BSCI124 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/12/2021	Besides the inconvenient, last-min lockdown browser issues (I took this class spring 2020), the class itself wasn't bad. His lectures were, in my opinion, not engaging whatsoever--I only attended them because he had us fill out blank PPTs that were only available in lecture. If you memorize (literally memorize, not even study) the PPTs, you'll get at least a B on exams. BSCI125 (the lab) was super easy as well.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/27/2020	CAUTION! Difficult course for non-cs majors!!!!! I was attracted to the course as it seemed to be a fairly easy gen-ed for non-cs majors but as soon as you start the class, you see the content is a lot and although it isnt too hard, the exams are very tough. The exams are all multiple choices and he asks very specific questions that you would find hard to answer unless you treated this course like a major course. During Spring 20, he informed the online class that the exam would take place on the lockdown browser 20 MINS BEFORE the midterm. We all had to struggle to download and many of the students had difficulties with the software too. He did not seem to care at all. Overall, suggested to never take a course with this teacher again unless you're a bio major.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2020	Take this class if you hate yourself. Lectures are UNBEARABLY boring. He does not teach, just reads right off the slides. The exams are tough because they cover over 400 slides worth of information. There's also only 4 of them! One poor result and 25% of your grade is gone. The only reason he's not rated one star is because he offers extra credit. Only take this class if you have to.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/17/2016	Moctezuma is super nice! Like literally one of the most understanding and genuinely nice professors I've ever had. He understands that a lot of people in the class are not science majors and tries to present the information in a way that applies to daily life. The exams are straightforward. Usually 55 questions with 50 MC and 5 FITB. The only way you could fail these tests is if you didn't dedicate any time to studying or didn't come to lecture. It's all very basic. Moctezuma posts a study guide the week before and holds review sessions the week of. Your grade is an average of these 4 and they are NOT cumulative! The final is the fourth exam. He also offers a ton of extra credit. Up to 25 points. I maxed out on extra credit this semester and managed to bump my grade up two letter grades (B+ > A- > A). The corequisite lab is even easier than the main class. If you didn't get an A+ in the lab you either (a) didn't come or (b) are genuinely an idiot. If you want an easy A and/or to fulfill you DNSL credit take this class! The textbook is useless, save yourself the 75 bucks and don't buy it.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/29/2011	PERSONAL BACKGROUND: I'm a English/Journalism major and needed a Lab Science. I heard this was the best class to fulfill this requirement. CLASS CONTENT: Dr. Moctezuma does his lectures in Power Point style. You fill out a fill-in-the-blank notes during class. EXAMS/ASSIGNMENT: There is no homework. There are 4 MC, uncurved exams, each worth 100 points. They are entirely lecture based. They are not tricky, but if you do NOT pay attention in class and/or study, you will NOT do well on the test. During the semester, you will have the opportunity to earn a maximum of 25 extra credit points that are basically tacked on to your final exam score total. So if you perform poorly on an exam, you can boost your final grade by a whole letter grade. TEACHER: Dr. Moctezuma does a good job on making plants as interesting as humanely possible and relative to your lives. Also, he has a good, if somewhat dirty sense of humor. He is willing to help students if they are struggling with the class and easy to approach. CO-REQUISITE LAB (BSCI124): Easiest lab I've ever taken. I had B. Gonzales and got out at least 30 mins. early almost every lab. OVERALL: I have no interest in science, often fell asleep during lectures, and suck at memorizing large amounts of information. I still got an A and would recommend to this class for all non-science majors. Because all assignments and exams are ENTIRELY lecture based... DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/13/2011	Professor Moctezuma is the best biology teacher I have ever had. He knows his stuff, and he makes the material easily accessible. He brings in things like coffee for class when you discuss stimulating plants, and he always has a presentation or joke in his slides to make lecture interesting. As long as you go to lecture to fill in the slides he posts online, you are almost guaranteed an A. Even if you do poorly on a test, it is fairly easily to keep on top of your grades with all of the extra credit that he gives. If you need to take a science CORE class, this is definitely the one to take.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Anonymous 12/13/2011	Hands down best lab science at UMD. Textook is helpful but is definitely not necessary. The lab is scheduled for two hours but we never spent more than an hour in it. The tests are straightforward. Just by doing all of the easy take home quizzes you add 2.5% to your overall grade in extra credit. If you hate science, take this class. I hated science and still do, but loved this class.