I thought this class was really really hard but Dr B was really helpful. He wouldn't let me quit, and he helped me to achieve a higher grade than I ever thought I could.

He's a bit full of himself, thinks his jokes are funny...but besides that, he was the better professor for Biochem winter 2005 term. But I didn't like his lecture style too much.

This class is as hard as it appears, no matter how much time you put in, look to get a low grade. He had many office hours, but he would try to get you out as quickly as possible, saying others need his help too. Seemed to think every little detail in the book was worth putting on the exam.

definitely willing to help if you ask for it...

Willing to sit down with you and go over things you don't understand. Tries to explain it in a way you can understand

i recommend him as a teacher and a friend.

YES, this class is very hard, and you will study all the time if you want to do well. HOWEVER, he IS willing to help if you come to office hours and COME PREPARED with questions. He is good at clarifying confusing material. 311 has no lecture, but he has a good amount of office hours. SUMMARY: HARD teacher but WILLING TO HELP.

He is one of the nicest prof. in UFM ... and completely fair and organized.. remembers all his students, the class is a lot of work ... you should expect this before you sign up.

There is so much material for this class that a lot of people take it out on him and say that he is a bad teacher. However, his lectures are VERY structured with good, clean powerpoints. He goes very fast, but he has to in order to cover everything. Really a good teacher teaching HARD subject.

Extremely hard class, but very helpful teacher. Offers 8 hours of office hours per week. Very clear and structured, and very helpful as well. Wants to help you understand the material. I am in the C+ B+ range, so am not too biased. I think most people take their frustrations with the class out on him.

extremely helpful -- especially during office hours (which he has every day!) he is genuinely concerned that the students understand the material.

I don't understand what all the fuss was about. I was terrified to take this class but I ended up enjoying it. He is an awesome teacher and his office hours are great. Explains things well and his lectures are easy to follow along with.

what an angel! hios exmas are fair and i feel thoroughly prepared for med school. kids who don't like him are just childish, lazy, or inept!

Go to his office hours! Will explain everything you need to know. He can be a little abrupt sometimes, but I don't think he's being mean. He's just trying to be clear, biochemistry is very precise. It was hard learning everything from the book, but by going to his office hours I did great!

I don't understand why people think he's so mean and arrogant; he's actually a pretty nice guy. Biochem is a tough course, but if you put in the time and motivation into reading and understanding the material, then you're set. The midterm and final are 3 hours long, but most people finish within 2-2.5 hours and you can leave once you're done.

Hard Hard Hard class. But unfortunately it's required. I felt like Ursula Jakob was a tad more sympathetic, and her lectures reflected that. Balazovich was pretty stern with students in lecture and quick to go through things. Knowledgeable, but not a good teacher.

He is a really good teacher in the sense that he can explain the material to you in a variety of ways and try to get you to understand. But he does make a lot of students sometimes feel as if they are very stupid when they ask him certain questions. He can act like a big ___ but his knowledge of the material is unquestionable.

Very energetic and helpful. He wants everyone to do well. Lots of office hours. Study tons.

This class is do-able! It is possible to get an A! It's A LOT of work but if you read the book and make sure you know his NOTES you're set. Exams are fair BUT he does include questions that are geared towards detailed things from his slides. Always submit regrades when possible bc they mess up lots of answers to mc q's & dont tell the students!

i took biochem with him over spring semester. the material itself is not that difficult but it's a lot of material that you need to memorize. the course in 7 weeks was intense, quiz/exam every week. but if you go to the lectures and study hard, it's not impossible to get an A. i attended a couple of office hours and found him helpful.

read the book..don't need to memorize anything from there. Memorize his lecture slides, pay attention to small details, you'll do just fine.

Professor was fair. I took spring semester, so the amount of material that was covered was insane. One advice would be NOT TO PROCRASTINATE- especially for this class.I Never visited his office hours, missed 2 lectures, but still got an A in the course. Study LEcture notes and then use book as supplement. You'll do fine, but be prepared to work!

The Keller plan is inately difficult. However the prof was extremely accessible and amiable. If you hate going to lecture and are self motivated take this class!!!

