Reviews for BSCI105C

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Anne Simon BSCI105C Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/21/2016	If you are reading the reviews that say that Dr. Simon writes her own reviews and are questioning whether you want to take this class, please do not listen to them. They are not true. Dr. Simon would never do that. I was in your position about 6 months ago. I wanted to sign up for bsci 105C, the course for majors only, because I wanted to learn more and go more in depth. But I also wanted a good grade and I heard that the regular bsci 105 course is easier. If I were you guys, I urge you to just sign up for Dr. Simon's class and try it out for a few lectures. If you do not like the way it is going, you can always drop and switch to regular bsci 105 (note: it will be called something different next year). But PLEASE just try it out, for your own sake. This class completely changed my life, for the better. I came in not knowing any biology (I had not even taken AP bio) and because I followed her tips, I not only got an A+ in the class, but more importantly, I feel like I learned more than I ever have. I feel like I understand the biology "language" and this understanding will stay with me and benefit me for my entire life. Dr. Simon's class is completely unlike the other intro bio courses at UMD. It is not memorization. You are LEARNING the material. And to do this, it requires time to be spent on it outside of every class. You have to read back over the lecture note set (a book that she writes which has all of the information in it in very brief and well phrased writing) and make sure can understand all of the material that was presented in the previous lecture. This will not take that long. The lecture note set is filled with many diagrams and not as many words and is extremely easy to read and understand. Because you are actually learning the material, it is a great time to see if you actually like biology and to explore all of the fields of biology. Dr. Simon really cares about all of her students and wants them to be successful in whatever they would like to do. She really cares. There are numerous students whose lives have completely changed after taking her class as they actually learned how to learn. On top of this, she is also a fantastic lecturer. This class starts our with the most basic biology material. But by the second half of the class, you find yourself learning (and understanding) upper level biology material. Now to my personal experience with the course. I came in with almost no biology knowledge (never taken AP bio) but I was not discouraged and did not that put me at a disadvantage. There were many classes where Dr. Simon worked with me one on one for long periods of time afterwards to make sure I understood all of the information. She would help anyone after class if you came up to her and asked. I also went to as many office hours (only once a week) and review sessions (once a week) as I could, even if I was feeling confident with the material. These were all extremely helpful. During one of her review sessions, Dr. Simon talks about getting research. She gave us a specific procedure to follow (it is not just email the professor). I showed it to many people. EVERY single person that I know of in the class who tried this method got a research position working under a professor. I also shared the method with my friends outside of class and he also got research. UMD is a big school and getting involved and making connections can be hard. But Dr. Simon solved all of those problems for me and put my life on a path towards success. I would be in a much different position right now if it wasn't for her. I am truly blessed to have had her as a teacher.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Expecting an A Anonymous 04/25/2016	Dr. Simon was quite honestly the best teacher I've had at this school so far. My second semester of freshman year and I absolutely loved her. She is so unbelievably passionate about her students and her field, and that is accurately reflected in her teaching. She does an excellent job at not just showing you all of the information, but making sure you understand it. This is honestly one of the most important parts of learning at this level, that you can not just repeat everything back, but be able to analyze it and know it inside and out. Her lecture notes set is amazing and she does everything and anything she can to ensure the success of her students, offering help sessions and office hours regularly. If you follow her advice, there's no way in this world you won't succeed with her.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Expecting an A Anonymous 11/14/2014	Since I am graduating this year, I wanted to review all my past professors that have helped me along the way. Dr. Simon (and her Bsci105C class) was definitely a savior! I really struggled my first semester with Bsci106, and not knowing the correct way to study, but Bsci105C taught me how to. Her method for studying is what I used for just about all my classes afterwards. The Bsci105C class packet is what I use as a resource for studying in my other classes too. If you want to be well prepared for your later bio classes, MCAT, and really understand the material, TAKE THIS CLASS! She's an amazing professor, and really cares for her students. She even holds weekly review sessions and Friday group office hours for those that need additional help. AGAIN TAKE THIS CLASS! If I didn't, I probably wouldn't be going to dental school next year.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Expecting a B biokidz 12/06/2013	DON'T DO IT TO YOURSELF!!!!!!!! And do not ignore my all caps and exclamations. This woman is a prick and you learn nothing from her class except the fact that her class sucks. The information is too dense, and she should not be teaching this class. I wish I had known about Nelson before taking her. Simon is a terrible teacher. She has no idea how to teach and she singles out the kids doing poorly as an example to the rest of the class. She isn't out to help you but rather to get you. I hate this class and can't wait for it to be over. Also she told our class this semester that she goes on the teacher rating websites and makes her TAs and her rate herself as great. Don't believe the good reviews on here. Don't do it.
