and an even better person. Go to office hours if you can, he will remember you. His tests are very hard, but you have homework assignments that make studying easier because you actually retain what you are learning. This class is enjoyable

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Reasonably difficult if you don't know what to expect, but luckily, you can spend a lot of time in his office hours and he will answer homework questions for free. Also, every Monday of the week there is a help session, and he offers lots of answers to work after it has been done, if you do the work for an A, you can get it.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Smart guy, pretty funny. Gives a lot of homework. Grades so strictly, if you mess up in the slightest he rarely gives enough partial credit. Doesnt help you review well for tests either. Solid guy, just makes the class overly difficult.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Ridiculously difficult. His grading is absolutely insane and lets nothing slide, so don't expect any A's on a test. Averages for all his tests are in the 50's if not below.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Kind of hard to understand his teaching and he expects you to already know a lot of things. His tests are nothing like to homework or any practice exams he gives out.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Gelder's class is passable, but I suggest if you're taking CHEM1314 or CHEM1515 you consider other professors. I wish I had looked at his ratings before taking the class. Lectures are difficult to pay attention to because he rambles on about stuff not relevant to homework.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Lectures were often difficult to stay tuned into, and his explanations were rarely helpful. The only way to get through this class was to never miss labs and teaching myself through the homework and reading the textbook rigorously.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Gelder is the least helpful professor I've ever had. Half of the time the topics he covered in lecture had nothing or little to do with what was being covered in the homework. Obviously, you need the lab book. But, I found the in class workbook to be entirely unnecessary. Labs are easy enough but, the homework is constant and challenging.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Bad Dr Gelder is a great man and an inspiring prof. His tests are pretty hard and take about 70mins but he only gives you 50mins. GO TO SI sessions. They will bump your grade and are normally really quick, if you are in between a letter grade and haven't gone, dont expect any help. Get on his good side and go to office hours so he knows your name

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Gelder cares about chemistry very much. In order to do well in his class you must try your best at everything he assigns. I did all the problem sets, ACA's, and BCE's yet the highest exam grade I received was a 68. As long as he knows you are trying and attending his help sessions, he will help you out and give you advice to succeed.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I hate chemistry, but Dr. Gelder did an okay job at making it bearable. I will be taking him again next semester because i feel i did learn a lot in this class. It is a lot of work and the tests are extremely difficult. Dr. Gelder sees a class average on a test of 55% as a great thing, if that tells you anything.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Gelder is an amazing guy but not that great of a professor. He gives tons of assignments and won't lecture on them until after the deadline. He teaches over most peoples heads.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Prof Gelder is an amazing chem professor and gives you enough assignments to help you really understand the material. You have to put in effort though or you won't really have a clue what's going on. He has many help sessions outside of class as well as student-taught SI sessions that are worth extra credit. Great professor for science majors.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1215
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Belittles his students on a daily basis.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Gelder is obviously a good man and he knows his chemistry, but unfortunately, I didn't get much from his class. I was always lost even though I payed attention in class and took notes. Additionally, his office hours didn't work with my schedule so I never could go. The tests are ridiculously hard. Class average was almost always in the 50s.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1515
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Gelder cares about the subject, and he won't hand you an A for nothing. If you want a good grade in this class, it is possible but you need to be ready to put in A LOT of time. I learned a lot from Dr. Gelder, but I did not like the way he organized his tests, homework, etc. I would recommend if you are a science major. Otherwise, I would not.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He uses a website he made that is super outdated and annoying to use. All his test are super hard, don't be surprised if you never make an A on one. Do all the ACAs and BCEs and anything else he asks you to do bc he checks in the end and he will round up to your final grade a lot. He also offers a ton of extra credit.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM1314
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

His style of teaching didn't work well for me. I didn't learn much in lecture, but it was important to go b/c there were clicker questions that he randomly took for credit. I basically taught myself everything or learned in the SI sessions (GO TO THESE!!!). An assignment before and after every class, plus problem sets and lab so lots of work.