I'm not a huge fan of Biology, but Prof. Epstein really cared about her students and understood that we weren't Biology majors, so she adapted her course to fit our needs more. If you do the homework, do the readings, and listen in lecture, it's a guaranteed A. I highly recommend her :)

I retook this class and am so happy I took it with her. She makes the material easy to understand, posts power points ahead of time and genuinely wants her students to thrive. There are no surprises on the tests- whats covered in lecture is exactly whats tested so it benefits a lot to go to class! her practice problems are great to study off too!

I took Dr. Epstein for biodiversity and did very well in her class. She was nice and her lectures were interesting. Focus on the lectures, specifically the practice problems she gives when studying for exams. Gives weekly online homework. For lab, make sure you show up prepared because this is where you will get the bulk of your workload.

Dr. Epstein makes it very easy to understand the material. She posts all of her PowerPoints and there are homework assignments that are not time consuming that help boost your grade. She puts practice questions in her slides which you will definitely see on her exams.

I would definitely take her class again. She is an understanding professor and her tests are straight off from her ppts and her practice questions. She does not have surprised material on tests like other profs usually do. As long as you focus on her practice questions from her ppts, you would pass her class easily.

Take her!! shes so nice and she makes everything easy and clear. The final exam was 40% of our grade and the majority of your grade was our exams. Homework is 20%. Her homeworks are easy and are online. Her exams are straight from the sample questions she posts at the end of each lecture. Shes very nice!

She is so sweet and personable. You will want to go to class just because she is such a fun professor. Although she posts powerpoint online, you should go to class because a lot of the test material is what she says, so take notes while she lectures. There are not many opportunities to raise your grade because tests are a majority of the grades.

This class is super tough for me because it's hard for me to grasp the content but Dr. Epstein is awesome and sweet! If you're required to take this class, take it with her!!

I loved this professor, would take her again for sure. Her lectures were interesting; she loves biology and that comes through when she is teaching, so I was rarely bored. She gives great feedback and never makes you feel bad for asking questions. Very sweet and funny, 10/10 would recommend.

Great professor. She is really passionate when she lectures and is a great help if you have any questions and also have flexible office hours if you can't meet her at her office hours. I recommend 10/10

Dr. Epstein is a great professor! She is super passionate about the subject which clearly shows when she's teaching. Her exams include the questions you see on her PowerPoints so pay attention. There's homework which isn't bad at all. Interesting lectures and informative videos... would recommend!

Dr. Epstein is such an amazing professor. She makes her lectures interesting and she's always excited about the topics she teaches. Content is difficult but her exams are pretty easy.

Dr. Epstein is one of the best professors Ive had so far in college. She is very enthusiastic and genuine with the course material. The tests werent that bad, a lot of questions came from the practice questions in her powerpoints. There are some tricky questions though! She makes it clear what you should know so make sure to go to class.

She actually cares about you doing well in class and her lectures have always been interesting and interactive. The exams have the same content as the powerpoints so study those!! Her exams have the same practice problems from the powerpoints and half of the final is mostly the same exact questions as the two midterms which made the final EASY.

Shes very Nice and understanding! your Grade mostly consists of Exams, labs and Hw. Do the exam reviews for the tests and attend her lectures.

Attendance is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended to go to class, as most of the stuff on the tests is from the lectures. The textbook also comes in handy when studying for the exams. It is not a hard class of you show up to class, take notes on the lecture, do the homework, and study for the tests.

Very nice. Great personality and is always there for you. Keeps up on emails amazingly since the class had over 100 students. Always stresses that she's there for office hours as well. You can't go wrong with her. The material is hard though.

Epstein is a decent choice but her tests were hard for an intro level class. Lectures are pretty standard reading off of the powerpoint but she adds a few small points which may sometimes be on the exam. Caring and willing to answer questions. Constantly stresses that she's available for office hours. Overall hard material but decent prof.

Elizabeth Epstein is a very good professor. She lectures clearly and the grading criteria is clear. So many different things are graded so if you mess up, there are plenty of chances to get a good grade. Exams are written well. Definitely take her when given the choice!

