2.7
Quality4.1
Difficulty32%
Would Retake184
Reviews32%
Would Retake
184
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
33
3
35
2
42
1
47
What Students Say
“He is an awesome person and wants you to succeed”
BIO1610 - 2.0 rating“If you can avoid taking a class from Dr”
BIOL3060 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
76%
Textbook Required
28%
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Predicted Grade
B+
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5.0
(1)BIOLOGY1010
5.0
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5.0
(1)BIOL5230
4.5
(2)30
4.0
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GENETICS
5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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Reviews (184)
No Comments
This guy knows how to put an entire class to sleep. He does not know how to write in English, so his tests are quite confusing.
Really cool guy
No Comments
Wow, I couldn't handle this guy. Good luck.
I thought he was a good teacher- I knew nothing about biology before I took it, but I got an A. He made it make sense.
Horribal profesor, didnt understand squat.
Very clear with what would go on the exams and very helpful if you had questions after class.
He really made a lot of sense out of things that are confusing to those of us that don't know a lot about biology. He was always willing to answer questions after class on his own time and he easily admitted fault when he made a mistake on a test.
He was a little on the monotone side, but other than that he was good. He was always willing to go a little further than a majority of professors to help a student out.
Good organization and allowed access to power point presentations. Good teacher, not just a professor.
No Comments
This guy is so unbelievably confusing. He goes into detail on stupid things. Hes the kind of guy who will tell you something in like extreme detail and then say to not worry about that because its not on the test, but then your mind is all confused and h
Hard..That is all there is to say
His tests are ultra hard. Study. That's all I can say.
his voice puts me to sleep every lecture, but he's a really nice guy
BORING!!!!
Makes class really long and is really picky that it is run his way. He uses really big words and has multiple words (that are large and confusing) that mean exactly the same thing. The class would be more fun if the testd werent so hard and he did a little more to help prepare us for the exams. There is a lot of information so I guess all you can do is learn it all!
I hate this man and his class.
His slideshow puts you to sleep, and is boring.
I like his class
i really like this class a lot of people found the genetics portion hard, but i think he made the topic fairly easy compared to what he could have.
I had this class Fall with Podgorski and Mott. Podgorski handled the genetics portion of the class (very poorly I might add). I really did not learn well from him, and felt his tests were unfairly hard. However, study daily (and actually read the book, unlike me) and you'll do alright.
I also had him and mott. I've taken genetics at another institution and Podgorski did in fact do a poor job at teaching us the material and then expected us to know it well enough to not only reguritate but apply it as well. Not a problem if he would have done a better job. I feel sorry for him because you can tell he really wants us to do well.
His test are like a kick in the nuts!
His lecture is so interesting
Not very good..
hard to keep up with
Podgorski is interested in his students and you can tell he loves the subject matter, but he does a poor job of speaking to all 300 of us at once. He has a very soft voice and it might be profitable to record his lectures to sell as a sleep aid to insomniacs. He will help you if you ask for it, though.
He expects you to know the material in way more depth than he teaches in class. That first test sucked!
knows alot about the subject, prepared, needs to practice his clarity. tests confusing and the opposite of straight forward. I felt like he was just trying to teach us that the way that he saw it was the only way. NO other sides but his were presented or taken into consideration. To much was expected of an introductary biology class.
I took Genetics from him, and I thought he was a good teacher. His tests are challenging, so you got to be willing to study. He is a bit nerdy, but I think most biology teachers are. I thought he knew the material well, and he was kind enough to record his lectures for you.
No Comments
He does a good job and you can tell that he really cares about the subject and his students. Biology naturally isn't incredibly interesting. He does the best with the topics he has and tried his best to make it apply to us. He requires you to understand the topic. You can't get buy with just memorizing facts. You have to study hard.
HE SUCKS!!!
suked. expects you to understand every little detail but does a poor job at teaching on a level that you can grasp.
Difficult to understand at times, because he knows so much more about the material than the students. He expects you to know a lot of details, but he makes you aware of that expectation. A good quality professor.
He is a really good teacher. He is a little harder than Mott and not as entertaining as Mott, but he teaches the subject really well. However, Podgorski tends to stress how things work together more than just the vocabulary on his tests so his tests are a little harder than Mott's. He holds Q&A's once a week to help you, too.
His section of biology 1610 was incredibly hard. Expects way more out of you for the short amount of time he is teaching. Teaches as if he is teaching an upper division genetics course. He is a nice guy, and really knows his stuff, but he can't teach. I didn't like his teaching at all. I don't recommend taking any classes from him.
This man is legendary. True, he may be hard, true he may put you to sleep, true he may at sometimes have tests that break your pride, but as a man, he is a biology God incarnate.
