2.1
Quality4.1
Difficulty24%
Would Retake112
Reviews24%
Would Retake
112
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
12
4
7
3
18
2
32
1
43
What Students Say
“Don't take this professor”
PCB3063 - 1.0 rating“She is terribly condescending and boring”
PCB3063 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
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Declining
-1.07 avg changeRatings by Course
BOT1
4.0
(1)BOT3015
3.5
(6)PCB3043
2.5
(4)BOT4503
2.4
(8)PCB3063
2.1
(93)Difficulty by Course
BOT4503
4.5
PCB3063
4.1
PCB3043
3.8
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3.2
BOT1
3.0
Reviews (112)
She is a relatively new professor so she goes over more material than older professors. However, her tests are general & doesn't focus on details. She gives lots of extra credit. She gives online quizes but you have three attempts and you can look up the answers. She is one of the best professors I have had at FSU.
Her class was so absurdly difficult. She tried to cover way too much material, especially since I took her for genetics which isn't the easiest subject. The majority of the class had issues and did bad on the tests; all she said about that was that SHE wanted to cover all the material, regardless of how everybody was doing. Horrible. Avoid.
PROFESSOR MCGINNIS IS AWFUL!!!! SHE'S TOO HARD AND I THINK ITS BECAUSE SHE IS A NEW TEACHER. SHE IS VERY GOOD AT WHAT SHE DOES BUT SHE EXPLAINS IT AS IF YOUR SUPPOSED TO COMPREHEND THE MATERIAL ON HER LEVEL. TESTS ARE COMPLICATED AND TOO DETAILED. SHE DOESNT CARE IF EVERYONE IS FAILING,AS LONG AS SHE GETS THRU ALL HER SLIDES. WOULDN'T RECCOMEND HER
I PUT THE WRONG SECTION IN THE LAST COMMENT. THAT WAS THE CODE FOR ECOLOGY NOT GENETICS. SHE TEACHES GENETICS AND EVERYTHING ELSE I SAID WAS TRUE!!!
She's a relatively new professor, so she makes her class pretty hard by covering too many chapters on her tests and making tests very difficult. However she offers a TON of extra credit and assignments to act as grade buffers. GO TO CLASS. It Helps. I'm actually taking Plant Bio with her next semester. I let you know how that turns out...
She was certainly interested in the subject she taught, but her teaching style didn't interest me. She brutalized the use of powerpoint, and really taught in a pretty straight line. The bonus is that you can study from her powerpoints and have everything you need. She was a nice person. The extra credit was very helpful.
She goes over things over and over until everyone understands.. and she gives lots of extra credit. If you go to class it's easy to tell what she thinks is important-aka what she will ask on the test. I liked her a lot and I got an A.
So, I took Genetics with her Spring '10 and decided to take Plant Bio with her Fall '10 and I do NOT regret it at all! She's not the most interesting lecturer, but her class is fair and an A is easily attainable. No need to buy the book other than for extra reference on the Take-home online quizzes. I LOVE her!
Caring, helpful professor. Do the assignments and homework and do okay on the tests and an A is possible. I has her for genetics and plant bio; she has definitely grew as a professor and is a stronger teacher this time around! Recommend!
She is all over the place in lecture and if you don't study all the details the tests will really hurt you. Make sure you do the assignments and go to class and she'll help you out.
She tries really hard to get the material across, but she talks as if we are all plant biologists and are supposed to understand what she's saying. Don't take her if you aren't comfortable with teachers who give too much, too fast. Each lecture has a ton of material and the tests cover minuscule aspects of each lecture. Not an easy class.
She tries really hard to get the point across with her power point slides but you really need to study the book in detail in addition to the pp slides. The tests require a lot of detailed knowledge which. Assignments are very easy. Office hours are a bit helpful. Letting students fill in the words on key points in pp slides might be more helpful.
