PLSC113 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
William Phillips PLSC113 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/26/2025	This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The quizzes are actually difficult because it's hard to memorize and analyze a bunch of plants. You literally have to look at the stems of plants and recognize what they are, as well as analyze seeds. Each quiz includes a variety of different plants and seeds that you need to recognize and remember facts about. Still, if you really put your mind to it, you can probably pass. The lab experiments are also kind of hard, and if you get a bad group, they can even be rude about helping you with the experiment, which makes no sense because we’re literally in the same group. I didn’t have any experience in labs and such, so the lab report assignments were difficult for me to complete. I spent a lot of time on them and I don’t think there were many resources to help students complete this as per the expectations. This might just be this semester, but the TA that ran the lab section was genuinely so rude. Everything she said always had a ton of sass. Again, since this topic is not my strong suit, when I would ask her a simple clarification question, she was so dramatic and reacted as if I asked her to sacrifice her firstborn or something insane. Not only was she rude in person, but she also managed to be incredibly condescending over email, too. On some days she would be nice, but it was pretty much a toss up. Unfortunately, the TA pretty much leads the entire lab section, making it insufferable. On a positive note, the professor himself is one of the nicest people at this school and is very passionate about his field of work, which I appreciate. His corresponding PLSC112 course is fairly easy, too. However, the lab is an extreme gamble. Overall, while this is probably one of the easier science classes, the lab can be iffy, so watch your back and I recommend taking it with a friend.
William Phillips PLSC113 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/19/2024	If you don't go to the lab, you're not gonna get a grade on the lab reports unless you have a friend that's in it. That's the only reason I got higher than a B on both labs; I could've done better on the 2nd one. The information for the specific infiltration is not on Google, so you have nothing to rely on except the actual labs. For the lab quizzes, know the COWs well, if you don't see the info, you're screwed, and for identifying the plants, go to class, and you should be fine. There are three quizzes and two lab reports, which should not take too much time to do either. Overall not bad, just go to lab!
Bill Phillips PLSC113 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 12/17/2024	I want to preface by saying this is my third semester in college and I have never received a C in my life. Until now. The lecture for this class is dry, but it's fine. The lab is something reminiscent of a Hunger Games plant identification station. The labs for this class were given little to no instruction on how to complete, and then torn to shreds when it came time to grade them. For what, I never knew. The rubric was totally unclear, and if the labs weren't completed correctly, you'd have no chance of doing well on the lab reports. BUT there was no way to know if you did the lab correctly or not, as they were all group work, and results frequently came from unreliable group members that tanked your chances at a good grade through no control of your own. The individual exams are only passable if you have a vast prior knowledge of crop identification, or can remember the tiniest folds on individual leaves of plants that all look identical. I genuinely don't know how anyone passed this class. Not to mention that the class is in the Greenhouse, which is closer to Washington DC than it is to being on campus (figuratively). Don't waste your time or effort with this class unless you're looking for a life challenge that will help you grow as a person after all the turmoil it puts you through.
William Phillips PLSC113 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/10/2024	Easy-Medium Class, Nice Professor, Relaxed Environment Pros: The crop of the week content in the quizzes came directly from the lab manual, which was very helpful. We always had adequate time to look over the seeds and crops we'd need to identify for quizzes. The labs were engaging and low-stress. I felt like I had adequate time to get to know people in my group and in the lab. Dr. Phillips is extremely understanding of students' situations. In the case of our class, Dr. Phillips would always end lecture 10 mins early to make sure students had enough time to walk to the greenhouse, where lab is. In the schedule of classes, PLSC113 had been listed as being in the plant sciences building instead of the greenhouse, so Dr. Phillips made sure labs always ended 10 mins earlier to allow students to get to their next class. In general, labs tended to run short anyways, which was nice. Cons: Sometimes the crops and seeds we'd have to identify on the quizzes looked different from what we'd studied. Ie. the plants had grown and matured to a different stage or the seeds would be a different color, but we usually got points back on this. Quiz questions are pretty specific, so prepare to look over and study the crops of the week. Luckily, all that info is clearly outlined in the lab manual. The lab is a bit harder to get good grades on than the class because the questions are so specific.
Bill Phillips PLSC113 Expecting a C Anonymous 11/14/2024	PLSC 112 - Dr. Phillips is a good guys with great knowledge of agronomy, however his lectures are super dry. Lecture is twice a week Mon/Wed plus two-three quizzes that are due on the weekend instead of meeting on Fridays. All exams are online; there are three 'midterms' and one final. PLSC 113 - The problem with this class is the lab. The first lab report that we did was fine because we did it over a few weeks. However, the second was a MESS. We were barely given any information on what we were actually looking for and the lab groups were split up, so the information collected isn't even mine and could be totally wrong. Very little guidance was given on the lab reports which was extremely frustrating for someone who has never written one before. Plus, the identification quizzes are ridiculous. The questions are too specific and you have to identify grasses that are practically the same just by touching them, which is not something you can study. As a non-science major, this was very frustrating. He teaches you how to identify by comparing one plant to another and then you have to identify the plant while it's on its own, defeating the whole purpose. Not to mention, most weeks the lab takes place in the Greenhouse which is BEHIND the Xfinity Center. He gives you extra time to get to/from the lab, but it's a hike. This was NOT made clear on Testudo. Other weeks, we took a field trip to a farm where transportation was provided and another time we went to a turf farm where transportation was not provided. If I didn't have a car, I don't think I would have made it in time. Overall, the lecture for this class is boring, but easy. You will have to put in work for the lab and walk around a lot. This was the only lab option that I had because I needed to take it this semester, but avoid if you have other options. If you can't avoid it, it won't be the end of the world but don't expect an A in the lab unless you have a photographic memory.
Bill Phillips PLSC113 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/12/2023	Professor Phillips is kind and knows a lot about agronomy. His quizzes can be a bit hard if you don't properly pay attention when overviewing the crops and weeds. This semester, the PLSC113 lab included three identification quizzes and two lab reports. For the identification quizzes, we had to identify the different types of agronomic crops that we were studying. We went on two field trips to the turf farm and another UMD farm about 20 minutes away. This class does take place in the UMD Research Greenhouse which is behind Xfinity Center (it's a bit of a walk to get there), but Professor Phillips starts class late and ends class early to make sure we all have enough time. Overall for a Gen Ed Lab, it was a fine class.

