Lectures and overheads are easy to understand and helpful. Midterm and final are long, but do-able. HW is easy if you go to office hours.

She really cares so if you want to make use of her office hours definitely do it. If you catch on easily then you really don't need to go to lecture all the time, but definitely do all the problems, recommended in the book as well, and buy the solutions

As long as you use the study sheets she gives, the class is no problem. Way better than Nesbitt.

lectures aren't very useful and so is the readings. just do problem sets and you'll be fine.

easiest genetics class without a doubt. lectures are a waste of time because her content is the easiest/lightest of all and her powerpts are great. just read ur txt, do section work and ull get ur As easily.

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Genetics is a tough class to teach because it's easy to mess up when you go over problems. Unfortunately, Smith isn't immune to this. The extent of the material she covers is basic enough that you can just read the book/lecture notes and get an easy A. She's also cool in that she doesn't try to trick you like all the other profs do. Take if you can

I got an A+ in the class without ever buying the book. Just go to lectures and sections and take good notes. Practice exams are pretty representative of the exams, very straightforward. Easiest genetics professor ever!

Compared to my other classes she was easy as hell. She likes to use special cases on her tests and you finish with only a few minutes to spare, but if you know what you're doing it's no big deal. If you're good at math then you'll do fine, otherwise you won't be able to finish the midterms.

Smith is a GREAT lecturer and is very clear. She does talk really fast, but all the stuff you really need to know is on the slides or on the board. I really reccomend her! She is very helpful in her office as well. Never once was she condescending like many profs can be. Exams are very fair and representative of the material she covers. Take her!!!

Everyone who is saying that Smith is hard needs to sit in on some of Nesbitt's lectures. Professor Smith is by far the best Genetics teacher at UCSD. Her problem sets and tests are very reflective of each other and of her lectures. She is a fair teacher and the people who are complaining about her need a reality check. I got an A+ in the class.

I thought she was a pretty hard professor! The material she taught was basic enough, but on the tests she changes things up a LOT. I did the problem sets and practice exams, and still barely scraped by. She's nice enough, it's just the curving system of the class is ridiculous.

She is a very nice professor who provides lot's of opportunities to receive help outside of class. Her practice problems and old exams are really useful. The tests were challenging but not impossible. Genetics is fascinating to me now so she did a good job teaching. Take her class

Smith is a great lecturer, very clear. She talks extremely fast but does podcast the lectures. Exams are not impossible but are tricky. Make sure you allow yourself a lot of time to work the problems. Genetics is not an easy class even though it may seem so at first. The second MT is a killer!

Good lecturer. Don't buy book but attend majority of lectures and section becuz all info on how to do problems is given there. Midterm 1 is fair, 2nd is hard. Her practice midterms may all look similar, but the actual midterm isn't as closely related as you expect. Grading is..20% get D or F. If everyone scores between 75-100%, 75 is not a C.

Very good professor. The material is not particularly difficult, but she does a good job of making the tests difficult enough to test whether you really know it or not. As long as you have a basic understanding of what is going on in the class, you are guaranteed at least a B.

She speaks quickly, but she posts lecture slides and podcasts her lectures. She explains everything very well, though, and her problem sets are similar to the types of problems on the exams, but the tests are much harder. Don't be fooled by the 1st midterm! It gets a lot harder. Definitely attend section, attend lecture and DON'T buy the book.

Very easy professor! Got a 90 on my first midterm and a 99 on the second one...barely studied at all

Of all the genetics profs at UCSD Dr. Smith is the most organized and straightforward lecturer. Book is good. Class is not difficult, but you need to know your stuff, of course! Also, she makes time for her students. The second midterm is ALWAYS harder because that material is harder in general. Her class is a good preparation for molecular bio.

Super easy class, and one of the easiest bio professors. Exams are straight forward, often similar to homework. Very helpful during office hours. Take Her if you can!

Super easy class. I definitely recommend this professor.

Easy class. Really a good professor! However, any prof that makes discussion mandatory and nonattendance damaging to students' grades is disrespectful of student time and maturity (read: is an id**t). We are not highschoolers. Really disliked that aspect. Everything else wonderful!

she gives pop quizes during sections which is unnecessary. she gives clicker points for ec. but her tests are really hard. take someone else if you can.

