2.7
Quality4.1
Difficulty34%
Would Retake135
Reviews34%
Would Retake
135
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
35
4
15
3
17
2
20
1
48
What Students Say
“People who do bad in her class just don't study, it's simple”
BIO230 - 5.0 rating“Ok those who are rating bad this professor only want an easy A”
BIO230 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
36%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.85 avg changeRatings by Course
CELLN230
5.0
(1)SENIOSEM
5.0
(2)BIO444
5.0
(4)BIO468
4.7
(3)BIOL468
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
BIOL380
5.0
BIO380
5.0
BIO213
5.0
BIO489
4.7
BIOL468
4.5
Reviews (135)
She's easy if you study and put your effort into it. You acutally learn stuff. quizzes and tests are okay, not to worry if you study. so gud luck.
She teaches straight from the textbook. She does not identify which topics are more important and as a result you end up memorizing every chapter of the textbook in order to prepare for the test. She also speaks in a very soft voice so most of the time you cannot understand what she is saying. One of the worst professors I've had while at MSU.
If you can avoid her, DO SO AT ALL COSTS. She complicates and confuses the topics more than necessary. She's really nit-picky about details. She speaks really really low, and despite telling her that she's practically mumbling, she'll just fall back into her monotone pitch. She teaches via ppts which are useless b/c the pics are ALL from the book.
okay so she is tough and the class was useless...but for all the graduate students PLEASE BE FAIR! she curves the exams almost 2 full grades!!! so if you get a 75% average on your test and get A for quizzes, papers, class participation you can still end up with a B plus or A minus..not to bad...but avoid her if you can...
terrible teacher. her power points are mostly pictures, graphs and she goes through them so fast. Her quizzes involve so much material they are more like tests. The tests are even worse. Most people failed the first test, than I dropped out
AWFUL. This is a 200 level class and she teaches it as though it's grad-level. Puts so much detail into unimportant things and completely breezes over stuff that's tested on. Her teaching style is horrible... she literally just puts pictures from the book onto powerpoint. Tests cover 7-9 chapters. Nice lady but seriously the worst professor.
Don't take her. Not that you shouldnt be challanged, but she really does Test you on alot of very specific material.. And for most of the class that studied their butts off 1 person gets an A. NOT RIGHT.
What can I say? She put us through hell.The amount of time I would put in to study for one of those tests or quizzes would notbe proportional to my grade.Of course it help to see everyone else was failing not justme I had put in everything i had into that class, and on tests and quizzes id get B's and C's.in the end, i got an A because she curves.
HER GRADUATE COLLIQUILUM/SENIOR SEMINAR CLASS IS WAY BETTER THAN HER NEUROSCIENCE COURSE....ALL YOU DO IS PRESENT A PAPER OF YOUR CHOICE TO THE CLASS AND THAT IS PRETTY MUCH THE BULK OF THE GRADE ALONG WITH OTHER REPORT....EASY A
I generally do not partake in professor-bashing but I would not recommend Dr. Petroff at all. Brilliant woman, awful teacher. Barely covers the material in class, expects textbook to be memorized, emphasizes points not tested and tests things not covered. Gave 1:15 for the final. School policy states 2 hours regardless of cumulative or not.
SHE CAN NOT TEACH.SHE MAY KNOW THE SUBJECT WELL BUT SHE CANNOT TEACH.NOT MSU DESPERATELY NEEDS SOME GOOD BIO PROFESSORS WHO KNOWS HOW TO TEACH.UNDERSTANDING NOR HELPFULL. SIT HOME AND STUDY ON YOUR OWN. YOU WILL LEARN MORE EVEN YOU HAD NO INTEREST IN BIOLOGY. ABSULATELY DISSAPOINTED.
I'm dropping her class as we speak. -_-
Absolutely terrible professor! I ended up doing well in the class, but the amount of work I put into my grade was ridiculous! there are 4 tests, only 3 of which count, and they're youre only grade. I went argue every exam grade I got, and she did nothing to change it. The lab definitely saved my grade in the class. AVOID HER IF YOU CAN!
This is a very difficult course and it does require your time to read the slides and keep up with the lectures. She's a very caring professor and does what she can to make things more understandable in spite of the difficulty of the material. She tells you what to know for exams and will post quizzes on blackboard- some of which show up on the test
Great professor. Very helpful. cell and molec is a very hard class and you should be prepared to study A LOT. if u take good notes in class, u should not worry.