Great teacher, loved the small class setting and felt really personalized attention. The essay format for the exams was great and they were graded very fairly.
Taking this semester. I probably have a B+ to A-. I finally figured out the important points Dr. Podgorski likes. Every professor is different, I am a student that works my tail off, doing all suggested problems. For the most part it pays off in his class. About 3-5 questions are very poorly written, so go clarify it even 3-5 times if neccessary.
Probably would't be as bad if Mott hadn't taught before him. Tries to cram WAY too much info into lectures, starts a new topic with 3 minutes left in class. His material is harder than Mott's, but a little more interesting- he just doesn't help it much. Appreciated the online lectures and notes.
I would highly recommend Podgorski even though you HAVE to study. But he cares deeply about his students' education. He tries not to be tricky on tests (but a few are worded poorly) and he gives weekly Q&As. If you don't do well on his tests, however, it's you're fault. He does his best to help everyone.
Absolutly the most boring teacher ever
Decent teacher, very reasonable with his tests, they are super hard but he always hooks everyone up so its easy to get an A in his class if you just study a little. I highly recommend this teacher
Very boring professor, but a really nice guy. I had a very difficult time with the class and I tried hard. His tests are so hard that every test our class of 250+ took he added at least 11% to everyone's test grade each time because everyone always did so poorly. Wouldn't recommend him at all.
Print out power point slides so lecture is easier to follow. Really study for the tests, they're harder than Mott's but still do-able.
Not technically difficult material but he makes it difficult by having poorly worded exams. I felt as though I was being tested more on my ability to figure out what he is asking than on the actual content of the class. I've received A's in several other difficult science classes and this is the first one where I felt the tests were messed up.
His tests are difficult because he requires interpretation of the material versus straight facts from a book. Pretty helpful but make sure to always look at the book to understand the material so you can try to understand what he's asking
Excellent teacher
Incredibly boring. Its very difficult to pay attention during this class, and his test are out of this world difficult. I dont reccomend this proffessor
Exams are killer. He explains the material in a lecture setting and the rest is up to you. You also have no student/ teacher interaction. He knows what he is talking about, but he has a hard time getting all of the information across.
I liked him as a professor - I actually did better on his tests than Mott's. He really cares about what he teaches, and he usually makes notes in the e-text in mastering biology of what to study. Lecture is a bit boring, but he puts some clicker and mastering biology questions in his tests - word for word.
He is the worst test writer I've ever had the mispleasure of taking his class. If your taking genetics, take Wolf. Podgorski puts the class on the textbook and makes this class much more work than it needs to be. Very hard to listen to and he makes things harder if you ask for clarification. Overall, good guy, shotty teacher
We did a lot of group work which I thought really helped me learn the material. I usually get great grades in science classes. However, in this class I just didn't get along with the way he tested. His tests suck and aren't straight forward. The way he writes is tricky. If you stick to the group work questions and really know the book it's passable
His lectures are SO BORING! He has a really quite voice and I could barely here him even though I sat in the 2nd row. Some of his questions are poorly worded, but others his uses directly from clicker questions and assignments. Study and you will be fine, just don't count on getting much out of his lectures.
Lecture is a little boring, but his power points have good information. If you study his slides and read what he says is important on the eText you'll do well. Also if you ask he is always willing to help.
Super helpfull, very dry lecture. Really wants to help you understand the topic not just glaze over things.
I found him to be a great teacher, dry wit and explains concepts over and over again. He is always open to explaining during office hours or after class. Tough exams. You will need to study and use the book. Go to SIs if you can; they help. He's a bit soft spoken so try to sit near the front.
Dr. Podgorski is a great teacher. He knows what he's talking about and conveys it in a clear way, most of the time. This class is very difficult and you need to expect to have to study. If you study well and go to class , you should do well. He records his lectures and posts them online. Also, he is softspoken- if you can't hear him, move closer.
Great professor, but he is challenging. Be prepared to work for the grade. His questions are conceptual, so don't expect to just be able to memorize everything and be okay. Make sure you understand what you're doing and you'll be fine.
He really understands what he's teaching and he makes sure that students understand as well. His test questions are conceptual so you can't just memorize facts. You definitely have to work for our grade, READ THE TEXT BEFORE CLASS!!
He made the class harder than it should have been with poorly worded questions in class and exams. Lectures are extremely boring. If you study the slides and dig to the real meaning of his questions then you will do fine in the class.
