BIOL 3010

This class was surprisingly rough. As a second-year who took the AP/IB credit for Bio, this was my first biology class at UVA, which may have had something to do with how much I struggled with the exams in this class, since most people I knew who took this class had taken Intro at UVA. Let me break it down for you:

The content was not anything super difficult. A good chunk of it was review from what I had learned in AP/IB Bio with more detail, and Parichy also likes to incorporate a lot of studies and research applications into his lectures, which I appreciated. That being said, his lectures are extremely dry and boring! To be frank, I found more value in watching the recorded lectures on 1.5x speed than attending lecture because I zone out 70% of the time even when I really try to pay attention. And as others have pointed out, you really don't need the textbook - a lot of his exam questions come straight from the slides!

Now...his exams. There are 4 midterms + 1 final and they are in-person, closed-notes, 30 multiple choice questions taken on scantrons (they are not open-note like they used to be since apparently the Bio department decided to make this the standard to mitigate cheating). The midterms are 15% each and the final is 20% (remaining 20% comes from the 5 pre-exam practice questions for each midterm). While some of the questions on his exams were fair, a lot of the time I felt like I was deciphering what he wants us to answer because the way he explains things in lectures make it seem like multiple answer choices could work. He also likes to test us on very obscure details from the slides that he glosses over during lectures, so make sure you know EVERY detail in EVERY slide because he WILL sucker punch you with some of those overly specific questions. He sends a google form when he releases grades for each midterm for us to submit any questions we thought were unfair/needed further review, but it was kind of useless because I don't think he gave any points back this semester for unfair questions (even though there were DEFINITELY some questions that could have multiple correct answers). He's not very responsive over email, which was frustrating because I had time conflicts with his office hours and I could not get a hold of him. The TA, despite trying his best, was not very helpful when trying to explain the intricate details either. I do think Parichy's a kind person who means well but gosh he's horrible at lecturing and writing exam questions. #tCFF23

This is a difficult class that is very lecture heavy. I recommend writing word for word what Professor Parichy says in lecture, or else you will miss the content necessary for exams. Your fingers will hurt a lot. I found myself rereading the lecture transcripts repeatedly before exams to perform over 90. Overall the understanding of the content is not too difficult, it is just making sure you have all of the content at your disposal. I did not read the textbook because it was not necessary, he taught it all in lecture. Exams are application based and content based, so definitely know the lectures in and out. Harder than evo/eco and microbio.

4 Midterms 30 Questions each multiple choice and a final exam with same format. 4 HW sets due before each midterm that are only 5 questions each. Discussion sections are optional and most people skip them. Easier than cell bio if you've taken that one already. Don't need the textbook and everything learned is in lectures that are recorded. Genetics is most likely a required course for your major so you can't really do anything about it. Reasonable course but kind of annoying 30 questions are worth so much of your grade. #tCFF23

This course is pretty killer on you. Parichy changed up the exams this semester from the open note online exams to the closed note paper scantrons, so prepare for that increased difficulty in exams. He doesn't give any opportunities for extra credit to boost our grade, so it's only the exams (4 midterms and a final) plus 4 homework assignments and he doesn't drop any exam grades anymore. That means if you do bad on even one exam, you're pretty much screwed.

I'd recommend looking at the practice homework questions he posts, as they do pop up on the midterm exams. Also look at his slides, as they have key information that and you can't afford to forget even one detail on those, as his questions are super detailed on that specific information and help add to how hard his course is.

I didn't do awful, but getting in the A-range for this class is super difficult.

Only take this if you need to fill your major requirements. Otherwise, avoid it.

#tCFF23

Dr. Parichy is very friendly and it is clear that he cares a lot about what he teaches. While there was an optional textbook, I don’t know of anybody who used it, and all of the test material drawn from lectures.

Our grade was entirely made up of four midterms and one cumulative final (the lowest being dropped). The tests (as of fall 2024) were online open note/book, but had 40 questions in 50 minutes, which made them a bit challenging.

From what I hear I think this Genetics class is much more of a challenge than spring genetics. After Intro Bio, this was a big step up both in terms of complexity and sheer amount of material. That being said, I thought Dr. Parichy made the material interesting, and if you are interested in Genetics I would highly recommend taking the class with him. If not, just take it in the spring.