Extremely difficult. Print out her slides and memorize everything on them, skim the chapters in the book for reference. 3 of 4 exams graded. Shes unforgiving with getting points back and knows everything. I'm glad I took her, got an A, but only do it if you are willing to work and actually learn.
Great professor but her class can be challenging. You have to attend every lecture and work hard. She teaches with powerpoints slides and she's sometimes unpredictable on her tests towards the end of the semester. Overall she's not bad. You'll end up learning a lot of useful info in the end which will prepare you for grad school.
She is tough. Although if you compare her slides with book materials and study well from her slides and book both you will be fine. take good notes. She takes total 4 exams including finals and drops one of the lowest.Final is optional if you do well in other 3 exams. IF you put enough effort you will be all right.
Class material is difficult and she teaches from slides which makes it really hard and boring to pay attention. Best advise, read the book and record her lectures. Only counts 3 out of 4 exams for final grade. Overall, her grading scale is better then other professors.
Record every lecture and study the slides along with your recording and you will get an A
Some topics not covered in class showed up in tests. She goes over the slides in a vague way that you don't know what exactly to read for the tests; she just tries to cover everything.
You have to have SOME interest in the subject. She explains everything you need to know for the tests, gives extra credit question on all of the exams, worth it. The lab helps with understanding some concepts. Don't buy the textbook. Attendance is highly advised. Be nice to her, she doesn't bite, ask if you need help. Plus, she's got a cool accent.
Get ready to study! If you're serious about the material you'll do fine; there's a curve. Study slides, take notes on what she says, skim chapters. 4 tests, drops lowest one, lab grade can save your life. Very smart woman & willing to help.. don't be intimidated by her!!!!
Dr. Petroff is one smart lady but she expects her students to know EVERYTHING! 4 exams, one gets dropped. Exams are extremely difficult and tricky! Take this class ans treat it like its your only one because its going to take a lot of effort to even get a B-!
The class was difficult at first because she jumped right into the material. Expect to take detailed notes as she does go fast as she shows the powerpoint slides. She was really helpful in clarifying her lectures and was available after class. Definitely try to go to all her lectures because she gives you a good amount of material .
This class was surprisingly challenging, but what you learn will be essential for the mcat. The class averages at the high 60's but getting an A is definitely possible. You need to be dedicated and working diligently. A textbook is a must, so rent it or buy it. Labs are pretty easy so consider it as your curve.
you need to get the textbook and record her. Sit in front so you can get a clear recording and listen to them after class AND UNDERSTAND THEM. She did not give us office hours to see our last exam if you are the type of person who likes to look over exams before the final.
4 easy exams (drops lowest exam) if you study really hard. i'm a sophomore and this is the only class i got an A in out of all the major bio classes i've taken so far. take her, you'll be aiight.
Don't expect this class to be an easy A. you have to work really hard to even get a B-. To be fair, she drops the lowest score of 4 exams. labs are pretty easy as long as you pay attention. I was .25 points below a C so I did not move onto the next course. I have to repeat the course but I WISH i didn't have to take it with her...
She's a very interesting and intelligent woman. The material you are going to learn in this class is highly important for your future biology courses. Her exams are fair as long as you take good notes. I highly suggest to go to her lectures because she gives you a good amount of material. Overall, very fair and organized! Take her, she's great!
Her neuroscience class is very intense, but it's a 400 level course so you have to be mentally prepared that the class is going to be hard. Her knowledge in neuroscience is incredible so I'm glad I took her course. Make sure you take good notes or record her just in case. This class is a very good warm up if you want to take the mcat. She's good :)
I found her to be very smart and interesting. Her cell&molec class is challenging but you will learn a lot with her. She's really passionate for science and really knows how to get your attention on her lectures. Her exams are not that bad as long you take good notes and study with weeks in advance. You won't do well if you cram the night before!!
Ok those who are rating bad this professor only want an easy A. She's an amazing professor but you have to study a lot in order to pass. She gives a lot of material but at the end her exams are very fair and straight foward as long as you study. Best recommendation is to always attend lectures and study frequently. Amazing professor!!
She definitely knows what she is talking about. She expects you to already know the basics of chem and bio. She is intimidating and if you fail 2 out of 3 exams it's an automatic F for your whole grade. I would sugest to record her lectures and read the book. Her exams are tough so study way in advance.