Not at all my favorite professor. I have had a couple courses taught by him, and I still can't get over how mundane his lectures are. The way he explains things is not really helpful. I got more help from outside sources. Be prepared to put in hours and hours of studying because even his test aren't easy. He asks questions in a way that trip you up
He would be one of my favorite professors due to his ability to explain things very clearly. But his test and quiz questions will make you want to rip your scalp off. Many are worded so cleverly as to have two different meanings, one obvious and one hidden. Of course the answers reflect the HIDDEN meaning.
You can tell he knows his stuff, he just isn't a good teacher. He's not helpful at all and half the stuff on the tests aren't talked about in class. I attended every class and my friend skipped out a lot and we she did just as well as I did. I would NOT recommend taking Biology from this professor.
Honestly this guy cares about you. He is hard mostly because his subjects are abstract and he isn't the best lecturer. Yet if you ever need help with the material he will be open arms to assist you just go and ask. If you are in 1610 and think it is a nightmare just study the slides, you'll be ok. You'll see he cares in later classes.
Dr. Podgorski really cares about his class. He wants you to succeed. He isn't the greatest lecturer but if you sit in the front you are less likely to fall asleep. I really loved the topic and thought he was very helpful when needed. I thought the tests were fair and good level of difficulty.
good teacher. tests aren't as bad as people say....
I was once a biology major, but this class just ruined everything for me. Seriously, I wouldn't take it. The classes are way too large. Its totally not personal at all. Lectures are dry. The tests are far too short for the amount of material you're expected to learn. I wish you luck if you have the misfortune of taking this class
Very poor lecturer. Quiz and test questions aren't meant to be confusing but are often poorly worded and/or ambiguous. Group problem sets are similar difficulty level to actual exams. Nice guy if you approach him, but the driest lecturer on earth and often times frustrating class.
Worst teacher I've ever had. His tests have nothing to do with his lectures. Test questions aren't clear and seem like they try to be tricky with his wording. Average on most tests were below 70%
I loved taking biology 1610 from him. The material he covers is tough, but he goes slow and has very detailed slides. He doesn't talk above you and uses words you can understand. He does ask some "tricky" questions on his tests and clicker questions, but I think he's just looking for you to understand the entire concept of what he's teaching.
Dr. Podgorski teaches some of the more difficult concepts in this class, but he does a very good job explaining them and is willing to go over material again if it is not understood by the class. The tests aren't as bad as everyone says, the questions do require you to think and really understand the material though. Learned a lot in this course!
Dr. Podgorski really cares about his students. That being said, his lectures are hard to listen to and his tests are difficult. I retook 1610 from my first semester of college where I got a C- and just finished with an A. If you want to do well in his class go to his office hours and get help. Also, print of the lecture slides to take notes on.
Dr Podgorski is a great professor and really knows his stuff, but he expects the students to know as much as he does about genetics. Be prepared to read every night and really understand the concepts of things because that is where tries to trip you up on tests.
Podgorski is a smart guy, but he expects his students to be at the same level. You really need to know your stuff to pass his tests, and the questions on them are often wordy and don't go along with what he taught in lecture. He was hard to listen to in class because he spoke softly and his tone was monotonous, but it wasn't unbearable.
Dr. Podgorski is a good professor, but his test questions are hard. He is more of a traditional style lecturer and you will definitely have to work for your grade. But, you'll learn a lot.
A lot of students gripe about Podgorski, but he's not that bad. He's certainly one of the toughest professors in the department, but that doesn't make him bad by any stretch. He is very helpful in his office hours, he is brilliant, and he genuinely wants you to learn. Hit the books, ask questions and study the problem sets and you will succeed.
On the first test, I got a 66%. Was in the top 10 scores for that test version. No curving of grade. On quizzes, 10% of the class would get the answer right on some questions, he would say "I always ask this question, students always miss it." Doesn't realize everyone else is not as smart as he is.
He was a really nice guy but if you're not paying attention in lecture you're going to fail the test. I felt he based tests more off of what he said than the powerpoint. The tests are ridiculously hard. He was pretty good about curving stuff though. It's pretty hard to pay attention and sometimes hear him during lectures.
As someone that doesnt do well with huge class sizes I found it very hard to be in lecture. Dr. P seems nice and he knows his stuff, however, its not set up in an interesting way. Honestly, the hardest class Ive ever taken. Tons of info coming at ya fast. If you're not prepared to study daily you're gonna struggle. Tests were all very hard.
Wouldn't take this class unless I had to. That said, I took it first semester freshman year, which I wouldn't recommend. It wasn't a good class to learn how to learn independently and become a successful college student. The content was really interesting and I learned a lot but it was too intense for while I was figuring out college.