Was uninterested in the material before taking the class. Lectures are long and boring and all her powerpoints are pictures so if you miss a class theres no way to get the notes. Also, you have to be paying close attention in order to write down everything she goes over. She moves very quickly. Definitely wasn't my favorite.
Terrible at teaching the material. If you don't know how to read, definitely come to class so that she can read them, word for word, for you. ALso, her laser pointer definitely points out the words she is reading. Also, want a question answered? Too bad. Only before class, after class, or she answered it already. Don't ask for extra examples.
RIDICULOUSLY BORING. Her method of teaching was dull to say the least. All she does is read off the powerpoint&if you want to ask something to get it clarified, shell embarrass you saying she already answered it making you not want to ask. She makes the test EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR NO REASON and her lackadaisical attitude makes you lose motivation.
The class is hard. I am an A student and could not get above an 85 on her exams. But she gave a ton of extra credit like almost 45+ points of it. I would take her again. You need to read the book, the slides purely are not a good resource. 3/4 tests count.
Awful professor. So useless. Reads entirely off the slides so really you could never show up, read the book and still know more than if you attended class. Boring, and unsympathetic. Don't ask questions, she either just answers with questions or says that she had already gone over it. Provides no info on exams and explains nothing well. DONT take.
DO NOT TAKE HER FOR GENETICS. SHE IS AWFUL. She reads straight off the slides and the tests are nothing like the slides. The book is not helpful with practice problems either. Take another teacher if you can. There is a lot of extra credit in the class but it doesn't help you out much because you are so busy doing terrible on her ridiculous exams.
Honestly worst professor i've ever had. She reads straight from her horrible power points. If you have a question, too bad. She won't answer it for you because she "already went over it" aka has no idea what she's teaching. Her tests are ridiculously hard and have nothing to do with her power points. DO NOT TAKE GENETICS WITH MCGINNIS!
As everyone else is saying.... she is dry and coming to class was such a drag. Students stopped coming to class because reading straight from the book was better than the effort of going to that class. Extremely hard tests. Take the advice and do not take this woman!!!!! Bad life choice.
This professor is absolutely terrible. The exams do not test whether you know the material or not. She reads directly from the slides which is directly from the book. I met with her once and she is honestly the rudest teacher I've ever had. Anytime a student would ask questions in class she would make smart remarks & avoid the question all togethe
Avoid her at all costs.
Horrible professor. Reads power point slides for lecture, and is incredibly rude. Tests are ridiculously hard for no reason and the information doesn't come from her unorganized slides. Don't take McGinnis.
Omg do not take her. She's awful! Her lectures are the most boring and monotonous torture. You don't need to go to class, she offers no incentive to go either. You can pass with an A by just reading the book and going over her slides. She offers extra credit which is the only plus. Worst class, hated it so much.
She's not a mean person, but her lectures can run long and dry. Her tests seem easy at first but somehow I kept getting upper Cs on her tests even when I study. And your grade is only on 4 tests. The worst were her "in class discussions" where she makes you read a long, in depth scientific paper and you discuss it amongst the class in groups.
I had Dr. McGinnis for Botany and Genetics, and she is a good professor. Her lectures may be a little boring, but they aren't necessary bc you can do the assigned reading. She is usually clear with what she expects from students for exams. If you think she is "unfair" or "gives too much reading" then this probably isn't the major for you.
I believe she is a really good teacher. Some people say she is boring and monotonous, but I love her style. I took her for summer so it was a little different. But she is not afraid to say when she doesn't know something. Her grading was super easy I don't even have to take the final to know I have an A
My issue with Dr. McGinnis, as brilliant as she is (and she is), is that she doesn't TEACH. She reads the powerpoint slides word for word and you then teach yourself. It's frustrating. I know how to read; get up there and teach me the mechanismsphysiology. Would not recommend taking a summer session with her. No HW grades. Other profs easier A
Worst teacher I have had. She does not put in any work into the class, the only thing she does is read through the Powerpoints which she gets from the textbook. Your grade is made up of only 3 exams and they are not easy. She also doesn't let look at your exam after you take it. DO NOT HER, not worth it.
