4.0
Quality2.8
Difficulty33%
Would Retake124
Reviews33%
Would Retake
124
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
79
4
11
3
14
2
5
1
15
What Students Say
“This professor has a loose grip of what it means to be a scientist”
GEO220 - 1.0 rating“Professor Mekik seemed promising at the start of the semester, however I find myself doubting her ability to teach”
GEO220 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
38%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.16 avg changeRatings by Course
100
5.0
(1)GEO111LA
5.0
(1)GEO101LA
5.0
(1)GEO430
5.0
(2)GEO310
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
GEO107
5.0
GEO1
4.0
GEO105
3.7
100
3.0
GEO100
2.9
Reviews (124)
Cared too much about whether in class, talked more about that than geology!
Class was WAYYY to hard for a 100 level. Take this if you have lots of time too
i pity you if you stil have to take this class
not much fun to listen too...be ready to take quick notes, and lots of them.
lots of work but she is always willing to help. lectures are pretty scattered
Very friendly and fun, one of the most interesting GEO classes you'll take
Very open for questions, makes sure everyone understands the material.
Worst class ever!!!! Difficult test, dont' know what to study
No idea what to study! Very BORING class! Sorry if you need to take this class!
Very nice but wanted everyone to be a geology major
Figen is the greatest. She's fun and makes the class fun as well.
Always willing to help. Gives a ton of extra-credit if you ask for it.
She whipped through lectures and didn't prepare you for exams.
she will give any answer to you if you ask.
She was the nicest lady ever! She is always willing to help.
She is a great teacher! Always willing to help and explain things, great person!
No Comments
Lots of fun, keeps you awake in class, very helpful, if u ask she'll help you.
BEWARE OF THE FIGEN TEST. MULTIPLE CHOISE TO J
Awesome prof, awesome class, take it if you can.
Wonderful professor.
very helpful...most favorite prof yet...fun and exciting...makes it interesting
Upbest, funny, hyper, nice, I suck at science and am getting a 98, so....
great choice for a summer class..easy and fun, but beware multiple choice tests!
BEST prof. I've had! Nice, helpful, & caring. Take her if you can!
fantastic! Great course and great teacher!
Figen rocks! I actually wanted to go to class, so funny and nice!!
Excellent professor! Very funny and liked to give extra credit. Take her!
I love Figen! She's awesome and is always willing to help!
She brings you food!!!
THEI CLASS RULES AND SO DOES THE PROFF
CUTEST.PROF.EVER! Figen is a little sweetheart who couldn't be any more excited about what she does. She'll actually make you love rocks. She giggles a lot. You'll get bonus points if you mention that you love Turkey (her home country) ;)
Good Prof! Knows how to make geology almost fun and interesting, hard tests though
Was very helpful. I hate rocks, never knew anything about them or plate tectonics...now I do.
Figen is my favorite rock star ever! anyone could benefit from one of her classes.
figen is THE BEST!! TAKE HER!! super nice, helpful, and just a cool person
Figen is the best! Go to class- she'll give pop quizzes and tell you the answers as you go. She writes the answers on the board! Loves what she teaches and knows what she's doing. Very bubbly, happy-go-lucky personality. Highly recommended.
Figen is an awesome professor!! She makes class easy and fun with lots of easy quizzes. She makes morning classes seem not that bad because she has such a bubbly personality!!
She is a very good teacher, lots of knowledge on subject so lots to tell. Goes over info a lot. Willing to help if you need her and willing to do anything to try and help you booste grade if you go to class. (lots of easy pt. quizes)
way to cheerful for 830 in the morning
It is obvious that she loves her job and that will make it easy for you. Show up to class and you're guaranteed to pass.
Figen is the best. She has a high energy level, even when she's only slept for like 2 hours. She is very knowledgable and so very helpful. So far, it's a pretty easy course if you keep up on the material.
She is awesome. She is always willing to help and wants everyone to get an A in here course. A great professor and person!