Podgorski is a fantastic researcher, but shouldn't be a professor. His lectures are fast and packed with material, and his tests are extremely hard. One of the most failed classes at USU. He is open for students to come talk to him, but that doesn't help very much because he's bad at explaining things in a way that non-biologists will understand.
Sit in the front row! He is so soft spoken that it was hard for me to hear him even in the third row. Read his questions carefully on tests. His questions require you to think, but they are not hard as long as you study! Print lecture slides before class and write notes on those during class. Go to class and study your notesyou'll get an A.
He is a great teacher, but this class is extremely hard, especially as a freshman. There is so much to learn and he zips right through it. Testing is really hard and you have to understand all chapters or you won't pass. Test scores are curved. Teaches some material the day before the test, so there's no time to study!
Dr Podgorski is a great professor, he really wants you to have a thorough understand of concepts not just memorizing facts and terminology. If you participate in the problem sets and can do them on your own you will do fine on the tests. Don't listen to some of the other reviews as they are being dramatic and lying about average test scores.
I thought he was a good teacher and he's a cute old guy. Interesting lectures. I would recommend NOT getting a textbook for this class! I didn't open it once.
Dr. Podgorski is not bad but he is not great either. Part of the problem is that he just has hard to learn subject matter. You do not need the textbook for this class. If you want to buy it, just get an old edition for cheap. Don't spend the money on a new one.
Dr. Gregory Podgorski is a very interesting man. He knows a lot about modern genetics & biology, but he has a hard time at communicating with his students about it. There are tedious group projects that barely help you on the tests. He spends most of lecture talking about the same slide for an average of 10 minutes and he falls behind on material.
If you can avoid taking a class from Dr. Podgorski do it. He does his very best to trick you with silly true/false questions on every quiz and exam. The quizzes are incredibly time consuming. During lecture he tells you to focus on big picture ideas and not to worry about specifics, but he tests you on nitty gritty details. I do not recommend.
Podgorski is the best!
Be prepared for nightly reading quizzes and group projects. Also, he intentionally tries to trick you on tests, loves to give true/false questions, and rarely regrades. If he does, he can and will take points off of your test. Also, during this class he gave out extra credit, but took it away at the end of the semester without saying anything.
You will never meet a kinder person! He is very soft spoken which bugs some people but he knows his stuff and if you pay close attention, his material makes perfect sense! He really wants his students to succeed and really wants them to understand the material. I've never understood why people didn't like him because I think he is amazing!
Tries to trick you on tests, isnt very empathetic to those who are tricked by his silly questions. Puts stuff on the tests that he mentioned in class briefly. Would not recommend this man.
He goes over way to much stuff in class and its hard to keep up with him on the notes. He tricks you on tests with stupid questions that he didn't go over very well in class. He is not very good at going over the stuff in class.
Lectures don't really prepare you for tests. Need to buy MasteringBiology online for homework. Attendance is optional but gives extra credit. One homework assignment per week. Test questions are tricky and are more like MasteringBiology questions than lecture material. Teaches with Prof. Mott, but makes harder test questions than Mott.
Worst Professor I have ever had. This class is impossible to study for. He provides old exams for study, but none of the old exam info is used in the current exams. Lectures are fast paced, and unless someone is coming from a bio background- like AP Bio in high school, there chances are slim. I do not know a single person in the class who passed.
I seemed to understand him pretty well, and thought he was a decent professor!
The class was very interesting, but I felt poorly formatted. Everyday you would read a section of the textbook, take a canvas quiz, then show up to class and ask any questions/have him lecture for 20 minutes then work on group homework sets. Some test questions were impossible. Don't expect 100% on anything, but you can still fairly easily get an A
He is very soft spoken, so you have to sit close. His test questions are very specific and often taken straight from the slides. Way too many questions that seemed tricky on purpose. And don't bother asking them to round your grade up from a 79.8% because they wont do it(:
Dr. Podgorski really cares about his students and his class. People complain so much that his tests are unfair, but this is not true. The averages on all of his exams were around a 78%. Group problem sets are a lot of work, but a huge part of your grade which is nice and he gives you lots of class time to work on them. Lots of reading!
I loved this professor. I always hear people complain that he is quiet and hard to understand. However, if you actually pay attention in class and attend every class, he is really funny and he'll answer any questions you have.
I have taken 5000 level courses before taking this course and I would have chosen to take those classes again. I will never take a course from him again so long as I can choose not to. If you can avoid taking it from him do yourself a favor and don't. You will have a daily reading in the text and an associated quiz. His tests are ridiculous also.
His tests are incredibly difficult and sometimes he puts stuff on the test that we never even discussed. He likes to ask you questions in incredibly tricky ways so you never end up getting good grades on his tests. Overall, he's a nice person but his weekly quizzes are hard and you really have to work for them to even get an average score.
