BSCI360 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Gerald Wilkinson BSCI360 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2024	I took this class as an ECEV course required for Gen Bio majors, but this genuinely was so much unnecessary work and stress that I did not anticipate. The class has 2 midterms, 2 problem sets, a grant proposal, participation for weekly discussion sections, and a final. The problem sets were not insanely difficult, but I would say that without going to office hours it's pretty much impossible to do that well on them. The grant proposal was SO much work, so unless you are planning on starting it a month in advance, opt out of this course and take one that just uses tests. I cannot emphasize how much work this grant proposal is - I worked on it pretty extensively and didn't even get an A on it. His lectures are very boring - he basically reads off the slides and he refuses to split up topics into more than one lecture. If his powerpoint has 56 slides, he will force all of the information into the 50 minute lecture time, even if he doesn't actually explain the concepts very well. And you can bet all of the content will still be tested!! Even if he barely touched it during class!!! The amount of content on each exam was insane, and it's basically all rote memorization. Maybe I came in with some skewed expectations, but I thought the amount of content he tried to squeeze in was pretty unreasonable. Also, when students asked for practice questions, he would post problems with no answer key because he would "run out of questions for his tests". Any answer keys to his tests were posted on paper outside of his office, not even posted online. I may be wrong but I do not believe he allows any regrades of his tests. Also for the final, he basically said he was too lazy to post any practice questions, give us a topic list, or send a projection of grade distributions. Every week there is also a discussion section where you have to read a paper and discuss it – this was basically just participation based so this was pretty fair. The one thing I will say is that his curve for a bio class was pretty generous. The grade distributions were A+ (94+), A (86-93), A- (83-85), B+ (81-82), B (74-80), B- (72-73), C+ (70-71), C (64-69), C- (60-63). TLDR: Based on his curve, I was able to get an A which I'm super happy about, but in hindsight I probably would have just not taken this class. I'm sure there are other ECEV courses with less work and a more engaging prof.
Gerald Wilkinson BSCI360 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2024	I took this class as an ECEV course required for Gen Bio majors, but this genuinely was so much unnecessary work and stress that I did not anticipate. The class has 2 midterms, 2 problem sets, a grant proposal, participation for weekly discussion sections, and a final. The problem sets were not insanely difficult, but I would say that without going to office hours it's pretty much impossible to do that well on them. The grant proposal was SO much work, so unless you are planning on starting it a month in advance, opt out of this course and take one that just uses tests. I cannot emphasize how much work this grant proposal is - I worked on it pretty extensively and didn't even get an A on it. His lectures are very boring - he basically reads off the slides and he refuses to split up topics into more than one lecture. If his powerpoint has 56 slides, he will force all of the information into the 50 minute lecture time, even if he doesn't actually explain the concepts very well. And you can bet all of the content will still be tested!! Even if he barely touched it during class!!! The amount of content on each exam was insane, and it's basically all rote memorization. Maybe I came in with some skewed expectations, but I thought the amount of content he tried to squeeze in was pretty unreasonable. Also, when students asked for practice questions, he would post problems with no answer key because he would "run out of questions for his tests". Any answer keys to his tests were posted on paper outside of his office, not even posted online. I may be wrong but I do not believe he allows any regrades of his tests. Also for the final, he basically said he was too lazy to post any practice questions, give us a topic list, or send a projection of grade distributions. Every week there is also a discussion section where you have to read a paper and discuss it – this was basically just participation based so this was pretty fair. The one thing I will say is that his curve for a bio class was pretty generous. The grade distributions were A+ (94+), A (86-93), A- (83-85), B+ (81-82), B (74-80), B- (72-73), C+ (70-71), C (64-69), C- (60-63). TLDR: Based on his curve, I was able to get an A which I'm super happy about, but in hindsight I probably would have just not taken this class. I'm sure there are other ECEV courses with less work and a more engaging prof.
Gerald Wilkinson BSCI360 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2024	I took this class as an ECEV course required for Gen Bio majors, but this genuinely was so much unnecessary work and stress that I did not anticipate. The class has 2 midterms, 2 problem sets, a grant proposal, participation for weekly discussion sections, and a final. The problem sets were not insanely difficult, but I would say that without going to office hours it's pretty much impossible to do that well on them. The grant proposal was SO much work, so unless you are planning on starting it a month in advance, opt out of this course and take one that just uses tests. I cannot emphasize how much work this grant proposal is - I worked on it pretty extensively and didn't even get an A on it. His lectures are very boring - he basically reads off the slides and he refuses to split up topics into more than one lecture. If his powerpoint has 56 slides, he will force all of the information into the 50 minute lecture time, even if he doesn't actually explain the concepts very well. And you can bet all of the content will still be tested!! Even if he barely touched it during class!!! The amount of content on each exam was insane, and it's basically all rote memorization. Maybe I came in with some skewed expectations, but I thought the amount of content he tried to squeeze in was pretty unreasonable. Also, when students asked for practice questions, he would post problems with no answer key because he would "run out of questions for his tests". Any answer keys to his tests were posted on paper outside of his office, not even posted online. I may be wrong but I do not believe he allows any regrades of his tests. Also for the final, he basically said he was too lazy to post any practice questions, give us a topic list, or send a projection of grade distributions. Every week there is also a discussion section where you have to read a paper and discuss it – this was basically just participation based so this was pretty fair. The one thing I will say is that his curve for a bio class was pretty generous. The grade distributions were A+ (94+), A (86-93), A- (83-85), B+ (81-82), B (74-80), B- (72-73), C+ (70-71), C (64-69), C- (60-63). TLDR: Based on his curve, I was able to get an A which I'm super happy about, but in hindsight I probably would have just not taken this class. I'm sure there are other ECEV courses with less work and a more engaging prof.
Gerald Borgia BSCI360 Expecting a B- Anonymous 11/07/2022	The class is horrendous. The classwork itself isnt the worst, they give a reasonable amount of work. The discussions are pointless, all you do is read an article for the week and talk about it during the discussion period. OH YEAH, pop quizzes during discussion as well, so you never know when you get one. First class I have seen give pop quizzes throughout my 4 years at umd. The exams are the worst part. 41 true/false (doesn't sound bad right?) and 8 short answers in 55 MINUTES!!!!!!! There is almost no time to run through the exam in its entirety, and the wording of his exams are so confusing. He also barely curves the exams, so if someone does exceptionally well then its wraps for your grade. TAs are super strict for no reason. It's almost like they're purposefully trying to make your life worse. If you are taking this class for an upper level class, and it is not specifically required for your major, I beg you to choose another class. This one is not worth it.
Gerald Borgia BSCI360 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/04/2019	TL;DR Don't take this class unless you want to really work for your grade. This is a 3 credit class but feels more like a 4 credit class Fun class, but a terrible teacher. The exams are T/F and short answers and its almost impossible to finish in time. He expects you to understand his typoed notes and how his rambling stories are relevant to the lecture. The discussions are pretty bad especially when he expects you to lead at least 2 discussions on scientific papers that are written for experts in the field. He grades kinda fairly just make sure you are on good terms with the TA though, my TA was a harsh grader so it made the class even more stressful
Gerald Wilkinson BSCI360 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/14/2012	Very knowledgeable and open to quetions. Also humble for a department chair - will take the time to help you. Class is pretty boring though.
Gerald Wilkinson BSCI360 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/14/2010	Horrible professor who does not offer any help! The TA was nicer but still did no offer much help! The professor was always busy and only cared about his own research. As a final project he made us write a grant proposal that Im more than sure he will use for his won good!

