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Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 03/08/2024	All the reviews here are horribly unfair. If you put in an adequate amount of work, you will be fine. The class is expectedly dense, but that is the nature of Genetics as a topic, and less so indicative of the professor itself. She provides enough material to be successful, and the exams are very fair. Study hard!! The exam format is not bad, and there is no essay writing or anything like that. She always provides bonuses on her exams as well, which sometimes are just free points. Discussion is a little unrelated, but overall not hard either. Study her words carefully, make flashcards, and you will be fine.
Peter Jackson BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 03/06/2024	Good TA
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/16/2023	BSCI222 is an information-packed class and it can be hard to keep up with the content. However, Dr. Paczolt gives you plenty of resources for you to be able to succeed. She posts her lecture recordings, has very helpful topic outlines, posts a practice exam before every midterm, is great at answering questions in class or during office hours, and keeps up with discussion board questions. She even holds an extra office hour before exams. Some other reviews referred to her lectures as an information dump, but that's just because there is so much content to cover that Dr. Paczolt has to keep to a strict schedule to finish everything before the semester ends. I actually liked her lecture style; she spoke clearly and was very thorough in explaining the content. Her lecture recordings are especially helpful for catching the details you may have missed the first time around. The coursework was not too overwhelming; she assigned a topic quiz to be completed after each topic (4 topics per midterm), and 2 homework assignments and a practice exam due before each midterm. There was also an occasional short MathBench or 222torial Quiz due. The practice exam was graded on completion, but all others were on accuracy, and every one of these assignments was take-home and online. All of these assignments are useful in preparing for her exam as they showcase the types of questions included in her exams. Her exam grading is fair and she gives out plenty of extra credit to boost your grade. I've heard from my classmates that time can be tight on the midterms, but I feel like if you know the content well, they are completely doable within the timeframe. Her final is all multiple-choice and easier than the midterms, so time shouldn't be an issue there. Discussion sessions could be split into Gene Labs and Exam Review and they are all mandatory. The Gene Labs were interesting and allowed you to see the applications of the content learned in lecture, but weren't particularly helpful for learning the content itself. The exam review sessions were a great way to prepare for exams though. How I studied: Before each topic quiz, I would rewatch the lecture recordings for that topic at double speed. For the homework assignments, I would go through it once closed-note, then go through it again open-note and mark down what I got wrong before submitting. I always checked my practice exam against the practice exam keys and marked down what I got wrong. Before midterms/finals, I would read over the topic outlines and review the quizzes/homeworks covered in that exam. The topic outlines are extremely helpful when preparing for the exams. Flashcards would also be useful since there are a lot of terms to remember. Other helpful resources would be GSS and the discussion review slides. On average, I'd say I spent 2-3 hours per week on coursework and 10 hours per midterm studying.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2023	I do not think Paczolt herself is as bad as people say she is... She can sound condescending, but I feel like it's not even on purpose? She can definitely be rude to those asking questions during lecture, whether she realizes it or not. It's not really her fault that there is so much material, although I don't like how we will still be learning material the week of the exam (I guess it can't be helped). I never went to office hours though, so I can't say that much about who she is as a person. But… I feel like there are definitely worse professors in terms of manners and how they treat students. If you are like me and can't pay attention during in-person lecture, she records everything on ponopto, and you should just watch those videos instead. This course has a lot of content and complicated concepts, so you shouldn't take any difficult courses along with this one if you can help it. She likes to include weird trick questions in her topic quizzes which is annoying... her exams are multiple choice and a bunch of free response. You can skip one free response question, but you need to answer each question relatively quickly. Exam averages were in the high 60's, low 70's. No curve. There is some extra credit on every exam, and if there was a low exam average she might give out more. The free response is tricky, you need to include certain key words/phrases to get points but it's not explicitly stated what those phrases are. The exams are based on what she says during lecture - I got a good grade because I basically copied down every word she said and studied it (which is why the lecture recordings are so helpful). If she mentions a small detail you think is irrelevant, it will probably be a question on the next exam. Discussion includes two weeks of exam review for every exam, which honestly is very helpful. The final is cumulative but is made up of slightly altered versions of the questions from the midterms, so it is easier to study for it. It is also all multiple choice. Most assignments are graded based on correctness - homework, quizzes, genelab, etc., and I found the topic quizzes and homework questions tricky at times (I literally never got full points on a homework assignment even though it isn't timed lol). Study plans and practice exams are graded on completion though!
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/08/2023	Horrifically bad professor with no real sense of course planning or empathy for the student side. I never usually review courses or professors but made an account just to warn other students against taking her if you can. She jams 15 topics worth of content into a semester which can really only fit 12-13 based on the assignment load and pace she lectures at. Her course planning is so bad that for example now, on a Friday before exam week (our final exam is next Thursday and last day of classes is this upcoming Monday) she still has to finish Topics 14 and introduce/finish Topic 15 which will make up half of the final. The assignment load is another point to mention, she assigns so many assignments that many times I find myself having to sit through finishing them for the week so I can have my schedule clear to actually study the material. Homework quizzes, online tutorials and quizzes, lengthy and niche “GeneLab” assignments which culminate in a presentation for the semester’s work, topic quizzes, study plans, practice exams, and on and on. Not to mention the mandatory 2 hour discussions every week to just load even more onto you. Her perspective of what her course is like as a student is nonexistent and she is so solipsistic I don’t think she even cares. Maybe in her mind she doesn’t view the student-teacher relationship as being a two way street where both have to meet in the middle but one where the students have no other obligations in life but her class and will robotically complete everything mandated of them. I think in her mind she thinks all of these babysitting/busywork assignments serve a function but for most students it is counterproductive and just serve as more opportunities to lose points throughout the semester. Not to mention how harsh and pedantic her grading on assignments are but she is so stubborn she won’t even listen to your take because her word is gospel. Her exams are another point which I could dedicate an entire post to because they are so specific, misleading, and unfair. She asks open ended free response questions which require specific answers down to the exact term. Her past exam was so bad she even had to give an extra credit quiz today to try to remediate that but still lacks any reflection for why that may be and blames the Thanksgiving break for it (lol). To top it all off she’s a very rude person who will be annoyed that a puny undergraduate like you came into her office hours asking to clear up an exam question missed or to ask for clarification about the course or due dates. Avoid her if you can, if not then try not to take any other hard classes in the same semester. It’s really past the point where the University needs to audit the quality of the courses some of these Professors are out here teaching but UMD is UMD so shrug. Good luck if you take her. And don’t trust the good reviews on here for her, she probably wrote them herself.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/08/2023	These reviews are pretty harsh. I won't lie, I didn't like his lecture style very much - it was hard to tell what was actually information to remember and what were just 'fun facts', and the lectures weren't very engaging. HOWEVER, this class is moderately easy to do well in if you know how to study. I could zone out for an entire unit, but then study from the textbook, lecture slides (which he posts), and practice exam and do perfectly well on his exams. Besides maybe 1-2 tricky questions, the material on the exams were predictable and fair. He sticks to the textbook, too, which makes studying easier. I promise that if you can hold yourself accountable to taking notes and doing the practice exam just for a few days before an exam, you'll be fine. The HW and writing assignments are pretty much grade boosters, too. I haven't taken the final yet so maybe I won't be this optimistic later lol, but don't let these reviews scare you, kocher's chill!
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/08/2023	Honestly, the course isn't too bad, it's what you expect out of a 4-credit BSCI course. Paczolt is bad in my eyes, I only gave her a 2 because the class was somewhat manageable. She comes off as very passive-aggressive with her responses and it's so annoying to the point I feel like I can't even ask a simple question in the class without being made feel stupid. She records her lectures so trust you don't have to show up to class for other than the exams and discussion periods. The exams I would say are quite hard, the easiest by far was the second exam. If you can take this class with a better professor (better ratings) I would say, go for it. If not just be ready to study hard and memorize a whole bunch of content.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/05/2023	I agree with the person before me: if you really (and I mean really) like genetics, he is the guy to take. I loved his class because he always talked about the coolest research that was going on. But, if you just need to take this class for a requirement, I would suggest you take someone else because it is so much information that he expects you to know. I loved him and the class so I did very well, but if you do not like the subject you will find the exams very hard because anything that comes out of his mouth can be on the exams.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 12/04/2023	a lot of material... a lot. exams are very dense with a lot of short answer, and i would recommend just watching the recorded lecture on your own time rather than coming to class (if youre like me and cant pay attention to live lectures) the topic quizzes are actually kind of difficult and are graded on correctness, not completion. the midterm averages have been in the high 60's low 70's. i dont like going to discussion but the exam review is helpful you need to basically copy everything she SAYS verbatim. not just what is on the slide. if she mentions some detail that seems irrelevant, it is probably not irrelevant and it will be a question on a quiz or test. when i say write everything down im NOT PLAYING!!!! but thats what i did. its very tedious but I did well on all the midterms so far. its a lot of work and studying. dont take another difficult class at the same time if you can help it people say she is rude, i will not lie when i say the way she speaks can sound condescending. but i dont think its on purpose...? it almost just feels like how she speaks naturally. i dont think she is EVIL... but ive heard she works her TAs to the bone so i dont know. to me its almost like a weed out class. i think she makes a lot of questions difficult and tricky on purpose so that only people who study hard or are smart do well she does give extra credit though. there is some on every exam, and she may or may not give more depending on how the class is doing
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a B- Anonymous 10/31/2023	Terrible. Absolutely terrible. DO NOT take her if you don’t have to. Yes, the content is a lot and can be confusing but she does not make it any easier. Her lectures are just dumps and she will not help you if you are going through a personal situation. WORST CLASS IVE TAKEN AT UMD.