Not the best. Every lecture was very confusing because he teaches it in a way where he acts like we already know the fundamentals of biology.
good luck....
I took his class my freshman year of college, and I hated it. Even if you watch the panaptos, it's still hard to get the information. His clicker questions are very specific, but don't help us with the test at all, when it comes around. The exam questions are incredibly wordy and don't make much sense at all.
A lot of people think Dr. Podgorski is not a great professor, but he really does want you to succeed. He is funny and loves genetics! Go to class and take good notes on the lecture-- they are probably your best ticket to getting an A on his exams. Also, it is really helpful to have a study group, and practice "teaching" your friends the concepts.
He is an awesome person and wants you to succeed. however, his lectures are very fast paced and it requires a lot of outside studying to understand the topic. He is good at what he does (genetics) but he explains it in a way that we have to decipher what he is trying to say. His way of explaining things is really confusing and requires some thinkin
The tests are terrible. He likes true/false questions and likes to trick you. We had a weekly schedule that had Mon/Wed designated for lectures and Tues/Thurs to work on group problem sets but most of the time, he'd end up lecturing on Tuesdays and Thursdays too, leaving us 20 minutes in class to work. We had to get study rooms to finish on time.
You can tell that Podgorski knows his stuff, but he explains it in such a way that people who are having their first taste of Biology wont understand without MAJOR studying. He teaches an introductory biology class as if he was teaching grad students, which makes it more challenging. He talks quietly into his mic, so you need to sit close to hear.
Dr. Podgorski has a reputation of being a tough grader and a hard test giver; however, his class average is usually around an 85%. Only 30% of the grade is composed of tests and the rest is group work and quizzes (which are a pretty easy A).
A little more on the dull side, but was VERY clear on what he was going to test us on, which was super nice. Made brand new practice tests when us students asked him to. Started off the class with jokes.
Podgorksi's lectures are intense & fast-paced but he's a funny guy & wants you to succeed. Knows his stuff. Very wordy, uses lots of technical language in lecture so you will have to study outside of class & in the book. Lectures are recorded but gives extra credit for attending. Graded mostly on exams. Keep up with material and take good notes!
Podgorski's tests are HARD. You can't just memorize the information, you have to UNDERSTAND the information. On the bright side, exam curves are usually pretty big. He clearly knows what he is talking about and enjoys the subject, which makes lectures better. You will have to GO TO CLASS and STUDY THE MATERIAL to do well.
Podgorski would mostly drone on about stuff in class and then expect us to learn a bunch of the stuff from the textbook anyway. There were frustrating reading quizzes twice a week with almost all T/F questions. The tests were also stupid hard. The only thing that saves you is the problem sets, my test average was a 55% but the problem sets buffer.
Test questions are in depth and difficult. If you pay attention in lecture and study outside of class by taking time to understand the material fully, it is very possible to get a good grade. Podgorski is good at answering questions during his office hours.
He talks very quietly so it is hard to hear him. He also talks to students like they know what he is talking about even though it is an introductory class. He knows what he is talking about but is hard to understand.
Very nice professor, willing to meet with you outside of class. His lectures are dry and don't prepare you very well for the tests. The in-class questions, reading quizzes, and test questions are generally unclear and feel like a broad question trying to provoke an overly specific answer.
He can be hard to appreciate, especially in BIOL1610, but in Genetics I liked him much better. His depth of knowledge is staggering and he can communicate it well, if you can see through the hand diagrams. Get ready to read lots of the textbook, he has quizzes due before every class + lots of group work. Try to think like he thinks during tests.
This guy is one of the worst teachers Ive ever had. He requires attendance to 4 lectures a week, during which he proceeds to waste everyones time. He assigns group work that are difficult which wouldnt be bad if we had enough time to do them at as group. Most of the actual learning is done out of class which is absurd with 4 weekly lecture hours
Prof. Podgorski loves true/false questions on exams and during class, and loves to "trick" his students on the exams. There is reading twice a week and quizzes on the reading that varies from 20 - 50 questions. Sometimes it would take me 3 hours to complete that. Group work questions were super difficult. He isn't the clearest lecturer.
This class almost required a preexisting knowledge of biology. While the professor is a super fun, upbeat guy, the lectures can tend to be boring. The class is very test heavy and participation is absolutely mandatory.
This class was mostly graded on iClicker quizzes, which is awful. If I wanted to watch a PowerPoint about biology facts and then make random guesses for credit I could do it without shelling out tuition money. Dr. Podgorski assumed everyone in the class knew a fair bit about chemistry even though no chemistry class is a prerequisite for BIOL 1010.