William Phillips
PLSC113

Expecting a B
Anonymous
01/26/2025

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The quizzes are actually difficult because it's hard to memorize and analyze a bunch of plants. You literally have to look at the stems of plants and recognize what they are, as well as analyze seeds. Each quiz includes a variety of different plants and seeds that you need to recognize and remember facts about. Still, if you really put your mind to it, you can probably pass. The lab experiments are also kind of hard, and if you get a bad group, they can even be rude about helping you with the experiment, which makes no sense because we’re literally in the same group. I didn’t have any experience in labs and such, so the lab report assignments were difficult for me to complete. I spent a lot of time on them and I don’t think there were many resources to help students complete this as per the expectations. This might just be this semester, but the TA that ran the lab section was genuinely so rude. Everything she said always had a ton of sass. Again, since this topic is not my strong suit, when I would ask her a simple clarification question, she was so dramatic and reacted as if I asked her to sacrifice her firstborn or something insane. Not only was she rude in person, but she also managed to be incredibly condescending over email, too. On some days she would be nice, but it was pretty much a toss up. Unfortunately, the TA pretty much leads the entire lab section, making it insufferable. On a positive note, the professor himself is one of the nicest people at this school and is very passionate about his field of work, which I appreciate. His corresponding PLSC112 course is fairly easy, too. However, the lab is an extreme gamble. Overall, while this is probably one of the easier science classes, the lab can be iffy, so watch your back and I recommend taking it with a friend.

William Phillips
PLSC113

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/19/2024

If you don't go to the lab, you're not gonna get a grade on the lab reports unless you have a friend that's in it. That's the only reason I got higher than a B on both labs; I could've done better on the 2nd one. The information for the specific infiltration is not on Google, so you have nothing to rely on except the actual labs. For the lab quizzes, know the COWs well, if you don't see the info, you're screwed, and for identifying the plants, go to class, and you should be fine. There are three quizzes and two lab reports, which should not take too much time to do either. Overall not bad, just go to lab!

