Current instructor

Matt Bowman

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.86/5 from 300 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

343 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Bowman is the GOAT and represents some of the best teaching @ UW. That man is fueled by Dr.Pepper and Sn2 mechanisms; you can really FEEL his passion for teaching, and his office hours r great too. Don't take 343 with anyone else, or 345 for that matter, if he teaches it. Obv u still will have to put in the work, but he makes the class v doable.
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343 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Easily the best teacher I've had so far at UW. Makes himself extremely accessible before tests (hours upon hours of office hours leading up to tests), and genuinely wants every student to succeed in a difficult class. Lectures were extremely helpful and well done. I could not recommend him more
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343 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
343 was one of the most challenging courses I've taken, but Bowman's organization makes it manageable. The class requires a lot of studying, and he provides about 10 full-length practice exams that are the same question format as the actual exams. Fair and very quick grading. Syllabus says 90% is an A, but he curves at the end to give more ppl As.
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343 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
343 was one of the most challenging courses I've taken, but Bowman's organization made it very manageable. The class requires a lot of studying, and he provides abt 10 full-length practice tests that are the same question format as the actual exams. Very fair and quick grader. Syllabus says 90% is an A, but the curve at the end gives As below that.
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CHEM 343
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Bowman was a great professor for OChem1. He offered a lot of office hours, especially when a midterm or the final was coming up. Discussions were not mandatory which was nice when you had a lot on your plate, but they were helpful in learning the material. Also, his practice exams were very similar to the actual exams which was extremely helpful.
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343 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Chem343 was hard because of the content itself, but Bowman made everything significantly easier to understand. I took 343 w/ another professor in the past and got a C, but after retaking it w/ Bowman and putting in more effort, I finished with an A. He's a great professor who clearly cares about his students and their success.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Matt Bowman

A mentored research project arranged with a faculty or academic staff member, offered as Directed Study in Chemistry.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

No recorded grade history

Organic Chemistry I covers molecular structure and bonding to predict reactivity of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, alcohols, and thiols, emphasizing stereochemical and regiochemical outcomes.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Matt Bowman

Matt Bowman taught organic chemistry by providing extensive online resources, including videos and practice exams that closely mirrored the actual tests. Students described his lectures as engaging and clear, noting that he offered numerous practice problems to help students prepare. He also maintained a generous schedule of office hours, particularly when midterms or finals were approaching.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Directed Study is an advanced mentored research project arranged with a faculty or academic staff member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027CHEM 299Directed Study
Spring 2027CHEM 343Organic Chemistry I
Spring 2027CHEM 699Directed Study
Fall 2026CHEM 341Elementary Organic Chemistry
Fall 2026CHEM 699Directed Study

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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