Alexandra Bely

This professor has taught: BIOL608A, BIOL608D, BIOL608F, BISI899, BSCI106, BSCI106C, BSCI106H, BSCI160, BSCI398H, BSCI400, BSCI439A, HNUH268Z, HONR258A, HONR298P

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Alexandra Bely BSCI439A Expecting an A Anonymous 09/27/2024	I hate this professor- she's fake nice and don't take the last two positive reviews seriously. Her exams are brutal and go crazy. I've taken a lot of biology classes and this one with her especially is not worth it.
Alexandra Bely BSCI439A Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/30/2024	I LOVE this professor. She is so positive and knowledgeable. I always walked away from her lectures inspired and amazed by aquatic invertebrates. There were no exams for this class, just biweekly quizzes. She provided sample questions for the quizzes, many of which showed up on the actual quizzes. I enjoyed the student presentations and many guest speakers. I found that the students in her class because a close-knit group. It doesn't matter what she is teaching.... take her class!
Alexandra Bely BSCI400 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/30/2024	Dr. Bely is one of the best professors I have taken at UMD. BSCI400 was fascinating and truly changed how I understand animals! I am shocked to read some of these reviews about her because they simply are not true. She is incredibly nice and understanding and always willing to work with her students. She genuinely cares about everyone's experience. She teaches the concepts well and gives memorable examples. She provides all of the powerpoints and gives practice exams. Many of the questions on the practice exam are on the actual exams. It is mandatory that you read the textbook because there are summary assignments you need to complete. The textbook is easy to read and she often gives you options about which sections you read. She drops the lowest exam grade. I had such a great experience in her class, I signed up to take her the next semester. It genuinely didn't matter what she was teaching, I just wanted to spend more time in her class. I strongly recommend taking her classes!
Alexandra Bely BSCI400 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/27/2024	She’s such an awful professor I think the recent reviews sum it up. The exams are super hard and she’s terrible at explaining (bad lecturer)
Alexandra Bely BSCI400 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/11/2023	DON'T TAKE HER CLASS- SHE'S REALLY BORING AND THERE'S A LOT OF MATERIAL. I thought this was supposed to be an easy BSCI4XX class but I was dismayed to find out how hard the exams were and she doesn't explain things well in class.
Alexandra Bely HNUH268Z Anonymous 08/15/2023	Professor Bely was a really bad professor - I found her to be extremely mean - she was very particular on all the assignments and a really harsh grader. I also was caught off guard a few times when she posted assignments the day before it was due- super inconsiderate because I had other assignments to complete not just hers and wasn’t able to plan in advance for them. I ended up having to stay up extra late which didn’t help cuz her class was early in the morning.
Alexandra Bely Anonymous 07/12/2023	She had so many writing assignments and was really specific on the requirements of each literature review. I also thought the class was super boring even though I am a biology major I was literally falling asleep reading research paper after research paper- take any of the other cluster classes I've heard from friends they're better.
Alexandra Bely HNUH268Z Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/10/2023	Dr. Bely is an extremely kind professor and obviously knows a ton about biology. While this class was a ton of work (so much more than the other HNUH classes that I've been in), if you have a decent understanding of biology you'll probably be okay. I thought that grading was very fair and Dr. Bely was super understanding of circumstances regarding missing class (yes attendance was mandatory). She also brought snacks in at the end of the semester which was so sweet and much appreciated going into finals. Even though this class was challenging, I would say that Dr. Bely gave a lot of guidance and very clear rubrics which were very helpful. She also gave a lot of creative freedom in completing larger projects which made the work a bit more bearable. Overall, I would take a class with Dr. Bely again given the opportunity!
Alexandra Bely HNUH268Z Expecting an A Anonymous 05/24/2023	This was a very bio-heavy class (which I wasn't expecting). Also, I had to teach myself most of the material in order to do the assignments. I turned out fine, but I definitely had to put in more time and effort to really understand the material than I was initially expecting. Professor Bely is very nice & more than willing to help. However, she takes FOREVER to grade assignments and oftentimes will not have graded previous assignments until right before the next one is due (or sometimes the grades won't even be released in time), so there is little time to actually acknowledge and fix mistakes.
