BIOL 3010

Claire is the bomb! Genetics is a difficult topic to begin with, but Claire tries to teach in a way where you aren't forced to straight up memorize material, but instead need to apply the patterns you learn about in class. We did lots of interesting in-class activities and demonstrations that made going to lecture worthwhile. Don't get me wrong, the class was still pretty hard, but I also found it super interesting thanks to Claire. The reviews below me talked about the exams--yeah, they're pretty tough. Her exam are mainly word problems that make you apply the genetic information that you learned about in new ways. However, the 4 exams, including the final, only make up about ~50% of your grade. The rest comes from homework/problem sets, discussion section activities, reading quizzes (what she calls "Warm-Ups"), and Learning Catalytics. The homework and problem sets would range in their difficulty every week. However, I would go to office hours every week for the homework and I ended up doing really well on them because office hours are SUPER helpful. Go to Claire if you need conceptual stuff re-explained--she's super willing to help, and I actually thought she was really nice (don't know why people complain that she's mean). Go to the TA office hours if you need help on specific homework questions. Adam and Brian were the TAs my semester and they were awesome! They know how to explain the homework questions in ways that you can get the right answer, without them actually giving you the answer--basically, you will have completed homework assignment by the time you walk out of office hours. There were like 6 office hours/week, so you basically had no excuse if you needed help and didn't get it. The one thing I didn't like so much was discussion section. My group members were super nice, but they didn't always come to discussion prepared, so sometimes only one of us actually knew what we were doing. In discussion, you do problem sets on the material that you learned that week in class, but you can't use your notes, so you really should look over them beforehand. You don't get to pick your group members; you take a pre-diagnostic survey thing, and then Claire uses that to organize them. She claims her system works, but I don't think it did in my case.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class. It's definitely hard and a lot of work, but it's also really interesting, and there are a lot of opportunities to get help. Oh also, Claire claims she doesn't curve the class, but she totally does. I calculated what I should have gotten in the class, but my grade in SIS was actually higher. She doesn't curve a TON (I think it was like 4% for my class), but it's still something.

This class is very different from anything you will take in the biology department. It's all about problem solving. Memorizing information helps you solve problems, but it won't get you a high grade. This being said, it was the most stimulating BIO class I have taken and although it is difficult, you have homework and discussions that can buffer your grade. Cronmiller also curves significantly, I had an 86 which ended up being an A-, so even you do poorly on an exam, just keep trying your best because you are doing better than you think.

This is possibly one of the worst courses I have taken at this university. You work so hard in this course and none of it pays off. You think you know the material, but your grades show that you don't. If you're pre-health or a bio major, beware of this course. Don't take it if you don't need to take it. It's 4 credits and can tank your GPA.

This is one of the most difficult and time-consuming classes I have taken so far at UVa. With the warm-ups, practice problems, and discussion sections, there was quite a lot of work for this course. However, the professor (Claire Cronmiller) does her best to make each class interesting and engaging (she raps). Sign up for this course with caution and do not underestimate the time commitment that you are making. Otherwise, this was a interesting and rewarding course.

Warning: This class is time consuming and requires a lot of brain power. Cronmiller emphasizes problem solving more than recollection of information. If you need to take this class, make sure to take it when you have a light schedule. As of Spring 2016, we had weekly homework (~4.5 hr/week incl. going to office hours), chapter homework (~4 hr/week), daily assigned readings with graded warmups (~7 hr/week), and discussion questions (1.5 hr/week). The exams are not multiple choice, you don't get partial credit on your answers, and you will hate Cronmiller and genetics during the semester, but I hate to admit that she does really prepare you to think like a geneticist.

If you do plan on taking the class, here are some useful tips I learned (I got a 92.5% in the class, which ended up being an A+):
- Have a study group / Facebook message group to collaborate with for weekly and chapter homework. I had 6 different Facebook groups I talked with during the semester...
- DON'T treat homework assignments lightly--they are worth more than an exam!
- Skim the assigned readings for the bigger picture and take the warm-ups immediately after. Videos aren't necessary for the warmups (besides the one she made herself), but they are helpful if you're a visual learner.
- Really question your logic and check your work when doing discussion and weekly homework questions. You can never be too confident in her class.
- Do the weekly homework early (!!), then go to a TA's OH or have a friend attend them to check your answers--you really have no excuse to get these questions wrong!
- Redo weekly homework questions before each exam and try to understand the steps you took to solve the problems. Get used to the way Cronmiller asks questions. Most of her exam questions are well-disguised versions of the questions she already exposed you to through Mastering Genetics, discussion, and Learning Catalytics.
- Quickly look over your lecture notes (I spent no more than 45 min per lecture, focusing mostly on her slides), but don't spend too much time on them--this took me some time to get used to.
GOOD LUCK!

By far the hardest class I have taken at UVa. Tests are designed to test you on material in ways you haven't seen before. Practice problems, homework, and discussion questions are the best way to study for the tests, since test questions involve solving problems, not just regurgitating material from the book. Cronmiller is a good professor and wants her students to succeed, but her tests are brutal.

This class is unavoidable for Bio majors, which is unfortunate because it is the worst class I've ever taken. Find people to work with on all the assignments you are allowed to collaborate on because those will boost your grade and help you understand the material better. I haven't really found an effective way to study for the exams because Prof Cronmiller often tests you on material in new ways that you haven't practiced before.

Really just a trash professor all around. Most test questions revolve around some logic-based component and if you miss one single detail, this throws off your entire answer and you get no partial credit. As others have said, she is pretty condescending and fails in most respects at teaching. Much of the warm-ups seemed like they were assigned on the wrong days, as most of the following lectures had nothing to do with the warmups. I will admit that the practice problems and hw assignments were helpful, but she says there are no trick questions. This is a complete lie. Be prepared to find trick questions mainly in the big weekend HW problems and the tests. The course wasn't even that interesting. Most of the material is review from AP Biology in high school with her own logic-based trick question twist. Honestly one of my worst experiences at UVa bio so far.

At first, I hated this class and thought it was the hardest thing ever... But going to Professor Cronmiller's office hours was really helpful, and I improved a lot as the semester went on. She really cares about her students and is willing to help in whatever way she can.

This class is the hardest class for a bio major. I thought that being really interested in genetics would help me do well, but this class actually made me less interested in genetics. Professor Cronmiller has odd teaching methods; during class she will purposely try to trick you with the in-class exercises, and she does something similar on the tests. She gets mad when the TAs help us "too much" on the homework, even though it is completely open book and you're encouraged to go to office hours. Go to Brittany's office hours if she is a TA when you're taking the course, she is awesome and really really wants to help you learn. I've been to Cronmiller's office hours and she never helped with the homework, and seemed reluctant to provide any kind of explanation to her vague questions. Once we take a test, we never go over any of the problems in class, which would be helpful since the class average on the tests is a D and the final in cumulative. Overall this class is difficult, and it will probably take you a test or two to understand how her tests work. Get ahead in the readings and the practice problems, and make sure to find a partner or group of people to work on the homework with. Go to the TAs office hours to get help, and try your best in discussion, because all of these things add up and can really help or hurt your grade. Just try to get a 100% on everything in the class (discussion, homework, practice problems), because odds are you won't get that kind of grade on the tests. Good luck!