Anne Simon BSCI105C terpderpterp 10/23/2013	This class SUCKS. Also I heard Simon writes reviews about herself and frequently checks and trolls the OurUMD website to make sure her ratings aren't that bad. Take it from me: her class was terrible. I actually retook this class with Benson who is "harder" and he was even more easy to understand. Simon is a complete rude dog. And her class is extremely annoying. She gives pop quizzes instead of clickers, and she is completely clinically insane. Avoid her. NOW. With a ten foot pole.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 06/20/2013	If you just want a basic Intro Bio class, do not take Simon. However, if you want to challenge yourself, be prepared for Bio classes following Simon's, such as Genetics and Cell Bio, and/or are Pre-Med, Simon is the teacher for you. This class is not Organic Chemistry: it is not as rigorous nor as intense, and the concepts in BSCI105 are conceptually much easier to grasp than those or Orgo. Therefore, I believe that everyone is possible of getting an A in her class (hence why she has no curve); it comes down to mainly work and effort then (and of course you have to be reasonably intelligent). The semester spans a TON of information, from cell organelles, to DNA replication and expression, to enzymes, to cancer genes, viruses, and animal development. It is by far the most factual information I've had to soak for one class, but it prepares so well for BSCI207, Genetics, and beyond. She is an amazing lecturer, and ties many of her lectures to current medical issues or techniques. She gives 40 points of extra credit since there's no curve, and you will need it: her pop quizzes can catch you by surprise, and her 35-multiple choice exams are very comprehensive, and you can only get 3 wrong to get an A on those exams. However, if you study enough every week and pay attention in class, and come to her reviews (let her do the studying for you!), you can do it. This class is not that difficult. Simon is a great lecturer, and provides more than enough tools for you to succeed, but only if you want it. If you are not remotely interested in what she has to teach, don't take BSCI105C; take the regular one.
Anne Simon BSCI105C reviewzfoyou 06/06/2013	Everyone relax.Simon is easy to get an A in if you study the right way...and I'm not talking about the 90 minutes a day she recommends, (that's some grade A b.s. right there)but in terms of figuring out what kind of questions she would ask and paying attention to detail. Before I took this course, I had to choose between Simon and Nelson. I had heard that if you had an A in Nelson you didn't have to take the final (which is really nice and is a very good reason to take Nelson, especially if you have a lot of other classes). I had also heard that Nelson was boring but easy, and Simon challenging but a much better teacher. Both predictions were true. I sat in on one of Nelson's lectures in the beginning of the year to see if I wanted to drop Simon and take Nelson and he was the most boring lecturer. Besides that, I don't know much about Nelson. What I will say about Simon, however, is she is not only a fabulous explainer, she is incredibly helpful outside of the classroom. I asked her for a letter of recommendation for an internship within a month of starting and she sat down with me, talked to me about my goals, and was willing to write one--I barely even knew her but she got to know me in order to help me out. She provided guidance when I was considering switching majors, and provided a make-up quiz when people did not do so well on one quiz. She let people out a little early when they had Orgo exams immediately following. What more can you ask for? Yeah, her exam questions were tricky if you didn't adapt to how she teaches. BUT SHE INCLUDED PRACTICE EXAMS IN HER LECTURE NOTES. By the end of the course you will be familiar with how she tests if you pay attention AT ALL. I know some people whose test scores jumped fifty points. The people who didn't improve either didn't put in any work (sorry guys this is college, some work is required) or weren't willing to adapt to her style. She doesn't want you to just regurgitate information, she wants you to understand it. If you actually try in her class, you will.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 03/15/2013	Simon is terrible. Read the reviews however you want to... there must be so many SALTY students in her class then... also yeah this class was too hard and if you just want the basic concepts to do well in other bio courses while also helping your GPA you should just take Nelson. I promise you I am positive Simon is terrible and I don't even have to say much about that because the bad reviews say it all. I am a SENIOR. Got a C- BARELY with Simon, and I got all A's in every bio class afterward, also got into med school despite her telling me I would never get there. Trust me, Simon has nothing to do with my success. My own will brought me to where I am. Her class was harsh.