David Straney BSCI222 Anonymous 10/04/2023	I LOOOVED Dr. Straney, he somehow made genetics really interesting and easy to understand. (It's a fringe class I needed to take for my major for some reason). My advice for someone taking the class would be to not skip and take practice tests to prepare for the exams. Easy money
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/25/2023	Great teacher.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 09/22/2023	Great Professor. A lot of people underestimate how hard the class is and tend to blame the professor on them not working hard. 10/10 would take again. She records lectures and has extra credit which is also really nice.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/19/2023	Sublime professor. Enthusiastic and, in my opinion, very clear and skillful explanation of material. The other reviews say it all, though I will add that I find his lectures to be interesting and entertaining rather than boresome as suggested by some.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/30/2023	I took genetics with kocher fall 2022. I honestly hated his class when I took it due to several reasons: 1. His priorities are in his research instead of teaching and didnt seem to care for his students. 2. Felt more like a “history of genetics” class rather than an actual genetics class because he would go on long tangents about famous geneticists and their accomplishments, which he tested on. 3. Kocher knows his stuff, and talks like a genius, which led to me not understanding a single thing that came out of his mouth during lecture. I learned everything i needed to know for that class from my TA. 4. When I would talk to people in paczolt’s class, it seemed like we were not learning any of the same material. Although his history lessons were excruciating to sit through, the times when he would teach actual biology came in clutch when studying for the mcat.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 06/06/2023	Let me keep this short, I highly recommend taking him if you want to learn deeply about the subject, but take someone else if you are concentrating on getting good a grade.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/29/2023	I love this man. He's kind to an almost comical extent. It's so obvious that he loves his work and to teach students. You could asked the dumbest question to him and he would kindly work it with you until you understand. His exams are quite hard in my opinion but he gives you so much material to work off of, there's no excuse for not doing well. Unlike other bio profs where you have to play a game of finding out what to learn/understand, there's none of that with him because he has lecture outlines, study guides, and most importantly a dozen (literally) old exams to learn from. Genetics wasn't a class I was excited to go into, but he made it super interesting and I'm glad to have taken it. Despite being a challenging class this is probably one of the most intellectually stimulating and enjoyable courses I've had the pleasure of taking so far. 11/10 professor 8.5/10 class (material could sometimes be a little dull but that's not his fault, he didn't make genetics, also exams were a little daunting to prepare for)
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/18/2023	the only way I survived her class was by watching her recorded lecture at home because she can be fast in person and it is really hard to keep up. If you are taking 222 with her make sure you do not have any other hard classes because this class will take 70% of your attention throughout the week and there are so many things you have to do in one week. there is always something to do every day for this class. one thing you need to know about this class is that when you take the exams make sure you are detailed as possible because if you do not use the exact word they need to use, you will get it wrong because they are very harsh graders. you need to study a lot for the exam and make sure you know everything that is going on because they will ask you questions about everything. The only good thing about this class was how her finals included questions from past exams.
David Straney BSCI222 Anonymous 05/17/2023	These reviews are a little miss leading, this was the worst professor I have had at the university, and I really don't have anything positive to say about him. Super harsh grader, boring class, boring lecture, this class will take up 7 hours of your week including the mandatory discussion and lecture. Also includes actually studying for the exams. I think there are different teachers you should explore before taking this dude.
David Straney BSCI222 Anonymous 05/17/2023	I feel like he is overhyped, I personally don't see what is so great about Straney. Extremely harsh grader, not very forgiving, and took personal shots at me when I went to office hours. Exams can be somewhat misleading because there is a lot of material. Overall pretty boring class that will take up about 7 hours of your week from just class and weekly quizzes.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/16/2023	I love this man so much. While I got made fun of practically ever lecture (he loves to pick on the kids in the front), every lecture was so fun. He made genetics such an enjoyable class and even made my friend change his major to cell bio and genetics. He is quick, witty, hilarious, and so incredibly smart. While he moves pretty quickly in lecture, he records his lectures and watching the lectures back the second time always did the trick for me. If you're willing to put in the time you can do great in this class; re-watch the panoptos, memorize his slides, and try your best to pay attention in class, you won't regret it.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/16/2023	I have heard that St. Leger is better than Koppel, but that doesn't make him good. Exam averages were in the low Bs or high Cs, except for the second exam which had a D average. He is funny and incredibly smart, but not a good teacher. You can actively listen to his lecture and take notes but he rambles and makes concepts extremely complicated, even when he's introducing them, so it is hard to keep up. His canvas page was messed up so the links are mislabeled, which is honestly just really irritating and confusing. Regardless of this, I did enjoy his class. He makes the material really interesting, if you can keep up with what he's saying. You HAVE to study for this class. Study every week, maybe even after every single class. Don't pay attention to the comments saying that if you start preparing a week in advance, you'll be fine and get an A. That's not true for most people, even really smart ones. You have to put in the work. I didn't do as much as I should have, hence my B, but I had a lot on my plate this semester and couldn't give this class as much time as required. There is a discussion section worth 25% of the final grade that can save you. Go to class, use the recorded lectures, take practice exams, do practice questions, go to office hours, etc. Keep up with the material as it is presented. You'll be okay, but this class is going to drain the life out of you while you're taking it. Good luck
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2023	Whoever said StLeger is too smart, is right. He's extremely knowledgeable about the course content. Sometimes he mentions a very specific example in class that very well could show up on the exam. However, his exams weren't too unfair. The three midterms had a few bonus points. The final was all multiple-choice with a lot more extra credit. There's no curve but if you're within 10 points of the next grade he'll bump you up. Lectures were always recorded but the drawings and annotations (which are really helpful in terms of understanding the concepts) he did in class weren't. Do his past exams!! His format and questions are usually pretty similar.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 05/15/2023	I think Paczolt gets a bad rep because the course has A LOT of material. Not necessarily her fault for it being material packed. She lectures OK and answers questions pretty frequently. Grade scale is very upfront so there is no confusion about grades. Her tests definitely take time to study for but are fair, and once you take the first one you know what she looks for when grading. She also gives decent extra credit in her exams, as well as after if the average was low. Her final is all multiple choice because of the amount of content. Going to GSS/doing GSS worksheets are great ways to study. Discussion is stupid but it helps pad your grade. Overall a decent professor and definitely doesn't deserve the bad rep.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/15/2023	Dr. Straney is the absolute best. Take him if possible! He is so supportive and responsive to questions. I went to his office hours almost every week and if I couldn't make the time, he would allow me to come ask questions on my schedule. The old exams that he uploads are a life saver for studying! This class was challenging, but he truly gives us the necessary resources to succeed.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2023	I would genuinely give a kidney to this man he has found his calling in life, just really somebody who loves both the teaching aspect and the content of his job. Wants to help you succeed and wants you to learn what he clearly knows a lot about. Just explains things very clearly and sets up the course to be flexible and fair. luv u dr straney
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/11/2023	If you can't memorize over 90 slides of information for one unit, this class is not for you. Her lectures are full of information she expects you to memorize for each exam, and sometimes that's not even helpful because she includes trick questions. This class requires so much studying and even with that, her exam averages are in the low 60s without a curve. Take any other professor if possible.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A- Grua0061 05/05/2023	Genetics is a tough course, it is very content-dense, and going into it I was very nervous (I'm a freshman and had a very bad registration time and ended up going with Paczolt since that was all that was open) entering this class as the reviews for Paczolt were very negative. However, I honestly feel like it's more because the class itself is hard, as I've found Paczolt to be a fairly good professor, especially in comparison to ones from other departments. Her exams are hard, but she gives you all the resources you need to succeed: AN EXTREMELY ORGANIZED ELMS PAGE, an amazing GSS leader (I never miss a worksheet), 222torials help to explain typically confusing topics, she gives practice exams that are not only easy points but EXACT exam style, discussions are completely exam review the two weeks leading up to exams, each module is filled with supplemental materials, module objectives are filled with the key topics of each unit AND SHE RECORDS EVERY LECTURE!!!!! She not only gives out easy points through practice exams, extra credit sections in exams, and study guides, which are graded on completion, but she has offered the opportunity to earn back up to ten points on two of our exams with lower averages than expected and our final is completely multiple choice questions filled with rewritten previous exam questions AND WITH EXTRA CREDIT!!! She may not be great at answering questions during lectures, but she has been very helpful every time I've gone to office hours and I honestly believe she just gets a bad rep. The amount of content covered in genetics is overwhelming, but if you study hard and utilize the resources available you can and will succeed :)
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a C- Anonymous 04/26/2023	Please please do not take a class with Paczolt ever if you can avoid it. Ask your advisor to take the class another semester if it means you can have another teacher. She loads so much content into lectures and does not explain it very well. Her exams are very very difficult (I think they are unfair considering the level she teaches at in lectures) and many questions are meant to trick you. She is condescending and not compassionate. This class made me want to drop out of college multiple times.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/26/2023	Dr Straney is one of the nicest and most helpful professors I've had--he provides SO much support for the class (dropped assignments, practice questions, quizzes, etc) without ever having to even attend office hours or GSS. I can't say how nervous I was going into 222 but he really sets the class up in a way that makes it hard to fail.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/26/2023	Honestly, I liked Dr. Paczolt even though she definitely gets a bad rep. The class is really heavy with information, so I would recommend re-watching lectures (she records them) so you don't miss anything. She gives lots of small assignments to prepare for exams and bring your grade up, and discussion/lab is really helpful. She's a really nice person, I think people just get overwhelmed with the amount of content in this course.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 04/17/2023	Her canvas is organized horribly, it's impossible to tell which assignments are due when. She covers way more information in lectures than is normal and expects it to all be memorized by the exam. And when I say cover, I mean cover because she does not teach, she reads off the slides. Take another professor if you can. I regret taking this class so much.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 03/06/2023	What a horrible, horrible, professor. Not only that, a very bad TA leader. She belittes her TA with almost every single thing they say. If we all came together and revealed the types of emails she sends to her TAs everyone would be shocked. Not only that, she can't teach. Don't take her. St Leger or Straney are great professors.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Expecting an F Anonymous 03/01/2023	Very rude, short, not understanding, not empathetic. Get ready to race to answer discussion questions since she lets students only type “hello” until they decide to finish answering the discussion question. (You’ll see) Claims she allows us to start early but opens the course while we’re literally taking finals. I’d give 0 stars if I could. Talks super fast in lecture recordings and is just pressed and over the top…also has the nerve to teach a class as hard like genetics and doesn’t offer a curve. There are assignments dropped but the assignments that are dropped barely hold any weight compared to the exams.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Expecting a B- Anonymous 02/27/2023	My mental state literally depleted due to this course— not only was Dr. O’Brien unavailable to students, whenever someone tried to make contact with her, her replies would have 0 empathy. Whenever there was an issue in the class, rather than solving her reply would be “we’re all adults” and to learn to just handle the situation. Not to mention, her exam averages would always be around the 50s, yet she provided no curve for the course, and rather only some meager bonus points that in the end had barely any effect on the damage those exams would do to the rest of the class. I dedicated 30-40 hrs a week towards this course, too bad Dr. O’Brien couldn’t spare even some empathy for her students.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 02/04/2023	Just awful. Unavailable, unwilling to help, and a nasty attitude to top it off. I woke up each morning dreading the day ahead. Cannot believe UMD allows professors of this horrendous quality. Do NOT take.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/28/2023	Kocher can be misleading about what information will be covered on exams. He does not put effort into answering questions; instead, he talks about retiring soon and that it is your job to figure it out. The content he covers in his lectures isn't super relevant to exams. I got through this course by literally reading every page in the textbook. He reuses a lot of material from past exams. Get ready to write essays on every exam and two writing assignments.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/28/2023	Overall, I think that taking a class with Dr. O' Brien is a pretty solid decision. She drops a decent amount of assignments and assignments tend to be pretty relevant to the lecture. I took this asynchronously over winter break, and it was really manageable. She posts everything early, so if you start the class around a week early, it makes the class extremely easy. You are graded on posting unique discussion questions / answers and can have those done by literally the first week since she drops so many of them, and if you start those early, you don't have to worry about having no answerable questions left in the discussion board. Her lecture quizzes are HARD due to the tight time limit, and can tend to be inconsistent in difficulty. The expectations however are consistent throughout the whole class and overall it was a pretty easy 4 credits for three weeks of work.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/25/2023	Dr. Straney is my advisor and he’s so responsive, kind and helpful. I wish I had the opportunity to have him as a professor but for anyone considering taking one of his classes I would highly recommend him. He’s a great person and is always willing to help you if needed.