Reviews of professor Gary Vanderlaan

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. V is brilliant. He teaches his class fast and has high expectations for his students as future healthcare workers. People complain about the work they have to put into the course, but if you aren't willing to put in the work now, that's on you. He truly cares about his students and takes pride in their success. He also has a sense of humor.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Not a good teacher gets off topic. Poor teaching skills

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
It does very little good if you are brilliant, but cannot communicate efficiently-especially when teaching future clinicians. Gets wrapped up in details, not relevant to what future PAs and physicians need in terms of microbiology. He also teachers immunology however no one will sign up for the class once they find out he is the instructor.

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. V is not as bad as you may think. Med micro is very lecture and powerpoint heavy so I recommend studying the second he uploads the powerpoints. The exam questions are taken directly from the powerpoint so you realistically could pass with the powerpoint in hand but you NEED to attend lecture to understand anything. Overall, study all the time

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
PA students warn you about gross anatomy but not med micro! Dr. V is brilliant, kind, & caring. He can get off-topic in lectures, making us fall behind schedule. Lecture exams are very difficult but the lab is easy. Exam grades are often based on luck because he picks one topic and makes that 80% of the test. However, he is generous w/ bonus pts!

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
this guys is straight up mean and disrespectful toward his students. he made fun of my stuttering when i asked him a question about what i thought where unclear directions on his test. way too off topic. would not recommend

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
He gets off topic and distracted easily. Tough grader and never finishes a lecture because he gets off topic so much. But you are still expected to know all the material

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. V was very knowledgeable about microbiology. He was very particular about random things, however. One on one, he can be a bit condescending, which was surprising, because I always came to class prepared and did very well. He prepares you well for exams if you study his reviews. He is very accessible outside of class. Good amount of extra credit

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. V has a HUGE love for microbiology. Although his class covers a lot of information in a short amount of time, he truly believes every aspect of medical microbiology is worth it to future healthcare works. He is accessible outside of class and you should use the office hours. He has a lack of organization but his interest in students overrides.