Epstein was probably one of my favorite teachers on the GMU campus, if I could get her for every lecture class then I would. She wants all of her students to pass and she is the sweetest thing ever she made biology enjoyable and I loved her.

The textbook does not really help you pass her exams which is why you should attend her lecture classes. Her powerpoints are posted but her slides only have pictures on them so just looking at them will not help you pass, therefore it is highly recommended to go to her class.

Amazing prof, really knowledgable. Will spend time with you to help you understand. Tests SUCK. Her test reviews are not cohesive to the type of exam presented to you. Tests are incredibly hard, even though its multiple choice. Hesitates to curve on things. Tough grader. Nice prof to talk to though. a fountain of knowledge.

She's a really nice and awesome professor. However, I didn't really like her teaching style. Her ppts (full of pics only) are not helpful, the book isn't helpful, you just have to show up to lectures and be really good at taking notes. The exam is based on what she talks about in lecture. She recorded her lectures when COVID happen so that helped

She is a very sweet and caring professor. However, I just cannot stand her teaching style. She just talks way to fast for me, and I feel like I have to type everything she is saying. Also, she talks down upon the textbook however it taught me more than lecture i would read it. The lab, oof, good luck the weekly quizzes are a pain and the practical.

Pros: You won't be surprised by anything on the exam. Homework problems have infinite attempts. She's very passionate and gives off super good vibes. A lot of overlap between lab and lecture. Cons: PPTs don't go into as much detail as she does during class. If you have to miss a class, get the notes from someone else or see her during office hours.

This class is an upper level science class. Reading and active learning is required. My advice is skim over the textbook (same one used for cell bio) prior to lecture. Print out the ppt ahead of time and bring them to class and take notes. RECORD THE LECTURE and go back to add any additional notes. Exams are based on the lecture.

I took Dr. Epstein's Biol 300 course, during the Covid Spring semester. Her expectations for the class were very clear from the beginning. This course is composed of a lot of information that has to be memorized, so start studying early but the content is simple and understandable for the most part. Dr. Epstein's lectures were the best.

I took Professor Epstein's BIOL 103 lecture online and it was very fun! Prof cares about her students understanding the material and will review concepts if asked. Easy homework with two midterms and a cumulative final which aren't hard if you just pay attention, take notes and do assignments. There are even study guides and review sessions w TA's

Notes are pictures, so must write down basically everything she says to study/do well on exams. quizzes are open note. tests are closed note, and require to study/know content thoroughly. going to LA review sessions, asking questions on DB, going to office hours, reading textbook will help. go thru lec summaries! pay attention in class. She's nice!

I absolutely loved this professor! She made the class very easy to follow and was always there to answer questions and help whenever needed. I highly suggest this professor if you plan on taking this lecture!

Professor Epstein is a really sweet person, but she tends to get off track sometimes because she's so energetic about teaching and wanting to answer everyone's questions. She likes to make test questions based exactly on examples used in class, so you should definitely attend. Homeworks are useless for the most part but do offer a bit of practice.

This class was by far my favorite biology class I've taken at Mason so far. Dr. Epstein is so passionate, and makes the class super interesting . Honestly, if you do those Key Topic Reviews, you are bound to get an A or B, depending on how much effort you put in. Definitely recommend taking Dr. Epstein for this class!

Dr. Epstein is a great professor. If you are not science inclined, thats okay. She is really understanding and really wants students to learn. Questions are welcomed. The lectures are the basis for the exams so if you skip, you will not pass. I didn't use the textbook much if at all. Your grade is 3 exams and some homework so make sure to study.

online class, lectures are so fun and interesting you won't feel bored, lectures are recorded, there are 4 exams the last one is a cumulative I did pretty good on all of them except the last one but if you listen and take notes during lecture and review it at the end of the week then you'll be fine. one quiz every week.

Super content dense class, but Dr. Epstein made it super fun. I legit didn't think I would enjoy this class as much as I did. You have to put the work in though, its not impossible. Her lectures are recorded, take really good notes and rewatch them over and over. Attend ur TA'S review sess. Do super well in lab and lec quizzes. Don't cram!

