BIOL 3000

Hands down, this is a hard class. Don't buy the textbook, no matter what anyone else says, it is useless. I did MUCH better after I stopped looking at the textbook.

You'll have 5 multiple choice "warmup" questions to do before each lecture. While they are not impossible, they require looking at slides ahead of time and trying to understand things for yourself. Often this is hard because Wormington does not provide all you need to know right there on the slides, you have to really digest the info to get these questions right.

Study these warmup questions well as a handful are often repeated on the tests.

Go to every lecture too, even if they are at 9 AM. The bulk of my studying consisted of just listening to my recordings (record lectures!).

Go to the reviews too, they help you apply concepts in class.

Form a study group--helps learn the material better and gives an opportunity to vent about the class.

P.S. Wormington is obsessed with Miley Cyrus. It's kinda funny.

This class is hard, but you learn a whole lot. His lectures compose a textbook...heck, he should write a textbook. He's up-to-date with recent publications and research, so it's fun to hear him connect what we're learning to recent studies. Do the warm-ups, understand them, know them by heart, love them, and embrace them. Look at the powerpoints, memorize what's on there, what he said in class about each and every slide. Don't miss one thing! If you don't understand one little thing...it's CRUCIAL you GO and ASK. So you should study ahead of time before exams.

Decent class, not as hard as everyone says it is. Study the slides and you should be fine.

Outstanding class. Professor Wormington has this course down to a science (no pun intended) and it shows. His lectures flow very logically, and he clearly loves what he teaches. In addition, the material covered in this course is complicated, but absolutely fascinating: cell signalling, cancer, the cytoskeleton, etc. Fair warning, be prepared to work your butt off for this class. There is homework due before each lecture, and you wouldn't believe that only 5 questions could take you over an hour, but they do every time. In addition, his tests are fair, but very difficult. I easily studied in excess of 15 hours for exams to get in B+/A- range. I would suggest studying the homework questions religiously, along with all the discussion questions. More often than not, a few of each show up on the exam. Though some people may advise you not to buy the textbook (you can do well in the class without it) I would suggest buying it, because it is a great review tool, and if you like to read ahead before lectures it is an excellent resource. Overall, one of my favorite classes I've taken at UVA, and Wormington is an absolute superstar.

Currently sitting to study for the final exam and I must say that this class is A LOT OF WORK. You do not have the leisure of slacking off in class, as the information throughout the powerpoints is very cumulative and continues to build on itself throughout the semester. Do not take this course alone. Have friends to share notes, recordings and study sessions with. Talking through the information with others is literally the only way that I even began to comprehend what was going on in this class. Wormington is a great lecturer but I found him to be relatively condescending and unapproachable (in comparison to Cronmiller/Roach/Galloway). If you are interested in this subject, definitely take it with wormington. It is a very challenging class, but I can say that I have learned a lot. This was easily my least favorite core class, but it was because I had no interest in the topic. You can do well, but you must put in a considerable amount of time and effort. No curves. No Mercy. MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR.

Wormington lectures on everything that you need to know so don't bother to buy a textboox. The class it itself is challenging I would recommend recording the lectures and studying them. The Hw's he gives seem like they aren't important but they are very important (15% of your grade) so make sure you put in a reasonable effort into them. The good thing is that the class is interesting and you learn a lot. My major complaint is that Wormington doesn't seem to care that other students cheat in his class. Some students compare Hw answers and circulate around past tests, and of course the current tests are similar. Even when told he seemed not to care so cheaters benefit in this class apparently, if you're an honest student be prepared to fight against the curve. Also he seems to be sexist, if you are a guy don't even bother on going to his office hours, he only calls on girls for some odd reason.

So I have a lot to say about this class and Wormington.

This past semester, the course was structured to be 15% HW, which were old test questions given in sets of 5 three times a week, 20% for the first 3 midterms, and 25% for the final noncumulative midterm.

Firstly, I loved the content of this class. For the most part, I was excited to go to lecture and learn about how the cell works. I especially thought the content towards the end was useful, and am getting a lot of similar stuff coming up in my MCAT review.

Wormington is a great lecturer, and his tests are pretty fair. I do agree with the comments below though. He really did not do a good job enforcing people from cheating on HW, and although he knows some people have old tests, he does nothing about it. I asked him about this numerous times, and he said he changes the test enough that old tests would not be beneficial, and that students should be in his class to learn, not just to get the top grade... I did not use old tests as I felt they were dishonorable, and I did well in the class. I know people who used old tests and did worse than me. The main thing that he should focus on is making sure people do not cheat on HW by working in groups.

Also, I noticed that Wormington is nicer to female students. At his office hours and during tests, he seemed to answer their questions more readily. It was annoying.

The class was not curved, but the brackets were adjusted to fit his liking. an A- and a B+ were each only 1 point range, with an 86 being a B (not B+) and an 89+ being an A. I know people who got 86's and were very mad about this.

TIPS: expect to spend an hour for each hw to check them in the ppt and book or literature, go to class or get recordings, and study a lot for a few days before each exam.

This class wasn't that bad at all. I wish I could have spend more time studying for this class, but due to heavy course load, I always ended up studying for tests 2 or 3 days before the actual test. The HW can be hard sometimes, but if you spend time looking through power points and textbook then you should be fine! some of the questions in discussion sections and HW pop on the exams! My biggest tip would be not to write down anything when listening to his recordings... just listen and absorb all the info in and then write your notes in your own words!! Also, he didn't really curve the class, but adjusted the scale as mentioned in the comment below me, which was very fair in my opinion (89 or above was an A!!!). Don't stress out! the topics were really interesting.

The material is awesome, but the professor isn't. Wormington is an excellent lecturer, but unfriendly towards males. If you haven't heard, he is very welcoming to questions that come from women, but not towards men. I didn't believe the rumors until I took the class, and you will definitely notice when you take it. He doesn't even try to be inconspicuous about it. Anyways, the grading of the class is way too generous as anything above a 93 was an A+. The tests vary in difficulty. In decreasing difficulty: 2nd, 3rd, final, 1st. The first exam is basically just the HW for that unit and the final is very easy and worth 25% as opposed to 20%. OVerall, the mateiral is very useful, especially if you're in the midst of studying for the mcat

I feel I have a responsibility to write a review, just to refute the negative comments regarding Wormington's teaching style and the structure of the course. Wormington is NOT sexist- if he ever treated anyone in such a way, it was because they came to review sessions to ask questions revealing how little they studied and reviewed the relevant material. These students asked questions that wasted time by forcing the professor to recapitulate material covered in reading/class, and took time away from discussion of more targeted questions. This class was incredibly interesting, and the difficultly almost disappears as you navigate through the mechanics of the cell, learning first about the cell itself (in depth) then going on to learn more applications, such as cellular pathways and the roles they play in various diseases. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in a career in medicine- the material is absolutely captivating, and will surely confirm your interest in biology.