Douglas Julin

This professor has taught: BCHM461, BCHM462, BCHM463, BCHM464, BCHM465, BCHM677, BCHM698, CHEM271

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Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/12/2023	Biochemistry is a hard class, but Julin makes it so much easier. I will say, you have to give time to the class as it is a 400-level biochemistry course but Dr. Julin's lectures are great and the info is very often translated to exams. He is very funny and has some witty one-liners to make biochem engaging. If you do not give this class the effort it deserves, you will fail. It is not just an A handed to you, it is hard. Take him before he retires because he offers the tools to succeed. I will say, he got applauded by our section on the last day due to his greatness this spring.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A florm 12/24/2022	Julin is one of the best lecturers in the chemistry department, with some great dry humor. He writes everything out on the chalkboards that he shows on his slides, making it really easy to take notes while he talks. He only assigned 4 homework assignments the entire semester, and they were all super short and easy. All of the exams were pretty lengthy and really tough, and definitely require a lot of studying. He provides a bunch of practice problems that were really similar to the kinds of questions he asks on exams. Glad to have had him before he retires next year! :)
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Anonymous 12/22/2022	I think he’s one of the worst professors I’ve had here. I learned absolutely nothing from his lectures. Had to find supplemental videos to teach myself. He’s unreasonable and hard to contact. Our grades were basically only our exam scores. The exams are really difficult and if you asked him anything regarding the final his only answer was “maybe, maybe not.”
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2022	All the bad reviews are from one year where he taught gen chem. He's an amazing biochemistry professor though
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2022	Super chill biochem professor. Though his lectures can feel long and boring, if you stay relatively on top of things and know what is going on, you can get a good grade without too much stress. I studied for exams the day or 2 before, and just kept up with taking notes in the lecture and making sure everything made sense to me. I got an A after getting 75-85 on every exam. The guy is helpful and the class teaches you a lot even though it seems very slow and conceptual! Highly recommend.
Douglas Julin BCHM462 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/20/2022	If you have to choose between Professor Julin or Professor Poulin I would go with Julin for many reasons: 1. He doesn't require you to do so many other assignments for your grade in the class like Professor Poulin had prescribed in his syllabus for the Spring 2022 semester (I originally had him but immediately switched when I saw you had to do these discussion board type things every week and show 70% effort plus HW, plus quizzes-i think- ontop of participation and exams); this semester Julin only had 5 grades he gave out 3 midterms, 1 final exam and clicker questions which if you tried you got at least 50% on them and they only help your grade really. 2. There is a significant curve and you want to make sure you are at or above the average of the class to guarantee a great grade; while Poulin didn't mention any curve in his syllabus (Julin doesn't tell you the breakdown of the grade cutoffs but I have found it never to be an issue). 3. He is nice, responsive, and detailed in his explanations of the matter/concepts and when responding to any questions. 4. He records his lectures (including the blackboard and slides he preps so you can rewatch each lecture or be sure to not miss out if you for some reason miss class). 5. He provides previous exam questions and answers for you to study (HIGHLY RECOMMEND STUDYING THESE BECAUSE YOU WILL SEE SOME SIMILAR QUESTIONS). Note: While the class was similar it was different from my experience with him in BCHM461 where we had 4 HW assignments that helped you better understand the material; but other than that it was the exact same.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Anonymous 11/08/2021	I have him currently for BCHM461 and he is an amazing professor. He quickly responds to email even at 8pm the night before the exam. When he lectures, he thoroughly explains the slide before showing the slide so you aren't scrambling to take notes while he's talking about something else, preventing you from missing information. He offers plenty of practice problems and a review session before the exam and his exams were fair.