Alexandra Bely HNUH268Z Expecting an A Anonymous 05/12/2023	Professor Bely isn't very harsh on grading so the class is fairly easy. She is also very nice and provides good feedback on your work. There's a lot of scientific papers to read, but much of that is self-guided so you can pick and choose stuff you're interested in.
Alexandra Bely HNUH268Z Expecting an A Anonymous 04/07/2023	Never take this Professor she entirely does too much and has been very inconsiderate. She seems very sweet but it’s all fake. In addition, she cares too much about this gened class and expects students to complete her biweekly assignments which take hours, releasing them often only less than 24 hours before they’re due which is so inconvenient. She doesn’t understand that students have other classes and obligations and can’t focus all their time on her assignments. She takes off points for small little things in your writing and participation is 20% so unless you’re her favorite student expect to lose points.
Alexandra Bely BSCI400 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/14/2022	TAKE HER CLASS!! She’s so nice and accommodating, seriously one of the best professors I’ve had. She helps you so much throughout the entire class and never once looks down at you if you’re struggling. There’s a lot of material, but if you make flash cards and study beforehand you should be able to get an A easily. Also go to her office hours if you can, she’s super helpful!
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting a B+ Cpowers 01/30/2015	Bely is adorable. She's very passionate about teaching and you can tell she has fun lecturing. She posts all of her power points online, so I tended to skip often and just catch up with the notes. Lovely professor, definitely would recommend. Just want to warn that she does not curve. That's because the tests are not insanely hard; the average is usually in the low 80's. Her tests are predominantly vocab-based, so flash cards will be your savior. She also does not have office hours, she only works by appointment. That intimidated me into never seeing her since I never had too serious of a question.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106H Expecting an A Anonymous 01/08/2015	Professor Bely is awesome! She is super sweet and very passionate about her subject! I think the class itself lends itself to be pretty dry, and I think she does the best she can to make it interesting. She posts all her lectures online, which is great. I think a lot of people skipped lecture because they just took notes on the stuff she posted online. It's pretty much the same thing. If you are someone who likes to have a professor in front of you actively teaching, then definitely go to lecture. But if you are someone who doesn't find evolution/ecology particularly difficult and you can self-study effectively, then take advantage of her online lecture notes. That being said, there are some things she talks about in lecture that she doesn't put in her online notes. She asks thoughtful questions during class, and sometimes the answer isn't on the online lecture notes because we answer them out loud in lecture. The exams are easy. But I do know some people who struggled with her exams. I guess it depends on how you study and how your brain works. I understood ecology and evolution pretty well already before I entered her class because I had taken AP Bio. But even if I hadn't taken AP Bio, I feel like I would have done well because everything on the exam is something she has talked about. Her exams are more detail oriented I think. A few times, the discussion-like questions she posed during lecture appeared in the exam. But I didn't get below an A on any exam because she gives you all the information you need to know. It's just up to you if you are willing to put in the time and energy to memorize and learn the information. Time on exams was never an issue for me. I feel like most people in the class finished the exam with plenty of time to spare. The exams usually consist of like...maybe 25 multiple choice questions, 10 fill in the blanks, and 4-6 short answer questions. Homeworks were never particularly difficult. You can finish them in maybe 30-45 minutes max if you really concentrate and buckle down. She also has an awesome policy where you can either completely drop your lowest exam score, or downweight your lowest exam and your final. If you do well on all