Podgorski's courses are very difficult and he is sometimes hard to understand.
Super hard to understand what he wants you to know. Test questions are very lengthy and tricky, sometimes you cant tell what he is trying to ask. He also will say many times throughout lectures that he likes to trick the students on questions so you have to try and pay close attention. Would never take a class from him again.
Dr. Podgorski is clearly a very knowledgeable and smart man. However, he does not explain things very clearly or simply in his lectures, and his tests are incredibly difficult. He likes to ask trick questions, and he does not seem to care about the success of his students.
90% of the grade you get are based off tests. And the tests are some of the hardest tests Ive ever taken in my entire life, so pretty much if youre a terrible test taker you are screwed and bound to fail. I study and study and it seems to never be enough. This class is so stressful and the lectures are terrible they barely explain anything.
This course was co-taught by Dr. Podgorski and Dr. Mott. I performed better on Podgorski's tests. There are TA-led study sessions almost daily. Show up to the lectures, he records the lectures too. If you study for the tests you will do well. My classmates generally enjoyed Dr. Mott more, but I didn't have a preference.
Teaches you one thing in his lectures and then puts stuff that you've never learnt before in his exams. He LOVES trick questions, so get ready to be confused out of your mind.
Podgorski is a very soft speaker, so if you attend his class, sit up front! His exams are near impossible. He loves to throw in trick questions that almost everyone gets wrong. Big lecture halls and Podgorski's lectures simply do not mix. If the class sizes were smaller, it would be better. But I do not recommend taking his Bio 1610 class.
You can tell that Dr. Podgorski loves science and wants everyone to learn. However, he may just be too advanced for the majority of the class. Test grades average in the 60's, and he says thats exoected. Questions are always meant to trick people, he barely goes over the test material in class. Not a bad guy, but should teach graduate students.
This man does not know how to connect to his students. He also makes tests way harder than they need to be and tries to trick you with poorly-written test questions. Hardest professor I've had. Goes on long tangents about things that do not pertain to the material. Nice guy though. Easy to fall asleep listening to him talk.
This class was unfair to its' students. This is a general education requirement class, but I felt like a biology major taking it. This class was harder than my Computer Science class and I had to work my butt off to get an A. If this isn't required for your major, take a different course. You won't regret it.
Dr. Podgorski is a very smart, kind man and he is always willing to meet to answer questions, talk about his research, etc. However, he will occasionally assume that students have previous knowledge on biology even though this is meant to be an INTRODUCTORY biology course. He is very confusing at times and his test questions are weirdly worded.
I think Podgorski is too smart to be teaching this class. His test questions require you to know the information inside and out, although they are fair. I enjoyed his lectures and the powerpoints are very well put together. If you are taking biol1610 dont listen to all the horror stories people tell, just put in the work and you'll get a good grade
I'm really surprised to see so many neg reviews of Dr. Podgorski! This was definitely a difficult course, however, I thought it was interesting and enjoyed the lectures. I would recommend that anyone take him if they are serious about wanting to do well and work hard. Study the lecture slides and not the book, and take all of the practice exams!
You can tell Dr. Podgorski loves to teach. But he doesnt teach his class in a simple way and includes unnecessary info. He will try to trick you on his tests by including trick questions and wording them weirdly. Because of this a lot of the tests have a very low average. If your gonna take this, get ready to study the lectures HARD and work hard.
Mr. Podgorski, I felt, was one of the tougher teachers. He likes to make his students "think" and analyze tricky questions so make sure you have the basics down. My advice: study his clicker questions and go to the SI's.
Podgorski's portion of this class is the reason I'm a biology major. He really cares about his students and gives you all the resources you need to do well. If you pay attention in class and take good notes, you will not need the textbook. The SI's are also very helpful. His tests are hard, but if you study, you'll do well.
The course is composed of lectures, Powerpoints, reading, quizzes, and exams. The difficulty is that all of the elements listed that compose the course are structured in such a way that they assume you already have advanced knowledge and understanding about chemistry and biology that you probably don't have. 10> hours weekly study.
I have never hated a class more in my life. This class made me want to drop out of college. I am so sorry if you are required to take this class, but I ended up enrolling in a different University just to take this class. I don't know what his problem was, but I could not learn from this professor at all. Good luck!
terrible
Although this was an intro to biology class, it was the most confusing class I've ever been in in my life. We were using concepts I had never heard before as if they were everyday knowledge, and I graduated high school with a 4.0. This was a slap in the face of a class.
