Current instructor

David Wassarman

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.64/5 from 11 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

GENETICS 467
Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5
Exams were incredibly difficult and he's a very fast paced lecturer. Clearly explained the processes and gave several examples, often giving many chances to ask questions after giving a summary of sections. Was very understanding and kind, truly cared for students!
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GENETICS 467
Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5
He was an good professor who would would help you if asked for it, passionate about his content. The class was very difficult though with him rushing through many different things in one lecture making it very difficult to keep up.
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GEN467 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
He was good and got his point across, but his lectures/slides were often hard to follow/not clear what you were supposed to take away. He was a tough grader on FRQs (the questions were simple/didn't seem to need very detailed answers but he would deduct if you didn't go in depth parts enough). Some FRQs ask about scenarios not discussed in class.
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GENETICS 467
Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5
David was a good teacher but his material is TOUGH, no matter how much I studied I just could never give enough information on my short answers. I would verbatim write something from his slides and he would tell me I did not have enough depth in my answer. His exams averaged more than 10% lower than the first exams he did not teach.
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GEN467 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
I loved Dr. Wassarman! I had an understanding of MCB before coming into class, and so his unit was very easy but I also still learned a lot. Participate in class! Talk to him after class! You may not get a 100% on the exams, but it's very easy to get a 7/8 on every question as long as you show some understanding of some relevant mechanism.
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GENETICS 467
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Engaging Lectures and even though the material was tough, was willing to explain common patterns emerging in the most complex molecular systems, making the content easier to understand and learn!
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with David Wassarman

GENETICS 299 is an independent study course involving research work in Genetics under faculty guidance.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2024 · limited sample

General genetics covering eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems, transmission, mapping, molecular mechanisms, and engineering.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

David Wassarman delivers engaging lectures and clarifies complex molecular genetics material, often providing helpful examples and accessible support outside class. Reviewers describe him as passionate and kind, noting his willingness to explain patterns in difficult systems.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025

GENETICS 699 is a special problems course allowing students to conduct individual advanced work in a specific area of Genetics under faculty guidance.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026
GENETICS 990

Research

1–12 credits

GENETICS 990 is a research course where students conduct independent laboratory research under faculty supervision to prepare a graduate thesis.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026GENETICS 299Independent Study
Fall 2026GENETICS 467General Genetics 1
Fall 2026GENETICS 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026GENETICS 699Special Problems
Fall 2026GENETICS 990Research
Fall 2026PHMCOL-M 699Independent Study
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 681Senior Honors Thesis

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
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