Dr. McGinnis is brilliant, but she's not a great professor. She reads to the class directly off of powerpoint slides that were provided by the textbook. Furthermore, when students ask specific questions in class, she always gives one of two responses - "I'm not aware of the correct answer" or "Please hold on, I'm getting to that." Try to avoid!
Don't take this professor! Lectures are extremely long and boring- she reads straight from the powerpoints and doesn't teach you anything. Only 3 out of 4 exams determine your final grade in class. Gives a test the week before finals, and doesn't post your grade before the final so you have no idea how you did before going into your last exam.
She is terribly condescending and boring. She expects you to go into every office hours and recitation. I calculated that she expects you to spend 15-20 hrs outside of class per week on the course. I went into office hours to clarify on certain concepts and she rudely told me do you have a more specific question? otherwise I'm not going to answer.
Whatever you do, don't take McGinnis! Doesn't teach one bit during her lectures, doesn't answer questions asked during class, and very rude. Your final grade is based on only exams, all of which are extremely hard. Class would be enjoyable with a professor who genuinely cares to TEACH the students, and treats them with respect.
Contrary to popular belief, I actually really liked this class. I received an A strictly by studying the lecture notes(notes she puts on Blackboard to help condense the notes) as well as the powerpoint. I have never opened the book nor talked to the professor in person and I got an A in every exam. The teacher is not the problem here.
Dr. McGinnis is given a bad rep. Most of her reviews are probably from students who just finished Bio2 and have not experienced the difficulty of a real biology class. Her tests are made from her lecture material, so you will want to attend class. The textbook is very useful if you fall behind. Overall, a very helpful and kind professor.
You DONT need bio 2 to ace genetics. Took w/out bio 2 in summer (six week) and passed with an A. Dr. McGinnis gives very boring lectures and only posts pictures in her PPTS and talks about them. Get ready to read the book and outline it thoroughly. Your grade 3 exams, drop lowest. No homework grades. So study hard for exams. She's not that bad.
Lectures were not the most interesting/helpful thing. You definitely need to read the book in order to pass the tests, and your grade is determined only by your test grades. When people asked her questions in class she didn't seem to know much beyond the information that was on the slides. She is a nice person, but not the best professor.
She didn't curve the class, however she curved for borderline students. It was difficult to study for tests b/c her PP are long, she had a 407 slide PP for one exam! There's only like 20 mult. choice question & a written portions so you have to REALLY know how to study the RIGHT way. Use the book, go to class and take notes of your own.
As a teacher, McGinnis is just meh. She uses publisher PPs and her lectures drag on and don't really teach you any of the material other, except maybe what to focus on for tests. The 4 exams (lowest dropped) come pretty much directly from the book. I stopped going to her lectures by week 2, read/took notes on the book, and got a 98 in the class.
Worst teacher I have ever had! She makes her class way more difficult then any other genetics teacher. Avoid at all costs!!
I have no idea why her ratings are so bad, but this is easily the easiest course I've taken at FSU. It may be because i'm taking it during the summer, but yeah. Show up and read the book, and you should get an A. Grade is based on 3 multiple choice tests, but they're a piece of cake. McGinnis herself is nice, but her lectures are pretty boring.
Class based off three tests. Lectures are slightly boring but genetics isn't that thrilling. She is extremely fair in grading and is there to help students if they reach out to her.
Graded based on 3 tests. If you go to lecture and take notes you will pass. She does not post lecture powerpoints online after class, so if you miss you need to find notes from someone else who was there that day. You get a cheat sheet for each exam and two cheat sheets for the final exam. I finished with an A easily because I took notes in class.
Many of these ratings say that the class is fine if you study from her power points. She does not post her power points any more. The class is based off 3 multiple choice exams. If you take her, buy the book and read it cover to cover. Her lectures are a waste of time.