BEST PROFESSOR THAT I HAVE EVER HAD! Loves her job and loves her students! She is a "rock star" (you'll know what I mean when you take her class)! I would change my major to GEO if I knew that I would have her for all of my classes! Thanks Figen
hard to listen to he at 800am easyer later in the day
She was so fun! One day she went behind the projector screen when we were taking notes and said "I'm hiding!" She's great. She's really helpful and the tests are easy if you study a little. I'd take her again anytime! :)
Great prof. Tons of energy...keeps the class interesting. She cares about her students and wants everyone to do well. Very flexible teacher. Loves her job! Highly reccommended.
She was very cheerful. But I went into this class because I was told I needed no knowledge of Geology because it was only a Gen. Ed. She taught the class as if everyone had a knowledge of Geology and that made the class 10 times harder. I hated it.
Great teacher, keeps you interested. Really cares about how her students are doing. She brings you treats and she loves teaching! Highly recommended. If I could have her for all of my classes I would definately take her!!
GREAT PROF!!!!!!!
Very fun and interesting, and attractive in here own wierd sort of way.
she is awesome
I Love Figen! She is a wonderful professor who loves what she teaches as well as her students. Makes up for some difficult material with her humor but is very good at what she does.
Figen is awesome. Not only does she know her stuff but she turned out to be a person I could confide in. I loved her energy and the fact that she wants you to get it. Her door was always open as well as her heart. Thanks Figen for making this class interesting. Thanks for your encouragement.
Figen is awesome! She has a great style of teaching! We even learned how to Waltz one day! Take her, she's a prof you'll never forget!
Figen was the best professor I have ever had. I only hope that I can have her again for something. I have never met a professor that was so generous or caring about her students. I 100% guarentee you would be satisfied if you had her for a prof.
Very friendly and intelligent professor. Very interested in the students' success. Very nice.
I recommend this instructor, you will enjoy the class.
Even though I hated the class Figen made it bearable. She was fun and genuinly wanted her students to succeed.
Figen is awesome. The subject is harder than I thought it would be, but ASK HER QUESTIONS and she will help you. Her tests are hard, but she lets you argue your reasoning after, and I cannot stress enough how helpful she is when you ask her questions. She wants you to get an A, she is funny, and even bought us pizza one time. Great lady.
I can't stand oceanography at all, but Figen made it fun and interesting. She will do anything to get her students interested and learning. I enjoyed going to class just to see her, she was always excited and funny. Great prof!
Take her if at all possible. You will not be disappointed. She is a great professor and even better person.
Splendid woman! Has a lot of stories & hands-on knowledge under her belt. Extremely helpful, offers a ton of xtra credit opps.(ANSWER Jeopardy q's-you WILL get xtra credit-up to 25 pts!) Very easy grader. Tests were a little rough, but all of ours were take-home(and STILL rough! :)) ASK on test q's you don't know, she WILL give the answer.Seriously
Figen is hilarious, she starts every class with "hello ocean lovers!". She's extremely smart and personable, very easy to work with. She has helped us out with every test (making it a take-home or in-class group test) and is just in general a lot of fun. I have no interest in oceans at all, but this class is not bad.
Figen is a ball of energy & a little eratic- at least in the summer. This class was more about chemistry than I expected, so my interest dropped from the first day. I would not want to take this class during the school year, but as a 6-wk summer course, it was tolerable, made easier, & she was fun & approachable.
What a fun lady!! She is so cute in her own way!! I dont know that I learned a ton, but it was an easy A cuz she wants everyone to get an A~ so she makes that very possible. pretty much she's just so personable and realllly enjoys teaching. she even brings you pizza :)
She truly makes learning fun! You learn a lot and don't even realize it
Teaching style is similiar to a High School class.Although it is a 100 level, she teaches as if everyone knows "the basics". Grading is bizarre. An exam with 40 questions, an exam with 140 questions, and what was intended to be a worksheet/exam will all be the same points. Nice lady, but not the best at teaching.