Her lectures are very engaging and interesting. There are 3 exams plus a final. She drops your lowest grade. Try to take good notes in her class because her exams are based on the lectures not on her powerpoints. Procrastinators will not pass. Study with weeks in advance!
Honestly just listen and record her lectures and you'll be fine. The textbook is optional but I found it to be very helpful for the exams too. Try to attend to every single lecture if you want to ace the course. there are 3 exams in her class and a final which is optional. Labs are easy so consider them as your curve.
Her cell physiology class can be very challenging if you don't have the basis of cell&molec (Bio230). She expects you to know a lot of things already since it's an advance cell bio course. Overall her lectures are very good and interesting. There's a midterm and a final in this class. Do well on your midterm and you don't have to take the final :)
she goes very deep in lecture and definitely gives you a lot of material but at the end her exams are very superficial if you study in advance. Take her if you actually wanna learn something as a bio student because she will give you good basis for genetics and micro. Take good notes and show up to lectures and you'll get an A!
She covers a lot of stuff in lectures but doesn't test you in every single thing. She only does that just to make sure you understand the material but her exams are very straight forward. People who do bad in her class just don't study, it's simple! She makes everything crystal clear before the exams. Pay attention, take notes and you'll pass!
I took her for cellmolec and cell physiology and she was amazing for both courses. Her cell physiology class is a little harder but as long as you have good bio and chem basis you'll do great. There's an oral presentation you have to do at the end and she's tough grading it but overall she's extremely fair, organized and funny sometimes ;)
Its basically a teach yourself course, so you never need to go to class. Lab will be your curve cuz this lab a joke. Exam questions are test bank based so be prepared to study ALOT from the textbook. Powerpoints have "general topics" rather an actual info. Only take her if you can teach urself and r a hardworker. A is not impossible but very hard
If you are a good reader and like independent study, you can just read the textbook without showing up to class and still pass her exams. Otherwise, go to class and take good notes. Use the powerpoints as your study guides so you'll know what to read and what not from the textbook. Her lectures are very understandable anyway, she's a good lecturer.
You might feel overwhelmed at the beginning when you see the syllabus because there's a lot of material covered in class, but she is very superficial covering everything which makes the material manageable. Her lectures come directly from the textbook so reading the book definitely helps. Her exams are not bad, just keep up with the material.
Dr. Petroff is one of the most intelligent professors I've ever had. She really cares about her students' success but you have to put effort if you want her help. Lectures are extremely clear and she will not ask anything on the exams that she didn't talk about in class. Ask questions in her class if you feel confused, she doesn't bite.
She was great in class. Lectures were clear and exams were very fair. She expects you to work hard in class and have the basic concepts of cellmolec and chemistry. Shes's also very updated with any science topic nowadays and makes the class very interesting. Textbook is optional but I recommend to read it. Overall very good professor!!
Make sure to study frequently if you're are planing to take this class in the summer. She goes extremely fast with the material, however she's very clear and always makes sure the students understand the material before the exam. Take this class in the summer only if you have plenty of time, otherwise take it either during fall or spring
Excellent professor! Her lectures are interesting, neat and clever. All the exams come directly from the notes you take in class. The textbook is also very helpful so I recommend to read it if you want more support or clarification. Ask questions in her class if you don't understand, she will answer even the dumbest question. She's awesome
Great professor for a summer class! She understands that summer classes are very condensed. Tries her best to help out with the amount of material. Long lectures. Really Try to actively listen. Very straightforward and her exams are very fair. Participate when she asks questions. Study details/concepts! and enjoy cell and molecular biology :)
Her class is awesome. She goes fast during the summer but that's the reality of taking a summer class. If you keep up with the material everyday you'll get an A. She's organized, clever and very engaging. She understands a lot her students and she's always available for help, but she also expects hard work from you. Amazing lectures.
I really liked her as a professor. Go to her lectures, take good notes and you'll pass her exams. You won't find any surprises on the exams if you pay attention to the lectures. There are 4 exams in her class and she drops your lowest grade! She also has a cool accent! P.S. Final is optional!!
The class is very interesting overall. Her exams are very fair as long as you pay attention and take good notes. I found the textbook to be very helpful too so I also recommend it. She's always three for you, good professor!!
The woman is very organized and knows her stuff very well. Just record her lectures and keep on track with the material and it's all you need to ace her course. the textbook is good for clarification. Very smart woman!