Do not take. Find someone else. She goes through a chapter in one lecture or two and skims over the material without explaining the details of the mechanisms and expects you to be a master with the material on the three tests. The lectures are fairly useless accept for going just to see where the class is.
The class is difficult because you are graded on only 3 tests. However if you study hard for each test you will be fine. Study the TA notes that are posted and read the textbook. The lectures are boring but come to class because she does practice problems that are helpful for the test.
Entire grade based off 3 tests. No notes online. Doesn't have clear expectations. No real way to prepare for her tests other than the textbook. boring lectures. Find another teacher that cares about students.
Doesnt post PowerPoints or notes, not that theyd be helpful anyways. She just puts diagrams and figures on a PowerPoint that are in the book and talks about them. Our grade is only based on 3 exams and a final. She doesnt give exams back and makes the exams way harder than necessary. Dont take!
Graded only on exams, no attendance but definitely go to lectures even though they're boring, read the book and do book problems, study really hard for the first exam because the exams are hard! replaces final with lowest exam grade
She doesn't post the ppt slides, so take pictures of the slides as you go because once its gone, its gone. She will answer questions thoroughly. Only exams, so to study, make term flashcards (a lot of definition questions) and do the star problems in the textbook because those answers are in the back. The final had the same questions from tests 1-3
Took the class during Summer B, so grades were only based off of 3 exams. She offers an extra credit quiz too. I think the exams are very fair and the textbook helps a lot with explaining the figures and practice problems. Instead of posting powerpoints, the TAs post good notes that can be helpful. Very pleased with the class.
McGinnis is overall a very monotone and non-enthusiastic lecturer. She does not post her power-points on Canvas so I usually just take pictures of the slides. Having the book and reading it is an ABSOLUTE MUST. I read the chapters before every exam and all the information I needed came straight from the text. 3 exams (Summer B), determines grade.
This class was okay. It wasn't hard it was just very meh. Although attendance isn't mandatory i'd recommend going to lecture because she tells you what you need to know and based off of that you can skip some sections in the textbook. One of the most boring science classes I've ever taken though.
Took this professor and was nervous based on reviews. I received an A in the class. Her lectures are pointless and I only attended on test day, but if you read the text book her tests are extremely doable. She is not much help, but literally read the text book like it is a book and you will do well on the tests, no trick questions.
Dr. McGinnis is a very bad professor. All she does is read off of the slides and does not explain anything. Her tests are terrible and have almost nothing to do with what we learn in lecture. I learned more from my TA's office hours than I did going to class which I still did. Only take class with her if you can teach yourself successfully.
HARD. I studied about 15 hours outside of class/wk and it is VERY easy to get behind. I went to every class. She goes along w/ the textbook so BUY the textbook. Only 4 test and MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND FIGURES. Read before lectures, go to office hours, no minus grades, no xtra credit. TA notes are very helpful and her short q's on test are tricky.
Lectures are quite boring. Pretty hard class but you'll do fine if you like reading. I don't like reading so the class was difficult for me.
GET READY TO WORK. Reading the textbook is a MUST and & the practice problems from book the & lecture are really important to do. Her exams are tough & your grade comes from only 3 exams + the final. She tries to encourage asking questions but ultimately makes me feel dumb when I do so. You're pretty much teaching yourself.
DO NOT TAKE HER FOR GENETICS.
DO NOT TAKE FOR GENETICS!!! She doesn't seem to care about the subject at all and just reads off the slides. Her tests are 50 multiple choice questions usually made up of lecture topics... but she doesn't post any of her lectures. The TA notes are helpful but not supplementary to attending lecture. If you can't teach yourself, find another prof.
Do not take this class with this professor if you want to pass this class.
I have received great grades in every high level chemistry and biology class... except for this one. Grade is comprised of four exams. Lectures are slow and uninteresting. Dr. McGinnis shows no interest in teaching/her students. Very unaccommodating with exams during the COVID pandemic. I was borderline between a B and C and decided to drop.