Bill Phillips
PLSC113

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
12/17/2024

I want to preface by saying this is my third semester in college and I have never received a C in my life. Until now. The lecture for this class is dry, but it's fine. The lab is something reminiscent of a Hunger Games plant identification station. The labs for this class were given little to no instruction on how to complete, and then torn to shreds when it came time to grade them. For what, I never knew. The rubric was totally unclear, and if the labs weren't completed correctly, you'd have no chance of doing well on the lab reports. BUT there was no way to know if you did the lab correctly or not, as they were all group work, and results frequently came from unreliable group members that tanked your chances at a good grade through no control of your own. The individual exams are only passable if you have a vast prior knowledge of crop identification, or can remember the tiniest folds on individual leaves of plants that all look identical. I genuinely don't know how anyone passed this class. Not to mention that the class is in the Greenhouse, which is closer to Washington DC than it is to being on campus (figuratively). Don't waste your time or effort with this class unless you're looking for a life challenge that will help you grow as a person after all the turmoil it puts you through.

William Phillips
PLSC113

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/10/2024

Easy-Medium Class, Nice Professor, Relaxed Environment Pros: The crop of the week content in the quizzes came directly from the lab manual, which was very helpful. We always had adequate time to look over the seeds and crops we'd need to identify for quizzes. The labs were engaging and low-stress. I felt like I had adequate time to get to know people in my group and in the lab. Dr. Phillips is extremely understanding of students' situations. In the case of our class, Dr. Phillips would always end lecture 10 mins early to make sure students had enough time to walk to the greenhouse, where lab is. In the schedule of classes, PLSC113 had been listed as being in the plant sciences building instead of the greenhouse, so Dr. Phillips made sure labs always ended 10 mins earlier to allow students to get to their next class. In general, labs tended to run short anyways, which was nice. Cons: Sometimes the crops and seeds we'd have to identify on the quizzes looked different from what we'd studied. Ie. the plants had grown and matured to a different stage or the seeds would be a different color, but we usually got points back on this. Quiz questions are pretty specific, so prepare to look over and study the crops of the week. Luckily, all that info is clearly outlined in the lab manual. The lab is a bit harder to get good grades on than the class because the questions are so specific.

Bill Phillips
PLSC113

Expecting a C
Anonymous
11/14/2024

PLSC 112 - Dr. Phillips is a good guys with great knowledge of agronomy, however his lectures are super dry. Lecture is twice a week Mon/Wed plus two-three quizzes that are due on the weekend instead of meeting on Fridays. All exams are online; there are three 'midterms' and one final. PLSC 113 - The problem with this class is the lab. The first lab report that we did was fine because we did it over a few weeks. However, the second was a MESS. We were barely given any information on what we were actually looking for and the lab groups were split up, so the information collected isn't even mine and could be totally wrong. Very little guidance was given on the lab reports which was extremely frustrating for someone who has never written one before. Plus, the identification quizzes are ridiculous. The questions are too specific and you have to identify grasses that are practically the same just by touching them, which is not something you can study. As a non-science major, this was very frustrating. He teaches you how to identify by comparing one plant to another and then you have to identify the plant while it's on its own, defeating the whole purpose. Not to mention, most weeks the lab takes place in the Greenhouse which is BEHIND the Xfinity Center. He gives you extra time to get to/from the lab, but it's a hike. This was NOT made clear on Testudo. Other weeks, we took a field trip to a farm where transportation was provided and another time we went to a turf farm where transportation was not provided. If I didn't have a car, I don't think I would have made it in time. Overall, the lecture for this class is boring, but easy. You will have to put in work for the lab and walk around a lot. This was the only lab option that I had because I needed to take it this semester, but avoid if you have other options. If you can't avoid it, it won't be the end of the world but don't expect an A in the lab unless you have a photographic memory.

Bill Phillips
PLSC113

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/12/2023

Professor Phillips is kind and knows a lot about agronomy. His quizzes can be a bit hard if you don't properly pay attention when overviewing the crops and weeds. This semester, the PLSC113 lab included three identification quizzes and two lab reports. For the identification quizzes, we had to identify the different types of agronomic crops that we were studying. We went on two field trips to the turf farm and another UMD farm about 20 minutes away. This class does take place in the UMD Research Greenhouse which is behind Xfinity Center (it's a bit of a walk to get there), but Professor Phillips starts class late and ends class early to make sure we all have enough time. Overall for a Gen Ed Lab, it was a fine class.

Reviews for PLSC113