Spring 2021 fully online. HW through Pearson so you have to buy the textbook to get access to HW. Lectures were recorded. Come to the lectures since exams are based on her work in lecture not the textbook!

(Fall 2020) 3 exams which were based on only what she went over in class. There was a textbook, but I never read it and still got an A on every exam. She records the class sessions and gives you learning guides for each unit that you can use as a template for making a study guide. Pearson homework. She was good at teaching subjects and was nice!

Prof Epstein was so nice and caring, she really cares for this subject and loves teaching, she makes sure everyone understands the material being taught. There are only 2 test and 1 final. Test actually weren't hard, just study and do the weekly reviews she post and you should do good. I wish she taught all of my science classes. Take her!!!

Dr. Epstein is AMAZING. she is so nice and respectful and her LA is so helpful. The way she teaches the class is so exciting. memorizing was not a big issue for me in that class because I understood how everything is working (or living in this case).

Amazing biology professor! Lectures were not mandatory, but a lot of the exam material is in the lectures. She makes the lectures entertaining and as long as you pay attention and do the homework you'll do well

This professor has clear guidelines. If you focus on the key topics, you can very easily get A's on the midterms/final. The professor was passionate and had engaging and fun lectures, and I just learned so many interesting things from her class. I was nervous at first, but her class ended up being just amazing. I highly recommend her!

Took the course virtually during covid. I did alright just by watching her recorded lectures and pausing to take notes, then reviewing my notes before an exam. Final is cumulative. She gives review questions which are similar to the exam but I didn't find them helpful because she doesn't give the answers to them.

Dr. Epstein was nice and made the class interesting with her teaching style. I personally had to study a lot and take notes carefully for the class. You definitely have to attend the lecture to understand and learn. Her exams were hard and I had to study a lot. She also gave weekly quizzes which helped in understanding her question style for exam.

Dr. Epstein really makes the class very fun & engaging. I literally do not need a textbook from this class, since she explains things very well. It's amazing I cannot even put into words how great she is. Exams are quite heavy, so I definitely recommend studying a week before the exam. I never thought I'd enjoy a bio class this much in my life lol.

I took this class online. Shes nice and clearly knows a lot about biology and made lectures interesting. But attend class so you know whats on the test and read the textbook.

Dr. Epstein is an amazing professor for Biology and Non-Biology majors alike! Her lectures are clear and concise. All of the test material is derived directly from her lectures, so although class is not mandatory attendance absolutely helps in passing the course. There is one homework assignment every week, two midterms, and one final. It is easy!!

She's very enthusiastic and similar to a high school teacher. Her tests are based on the lectures so taking notes and lightly studying will give you an easy A. There is a textbook which is only used in correspondence to the homework, everything you need to know is in the lectures so you don't have to take notes from the textbook.

You can tell that she's really passionate about biology. Personally her teaching style isn't for me because she talks really fast and the exam content is entirely from her lectures. Focus on the lectures, not the textbook reading. Do the key topic reviews.

Dr. Epstein is very nice, but her teaching style wasn't for me. She speaks most of the important info instead of it being written down in the PowerPoints. Luckily, the TAs held weekly review sessions with better PowerPoints to make studying for exams easier. Exams weren't too bad, but definitely challenging. 11 quizzes (drops lowest) and 4 exams.

Dr. Epstein's lectures are fantastic! She is so engaging, even though I took it online. It really felt like I was in a classroom with her. She has 3 lecture tests, easy open book/note weekly quizzes, and a cumulative final, definitely get started studying for them early as there is a lot of content but the exams were fairly easy in my opinion.

Dr. Epstein is one of my fave biology professors here at GMU! She puts a lot of effort on lectures, and tries to make it fun for everyone. I had to work very hard on the exams to maintain a high A in this class. Make sure you attend class and take notes! Don't just depend on whatever is on the powerpoint notes. Study early! Don't give up!

This class is VERY memorization heavy; it revolved around the history of earth & the last common universal ancestor, as well as all the plant and animal clades into modern day. I would advise to take good notes and listen carefully, many times questions are based solely on what she says. Exams were okay but quizzes were a bit rough if you miss some

Elizabeth Epstein is a solid choice. Great professor who makes all concepts and information easy to receive and understand. Not a hard course either which is nice. Lots of homework that can be boring at times. Exams are straightforward. Final includes a lot of midterm questions, and she does many review sessions. A helpful professor.