Bio 311 is difficult to an ungodly degree. Balazovich provides a lot of great resources for the course, although what you need to know exactly is ambiguous. He's definitely cold at times, but if your questions are reasonable, he'll eventually warm up and provide all the help you could ever need.

Contrary to popular belief...he's not that bad. It's just his classes are not so easy, and many people take out their frustrations on him. However, he is a nice person and willing to help if approached in the right manner. His exams and quizzes tend to be tricky so be sure to study plenty for those. Also try to visit his office hours for help.

There is a reason Dr. B. has 70+ comments and that is because he teaches a hard class. While the concepts aren't as difficult as other classes, there is a lot of material to know. His tests force you to know the material well. If you stay on top of the workload you will be fine. Office hours are very helpful!

People who complain about this class are lazy. The reason it is hard to know what to memorize is because YOU dont have a good understanding of the bigger picture, not becuase the information is random. A lot of the material simply needs to be memorized in this class. He can only say "phospholipase C" so many times- you need to sit down and work.

Kenneth is a GREAT professor. He is clear, straight-forward and most of all, ALWAYS willing to help you. He really believes in his students and will explain things five hundred times in different ways until you get it. GO TO OFFICE HOURS. The thing about his classes is they are really hard! It's biochem, you must expect to work your butt off.

I think Dr.B is a great prof. He explains things well because he has a great understanding of what he is talking about and can explain the same concept in many different ways. People who complain about this class usually slacked off during the pre-reqs and did not grasp a good understanding of the basics that you need in order to do well.

This professor is great. He conveys the material in a clear and coherent manner. People who complain about this class are lazy philistines and should not be taken seriously. Don't let ratemyprofessor.com scare you from taking this class.

Dr. B. is funny and extremely helpful. That being said, this class is really demanding. Not good for the GPA or the social life.

Great professor, and an amazing class! He's really willing to help students and seems to want us to do well. Also, he makes an obvious conscious effort not to talk down to the class and to treat students with respect. People who complain about this class most likely failed miserably at it, and that takes effort because Dr. B is a great professor

Awesome professor, but a lot of material covered and required for the 3 exams, 4 quizzes, and cell map(easy points). He makes a huge effort to point out important info for the exams, its just that there is so much to material. Way more interesting than orgos.

Smart, witty, best professor I ever have after Nolta. =)

What a surprise Dr. B was given his mean reputation. He's extremely helpful, clear, and really cares about his students. That being said, biochem is intense and Dr. B is intense about teaching it. As long as you are instense about learning it and put in the effort you and Dr. B will get along fine and you will do well.

Dr.B is the man, really helpful and very clear during class. If you take strong notes and you pay attention to every detail you will do well. I took in summer and still thought this class was very do-able. Pay attention to all details because he expects you to know them all. Exams are tough but fair and many got A/B when I took it.

The class is pretty straightfwd-as long as you pay attention/take good notes, Professor Balazovich explains things clearly and tells you everything you need to know to succeed on his exams/quizzes. I'd recommend taking his class either spring/summer though; it's not a light load of material and you are expected to know everything he tells you.

His lectures were excellent. He is always willing to write rec letters if you did well. He's is helpful but critical in office hours and in general. He'll give you a look that says "really? you don't know that?" and then proceed to explain it clearly. Great guy. Really helpful and glad to give out advice and aid. TONs of office hours.

Dr. B does well considering the quantity of material he has to go through. He's a very good lecturer (fast pace, but never boring), and really knows the material. He may seem condescending, but I think this is due more to insecurity than unfriendliness. If you give him a chance, he will help you all he can: he wants his students to do succeed.

Awesome professor! Really knows his stuff. If you study this class is fine!

This is a demanding course but Dr. B presents everything very clearly during lecture and is extremely helpful during office hours. I really enjoyed this course. It's a lot of material but it is actually really interesting. He is very willing to help all students since he wants everyone to succeed.

