Shes a new teacher, she clearly lacks experience but this is the only way for her to gain some. She cares a lot about helping her students and is readily available outside of class. Her exams are somewhat difficult and it is unclear at times what to study for the exam. Her slides could use some work, but theyll get better with time.

It was apparent that this was her first year teaching, especially at the beginning of the semester. As the class went on, her teaching greatly improved. Her tests are difficult considering the large amount of material covered, so be prepared to study. With this said, she is very helpful if you reach out to her for help and offers some extra credit.

I got a 61 on the first exam (which she later did state the purpose of the first exam is to wake people up, which is definitely fair) however, after meeting with her weekly after class/attending office hours and TA hours I am on track to getting an A in the class. Shes new, theres a lot of material, but if you arent sure, just ask. Shes great!

She is a good teacher, but this is a hard class. To do well on exams, understand the Main Points slide of each lecture-which are listed at the end of each lecture-do weekly quizzes, weekly study questions and review I clicker questions. Also study HARD for these exams, they aren't easy. Like start 3-4 days before and you should get a fine grade.

Dr. Mearls is a very well spoken, knowledgable, and caring professor. Don't be fooled by the comments above. Last semester was her first semester teaching and people were very disrespectful to her in class leading to her being unable to say all of the info in class. If you study the power points and do the optional questions you will do great!

Mearls is so nice and does a good job explaining the material and relating it to real ongoing research! She gives tons of opportunity for improvement and really cares about your education.

Professor Mearls did a great job explaining material clearly and thoroughly answered student's questions. Lecture slides are not too material-heavy so taking notes should be fairly easy. The day before the exams are optional but are helpful review sessions for any last-minute questions. Exams were pretty self-explanatory, but don't overthink.

Prof. Mearls is very well spoken, despite what a lot of students say about her. Often students used the fact that it was her first year teaching to explain why they didn't understand something or got bad grades. In actuality, if you study the lecture slides, do the practice problems, or attend office hours, you should be able to do well.

You will work hard

Mearls is a great lecturer and does a good job clarifying things that may be difficult to understand. She narrows down homework readings so you only have to go over the important information and not whole chapters. The material is very difficult, so you may need to put in extra time going to review sessions and office hours if you want to get an A.

Professor Mearls really cares about her students and wants them to succeed. The class is not easy, and she did not make it easier due to covid-19, however she wants us to work hard. Given these things, she is very effective at teaching the material, and explains things well. Tests are difficult but if you study a lot you will succeed.

Professor Mearls and Miller worked together during the transition to remote learning which wasn't taken well by students and made the class 10x more difficult. I loved attending lectures and there is little work to do outside of class. Watch the lectures, take notes, and do the class activities and you'll pass. Her HW's are on masteringchem.

Mearls is AMAZING. She's the best instructor I have this semester. You'd have to try NOT to get an A in this class. 3 midterms only worth 10% of your grade and a final worth 20%. Tests on conceptual knowledge so it's not just memorization/regurgitating little details. She's also extremely accessible outside of class. Definitely take 285 with her!!

I loved mearls!! We had 2 lectures, 2 lecture wrap up questions, a worksheet (done with 3 other people), and a quiz every week. 3 midterms (non cum.) and a final (mostly new stuff but cum.). She gave the individual option of having asynchronous or synchronous group work for the worksheets every week and there are so many extra credit opportunities!

Mearls exams are hard but it is applied knowledge meaning you have to understand the material and have great critical thinking instead of memorizing facts which is what I like. She gives you a lot of opportunity for extra credit because she knows her exams are hard. There are a lot of stuff to learn in her class but the lecture are not too long.

Mearls is just a really nice person who really cares about her students, which makes the class worth the effort. It's a tough class with a lot of information, but she does a great job of making it accessible and giving plenty of resources. Lots of opportunity for boosting your grades as well!

In all honesty, shes a kind person and a good professor. I wouldve definitely done better in the class had I not given up on my work and began studying a week before exams. Dont be like me!! This class is really dependent on YOU understanding the lectures and making connections to the activities we do in class. Shes there to help!

I really loved having Mearls as a professor. She was my favorite professor last semester! Mearls is very passionate and understanding. I reccomend her.

Her exams include a lot of stuff that was hardly discussed in class and are not often what we would expect. However, she gives a ton of extra credit opportunities! Plus I find her lectures easy to follow. Overall this class isn't bad.

Prof. Mearls is a caring lady. Best way to study for this class is to thoroughly make sure you know everything on the slides and do the practice problems. She offers a lot of extra credit throughout the semester & opportunities to provide feedback on the course. Sometimes wording on exams can be confusing, but for the most part is fine.

Prof Mearls is very caring, approachable, and has tons of extra credit. She even makes an active effort to memorize every students name. She very much cares about her students succeeding. If you put in the work (which you WILL have to do, it is biochemistry after all), there is no excuse not to do well! Seriously though, she is great.

Professor Mearls is a great professor. I did terrible on the first exam but was still able to get an A in the class. You need to figure out which study methods work for biochem and make sure you don't fall behind. Review material and make sure you really understand it for free response questions. There are many extra credit opportunities.