The lectures are the key to success. Her exams are primarily based on her lectures, so take good notes! I'd print the PowerPoints, then write directly on them. Hw questions can be tricky and a textbook is provided for use (isn't all that helpful). She provides chapter reviews; FILL THEM OUT. These reviews are fantastic towards the exams! GL! :)

As a student who came to GMU with minimal biology experience, Epstein is an excellent choice. Do yourself a favor: do the homework and attend her lectures. Exams are easy if you just pay attention, but 100% attend the review sessions and go over the powerpoint slides. Her lectures are great especially if you're planning to go into healthcare.

I took this class in the Fall, and I cannot express how much I enjoyed having Dr. Epstein as my prof for biodiversity. Yes it is hard and material heavy, but if you have the right studying technique then it isn't bad. I definitely go to LA review sessions as it helped me a lot. Pleaseee pay super close attention to lectures as they cover the exam!!

Professor Epstein is passionate about biodiversity and makes her lectures engaging. Going to class and taking notes will really help you to do well in this class. As long as you complete the Key Topic Reviews, take good notes, and always draw your cladograms, you will do great in this class. Professor Epstein is great!

Professor Epstein is a very sweet lady. She cares enough to make sure she answers any questions or concerns outside/inside class sections. This class has a textbook, but it is rolled into tuition costs, but this won't help you much with the tests. Take decent notes in lectures and study a good amount before the exams and you will be fine.

Professor Epstein is extremely kind and wants all her students to succeed. I found her class challenging because you need to be a good note-taker to do well in this course. The TA's are knowledgeable people though. If you attend their weekly review sessions and study the material, you can get an A in this class even if you struggle to retain info.

I enjoyed taking Professor Epstein's class last fall. Her lectures are extremely important to pay attention to, along with the readings for each Unit. She was very caring and easy to talk to when any issues arose. I would recommend her for Bio 103, and the Bio 105 lab is based on her work in the lab notebook.

Great Professor. Fun lectures, which are recorded (audio only though) so you don't miss out if you can't get there that day. A little forced participation during lecture. Easy weekly short quiz for homework and exams are not excessively difficult as long as you paid some attention in class. I enjoyed the class and learned a lot.

She is an amazing lecturer in my opinion and makes sure that we can have access to her lectures at home. A lot of the exams are based on the lecture rather than the reading. She's really good at helping students memorize terms through active recall since she always asks us questions relating to different things that we learn in class.

I love Dr. Epstein so much. She is easily my favorite professor. Her lectures are engaging, she has a sense of humor, and she genuinely wants you to succeed. When the opportunity arises for me to take her again I will fight tooth and nail to get a spot in here class. She's absolutely amazing and I highly recommend taking her class.

She is such an amazing professor. As someone that is fresh out of high school, it's nice to have a professor that is able to help you through the material and makes sure everyone understands the topic. COMPLETE THE KEY TOPICS! I can assure you, you will do fine in exams if you do them. Definitely take her when you have the chance!

I was absent for a few classes but because she uploads her slides its like I didn't miss any classes at all! TAKE HER trust me, she makes lectures extremely fun and engaging but doesn't force you to talk if you don't want to. Her tests are simple and she really is one of the best professors I've ever had.

She is very passionate. She loves the topic and gives us powerpoints so we can follow along with the lectures. Dr. Epstein clearly cares about her students and is very flexible about absences, but she expects you to keep up with the material. She likes showing informational videos and movies. I liked her class a lot, just not the labs.

Professor Epstein is such a gem! She is really passionate towards biology and it made me really interested in what we were learning! She makes the lectures fun and easy to learn the content! I love her and i recommend taking her for bio!

One of the best professors at Mason. Lectures are so fun and entertaining and she just has a great personality. The exams can sometimes be a little tricky, but other than that, she is such a good professor. Definitely take her if you can!

