MCDB 26
LOW S H
Seng Low
208 reviews

MCDB111 . Low S H 5 Years Ago

Prof. Low was my most difficult professor at UCSB. She is extremely difficult to understand and talks very quickly. She will mention a word in lecture and expect you to know every detail about it come test time. Lectures confused me more, but there are iclickers. Test averages are always below failing, but she curves.

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MCDB6 . Low S H 5 Years Ago

Honestly I hated this class. At first I found her funny, but increasingly I got frustrated with her. The average during my quarter for midterm 1 was a 57, and for midterm 2 a 62. Her lectures move incredibly fast and are hard to follow, her class is boring. She blames the students for not succeeding and doesn't explain answers to questions.

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MCDB6 . Low S H 5 Years Ago

Dr. Low knows her stuff. However, she expects the students to be just as smart as her and will not slow down, answer questions, or try to explain concepts in a different way. Basically, just be prepared for hard tests that are nothing like the practice tests. Read the book its easy but the class itself is very misleading and tricky.

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MCDB6 . Low S H 5 Years Ago

Dr. Low knows her stuff. There is no doubt about that. However, she expects the students to be just as smart as her and will not slow down, answer questions, or try to explain concepts in a different way. Basically, just be prepared for this, and READ the book. Her lecture slides are straight from the book, but the book actually explains it.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 6 Years Ago

Reminds me of my tiny old asian grandma. She is very funny and can make a lecture hall of 900 kids laugh. She covers alot of material so you need to put in time to study in depth outside of class. Her tests are extremely specific and hard. Try your best to know important details. Print out powerpoint slides to bring to class.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 6 Years Ago

Although she was pretty funny/eccentric, she moved incredibly fast in her lectures and didn't really give students time to ask questions. I felt like her test didn't focus on the big concepts discussed in class, but rather on the minor details that were briefly touched upon :( Read the book to prepare yourself for lecture and then memorize stuff

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MCDB1B . Low S H 6 Years Ago

I found Low's lectures to be incredibly disorganized and scattered. It was really hard to follow her slides because there seemed to be no organization whatsoever? It was all bullet points and in a really weird order. She moves super fast and is REALLY DETAIL ORIENTED. Her test was REALLY hard and tricky.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 6 Years Ago

I was really surprised to see the other reviews! I personally love Low. She's hilarious and knows the material well. She does move fast and gives credit for correct iClicker questions but as long as you keep up with the reading, the pace won't bother you. Go to her office hours! She's super approachable and can help with whatever you don't get.

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MCDB6 . Low S H 6 Years Ago

Low appears to be nice and funny at first, but that changes throughout the quarter. She insults the students' intelligence. She makes attendance and iClicker mandatory, but the points amount to pretty much nothing. She lectures fast and will not slow down, even after students express their concerns. An extremely difficult class, would not recommend

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MCDB1B . Low S H 6 Years Ago

Low moves really really fast. I feel like her portion of MCDB 1B can be an entire one of itself. Sometimes she can be hard to understand and is not really good at explaining things, but she can be funny which is an upside. Overall would not recommend, take the other mcdb professors if you can.

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MCDB6 . Low S H 6 Years Ago

While it's clear Dr. Low is very knowledgable in her field, she expects everyone taking her class to understand material as well as she does. When the average for her midterm was an F, she told the class that "you just need to know EVERYTHING!" and that we clearly do not know how to study at the university level. Read and listen to lectures after.

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MCDB6 . Low S H 6 Years Ago

Taking this class with Low was challenging to say the least. I would watch lecture with the book open and she was essentially reading the book out loud. Additionally, there was zero guidance midterm material. While she is funny and entertaining, she would mock the class's intelligence and had little sympathy for those struggling.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 7 Years Ago

Low is a great lecturer. Funny, straightforward, concise. She gets to the point, make sure you memorize everything she says; it will be on the test. Know the random facts she spurts out they will be tested too. Tests are tricky but if you study hard you will do well.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 7 Years Ago

One of the worst classes at UCSB. This class is made to be much harder than it needs to be. She speaks so fast that you can't keep up even if you tried! Be prepared for a failing grade on the midterm and then for Low to tell you that it's because you're dumb and the test is "totally doable".

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MCDB1B . Low S H 7 Years Ago

Goes at a machine gun pace to teach you volume upon volume of information at the surface level, then tests you in depth on those same topics. It's almost as if she thinks that we should immediately be masters on any given topic that she brushes over on a slide or two. Most unnecessarily difficult course I've taken in college so far.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 7 Years Ago

Fun class, TERRIBLE professor. Lectures are incredibly fast and not well taught at all. The first exam consisted of almost ALL "which of the following is true?" or "which of the following is false?" questions... 51% average. everyone I know failed, even while knowing all the material. Intro bio should not be harder than ochem

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MCDB20 . Low S H 8 Years Ago

Funny and easy to talk to, Professor Low was one of my favorite professors at UCSB. She writes confusing questions on her tests, so be on the look out for lots of double-negative statements and "E. None of the above" being the answer most of the time. Sit in the front and be sure she knows who you are - she appreciates candidness.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 8 Years Ago

Funny and awesome professor. Posts slides and gaucho casts online. Moves very quickly but very helpful. Memorize all the info and you will do well on exams. Exams are pretty straightforward, but make sure to read each question and answer choice CAREFULLY as some are tricky and one word can mess you up.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 8 Years Ago

Dr. Low is a very funny woman that gives engaging lectures -- given that, she speaks extremely fast. However, her lectures are very clear, and if you go to CLAS and study your notes/lecture slides, you'll do well. The class is straight memorization. Loved her lectures, so that really helped me do well in her class.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 8 Years Ago

I really liked Dr. Low's lectures! She makes class more interesting and I manage to always stay awake for her lectures. Her tests are pretty hard and tricky so definitely study hard, also based on memorization

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MCDB111 . Low S H 8 Years Ago

This class was really not that bad. I consistently did well above the average on tests by writing flashcards for every slide, as well as things she said in class, and memorizing them starting a week before the test. The people who are saying this class is hard are just lazy and don't know how to properly study for bio classes.

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MCDB111 . Low S H 8 Years Ago

The tests are poorly written and focus on memorization more than the larger concept. Tough and inconsistent grading... submit regrades. Section is a journal club and a waste of time but you have to show up because it's 14% of your grade. Memorize every seemingly worthless piece of information on those slides. Thrower teaches it in summer.

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MCDB1B . Low S H 8 Years Ago

By far my favorite professor at UCSB. Everyone complains about how 1B is way harder than 1A, but with Low, she makes the course so entertaining. You have to work your ass off for a good grade but it's worth it. Tests are very tricky so watch out for the trick questions. Material is very interesting, I personally loved this course!

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MCDB1B . Low S H 8 Years Ago

Great professor. One of the rare ones that actually cares about the education of her students. She has hard tests, but if you show interest then she really makes an effort to help you do well. Even if you ask her questions that aren't pertinent to her research, she will look up answers for you and is more than happy to discuss the material with you

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