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/19/2011	I loved this class. I never missed a lecture, mostly because of the fact that he does not put the slides online and we have to fill in the blanks on the powerpoint slides. But it did help that he was funny in his own way too. He's a really nice guy who you can tell cares about his students and wants his students to do well. One thing that makes the class awesome is the fact that the exams are not cumulative, all four weigh the same amount, so if you're struggling in the beginning, you can still make it up by studying hard for the last one. I'll admit that I only studied hard for two of the exams, but I still did well - and I DESPISE science. Like I really do. He doesn't curve, but that is because he gives extra credit, so make sure to do those. It really makes a difference.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/11/2011	He's the nicest guy ever, and he tries to make things as fun and interesting as possible. Pretty much a guaranteed A, provided that you study for the four tests. He also offers SO much extra credit.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Anonymous 04/27/2011	When taking this class I was under the impression it was super easy from the reviews. I was also recomended by my advisor to take this class because science is not my strong suit. I found the first exam to be the hardest. The material is not difficult, but there is just so much to study all at once that it's easy to get mixed up. Moctezuma is a very nice and makes lectures not as dry. Do go to lecture!
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/22/2010	This guy is really nice and actually cares about his students. Lectures are interesting even if you aren't a big science person because he relates things back to real life and throws in the occasional joke or two. I only wish the class was earlier so I could have woken up for it more often. Your grade basically comes down to 25% Exam 1, 25% Exam 2, 25% Exam 3, and 25% Final. You may think you know everything going into the first test, but if you don't study you will fail. Don't buy the book it's pointless, just go to class or get the lecture notes. TESTS ARE BASED ON THE LECTURE NOTES SO STUDY THEM. He also offers an insane amount of extra credit that can help you. I didn't get over a B on the first three exams but managed to do a bunch of ec at the end of the semester and still pulled off a B. Overall it's a pretty easy class that you can definitely get an A in if you put in a little effort.
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/20/2010	I LOVED THIS CLASS! I don't care much for science and I failed a the Insects CORE. I should have listened to my gut and taken this class to begin with. Moctezuma knows his stuff, and he's so nice. I highly recommend this class. Don't be discouraged by Test I. It gets better. Also, go see him in office hours and do the extra credit. Great class, great professor, great TAs. Thanks Grace!
Edgar Moctezuma BSCI124 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2010	Moctezuma is the man. And I hate biology. I very much dislike science. But Moctezuma actually made plant-biology shutter as interesting as possible. I found him very funny. If you paid attention you would pick up on all his little humor cues. You DO have to go to class. I had it at 9:30 am. It sucked it was so early. However, I never went to two 10:00 am's and two 11:00 am's this semester, but I always attended his 9:30 class. All the information on the tests is given in class. The class is structured VERY well. If you go to class (which is TOTALLY manageable for a course like this), and you are even half decent in picking up cues for what is going to be on the test, you will do fine. Note: I feel like the vast majority of the class struggled. Thats because nobody went to class. I am somebody that misses many other classes, but I did not miss this one. Going to class is essential for the A. The book is NOT a supplement for his class. The power points have blanks that need to be filled in during class. Its very easy considering. In fact, don't even bother getting the book. Also, there is a fair amount of extra credit you can get throughout the semester. And most of it isn't annoying extra credit. You can get up to 7.5% extra credit added to your final grade if you do it all. And most people did. I highly suggest to take this class if you need it for core. It won't get better than this. All in all, Professor Moctezuma is the man. Just one little example to leave you guys with: For one of the extra credit assignments we had to fill out a quiz about psychoactive plants. One of the questions was about if you supported the legalization of marijuana or not. Then it asked to explain why. At this point of the year I had a high grade so I didn't take the extra credit seriously, so I quoted the Notorious B.I.G. for my answer: "Life's ***** and then you die, thats why we get high, 'cause you never know when you gonna go." The T.A.s grade the quizzes, and I'm almost certain that mine was horrified and took it straight to Professor Moctezuma to show him. Instead of getting zero credit, he doubled the extra credit points for my assignment, and make a joke about it during lecture. He didn't call me out because he didn't want to embarrass me, but he used it as something to spice up the average class day. Professor Moctezuma is a champ. Give him a chance and it will be very evident. Probably my favorite college professor.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/12/2021