The class is not bad at all. As long as you show up to class and take good notes you'll pass her exams which are straight from her lectures. 3 exams + a cumulative final (Lowest test gets dropped). The labs are very easy and straight foward. She can go a little fast sometimes but that's not her fault, the class covers a lot of material in general
Her neuro course starts very sharp and intense but it gets easier through the semester. If you really wanna learn about neuroscience, take this women! Highly intelligent! The exams are not bad at all, there's only 2 exams ( A midterm and a final). If you do well on your midterm you can skip the final. Overall pretty good and smart professor.
Show up to lectures or record her and it's all you need to get an A in her class. Her exams are straight from her lectures, whoever gets a bad grade didnt study enough because there's no surprises on the exams. Lectures are engaging and interesting.
Very cleaver and informative professor who really cares about seeing her students succeed. Classes are engaging and interesting. 2 exams in her class, a paper and a group presentation. You'll learn a lot about neuroscience with her. I'd definitely take her again. 5/5 professor
Dr. Petroff expects you to have strong concepts in cell biology and chemistry for her cell physiology course. The lectures are very interesting and she keeps you engaged until the end. Her exams are not bad at all as long as you study. There's a couple of presentations you have to do and she can be rough grading them. I really liked her
She is probably one of my favorite professors so far, so much that I will be taking her again. She's very clear about what she wants and her exams are based off of lectures strictly. If you put in the effort you will have no problem. She's a caring and easy to talk to professor, who genuinely challenges students in a positive manner. Take her!
theres only 4 exams and one extra cred. exams are STRICTLY from lectures BUT lectures are every detailed. extra credit on exams comes from ?s she asked in class and extra credit paper boost you one point. she does not curve! also there's 3 versions of the exams and the final was difficult my class highest grade was a 79
As long as you go to lectures and take good notes youre fine. Get the textbook and study the images she posts from her slides. 3 exams plus a cumulative final which I think they were fair. Just study as any other class and youll pass
Not the best in what she does. She rambles forever with unnecessary info. exams multiple choice but figure your way in that class zoom on things that are important. Dont study nonsense its heavy class material.
Excellent professor who makes you work for the grade you want. Make sure to attend lectures and write down everything she says as it may be on the exam. The textbook was very useful in this class as far as understanding picture slides. Make sure to study at least a week before the exam as theres a ton of material covered.
Grade is based out of 3/4 multiple choice exams and lab. Exams are super hard. She's very boring to listen to and tends to ramble. Doesn't email you back either. I would suggest you take a different professor, you will NOT get an A in this class, especially since she doesn't curve. My first B in bio and I regret taking her class. STAY AWAY!
talks too much, i fell asleep like 4 times in her class. talented in rambling and talking for hours without getting tired. exams and labs are easy though
Doesnt take attendance, quizzes lab and hws are weighted low, exams are super hard, just reads off of a power point, doesnt curve. class average was a 70. so on top of her not curving and despite all the hundos you got on the quizes hws and lab. youll still do bad because they are weighted too low and you get most of your grade from the exams.
WORST WORST WORST PROFESSOR EVER! SAVE YOURSELF FROM STRESS. Her exams are crazy hard. If you don't pass the first two, you automatically fail the class. She is not helpful. She is rude and monotone. DO NOT TAKE HER.
Dr. Petroff is a great professor! Being a bio major you do have to work for the grades that you want. She is tough but you will learn a lot from her. Who said being a bio major was easy. She is very helpful inside the classroom and outside the classroom and I would take her again in an instant.
Really cares about her students and wants them to do well. Accessible outside of class and a really nice lady. Get a chance to get to know her!
Dr. Petroff is a great teacher. She has clear grading criteria and is tough if your wording is not what she is looking for. Final exam was optional. She is very reasonable. Overall a fair person.
One word: terrible. Powerpoint: mostly pictures no words Textbook: no help Exam: expects you to know way more than you were taught. Lecture: long and mumbles to herself half the time Extra credit assignment: 10 % , grades it really hard Fail 2 out of 3 exams and your done, no negotiation. If you take this class good luck
She's a nice professor but she WHISPERS during the lectures. I sat in the front row the entire semester and I still had a hard time hearing. The class would be easier if she just speak up.
Even with everything that is going on this professor still is going hard on her students. Instead of multiple choice now we have 25 open response questions due in an hour and you better make them detailed or you can forget about getting an A. The average for our exam was 54.3 and she said there were a few good grades so its all right.