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Expecting a C Anonymous 01/22/2023	I wanted to give you a zero but that's not possible so I give you a one. Probably the WORST professor I have ever had. She is not understanding at all and seems to lack the ability to act like an adult.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Anonymous 01/22/2023	I wanted to give you a zero but that's not possible so I give you a one. Probably the worst professor I've ever had.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/25/2022	Seems like a really nice guy even though I had very few interactions with him. Unfortunately, he is a pretty bad lecturer. His slideshows are literally just screenshots of diagrams explaining concepts from the book and he just reads over it really quick. Be prepared to put in a lot of time outside of class trying to understand the concepts because I highly doubt you will understand it after lecture. That being said, he makes the class pretty easy to pass and get like a B in. However, if you're aiming for some type of A, be ready to put some real work in. Also, I think the best way to be prepared for his exams is to go over his slideshows and practice exam multiple times. If you review those, you will do fine on the exams.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2022	Difficult class but doable. I don’t recommend any pre-meds take Kocher for this class because it’s hard to achieve an A and the grades are pretty unforgiving. The test grading is pretty arbitrary and sometimes the essays are graded leniently or extremely harshly. Also, he’ll test you on topics he mentions often but to a depth that he doesn’t really talk about in lecture. So I’d recommend looking up important terms online because the book and slides aren’t as detailed as he likes. Also, make sure you attend lecture. There are no recordings and the slides are hard to learn from. But he definitely does give some extra credit and the homeworks and papers are helpful to boost your grade.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/16/2022	Dr. Paczolt does get kind of a bad rep, but I think that's just because when comparing her to the other genetics professors she is just known to be harder. Her class isn't curved, but she did offer a lot of opportunities for extra credit throughout the semester and even on the final exam. We had three exams and each also had about 4 extra credit points possible which was nice. The exam averages tended to be in the high 60s (MC and short answer) and the final average was in the mid-70s (all MC). You do have to put in a decent amount of studying time to be able to learn, understand, and memorize all of the material that will be on the test, so I'd recommend starting about a week in advance. For the short answer questions on the exams, you basically either know it or you don't which can get difficult. The wording on some of her multiple-choice questions can get confusing, so I definitely recommend taking the practice exams she posts to try to get used to it. The weekly 2-hour discussions are mandatory, but for the two weeks of discussion that lead up to each exam, you have dedicated exam review time where the TA goes over the important topics that will be covered on the exam in a PowerPoint. In the other weeks of discussion, you do something called GeneLab where you research a gene related to some kind of condition, which is a little tedious because it takes some time, but it's not that hard and it has a lot of easy points. Because discussions are two hours, it can feel extremely long sometimes which sucks, but it's not the worst thing ever. Her lectures can get a little bit boring because it's mainly her talking about the lecture slides, but she does post recordings on ELMS if you miss one or miss something important she says. One thing that would get a little frustrating is that sometimes she'll say important things but not have them on the slides, so it would feel like I'm trying to transcribe everything she's saying. Because of this, I recommend studying from the topic outlines she posts on ELMS rather than using the lecture slides because the outlines have things more written out than her slides do. She has topic quizzes on ELMS due about every week about each topic you learn in lecture, and they can get a little difficult sometimes but she gives a lot of time to take them. Her other grades include practice exams graded for completion (which are easy points if you do them and submit them on time), study plans (also easy points), tutorial quizzes about topics, and two homework assignments for each exam (which you go over in discussion). With all that being said, you do have to put a decent amount of time and effort into this class, but I definitely feel like I learned a lot that can be carried into my future classes.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 11/30/2022	Passionate, helpful, and kind are not words I would use to describe Dr. Paczolt. Dr. Paczolt believes in assigning a lot of work for very little credit, that takes up hours of your time. The TA teaches this entire class, and the discussion is a waste of time and is extra BS work that has no correlation to the material taught in class. Every exam we had was on the same day as the chemistry department. When you go to office hours and ask questions you feel like a moron. The exams. 6-7 pages with 4-5 questions on each page and must be completed in 50 mins. There is not a lot of partial credit given. If you could not get the other professor, I would honestly wait till the next semester.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/03/2022	Straney is THE ABSOLUTE BEST PROFESSOR who truly wants his students to succeed. His lectures might go fast but he records them, holds weekly review sessions, and provides a lot of material to help you better understand the topics. He has like 10 practice tests to study from for each of the exams which are super helpful and he usually curves a few points on tests depending on what the average is. There are also a lot of little in class assignments that he does with you that are basically free points so do them.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/22/2022	He's smart but honestly too smart. He expected us to understand things we didn't, and never went into enough detail. Also, his rule for exams was "Anything that comes out of [his] mouth can and will be on the exam" and boy oh boy was that true. Take anyone else
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/03/2022	The teacher is good but the class is hard. I am giving her 4 stars because the final was surprisingly hard when she knew a lot of people had already struggled on the other exams. That being said, she did pretty explicitly outline the format and content of the final beforehand. I will say I think this teacher prepared me very well for biology classes after this that require genetics knowledge like general virology.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 06/02/2022	Straney is the go-to professor for 222!! He gives you everything you need to succeed & is always ready to answer questions with his weekly review sessions. But don't expect this class to be easy. It takes way more time & brain-power than it should for a 200-level class. That being said, it is very possible to do well. Go to GSS and do the old exams
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A+ florm 05/21/2022	St Leger is a very smart and funny chap. He enjoys calling out people in class (mainly in the front rows) for not "keeping up with the material" and things like that. All of his quirks and idiosyncrasies made class very entertaining. However, the lectures were remarkably difficult to follow. He would have two screens set up, one with Powerpoint slides and one with a document camera that showed an outline of notes, but the information between the slides and the outline often did not line up well at all. It was a scramble to keep up with these two sets of information, as well as with whatever random facts that St Leger might mention that very well could wind up on an exam. To make matters worse, he would post all the slides and outlines on ELMS, but they would be numbered in an arbitrary way that didn't line up with the lecture numbers. In fact, when you'd click on the link for "Topic 11 Material," for instance, it would take you to a page titled "Topic 10 Material," so not only were the topics not well defined, but the links to the pages were all mislabeled. Trying to go back and find the slides from a specific lecture was quite the challenge. Aside from the poor organization of lecture material, the biggest problem with 222 was actually not really St Leger's fault, but rather the fault of whoever designed the course. While St Leger taught lectures, a separate professor (Dr. Paczolt) organized the discussions. As a result, the assignments for discussion often didn't coincide with material from the lecture, which was incredibly frustrating. There'd be weekly quizzes that would have questions about stuff St Leger simply had never said. The pre-exam review discussion quizzes were especially terrible, and required an excessive amount of time to figure out what was going on with them. That being said, the days when the TAs would review for the exams in discussion were very beneficial, and helped to clarify so much stuff that St Leger didn't explain too well. But they would sometimes introduce new stuff (like the 5 groups of amino acids) that wouldn't have shown up on the exams, as if it was critical for us to study. As for the exams themselves, they were tough and certainly required a lot of studying. There is an insane amount of material in this course, and some of the questions St Leger wrote would ask very specific things about specific genes he may have only mentioned once or twice. He did provide some practice exams though, which were useful for seeing what small details might be important to study. There were no curves on the exams (nor on the overall grade), but there were extra credit questions on them, and there was also a 10 points extra credit assignment just for watching a bunch of videos he created for his online Coursera course. And on the final exam, he actually added 32 extra points from the original 200 it was supposed to be out of, so we basically got an 8-question buffer of things we could get wrong without dropping below 100%. There's no guarantee that he'll do all of these things in the future, but it's clear that St Leger has no issue giving a bunch of extra credit.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/18/2022	So I don't know who said st leger was a good professor because the way he teaches is just all over the place. I think half the reviews on here were students who took him well into the past, so I'm not sure if he was a better teacher back then. However, when I took him I had to do a lot , a LOT of self studying. And thank god he records his lectures because you basically have to remember everything he says. I also found it really helpful whenever he starts drawing diagrams to focus on those. One more thing is he really likes to include some history into his lectures, and the content does show up for a few questions on his exams, so either memorize those historical events or try to use common sense to figure them out, which is what I did because I literally had no time to learn about the American eugenics movement or whatever on top of all the content I had to memorize. The good thing about him is he does give chances for free points like exam corrections and really is the only indication he doesn't want his students to completely fail. Overall, if you already have great memorization skills and enjoy dry British humor you should take this professor. For me, this class was just not it.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 05/17/2022	Exams are extremely specific and often have details that were quickly mentioned in lecture; no curve with low exam averages; lectures are hard to focus in, and she just reads from the slides
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/16/2022	Lecture: She's very nice, but the Exam wording is VERY specific. She doesn't curve the test at all. She does post old exams for practice, USE THEM so you can get used to her wording and types of questions. Also, do not use the PowerPoints to study, but instead, use the outlines she posts because they are much clearer. She goes crazy fast in class, but she posts the lectures. Discussion: Not hard, but tedious and painfully long (esp review days). Attendance is mandatory and most TAs do check.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/12/2022	i read these reviews before registering for Leger this semester and was actually excited to take his course - i was HIGHLY disappointed. genetics is my favorite topic in bio and all of the information was interesting but his disorganization and detailed exams make the whole course so stressful. during lecture he switches back and forth between two different presentations, making it difficult to take fluid and organized notes. his exams pay attention to the smallest details mentioned in lecture one time. the only way to do well on his exams are to memorize every word thats come out of his mouth. he also brings examples up in lecture and goes into the most miniscule detail, spending at least 10 minutes on them, then never brings them up again in exams or homework. the extra assignments for the class are a lot but they help your grade a TON if you can spend a decent amount of time thinking them through. my best advice would be to make friends with your TA and ask them for as much help as you can get - they did well in his class and probably have the best advice as to how to learn from someone so disorganized. i would recommend any other professor if you really enjoy or are interested in the topics of genetics because leger has seriously made me rethink my major
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/09/2022	Straney is the goat. Nice and approachable guy. Tons of points to be earned, and a bunch of stuff dropped too. Curve on the tests as long as the average is low enough (2/3 mid terms curved). Genetics has a TON of material so it's not the easiest class but everything is recorded so you can skip class or rewatch lectures as well. Tons of old exams to help, he also posts lecture outlines and the power points. Can't ask for much more. He's also pretty funny sometimes. Usually good at taking questions.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 05/03/2022	This is a horrible professor. Although she gives you a lot of material needed to do well, the questions on the exams are not related to what she tells you study. So you need to review everything for the exams. She gives no curve despite her exam averages being in the low 60's. 34 people dropped the class after the second exam if that helps put it into perspective
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 04/06/2022	Great professor - it is evident that he knows what he is talking about, and is passionate about the material. The textbook is huge and not necessary at all - I did not look at it once and I got an A+ in the class, purely because I studied the lectures he posted online and studied the practice exams he posts. The homeworks due for each chapter can be difficult but were overall not super terrible. The worst thing about the class was that discussion was required, and really long. There is a lot of material - you will be tested on pretty much all of it. The mathematical part of the class can be frustrating to conceptualize, but just takes practice. You will be doing a lot of math on the exams. There is no BS in the class that can ruin your grade - if you study, you will do well.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 04/04/2022	Idk what these reviews are talking about but this man actually SUCKS. The lectures are so disorganized and impossible to keep up with, a million assignments a week, and the exams are HORRENDOUS and ask for the most minuscule details. Literally take anyone else. He’s also so so rude and unhelpful. No class has ever stressed me out as much as this one.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/21/2021	Honestly, he is very generous because his practice exams are similar to his real exams (in formatting). VOCAB IS SO IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the homework and concept quizzes make up half your grade, so the exams are less important. However, the exams are not so easy and require work. the final was multiple choice, but that is not necessarily easier. I recommend taking him, however, at the end of the course, there was no rounding up, even for .05% lower than the next grade. for example, a B- is an 80, NOT A 79.99%.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting a C- Anonymous 12/18/2021	Exams are worded too specific, averages for exams were never good, no curve, good luck
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 11/18/2021	Horrible lecture, she's all over the place, exams are extremely difficult and there is no curve, maybe 5 points extra credit but not sure how that helps when the average is a 60. Wish someone would have told me this before taking her.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Anonymous 07/06/2021	Best professor ever! She taught with Dr. StLeger and they were a dynamic duo!! Loved them! She gives you literally everything you need and more to succeed and her office hours were so amazing. 11/10 recommend!!!
