She was alright in hindsight. Just so much hecking content. This is definitely a class you want to do the reading.I feel that reading + slides + lectures should be enough, but there is just so much. Tests are quite difficult so be ready for that.

I'm sure Prof Nguyen is a nice person, but she is probably the least empathetic and accomodating professor I have met at UCSB. MCDB 1LL was honestly not that bad or difficult, other than having to do a poster on a lab we never did.

I thought Low was bad until I encountered Finkelstein. While she isn't the best professor, Low is sweet and seems to care about her students. Her lectures were okay, and heavily based on the textbook. Make sure to read the textbook. Exams were insanely difficult.

Memorize every little detail on her slides and you might get a C on the exam. Hardest class I've taken at UCSB. In all honesty, I think that this class says more about the intro bio department, which is the least empathetic and caring department I have ever met. I liked biology before taking this class. I don't anymore.

She acts like she does not want to be there. Read the textbook it helps more than her slides. Honestly ruined biology for me

This class was extremely unorganized and it had us make a research poster on a lab that we never even got to do. The labs themselves are really easy, but the pre-lab assignments take like ten attempts to get full credit b/c of how difficult they are.

Hardest class I've taken at UCSB. You have to eat, sleep, and breathe her lecture material. Write down everything on the slides and everything she says. She'll mention something once for 2 seconds and it'll show up on the exam. If you think you won't need to know it for the exam, yes you will. Use the Anki app (free) for studying, it helped a lot.

Tricky exam questions not meant to measure your understanding of the subject but check how well you can read. MEMORIZE her slides. Textbook won't really help you. Quizlets help a bit. Just survive the class, it's rough

Prof. Low is pretty funny but her lectures are completely copied from the textbook (which is already a dense reading). Her tests are SUPER specific in regards to small parts on the lecture slides and that's what tripped me up. BELIEVE IN THE CURVE! I thought I would fail but I got a C-. Also do any extra credit!!

The slides are not digestible and there is no clear organization during her lectures so it's hard to learn anything during class. Don't wait to start studying, even if you're an academic weapon. Call her Dr. ____ Finkelstein cause this class is Ruth-less (seems like a nice person tho).

Does not respond to emails. If you want to talk to her you have to somehow get her attention outside of class and even then, it's impossible to get a hold of her. I emailed Nguyen 4 times about the same subject at the beginning of the quarter and continued to get zero response. Eventually gave up and stopped asking questions- really disappointing.

The most stupid thing about MCDB1LL is the poster. We didn't do this experiment at all, but instead, the poster, which relies entirely on the editing process, gets the biggest score. It's really stupid and disgusting.

You'll think you have it bad with Professor Low at the start. Then you'll experience Finkelstein, and you'll offer your firstborn to satan if only you could get her back.

You never know how good you have it until it's gone. I was a Low hater until I experienced the second half of this class, the antichrist Ruth Finkelstein. Then I realized Low is actually a sweet angel sent from heaven and I would have given anything to get her back. That being said, her midterms are impossible, you WILL dedicate your life to them.

I honestly have no words. To sum it up, I'll give you this: It was so confusing that my entire lab class was under the impression that we would eventually DO the worm lab at some point, and were not informed that we would never actually do it (and were supposed to work off the old data the WHOLE course) until week 8. WEEK. EIGHT.

Honestly, I thought the other reviews were giving her a hard time but they are extremely accurate. Lectures are nearly impossible to follow and slides contain very little info and abstract terminology that she does not explain more than just reading straight off the slide. Seems like a nice person, but maybe lecturing just isn't her thing.

Does not convey the lecture material in helpful or explanatory ways. I learned all content for this class from the book or CLAS. Her lectures are jumbled and she jumps straight in saying terms you've never heard of or showing complex graphics and barely explains them at all. Would have failed this class if it wasn't for reading the entire book. I

Not great, but compared to Finkelstein she's a saint. She is pretty funny and engaging in lecture, and her slides are basically all you need. Accessible in office hours, however she definitely isn't fond of giving verbose answers to questions. Expect very straightforward material with decently challenging exams. Would suggest looking at book.

What hasn't been said? The fact every bio student pays to go through her courses is a crime. She makes me want to self-immolate in front of Bio2, or wherever her office is. When a TA posts a rating saying the prof Is bad, it's bad. Sorry to every other bio student. Prepare yourself. I agree w/ "this is my villain origin story".

Honestly, you'll have to teach yourself most of the material. Lectures are NOT engaging whatsoever and half of the time you can barely follow her line of thought. Seems confused about her own course content and it seems like she sometimes has zero interest in what she's saying. Would not recommend, and would not take again.

Great lecturer, uses lots of examples to help you understand difficult concepts. Her midterms are super specific though and didn't seem to actually test your knowledge on the course material.. overall love the professor hate her midterms

Honestly AVOID at all cost. 66% was average on midterm 1 and the class is scaled not curved meaning your grade is determined by the top 5 highest scoring students (and only benefits the people who are already doing well). take small bio the majority of people get As and Bs

I refuse to hear slander on this woman. It's a hard class, but Low sets us up for success as long as we actually put in work. I put in super low effort and got the grade I deserved, but I was certainly given the resources I needed to succeed if I had used them. Her voice is a little quiet for a lecture hall of that size, but she always wore a mic.

This is literally a made up class. We write a research poster on research we did not do. The in person labs are an actual joke. This is a waste of three hours every week. And don't get me started on the horrible organization and direction of this class and the stupid pre-lab quizzes. I am sorry if you have to take this class.