Dr. B was a fantastic professor! The class was extremely time-consuming so I wouldn't take it unless you had a light semester load otherwise. Helps if you've taken orgo 2 before, also. Dr. B was very straight-forward and I enjoyed the class. Going to office hours every week also definitely helped! I would recommend taking this class over other

Immunology is definitely a challenging course, but Dr. B makes it enjoyable. He explains everything concisely, but studying is definitely required. His exams are multiple choice, with a free response section (typical Dr. B exam). He grades fairly, and is very approachable. I recommend this course only if you have prior interest in the subject.

Dr. B is friendly and engaging in his lecture and doesnt like interruptions (other than questions). His multiple choice questions can be difficult and there is strict grading on the short answers, but he is not afraid to curve the course to compensate. Overall this is a good class that offers you a lot if you plan to study.

He was a very clear and precise professor. The course overall was difficult, but if you are willing to commit the appropriate amount of time to your studies, it is very possible to get an A.

Dr. B is a decent professor. He's easy to follow during his lectures, but he's kind of rude and condescending when you talk to him out of lecture. The class is difficult, and the exams are tricky, but if you put in a lot of study time, you will be fine.

Dr. B is awesome. Probably my favorite science teacher that I've ever had here. I had him for biochem and immunology. His exams are tough, but doable. He's an amazing lecturer and I've had few professors know their stuff as well as he knows his. Don't get scared by people saying he's hard or bad, they most likely just couldn't handle the class

This has been the hardest and the best class I have taken at UofM. It is a LOT of work but very much worth it. Dr. B is a hard grader and can be intimidating, but he is extremely helpful if you go to office hours. For the tests... basically know everything on the slides plus some. I loved this class!

Prof. B was a cool person pretty sarcastic which some people don't like but he was helpful and the class material dense

Although tough, I learned a lot from MCDB310. That being said, Dr. Balazovich was the most disrespectful professor I have ever had. He is condescending and self-righteous. On one occasion, he even swore at me in his office because I did not write my name clearly on my test. I will never take with Dr. Balazovich again.

My favorite professor. Dr. B is amazing. He helped me to get over the problem of taking science exams. I'm actually very surprised that some people found him rude during his office hours, I was going to his office hours regularly once a week and he was VERY HELPFUL. My suggestion - do not read the book, it has too much info, focus on lecture slides

Good class- don't take it in spring term. There is too much information to learn and memorize in such a short time.

I took this class spring term and I recommend taking either then or in the summer. There is a lot of information to learn and the class would be extremely difficult if you had to take it with other classes. Dr. B is extremely helpful in office hours and is very nice. Also make sure to read the textbook, it will help.

Biochemistry is a difficult subject and there's so much stuff to memorize and there is no getting around it but Dr B did a great job at explaining concepts and providing students with resources (an amazing textbook, practice exams, cell map project, iclicker questions, helpful figures, etc.) to help them learn and understand the material.

Take immunology with Dr. B!! It's such a great class and it's his baby--the only reason it's taught at the university is because of his interest and passion for the subject. It's a lot of material to learn but it's interesting, the tests are tough but reasonable. Dr. B is a great guy too, he really cares about his students.

He keeps it real. I loved his No bu11$h1t approach to teaching. (No, you may not pointlessly interrupt class or show up late to the exam) Class is full of pre-med hopefuls, who will eventually fail. He teaches fast and hard, and the material is difficult, but that's no excuse. You're a wolverine. If you can't handle the heat, go to East Lansing.

Dr. B is a really good teacher. He is very clear and does a good job of explaining in lecture and in office hours. I will say though that he talks a lot during lecture, and most of what he says that does not relate directly to the slide is useless information. In this respect, I liked the other professor more.

Really interesting class-I learned a lot and I know the information will help me in the future. The class is a lot of work, although that is more of a fault of the subject itself than Dr.B. Dr. B had a ton of office hours and said students should feel comfortable to approach him. I didn't think he was "condescending", but maybe easily irritated.

This class is a lot of work, and definitely magnified during the summer term. Dr. B truly wants his students to learn and do well. He gives you the resources to succeed. I didn't interpret Dr. B's terse answers as condescending. I just think that is is his personality. If you put in the work you can do very well in this class.