the exams (which you should try to do), then you can relax for the final. I think a lot of the people I knew only needed a D on the final in order to get an A, because they all did well on the midterms. Lab is a pain. I was in the honors version, which I think is better than the regular version because we didn't have as much work (in my opinion). We only had to do like 2 pre-lab quizzes, a presentation, and a few written assignments. I don't know if they will do this next time, but we also had 4 one hour long discussions spread out throughout the year. They were really chill and were an easy 15 points. My lab TA was AWESOME. I think that makes all the difference in your experience. Lab should bring up your grade. If you have the option to take the honors version, definitely do it.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106H Expecting an A- umdstudent3 12/21/2013	Bely is pretty funny and passionate, and she really tries to make the class interesting, but at the end of the day, I just didnt really enjoy the class. Her lectures are heavily based on her powerpoints, and while she does post them on elms, her exams require memorization of the most detailed examples on those slides. The final exam only repeated a few things, but it was much less detailed and easier to handle. I took the honors version, which meant our lab portion was different. While we didnt have to take the pre-lab quizzes, we had to write up a few reports and the TA are VERY VERY harsh graders. But, there were discussion points and other points which were just some gimmes. In the end, my lab portion gave me a 90%, and I worked pretty hard--I personally think it was so low because of the harsh grading and not the content.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting a B fedman9994 11/29/2012	I like Dr. Bely a lot as a person. She is really passionate about the material and she knows her stuff. She makes the course as interesting as it can be, but its still boring. Its a struggle for me to stay awake or pay attention. However, I often dont need to because she types up her lectures and posts them online. I know several people in the class who dont show up to a single lecture but still do very well. This class is a must for any BIO major and I would say BELY is the best option.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/20/2012	There is a lot of work to do for this class, and it is very time consuming. It is a difficult class for people who are really interested in Biology. That being said, Dr. Bely is a FANTASTIC professor. She is VERY clear about the topics. I have learned more in this class than any other class I have taken on campus. It is difficult, but truly worth your time and effort. You will never look at Biology/Ecology the same again. Life-changing course with Dr. Bely. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting a C Anonymous 11/07/2011	A LOT of work. 4 exams, 1 practical, 1 or 2 lab reports (don't wait til last minute!), lots of lab work. Bely only really reads off slides in lecture. Other than that you don't deal with her directly. It's really about whether you end up with a good TA or not. She seems enthusiastic but it just felt pointless to go to lecture sometimes because slides are online and pretty much follow the book. Exams are DIFFICULT and cover a LOT of material at once. I studied for hours for DAYS and still couldn't get good exam grades. It's best to have taken BSCI105 or other related Biology classes before taking this class. BSCI105 is references a lot and I never took it so that made things hard. It's a weed-out class so it's more difficult than it really needs to be.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting a B GoTestudo! 04/23/2011	Whoa! Don't listen to the bad reviews. They're plain naive. Dr. Bely is an amazing professor. I'm writing this review 2 semesters after taking Bely and I can honestly say she is one in a million. She cares about her students and keeps her lectures entertaining. She is more than willing to get to know every last student in her 300-kid lecture hall. There are other professors you will have to take who don't give fudge about your future, your grade, or anything about you. The only reason she doesn't curve is because people do well in her class anyway! I found the class to be a bit too easy and slacked, which is why I got a B. But so long as you attend lecture, you can do well (and have fun).