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/01/2021	Probably a good guy and definitely smart and organized, but I just didn't get the point of him being there. I had him in conjunction with Dr. Obrien we only had one lecture from him a week and each lecture seemed pretty disconnected from the actual course material. At a certain point I just straight up stopped showing up and it had zero impact on my grade. It is pretty enjoyable to hear him talk though, proper British accent talking about evolution and whatnot. He says some things that still crack me up but not because he was trying to be funny. Take from that what you will.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/01/2021	Dr. Obrien was pretty solid. Had her for online asynchronous BSCI222 and she made it pretty easy. She covered all the material in her lectures instead of requiring text book reading. There were also a lot of light assignments that give you the opportunity to boost your grade, and there's enough of them that if you miss some assignments it balances out. I straight up didn't do like 10 assignments and was still able to get an A which is really awesome. As long as you take notes and pay attention to class it should be pretty smooth sailing. She also gives practice questions for pre test review which are very helpful.
David Straney BSCI222 Anonymous 05/17/2021	STRANEY WAS THE BEST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER HAD!! He was extremley good at teaching content in a way that made alot of sense and always takes the time to answer everyone's questions in a way thats really encouraging and sweet. He also makes the material super interesting and is SO FUNNY when he gives his lectures. He provided us with like almost a dozen exams for each midterm and the final to prepare and had so many other resources including weekly review sessions, lecture outlines, and study guides. He is the reason I love genetics and really did well in this class and I would highly recommend trying to get him as your professor!!! #king
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/15/2021	An absolute gem of a professor. Kind, compassionate, encouraging, motivating, there aren't enough verbs to describe him. His lectures are interesting, and while some parts get dull (it is genetics, there is only so much you can do), he does his best to keep it fun and throws in the occasional joke here and there. He gives so much practice with his D2U, 222utorials, weekly review sessions, and practice exams, that you should have a surplus of review material. Memorize lecture slides, understand his exam questions, and ask him questions, and you literally can't do poorly unless you try. His final for online wasn't cumulative, but it is still fairly easy to do as long as you have been keeping up with the material. Information is also highly conceptual so make sure to apply the lectures. Good luck!
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Anonymous 04/22/2021	Good lecturer. One thing that really made me not rate her higher was her lack of empathy. Taking an online exam I accidentally hit the "submit" button instead of the "next page" button and she would not allow me to reopen the exam. Ended up losing out on like 30 points from an exam and she could not have cared less. Totally ruined my grade for the class. I understand that its a large class and that catering to every student may be difficult, however it still sucks that the one time I needed to ask her a question all year, she blatantly disregarded me and refused to help.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/13/2020	Paczolt gives you all the materials you need to succeed (this is for online). She gives you a clear schedule and what you need to do. She also gives you previous exams which are crucial(!!!) because they are very similar to the new ones, however, she barely mentions she has that resource out and I felt like it was underutilized. I really appreciated this; however, her exams are very weird..her multiple choice gives more time than necessary but some questions ask obscure concepts she barely mentions in lecture but doesn't have on slides. Additionally, her topic videos are just so very long and IMO boring but that's just personal and not why I gave her 3 stars. I think compared to the other BSCI222 teachers, Dr. P would probably be my least recommended out of them. She makes work and assignments from anything (so many assignments), and I think I spent the most effort in this class than any other class I have taken (including chem231/241). She also has a predetermined grade cutoffs and DOESN'T CURVE, and doesn't round either (90% is an A-, 89.999999 is a B+). This causes her to have a lower grade distribution than other professors, so I also wouldn't recommend her for this reason.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 09/17/2020	I love him so much and genetics . He may seem condescending but I believe it is just his british humor. He really wants kids to learn and his exams are super manageable. I made a quizlet for each one and went to his review and was fine.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 05/12/2020	I love this man . He is super knowledgable and his exams are very straight forward. A lot of people may say hes mean , but they just dont understand his snarky british humour
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/29/2020	LOVE STRANEY even though the class is a bit more brutal than necessary. he gives lots of materials. He's very friendly and caring and hilarious.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Anonymous 12/18/2019	Paczolt is really nice and does just about everything she can to help you out. She posts her lecture slides, lecture summaries, lecture videos, pages to read in the book and problem sets, review videos made by her TAs, and old exams and their answer keys, so you can decide how you want to study. Office hours are also really great for getting your questions answered, and her TAs are absolutely amazing. Her exams are tough but fair - Paczolt likes to focus on the concepts instead of specific details, so you won't really have to memorize too much. But her short answer questions will really test if you know the material well enough to apply it to a setting you may not be familiar with. The gene lab assignments in discussion are easy points, Canvas quizzes are rather straightforward, there is quite a bit of extra credit, and her final exam reuses questions from the midterms that are rewritten differently so it's easier to study for. That said, there is no curve. In short, she gives you everything you need for an A, so if you put your time into this class you'll get it.
Kimberly Paczolt BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 11/26/2019	I think Dr P. deserves 5 stars but i'm gonna give her a 4 because she doesn't curve. Her lectures are fairly easy to understand and having the panapto videos as backup is really a life saver. I'll advice everyone to watch her panaptos thoroughly- her questions are only ever from what she talks about in class which is great. The exam review that the TA's make is also really helpful. I'll advice everyone to start studying a week before the exam. Go through the panaptos and take notes then go over the notes. Her exams can be kinda tricky, especially the multiple choice section, where she asks really detailed questions- You know those times where you read and you skim a section where you're like this probably won't come up on the exam. Yeah, it will come up.
Tammatha O'Brien BSCI222 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 06/03/2019	Dr. O'Brien is very kind and wants to make sure you understand the material. Her exams are very conceptual, try to understand the bigger picture when studying, and then focus on the smaller details. She has past exams uploaded, they are very helpful and gives you a sense of what to expect for the exam. Lots of extra credit opportunities. Lab practicals are also very conceptual. Make sure you understand how different systems connect, and you will get an A!
