AI Rate Professor

Chemistry

William Alston

CHEM12AB · CHEM12A · CHEM3 · CHEM12A12B · 12A · CHEM12B · CHEM12ACHEM12B · 110 lifetime ratings

AI rating
52/100
RMP rating
3.4/5
Take again
53.73%
Difficulty
4.3

The decision

if you will live in office hours and want UC-level OChem rigor; otherwise the .

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerOChem Weed-Out30% CurveOffice Hours EssentialTough GraderLecture Heavy
  • Organic chemistry is graduate-level hard with .
  • Office hours and relentless self-study decide whether the 30% curve becomes an A.
  • Students either call him the if .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

34/100

An A is possible with the , and office hours, but only after heavy memorization and constant practice.

Nearly ; two online reviews describe harsher, less supportive conditions.

Is the course easy?

BrainBurner

14/100

Students repeatedly call OChem graduate-level, mechanism-heavy, and designed to weed people out.

; online sample is too small to change that picture.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

and warn that missing lecture or board notes makes exams nearly impossible.

In-person attendance pressure is strong; .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

54/100

Fans praise kindness, humor, and transfer prep; critics say teaching style and .

Recommendation is mostly an in-person debate; .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

38/100

He is a standard 30% curve, drops, and sometimes grade rescue for students who engage.

Format shift

reviews.

Workload

Heavy

24/100

Expect lecture-heavy board notes, lots of homework and memorization, labs, quizzes, and .

Format shift

In-person workload detail is abundant; online mentions daily quizzes and low support.

Teaching experience

Average

58/100

, and expert, but and success depends on office hours and self-teaching.

Format shift

In-person reputation is polarizing but substantive; .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

82/100

Exams and , while labs and homework matter but rarely rescue weak tests alone.

Format shift

; one online CHEM3 note mentions open-note exams.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

48 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

but fair for grinders: tough exams, 30% curves, drop policies, and excellent one-on-one help if you show up.

Main concern

and .

What students said

“Don't fear Alston! Show up to every office hours... Exams 30% curve, final none.”
CHEM12A
“If you can't teach yourself complex .”
CHEM12A12B
“Insanely difficult professor but its doable. Show up to office hours and put in the work and you should get an A.”
12A

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

, and poor pandemic-era accessibility.

Main concern

Little support and .

What students said

“Very judgemental, does not offer very much help. Never shows up to office hours... .”
CHEM12B
“He does allow open notes during (5) exams, but .”
CHEM3

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are hard, mechanism-dense, and and drops rather than open-book policy.

30% curveHard mechanismsNo final curveOffice-hours style problemsTest heavy

Assessment risk

Strict

32/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and often mismatched to homework, with a common 30% curve except the final and limited partial credit.

30% curve on exams and quizzesNo final curveMechanism-heavyDrop lowest exam or quiz
“ and quizzes have a 30% curve; you , and one lab.”
CHEM12A
“ , and show up in the office hours right before the exam.”
CHEM12A

Online

Limited online comments mention open notes on .

Open notes on some examsDaily quizzesHarsh grading
“He does allow open notes during (5) exams, but .”
CHEM3
“ . Overall, very poor experience with Dr. Alston.”
CHEM12B

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“If you can't teach yourself complex .”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, mostly , and office-hours themes. Credibility rating: High.

🔥 Brutal OChem Rigor

14/100

“his class is similar to MIT's ochem class, with average scores still around 60% after the curve.”

🛟 Curve and Office Hours

58/100

“Show up to every office hours, tons of practice problems... Exams 30% curve, final none.”

❤️ Caring but Tough

70/100

“Alston is the so kind... and save you!”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • and the course requires lots of self studying
  • Get ready to clear your storage for taking pictures of the whiteboard
  • he is good at explaining topics if you ask specifically

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • 30% curve on every test
  • expect no partial credit
  • Insanely difficult professor but its doable

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

  • he's a ... he gives W life advice

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

110

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews with rich and difficulty themes, and strong in-person sample size support high confidence.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 542
4 out of 521
3 out of 518
2 out of 511
1 out of 519

Course coverage

CHEM12A19 reviews
CHEM12B9 reviews
CHEM12A12B8 reviews
CHEM36 reviews
12A4 reviews
Show 2 more courses
CHEM12ACHEM12B3 reviews
CHEM12AB1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

47 reported outcomes

A range

22

A+ 5 · A 16 · A- 1

B range

7

B+ 1 · B 6

C range

6

C+ 2 · C 3 · C- 1

D range

1

D 1

F

1

F 1

No letter grade reported

10

Drop/Withdrawal 5 · Not sure yet 4 · Rather not say 1