Great professor who really cares about her students. Her lectures can be dense but going to SI sessions and TA office hours really made the difference in my learning of the material. She gives easy extra credit and her exams are tough, but not nearly as bad as people warned me about, you'll do fine if you understand (not memorize) the concepts :)

She is one of my absolute favorite professors on campus. She is a very caring professor who wants to see her students succeed and learn the information. Her exams are based on understanding no just memorizing so you have to make sure you know the material well. Go to her office hours and talk with her, she is a very nice person.

Took summer sesh Biochem 320, she is one of the most organized, straightforward professors I have ever had. A difficult class but she gives you the opportunity to learn w/ minimal stress over grades. Lots of xtra cred and forum posts based on participation. Her notes/slides are very organized. Never thought I'd actually like learning biochem!

she is the best!! teaches biochem so well given how hard of a class it is. takes the time to actually learn people's names and she truly cares about her students. pay attention in lecture; exams are hard but you will do well if you study and she also lets you use a notecard on the exam.

Elizabeth Mearls was a kind person and really wants the best for you. This semester she tweaked her grading system that allowed me to get a better grade than I probably deserved. I personally thought this class required a good amount of studying. There were 4 exams all weighted 15%. The other 40% was pretty much free points so don't miss out.

She is an awesome professor and cares a lot about her student's learnings. yes, it is definitely a hard class, but she makes the material very understandable and has lots of resources to help students. If you're willing to put in the work, and go through the material thoroughly, this class is doable!

Great professor teaching a challenging course. Lots of resources exist to help students understand. Lectures can be quick and cover lots of information, re-watching them is critical. Class quizzes and activities can be tricky, review before completing them. Extra credit options help a lot, make sure to take them.

Good professor, the slides are pretty useful. The weekly quizzes and worksheet are pretty tedious, but the slides can get you through it. The content is mostly memorization so there is not much that she can do to help you. The content is basically just bio151 but a bit more in depth.

Biochem is a difficult subject but I think Dr. Mearls is a wonderful professor. She goes at a slower pace and simplifies concepts w organized slides. The material gets much harder as the semester goes on so dont procrastinate studying, all the concepts build on each other. Exams worth 60% but you get a note card. SI exam reviews helped a lot.

Dr. Mearls is caring and her class is very organized. The slides, videos, etc. are always posted which is helpful. No formal lab reports apart from lab notebook checks and answering simple questions. There are four bigger assignments throughout the semester but overall, if you just put effort in you will be just fine!!

Biochem is difficult no matter what, I'd recommend Mearls over Miller. She goes very in-depth and at a slow pace in order to help students understand. Attendance is required but either in person or asynchronously. Multiple extra credit chances were given w/ exam reflections and an optional paper at the end of the semester. HW was useless though.

despite what the reviews may say, it is not impossible to do well in this class. the quizzes have two attempts and all of the information can be found in the slides. when you get a question wrong, it will tell you before your next attempt and provide a brief description that hints towards the correct answer. study slides and use review material!

Mearls is such a kind and caring professor but her lectures are extremely dense and exams go into depth. You will need to study a lot and really know your stuff to do well on exams but it is not impossible. Gives 2% extra credit on all exams if you do the reflection and give you the opportunity to add to your total course grade by going to seminars

Prof Mearls is an understanding professor who always wants her students to succeed. Her lectures are clear and she always answers questions in a helpful way. Exams are a large portion of the class, but are often easier than the homework questions and practice problems, which are intended to make you APPLY the concepts covered in class.

All homeworks/quizs can be worked on together and while the exams can seem like a lot of material, she summarizes it all pretty well within the study guides. This class is only hard if memorization is difficult as the material is just bio 151 expanded out. Recommended to make friends as this class is a ton easier with friends (find a bio major)

This is coming from someone who failed the first exam and got a 100 on the 2nd one. Do all her practice problems and look over the class activities. Know the concepts and teach the material on a whiteboard or something, I promise you'll see your grade improve. Get a good group to do the class activities with. Wonderful professor.

She's amazing!! Super kind and you can tell she puts a lot of effort into designing her lectures. It's by no means an easy course but she does everything she can to make it easier. Double sided index card for exams, +2 pt ec reflection after exam, and ability to get even more ec by attending different seminars. I recommend this prof for 285.

Mearls is very knowledgeable and gives clear grading guidelines. The class is very structured, and extra credit opportunities are available. The class is very densely packed with material however, and it's easy to get overwhelmed.

She's a really good professor. I am a Biology student who opted to take the biochem version of 285. I had an easier time than a lot of my classmates in the ansci version and the bio version. There are 3 exams that are worth 60% of your grade. She offers 2 points of extra credit on each one and has a really good grade replacement policy. Good class.

The class was difficult but she was a decent professor for the content. She can be intimidating but is actually very kind and is willing to work with you and help you. Dont skip classes if you want to know whats happening, theres a lot she mentions thats not on the slides, and the exams are pretty difficult but at least she allows a notecard.

People are being very dramatic about the difficulty of this class. Mearls explains things very well and posts echo360 so you can go back and watch if confused. Exams are challenging but you will be fine if you study a lot. I learned a lot in this class.

Mearls is a great teacher. While there is a quiz and a group activity assigned on Fridays and due on Sundays, they relate to the tests, and the quizzes have two tries. She gives lots of outside help and extra optional practice sheets.