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/15/2018	ill be honest, hated the class, absolutely despised it, but from what i've heard as I’ve askd around, he is the easiest genetics professor by a lot. exams are exactly like old ones, to some extent. literally put no effort into this class until 2-3 days before the exams when i went on intense ‘memorize old exam mode’. it seemed to work alright. i came out with an A- overall but was expecting to get a much lower grade. this semester he did NOT drop the final exam, and I don't think he ever will drop the final again because of university policy. So watch for that because. did not understand a darn thing presented in lecture like ever. Not to mention lectures are absolutely terrible to sit through. No emotion at all from kocher. Talks very quietly, but that’s just how he is and you’ll get used to it. However I still went just in case he would hint about possible essay questions, because those are important. But he kind of stopped hinting at essay questions after the first exam. The first exam was very easy, and he basically told us what would be on it. The average was very high, so he made the 2nd exam very difficult, average in the 60s I belive. People hated on him for that, and sent nasty emails, so he stopped hinting about test questions. 3rd exam was in between the first two difficulty wise. The point is, I recommend the guy after going through it, even though I hated it, because literally nothing makes sense in lecture, at least to me. he goes off of powerpoints and just blabbers on about scientific methods, almost 80% of which will never show up on an exam. really in depth stuff that doesn’t mean anything to the average student. he is the only genetics guy where you can get away with putting no effort, as long as you have old exams. The final was much easier than I anticipated though. I thought I had learned nothing the entire semester then pulled a B+ on the final somehow, so I suppose I learned something. (Final exam is 50 MC while the 3 exams are all 100% writing). Best of luck, highly recommend. Still, it def won’t be any kind of fun. Also, he does these things called recitations, which are the discussion thing for 2 hours. Most professors make this really annoying, but with kocher you just talk about genetics ethics and go over homework which is basically a completion grade depending on your TA.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 08/28/2018	really nice prf, but harsh grading policy. I did avg on all his exams, above avg on everything else, but bombed the final. My grade went down 6 points. Reading the text book is a MUST because he doesn't go over everything in lecture.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A sfrail 11/04/2016	I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. Straney. He's one of the nicest most caring professors I've ever had. His material is so organized, all the questions he asks are very structured and well designed to be easy to learn, but still demonstrate the material in a memorable way. I've had a lot of bio classes where the material is just disorganized, hard to learn, and easy to forget. Dr. Straney's class is exactly the opposite. He holds extra review sessions and he brings tea and cookies!! Where else are you going to find that. He even brought food to the early morning final. He posts all his past exams, his expectations are reasonable, he offers extra credit that's actually a lot of fun (RNA puzzle game). Genetics is HARD but he makes it fun and interesting. I had a summer internship immediately after taking the class where I used exactly what he taught us, it was incredibly helpful. He's my advisor now too and he's just such a great guy, remembers my name and things about me and clearly cares a lot about his students and the subject of genetics. Genuinely could not recommend him more.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A penguin 05/22/2015	Reviews below pretty much sums everything up. Dr. Straney is extremely nice and is a great professor. He tries his best to teach his students by putting up his lectures on Canvas and by having multiple review sessions and office hours. Unfortunately, he got rid of the "drop the lowest exam grade" policy this semester, which is unfortunate (since the average for the first exam was extremely low), but it is fine. There was an extra credit opportunity later one that boosted our grades back up. Just a warning. The first exam was by far the hardest exam. It is very long and the entire class had trouble finishing it on time. The average for our first exam in my discussion was a 50%, so make sure you do well on the first exam. If you do well on the first one, then you are pretty much set; the next two exams were much easier. I got a B on the first one, an A+ on the second one, a B+ on the third one and an A- on the final, and got an A in the course. Overall, he is a great professor and I highly recommend taking him.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Anonymous 12/22/2014	Pretty straightforward class. Go to class and read the textbook. Reading the textbook is a must to do well in his class! Be determined to do well on the 3 exams, that way you don't have to take the final exam (it's optional) and not stress over one additional final during finals week. Overall, straightforward class- exams are fair, go to discussion and do all the homework/quizzes/creative writing assignments, and you should come out with an A easily.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting a B silverkatachi4 09/09/2014	Very good class, and what a helpful professor. It's a lot of information, but you will definitely feel like you learned something afterwards.He gives out old exams, answers all quesyions, RECORDS HIS LECTURES, gives out outlines that cut your reading in half.... You name it and he does it. BEWARE of the first exam. You don't have as much time as you think! BTW, Dr. Straney brought us tea and cookies for our review sessions. TEA AND COOKIES!!
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A milk 07/12/2014	Based off these reviews, I registered for Straney thinking that I would wanna like marry him by the end of it cuz I would love him so much or something. (v impt life update: decidedly do not want to marry him) Basically the reason why Straney is so highly rated isn't because you're gonna remember him being like "Wow he was that memorable amazing teacher I had in college," it's because he basically hands you everything you will ever need on a platter and then says "here comes the choo choo train" and spoon-feeds it into your mouth. He gives you all the material you could ever need: - Uploaded powerpoint slides for each lecture - Study guides for each lecture that tells you what you should know - Outlines for each lecture (he basically already took your notes for you) - Practice exams with answer keys for exams 1, 2, 3, and the final (6 per test, so a total of 24 practice exams for the entire course) - Review sessions (where he tells you exactly what's going to be on the exam) - Lets you take exams for as long as you need (!!!) Seriously this man will stay with you until you are done that exam, even if it takes you 5 hours. AND he lets you start exams late if you want to do last minute cramming. There are some classes where you're like "easy class but the teacher sucks" but this isn't one of them. He is the nicest, most down-to-earth, most approachable teacher on campus. It's so obvious he WANTS to help and wants every student to succeed. You can ask him any question ever and he gives you straight-up answers (and gives you answers for pre-labs if you wanted to double-check your work or are just too lazy to do it). He never treats you like you're stupid. HE BROUGHT COOKIES EVERY FRIDAY AND EXAM DAY. WHO DOES THAT SERIOUSLY like it's like he's the father of everyone in the class, and everyone is his favorite child that he spoils, it was awesome. Okay and they weren't even like lame cookies, like the day before our final he brought s'more cookies. I didn't even know s'more cookies existed but now I do and omg they were so good. The #1 thing to do with Straney is do the old practice exams. Straney reuses the same questions over and over so old practice exams show you exactly the answer he's looking for. There's no curve but half the class got an A (average final grade was a 90) so you shouldn't need it. The only way you could possibly do badly with Straney is if you literally never paid attention and/or didn't do practice exams the night before an exam. Do NOT take Genetics with anyone else or you will be making a huge mistake.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 05/03/2014	He is extremely knowledgable in Genetics and knows almost everything. He talks very quickly and lecture is fast-paced. It's very intimidating to ask questions because he's very unapproachable. Keep up in this class- it's a lot of material to know. Exams are difficult but manageable if you study for a few hours each day the week before.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/16/2013	I had Shields for BSCI105 then definitely signed up for BSCI222 when I saw she was teaching it. My favorite thing about her is that she genuinely cares and wants her students to do well. She's an exceptional lecturer and is very knowledgeable. She has a bright personality which makes her class fun and spontaneous. Can be a ***** at timessssss but just don't get on her bad side. With Shields, there ARE such things as stupid questions. Altogether, if you're looking to actually LEARN, she's the one. If you're looking for a class to bullshit and get an A in, She's not the one.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A jack.dunitz@gmail.com 12/12/2013	I loved having Dr. Shields but if you are not willing to put in the effort do not take her. Her exams as she says are fair, but they are very hard and do require you to study a lot. I took both 222 and 105 with her and I enjoyed both course and learned a lot. Only take theses course if you want to work hard you will learn a lot but you must work hard
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/07/2013	Dr. Shields is a wonderful professor and a wonderful human being. She explains concepts very clearly, and really cares that her students understand. She provides lots of opportunities for extra credit and offers weekly reviews for the materials. You also have the option of not taking the final if you do well enough on the first 3 exams. Go to class and do the clickers. She will teach you the material, and will make it interesting. She is also hilarious.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Anonymous 05/27/2013	Well, well, well, To be honest I was not even going to take Genetics in the Fall of 2012, but I believe God told me to take Genetics. The other professor Dr. Kocher was also teaching but he did not fit into my schedule and/or his classes were full...so Dr. Shields was the only genetics professor I could take fall 2012. For the most part, was I thoroughly blessed being in her class lectures..she seems to be one of those people that for the most part seemed to maybe know how to "be" themselves She would make the class laugh..I mean it was a blessing.. there are many students from all different walks of life who may be going through problems etc such as myself..and it was great to come out of her lectures..feeling refreshed revived. Now on to the technical side of it- she does tend to rush at times when teaching .Not always though; like when she was teaching about something that might be harder to understand she did take her time and went over it twice and more slower, which was helpful. She seemed to be a bit loving ...nevertheless I remember once in class while a student was asking a question and/or she was answering it, the class was starting to talk a bit loud and she got angry/pissed and said something (not vulgar,) just maybe something like "I am trying to answer a question "- I can't remember what she said exactly, but I remember from the tone that it was clear how she felt - and the class got quiet real fast. Her test were not easy, of course but thank God for the other assignments and extra credit available. I think she also drops one exam from the three taken in he semester if you take the final ..but then your final grade would be included in your final grade whether you do good or bad on it along with the two best other exams (check up on that -I am not completely sure of this but I think this was probably the way it was done from what I remember) I mean it can seem annoying having to do the different assignments she assigns (what are we in high school again ?!?!) but in the end it could help your grade if you have not done so well on the exams with that being said , that's not to says don't take the tests seriously, obviously its still important to do well on them. The extra credit also can help. on another note, sometime she her jokes or humor can get dirty...
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B ocon 04/22/2013	hard course but he had me engaged the whole time. never boring
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Anonymous 02/06/2013	I understand that she is OK lecturer but still.... Very mean all the time, gets annoyed by students so easily, incredible load of works, hard exams and likes to condescend her students.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/19/2012	She really needs to calm down in general and stop freaking out about cheating and dishonesty on 10 point homework assignments. Overall pretty hard, but doable. She's brutally honest and doesn't back down about anything. I wish I tried a little harder, but hey, we were all freshmen once...
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A mggcrim 12/19/2012	Kocher drops an exam, including the final, which is a big plus. I dropped the final but I heard it was really easy and a grade booster. He's a really boring teacher and I stopped going to class after two weeks. I never went to class and read the book instead and did really well, so if youre okay with skipping lectures and just reading, take Kocher. His exams were pretty easy and straightforward. He doesn't really try to trick you. Although the average for our first midterm was pretty high so he did make the second one quite a bit harder. (But it still wasn't bad). There are three writing assignments that are a part of your discussion grade. These are generally a grade booster and easy points. If you can have Claire O'Quin as your TA, you should take her. She's been his TA for years and knows what he likes to test on.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/18/2012	Dr. Kocher is a nice, boring, and unenthusiastic professor who is pretty knowledgeable about genetics (obviously). His lectures are pretty dry (just goes straight through powerpoints which are posted online). The material isn't that difficult to grasp compared to other classes. The only annoying part about this class is the weekly discussions (2 hours each) where you discuss lecture material and take a 10 pt quiz (they drop your 2 lowest quizzes). The first few weeks they assigned homework from the book but eventually they stopped collecting it. Course Structure: 3 midterms (100 pts each)---> Look at old exams!! He repeats a lot of the same questions! 1 final exam (optional if you are satisfied with your guaranteed grade based on your 3 midterms. 50 multiple choice, kinda difficult) 3 writing assignments (25 pts each, essentially a completion grade) Despite his boring lectures, Dr. Kocher is very helpful when you ask questions. He is pretty straightforward and does not test you on super-complicated stuff. If it is complex, he will explain it thoroughly in lecture. Despite my semi-negative review about Kocher, I recommend taking him for genetics. His exams tend to be easier compared to other professors. Enjoy...
