His final was really hard way harder than his practice finals but I actually really liked him! He always ended his lectures with some interesting real world applications of evolution and I thought that was dope. Learned a lot of really interesting random facts. Didn't use the textbook but printed out his lecture slides and rewatched his lectures!
Really liked his lecture slides. His final on the other hand....
He explained stuff in a very clear way that one may think that he sometimes overdo it. Tons of example questions on every lectures material so nothing to worry about on the exam, practice is all you need.
How to study for this class: use his condensed notes and watch lectures 1.5x speed (don't need to and don't go to lecture, its too easy to not focus), do about 30 questions from his practice ones and you'll be fine. I only studied for 1 day before the final and got a B on the final which means you'll probs get an A if you study a week ahead.
He is very structured and organized in his teaching - make sure to attend the lectures. Use the resources he provides: video explanations of practice problems, study guide problems, lecture recordings. He is great at explaining concepts, but do enough practice until you really understand the material.
I've received A's in organic chemistry, physics, MCDB, but I ended up with a C- in this class all because of Rice's final. His final included a lot of paragraphs on paragraphs of reading. I did the practice problems but the final was definitely still very difficult. Claims that you don't need to memorize much, but you do. Ex: the HIV mutation rate
Even is an extremely dry and boring lecturer. However, he is crystal clear and explains concepts very well. In my opinion, don't go to class and watch the video recordings at 1.5 speed. Everyone thought his test was hard, but if you do the practice problems he posts, you won't get tricked on the test -- I got a 92 on his portion. Do the problems.
Rice is the worst teacher I've had. Complicates material by using intricate examples just to derive simple concepts. But that's exactly what his final is like, be prepared for a mentally exhausting exam w/ long passages to read. Claims that the final is identical to practice problems but he presented some info differently that makes it even harder
If you want a decent grade, you better do the majority of his practice questions (the ones at the end because they're similar to the exam). The practice questions are extremely similar to the actual test. The math questions are easy, while the conceptual ones (especially from the last week of class) are hard.
His exams are very tough. Most of the questions on the final were on practicals. There isn't a huge curve in this class. Most of the students are not equipped with the knowledge to do well in a course like this yet.
His lectures are clear and interesting. He provides alot of help with his hundreds of problems from previous finals. His final is moderate in difficulty.
His section of EEMB 2 is tough, not going to lie. You NEED to do practice problems as soon as his lectures begin if you want a chance at passing the class. Work on them as many times as possible, as early as possible. Do NOT do them the night before. Make sure you rehash your critical reading skills too, you will need them to dissect his problems.
I really enjoyed Rice's section of EEMB2. His lectures were clear and interesting. The practice questions are essential for doing well on the final. The second half of the questions are the most challenging and similar to the exam so focus on those. Final is tough but I feel like if you put the time you can get an A!
One of the best courses I've taken at UCSB. Great professor, I highly recommend his class.
Rice sounds like an infomercial. He tries so hard to be enthusiastic that it becomes annoying. While he gives you hundreds of practice problems, they will be nothing like the ones on the final. You should still do them but do not expect the final problems to be anywhere near as easy as the practice ones. Fortunately, the curve was massive.
Dr. Rice prepares his lectures so they make each step required to solve a given problem very clear. If you attend lecture, review the slides, work through the study guide without the answer key, you'll do well. You'll have to put in the time to work through the problems because they reflect the exam very closely.
Loved this class! Plus final was easy once you do the study questions. Dr. Rice made evolution very enjoyable.
Seriously my favorite class! Dr. Rice was a wonderful professor! I paid attention the whole time during lecture and ended up with an A! The final was easy once you do all the study questions. I would take this class again in a heartbeat!
I personally loved this professor. A lot of my friends thought he was boring but I found his lectures really interesting and made an effort to never miss them. One of my favorite professors in the bio dept
he sets this class up so you can skip lecture every week but be fine-that's what i did, i'd just catch up every week. CLAS can be useful but isn't needed to excel...just do practice problems over and over again until you get it. supposedly going to class makes it easier but i still got an A without.
The most boring class I've ever taken. There's not much continuity from lecture to lecture either which is rather annoying. Final for him was VERY tricky. Asks questions in a very convoluted manner in which you have to be read between the lines. The final is made to make you fail. Best tip: go to CLAS and work practice problems.
I dont know why everyone is complaining about Dr. Rice. I loved him! He made me grow an extreme interest in viruses, that class changed my perspective on evolution. It was cool and I loved it. The Study questions WERE ON THE EXAM!! He REUSED some but changed a few words! If you do all the work, I guarantee an A.
most of the study questions are completely useless, however the ones preceded by a large paragraph in italics are extremely similar to those on the test. do those, and the final wont be so daunting.
his final slaughtered me. if his study questions make everything seem simple, but the final is made of like 15 story-length passages that make it impossible to infer anything. he is seriously proud of how many ppl fail it. gonna have to bend over backwards for 2 units. it pretty much goes downhill from there.