Overall the class was nothing but memorizing the slides very well and knowing every piece of information on it. If you pay attention in lecture and read parts of the book regarding the information you found challenging, then it is entirely possible for you to get your desired grade.

This was one of the most difficult, but also one of my favorite classes so far at U of M. Dr. B is pretty helpful in office hours if you ask the right questions and is VERY clear during lecture. It is evident he knows this stuff extremely well. Exams are difficult, but fair.

The class has a TON of information to memorize, which makes it extremely difficult, especially in the Spring and Summer terms. Not enough time in the half semesters to learn everything. But Dr. B is clear and always willing to help. It's a good class, just very, very difficult.

Dr. B deserves a higher rating than he has here. This class, by nature, is very difficult, but Dr. B's expectations were very clear. Strong personality but overall a great professor.

Excellent professor. I highly recommend taking any class that he teaches. He is very straightforward and has realistic expectations. He is very intelligent and makes learning new material easy because he presents it in such a clear way.

Dr. B is an amazing teacher. The class is inherently difficult because of the VOLUME, not the information. You need to devote time to memorization to learn the information. Dr. B is VERY straight forward. He says his exams are based on his lecture slides and he is 100% right. There are no surprises. Learn what he emphasizes and you will do well.

He is generally good as a lecturer. Sometimes do show respects to students and sometimes don't. Lecture slides are usually clear but there are confusions. Exams are very hard.

Dr. B is great, although he comes off as kind of cold. He conveys material in a very clear way and knows how to write a very reasonable exam; the questions are clear and they are very representative of the material covered. Bring a healthy dose of respect to the class, memorize every lecture slide, and you'll do fine.

MCDB 310 taught by Dr. B has been absolute favorite class at U of M thus far. As a science major, many of my friends have had negative experiences with this class, but this gave me more motivation to go to Dr. B's office hours, my GSI's office hours, and my SLC study group. Dr. B's lectures are crystal clear and the tests are EXTREMELY fair.

Dr. B is a very clear, solid lecturer. He does come off cold, but if you are respectful and work hard, you won't have any issues whatsoever. This class isn't hard if you're good at memorizing, just a lot of hours of work.

I'm not really sure why he's got such bad ratings. He teaches some difficult classes, but he does a really great job of presenting the material in a clear and engaging way. You can tell he is passionate about the topic and tries to teach it in ways he knows students will be passionate as well.

Finally get something useful out of your science major! Immunology is an inherently difficult subject, but Dr. B presents things as clearly as possible. You will truly feel like an immunologist after this course (IF you work hard), and it's great knowledge to have, especially for pre-health people. Dr. B has high expectations and toughens you up.

Dr. B was that dude

He's a very clear lecturer and not actually a bad person. Tries to be extremely fair and by the rules which may lead to the condescending vibe students get from him. He definitely has very good intentions and puts in a lot of effort to make the class super organized. Always posts clear grade distributions and hands back exams promptly.

Loved the class. Though Dr. B can feel a little condescending at times, he is very helpful and you can tell he wants you to succeed in the class.

He's not a bad lecturer. Overall pretty clear, but he rambles and his slides can be misleading or the information can be inconsistent at times. Exams are nitpicky, with awkwardly worded questions, but overall not bad. It's curved to a B/3.0, which is refreshing for an upper level course, though the class definitely gets harder as it goes along.

Dr. B is very knowledgable about biochem. He is a good lecturer but sometimes goes too quickly/packs his slides with information, making them difficult to follow. He will help if you ask for it, seems like he wants students to do well. Exams are decent and mostly memorization but the 4th is basically cumulative and definitely the hardest.

Dr. B is awesome!! This class was tough with a TON of material, but he presents it very clearly and in the best way possible. He is very ready to help anyone who needs it. Yes, he can be condescending at times, but it is SO worth it to take the class with him anyways. He made this class one of my favorite science classes at Michigan!