Do not take this professor! Grades are based solely on tests. I was reading the chapters and doing the end of chapter reviews and still failing. She doesnt seem interested in teaching. When this class went online due to covid 19 her lectures became less detailed and she supplemented lecture with ungraded sapling work. Avoid at all costs!
Take literally any one else for this class. Only grades are four exams including the final and she could care less about her students. Lectures are so boring I'd rather read the textbook.
She isnt as bad as most reviews say. However, her lectures were boring, but she gives practice questions very similar to the exams in class. Her exams mostly have surface level questions and arent too hard as long as you READ THE BOOK. The TA notes that go along with the lecture are helpful too.
Dr. McGinnis' class is moderately difficult. To do well you have to read the textbook. Attendance is not mandatory but it is helpful for you. She is very kind but her lectures can be boring. She is very monotone. The grade is completely based on 4 exams. She is willing to help with any questions you have. The TA puts notes on canvas that are good.
Did little to communicate with her students and even less to motivate them. Her willingness to so consistently perform the absolute bare minimum required of her was offensively impressive, and her colorless charisma made it obvious how bored she is with this course, her career, or both. Couldn't even be bothered to write her own PPTs or exams.
I thought the class wouldn't be that bad. Well, it was pretty bad. I don't recommend. Her interactions with students are cold.
Dr. McGinnis is a horrible teacher. She does almost nothing to actually teach her students and makes us rely on our textbook to teach ourselves. Please take Genetics with another professor. Do not take her.
Took during summer B. Expected to teach myself genetics with her pre-recorded lectures that were bone dry. Withdrew after the third exam because passing wasn't possible after hours of studying. Avoid. Her.
not accommodating at all when it came to transitioning online because of COVID-19. She did not bother to change her class structure in the slightest. Despite reading the book and resources with practice questions, I still did poorly on the exams. I emailed her about my concerns and she never replied. She does not care about her students.
No exam curves, no extra credit, and she never responds to emails. Her lectures were online and per-recorded with horrible audio. You basically have to teach yourself. She brings no energy to the class. I strongly do not recommend this professor.
This was seriously one of the hardest classes I've ever taken. I am usually a straight A student but I found the course material heavy and hard to understand. Daily class meetings were meant as a way to review the material but the reality was most of the questions I asked were answered with little clarity and left me more confused than before.
Dr. McGinnis was very un-accomedating during COIVD-19. Took this class over summer B and I am a straight A's and B's type of student however, her tests were extremely difficult. She offered no other credit and was very vague in her emails whenever I would discuss my concerns with her. She does not care about her students at all and has no respect.
Took this 6 week class over summer and I am really disappointed with how it was taught. Very difficult to learn all the material in a short amount of time. The test were difficult no matter how hard I studied for them. My highest test grade was a 78%. DO NOT take this professor. Wost teacher I've had here at FSU. Do not recommend this class.
Dr. McGinnis isn't the best professor but she isn't as bad as other reviews on here as a genetics professor. She clearly states what will be on the test and her lectures are somewhat understandable but good luck if you have to ask her a question about anything because she just refers you back to the textbook. Also read the textbook and do sapling.
Theres not anything good about this woman to tell other than despicable. Her class is terrible, she has no respect, she will treat you like a criminal w/o proof, she gives no way of prep for exam, she will belittle you for proposing questions, she doesnt know what her class objective is, she made an elective a college weed out class.
There are a lot of things wrong with this heartless woman, but the one thing can sum it up. The online textbook/resources access was turned off the night before the final exam with no warning. She answered our of emails at 8am in canvas saying "its now available". No apology. We learned new material that day before and couldn't study it.
access to the textbook and homework site closed the day before the final (affect ALL students) and was not understanding at all. tough grader and going to her office hours to review exams was unhelpful, she wouldn't screen-share questions or allow you to re-open the questions to view, so she had to read it-- much harder to remember/what's wrong
Worst teacher ever. Cant believe I wasted my breath taking this class. AVOID THIS TEACHER!!!