Figen is awesome!! She makes class easy and fun. Lots of easy extra credit (just going to class sometimes). An easy A, but still learn a lot.
awesome teacher, really easy and funny
Fantastic lady, she turly wants everyone to do well in her class. She is full of help and is ready and willing whenever. Do not let the easy structure of her class fool you, her exams are HARD, but they were all take home and she helps you get to the right answer, the final was a group final and she helped us with that. Wonderful person!
She's friggin GREAT!!! If you EVER have to take a GEO Class, Take HER!!! Great teacher, and she always bought us Pizza! Tests are not easy, but hey, if you just read and study the powerpoints, you should get an A... I didn't study much, and barely read the powerpoints and I got a B-/B (not sure yet, the semesters not over lol)
She's a nice lady, but she expects everyone to know the basics for a 100 level class. The class was stressful and difficult. Her way of making up for horrible teaching is adding on appriximately 40 points extra credit to everyones grade. If you get her, do every extra credit opportunity she gives. Still debating if the A was worth the stress?
Figen is a very nice professor and will occasionally buy the class pizza! Gives a ton of extra credit as she realizes her exams are very hard. There are six required essay assignments which msut be hand written and this is a pain as well. For a 100 level class the exams as previously stated are hard, so be sure to study. Nice enough lady though.
AMAZING PROF!!!! Totally take this class - she's incredible. She knows her stuff and she's always willing to help. Sometimes buys class pizza and willing to let you retake an exam or make corrections to help your grade. She's just such an amazing person and a great professor. I've recommended her to everyone I know.
Figen is a very nice person and is hilarious!! However, her exams were really difficult for lecture. She asks for specifics and details she doesn't necessarily discuss in class but are hidden within the textbook. This felt more like a 300/400 level class than a 100 level class. She's very helpful in Lab and even brought in bagels for the class!
so far my favorite professor! She is always eager to help weither its labs, tests, or essays. If you work hard you will be rewarded its a great class and the field trip was amazing. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY for all the little things that the powerpoints do not cover. I will miss this class it was tons of fun!!
so far my favorite professor! She is always eager to help weither its labs, tests, or essays. If you work hard you will be rewarded its a great class and the field trip was amazing. ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY for all the little things that the powerpoints do not cover. I will miss this class it was tons of fun!!
Figen is an excellent instructor. Gives a lot of work and insists that you put in your best effort. She's personable and sometimes brings in pizza or bagels! See her in her office hours. Very funny and entertaining.
Tests are hard only because she briefly covers things in class and expects you to read your textbook (duh) outside of class. *Read textbook if you want to do well on exams.
Good Prof. A little weird, but she is very helpful and if you talk to her you definitely get results. Attendance is mandatory but you get out early semi-often. Plus, the day of the pizza party if your class finishes all 10 boxes you get to make EXAM 3 a take home.
Figen is awesome! She's sort of weird but hilarious at the same time. She tells the best stories and keeps class interesting the entire time. I'm not a science person at all and I really enjoyed Oceans. She starts out hard then gets easier. Just stick with her and you will learn so much! She'll buy you pizza and give you take home exams. Best prof!
I thought Figen was a wonderful professor and funny. She is always willing to help and explain when students don't understand. Attendance is not mandatory but not being there i found out can really set you back on points for assignments. The class is not an easy A and does take work and studying to do well. She really respected thoughts and ideas
Figen made me actually want to learn about the oceans. Silly, right? She was a great prof, and certainly willing to help. She actually WANTS you to LEARN the material, not memorize it.
I (along with the rest of the class) LOVED Figen! Can't wait to take oceans with her in the fall! Boring material, AWESOME prof and i ended up really enjoying the class
Figen makes you actually WANT to go to the what would normally be a dreadful three hours twice a week. class is always interesting, and her sense of humor lightens up the class incredibly. If you plan on taking GEO 112, or any geology or oceanography, I HIGHLY recommend you choose Figen as your professor, you'll love every minute of class
Final Exam was open book open notes but ridiculously hard. It was not a test about how well you knew the subject but more about how fast you could find answers. Great person and very fun on field trips but not the best teacher.