GOD AWFUL. That's all I have to say. Take BIO230 with someone else.
The class was in person then went online. Do not take her class online you will be setting yourself up because her exams are open-ended and the final as well. Her lectures are okay but you can barely hear her. Good luck if you take her class online or in person and you will need to make sure you understand the material.
I understand the switch to online was tough for everyone, but she did nothing to help her students. No clear grading criteria, no feedback, unrealistic time limits, PowerPoint slides were awful, and above all if she doesnt think youre trying regardless of if you are, she fails you. The reason Im switching from biochem to chem.
VERY tough grader.
Elena is a very nice professor. Having had her for many years was a please, though I must warn she is an extremely tough grader. Regardless, it has an honor to have Elena as a mentor and I wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors.
I took this course in the summer, during a pandemic, and she did not accommodate any of her students. As we all know it is hard enough doing a class online, and she made it a little more difficult, because it was hard to hear her lectures. If you take her you need to study a lot in order to get the grade you want. Good luck.
I took BIO 230 online due to the pandemic so she posted recorded lectures on canvas. I do not understand how one can WHISPER when there's a microphone right next to you. I legit thought I was going deaf. Just Imagine what she sound like in a lecture hall. DO NOT TAKE HER. IM WARNING YOU. DONT DO IT.
terrible professor avoid at all costs especially during this pandemic she isn't understanding at all! i wish I could give her 0 stars
Bad. Would not recommend.
If you dont have internet connection or experience connection issues theres no extensions or make-ups. I think that is very tone deaf considering how were in the middle of a pandemic and most of us are experiencing financial hardships. Lets not forget the fact that I have to risk getting COVID to pass a class? I am literally paying for the class.
Dr. Petroff sounds like a little mouse when she talks but rambles. She puts up narrated versions of the notes on canvas, but mumbles and then you cant hear even with the volume all the way up. Then she deletes file from canvas a few hours later. The class is supposed to be both virtual and in person but it is only virtual and we only meet async.
Her lectures are useless because the exams are based off of the homework. Her brief overviews of the chapters are useless. Just read the textbook but get ready because its truly never ending and extremely dense.
The worst Professor that I have ever had. I know Im good at biology but doing well on her exams isnt about knowing the material. She critiques every little point in your responses and is an extremely harsh grader. She is not flexible in any way and will take points off unnecessarily. I would never want her as a professor again.
I have never encountered a professor who cared to show no empathy to her students. She obviously cares very little about her students, she rarely accommodates and is a very strict grader. 10/10 recommend taking this course with someone else.
I had her and it was the worst class ever. I love biology alot and I'm really passionate about it but she has made me strongly dislike it. I have been studying day and night for her tests just to get C's and D's. She focuses on the smaller things in her tests that she says in lecture for 5 seconds. Sounds like she wants us to fail.
DOnt. I just want MSU to see these ratings and they'd fire her immediately. Save your self and please dont take her. She will ruin your GPA. She makes this class so hard and with limited resources.
Actually the worst. Her exams are pure hell, and you get tested on so much material. She doesn't even try to be generous about it either. She knows the material is alot and she purposely makes the exams hard and tricky. Just don't.
This is the devil. She is the worst of. the worst and even the smartest kids get a low grade. I cannot stress how many times I have repeatedly studies for this class just to get a 65 on all my tests. Her exams make no sense because they focus on irrelevant small stuff and not the big idea. Just dont take her
Petroff will fail you no matter how hard you work because her tests have nothing she tells us to study the class before. Heck, her tests have the smallest things possible that no one focuses on, and she asks. This is not going to help. I wish I dropped out
This is a hard class. She is such a knowledgeable person and she genuinely wants you to learn. You have to really pay attention during lecture. Attendance is optional but I implore you to go to lecture. She doesn't speak loud but sit in the front and pay attention. She only grades on tests and helps you in office hours. She is super fair.
Would not recommend; she is a nice person and I respect her, but this class was unnecessarily hard. I didn't have her in person, so you if take her in person---it might be different. The PPT lectures do not match the exams; the HW does match (a little bit). The exams were a mystery, but if you want to pass, pay more attention to the HW.
Boring lectures. Quiet. Exams are very specific, so you have to really really really know what she wants, you cannot just understand the material.
I had Prof Petroff in Spring 2021 for Bio 230. She sounded like a mouse and her lectures online didnt really match the book or material. I was able to find most stuff online as far as answers go and that made it easy for me. She was so quiet and spoke so fast. I still remember that tone of voice my god.