Gerald Wilkinson
BSCI360

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/18/2024

I took this class as an ECEV course required for Gen Bio majors, but this genuinely was so much unnecessary work and stress that I did not anticipate. The class has 2 midterms, 2 problem sets, a grant proposal, participation for weekly discussion sections, and a final. The problem sets were not insanely difficult, but I would say that without going to office hours it's pretty much impossible to do that well on them. The grant proposal was SO much work, so unless you are planning on starting it a month in advance, opt out of this course and take one that just uses tests. I cannot emphasize how much work this grant proposal is - I worked on it pretty extensively and didn't even get an A on it. His lectures are very boring - he basically reads off the slides and he refuses to split up topics into more than one lecture. If his powerpoint has 56 slides, he will force all of the information into the 50 minute lecture time, even if he doesn't actually explain the concepts very well. And you can bet all of the content will still be tested!! Even if he barely touched it during class!!! The amount of content on each exam was insane, and it's basically all rote memorization. Maybe I came in with some skewed expectations, but I thought the amount of content he tried to squeeze in was pretty unreasonable. Also, when students asked for practice questions, he would post problems with no answer key because he would "run out of questions for his tests". Any answer keys to his tests were posted on paper outside of his office, not even posted online. I may be wrong but I do not believe he allows any regrades of his tests. Also for the final, he basically said he was too lazy to post any practice questions, give us a topic list, or send a projection of grade distributions. Every week there is also a discussion section where you have to read a paper and discuss it – this was basically just participation based so this was pretty fair. The one thing I will say is that his curve for a bio class was pretty generous. The grade distributions were A+ (94+), A (86-93), A- (83-85), B+ (81-82), B (74-80), B- (72-73), C+ (70-71), C (64-69), C- (60-63). TLDR: Based on his curve, I was able to get an A which I'm super happy about, but in hindsight I probably would have just not taken this class. I'm sure there are other ECEV courses with less work and a more engaging prof.