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2012	If you've had a good amount of high school biology (especially IB or AP stuff), you're probably set and at least half the material will be review to you (mitosis and punnet squares AGAIN?!). The other half of the material is a mix between interesting cellular topics and bland number-crunching, gene-estimating tedium. Dr. Kocher himself is not a bad guy. Lectures are pretty dry to the point where I stopped going a couple of weeks into the course. It's not a huge problem to not attend the class if you're lazy or looking to sleep in (like me) because he posts all the PowerPoint slides from class online. You can effectively learn all you need to know from them exclusively. Exams are pretty tolerable. Often very similar to old exams. Go to the review session (or at least download the review sessions PowerPoint which, yes, is also online). Lowest exam (including the final) is dropped so if you score well enough on the first 3, the final is optional. Grades are usually high enough so there's no curve-- take the final if you have a borderline grade. It's 50 multiple choice questions and not hard at all. The book doesn't help too much, so if you're on the fence about buying it, you can probably be set without it. The answer manual is pretty handy, though-- get that alone if you want to save some money and see how to do your homework problems. Homework was collected for only the first two weeks in discussion. I don't even think it factored into the grade, but do it anyway.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/29/2012	Most likely one of the best professor's I've had at UMD and I've been here for a while and seen a LOT of professors. There is a ton of busy work, I agree, but almost all of the assigned work has helped me in one way or another on exams and just understanding genetics in general. I don't think the concepts are difficult if you just take the time to review them, or go to her office hours, as she is always there and always willing to help. TA's can be a hit or miss, but all in all I learned quite a bit from this class. I wish Dr. Shields taught more upper level genetics classes, as I would definitely take her again.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A typicalterp 07/24/2012	Dr. Straney is an exceptionally understanding professor. To be honest, his lectures are a bit boring at times but if you feel like you are not being able to put your full attention in class, it is not at all intimidating to go up to him and ask questions after class or during his office hours. It is very feasible to do well in this class if you keep up with the assignments (that's probably one of the biggest challenges for this class), go to Straney's reviews before exams, and review past exam papers.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 06/08/2012	kocher is pretty boring and hard to learn from but his exams are really easy/ fair he uses a lot of questions from previous exams if you have a good TA you are good to go Claire is the best TA review sessions before exams are really helpful you don't need to read every page of the chapter of the book just use the book to read over things that you are unclear about
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A NeuroSciX 05/21/2012	He's a fantastic instructor, the tests are relatively easy to manage and you shouldn't have any issue getting at the least a B+ in his course. Just remember to do the practice test problems and the book. Reading the book is moderately integral to doing well in this course.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A erika_14 05/19/2012	Dr Straney is the sweetest professor on campus. He is a semi-boring lecturer but a good one at that. He always provides past exams with smiliar problems he will put on his exam so make sure you do them. Most of the material is straight memorization, but of course you have to understand the processes. Discussion is really boring but it's good easy points to get. Make sure you do the end of the chapter textbook problems - they help you understand the material even better. Keep up with the material since you will learn a lot. Dr Straney is ALWAYS there for help so make use of him and your TAs!
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A ladsheep 05/18/2012	DR. STRANEY IS AMAZING!!!! He is the nicest professor you will ever have and he legitimately cares about each student succeeding. He is always available and willing to help through email or in his office (open door policy). He is a very good lecturer, making jokes and keeping the material interesting. He gives you an infinite amount of material so that you can succeed (study guides, lectures, outlines, old exams and weekly review sessions). He also is just an extremely caring person, he brings cookies to class sometimes, and for the final we just took, he brought a lot of food and coffee and tea for everyone. He just goes out of his way to make your life easier and does everything he can to make the class and material interesting. This class in general is a lot of work, especially the discussion. In order to succeed just make sure you get all the easy points in discussion and review Dr. Straney's old exams. If you know his lecture slides and the old exams really well then the exams should be easy for you since he tests on a lot of the same concepts. If you have extra time going over his study guides and outlines is helpful as well. All together, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE GENETICS WITH DR. STRANEY BECAUSE YOU WON'T REGRET IT AND YOU WILL LEARN A LOT!!
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 05/15/2012	This man is so smart, it's intimidating to the point that you won't want to ask questions. He answers your questions in a way that makes you wonder why you asked him in the first place. He comes off as a cold cold person but you can tell he loves what he does. Tests are not easy but not impossible. Study well in advance because there's absolutely no room to fall behind. He talks really fast but the course has so much material that you have to stay on top of things. Quizes every week based on lecture, drop the three lowest scores. Labs/Case Studies/Homework - one due every week, doesn't always coincide with lecture but easy points. Two exams and a final.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/13/2012	Professor St. Leger is genius. I took BSCI222 with him last spring and I thought he was hilarious. His British accent and commentary/jokes made the material 10x more interesting. This man is incredibly smart. Tests were fair and of appropriate difficulty. Overall, I'm glad I took St. Leger.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/01/2012	Professor Kocher is a really nice guy. If you memorize the major concepts, you should be fine, he doesn't test on specifics. Go to the reviews with Claire O'Quinn, she's a life saver. Grading of the essay on his exams are completely dependent on what they're looking for. I remember I wrote tons for one essay, but I lost maybe six or seven points because I didn't include the bullet points that he had on his slides. That's where memorization comes in. He's awesome, but don't expect him to help you if you go to his office. His exams are already really general, so he's not going to tell you what's on it. Usually you can figure it out by what he says in lecture. Sometimes he blatantly tells you "this will be on the exam, know how to do this." He isn't very engaging in lecture, so a lot of the time people don't go. Just remember that if you decide to do that, you'll miss out on the hints that he gives out. Claire usually covers those in her reviews, but those are a day before the exam and usually there isn't enough time to study all the material you need to know. Something I found very helpful was to have a google doc with a few of my buddies. We all took topics from his lectures and broke them down on the doc, exactly what we needed to know, and studied from there. If you can do that, and know how to do most of the problems from the book, you should be fine. A word of caution: Be careful what TA you get. They can make or break you. My TA was extremely nice, but her quizzes were nearly impossible. She was very knowledgable and helped us a lot, but the averages of her section compared to the rest of the class' was about .7% higher altogether, which wasn't worth the points we lost for discussion. In conclusion, Kocher is the man, study the big concepts, slides > the book, read the book for the potential essay questions. Know how to draw DNA, how to draw various stages of meiosis, DNA mapping, punnet squares, chi squared tests, sex determination. Those are usually almost always on his exams. Don't worry about the equations he gives you for genetic drift and mutation and stuff. We stressed out about that a lot and didn't know how to do the problems in the book, but they weren't even on the exam. I heard the final wasn't too bad, but fortunately I did well enough on the first three exams that I didn't have to take it. I hope this was helpful, good luck everyone :)
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/27/2011	i got an A- in this class BARELY, and didnt have to take the final. but i also never paid attention in lecture, and only read the book religiously for the first exam (which is also the exam i did the worst on.) there's a learning curve in this class and you just need to figure out how he tests. 85% of the stuff presented in lecture and in the books will never show up on the exam...so dont stress about it. look at his past exams and 60% of it will be there again on your test presented exactly the same, or a slight variation. then look at the homework questions and his slides to see what short answers and essays could possibly show up. very easy to figure out. GO TO THE REVIEW SESSIONS! they saved me, and i only went to the ones for test 2 and 3 (possibly again why my first test was the lowest)...the TA holding the review sessions will be your biggest help. seriously if i can get an A in this class simply from rigorous memorization three days before each exam, anyone can. he's your best bet. no one here has posted about the final and i cant either. but it is 50 mc and we saw the first page of the one from the year before....looks pretty easy if you feel like studying for it. so yeah thats about it. good luck! take kocher
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting a B rose11 12/26/2011	Dr. Kocher is a really great professor. I enjoyed his lectures and learned a lot about genetics. I liked the fact that he doesn't want students to memorize small details, but rather the main concepts. There are four exams in the semester, including the final, and you can drop your lowest grade. Therefore, if you are happy with your three midterm grades, you don't have to take the final. The final is multiple choice, where as the midterms are short answer/essay/matching/definition questions. Kocher usually gives you a good idea of what the essay question or short answers will be on the exam. The TA's also give a review session the night before each exam, which is extremely helpful. Exams are 75% of your grade, and discussion is 25%. There are weekly quizzes in discussion, as well as homework. There are three writing assignments throughout the semester, which are very easy and almost everyone gets 100% on them. Great course, definitely take it with Dr. Kocher!
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/24/2011	well first off, this class is hard. SHe has a lower grade distribution than the other teacher who taught it my semester koucher. I couldn't fit koucher into my schedule so i took patty. First of all she is interesting, out-there professor (alcoholic) or as many say shes "Patty". The class is hard to get an A in, but possible if you do all of her study guide questions and homeworks. THe way her exams work there are at least two big response questions that were close to or exactly the same as the homework questions. I remember on the second exam the average as a 58, but the two free response questions most people did wrongly were almost verbatim from homework questions she answered. If you can do pretty well of the three exams 85 and above, and you do well of other work, you can get an A i think. Also if you have an A before the final, you don't have to take the final (you can leave with your A). I would recommend taking patty if your actually more interested in genetics, but other than that, if you can get an easier professor you can do so. but if your stuck with patty REMEMBER: DO THE ASSIGNED HOMEWORKS.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2011	I chose to take Shields over Kochner after reading many reviews about what an interesting and relatable teacher Shields was. Looking back, I would not take genetics with Shields. That being said, I am not a bio major. I'm a biochem major who thought taking genetics would be interesting and an "easier" A than other science classes. After talking to other students in Kochner's class, I do believe I understand the material more. If you are looking to truly learn genetics and possibly get a B instead of A, then I would take Shields. Lastly, do realize this is a 4 credit class. There is a ton of work that goes along with this class. Weekly quizzes and HW assignments, not to mention the other random assignments due certain weeks.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2011	Dr. Kocher is a very nice guy who wants you to understand the material. Although he tries to emphasize concept, a decent amount of memorization is still necessary. Discussions are easy but highly dependent on who is your TA. There are four exams, including the final. You can drop one. I highly recommend doing well on the first three and dropping the final. Exams are not too bad. Be sure to look at past exams. No curve and he gives pluses and minuses. Good if you have a B+, bad if you have an A- I enjoyed the class. Kocher is the professor to take for genetics
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B terp121 12/18/2011	Dr. Shields is a good professor, but is very difficult. A tremendous amount of effort is needed in order to get a decent grade. She tries to trick you on her exams and even brags about how difficult her exams are. If you ask a question in lecture that she thinks is "stupid" then she will not hesitate to patronize you and tell you that your question does not make sense. However, she does provide about thirty points of extra credit, and you are not required to take the final if you are satisfied with your grade. If you want to take the final, you are allowed to drop your lowest exam score. Overall, I would recommend taking the other professor.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/17/2011	Dr. Shields was amazing. She was a great lecturer (funny, engaging, etc) and was very responsive to student needs. The tests were hard, multiple choice, short answers then 2-4 long answers. There were weekly quizzes and homeworks for discussions which were not too bad, just annoying. My TA was awesome and before each test had ~40 questions for us to do to help us prep. I loved this class, which I needed for Pre-Med, and I absolutely recommend Dr. Shields. She also does "take the grade or take the final", most people take the grade and you have one less final to study for!