Douglas Julin BCHM462 Anonymous 09/17/2021	I had Dr. Julin for BCHM 461 and am currently in his BCHM 462 class. Fantastic lecturer. Definitely one of the best biochemistry lecturers in the department. Highly organized notes and methodical, comprehensible explanations for biochemical topics made for some of the most structured, easy to understand notes I have written in my three years so far as an undergrad. Dr. Julin is responsive to student concerns and questions and absolutely cares about our understanding of the course material. If you have the choice to take him for biochemistry, take him.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A impart 12/01/2016	I had Dr. Julin for both BCHM461 and BCHM462 in Spring and Fall 2015. My grades on the exams were B-C-B-A (BCHM461) and B-B-A-B (BCHM462) and I got an A in both courses. Brilliant man, very kind, dry sense of humor (but my friends and I thought it was hilarious), cares about students, and is a wonderful lecturer in biochemistry. He's responsive to e-mails and student concerns. His notes are so clear and organized (except his arrows for mechanisms haha). He writes on the chalkboard and uses a powerpoint. Bchm is a hard class no matter how you look at it. He recommends (and so do I) that after every lecture or so, you recopy your notes and go through it to keep up. His exams are challenging, but absolutely brilliant in the way they make you think. They are definitely fair - they test what he teaches, though in novel ways. He gives you a bunch of his old exams to practice. Based solely off his lecture notes. I definitely recommend Julin (and so do my classmates).
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Anonymous 11/10/2015	Julin is really smart and has a WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR!!! He's the sort of professor you see in movies; those who sits down and talks with you about all the things in the world. I found that charming! He inspires your imagination and your enthusiasm. His lectures are great and he sometimes make subtle not-so-innocent jokes which makes everyone laugh. I felt so free and happy, till I took his exams. If you love biochem or love the enlightening aspect of study, by all mean take it. If you need a good GPA, I suggest you look elsewhere.
Douglas Julin BCHM465 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/03/2015	My method of studying in this class was to rewrite lecture notes, supplement lecture notes with book notes, and do previous exams. In the upcoming paragraphs, I’ll try to explain my mistakes. First, I did poorly on the first exam because I was not used to Dr. Julin’s exams. His exams are 6+ questions for the midterm and 11+ questions for the final, with the questions being free-answer, and sometimes multipart. To better prepare for the first exam, I should have done all of his practice exams and gotten a better feel for how he asks questions. Better understanding the material by going over all of his lecture notes would have helped too (the book is a supplement to the lecture notes; he only tests on stuff from his lectures, and the book has too much information.) I did average (mean) to a few points above average on the rest of the exams and got the grade I got (he implemented some kind of curve). If I were to take another Julin-type class, I would look out for the following. His exam questions can be tricky in several ways. The type of question I had difficulty adjusting to was the question that required a “key”, or something we learned about during lecture. The question would seemingly be about something we did not learn about and would be asking you to extrapolate based on given information. I would guess the answer the first few times, without using the correct or any learned concept; these responses would turn out to be wrong. To fix this, I had to have a list of all the concepts (e.g. the specific DNA type’s handedness, the specific DNA type’s major and minor groove properties, the stability/energetic property of a bond) ready to be recalled and “placed” into the problem to see if it would answer the question, and an understanding of the definition of every part of the processes (e.g. DNA repair processes, DNA replication’s trumpet model) he talked about. The most frustrating part of his exams was that his questions were often unclear to me. In the questions I got wrong, I often had to guess what the answer should contain, as seen previously about the questions seemingly about something we did not learn, or I would misread a part of a question that I knew the answer to. Overall, I felt that while the regular professor’s exam question contains one part (know the answer to this question, perhaps through extrapolation of what you already know), Dr. Julin’s questions contained two parts (know what the question is asking