Gerald Wilkinson
BSCI360

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2024

I took this class as an ECEV course required for Gen Bio majors, but this genuinely was so much unnecessary work and stress that I did not anticipate. The class has 2 midterms, 2 problem sets, a grant proposal, participation for weekly discussion sections, and a final. The problem sets were not insanely difficult, but I would say that without going to office hours it's pretty much impossible to do that well on them. The grant proposal was SO much work, so unless you are planning on starting it a month in advance, opt out of this course and take one that just uses tests. I cannot emphasize how much work this grant proposal is - I worked on it pretty extensively and didn't even get an A on it. His lectures are very boring - he basically reads off the slides and he refuses to split up topics into more than one lecture. If his powerpoint has 56 slides, he will force all of the information into the 50 minute lecture time, even if he doesn't actually explain the concepts very well. And you can bet all of the content will still be tested!! Even if he barely touched it during class!!! The amount of content on each exam was insane, and it's basically all rote memorization. Maybe I came in with some skewed expectations, but I thought the amount of content he tried to squeeze in was pretty unreasonable. Also, when students asked for practice questions, he would post problems with no answer key because he would "run out of questions for his tests". Any answer keys to his tests were posted on paper outside of his office, not even posted online. I may be wrong but I do not believe he allows any regrades of his tests. Also for the final, he basically said he was too lazy to post any practice questions, give us a topic list, or send a projection of grade distributions. Every week there is also a discussion section where you have to read a paper and discuss it – this was basically just participation based so this was pretty fair. The one thing I will say is that his curve for a bio class was pretty generous. The grade distributions were A+ (94+), A (86-93), A- (83-85), B+ (81-82), B (74-80), B- (72-73), C+ (70-71), C (64-69), C- (60-63). TLDR: Based on his curve, I was able to get an A which I'm super happy about, but in hindsight I probably would have just not taken this class. I'm sure there are other ECEV courses with less work and a more engaging prof.

Gerald Wilkinson
BSCI360

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2024

I took this class as an ECEV course required for Gen Bio majors, but this genuinely was so much unnecessary work and stress that I did not anticipate. The class has 2 midterms, 2 problem sets, a grant proposal, participation for weekly discussion sections, and a final. The problem sets were not insanely difficult, but I would say that without going to office hours it's pretty much impossible to do that well on them. The grant proposal was SO much work, so unless you are planning on starting it a month in advance, opt out of this course and take one that just uses tests. I cannot emphasize how much work this grant proposal is - I worked on it pretty extensively and didn't even get an A on it. His lectures are very boring - he basically reads off the slides and he refuses to split up topics into more than one lecture. If his powerpoint has 56 slides, he will force all of the information into the 50 minute lecture time, even if he doesn't actually explain the concepts very well. And you can bet all of the content will still be tested!! Even if he barely touched it during class!!! The amount of content on each exam was insane, and it's basically all rote memorization. Maybe I came in with some skewed expectations, but I thought the amount of content he tried to squeeze in was pretty unreasonable. Also, when students asked for practice questions, he would post problems with no answer key because he would "run out of questions for his tests". Any answer keys to his tests were posted on paper outside of his office, not even posted online. I may be wrong but I do not believe he allows any regrades of his tests. Also for the final, he basically said he was too lazy to post any practice questions, give us a topic list, or send a projection of grade distributions. Every week there is also a discussion section where you have to read a paper and discuss it – this was basically just participation based so this was pretty fair. The one thing I will say is that his curve for a bio class was pretty generous. The grade distributions were A+ (94+), A (86-93), A- (83-85), B+ (81-82), B (74-80), B- (72-73), C+ (70-71), C (64-69), C- (60-63). TLDR: Based on his curve, I was able to get an A which I'm super happy about, but in hindsight I probably would have just not taken this class. I'm sure there are other ECEV courses with less work and a more engaging prof.

Gerald Borgia
BSCI360

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
11/07/2022

The class is horrendous. The classwork itself isnt the worst, they give a reasonable amount of work. The discussions are pointless, all you do is read an article for the week and talk about it during the discussion period. OH YEAH, pop quizzes during discussion as well, so you never know when you get one. First class I have seen give pop quizzes throughout my 4 years at umd. The exams are the worst part. 41 true/false (doesn't sound bad right?) and 8 short answers in 55 MINUTES!!!!!!! There is almost no time to run through the exam in its entirety, and the wording of his exams are so confusing. He also barely curves the exams, so if someone does exceptionally well then its wraps for your grade. TAs are super strict for no reason. It's almost like they're purposefully trying to make your life worse. If you are taking this class for an upper level class, and it is not specifically required for your major, I beg you to choose another class. This one is not worth it.

Gerald Borgia
BSCI360

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
12/04/2019

TL;DR Don't take this class unless you want to really work for your grade. This is a 3 credit class but feels more like a 4 credit class Fun class, but a terrible teacher. The exams are T/F and short answers and its almost impossible to finish in time. He expects you to understand his typoed notes and how his rambling stories are relevant to the lecture. The discussions are pretty bad especially when he expects you to lead at least 2 discussions on scientific papers that are written for experts in the field. He grades kinda fairly just make sure you are on good terms with the TA though, my TA was a harsh grader so it made the class even more stressful

Gerald Wilkinson
BSCI360

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/14/2012

Very knowledgeable and open to quetions. Also humble for a department chair - will take the time to help you. Class is pretty boring though.

Gerald Wilkinson
BSCI360

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/14/2010

Horrible professor who does not offer any help! The TA was nicer but still did no offer much help! The professor was always busy and only cared about his own research. As a final project he made us write a grant proposal that Im more than sure he will use for his won good!

Reviews for BSCI360