Not an easy class bc you can't just memorize and spit out information like BIBC 102. Exams required you to apply the concepts learned in new but similar problems. Exams were fair and A LOT EASIER than her 2008 exams. Problem sets were helpful. If you disagreed, it's because you didn't fully understand how to do them in the 1st place. Book's useless

Definitely not an easy class. Requires a lot of problem solving and i mean A LOT! There's no curve but there's a chance for 50 EC points so i guess it's fair. The average was about a C anyway. Exams are tricky b/c they're open notes/book! I did learn a lot because I put so much time for this class!!

I IMPLORE you to not become overconfident with the material. It seems rly basic but it REQUIRES some practice. With that said this isn't a hard class. 2-4hrs/wk of studying/hmk. She gives PLENTY of opportunities for help +50pts EC. I got a 59/100 on the first test and was still able to get an A in the class. Just read the book if you miss somethn

I don't know why people complain about Dr Smith. She greatly improved the 2nd MT & final after the 1st MT was too confusing. And you get EC for attending lecture/answering clicker q's right, which GREATLY boosts your grade. Ppl need to stop expecting profs to spoon feed them answers & start LEARNING how to apply concepts instead of just memorizing

she was a great professor and i would recommend her to anyone taking genetics. she gives generous extra credit. i screwed up badly on midterm 1 but i still got an A in the class. people who gave her bad ratings probably didn't attend lecture or did homework. great professor.

shes an awesome teacher as far as teaching. If you take good notes and you listen to the podcasts, you'll totally understand the material. BUT THERE IS NO PREPARATION for her crazy hard midterm. I did all of her practice sets and went to the sunday class but it still wasnt enough when it came to her test....

Good teacher, midterm was so hard. Finial seemed more straight forward. Grade is 180 pts midterm 250 final and 20 points for answering clicker questions(20 pts xt credit for correct responses) two quizzes at 25 pts each Sunday reviews didn't help me all that much. MAKE SURE you do the problem sets they help a lot for the tests

I may be a freshman but I got an A in her class, first quarter and first upper div. class. I don't know why people say this is a hard class, it's really straightforward and she's a great professor. Seriously, don't bother buying the textbook, you won't use it once. And the midterm and final are straightforward, not impossible.

I thought this class was pretty straight forward. Make sure to do all the problem sets, they are pretty helpful for the exams. Gives opportunity for extra credit through clicker questions... 20 pts for answering, and an extra 20 pts for correct answers! I thought she was a pretty clear and great professor!

I'm a freshman too but the class is NOT straightforward. Book=waste of money. Problem sets are essential for exams. I messed up on the midterm but studied problem sets and lecture slides so I did fine on final. Prof Smith genuinely cares about her students and gives them lots of opportunities to learn. I ended up liking genetics because of her.

The material is interesting, but lecture tended to be boring. Do the problem sets and go to section, it really helps. Pop quizzes during section. Tests aren't too hard. iClicker used for participation grade in lecture. Didn't need the custom textbook at all.

Hard class, tests are hard. Lectures are interesting. Requires attendance as she asks clicker questions. Only one midterm and a final. Study for those. A lot of calculations. Do your review problems and youll do fine.

Class was hard but doable. She is a great lecturer very easy to understand. She gives the opportunity for extra credit, and was really helpful after the hard midterm. She really does set people up to do well, but for some (like me) it can be a really tough subject to master by test time. Study hard, do ALL the problem sets, twice.

Good. The problem sets are optional but you pretty much HAVE to do them to do well in the class

This class is really easy. If you've taken a basic stats class before this is a cakewalk. I think a lot of people try to learn the material when they should be learning how to take the test. That's why the problem sets are important. There's less memorizing in genetics and more problem solving. Btw don't buy the book. Worst $60 I've ever spent.

Great Lecturer, very clear and concise. Posts VIDEO podcasts, and iclicker points are a free grade booster. Just do the problem sets, rewatch the lectures via podcast, and you will do fine. One of the best Bio professors in my opinion

She's an okay lecturer; her voice can get kind of monotone but she's decent. She's really passionate about genetics which is good. Can get impatient if you ask a question and she wants to move on. Lectures are podcasted but there are clicker points so it's up to you if you want to go. Do the problem sets and and the class really isn't too bad.