He doesn't teach. He just speaks the material like you as a student have also been studying about biology for 30 years. He uses terms you would never get and makes test questions extremely hard. It is frustrating because this is supposed to be an INTRO to biology class. I would recommend not taking this class if you don't have too.
Podgorski seems to purposely complicate everything and make things difficult for students to understand. He's also not encouraging at all, as he constantly talks about how every concept is difficult and we probably won't understand it. He's not lenient or understanding, giving us a 216 question reading quiz at one point. I had to teach myself.
This is the most ridiculous class ever. He teaches Bio 1610 like it's the only class you're taking for the semester, thus CONSUMING ALL OF YOUR TIME. He definitely acts like this course is alot more than a 3 credit hour intro course. THIS CLASS IS AWFUL AND THE TEACHER IS NOT EMPATHETIC AT ALL. I wish I could use Derrogatory terms And vulgarity.
TAKE THIS CLASS FROM A DIFFERENT PROFESSOR! Dr. Podgorski is a nice person and knows his biology, but this class is way too difficult for an entry level course. I am a Junior with a 3.98 GPA and I struggled in this class. He gives wAY more hours of lectures to watch per week than we would normally meet for class times. Tests are very hard as well!
This class is extremely difficult, as you can see from other reviews. However, it is not impossible. Everything is explained in the lectures, there is simply alot of content so you need to review. Podgorski himself is actually a really good teacher, and truly cares for students. I chose to review my notes a little every day, and I have a high A.
His lectures are really confusing youre better off watching khan academy videos than his lectures. His tests try to trick you and are insanely hard. Dont take his class unless you have to.
He's too smart to be teaching this class. The class is very difficult.
I loved his class! He transferred over to online learning really well!
Podgorski is a nice person and definitely knows his stuff, but he isn't very good at explaining it at a level that is effective for an entry level biology class. He overcomplicates everything and includes a lot of information in lectures that we don't need. His exams are always full of trick questions and questions that I felt like I didn't learn.
I have never done so bad in a class. I took a W over an F. His questions are so tricky. You have to know the material frontward and back. Our first quiz had 260 items with some having sub questions down to "m" and it covered 5 chapters. I recommend biology, human anatomy, and chemistry before taking this one. Its hard. Would take from anyone else.
Tests were extremely difficult. I spent over 10 hours studying for each one and barely got a 60%. He grades you on his view of biology. He asks a lot of trick questions and there aren't a lot of assignments to make up for the tests. He says all the test questions are in the powerpoints but they aren't. He is a very nice guy but I disliked his class
This is a really great class and Dr. Podgorski seems to love teaching it. His interest in biology can sometimes get him off track of the textbook but he doesn't test on anything he hasn't said in a lecture. If you read the book, watch the lectures, and study hard for the test you will do well. If you aren't ready to work hard, don't expect an A.
He is passionate about biology, but gets distracted talking about irrelevant topics. Doesn't prepare you well for tests and treats it like it's your only class. As a full time student, it was not possible for me to do everything he expected while still maintaining good grades in the rest of my classes.
I took this class with two teachers and i preferred his teaching style to the other. He tells you exactly what you need to know and talks a lot about it. Lectures were very long but he told us everything we needed to know and what we wouldn't need to focus on. He assigned reading but i almost never did it, tests came from his lecture slides
There was a lot more material because of it being online he could make the lectures as long as he wanted. Which is SO rude! 3 years of college and this was my first B. My hard classes in the past have been my favorite because they challenged me but this was just too much. Also having 2 teachers made it difficult to catch on to the teaching style.
Don't take bio 1610 from Podgorski. It will make you sad. I studied day and night for the exams and I never got higher than a 75% on an exam. Almost every test had a class average around or below 60%.
This was the hardest class I have ever taken.
Hardest class I have ever taken. The average on my classes final was a 38/80.
Lots of people hate Podg, but I actually liked him. His tests are so unnecessarily hard, but he is a great guy and very knowledgeable on biology. He really does care about his students and wants to help. I contacted him multiple times and he was very helpful and courteous to me. He's genuinely a good guy, but like is just so unnecessarily hard
I could not believe the length of his lectures. NO WHERE NEAR the length that we signed up for. It was the most time consuming class I have ever taken; however, he did make it clear that his test questions came from power points. On top of 5 hours of lectures a week, I had to attend every single SI session to understand the material. He's very nice
Dr. Podgorski's class was the hardest class I've ever taken but I feel that he is a very qualified professor. He is very passionate about biology. I don't think he realizes how complicated he makes biology during his lectures. His PowerPoints are pretty much like a study guide for his tests. If you study the material and work hard you will get an A
This is by far one of the hardest classes I have taken in college. Dr. Podgorski needs to remember this is an introductory to biology class and not a graduate class. This class caused me to have so many emotional breakdowns so be prepared to cry at some point in the semester. Tests were extremely hard and reading quizzes were ridiculously long.