Besides the inconvenient, last-min lockdown browser issues (I took this class spring 2020), the class itself wasn't bad. His lectures were, in my opinion, not engaging whatsoever--I only attended them because he had us fill out blank PPTs that were only available in lecture. If you memorize (literally memorize, not even study) the PPTs, you'll get at least a B on exams. BSCI125 (the lab) was super easy as well.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/27/2020

CAUTION! Difficult course for non-cs majors!!!!! I was attracted to the course as it seemed to be a fairly easy gen-ed for non-cs majors but as soon as you start the class, you see the content is a lot and although it isnt too hard, the exams are very tough. The exams are all multiple choices and he asks very specific questions that you would find hard to answer unless you treated this course like a major course. During Spring 20, he informed the online class that the exam would take place on the lockdown browser 20 MINS BEFORE the midterm. We all had to struggle to download and many of the students had difficulties with the software too. He did not seem to care at all. Overall, suggested to never take a course with this teacher again unless you're a bio major.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/13/2020

Take this class if you hate yourself. Lectures are UNBEARABLY boring. He does not teach, just reads right off the slides. The exams are tough because they cover over 400 slides worth of information. There's also only 4 of them! One poor result and 25% of your grade is gone. The only reason he's not rated one star is because he offers extra credit. Only take this class if you have to.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/17/2016

Moctezuma is super nice! Like literally one of the most understanding and genuinely nice professors I've ever had. He understands that a lot of people in the class are not science majors and tries to present the information in a way that applies to daily life. The exams are straightforward. Usually 55 questions with 50 MC and 5 FITB. The only way you could fail these tests is if you didn't dedicate any time to studying or didn't come to lecture. It's all very basic. Moctezuma posts a study guide the week before and holds review sessions the week of. Your grade is an average of these 4 and they are NOT cumulative! The final is the fourth exam. He also offers a ton of extra credit. Up to 25 points. I maxed out on extra credit this semester and managed to bump my grade up two letter grades (B+ > A- > A). The corequisite lab is even easier than the main class. If you didn't get an A+ in the lab you either (a) didn't come or (b) are genuinely an idiot. If you want an easy A and/or to fulfill you DNSL credit take this class! The textbook is useless, save yourself the 75 bucks and don't buy it.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/29/2011

PERSONAL BACKGROUND: I'm a English/Journalism major and needed a Lab Science. I heard this was the best class to fulfill this requirement. CLASS CONTENT: Dr. Moctezuma does his lectures in Power Point style. You fill out a fill-in-the-blank notes during class. EXAMS/ASSIGNMENT: There is no homework. There are 4 MC, uncurved exams, each worth 100 points. They are entirely lecture based. They are not tricky, but if you do NOT pay attention in class and/or study, you will NOT do well on the test. During the semester, you will have the opportunity to earn a maximum of 25 extra credit points that are basically tacked on to your final exam score total. So if you perform poorly on an exam, you can boost your final grade by a whole letter grade. TEACHER: Dr. Moctezuma does a good job on making plants as interesting as humanely possible and relative to your lives. Also, he has a good, if somewhat dirty sense of humor. He is willing to help students if they are struggling with the class and easy to approach. CO-REQUISITE LAB (BSCI124): Easiest lab I've ever taken. I had B. Gonzales and got out at least 30 mins. early almost every lab. OVERALL: I have no interest in science, often fell asleep during lectures, and suck at memorizing large amounts of information. I still got an A and would recommend to this class for all non-science majors. Because all assignments and exams are ENTIRELY lecture based... DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. DON'T BUY THE BOOK.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/13/2011

Professor Moctezuma is the best biology teacher I have ever had. He knows his stuff, and he makes the material easily accessible. He brings in things like coffee for class when you discuss stimulating plants, and he always has a presentation or joke in his slides to make lecture interesting. As long as you go to lecture to fill in the slides he posts online, you are almost guaranteed an A. Even if you do poorly on a test, it is fairly easily to keep on top of your grades with all of the extra credit that he gives. If you need to take a science CORE class, this is definitely the one to take.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Anonymous
12/13/2011

Hands down best lab science at UMD. Textook is helpful but is definitely not necessary. The lab is scheduled for two hours but we never spent more than an hour in it. The tests are straightforward. Just by doing all of the easy take home quizzes you add 2.5% to your overall grade in extra credit. If you hate science, take this class. I hated science and still do, but loved this class.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/19/2011

