Doug Vander Griend - Calvin University

Professor: Doug Vander Griend

Department: Chemistry

College: Calvin University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DVG is literally one of the top professors at Calvin. He's landed on numerous national top 300 lists of professors and it's for a good reason. I have never learned material so well as I did in this class. It took a little bit to get used to the work load, but that's typical for a college freshman. I cannot praise this prof enough.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

One of the best professors I've ever had, but was also one of the hardest classes I've ever taken. Very thorough in lectures, everybody loves him, great soul patch, and dropped the worst test grade. Even let us take an exam at his house at 3am and made us eggs. You'll have to work your tail off to keep up and there's quite a bit of online homework.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Best chemistry prof I have ever had!! He was selected by the Princeton top 300 professors in the US and he deserves it! He gives great analogies and metaphors to associate with topics you are learning and he is very funny in class. He genuinely cares about each student and wants you to succeed in his class. Take him or you will regret it!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is a very good teacher, using analogies very frequently to describe unusual and non-intuitive concepts. Apart from that, the homework deadlines were often rearranged throughout the semester to ensure everyone had adequate time for completion. The homework was usually once every one to two weeks, and much of the learning was done in class.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

great prof & person

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Amazing professor. If you don't like chemistry, you will love chemistry after taking his class. He explains in a clear manner and even has questions to do in class to make sure scholars understand the material. 10/10

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CHE103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He's super nice. His teaching style is fantastic. I really enjoyed his class. His tests are really easy if you listen carefully to his lecture. I would definitely take his other courses. FANTASTIC professor! Strongly recommend him!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Incredibly difficult to learn from lecture. His notes are very disorganized and he just threw stuff on the board. It was very hard for me to learn, so I had to spend a lot of extra time out of class studying. He assigned 15-30 problems every night on Sapling. However, he was extremely willing to answer questions outside of class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Vander Griend is amazing! He is so knowledgeable about chemistry and is very willing to help you. He challenges you to make lots of connections that you would have never made before. He also really cares about his students and their performance. Take his class if you want to be challenged and cherished.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

DVG was my favorite professor this semester. CHEM 105 is a lot of work, but totally worth it. We focused on concepts and understanding the principles behind the different rxns. One benefit of taking 105 is that your lab group is the same as your lecture group. Overall, my favorite class and professor this semester.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

One of my favorite profs ever. He loves what he teaches and cares about teaching it. He does his best to make sure that you really know what you're dealing with conceptually, and not just equations, which helps in the future and on the final. He is great help one on one in his office, which is super because he's got Star Wars Lego models...

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He is a helpful, clear, intelligent, and organized prof. I failed the first test but pulled up to a B by the end. It's a super tough class depending on your background, but worth it. I appreciated how he focuses on teaching in a way that not many profs do. He lives up to Calvin's standards and goals for professors. I learned more than any class.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Vander Griend is a great introductory Chemistry professor. I'd recommend him 10 times out of 10. He does challenge his class to work hard, but if you put in the work, the rest follows. He is very helpful and provides the students with all the tools they need to succeed.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: 103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Hardest class I've ever taken. His teaching style did not suit me at all. I'm not good at Chemistry to begin with and he made it much worse...

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: IDISW17
• Grade Received: P
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I had Prof VG for an interim class and he was fantastic. He cares so much about his students and that is so evident. Honestly, one of my favorite profs at Calvin. If you get the chance, take his class!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Vander Griend is the best to have for Chemistry. Be aware that his tests are really hard, and you need to study a lot for it. If you like to memorize mathematical steps for any Chemistry problems, you will not do well. The key for success is to understand the concepts and attend class everyday. Also, take advantage of any review sessions.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very hard Prof for 103, he teaching style would be better suited for a higher level class

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Such an awesome prof! Take him for sure. Super helpful and very engaging. He cares about your grade and you as a person. Made chemistry fun for my class. Tests are tough, so study hard, but extremely great guy and teacher. Best prof I've had so far.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CHEM105
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

best prof at calvin that i have taken

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CHEM103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

For this course, he is one of the best profs to take, but I still didn't enjoy his teaching style. He worked very fast and we had to take notes quickly. I asked a lot of questions and would think that I understood what to do, but then I would bomb the tests and quizzes. So hard. I suck and chemistry and he didn't further my knowledge or engage me.