I took her in the summer and she gave us 20 open ended and we had to finish within 50 minutes ... We did not have enough time and 75% of the class failed. Her lectures are terrible, you can not hear her or it's clear explanation. She is very hard overall. Dr. Petroff is a very harsh grader. AVOID HER. Literally take anyone but her.
Be ware.
She is the worst professor that I have ever seen. She teaches things and gives you different things in the exam. Most of the students failed her class. Maybe the university prefers to keep her in it so they can keep students repeating their classes and collecting more money.
TERRIBLE. take halaby. he doesnt get excited for your failure. exams are not lecture based. FIRE HER!!!
Loved this class...it absolutely nothing like anything she teaches (molec, neuro). Very easy, all you have to do present on a paper of your choice for 20 minutes and answer questions from the class. She makes everyone in the class do a worksheet (this is acts as participation). Also asks questions in the class, better participation grade. TAKE IT!
She got only images on her powerpoint.If you wanna get good grades in her class I would say study from quizlet. She is lazy.She does not make her own exams.She used to pull out so many questions from quizlet. JUST DON'T TAKE HER.She is bad overall. In every exams she used to gives at least 5 questions from nowhere.does not know how to give lecture
DONT TAKE HER! She just reads off the powerpoint and has 4 exams in total, no quizzes (which can be bad if you don't do well on the exams).The average for the first exam was a 42% and only people that have taken this class before passed. If you get a 60% on 2 exams its an automatic F for the class even if your % is 69.9.
Dr. Petroff isn't a terrible professor but she isn't the best professor either. You do have to work hard if you want to do well in her class. Her tests are based on her lectures and can be difficult if you don't take the time to learn the material. She only grades on exams, so sit in the front and pay attention to the lecture!
just don't listen to any review here, let me be honest with you if you want to take her, take her in the summer not fall or spring. if you gonna take her in fall or spring you are going to fail I'm telling you from now, she will treat the ppl who are taking summer dif and in an easy way. good luck
Dr Petroff is well experienced in her field, she is accessible, and she expects professionalism.Make sure to go over the lessons before her class and do a lot of self studying otherwise you will be lost in the lecture and struggling to catch up on the exams every time.She focuses only on areas where it may seem difficult to understand by yourself.
Barely audible. Uses scientific jargon that is hard to understand at times. Learning objectives are NOT CLEAR. Forces you to learn HOW to learn by yourself. Power points are mostly diagrams, so you MUST use her lectures and textbook to get an idea of what to focus on. Organize your notes based on the topics in a way that makes sense to you.
Some test questions are just straight up unfair. Try not to be discouraged by these few. Focus on racking up as many points as possible on the questions you do know how to answer. If you want to do very well, you need to do that FIRST and then try to figure out what the harder questions might be if you were a test maker.
Doesn't teach what pops up on her exams. Some of the pathways and terms that will pop up are not even on the book or in the lecture. Seriously avoid this if you're aiming for a high GPA, she will ruin your future. A waste of time, money, effort. Bad foundation for higher courses. IDK why Montclair hasnt removed her from BIO230 yet.
Does not give a flying cent about her students. Pretends to be fair. Drop her if you want to learn anything in the long run at all.
I seriously tried to give her the benefit of the doubt all semester. Even with consistency and reviewing the class material everyday, her class is honestly more about trying to trick you on exams. Some questions are straight forward and others are absolute trash. They test if you can read the question rather than understand the material.
She is a very bad teacher. She does not give excuses to students. She has difficult exams and is very precise in correcting exams and essays.
she's soo rudeee omg avoid her if you can, so rude want you to understand everything by yourself. she doesn't included any information for the essays and she grade the essay as you are a scientis, doesn't care at all.
listen just take another one, she's not okay
If you want to do well in her class it needs to be your TOP PRIORITY. Don't mess around. Record her lectures, take notes, organize them, know your definitions, understand everything that she brings up in lecture and on her powerpoint. Commit processes and pathways to memory. Ask questions. Go to her office hours. Take lab seriously. Best of luck.
DO NOT TAKE HER PLEASE DON'T HURT YOUR SLEF.
I have been in college for a while now. Throughout my whole college career, this is the most difficult class I have taken. There is a lot of content and it can be very detailed. Also, Dr. Petroff does not care about her students doing well in her class. She cares about making students fail. She takes exam questions from Mastering Biology.