Lectures have a lot of content so make sure you attend class. Download/print out her lectures beforehand. She talks a lot and fast so it's easier to take notes on the same slides she's teaching. Everything she says in lecture is fair game for the exams. Keep up with the weekly key topic reviews she posts. They're good study resources.

Professor Epstein was a great professor! Her exams were a bit difficult, but if you studied the key topics review sections at the end of each unit, then you would easily pass. The reading assignments were assigned every week and based on the textbook. She really seemed to care about her students and she made the lectures really engaging!

TAKE HER. Her lectures are a bit long, but she records them. Provides a study guide each lecture/ week, so you get a head start on what is important for the exams. Lots of hw which can help boost your grade. Engages with student during class. Most caring and inspiring professor who puts a lot of effort for her students to engage and pass the class.

great professor. you can tell she cares a lot about her students and their success, and as long as you pay attention in the lectures you'll be fine. I'd 100% take her again.

My fav class I've ever taken. Didn't typically attend, but would spend a good couple of hours watching her lecture recordings because the info she gave was so valuable and interesting. It was A LOT of info, but it's the history of all life on Earth, it should be. She knows what she's talking about and is extremely good at her job.

I have taken her for both BIOL 103 and BIOL 102, and she is one of the best professors! If you attend her lectures and pay attention, the class is a piece of cake. The key review topics help a lot with the exams, and she is always offering help if students are struggling. Her exams are short, multiple-choice, and easy if you study beforehand.

Think of this class as middle school biology but more specific. She is really nice and clearly enthusiastic about biology. She explains stuff well. Weekly MCQs, the lab assignments, and 2 exams + final. Some of the stuff is very specific, while others are "what is global warming". Study for the exams and try to learn the content and you'll be fine.

I took her for Biol 102 this semester and it really is not a hard class. If you study the basic key concepts before each exam (I made flashcards) you will be fine. I never got below a 94 on the exams. When I had a question about the content I emailed her and she told me exactly where to find it.

Professor Epstein is extremely passionate about biology, and it shows in the way she teaches. She is extremely clear with her expectations and tries her best to set up students for success!

Dr. Epstein clearly cares a lot about her students' education and academic success. She makes herself accessible outside of class and her expectations and grading criteria are very clear.

Take her! She is so incredibly kind and made learning about biology so interesting/easy to understand. Her class is test heavy as they're 3 midterm exams & 1 cumulative final all in person but she has key topic reviews and as long as you do those as well as pay attention to lectures you should honestly have no problem getting an A in this course.

Good professor, entertaining lectures but if you want you can also just skip the lecture and take notes at home for exams, last few weeks of class have 1-2 in class quizzes which are easy

This class was a lot of fun but there is so much content to learn, I never did great on the tests just because of the pure scale of what you have to memorize. However, Epstein is a great professor and she made the class very enjoyable.

Dr. Epstein was a great teacher. She's very clear on the grading criteria and will give you help if you ask. LA's hold review sessions before exam and the last 2-3 weeks of class are case studies which have a quiz at the end of study. She's caring of her students and provides extra help. She knows what she's talking about when it came to the class

Overall, I really enjoyed this class with Dr. Epstein! It was her first semester teaching it, so there were a few bumps in the road, but she did not hold that against us. She made sure we understood the material and had everything we needed to do well. Attend office hours! She will NOT make you feel stupid for asking questions, even in lab.

I personally really enjoyed Dr. Epstein's BIOL 103 class. Her lectures were informative and engaging. DO NOT take her class if you're unwilling to attend the lectures and complete the key topic reviews she posts on blackboard. However, if you put in the work and take good lecture notes, you'll have a good experience.

Literally one of the best professors I've ever had. She's very knowledgeable, always ready to answer students' questions, and really VERY funny. You can tell how passionate she is about everything she teaches, I am personally not a fan of biodiversity but she made it very fun. 100% recommended. Heavy content, but that's every biodiversity class.