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/04/2011	If I had to do it over again, I would not take Shields. Compare Shields and Kochner's GPA distribution. 10% of the class gets more As in Kochner's class than in Shields. I don't know how to study for her tests. My second and third test scores have gone down even though I do well on the online quizzes and have done all the HW assignments, gone through the clicker questions, lecture notes, and read the book at least three times. This is the only class that my test scores have gone down the more I study. Shields is a good lecturer and does seem to relate to her students as long as you don't piss her off with stupid questions. Her tests aren't hard, but she grades really strictly so it's hard to get a good grade. You need to write the specific words/ reasoning or she won't give you credit.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B defeatthehuns 12/03/2011	Dr. Shields is an incredibly brilliant and knowledgeable professor. She herself is awesome and definitely cares more about her students than most of the other professors I've had so far. That being said...if you are one of the really forgetful flaky types(like me) this is not the class for you. There are lots of busy-work assignments to keep up with and with other classes to worry about, I and other students have missed the deadlines for a bit of them. I gave her a high rating because she is truly an excellent teacher, but I would have probably still taken it with a different professor, looking back. She is a harsh grader, and her exams are very difficult. There were 7 TA's helping to teach our class. I had a good TA, but some of my friends had this clueless TA who didn't know how to answer ANY questions relating to genetics at all, so if your TA sucks, then you're gonna have a harder time with the class than others. Shields is a great professor, but her class was HARD and I'll be glad to be done with it.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A zhangsta 05/25/2011	Pretty good lecturer. He teaches off his slides, which are taken straight out of the book, but he goes into pretty good detail about all of the important stuff. Exams were pretty fair and weren't too bad if you kept up with the material. He's one of those professors who wants everyone to do well so he posts study guides on bb and holds review sessions for the exams. Pretty much gives you ample opportunity to do well.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2011	This class was the easiest I've taken so far. I skipped lecture, went to discussion, and read the book. Dr. Straney provides tons of resources including lecture powerpoints, lecture outlines, and old exams. If you have a basic understanding of genetics, you shouldn't have to put too much work into this class. Exams were fair, and you can drop one, which is quite helpful. However, there is no final curve for the class. Regardless, I honestly think they tried to make this class as easy as possible.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/22/2011	Extremely nice and helpful, gives you plenty of resources to study from. lectures tend to be boring but he's very passionate about what he teaches. holds weekly q&a sessions. i read reviews saying this course used to be easy with him. it's not anymore. i think they leaned on him to give less A's, so don't expect an easy ride
David Straney BSCI222 Anonymous 05/20/2011	DR. STRANEY IS AMAZING! He's very easy going and laid back and you can tell he really cares about his students and loves the material that he teaches. He makes class interesting even when some of the material can be dull at times. He's also very willing to help you with anything outside of class. Make sure to do well in discussion (especially on the weekly quizzes) because it will help your grade in the end. Study well for the weekly quizzes in discussion...they are detailed and difficult. Otherwise, the other things you do in discussion are easy points. Your two lowest quiz and homework scores will be dropped. There are 3 exams (the lowest score is dropped). They are detailed but fair...make sure to read the book and review old exams. Overall interesting class. If you can take this class with Straney, DO IT!
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/14/2011	He's a really good professor and a super nice guy. His exams aren't that bad if you study. He gives you everything you need to study including the lecture powerpoint, lecture outlines, study guide, and practice problems. My TA's quizzes are pretty hard, but not too bad. Take it with Straney if you can.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A pinkx 01/30/2011	Great professor. I really appreciated how he just wanted us to grasp the main concepts, rather than memorize every detail. He also put in interesting things into the lecture. His exams are very fair, and very similar to his old exams. There are weekly quizzes in discussion with about 3-5 questions, but some of the quizzes end up being dropped, and if you look at the practice problems assigned for those chapters, you're guaranteed a 10/10. There are also three writing assignments, and they're graded very easily. Everyone gets at least a 25/30 for doing it. Oh and he is a very nice guy if you go and talk to him in person.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A premedkid123 12/25/2010	Dr. Kocher is an amazing professor! He cares so much about his students doing well in the course, and he spends time trying to make the material easy to understand. Unlike other biology professors, Kocher wants you to understand the main picture rather than memorize tiny details that you will forget anyway. I learned so much from this class! The tests are also very fair. If you study all of his slides, you will have no problem getting a good grade.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A Phoenix_ourumd 12/22/2010	Let me tell you right now, there is no curve. Beware the A- if you're pre-med! Exams are easy. He always tests on big ideas (like the other reviewers below me have outlined). Always take a look at his old exams before exams because he frequently repeats questions. 75% of your grade is 3 Exams, 1 Final Exam. One of these four exams is dropped (so if you do well on the three semester exams, you can drop the final exam). 25% of your grade is discussion quizzes (pretty easy 10/10s), three essays (not too bad either) and participation.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/11/2010	Awesome professor. She is approachable, will be straightforward with your concerns, keeps the class entertained, etc. There is busy work, but it helps boost your grade. Her tests are reasonable with half being MC and the other half being problems (which are usually easy to guess beforehand). You buy the lecture notes at the beginning of the semester and the exams and weekly quizzes are based off of that.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A+ trex 12/11/2010	took him a couple of years ago. he is a very effective teacher. pay attention during lecture and review your notes. he is very helpful if you go to his office hours or after class. i think this will be his last semester teaching this course so definitely take his class if you can!
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B PossePrincess 12/07/2010	Dr. St Leger is one of my favorite professors ever. He's a wonderful lecturer, and was very accommodating about meeting for alternative office hours. He's nice, funny, and almost intimidatingly intelligent. I recorded all his lectures and recopied them later, which proved extremely helpful. There's no room to get behind in this class, because there's a lot of material and he tests you on details. That being said, if you attend lectures and keep up with studying and practice problems, there's no reason not to do well in his class. Discussion was difficult, but they are coordinated by different people than the lecturers.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2010	Even though there were many who complained that her tests were too long, or too hard, I found her tests reasonable. There are busy work that you will have to do, but I feel that it helped with some of the materials that are covered in class. Quizzes are usually from the outline she provides in class, and as long as you read, and go over her notes, there is no way you will not get an A in this class. She does not curve, so I hope you do not rely on a curve. Dr. Shields is very nice, and approachable! I give her A++++ :)
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B genbiomajor 12/01/2010	Shields is a very entertaining professor. Her snide remarks and chirpy voice will surely keep you awake during class. She is a very clear lecturer and explains concepts well. Unfortunately, there is a trade off: her exams are really difficult and she does not curve. While the grades you earn on the exams make up the majority of the total points in the class, your grade can also depend on your TA. Each TA writes their own quizzes, which you have once a week in discussion. Some TAs give ridiculously easy quizzes, while others give incredibly hard quizzes. But, that's just luck. I found the textbook to be very helpful when studying for the quizzes, as well as the exams. If you want to learn and enjoy genetics, take Shields. If you are not a very diligent student and just want to boost or maintain your GPA, take the other professor (Kocher).
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 10/11/2010	I found it hard to pay attention, especially whenever he wore an open collar shirt. Meow.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A- supermonkey 08/24/2010	Excellent Professor, very clear and straightforward. What's great about him is that he hates being hung up in annoying specifics just as students do (and Shields does just that from what my friends told me). His tests want you to nail down the general but crucial concepts with mastery; ie: Sample quest. from each test Fall 09 - First test: Gave you a pedigree and asked you to identify what the disease was (Autosomal, dominant etc) and rule out what it couldn't be and why. Second Test: Asked you to draw structure of a helix (1 strand) of DNA but (of course) without the nitrogenous base which makes it fairly easy. Third Test: Asked you to explain in your own words what the Sanger Method is. He doesn't like testing on the nitpicky facts so there's VERY little Multiple choice; the rest are short answers + 1 essay at the end. So never go into a midterm looking to just "wing it"; trust me you'll fail. The single most important advice I can give you, which ultimately got me the A, is on each midterm make sure you know the concepts YOU feel were the most general but yet the most important. And by that, I mean really know them; work out several problems in the book about them, make sure you could handle a question about those topics no matter how it is formulated and where he asks you to start from. So this is where LECTURE, not discussion, becomes extremely important. Please, make sure to ALWAYS attend or if you really can't, then study the powerpoints he posts RELIGOUSLY!! Ex of Important topics: Figuring out order of genes on a chromosome, Chi square, cloning vectors, DNA replication* (that diagram with replication forks, enzymes, etc), DNA repair, Transcription, Translation... Ex of the kind of topics that are NOT so important: Definitions, Simple Punnett Squares, the bottleneck effect and lol i dont even remember like gene variation?, epistasis, biotechnology... In my opinion, he's probably your best bet for this class. Even if his classes are all filled, be patient and get on the waitlists. I can assure you that he'll definitely be worth it.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A TerpGuide 06/08/2010	I personally don't see what is so great about Straney. The way he teaches is pretty boring. However, he is very nice and holds a weekly review session and stays however long you need him to. Overall the class is pretty easy. The resources he provides you with are soooo useful for the exams. From what I know, there was no curve, but I'm not sure. Discussion helps a lot with your grade because it's like busy work and fairly simple. However, there's a weekly quiz which you should review your notes for. You can get away with not going to class and reading the powerpoint. The biggest thing to study is the study guides and lecture outlines. With those, you should be fine. Take Straney if you can, he makes the class pretty easy.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A aralchen 05/20/2010	This man is a saint! The nicest and sweetest man on earth - period. He tries incredibly hard to help students understand the rather difficult material by posting lecture outlines, study guides, old exams, holding weekly review sessions, and always having his door open to any one who needs help. If you need BSCI222 (or want to take it), take it with Dr. Straney!!! You won't regret it! Exams: they're rather detailed and require you to thoroughly know the information from lecture. Textbook helps a lot, but doesn't determine what will be on the exam. He likes promoters, regulatory elements (that's essentially his research), and math-based problems. When studying ALWAYS reference the study guides and ALWAYS go to review. ALWAYS. Discussion: he has no say about what goes on there, since that's Dr. Shields' domain. It does help your grade a lot. Final: covers half comprehensive and half new material. Comprehensive sections covers only what's been tested on previous exams. This time he had a tricky problem, but it doesn't usually happen on the midterms. Overall: very fair class where you learn a whole bunch. Highly recommended!!