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/05/2013	Dr. Simon is hand down the best teacher I have ever had. Those bad reviews are by someone real salty about a bad grade and don't accurately reflect her. If you are looking at 105 teachers take Simon. Her class will be very difficult, but this is a biology class and more than likely the other teacher will also be difficult. The reason for taking Dr. Simon though is that she is an amazing lecturer. She gets the point across and makes the content easier to understand. Not only that, she sets you up for doing well in her class and others. Her tips have improved my studying habits ten fold. Furthermore, outside of class I would go to her office hours; she was so sweet and genuinely wanted me to do well in her class. I did not "re-take" the class, I worked hard and I followed her tips. I sincerely wish my other biology classes were taught by her.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Expecting an A Anonymous 11/28/2012	Please don't pay attention to the bad reviews. They seem to all be written by one or two unhappy students. If you scroll down you'll see more accurate reviews. True, Dr. Simon expects a lot from her students BUT she invests just as much time in helping you. She has GSS sessions and she holds 1.5 hour review sessions every week. She also has an awesome note set that's basically like the bio bible for me now. She paces herself very well and really wants everybody to do well. This class helped me understand certain concepts in BSCI207 (that weren't explained well by my 207 professors...). While most of the 207 class was confused, I just remembered what I had learned in Simon's class. If you can take her, take her but only if you're willing to work hard. It will be worth it!!
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 11/20/2012	This class had its ups and downs. and WOW LOL to all the reviews saying this class helped them get into med school. On the contrary, I am surprised that one class at this university could actually make or break your potential to get into a graduate school program. Don't listen to those people. That is crazy talk. This class had its ups and downs and clearly it was not my favorite or anyone else's favorite class. I recommend a different teacher unless you are a College Park Scholar and have to take BSCI105S or BSCI105C. Nelson is awesome from what I hear. Simon's class was like unpredictable because some days she was really nice, other days she was not. So complex for no reason. I can tell you that I appreciate all the material I learned from the BSCI105 syllabus, but I wish I had had another teacher other than Simon. Enough said.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 11/15/2012	BSCI105 was a good class but I didn't like Simon teaching it. That made my semester horrible. Also one thing I didn't like were the in class pop quizzes. If you had to make those up because you were sick, she was very unreasonable and and she would make your make-up quiz an oral quiz question & answer time with her personally. That was a dreadful experience. In all honesty, I learned alot in this class but that's because the BSCI105 curriculum is that way, not because of Simon. Also if you email her about being absent for a legitimate reason she is very doubtful and will assume that you were "skipping" class. Beware.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 11/13/2012	Okay let me tell you something about this class...the lecture note set you get is helpful, but you get lecture note sets in every BSCI105 class. This class will help you succeed in other classes in bio you take down the road. However, avoid Simon if you can. She isn't the most helpful teacher, and you will find that you get more out of the GSS and lab TA's than you get out of her. She also LOVES making the answers to multiple choice questions things like D. the organism is an alien. LAST time I checked, we aren't learning about aliens in BSCI105, and questions like that throw someone off. Nelson is a better professor. Please take him or Shields if you can. If you are stuck with Simon, I mean just do your best but don't expect to get a good grade.