Definitely a tough teacher, but doing well is not impossible. She's not super warm/friendly, and her lectures don't really help because she doesn't teach to the depth of her test questions. However, she is not as heartless as other reviews describe. Study hard, use the textbook, attend every class, do the homework, and you'll be fine.
I attended every lecture, took notes, and completed every assignment (not mandatory) and still got less than mediocre results. Spending 5 hours daily, reading the textbook, and writing my own notes was the only way I learned anything. Ridiculous penalizations regarding participation.
Dr. McGinnis is probably one of my favorite professors. She will explain any questions you have. Still I found it quite difficult to get any grade above 75% on tests. In order to pass you must pay attention to lectures and study. She drops the lowest grade which helps.
I was nervous for this class because of the bad reviews but Dr. McGinnis is a great professor. You HAVE to pay attention in lectures as the test questions come directly from the lecture. If you take good notes youll be fine, some test questions are tough though
Could not recommend a professor less if I tried. Provides no supplementary material besides the textbook. Lectures are copy/pasted from textbook. No study guides, practice problems, exam reviews, or extra credit. Probably the driest lecturer on the planet. Expects 7-8 hour of studying outside of class, her class is the only one you're taking right?
It was so much fun learning all of the material by myself! The only grades in the class are 4 exams and the lectures were not helpful. The tests are also more detailed and complicated than anything on the PowerPoints. I would recommend taking a different professor. I got a B thanks to youtube.
Grade is entirely dependent on 4 exams. Does not give any practice material besides an occasional multiple choice question every other lecture. Extremely hard to anticipate exam questions even when you study the practice problems included in the textbook. You will be taught brand new material 48 hours before an exam and be tested on it.
I was scared because of the bad reviews , but honestly it is a true upper level course which will require effort. I studied for the tests by thoroughly reading the textbook and going over lecture notes and got A's on almost all of the exams. If you pay attention and put in effort you will be fine. She also drops your worst exam grade.
This was supposed to be an elective to fulfill my bio credits as a senior and ended up being my hardest class this semester. Her lectures are impossible to learn from and her exams are all short answer/fill in the blank style. Not to mention she is so inconsiderate and does not care about anything you try to talk to her about, DO NOT TAKE!
There were a total of only 8 grades for the entire semester. All of her quizzes/exams were application based but she provided no guidance or practice to be able to properly answer those questions. She is not very friendly and isn't that helpful during office hours. This is not an easy class and there is a lot of self-learning.
Had a tough time in her class this semester. She was rude and inconsiderate, did not listen to her students, and did not provide clear grading instructions. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this class at all costs.
Agree w all previous reviews. Hardest class of the semester. Took as an elective. All exams are open ended questions. Gives no study guide or anything to help prepare. Just says to review what we learned in class. Avoid if you can!
Not very professional at all, wondering how she expects to teach students when she does not set them up for success. Expects students to teach themselves in a way with no help. Not a caring person and honestly quite rude when asked for extra help. I would avoid Karen at all costs.
I was scared based on the reviews, but she gave clear expectations for this course from day 1 (the 16 hr/week study thing was odd but it def wasn't required), was very kind when I would ask questions after class. The exams are what's covered in the lecture (teaching the textbook), if you know the concepts (not just memorization) you should be good.
Dr. McGinnis only provided us with the textbook to learn all of the material and did not provide any other material besides six homework assignments that did not help with learning the material. She initially told us that she enjoyed answering our questions but when anyone would ask her something she answered in a rude way.
The professor only provided the textbook as material besides the lectures, and the powerpoints were never posted on canvas. Therefore, it was difficult to predict what the exams were like, and they were hard. She ended up curving the second exam by a lot because a lot of students failed the exam. She dropped your lowest 2 homework grades.