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2010	Dr. Straney is literally the nicest person to have EVER stepped on college park. He actually wants students to learn and do well. He holds review sessions every week and brought cookies/hot cocoa at least once when I went! He makes his tests very fair and just generally likes people. Don't you dare take BSCI222 with anyone else.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A amgarcia 05/12/2010	if you have the option of taking bsci222 for your major, TAKE IT and TAKE IT WITH STRANEY!! he is the nicest professor EVER and i definitely thought i was doing worse than i am. i can get an 85% on the final and still have an A in the class (i've gotten 89s on both tests and did kinda poorly on the quizzes in my opinion but the rest of discussion helps your grade SO MUCH!!) the second half of the class is kind of boring, but easy enough if you put normal effort into it. i think i might apply to TA the discussion of this class later on! :)
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/07/2010	Dr. Straney is the best! He is probably one of the best professors at Maryland. He is willing to explain absolutely anything, and is actually GLAD to be able to help. Even in a huge lecture, he encourages everyone to ask questions and get help. He even brought snacks to a review session before our exam. Seriously a very approachable and genuinely nice guy.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A sillyputty184 04/19/2010	BSCI105: Same deal as 222. clickers, lectures posted, fair exams. I took Ap in high school but just didnt take the test. Easy A. BSCI222: Took her because I did well in her 105. REALLY knows her stuff. Confident woman that doesn't take crap from anyone. You have to go to discussion, which is lame, but an easy way to boost a grade. Drop an exam or skip the final. clickers. buying the notes helps A LOT Yeah she can be inappropriate, but she's always well intentioned and always funny. Usually what she says is what we are all thinking, or ends up being how you remember something. High A in both classes
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a C tallboyt 03/02/2010	Interesting class. She good and nice one-on-one (especially when it comes to grade calculations), but if you are mean, she'll be mean right back. She does not curve (every point counts!) and has some extra credit points. She uses clickers: first question (which you have to be on-time to class for) is graded by correctness and all others are just participation. There are weekly quizzes and other assignments due (considered busy work). there are 3 tests OR 2 tests+final (one can be dropped, but if you drop it you have to take the final). Tests are hard and you need to take her basic lecture notes and put them in detail on your own.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 01/29/2010	this man is a genius.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A tero4life 12/23/2009	Outstanding professor. One of the very best biology professors at UMD!
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/21/2009	He's a good lecturer, but the material can get boring. Each lecture covers exactly one chapter in the book, and I went to about 50% of classes, but read the book and was fine. All the material is in the book. Basically, you can either go to class and learn the material, or read the book on your own time. There are four tests including the final, but the lowest one is dropped. His tests are pretty basic, and can be very similar to the old practice exams. Discussion for me only lasted 1 hour, but it depends on the TA. Some sections went 2 hours. There are weekly quizzes on the chapters, which you need to do well on, since discussion is 25% of your grade. They're also easy if you know the basics of the material. Kocher doesn't test a lot of specifics, which is refreshing for a bio class. He just wants you to understand general concepts. There's no curve though. 90% = A, 80% = B ...
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting a B+ 800meters 12/19/2009	He's a good but boring professor. He drops one of your exams (including the final exam if that is your lowest exam---or you can choose not to take the final if your three midterms are good enough for you). He gave out 32% A's for the fall 2009. I ended up with a 89.33 but wouldn't give me the A. You write 3 papers, too, but they don't take much effort and generally boost your grade.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 12/18/2009	I'd say if you need to take genetics, you should take it with StLedger. He is Amazing hands down. Knows what he's doing, entertaining, cares, is a little hyper at times, and gets a large volume of material across very easily. He's a fantastic lecturer. I do agree with anonymous that he writes and talked extremely fast, but that's because he's got so much to share. He puts the skeleton of his lecture notes online so if you print or copy that out before class you can take notes on that and save yourself some wrist. Tests weren't so bad once you figured out what exactly he's asking for. Remember case studies. Discussion actually kinda screwed me over. I had a hard TA so wound up with a lower averaging discussion than on my exams, but hey it happens. I actually like how there are weekly quizzes it keeps you on track since 222 is a class that's really easy to fall behind in. Also, I think its fairly safe to say that at least 1/5 of the girls who go into that class had a crush on him by the end of it...
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/18/2009	She is a very good instructor. Her notes are organized, clear, and succinct. She compiled her notes in a notebook that you can purchase at the beginning of the semester for $13, so that you do not have to waste paper and ink to print the notes. I thought it was a very generous gesture, and it's well worth it. She has a witty sense of humor, and her voice is anything BUT monotonous. The subject of genetics is already interesting, and Shields does a fabulous job explaining all the concepts. The class is a lot of busy work though. In addition to lectures, there is a 2 hour discussion that meets once a week. During every discussion, you have a quiz and usually some form of assignment due, whether it's a mathbench quiz or a homework assignment. The discussions are fairly helpful to review what is taught in lecture. Shields also uses clickers, so make sure you attend class. She does NOT curve; in fact, an 89.5% is still a B. You must get a 90% flat to get an A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C, and so forth. However, she does provide around 20 points of extra credit. She also gives you the option of not taking the final exam if you are satisfied with your grade. However, if you are unsatisfied (i.e. on the borderline), she allows you to drop your lowest exam and replace that grade with the final. It is not easy to get an A, but it is not hard to get a B. Great professor- I highly recommend her.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Anonymous 06/05/2009	I would recommend not taking st. leger for genetics. If there is another prof teaching the course, take that one. Although a lot of people like his lectures, he talks way too fast and its hard to take notes in class. he does have the lecture outlines online but do not rely only on them. There are quizzes almost every week and something due in discussion every week. The two hour discussions are pretty pointless. Quiz difficulty depends on your TA. Exam difficulty goes up from the first exam and is about equal on the 2nd and 3rd exam. On the exams there are essays, short answers, multiple choice etc. Don't start to study the night before the exam maybe a week or two before and you'll be fine.
David Straney BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/03/2009	Great professor. Really cares about students doing well. Exams stem from lectures and text. Exams are fair and very doable.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting a B cninferno 05/21/2009	Professor StLeger is an excellent professor. He really knows his stuff when it comes to lecturing and he talks about current events that may (or may not) pertain to the topic at hand. He is very witty and funny; he makes a few jokes during lecture that gets the entire class laughing. Out of class, he is a very nice person, though he is a bit insane (in a good and funny way). His tests were rather hard, though. All the material in his exams come STRAIGHT out of his mouth during lecture, so it will behoove you to tape record his lectures and rewrite your notes afterwards since he talks VERY fast. But, if you think you can keep up, then just make sure you write down almost everything he says (including the examples he gives in class - he will ask questions about specific examples in his exams). He usually posts his lecture notes online before lecture, so these will definitely help you take notes.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/27/2009	Entertaining, goes realllly fast. Exams are from notes over the textbook. No room to get behind; sometimes two hour discussion isn't even helpful.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Anonymous 04/10/2009	Excellent Professor! Showed every concept and was very engaging. The discussions did have some busy work but it did help me understand some of the material.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A rbterp 03/08/2009	I loved Dr. St. Leger's class. He was extremely entertaining and clear during lectures, and always included very interesting current events. He is very strict about people attending class so he will purposely include questions from class not originally on the note outlines to reward those who come to class. He recommends using a tape recorder b/c he speaks quickly. The exams are difficult but doable, just study the material well and you'll be fine.
Thomas Kocher BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/14/2009	Very good genetics professor. He explains the material well and supplements his lectures by including interesting topics not covered in the textbook. When he uses PowerPoints, he often goes through the slides quickly, but posts the presentations on Blackboard after the lectures. Exams are easy and cover the most basic and important concepts. They usually include an essay, but you can choose one of two given topics to write about and the topics are usually general or hinted upon in class. He is also very responsive to students' needs and concerns (ex: possible changes in grading methods, exam dates, and discussion assignments). There was no homework assigned for his lecture specifically, but the mandatory two-hour discussion sections (which another professor is in charge of) included online homework assignments and 15-minute quizzes that weren't always helpful in understanding the material. If you took and did well in AP Biology in high school, this course shouldn't be that hard at all.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a C moonbeem7d 12/17/2008	As a lecturer, Dr. Shields is great. She is really engaging and she makes learning about genetics really interesting. Her tests are really hard. I got 2 Cs and a B and expected to get a B in the course and then came the final. The final is comprehensive and was impossibly long. I had a very hard time finishing the exam in two hours.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2008	When I read these reviews I was intimidated but I absolutely loved this class and Dr. Shields. She is an amazing teacher and does a great job explaining material and giving you the tools you need to understand it. She is very receptive to questions in and out of class, and I thought her exams were fair (though I believe she did say she shortened them from previous years). There can be quite a bit of work, but if you just go to class, pay attention, and do the required work, you can easily get by. I think it may also depend on how good your TA is at reviewing the material. Discussion can be long and boring but overall it is extremely helpful and cut down on a lot of my study time. Shields also holds review sessions once per week, and her guaranteed grade system was awesome.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/19/2008	WAAAAY too much busy work. its like high school all over again. Exams are hard and she does not give enough time. She does not curve. Do not listen to all the reviews saying she is good.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B alyz 11/13/2008	Clickers used Straight forward exams Overly excited teaching Inappropriate comments sometimes (funny though) Review session every week She seems happy to be teaching! :)
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting a B gundamwing4132 05/01/2008	Excellent teacher funny, very energetic and inspiring all lectures outlines were on blackboard and were very helpful clickers were used in class not much work at all fair exams
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A+ vdawg 04/25/2008	He knows everything there is to know about genetics. Extremely well-read in anything remotely scientific and quotes everything from Alice in Wonderland to Proust in class. Every lecture is extremely interesting, but also chockfull of information. You'd best be good at taking notes and a recorder has never been more appropriate. Exams are not ridiculously hard, only one or two questions require any amount of writing, and they are always straight out of his lectures. If he says something is important or spends more than 10 minutes on something, it'll be on the exam for sure. And you drop your lowest grade anyway. The final exam was unbelievably specific.
Raymond StLeger BSCI222 Expecting an A- reysa 04/17/2008	I loved Dr. StLeger. If you have a choice, TAKE HIM! He is the most engaging professor. He gives plenty of examples and tells lots of jokes. His first exam was an easy freebie, it was 75% stuff we have learned before and I got a 95.5% (my in GPA avg as a Bio major is 2.5). I just studied once a week with a classmate. Second test was harder, I got an 80.5, but he drops one. I take the third test tomorrow, and he is like all teachers and has a ton of material on his exams, but he does honestly make them interesting. He also has LECTURE OUTLINES ready before class, and takes notes on overhead copies so if you are a bad notetaker you have a place to start. Ive never missed a class and dont plan to!
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A accwow 12/26/2007	Excellent professor. I really learned a lot in this class. She can be a little rude when you interact with her face-to-face, but her excellent teaching skills make up for her personality.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 Expecting an A afollmer 10/24/2007	Dr. Shields reminds me of a cracked out drag queen. If I would have taken the class freshman year I probably would have loved her coddling style but as an upperclassman I thought the busywork was extremely ridiculous.
Patricia Shields BSCI222 pinklacepajamas 10/21/2007	Very engaging and dynamic teacher, although a little in-your-face and shocking at times. The workload is not bad, and discussion isn't horrible, depending on your TA.