about through careful reading and thought; then, know the answer, perhaps through extrapolation.) To fall for this would be my own fault, however; more careful reading comprehension would be a fix, perhaps through increased sleep. Here are some other useful pointers. Study the experiments by being able to recall what the experiment variables are. They were tested moderately. If you want a letter of recommendation, go to his office hours regularly. He explains concepts well, and will answer questions specific to things we learned (not usually questions about the exam, like ‘Is this on the exam?’” For the final, review everything, including experiments and In summary, Dr. Julin is a good lecturer and professor, and his exams tested less on a wide scope of knowledge, and more on how well you can understand questions and work with the material taught. I noticed that a decently sized group of students had B to A averages on the exams, meaning they probably got As after the curve (the uncurved exam mean was around a C.) Somehow, they were able to avoid the trickiness of the questions, perhaps by taking a class of his before, or perhaps through reading comprehension better than mine.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/20/2014	TAKE HIM FOR BCHM461. There is a lot of mixed opinions about Dr. Julin and the truth is that this class is NOT easy, but he is hands down one of the best professors I have ever had. He is INSANELY smart, just from listening to him speak in lecture or office hours you will realize that this man in brilliant. It's because of this that it can be a bit of a disadvantage because I don't think he realizes how little some students may know. That being said he is the BEST biochem professor there is! A lot of students will say that he is a bad Gen Chem II professor but a great BCHM professor and this is true, that is because BCHM is his field of research. His exams are tough, but honestly really fair. You have to study lecture notes. He doesn't surprise you with any "new" material. Whatever is on the exam will be from lecture. That being said I've found that the best method is to record his lectures and then recopy notes. RECOPY RECOPY RECOPY. It's a 400 level class, you honestly can't expect to look at your notes the two nights before the exam and do well.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/11/2014	Had him for 271 and he was terrible. When I found out I was having him for biochem (they switched teachers on us) I cried because he was so bad for Gen Chem 2. BUT I WAS SO WRONG. Julin KILLS it in biochem. I am so happy that I had him as a teacher. His style of teaching goes along with this topic material soooooo much better then gen chem 2. He really loves bio chem and is a great resource if you ever have questions. I have actually made my schedule next semester so that I could specifically have him again because HE IS AMAZING for biochem. Take him for biochem if at all possible, but avoid him at all costs for Gen Chem 2. His level of understand really reflects in his teaching.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 08/29/2014	Hey, do you like learning physical/theoretical chemistry in a general chemistry class, spending most of class on derivations, tests with convoluted questions that are much harder than you would expect, and getting screwed over for the MCAT, then you'll fall head over heals in love with Julin, and I would highly reccomend him. If you prefer the opposite, go jump out a window before signing up for his class. The whole problem stems from the fact that Julin is a Biochemistry professor not a general chemistry teacher, and he has only taught this class like twice (which probably explains the difference in opinions below). If your the type of person who prefers to learn from the book, then you will have a major problem when taking Julin's class, since exams are only from class material. In addition, I agree with the review below from 5-22-14. Doing lots of practice problems won't help you one bit, since test questions are predominantly concept based. To succeed in Julin's class, you need to rewatch lectures (he records them) and pay attention to every word that comes out of his mouth. Other than that, there is really no way to prepare for his test. Unlike other classes where if you work hard, you are pretty much getting a good grade, that isn't true with Julin. His questions are so bizarre that for the Thermodynamics unit, he asked a question on the history of state functions, but didn't ask a question on Hess' Law, one of the most fundemental concepts for that unit. Gen chem 2 is not a hard class and the material is somewhat interesting, but Julin makes it a lot harder than it really needs to be. My reccomendation is to never take a biochemistry professor for a general chemistry class...