Don't be like me I failed the first exam so bad cuz i thought i could fly by w/o taking notes but doing the key topics helped soo much and supplementing those notes with extra info she emphasizes what will and what won't be on it. Her office hrs helped a lot cuz she explains well and u can tell shes very passionate talking abt this subject.

online homework is free points. exams are easy, the resources the learning assistants provide were very helpful, use them. show up to the lectures and you don't have to study much, skip if you want to though it's not required. take the lab course at the same time so you get more exposure to the same material.

Professor Epstein was honestly great. She will try her best to make sure you understand the material. You obviously have to read the textbook and complete the homework, so you can understand the content, but she goes over everything at a good pace. She's one of the best professors I've had for a lecture-based class.

had a horrible spring semester but she was very understanding and empathetic. is very lecture heavy so attend class! has weekly quizzes, 2 midterms and a final. make sure to LOCK IN and study!!

Dr. Epstein was awesome! Difficult class, but very rewarding. She's very passionate and pushes us to think about the sometimes uncertain and changing nature of the subject. Very dense lectures with great examples, NEED to take good notes. Ask questions! There are worksheets, tests, quizzes, papers, all hard but doable with the proper preparation.

Amazing lecturer, being someone who could care less about biodiversity she made the subject very interesting. She is passionate about the subject, is very well spoken and cares about her students success. The only reason I am getting a B+ and not an A is because I messed up my first exam due to not caring about my grade at first!

She's the best biology professor I have ever had. She is so enthusiastic about the topic and makes it seem interesting. I learned a lot in her class, and it involved a lot of memorization.

Dr. Epstein was an awesome professor for the Biodiversity course. There is a LOT of content to learn and she gives you a lot of pointers on how to study and really prepare yourself for the exams. Her lectures were really interesting and cover all the material and then some, and her teaching reminded me why I love biology. Highly recommend!

Dr. Epstein is enthusiastic and her lectures are very fun. Go to office hours with specific questions or concepts and she will explain in depth. Dr. Epstein evidently cares a lot about student success and will help you if you reach out! If you put the work in to study the Key Topics and memorize the timeline/trees, it's very easy to be successful.

Dr. Epstein was my favorite professor at GMU. She is willing to spend time with you to help drill the concept into your mind. Her lectures ae thorough and provide all the content that you will need to pass the course. The homework is light, class time is short, and the professor brings a cheerful attitude.

Class is pretty easy, barely went to class and still got a decent grade. won't cut u any slack with missed assignments or grades. HWS have nothing to do with the tests and are pretty much useless but easy

Amazing professor. Pushes students to go beyond surface level knowledge and really get into the subject. It is clear she is passionate about the topic. Papers, quizzes, exams are hard but doable. Best prof I have had.

Epstein is the GOAT

She tells you exactly what you need to do for exams. Do the Key Topics and go to office hours and study! She is also very funny and cares about her students.

Great lectures, very enthusiastic. Happy to answer questions and does not make you feel stupid for asking. Lectures have everything you need and gives weekly study guides to keep on track. Attending class and taking notes is a must.

Clear expectations and great lectures. If you do what she says for studying and working outside class you will do great. Key topics!

The best for 103. Will let final replace a low midterm, which saved my grade. Super nice and helpful!!

Dr Epstein was honestly great. She actually explains things and does her best to make sure you understand. Important to attend class, amd she uses the examples from class on the tests. She's one of the best professors I've had for a lecture-based class.

This is an advanced microbiology course, and it feels like one. Had to work hard, but very rewarding. Great topics by an engaged and smart professor. Attendance, good notes, work outside of class time are all a must.

This was not a very difficult class but you do 10x better if actually go to class and study everything in the key topics. I ended up with a B- because I slacked off at first. Have to study but she is nice and helpful

This was a great class because she's so kind and I enjoyed her lectures. The exams were fair and consisted of multiple choice and matching, no short answer She let the final replace the lowest one. There were weekly homeworks which were easy and online, quizzes, two exams, and the final.

A lot of material, but interesting. Not a good class if you don't want to attend or study. She is clearly passionate about biology and knows what she is doing.

She is not shy about presenting info thats for sure. At first i thought she was being mean but no its actually that she was being blunt and honest. She wants to give us a lot of information and steps to get to the correct answer. 10/10 teacher would take again. Also you must be in class to know whats going on