DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THE POOR REVIEWS. Language barrier led to misunderstandings sometimes, but they were always resolved. Overall the class is fair. Made a Quizlet for each recorded lecture to memorize all of the info & that worked well for me. Used the TB to understand information that wasn't thoroughly explained in lecture.

everyone is bashing on Azarenko because she can be a bit rude at times like blaming us for tech issues, but she is really passionate about the subject and curved even tho the avg was 80% for the class. You can do well, just read textbook, pay attention during lecture, and know iclicker questions well

She's a great professor if you can get past her blunt personality. Her lectures are straightforward, and she explains topics well. Exams are based solely on lectures, and she offers extra credit for attending lectures. The course was also curved even though the average was 80. She makes a tough course manageable if you study the lecture material.

Unprofessional with blaming students for technological issues they are not responsible for with iClicker, and purposely made the second midterm more difficult after seeing students did "too well" on the first one. proceeded to put a couple questions on the second exam we had never encountered before. she is clearly passionate but wouldnt recommend

This is by far the worst professor I've had at UCSB. The material is taught entirely out of order, she makes everything extremely difficult to understand, and she overall doesn't care for students in general. She is also extremely inaccessible no matter how many times you try to email her. Dont take her do everything you can to avoid her class

she is definitely very blunt. i wouldn't say she is overly difficult, the class itself is hard so the tests are not going to be easy. yes, she did include a single question on the exam that wasn't covered before, but people are being overly critical. she is a good lecturer. if you study you'll be fine, read the book and do the practice quizzes!

During of first midterm, most ppl finished within 30-45 minutes. She noticed this and said that the next midterm would be harder because this one was too easy. She included material we had not covered prior to the exam in our 2nd midterm. She is clearly passionate about the subject and has explained things well but doesn't want students to succeed

She is not a professor that takes their time into explaining things, she rushes her lectures. Along with being. very impatient. I would not recommend if you're trying to understand the material throughly

idk she's just really annoying tbh would NEVER take again would rather drown

This course has just barely started and I am thoroughly disappointed with this professors professionalism. Not only does she blame iClicker issues on the students but she is not very friendly or approachable. I can recall multiple times where she said opposing points and if you have the option I would recommend a different professor.

Pretty scattered, difficult exams, heavy memorization, lectures are really disorganized. Total grading policy was 250 points: 100 points exam 1, 100 points exam 2, 50 points hw (5 each: 10 points), and 10 extra credit points for attending (not correctness)10 lectures (iclicker). but the material was all given in lecture (book not required)

Great professor. Weekly quizzes and lectures prepared you well for final. Azarenko>>>Low

Retook with Azarenko and WOW, what a difference. Graded on weekly lecture quizzes and three exams. As long as you review your notes/slides, iClicker questions, and practice exams, you should pass the class. Make sure to pace out your studying. Azarenko was very passionate and questions on the exams are similar to the practice ones!! Her >> Low!!

Not sure why there are so many bad reviews... she is truly a great professor. Super passionate about bio and it shows through her lectures. Even at 8am shes enthusiastic and professional. Attending lectures is extra credit, 2 midterms, 1 final, weekly quizzes that are easy and very similar to contents on exams. Definitely would take again!

Great engaging lecturer who taught and explained topics very well. Her 126A/B exams could be challenging but being an upper div course, they were doable if you took the time ahead to study. Going to office hours was helpful to get to know her and materials needed to succeed in the class. Definitely recommend studying at least a week before exams!

Professor Smith is definitely one of the best instructors I've had at UCSB or really just in general. Her class (Neurocircuitry) is super interesting and the way she orients each week around a different case study/disorder made the class very real life applicable while not being too overwhelming at all. Fun class taught by a nice person :)

Professor Azarenko was a solid lecturer and explained the course material really well. Lectures were recorded and attendance was optional but would be counted as extra credit. A majority of the course was memorizing drugs and their mechanisms, which was challenging, but doable if you spent a little time studying each week and went to class.

Olga is a great professor and is super engaging even at 8am. I enjoyed the class content and found to be interesting to learn, but being an upper div major class it is obviously not the easiest. It is memorization heavy but not challenging to understand overall. Stay on track with the material every week and attend lectures, you will be fine

A great professor with great lectures, but the amount of stuff you have to know is insane. You will enjoy lectures but you will hate finals week. Your mental well-being will depend on how nice the professor is feeling the day of making the exam, but besides that the class is exciting, and the topics are interesting.

A bit of a language barrier, but Olga is super cool. She said there would be no curve on the first day of lecture, but proceeded to implement a curve after everyone failed the final. Do extra credit, and try to do well on the weekly quizzes (quizzes are free). Material heavy, but she did well teaching. Just don't go into this class thinking its ez.

I don't know what all these bad reviews are about. Even though class content is challenging, she made the grading criteria super clear and had detailed PowerPoint and abundant study resources, even weekly compiled notes. She set up Zoom calls outside of office hours to help students with their questions. She is so patient and caring, LOVE her.

She has gotten a lot of bad reviews, but since I have had her in person vs online, she seems great with her lectures and she does know a lot about the subject material. She may have changed drastically but so far she seems very nice. I also do not have trouble following her lectures, but her accent can make it tricky at times.

She's decent. I took her as a summer class, and she was kind and respectful towards other students. All of her quiz answers can be found on quizlet or online. She has extra credit. Do that, get good grades on the homework assignments, and you'll be fine.

If you're a Pharm major, my condolences. The hardest class I've ever taken and the worst professor I've ever had. You need to know physio before taking the class or else you won't be able to tell when she misspeaks. She's also impossible to understand, highly disorganized, and expects you to memorize the cause, diseases, side effects of 100+ drugs.