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/07/2014	I actually liked the material in this class and found it to be very helpful for the MCAT. that being said, I couldn't enjoy it one bit thanks to this guy. Absolutely terrible professor, would never take this man again in my life. If your a chemistry major or you really like chemistry, then Julin might not be a bad idea, since his teaching style is that he focuses on the in depth theoretical side of chemistry, and about 2/3 of the tests are conceptual based as opposed to problems. Unlike other chemistry classes where you have to just understand how to do the problems, in Julin's class you really have to know your stuff inside and out. Just knowing how to do the problems won't suffice to get an A in this class. His tests are also nothing like the practice tests that he posts, so watch out for that. He always likes to have 1-2 test questions where you are like "where the hell did that come from...". Not to mention, his test questions aren't even similar in anyway shape or form to what he teaches in class. Also, when you practice doing normal general chemistry problems, it's easy to get thrown off based on how much biochemistry is on his tests. Julin teaches this class like a 300-400 advanced chemistry class and wastes half of class deriving complex equations. There really isn't any point coming to class because you will not learn anything useful. Honestly, there isn't really any way to study for this class, since his tests aren't anything like practice tests, the book, or his lecture slides. I reccomend taking CHEM271 with another professor. Just to let you know how much I hate this man, I signed up for BCHM461 next semester originally with some other guy, however the minute that it got changed to Julin, I switched out in a heartbeat.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/26/2014	Definitely not the worst lecturer ever, but he's certainly not far from it. I've had much worse professors here at UMD. Going to class is literally the biggest waste ever because Julin focuses more on the theoretical side rather than the important concepts. As a result, I feel that I've barely learned anything meaningful. In addition his tests also focus on the theoretical side rather than doing chemistry problems. WARNING: DO NOT get fooled by Julin's practice exams that he posts. He posts one thing, but the exam is literally 10 times harder than what he posts. His exams are also not fair in terms of length, as it is nearly impossible to finish his exams. The questions are also worded so wierdly that you will literally have no idea what the question is asking, when in fact it was actually a pretty easy question. In addition, nearly every question has a biochem example using biological molecules instead of normal chemistry molecules which throws everyone off. He tries to be helpful by offering review sessions, but they are absolutely useless. To sum up, as I said before, he isn't the worst lecturer ever as there are far worse, but I'd probably say he's the worst all-around professor when you take into account his teaching, tests, grading, and most importantly, how unfair of a teacher he is. Also, the general consensus is that he's great for biochem, but horrible for gen chem.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/24/2014	Where to start... Well first of all, let me say that I can't think of a single professor at UMD where I've said this before, but there is absolutely nothing that I like about this man, whether it is his scowl on his face, his teaching style, the way he treats his students, his exams, his grading policy. I can't seem to find one positive thing about him. I seriously think that all the reviewers below were on cocaine when they wrote their reviews. Beyond the fact the he is the most unengaging lecturer ever, Julin's teaching and tests are not even closely related to the textbook, so you need to pay extremely close attention in class. His grading is so unfair that you must have exactly what is on the key to get credit even if you answered the question in a correct manner. If you go to him for a regrade and try to explain your point, he's so adamant and stuck up about his grading policy that he will not give you points. The worst part about this guy is the complex derivations that he does in class, and tries to incorporate calculus. Then when he makes a mistake he spends like 10 minutes trying to figure out what he did wrong. Julin tends to focus on random theoretical bullshit instead of explaining to students how to solve chemistry problems. In addition, on exams he includes so many BIOCHEMISTRY examples in a GENERAL CHEMISTRY class. Also, a word of advice. Many students come into this class cocky because they think that gen chem II is easier than orgo II; it's not. In fact, I now understand why they make you take gen chem II after orgo II. Honestly, the material in this class is not hard, but Julin makes this class 10 times harder than what it needs to be. I'm warning you, Don't take Julin. If I had known the truth about him earlier and not paid attention to the useless reviews below, I would have purposely pushed off gen chem to another semester, even if it means being behind in the chemistry sequence.