BIOL 3010

HARDEST CLASS EVER. Do not take if you don't have to. Nearly impossible to prepare for the exams, making it equally impossible to do well.

Well, I have a lot to say about this class...

First of all, it is very time consuming. Warmups before every class were hard and required careful reading, HW each week was tricky, and all the other little assignments really add up in terms of time. I felt that the HW and discussion sections quizzes were very helpful, but the other smaller activities were pretty much just wastes of time

Next, it is difficult. Cronmiller's testing style really makes it tough to get partial credit, and certain questions are weighted very heavily, making the tests sometimes seem unfair.

Finally, it IS curved. Maybe not by much, but this semester by at least a few points.

To do well in this class, you have to:
1) Do most of the practice problems before tests
2) Get a smart HW group or go to TA office hours for HW help
3) Go to class
4) Not forget to do LC or warmups (but just doing them is fine, no need to fret over these)

Ultimately, this class was very rewarding, and I learned SO much from it. It really is interesting, and although Cronmiller wastes like half of each class walking around and do examples, she did a good job of teaching the tougher stuff.

Time consuming class, but worth it!

I used to love genetics, but this was by far my least favorite class, even in comparison to organic chemistry. Although Cronmiller tries to be a good teacher, the lectures were not very useful, and her tests did not always seem to focus on the major concepts. I tried going to office hours multiple times, but since they were group based, I could never get specific questions answered. This class was very frustrating, and I would not recommend this course.

I really dislike this class. I will say, I did learn a lot though and there is plenty of buffer in the grade. It is unnecessarily hard. You must go to class. You must do the readings. Dutch Knockout is in play, but will help almost no one, because the final is extremely difficult. If you are into genetics, then this will definitely be a worthwhile class. If you are not, good luck. Just keep up with the work and readings. Go To class. Form a SMART study group. Study as you go, you cant just cram for the tests.

Don't be discouraged by what others have said! It is definitely a manageable class if you can put the time to learn the material. The final and tests make up 50% of your final grade, so the discussions, homework, LC, warm-up really do help boost your grade if you don't do exceptionally well not the tests. Studying for the tests relies on practicing the problems at the end of the chapters and understanding the weekly homework. Preparing for discussions will also pay-off, especially if your group is not the best. The lectures were entertaining and overall, you will learn a lot from Professor Cronmiller.

One of the worst professors I have ever had. Don't get me wrong, her intentions are great. She just has no idea how to teach a college level course, so she lectures as if you are middle school students. There are endless assignments that are useless and time consuming. In lecture, she plays with an online 'toy' called learning catalytics or tries to teach via obnoxious group activities. Instead of teaching in class, she wastes time. Worst part, the exams are actually challenging. If you do the reading and take notes on it, and actually put the effort in, you will do well in the class. Just do not expect to learn anything from attending lecture. Better yet, don't go to lecture. It's a complete waste of time.

Regardless of what anyone says, what you put into this class is what you will get out. From the beginning, take ALL mastering genetics assignments seriously, understand and decode the questions. Do your readings on time for the warm-ups and so that you are well prepared for discussion activities. Also utilize Brittany's office hours. I PROMISE you will thank me later.

Professor Cronmiller means well and desires to be a great teacher but seems to lack some of the intangibles. Her lectures are somewhat engaging, but not comparable to those of Wormington or Kittlesen. Simply put, this class is a lot of work with tons of assignments and practice problems that are meant to help you, but only if done in the correct manner. Pay attention to assignment due dates and understand the discussion problems.

Do all the mastering genetics, do well on the warm-ups and the homeworks, and prepare for discussion. With those taken care of, half of your grade will already be an A. Test questions are most similar to homework and discussion problems, there are very few questions from the book.
You can get a good grade in this class fairly easily, but it'll require a lot of busy work and repetition with the problems. It's stupid but it's what you have to do.

I thought there was a lot of busy work for the class, which at times seemed mindless and completely pointless. The tests are just like the mastering genetics homework assignments. Just make sure you understand how to get to the answer and you should do fine on the tests. The final exam was hard af tho but it doesn't make up that much of your grade, which is good.