Figen is amazing, and should be a motivational speaker. She is extremely clear and is always willing to work with students who express concern about something. She always keeps her promises (bringing in pizza!) and will make you really care about oceans.
Figen is the bombdig. She made the class fun and interesting.
Literally amazing!! One of the best professors I have ever had! Her tests are tough, but she gives lots of extra credit and she really cares about her students! Choose her as your prof! You won't regret it!
Take her for your 112 course. You will not learn more from any other teacher. She is so knowledgable about her work and passionate. She really really cares about your grade and will do whatever she can to help you pass (with an A).
Great professor. Take her for any class you can!!
Figen is brilliant and engaging. Easy class to get up and attend because her attitude makes you want to be there. Lots of extra credit available if you show effort and that you care about the class/your grade.
Figen is amazing, and definitely my favorite teacher at Grand Valley. While the work load is very heavy, she is very understanding and is a fair grader. She gives out a ton of extra credit, which helps take some stress off the work load.
She gives an insane amount of extra credit. If you do not get an A you did not attempt the class whatsoever. The only bad thing is I really didn't learn anything because there was no incentive to try hard in the class because I always had above 100%.
I highly respect her. Lecture was something I didn't want to miss, I enjoyed it a lot. Tests are the true test of your abilities, quite hard. Frequent and sometimes too much extra credit makes up for it. Ask questions, and answer questions for E.C.. I trust Dr. Mekik's knowledge. She is a very inspiring prof. I would recommend taking her courses.
Figen was extremely helpful. Walked through all labs and made sure everyone understood, while being so funny. If you skip class though, you get 0 credit for labs/quizzes/anything in class. But if you show up, she literally hands out extra credit for talking out loud.
dude this class is horrible In the summer time. its so much work the lectures dont help and there is so much confusion with very little help. my 400 level classes are easier than this. dont do this to yourself and take this course in the summer
WORST PROFESSOR IVE EVER HAD. And that says a lot because Ive had a lot of other bad profs. Ur better off taking a chem or bio class for ur science credit. Not understanding at all, save yourself the stress and dont take her
I do not recommend this class or professor. None of the lectures aligned with the assignments. Each week we would get a quiz, crossword and either 1 or 2 assignments that were challenging for no reason. It was hard to get in contact and get questions answered due to it all being online. It was not fun
heavy, heavy workload almost to the point where it's unreasonable. 4-5 assignments per week. she's helpful through emails but that was really the only positive of this class. lectures do not help with assignments either. i bought the book and we didn't even touch it once. if you're looking for an easy science credit do NOT take this class.
Don't take her, class would probably be fine with a different prof. Don't buy texbook either because she doesn't even mention it once. Her lectures have absolutely nothing to do with the assignments of the exams so it's very hard. For a gen ed class, this was just ridiculous.
We're only halfway through the semester and I wish I wouldn't have taken this class. DO NOT TAKE IF UPPERCLASSMAN. At least 3 assignments per week and exams are very difficult given she has lectures with 30 slides yet somehow the answers to homework are never on there. She tried coming across as understanding but will be salty if you skip. So rude
7ish assignments a week that all have nothing to do with the lectures posted. No late work accepted for any reason at all. Horrible at providing feedback or help. Refuses to help on the weekends, even if correspondence only spilled into the weekend bc she took so long to respond. Reuses all the same material from 2009.
I was able to get an A in this class because the homework is worth 66% of your grade. But this class was so difficult. The homework assignments had nothing to do with the lectures and both the lectures and the homework had hardly anything to do with the exams. Most of the homework questions weren't on google either. Don't take this class online.
I paid for an in person class and got an online class due to circumstances out of Mekik's control. Aside from this, Mekik does not teach. She skips through lectures, and has 5-7 assignments due every Sunday. She is incredibly rude to her students. If you have the choice to pick any other professor, do not even CONSIDER enrolling in a Mekik class.
Her lectures do not match her assignments, but she is organized and has all of the work laid out in the syllabus, you can see what work u have ahead of time. She makes rude comments dont know why she has good ratings because she is just an average professor and the only reason my whole class did good is because we had a group me to help each other.