It is nearly impossible to get an A in her class because some of the questions on exams don't really test you on your knowledge of class content at all. Rather, they test your ability to read questions extremely carefully and occasionally, extremely detailed background knowledge. I really believe she wants students to fail.
Even if you study your ass off and get a 90 on the exams. 90(.75) = 67.5. Add 24/25 lab points to your grade. That leaves you at a 91.5 for a final grade. That is barely an A and she does NOT CURVE!!! Take this class seriously. Exams are brutal and if you want to get above a 90 you need to ask questions and think about fundamental topics too
What a rude professor, she needs to know how to talk to her students first then put her as a professor. I got an A- from my effort.
The other reviews are bad because the class was HARD. The teacher isn't the problem. There was so much information to learn that it was impossible to manage with other hard classes. Everyone wants to blame her for their failings because she doesn't curve or give extra credit. She drops an exam grade! She explains in detail, answers questions well.
Reached out to the chair of the college bec this professor was the only one who did not have a course eval at the end of the sem, this is his reply: "Dr. Petroff did not request that any of her sections be evaluated. She is not required to do so." Make of it what you will.
Honestly, in hindsight, Dr. Petroff has very high expecations of her students and she expects us to treat this class like a part time job. You need to dedicate at least 3 hours every day to it otherwise you will NOT do well. Cellular/Molecular Biology topics require a lot of understanding and memorization, as well as drawing things out.
Never miss lecture for anything in the world. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING she says in lecture is fair game for the exams. Keep this in mind. Do not go crazy trying to write everything down, but ask questions when you are confused please and record her lectures!!! Relisten to them and if you are still confused about something go to her Office Hours!!!
Don't take her in the Fall or Spring. She has 3 exams that are each 25% of your grade and then the entire lab portion is another 25%. Don't miss a lab or a lab report. Her Summer course is very manageable and her exams are online. Fill in the blanks.
Take her if you're serious. Day one, she gives a pop quiz. Go to of her office hours to review it. Record her lectures and review them the same day. Then, read the textbook and focus on the parts that were emphasized in lecture. Finally, make yourself a set of revision notes while preparing for exams. She's tough, so prioritize her class.
Dr. Petroff's class is notoriously challenging, but engaging with the material diligently can pay off. Attend every lecture, utilize the textbook, and leverage study resources like Unstuckstudy to ace the exams. With dedication, a solid grade is achievable.
Very difficult. Does not curve. Other professors teaching the same class are not this difficult.
she can come off a lil passive aggressive at times.
she's alright I guess, mostly reads off slides. she's not that engaging so going to lecture can be boring at times, especially if it's 2 hours long. besides that, theres 3 exams + a final, drops the lowest one. if you understand the slides you should be good.
I don't even know what to say about this professor other than do NOT take this class unless you are ready to study long hours for nothing. It says "lecture exam" but each lecture exam consists of around 8 lectures, and each lecture takes about 3-4 hours to watch. Good luck taking her class and having a life.
Do not take this professor she doesn't know how to teach and doesn't help you at all. I would recommend taking another course or teacher do not take her unless you want your gpa to go down.
DON'T TAKE HER. She's the chairperson of the department, and she neither has time to help students nor cares at all to do so. Even if you get a 89.99999, she'd give you a B+ and will not round. Also, she will ask questions on stuff she never mentioned. It's so terrible that my grade was the highest in the whole class. PS: HER VOICE IS SO ANNOYING.
Absolutely ruthless. Doesn't care to round you down at all. Took the summer course. Be prepared to have "lectures" be 5 minute long prerecorded voice audios on every singe slide that you can barely hear let alone understand. Slides were bunch of photos instead of words so you have to 100% rely on the unfocused and hush toned speaking.
Also had Dr. Petroff for cell+molec in 2022 (A-). Can confidently say that she's my favorite professor of all time. Tough exams that are worth a huge amount of your grade in both classes but if you're passionate about biology and want to learn from a knowledgeable professor it's 100% worth the difficulty; make sure to show up to lectures and study!
So for this class, I didn't do the best I won't lie. She was nice and tries to helps a lot. I don't think she deserves the hate. I couldn't go to her lectures because I had work before class. And she told me, my class isn't priority which I understand why she thinks that way but I tried my best and she tried her best to help me. I would taker her:)
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
36%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.85 avg changeRatings by Course
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5.0
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