Expects you to teach yourself. She does the bare minimum at teaching and is rude to students in class. Her homework is easy but MUST be submitted in person before class begins. I asked to turn in my paper before getting water (7:50), and she said no, I get water, and submit it at 8:01, she gives me a 0/24 despite getting a 24/24.
DO NOT TAKE HER!!!! Worst teacher ever. Exams are IMPOSSIBLE TO PASS even if you read all her notes and textbook. DOes not post many materials or Slides, only based on 4 tests and final. DO NOT TAKE seriously.
Doesn't give you the vibe that she wants to be there and certainly doesn't go out of her way to help students. She doesn't seem to care about your problems and has a standoffish attitude. She will answer questions in class though which is helpful. Always go to the recitations the TA will explain everything and give practice questions.
I took this class my last semester of undergrad, and I regret taking Dr. McGinnis. She does not come across as accessible to students and doesn't provide helpful information to prepare for exams. TA notes were helpful, but I had to teach myself from the textbook. She gave an exam 7 days before the final that dropped me a whole letter grade.
I would definitely recommend a different professor. Especially if you aren't a great test taker as that's where all points come from. They are very hard and she gives no guidance on what to expect on the exam, which is sometimes doable but not when she's testing you on loads of information. Just not a welcoming professor which makes it 10x harder.
She does not provide much practice to help you be successful on her exams which are very application based from concepts.
The material of the class is not difficult, but this professor makes it difficult to pay attention as her lectures are quite boing and just an information dump. Class is based off 4 exams then the final, do not take this professor if you're not a strong test taker. Depends on TA and is not very accessible outside class aside email. Not much help
Genetics itself is a hard course but it can be doable. She makes this course harder than it already is. You would think that since she only gives exams with no homework, extra credit, or assignments to help balance the grade; that she would at LEAST give a STUDY GUIDE for a course that's based only on exams ;) No guidance for exams.
All of your grade comes from 5 tests (no HW, EC, etc.) and they're difficult without understanding of the concepts, but there is a clear passion and a good interpretation of genetics from Dr. McGinnis, which I feel like is the most important thing. Not an easy grade, but a great class to take if you want to learn the material.
As a student on a pre-med track, I have never struggled with a class more than this one. DO NOT TAKE!
Whatever you do, do not take this professor for genetics, and I mean that with absolutely NO exaggeration. She doesn't know how to carry a lecture or properly explain concepts. Your grade will only be based on 4 exams and a final with no extra credit or any kind of homework assignments. Her exams aren't even remotely easy either.
Almost half of the entire class withdrew/dropped out. We all go blindly into her tests bc she expects us to know every single detail in every chapter without even giving hw or a study guide. FSU needs to stop letting these researchers who have no passion to actually teach be professors. Bc she's happily setting her students up for failure.
The way she teaches this class makes organic chemistry look easy. She is not consistent through the semester; one exam she will give us the answers to commonly missed questions but not the rest. People are not kidding when they say she is bad (Half the class dropped). Save yourself and don't take it with her unless you want to eat sleep genetics.
Avoid at all costs, it's entirely test-based and after getting Bs on the first two exams, my exam grades dropped to failing and never made it back up, even with countless hours of studying (I should've withdrawn like the other half of the class). Her lectures are unbearable and she gives no resources outside of the textbook.
Challenging genetics class with a tough grading structure - no homework, just 4 exams and a final. Lectures can be dry, but the material is engaging if you stay on top of it. unstuck study was a lifesaver for exam prep.
I honestly think that people hate because she's a woman who's not super warm.If she was a man, she'd be seen as "passionate about science". It's an upper division science class so yeah its difficult and kinda boring but she's a good teacher and her exams are fair. Go to class, read the book, go to her office hours for extra help and you'll be fine.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
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B
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BOT1
4.0
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3.5
(6)PCB3043
2.5
(4)BOT4503
2.4
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2.1
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