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Anonymous 05/23/2014	Honestly, I just made an OURUMD account so I could warn all other future students not to take Julin. He is probably the worst professor I've ever had. Supposedly he's great for Biochem, but he's literally THE WORST professor for general chemistry. I had Dr. Dixon for Orgo II and was spoiled, because when I came to Julin, I noticed that he is exactly the opposite (minus the hard tests). This man seriously cannot teach and he will make you fall asleep with his monotone voice. In addition to being a shitty teacher, Julin's tests are the most unfair thing ever. He tests you on the little minute things that are not important and doesn't test you on the major concepts in each unit. That's why you need to make sure that you know literally every little detail on every slide. Also, when you think of Chemistry, you are used to doing lots of algebraic calculations, not in this class. I'd say about 75% of the test questions are conceptual based rather than problem based. Not to mention, that when it comes to regrades, he is extremely stingy with regards to awarding back points. Even if you accurately explain your point and if it makes sense. Being Pre-med, besides the fact that GPA is important, I don't believe that I have learned anything meaningful with Julin, and I don't feel more prepared for the MCAT then I was before I took his class. I never thought I'd say this, but I can't think of a class that I've had before where I felt it was hard to scrape by with a B. Whatever you do, don't do it to yourself.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/22/2014	If you learn by doing practice problems THIS TEACHER IS NOT FOR YOU!!!! He is actually against giving practice problems for his test. Or hw or just any practice in general. You can try and study from the book and other teachers tests but they offer little help. The only way he says to study is to "rewrite your notes" which is very hard because he doesn't do any practice problems during class either. He teaches theory in a very complex way (this guy LOVES do derivatives for things you don't actually need to know) and then expects you to be able to apply it in a very complex way on the test. Because of the lack of practice problems I feel like I didn't fully learn anything. I am taking the MCAT this summer and GenCHEM is by far my worst section because I didn't get the proper back ground knowledge from this class. IF you actually care about knowing the material for the MCAT or any other test you are going to have to learn it completely on your own. His class doesn't prepare you. I have heard he is good for BioCHEM, but he is NOT a general chemistry teacher. IF you care about learning the material DONT DO IT.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Anonymous 05/18/2014	Ok, so I heard that he was a very good Biochem professor, which might be true, but I can tell you that he is literally the worst gen chem professor ever. Not only is he a very poor lecturer, but he is extremely boring to listen to and his lectures are way too theoretical (he likes to focus more on proofs and concepts rather than teaching how to solve problems). That being said, the main reason I gave Julin 1 star is because he is the most unfair test writer ever. His tests focus on abstract theoretical concepts that were barely covered in class rather than solving chemistry problems. You really have to know your stuff inside and out to succeed on his tests. And whatever you do, make sure that you study EVERYTHING on the slides because the things that you thing he is least likely to test you on, he does. Bottom line: Stay away from Julin at all costs. If he is the only professor teaching for the semester, I reccomend pushing it off to another semester just to avoid taking Julin.
Douglas Julin CHEM271 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/16/2014	Julin is one of the most bland professors you can ask for. During the lectures, he frequently went over the theory behind some of the material and ALWAYS derived equation after equation. This may be helpful, but he asks for none of this on an exam. One lecture he spent the entire class deriving a single equation. Also, he messes up in lecture a lot and makes plenty of mistakes. After a lecture, you can bet that there will be a follow-up email of him attempting to reconcile his emails. His exams are absolute insanity. The first exam he expected us to finish 12 pages in just 50 minutes. Needless to say, almost nobody finished. Questions are always poorly phrased and there is absolutely no way to properly study for anything he writes. Julin is far from the best chem271 professor, but hell this course isn't even about chemistry. At this point, it's more physics/thermo/kinetics.
Douglas Julin BCHM463 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/25/2013	Dr. Julin is the best. I Had him for Chem271 and Bchm463. He's a very good teacher. 4 exams total (75 points each) + Final exam (200 points) for a total of 500 points for the semester. The first two exams cover Biochem 1. The last two exams cover Biochem 2. The class can seem a bit fast paced. Definitely Study your notes. His tests are solely based on what he lectures. He held online review sessions on ELMS which were kinda helpful. If you have to take this class, take it with Dr. Julin.