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2010	First, Dr. Bely is an extremely passionate and witty professor who everyone likes as a person. The class can be a little tedious. It is certainly not her fault because the material is pretty dry. Exams do require a decent amount of memorization. This is the major drawback because I learn better with concepts, not memorization and regurgitation. I am not sure if this is consistent across all bsci106 classes. Overall, exams are not extremely difficult. Third exam will kill if you dont study/memorize. She drops an exam so theres no curve. Lab serves as your cushion, dont screw up. Overall, not bad at all. Also, if you got time, read the book. Its interesting stuff and also help for studying purposes.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/19/2010	Dr. Bely is a great professor - always enthusiastic and very interested in her students. This class does require a fair amount of memorization but, with review sessions before each test, Dr. Bely tries to help focus the notes into a slightly more condensed package. If you like biology definitely try to take Dr. Bely as she will help you have a deeper understanding of how species are related.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2010	You have to be a moron to fail this class. The class average for the second exam was a 80%. For a science class, that's pretty damn high. For the final, she copied and pasted most of the questions from the previous exams. The solutions with keys were posted online! Also I never came to class after the second exam because all her lecture notes were typed up and posted on elms. It was better than terp notes. I was taking three labs with this class and it really saved me. I cut class all the time to get help on OChem and Physics. Posters need to learn how to study instead of *****ing.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Anonymous 12/16/2010	What are people saying?? I honestly don't think this class is that hard. I struggled at the beginning of the semester for some reason. But the class average before the finals was about a 79% or 80%. That's why there's no curve! (I was pretty bummed myself when I found out). She has 3 exams and one is dropped, so it's really not that bad. I have to admit, the first two tests gave me a wakeup call, so I had to try really hard on the last exam. And it definitely paid off! You need to study, guys. Lectures are not the most exciting thing out there. It's in a powerpoint format and Dr. Bely posts the outline of them on elms for you. Take your notes, it's good. Then you can rewrite them (trust me, it helps) and annotate them. Don't know if anyone has tried this, but recording lectures also help. Yes, it's VERY time consuming to relisten to lectures. But if you're not a huge biology buff and it takes you a while to get information into your head, it's a good idea. Lectures are only 50 minutes long though. When you relisten, it helps so much. It reinforces what you learned in class and you can add even more little notes to your notes. It really helps. Skimming over readings has helped (but there is NO WAY you need to read everything. Honestly, I didn't do all the readings) and looking at figures that were on the outline helped. As for the third exam. I think it is the hardest, but it was my highest exam score. She told us to study those phylogenetic trees (I didn't realize that until I relistened to the lecture). So I sat down and redrew the phylogenetic tree OVER and OVER and OVER again until I got it right. And guess what? That same tree was on the test. Also, the reading from the third module from the lab manual will really help on the last exam. Final was easy. There were many questions from previous exams. Many of them were straight from previous exams. I didn't study as much as I wanted to for this final since I was stressing over other ones, but I got really lucky since those questions were from old exams. She posts the answer key to these exams online, so there is really no excuse for not getting them right. You need to study. Period. It's not a hard class if you do. Don't procrastinate. If you don't want to put a lot of effort into this specific class, don't take her. If you just study, you will definitely ace the class. I've seen many other students who have.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Anonymous 12/15/2010	Do not take this class! She literally expects you to memorize half the book in depth. She does NOT curve but she does drop the lowest test score, which still won't help you. She really doesn't care about her students. Her lectures are boring and she really isn;t helpful. My TA was a lot of help though. I asked my other friends in bsci 106 with another professors and he told me he didn't have to memorize much at all. Her exams are also a bit long. She can not teach for her life! For an example, you had to memorize a trillion different phylogenic trees, but she never went over them during lecture. She only went over them during one of the review sessions for an exam. And of course, most of the trees were on the exam. If you absolutely love animals and evolution and want to spend hours and hours studying for exams, take this class. if not, stay away! On the bright side, she was an approachable professor.
Alexandra Bely BSCI106 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/08/2010	Class is based on a lecture and lab grade. Lecture includes 3 "mid-terms," one of which is dropped, a final exam, two problem sets. Lab includes a lab report, lab quizzes, lab assignments, and a lab practical. Lecture 3 times a week, Lab once for 3.5 to 4 hours. Pros: Good lecturer, keeps biology as interesting as it can really get. When absent, class isn't cancelled, she sends in a substitute. Posts outlines of lectures online (she says they don't have everyone on them that she covered in lecture but they never seem to be missing anything...) Cons: A LOT OF CONTENT. Tons of notes to study for each exam, as well as a lot of reading that's hard to keep up with, and lab notes. -No review guides for tests. Just study "everything" -Bely doesn't really take into account that students have 4 or more other classes besides this one. -Not very helpful.