| Information | Review |
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Michael Ma
BSCI447 Expecting a B notqualified 05/21/2012 |
His exams are impossible. Well that's not true, there are plenty of people who get As. But the material seems easy, but when you get to the exam, you'll realize you're not the approaching the material correctly. Just remember to always go to class and take notes on everything that comes out of his mouth. The things he says are what he's going to test you on. And he's a bit of a hardass, but he's hilarious, and he's fair. |
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Michael Ma
BSCI421 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/28/2011 |
The Bad: Dr. Ma is not very knowledgeable about Cell Biology. Prior to this semester, he had not taught the course in over 20 years. He frequently gave us the wrong information, or got confused in the middle of giving the lecture about what the subject he was talking about. He did not do a very good job of answering questions that the students had about course material. He was pretty ambiguous when it came to defining what is a B and a C in the class. He's pretty clear that the only A's will be those who get above a 90% which is virtually impossible because his exams are hard as hell and require an extreme amount of detail in a very short amount of time. For the final exam there were quite a few subjects he said we wouldn't have to know that were on the Final. The Good: Dr. Ma has a great personality. He is absolutely hilarious (he made the class laugh out loud on more than a few occasions) and he really does try to help students IF YOU GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS. He tries to make the lecture material fun by incorporating jokes and real-life examples. He pics on people in the class for humor (this is good if he's not picking on you. lol). He will pass all of the exams back in class and call out the names of people who got A's so that they can be acknowledged (sort of like an impromptu awards ceremony) He'll tell you to double check everything he says with what is in the book and GET A STUDY GROUP and to review the lectures everyday. He comes off has a hard ass, but if you meet with him and he gets to know you he's actually really nice and a great source of advice for like life and career choices. The only way I got a B- in this class is because I had a study group that met weekly AND I recorded and transcribed his lectures word for word. Cell Bio isn't my thing but I found Dr. Ma's exams to tricky, his true/false and matching sections are worth 6-8 points per question and each one is only one word off. This is extremely hard because of the magnitude of information we must memorize coupled with the fact that he often gives us inaccurate information and stumbles through many lectures. Also if you want an A in the class the lab will not help your grade. The lab did help my grade be a 'B' I would recommend this class if you've taken the senior level biochemistry and genetics courses already and if you are a good notetaker. If not don't take this class. Spare yourself the stress and take something else. |
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Michael Ma
BSCI447 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/16/2011 |
Dr. Ma is a pretty funny guy. He had us laughing to tears a few times. The trick to earning an A in his class is to be a damn good note taker. I actually recorded his lectures so that I could get everything down. His exams are all straight from lecture. I didn't even buy the book. He is somewhat of a hard ass so don't even bother trying to bullsh*t him because he'll see right through it. He likes his questions answered in a very specific way, usually exactly how he words it in lecture which is why it's a good idea to record the lectures. His exams will have a question from EVERY single lecture. At least one question each. So if you miss a day it would be wise to get a recording from someone else or their lecture notes. DON'T wait until the day before an exam to catch up. It's WAY too much material and you won't do well. This isn't an easy class. It's more work than you think and you can't wait until a few days before the exam to start studying. If his exam scores are somewhat low he'll start offering extra credit. On our second exam he offered 10 extra credit points which helped a lot. His exam questions are very tricky so read very carefully. He also tried to trick us with a long T/F section where all but 2 of them were false. You really have to know your stuff to get those T/F questions. What I really liked about his class is that he makes some references to the MCAT and what to expect. That was very helpful. I did notice that he does tend to pick favorites in the class based on the scores of the first exam. With that being said, don't even bother asking for a letter of recommendation unless you have an A in his class. The one thing I didn't like is that he doesn't make himself available outside of class. If you have questions you have to ask the TA. He doesn't hold office hours. He's a great teacher and he's very straight forward with what he expects from you. Take him seriously and don't screw around. He can pick out exactly what kind of student you are very quickly. He even has enough nerve to pick on you in front of the class. Make sure you have thick skin because he'll get you. When he hands back your exams he does it in order of top score to bottom score so basically everyone knows where you rank. I really enjoyed this subject. It was very interesting and Dr. Ma has some great stories to tell. |
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Michael Ma
BSCI447 Expecting an A- Biology Major 05/27/2010 |
Dr. Ma is by far one of the most engaging professors I have had. Whatever he writes and says in class is what is on the exam. Do not bother reading the textbook. Although pay attention to the handouts that are given out b/c some of the stuff Dr. Ma says in class might be inaccurate. He is not very helpful outside of class. He is also very judgemental. He can say offensive things and cites his old age for his ossified viewpoints. He gave out alot of extra credit this semester. So getting a good grade is possible. Just go to lecture and you will be fine. His exams are different than those I have had in the past. For example, he likes to screw with ppl's minds and so he will have 20 T/F and will make them all false except the last one. So pay attention to the wording. On the free response portion, there is no need to write alot, JUST answer the question, Usually 2 sentences at most. Alot of ppl do not finish b/c they write too much. Trust me, he had students grade the exams, and I was one of them, we only look for a couple of words in those portions to see if the person gets the full marks or not. Another point: if he emphasizes a word, use it in the answer! He has a guest lecturer come and teach you. And you get quizzed on them. Pay attention! The grading was interesing. 20% coems from quizzes; 35% mid-term; 45% from final exam. You have to do well on all of them or else you are screwed! He is a very interesting man and created the course so he knows what he is doing! |