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 10/31/2012	If I could give this class with Simon a ZERO rating, I sure would. If you want to listen to people below me, be cautioned that they probably didn't have the experience that I and several other students had with Simon. NOTE: this class is hard, it is an introductory course. I feel that the class was TOO SPECIFIC for anyone to learn anything. The lab was awesome because my TA was nice. However, Simon is a very condascending, rude person if she knows you are doing terribly in the class. If you want my personal opinion, and I am entitled to it...the people below me are CRAZY. The course is extremely difficult and far too difficult with Simon. I sat in on one of Nelson's and Shield's lectures and they were both more helpful and understanding than Simon. I cannot tell you the agony this class with Simon caused on my GPA. The woman specifically tells you she doesn't care if you fail. Oh and for everyone making a big whoop de doo about research help, do you realize this University is not just controlled by Simon? HELLO there are WAY more nicer teachers here in bio/chem depts that will help you with finding a lab internship. Don't make Simon's so-called "connections" (which she always boasted about in our class constantly), make you think this class is worth it. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and TAKE ANOTHER TEACHER PLEASE.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Expecting a B Anonymous 09/20/2012	This class has it's ups and downs...it's a very difficult class but that's just the nature of the material. However, there's no getting around the fact that Prof. Simon expects you to do a ridiculous amount of work and thinks that her class is the only one your taking. Is she nice?...it's a little hard to say. She seems to care about her students but then sometimes she acts incredibly condescending or cold and often makes very intimidating remarks and is difficult to talk to. The sheer amount of effort she puts into enforcing pointless rules (ex: you can't be even a minute late to class or you have to sit so far away you can't hear anything) There was also the one time when a kid forgot his calculator and came into the class to get it and I have never seen anyone be so rude to another person as she was to that boy. So no, I didn't really like her, but I'd give her 3 stars just because I remember a large amount of the material I learned because I slaved so hard. I followed all her rules & spent a ridiculous amount of time studying but did not get an A. Prof. Simon is not as big a deal as she thinks she is. Average professor, just more uptight than most- but she does care about her students.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 07/17/2012	It's really upsetting to see these reviews portraying Dr. Simon as this horrible professor. I mean, I guess everyone is entitled to his/her opinion but I actually think very highly of Dr. Simon. She is an amazing professor and I would recommend her to anyone. I am in no way saying that her class is an easy A however. You still have to work hard, but if you go to her for help, she will absolutely help you. Despite what people have said previously, she doesn't actually want to see people fail. I'm so happy to have had her as a professor. And for those who are thinking, 'Oh whatever, she must have liked her because she was a freaky genius kid in the class or something.' No, I'm not a freaky genius kid. I have to work just as hard as anyone else to do well in the class, but Dr. Simon really is just a great professor and a great person in general. And FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN RESEARCH: Dr. Simon will go out of her way to help you get into a lab, so I would really recommend going to talk to her if that's something you really want to look into.
Anne Simon BSCI105C Anonymous 07/13/2012	BSCI105 is an interesting class. The labs were fun, but that is because Anne Simon was not the actual teacher. She, the lecture professor, is absolutely horrible. If you have no prior bio experience besides a high school regular bio background, you will fail. And guess what? She doesn't care. She doesn't care because apparently she is "on the board of professors who decide which professors get tenure" so in her mind, you don't need to like her because she's safe from being reprimanded for being a poor teacher. She goes too fast in lecture. She makes comparisons of poor students to the students who are doing well. She is just not motivational to students. The GSS is the only way to learn but honestly when you're a bio major taking 4 other hard classes simultaneously, how do you even have time for every GSS for BSCI105?? How?! And oh the final is hard as anything. No curve either. If you take this class I sure hope you are a bio genius. Also her lecture notes are disorganized, the pictures (which she expects you to memorize and are NOT in the book!) are wayyyy too small to even read, and yeah, this class is setting you up for failure. It was dreadful. Also, she believes that all medical funds should go toward funding research for plant diseases, because in her opinion, human diseases are irrelevant. She told our class this. Whack, right?!