Class facts:
-4 open-note, online exams (50 minutes, 40 multiple-choice questions) plus a cumulative final.
-One exam drop to account for your lowest score.
-Optional attendance, with lectures recorded on Zoom for easy access.
-Study questions provided for each lecture to help with material recall.
-Grade distributions finalized at the end of the semester, with Dr. Parichy being notably generous.

About Dr. Parichy:
Dr. Parichy is incredibly knowledgeable about genetics and genuinely wants to see his students succeed. He’s approachable and open to questions, especially during office hours, where he’s fantastic at breaking down difficult concepts. However, his lecture delivery can feel slow or disjointed at times, making it easy to zone out if you're not fully engaged.

Tips for Success:
- Go to class. Even though attendance is optional, being physically present makes a huge difference in grasping the material, especially when Dr. Parichy elaborates beyond the slides.
- Don’t underestimate the exams. While they’re open-note, the time crunch (40 questions in 50 minutes) leaves little room for flipping through notes. You need to know the material well.
- Take detailed notes during lectures. Focus on what Dr. Parichy says rather than just copying down the slides. Many exam questions come from small details he mentions in passing. My notes were essentially a transcript of what he said.
- Rewatch lectures before exams. This helps refresh your memory and catch anything you might have missed.
- Ask for help when needed. Attend office hours if a concept is unclear. Many topics are complex and not easily searchable online, but Dr. Parichy is excellent at explaining tricky material.

Overall, while the lecture style might not be everyone’s favorite, the class structure and Dr. Parichy’s support make this course a rewarding experience if you put in the effort.

This course is very challenging. Dr. Parichy is nice and will work with you for family emergencies and difficulties throughout the semester. He seems to have a very laissez-faire attitude toward his class, however. On the first day he said that we could purchase any genetics textbook we want and stated that he had a discussion section but that no one shows up. He didn't even remember when the discussion section was. There are five exams and one gets dropped. The exams are very challenging though. You have 50 minutes to answer 40 multiple choice questions. There are often multiple correct answers and not enough time to go through your notes. He took away homework this semester, so the four highest exam grades comprise your final grade for the class. This was tough as my exam grades averaged around 29/40. He did provide a curve to bump the highest performing students up to an A. Since there is no official textbook, no homework, and no discussion section, you really don't get any practice with the material. Don't take this class unless you have to.

Dr. Parichy is extremely, almost scarily, knowledgeable about genetics. His passion and knowledge truly come across during his lectures, and he is very open to answering questions both during class and office hours. As others have stated, his lecture style can be very dry at times, so if you do not dedicate 100% of your attention to what he is saying, it is often easy to tune out.

This class is known for having open-note exams, but with all honestly it is quite a meaningless designation due to the length of the exams (40 multiple-choice questions (some are select all above) in 50 minutes). In fact, some questions were actually a paragraph long and may take half a minute to read. So, if you go into an exam thinking that you will be able to flip through your notes and answer all the questions, think again. You actually need to know the material very well to finish the exam, and this is by design. Additionally, Dr. Parichy in his lectures likes to introduce information from primary literature and research, which is very difficult to find clarifying information on, so being present in class and asking questions are a must. I essentially went over the lecture recordings and made sure that no details were missed, because he does ask questions on that material.

Overall, I really enjoyed his class and the information that he presented in it.

Honestly, this class can be difficult and the content is not always easy to grasp, but Parichy is fair and aims to help students more than weed them out. There are 5 online, open-note exams, with one of them being a cumulative final that has some repeat questions from earlier midterms, and he lets you drop the lowest score out of the five. The trickiest thing about the course is the exam time. Just like some of the other comments say, 50 minutes for 40 questions is not a lot of time, so make sure that you are familiar with the material because you won't have a ton of time to go through notes.

Recommendations
-Go to class, or if you can't go, watch the recorded lecture for that day
-Make sure you understand the study questions because they help to serve as a recap of content for the lecture
-KNOW EXAMPLES ON SLIDES: he likes to ask very specific questions so being able to understand examples from the slides is very key
-For exams, make a merged pdf that has the slides for the exam content you are covering; this helps save time and you can control F to find certain key words