Absolutely worst class. I don't know if it was because it was online, or the new teacher he was teaching with, but this class was 99% of my stress. Spent 15-20 hours a week to get the A, and even then the tests were ridiculously hard. Not a class you can be passive in, or you won't pass.
AVOID THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS, I was required to take this class. Whoever left nice reviews must be lying. I studied 9 days, 10+ hours a day for a test, and got 70%, that is unfathomable! Extremely disappointed with the effort he put in. Go take this class somewhere online and transfer the credits to USU because he doesn't deserve your money
Dr. Podgorski is the best Biology teacher I've ever had! Don't get me wrong, he makes you WORK for results - but it totally pays off. He knows his stuff - and he has such a passion for it! His goal is for his students to really learn Biology. He also almost always adds points to his tests after. Example: my final test went from 72% to 90%.
Great lectures, he's very passionate. I've had him for gen bio and genetics and I wish we had in-person classes. He's fond of tricky (trick) questions, but also cares about student input and fostering a deeper understanding of the subject. The only class I willingly open up Zoom for.
We had to use iclickers which are the dumbest things ever. This class is meant to weed students out of STEM. Lectures are super boring. We had to use the online textbook mastering biology which had graded hw questions the questions aren't that hard but take up a lot of time. Exams are very very very difficult. Good luck with this class.
Dr. P is a great lecturer. However, the way he conducted an online class was horrific. Took forever to upload lectures, (with zoom, this averaged to about 5-7 hours of material per week, which is too much for a 3 credit class). He was stubborn about the stupidest things, like allowing scratch paper on exams. This made his class incredibly hard.
I had him for BIO 1610 and BIO 3060. Podgorski is very informative about the information he lectures on, but his exams are impossible. He loves asking trick questions. Do NOT take this class online. A 3 credit hour course and outside of Zoom calls you have to watch 4-5 hours of lecture material. Take in person or find a different professor.
Greg Podgorski loves teaching and biology but he is one of the worst teachers I have ever had. He rambles and gets of track easily making it hard to know what is important, if he is online he uploads 4 EXTRA hours of lecture, and our exam averages were usually 50-60%... The content isn't hard but he makes it hard. He is hard to communicate with too
I have had Dr. Podgorski twice, once in 1610 and in 3060. This class has been the reason for all of my breakdowns this semester. He gives way too much work. Being online, he will take advantage having 6 to 8 lectures , 2 to 3 chapters of reading, and reading quizzes that are insanely long EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Also problem sets and mandatory class.
I am what you would consider a straight A student. But this course has been awful so far. He always says to just get a broad understanding of the material but he lies. Outside of class you have 2-3 hours of lecture, 2 hours of reading quizzes and group work inside class 3 times a week. There are no review sessions, only Q and A so good luck.
So many things wrong with this class! One of the worst was group work in class. He spends half the class doing clicker questions, the rest you do group work (20% of grade based on others) . He doesn't teach during class, he requires up to 4 hours of lectures, a TON of reading, and don't be fooled, he doesn't test on the "big idea" like he says.
He once told the class, "I am more concerned about you learning Genetics than getting an A in this class". As someone who doesn't want to be a geneticist, this is not helpful. The group work is ridiculous and worth 20% of your grade. There are tons of lectures and readings each week and very few resources outside of class to help you. Good Luck!
Dr. P is a smart person, but he is a terrible professor. He is incapable of teaching material in a way that is understandable. He explains simple concepts in overly complex ways which ends up making everybody confused, and he skips over the complex stuff. His tests were tricky. Least favorite professor I have had and I am in my last semester.
Count on 20+ hours of work a week with lectures, quizzes, reading, and group work. Youll be taking tests over homework material that hasnt been graded in time for you to know if youre even doing it right. He says focus on the big picture then only tests on the little details. Be prepared to teach yourself! Smart guy but horrible teacher!
It's bad. You learn from the textbook. Lecture time is spent doing group problem sets and some iclicker questions for attendance. The course adds very little of value beyond what is already in the textbook His test difficulty is inconsistent and he tends to ask "unintentionally" tricky questions. Decent guy, meh professor, poorly designed course.
You have to know HOW Podgorski works to get good grades. Tests are based off of lectures slides (if they are extensive) or the textbook (if there are only a few). Don't bother with recorded lectures, just read the slides and the textbook. Anything in the slides or the textbook is free game for test questions. Don't buy his "big picture" line.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
76%
Textbook Required
28%
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