I loved this class. I never missed a lecture, mostly because of the fact that he does not put the slides online and we have to fill in the blanks on the powerpoint slides. But it did help that he was funny in his own way too. He's a really nice guy who you can tell cares about his students and wants his students to do well. One thing that makes the class awesome is the fact that the exams are not cumulative, all four weigh the same amount, so if you're struggling in the beginning, you can still make it up by studying hard for the last one. I'll admit that I only studied hard for two of the exams, but I still did well - and I DESPISE science. Like I really do. He doesn't curve, but that is because he gives extra credit, so make sure to do those. It really makes a difference.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/11/2011

He's the nicest guy ever, and he tries to make things as fun and interesting as possible. Pretty much a guaranteed A, provided that you study for the four tests. He also offers SO much extra credit.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Anonymous
04/27/2011

When taking this class I was under the impression it was super easy from the reviews. I was also recomended by my advisor to take this class because science is not my strong suit. I found the first exam to be the hardest. The material is not difficult, but there is just so much to study all at once that it's easy to get mixed up. Moctezuma is a very nice and makes lectures not as dry. Do go to lecture!

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/22/2010

This guy is really nice and actually cares about his students. Lectures are interesting even if you aren't a big science person because he relates things back to real life and throws in the occasional joke or two. I only wish the class was earlier so I could have woken up for it more often. Your grade basically comes down to 25% Exam 1, 25% Exam 2, 25% Exam 3, and 25% Final. You may think you know everything going into the first test, but if you don't study you will fail. Don't buy the book it's pointless, just go to class or get the lecture notes. TESTS ARE BASED ON THE LECTURE NOTES SO STUDY THEM. He also offers an insane amount of extra credit that can help you. I didn't get over a B on the first three exams but managed to do a bunch of ec at the end of the semester and still pulled off a B. Overall it's a pretty easy class that you can definitely get an A in if you put in a little effort.

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/20/2010

I LOVED THIS CLASS! I don't care much for science and I failed a the Insects CORE. I should have listened to my gut and taken this class to begin with. Moctezuma knows his stuff, and he's so nice. I highly recommend this class. Don't be discouraged by Test I. It gets better. Also, go see him in office hours and do the extra credit. Great class, great professor, great TAs. Thanks Grace!

Edgar Moctezuma
BSCI124

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2010

Moctezuma is the man. And I hate biology. I very much dislike science. But Moctezuma actually made plant-biology *shutter* as interesting as possible. I found him very funny. If you paid attention you would pick up on all his little humor cues. You DO have to go to class. I had it at 9:30 am. It sucked it was so early. However, I never went to two 10:00 am's and two 11:00 am's this semester, but I always attended his 9:30 class. All the information on the tests is given in class. The class is structured VERY well. If you go to class (which is TOTALLY manageable for a course like this), and you are even half decent in picking up cues for what is going to be on the test, you will do fine. Note: I feel like the vast majority of the class struggled. Thats because nobody went to class. I am somebody that misses many other classes, but I did not miss this one. Going to class is essential for the A. The book is NOT a supplement for his class. The power points have blanks that need to be filled in during class. Its very easy considering. In fact, don't even bother getting the book. Also, there is a fair amount of extra credit you can get throughout the semester. And most of it isn't annoying extra credit. You can get up to 7.5% extra credit added to your final grade if you do it all. And most people did. I highly suggest to take this class if you need it for core. It won't get better than this. All in all, Professor Moctezuma is the man. Just one little example to leave you guys with: For one of the extra credit assignments we had to fill out a quiz about psychoactive plants. One of the questions was about if you supported the legalization of marijuana or not. Then it asked to explain why. At this point of the year I had a high grade so I didn't take the extra credit seriously, so I quoted the Notorious B.I.G. for my answer: "Life's ***** and then you die, thats why we get high, 'cause you never know when you gonna go." The T.A.s grade the quizzes, and I'm almost certain that mine was horrified and took it straight to Professor Moctezuma to show him. Instead of getting zero credit, he doubled the extra credit points for my assignment, and make a joke about it during lecture. He didn't call me out because he didn't want to embarrass me, but he used it as something to spice up the average class day. Professor Moctezuma is a champ. Give him a chance and it will be very evident. Probably my favorite college professor.

Reviews for BSCI124