BIOL 3090

Janis is a great guy, but this was the most boring class of my life. I had it at 2 pm and regardless of how many hours of sleep or shots of espresso, I could not stay awake for the life of me. 2 major tests and a project. Tests were tricky and asked about the smallest detail on his powerpoints. Seriously don't recommend this course.

2 exams, required discussion, one large research project. Not only was this class not an easy A, but it turned out to be a pretty difficult A- for me. Study the slides and their every detail like your life depends on them, and still look over the previous tests, because some of the questions are still similar to the ones he's asked in the past. It's a fun and very interesting class. Antonovics is witty, friendly, and approachable. Get to know him, and come up with a rare disease on your own, and he will let you do your project on that disease, instead of assigning one to you (which makes it much more bearable).

2 exams, required discussion, one large research project. Not only was this class not an easy A, but it turned out to be a pretty difficult A- for me. Study the slides and their every detail like your life depends on them, and still look over the previous tests, because some of the questions are still similar to the ones he's asked in the past. It's a fun and very interesting class. Antonovics is witty, friendly, and approachable. Get to know him, and come up with a rare disease on your own, and he will let you do your project on that disease, instead of assigning one to you (which makes it much more bearable).

As mentioned in previous comments, the class in no longer an easy A due to the change in style of testing. I also felt the material were interesting, but the way Antonovics presents them is very monotoned and boring. Overall the class was a disappointment.

First off, double check the grading chart above before deciding to take this class. If it is from any year before 2012, it does not reflect the class now! Ever since Prof Antonovics changed the tests from short answer to multiple choice, he has not used the same questions on current exams as previous ones. In short, this class is no longer an easy A. That being said, I would still recommend this class for the poster/Wiki project, interesting material, my TA Andrea, and the fact that this is still one of the easier bio classes at UVA.

Overrated class. Definitely not easy this year compare to previous years. Probably one of the most boring bio classes I've taken. Antonovics thinks his jokes are funny but they really aren't.

This course is not as cool as everyone expects it to be. Antovics is a terribly boring professor who just reads off of his dense slides, yet takes attendance every class. This year they included a discussion section, which was the biggest waste of time, as we never did anything useful and it essentially just added a credit to the class. The poster project makes you feel like you are back in middle school, and the miderm/final are a little tricky but manageable. TLDR: this class and the professor are overrated, there are better bio classes out there.

Extremely easy class. You have to go to lecture, however, since he passes around a sign-in sheet. Antonovics is a pretty boring and monotone professor, but his British accent keeps things somewhat lively. This past semester was the first time that he gave multiple choice tests, and the grade breakdown was 40% midterm and 60% final. For the midterm he just took a random sample of questions from previous tests, so the average ended up being a 91. The final was a little tougher but not by much. The class focuses a lot on plant and animal diseases, but quite frankly, I don't really remember much.

GREAT CLASS. Very easy and enjoyable

Overrated class. Definitely not the best biology class i've taken. However, Professor is amazing. The first part of the course was mucccccch more interesting than the second. Overall, I learned a lot that i think will be applicable throughout my life as a professional. The tests require route memorization, even though i think the material had more profound consequences.

This class makes you realize that human diseases aren't everything. In fact I'm now more interested in insect diseases than human ones lol. The poster project is fun but it gets kinda expensive when you're trying to be super artsy and creative. The lectures can get boring sometimes, but overall the class is a must take!

Fantastic upper-level bio class. A must-take for any pre-health student. Janis is a wonderful old english gentleman who peppers in some edgy commentary with all the awesome english grandpa-ness you need haha. But seriously, this course was very easy (especially if you've taken 312 already) and you really do learn applicable things about the world. As a side note, I would say maybe only 30% of the material is on human diseases so don't come in expecting pre-med 101. His midterms consist of old exam questions and memorizing the slides, so theyre not a problem. You also get to do a poster project on a randomly-assigned disease, which was actually kinda fun in a sick way. This is a highly sought-after class in the bio dept, so don't hesitate to sign up or even waitlist. Janis is VERY approachable and will entertain your wildest questions about anything disease-oriented, especially if it has to do with anther smut haha

WHAT A FUN CLASS!!! There is a poster project (yes I know a poster project in college!) that is worth 20% of your grade! Take this class if you can get into it!

Antonovics is an awesome teacher who tries to keep it fun. The midterm and final are pretty easy and the discussions don't require anything more than minimal reading. The poster project is no fun, especially if you're not artistic, in which case you will quickly hate the people who spend god knows how long making their poster into a three dimensional paper mache flower with all their research written on it in freehand calligraphy with a paintbrush and it even smells like a flower because they made their own lilac perfume and sprayed it on there and how the hell do you have so much free time?

It was an entertaining class, and the midterm and final were not too difficult.

I was honestly disappointed. He's a funny, brilliant, and a very nice guy, no doubt, but when he goes into lecture mode it's very hard to pay attention. Material overall isn't very difficult so tests are more about memorizing than really understanding concepts. It was OK, just not what I expected.

Professor Antonovics is energetic during class and very passionate about what he does.

Fun class to take.

You WILL NOT learn much about human diseases...so if you looooove plant epidemiology, then go for it. At least Antonovics makes it kinda fun/funny.

Prof. Antonovics is hilarious. Class does not get boring because he is always cracking jokes. There is minimal reading, no textbook, and for a 4 credit class, I'd say that this is very generous. There is a poster project that is so much better to do than study for another midterm. Only 2 noncumulative tests, and if you go to class and take notes, they're not too difficult. Highly recommended.

An awesome class. Do not take it, however, if you are a high horse pre-med, because you will be in for a huge fall. The class is about the mechinisms of disease... how disease is a normal part of life, etc... a lot more flowery than what the name implies. 2/3 of the examples are not human diseases. On purpose. Tests are fair- a throwback to high school with lots of fill in the blank, true/false, interpret this graph, what would happen if... type questions. And the prof- phenomenal. He tells dirty jokes and has a British accent, I mean, come on.

This was a really fun, easy class. There's no textbook, and the readings are interesting and not difficult at all. Professor Antonovics is a funny, funny man who really knows his stuff (and several languages!). Jessica's a great TA--enthusiastic and helpful. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a really good, low-stress biology class.