Dr. B is amazing in terms of teaching and explaining material; however, he does expect a lot from his students to the point where it can be a bit overwhelming. He can be a bit sassy, but it's really not as bad as a lot of people say. Biochem is definitely a very challenging course, but the curve is generous enough where an A or B is well in reach.

Dr. B may seem tough during lecture, but he is very helpful if you go to office hours. He really does care about students doing well and will help you with any questions you have on the lectures and on the cell map. Reading is completely not necessary so don't rent the book. His lectures provide everything you need to know for exams. Study weekly!

Go to office hours, join a study group, and attend discussion and you'll be fine. I personally loved this class and learned a lot from it. Dr. B is very approachable in person and genuinely wants his students to succeed. Memorize the slides word for word and don't bother reading the book if you're looking for an A.

Dr. B is a great professor who teaches well and is always open to questions. It's clear that he truly wants the best for his students. That being said, the class itself is difficult, and there is a lot of material to memorize. However, the exams are all very fair and Dr. B is always accessible through piazza, email, or office hours.

Dr. B is a wonderful professor who teaches biochemistry well and wants to ensure that all his students fully understand it and succeed. Is it a tough class? Absolutely, but only because of the volume of the material. Dr. B is really kind & approachable. He will point out when you are wrong, but does so very respectfully. Study hard & ask questions!

He is a very engaging lecturer, and does a good job of presenting a large volume of material. However, he can also be a bit sassy in person, so I'd recommend approaching your GSI for one on one clarification. The exams are entirely based on lectures, so definitely re watch them before each midterm and rewrite your notes.

Dr. B is an exceptional biochem professor. He gets the point across, and explains the material extremely well. I would recommend re-watching all of the lectures because he talks very very fast sometimes. He can be pretty sassy, but it's honestly pretty funny. He's also super approachable in office hours.

Dr. B is fantastic. He is very tough but clear on what he expects from his students. He actually makes biochemistry entertaining and tolerable. Extremely helpful if you take advantage of office hours and is always willing to help.

Thought he was a great biochem professor. Super clear about what you need to know, and it's obvious he's been doing this a long time. If you put in the work, it's most definitely possible to do well on his exams. Wish he was the only one that taught this class!

Dr. B is truly awesome. Amazing lectures and VERY willing to helpful IF you are willing to put in the time. No-nonsense prof that can sometimes be humorous and sarcastic but in good taste. Strict but extremely caring if you demonstrate effort and investment in the class. Pay attention in lecture to follow his slides. Exams are hard but not undoable

If you're willing to work, Dr. B is willing to help. Don't expect to blow off biochem or not pay attention in lecture. Put in honest effort, and he will be there to assist at every step! Honestly a great prof - one of the best I've had at Michigan! Don't listen to those negative comments about him. Get to know him, attend office hours and work hard

Truly cares about getting through to students, but some take him as being too direct/short with his response. He knows the material well and wants his students to also. Re-watch lectures and do course readings prior to attending office hours. Come with questions prepared. Don't waste his time or yours.

Students either love him or hate him. I love him; he does a fantastic job with explaining material and what is important for exams/MCAT/future courses. I've heard he can be rude to students in office hours but he has always been respectful and patient with me. Truly wants his students to succeed. Taking another course with him just for fun.

This was his last semester teaching Immunology. It's clear that he is extremely passionate about the subject and it has definitely rubbed off on me. The thing is, he expects excellence from his students so you have to make sure that you are informed before asking questions. This was probably my favorite biology class on campus.

I don't understand the hate for Dr. B that is common among some, at least from what I've seen this semester. He's really responsive on piazza, office hours, etc. and is extremely clear in what we need to know for exams. Only complaint is that his slides aren't as good as Dr. N

I took an Immunology course w Dr. B, he was def a brilliant guy. The course was intense, and covered a ton of material, he doesn't play around, however if you are focused on medicine/science, his course would provide necessary context. From what I could see, he was overworked and underpaid, prob one of the biggest positive impacts for me at UofM

Professor B is brilliant but demanding. The course covers a lot of challenging material, so staying focused and using resources like unstuck ai for study prep is key to success. Attend class, engage, and you'll gain valuable context for medicine/science.