just put the effort into learning, and it will pay back, her tests were very similar to the practice test she gave out.

I liked Finkelstein even though her lectures were a little dry. She is very knowledgeable and always answers any questions you have. There are some scientific articles that are hard to understand but she helps you learn how to analyze papers better which I think is a good skill to have.

People that are complaining about her have no reason to, they just were likely not willing to put in the work. Her class was excellent, she is easy to work with, and she knows more than any other professor I have had. Just look at the grammar of the people who didn't like her.

Dr. Finkelstein is a great teacher and is the most helpful person ever. Not going to lie, really tough but rewarding.

great class. she has clear lecture slides and she provides great supplemental detail! to all those people leaving (-) comments, they prob just don't know how to sort out supplemental detail from what she wants you to know, which she makes clear even in 1b. Very knowledgeable & a GREAT resource for plants, genetics, or developmental! give her a try!

Had her for mcdb 1b too. She's one of the smartest people I know - I don't just mean knowing the material. There is so much people can learn from her, and I think you have to take something other than an intro class of 800+ before you can properly judge anybody - she is so much better than these comments

I went to her office hours frequently and she is very helpful and approachable! This class was not easy but if you actually go to lecture and study you will find the tests are fine. She is such a nice sweet lady and does not deserve most of these comments. I think she's a great teacher.

She's a nice teacher. Lectures might be a bit all over the place. But the tests are straight forward. I have to disagree w/ these other ppl's comments about her, because she's a nice person and very approachable and helpful. If you think her class is hard, it's probably your fault. Because I worked hard and I got a really good grade. No complaints.

she teaches WAY TOO FAST!!! she thrOws SOO MUCH maTeriaL aT yOu in one LeCTure. tip: if ur LosT, RAiSE UR HAND and maKe her repeaT iT if iTs nOT cLear! oTherwise, yOuLL be SOO LOST... cause she'LL keep on gOing and throWing mOre maTeriaL aT yOu!

Dr. Finkelstein is accessible outside of class and truly cares about students who try. Although the expectations for students are slightly unrealistic and tests are made extremely difficult, she wants to make you a better student

teaching technique confused . Hope she retired quickly.

This professor was one of the worst that I have had. She decided to change the grading structure after the final because students did better on exams/materials not given by her. She covers material never before discussed in MCDB 1A and yet assumes everyone knows basic information she never gave.

Professor Finkelstein can always come up with some fun question formats and include 15 true/false questions in your exams. Try to distinguish between A, B, and C, while D and E are "A and B" and "A and C"; its not going be harder than discovering the theory of relativity.

Class was pretty bad. Lectures were incredibly boring and final was very difficult. There are a lot of resources to help you learn, but she is not one of them. I think she is retiring now, so be grateful you don't have her

Reading her lectures deadly.

I can't even find the words to describe how little? she actually teaches. Lectures' so monotonous and feels like she just uses iClicker to take up time instead of actually teaching. Average for the last midterm was literally so bad. Instead of maybe reflecting on her teaching style, sent out an announcement to reflect on how WE should study better.

"If I had only known that all I had to do was avoid this dude, I would have done much better" (quote from a former student)

If you don't read the textbook and spend hours engaging with outside material, you will fail this class. Half of the material you are required to know on exams is literally not mentioned ANYWHERE in the textbook or in the slides. Her lectures are incredibly disorganized and vague. Avoid at all costs

Not a pleasant class to take. Lectures consist mainly of reading off of slides without any extra information, so it feels like it is self taught. Finkelstein doesn't add anything to lecture when she stands behind the podium, not making eye contact for the entirety of the period. Tests were infinitely harder than what was taught in class.

I am traumatized. Never again.

It is genuinely impressive how much information from the textbook she skips in lecture. We're still responsible for knowing everything, of course, yet the only thing she herself "teaches" is her absolutely barren slides and unhelpful diagrams

Professor Finkelstein's class is a real challenge. Her tests are brutally detailed, requiring complete mastery of every tiny concept. Studying hard with resources like Unstuck study helped me survive, but it's still one of the toughest classes I've taken.

Worst professor I've ever had. Got high/low 60's on every test and ended with a B-, that just shows how much everyone struggled. She seems like a nice person but her tests and lectures are literally insane. You will think you did good on exams but end up blindsided. But dont worry, youre in good company. AVOID IF YOU CAN. If not good use CLAS

Ruth is one of the most unorganized and unclear professors I have EVER had. I spent so long attempting to parse her lectures and put them in somewhat of an order. The plants section of the final was brutal and felt unrelated to much of the material that she had haphazardly taught us. She laughed at students who asked questions/ got iClicker wrong.