A lot of HW given and information isn't in lectures always. Lectures are only 10-40 min and it only takes 10-20 min to research the answers needed for the HW. About 2-4 hrs a week to complete all HW and professor is easy grader. Have to do some research on your own but that is mentioned early on. If all HW done, hard to not get an A.
This class is SO hard, even though it's meant to be an intro level class (and I'm an upperclassman). I don't know how she is in person since I'm taking this class online, so my experience could be much different. That being said, the lectures are not very related to the hw given. If you decide to take this class, Bill Nye is your best friend.
I am taking this class online and let me say that this has been made extremely difficult for an intro level class. The videos do not help as she just skips through the lecture without explaining. At least 3 assignments are due every week, sometimes not even related to the lectures. Do not take this class with her, it is not worth the mental stress.
Lecture videos are pointless because they have nothing to do with assignments. Most assignments/puzzles I struggled on and would have to do outside research to teach myself the concept. When emailing for help on assignments she would supply vague answers which sometimes weren't even correct answers making it obvious she had never tried her own hw.
Overall, Figen Mekik was an OK prof. If you just submit the work for this class (whether it is right or wrong) she will give you credit for just DOING IT. Although almost all of the material makes 0 sense there is like a million extra credit opportunities. You basically have to TRY to not receive an A in this class.
I took this course online, and it was extremely difficult for a general education requirement. The homework is never taught or aligned with lectures. She said in her syllabus that students must find outside resources to answer the questions to homework and study, and Google does not have them. DON'T take this class; you will be set up for failure.
lots of power points and assignments
Lots of busy work, but Figen makes it easy to get an A if you just do the assignments. Lectures don't always align with the work, so Unstuckstudy and other study aids were lifesavers for me.
TAKE! Seriously, so much extra credit, really understanding and kind! One of the best professors i've had at GVSU.
Do not take this course unless you are a geology or climate science major, even though it's online, the workload is big. Late assignments are not accepted, but there are many opportunities for extra credit. Expect a quiz, 2-3 assignments, and the occasional extra credit assignments due at the end of each week. Prof cares about student success.
Don't let these reviews deter you. Use ChatGPT and you'll be alright. Solid easy course.
LOTS of extra credit in this class. Make sure to read the syllabus for extra credit criteria. Decent amount of assignments but nothing hard. Very strict on turning in things late for her asynchronous class. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
This professor has a loose grip of what it means to be a scientist. Higher education means nothing to her as she hands out weekly cross word puzzles rather than anything with educational value. Her excessive use of AI is a red flag for any student who wants to get anything out of their college education.
Professor Mekik seemed promising at the start of the semester, however I find myself doubting her ability to teach. She has given out 300 extra credit points on a whim, which is discrediting to those who actually put the work in. I am disappointed in this experience and should have waited to take this class with a different professor.
Genuinely awful educator, I can't even sum it up in 350 characters. Highlights: she uses a maraca like a rattle to get our attention. She was never present for her declared office hours with no explanation during the 6 straight weeks I showed up to them. She assigns 6+ assignments every week and grades them purely based on the dropbox being full.
Professor Mekik is genuinely one of the worst science teachers I have ever had. She preaches using generative AI and lying/pretending to know things for tests and assignments, rather than encouraging genuine learning. If you love busywork and don't mind dropping hundreds of dollars on a 4-credit course just to learn nothing, this class is for you!
Unprofessional. Absolutely no alignment between (online) lectures and the 7+ assignments due each week. Class was a waste of time with random hour long tangents and in class work just being assigned for out of class. Claimed to do stoichiometry better than the Chem professors. Waste of my money. Avoid Mekik at all costs, you will regret taking.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
38%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.16 avg changeRatings by Course
100
5.0
(1)GEO111LA
5.0
(1)GEO101LA
5.0
(1)GEO430
5.0
(2)GEO310
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
GEO107
5.0
GEO1
4.0
GEO105
3.7
100
3.0
GEO100
2.9