Lectures are fairly clear and keep you alert due to clicker questions. To do well on exams and section quizzes, you *MUST* do the problem sets **multiple times**, review lectures, and do the practice exams (textbook is not needed at all). Dr. Smith teaches concepts, but you must put the time into learning problem sets. You get what you put in!

Took this upper division class as a freshman. Lectures slow if you did the reading, fast if you didn't. Exams "based on lecture" which means expands heavily on the material lightly touch on in lecture. Clicker questions are annoying. Smith is very intelligent and has her occasional golden nerd-joke. Reminds me of Amy from the big bang theory. TAKE

Really great prof. Lectures flow smoothly; includes real-world application. Very knowledgeable about the subject. Podcasts, provides slides and gives plenty of practice problems so book isn't needed to learn well. Also pretty helpful during OH. Cons are she uses clicker pts (but only need 40 out of >60 possible) and discussion is more/less required

Honestly, I was pretty scared about taking this class since my first upper division bio class. Dr. Smith is a really good teacher, though, and I learned a lot. I also found that I had no reason to be scared! Just pay attention in lecture, do the problem sets, and go to discussion. BTW - don't read the book. It doesn't really help that much.

Dr. Smith is a fast talker, so it helps to review her podcasts if you spaced out during lecture, or couldn't catch everything she said. I felt the final was fair as well, with heavy emphasis on problem solving and the material taught after the midterm. I reviewed all the problem sets and the previous final and did really well. She is passionate!

One of the easiest classes I've taken at UCSD in that if you take the time to go to class and study, you will get the A. Everything on the tests is in the lecture notes and weekly quizzes force you to stay on top of things. Some hard-to-grasp topics in the course material but she explains them in lecture, which you should go to anyway for clicker.

I love Dr. Smith! Yes, she talks fast but her podcasts are there and they were EXTREMELY helpful. Everything she tests you on is RELATED to the material covered in the class. Obviously her exam questions are going to be derivations of what she lectures about, as any class should. So to say her tests are not like what she teaches is not true.

The class was very lecture-heavy (3 hrs asynchronous videos and 1 in-person lecture). There were a lot of quizzes in the class and discussion attendance was mandatory. Midterms/finals were reasonable and fair but there's just a lot of quizzes and lecture videos to do each week. I think I spent more time studying for this class than my biochem class

Professor Smith is a very knowledgeable and kind professor. Answers emails very promptly and also guides students through confusion on the course discussion pages. Clicker questions are for graded points every lecture, and there's always a problem set due Sunday afternoons preceding a reading quiz due Mondays. Overall, easy class and great prof!

I took BICD 100R which is the remote version. Professor Smith gives straightforward lectures, and her explanation of the material is easy to follow. She gives a moderate amount of homework. She is so nice and caring for students' success that she gave me another chance when I missed the final because I messed up with the time difference.

Lecture was very comprehensive and easy to understand. Mostly multiple choice and short answer questions on exams.

I absolutely loved Professor Smith. Her lectures were always fun and made sense of the topics discussed. Homework were very similar to the questions on the tests. Quizzes due at beginning of week didn't reflect test questions but introduced topics well. Her office hours were also accessible and helpful.

Has weekly quizzes on Mondays based on reading, but I found that skimming the book works. Homework is due Sunday nights, but some problems are usually covered during discussion. Lectures were pretty interesting, she explains to concepts well and has funny examples but uses iClickers so attendance is required

Professor Smith's lectures were engaging and made the material clear. The homework and exams were challenging but aligned well with the course content. Using unstuckstudy alongside the textbook helped me prepare effectively. Overall, it was a rewarding but demanding class.

Despite being a virtual class, super easy to communicate with Professor. She teaches with a genuine enthusiasm for genetics, which made lectures very interesting. So long as you take good notes and treat the HW seriously, all exams will be simple and straightforward. Wish she taught more remote biology classes!

She was definitely very knowledgeable and passionate about genetics. The lectures were easy to follow; it was just dense content (which was more on the class than the professor). The TA's were much less intimidating than the prof when I asked questions---they were great. Discussions were really helpful and went over the problem sets that were due.

I loved prof. Smith so much! Her class was really fun and engaging, even as I took it online, I feel that I learned so much about genetics. Her homework and exams were reasonable, with many opportunities to get points and demonstrate your learning. The class was a lot of work but it was worth it to me, and it's clear she wanted everyone to succeed.