Douglas Julin BCHM463 Expecting a C Anonymous 09/06/2013	Real talk: Biochemistry is no walk in the park. Biochemistry II definitely isn't- probably among the hardest classes I took in my undergraduate years. If you have to take BCHMII, take it with Julin. I didn't do so hot because I approached studying for the class the same way I did other chemistry courses, but it's just not the same. To his credit Julin presents the complex material in a very straightforward fashion. His exams are a fair reflection of the material covered in class too- the real challenge is that you don't know what specific reaction, process, mechanism, etc. he's going to pick from those covered- so you have to know them all. And fyi the exams are it- no homeworks or anything else to supplement your grade- so make them count. I believe he drops one bad exam among the 3 midterms, followed by the final. Even if you memorize everything correctly, make sure you can imagine them in other contexts. Julin's favorite thing to do is posit a situation, ie given a start compound and an end compound, and have you explain the mechanism or explain why you got one product instead of another using something we learned in class. The lectures are fairly boring tbh. The first few in BCHMII are just review- but once the review ends, DO NOT drop the ball. Do NOT miss a word from this man's lips, and do NOT miss a single diagram on the board, or in the blink of an eye you will have fallen behind, especially because everything builds on the material before it. Get a recorder. Fill in gaps in your notes with your friends'. Julin is a nice guy and very willing to answer questions and provide help, but if you don't take him up on that it's your loss (I know that was the case for me). In BCHMII, you literally learn and memorize step by step the metabolic processes of the body. That's insane. It's cool and very interesting, but still completely nuts. Your memory will be worked to the core memorizing chemical structures and reactions and mechanisms. It's not about formulas (physics/chem classes), and it's not mainly about memorizing big concepts (bio classes). It's actually a lot like Orgo. Yeah. Actually, BCHMII is essentially applied Orgo. You can't avoid putting a lot of time and effort into this class. I recorded lectures, but didn't always go back over them and paid for it. No cutting corners- you just have to memorize and know your stuff. It's definitely doable, but woe to those who fall behind. Also, I had the book but hardly touched it. He pretty much covers everything you need to know in class.
Douglas Julin BCHM463 Expecting a B ohaider 12/22/2012	Excellent professor. Makes the material very logical and simple to go through. Follow his tips for success and you should get that A. Go to office hours after you review the material and he will help you out. Read the book before and after class (but not too detailed), pay attention during class, and take very good notes. I tried to write down everything he said verbatim, especially when I didn't know what was going on that day. For me, recording the lectures and rewriting my notes was super helpful in understanding what he was talking about. It took time, so try and get through the material quickly. It won't be so overwhelming if you keep up with lectures and study at least a week before each exam. The rewritten notes were very helpful when the final exam came. I was able to get the mechanisms in metabolism and such after I wrote them out neatly and practiced each like 5 or ten times so it was natural. He does test you on these (and everything in lecture), but the exams, like the class, are fair. The final was basically like the 4 exams. Our class this semester was a bit worse than normal so I think it was about a 10 percent curve and he always makes the B/C line the average. I would have had an A if I didn't mess up on two exams and the final.study hard and Score more than maybe 60/75 (i guess?) on each exam and you should be ok for an A with a good final exam grade. Our curve was approximately: A-=80;B-=70, C-=51, D=48.8% Long story short: Excellent professor. take him. Make flash cards for the amino acids.
Douglas Julin BCHM463 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/10/2012	I am not sure why everyone on here thinks this professor is brilliant. He isn't. I'm a good student and I study a lot for his exams, but his questions come out of nowhere. There is no homework due, so your whole grade is based on whether or not you can memorize every mechanism in the book. He doesn't test his students based on any overall concepts and any questions he asks that are actually similar to the homework problems he assigns for practice are worth approximately 4 points, but his random questions are worth 15. Also, his exams are insanely timed. He gives an 8 page exam and expects us to finish it in 50 minutes. You have to have everything memorized front and back to be able to finish on time. His lectures are clear, but boring and they don't really reflect what he tests on. I don't recommend him at all. Plus, he never smiles. I mean this guy wears a permanent scowl, leading me to believe he hates his job, which doesn't exactly make me very interested in it either. If you are a CHBE major or anything else that is not solely biology or general chemistry, you will not have the time to dedicate to this class and all the memorizing it entails.
Douglas Julin BCHM463 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/14/2012	Same as the other comments. Very nice during office hours, great lecturer, very knowledgeable. hard exams (comparable to Dr. Friedman's) but huge curve.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A- Anonymous 07/16/2012	Dr. Julin is a wonderful professor and very willing to help his students learn. His teaching style is great - very similar to Dr. Dixon. I really enjoyed this class because I actually understood what I was learning and it connected all the dots between biology and chemistry courses previously taken. I went to his office hours frequently and he was very helpful. His tests were tricky but you really have to study hard and understand the concepts. You do have to memorize basic facts (i.e. amino acids, their pKas, and some other small things here and there), but it's mainly applying concepts.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/24/2011	Dr. Julin is a great professor! His lectures, as described in the reviews below, are well structured. He teaches on the whiteboard along with powerpoint slides of graphs and pictures. He goes over the material a bit fast though. Make sure to take good notes because he tests on what he teaches. I think retaking notes helps a lot for studying. What I did was retake every lecture after class and even glue the slides on to my notebook. By this, you can know what you didn't understand in class and you can ask him questions through email or just after class. Looking over the sections of the book (he will say which pages) also helps because some definitions are not described very clear in class. He holds a review section a day before the exam/final for us to ask questions. He also answer emails pretty fast and clear. I ask about 2 sentences and he will reply me with a paragraph. As for the exams, study your notes and the sections of the book. His exams are difficult and are basically all short answers (lots of writing!) and some drawings. He likes to use the graphs and experiments described in class and ask what if happen if you change something. Study a week or two before hand, cramming and pulling a allnighter won't do any help. The averages for our exams were 66, 68, and 64. As for the final the average was a 75. For the final, it is not as detailed comparing to the exams but you still need to understand all the material ! As for the grade cutoffs(%), A>81.6, B>71.8, C>51.6, D>42.4, F>30.8. As long as you study, and know the material he teaches in class, you will do fine.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 Expecting a C 800meters 12/15/2011	Julin is cool, but his exams are pretty difficult. Paying attention to his lectures can be challenging because you get bored after like 10 minutes. The class is curved, and so every year the grades are based upon how that particular class does as a whole.
Douglas Julin BCHM461 notqualified 05/11/2011	He is simply a brilliant professor. He is very structured, organized, and rational. Very knowledgeable about the material. He lectures very clearly. He's not really funny though.
Douglas Julin BCHM465 qwerty 05/17/2010	One of the most outstanding lecturers at the university. Dr. Julin has a great personality, his lectures are on point and well structured. He truly wants you to learn as much as you can and do well in his class. A lot of the course material was genetics review, but more in depth and interesting. There were a total of 5 problem sets, not difficult to do, but required some thinking. It really help me stay on top of the material. Exams were fair, first exam's average ~80%, then 60-65% for second and third exams. He really likes to ask questions about experiments and hypothetical situations on the exams. Go to lecture, take notes, attend review sessions, you will do well. He's a keeper.
Douglas Julin BCHM462 Expecting an A hyeung1 03/05/2010	Dr Julin is probably one of the top lecturer in the department... He's approachable, answers your questions completely, holds review sessions, answers emails within a day, comes to class fully prepared. Even when I had an all-nighter, I can never fall asleep in his class for some reason. His exams are not that hard if you really understand the material...questions usually involves making you think about a similar enzyme or similar mechanism...he uses applications on his exams (apply what you learned in class to another system) the worst are the open ended questions because they are so ambiguous and unclear. His averages are actually pretty decent. I got 98%, 85%, 100% on his midterms.
Douglas Julin BCHM462 Anonymous 12/18/2009	I really liked Professor Julin. He's a great lecturer, really gets the point across. Makes some strange but funny (maybe only to nerds like me) jokes. His exams are difficult in that it really tests understanding of the material he teaches, but I think they're pretty fair. I bombed the first test because I didn't know what I was expecting, but pulled up at the end. Definitely put your thinking caps on in this class, if you're going in just to memorize, I don't think you'll do as well as you expect. Lots of Mechanism, some facts, and physiological applications. Loved the class really felt like it was a logical organization that integrated chem/biochem/biology. I look forward to having BCHM3 with him next semester! Oh and those of you who are reading just for this: large curve I think 45% was a C for my semester.
Douglas Julin BCHM465 terpityterp 05/22/2008	Fantastic lecturer... one of the best in the biochemistry department. He demands a higher level of thinking than just memorization. His problem sets and exams usually involve him giving experimental results and asking you to explain mechanistically how the results are possible. Tricky but a fair professor. Never went to his office hours, but he was kind of a jerk when I went to pick up a graded problem set that I wasn't in class to get.