2.9
Quality3.7
Difficulty46%
Would Retake101
Reviews46%
Would Retake
101
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
24
4
21
3
13
2
10
1
33
What Students Say
“Personality is always poor”
BIOL3361 - 1.0 rating“4 exams (80%) and 3 HW sets (20%)”
BIOL3361 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
33%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.61 avg changeRatings by Course
2312
5.0
(1)BIOL4380
5.0
(1)BIOL4325
5.0
(1)BIOL2312
4.8
(4)BIO2312
4.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
1300
5.0
3362
4.5
BIOL3362
4.3
BIOL2420
4.0
BIOL3361
3.8
Reviews (101)
HE IS EASY
I took Biochem II and Mole Cell lab with him and he is awesome. He explain stuff really well and also grades unharshly. He is there to help whenever you need it and will reply his emails asap. He loves to joke alot and makes lab funner than it would be! Exams are easy but there are a few questions that my be kinda tricky to study!
His knowledge of the material is extremely limited and erroneous. He is confused about the simplest chemistry and biology concepts and tries to make up for them by talking excessively and filling it with empty words. He is never on the point. if you are looing for a knowedgeable professor , he is really the last one to choose.
he has to learn his first chemistry and biology courses before starting to teach; he is so out of it. completey worthless
He is nice, but there really is no need to attend his lectures. They have no directional flow and jump from topic to topic. You honestly do not even need to read the textbook for his half of the class-read his class notes and do the study guide for the exams, and you'll do great!
He is a nice professor. There is no need to attend the lectures because he just reads off the powerpoint slides. You do need to study for the lab practicals and his lecture exams, but you will find that the lecture exams aren't that hard. Overall, I thought this class was going to be my hardest, but its not, and I DO NOT like science.
He is really nice and knows what he's teaching. He lost one of my tests in his bodysystems course and in place, gave me a 100 on the test and an A+ in the class... sweet!
Dr. Candas is the best!
Easy! Lectures online. Attendance not mandatory as long as you read chapter and study slides.
Dr. Candas is an A+ professor! Great lectures, examples, and creates interest in the subject. Easy to talk to about anything and an overall awesome person.
great professor and funny lectures
Don't expect this section to be any easier than Reizters. The powerpoints are overinflated with information, most of it non testable. The information is hard to digest, so start learning early. Lecture can be hard to not fall asleep in as well. But he seems like a great guy, super interested in the material, I heard he is great one on one.
PowerPoint presentations are 100+ slides per chapter and are convoluted with information. He lectures nonstop so there is just so much information to digest. Focus on the study guide. He is somewhat interesting, but overall I did not like this course
You can not imagine haw does this professor make everything undoable. I am a senior undergrad with 4.0 average. I had so many hard courses with so many hard professors but this oe is crazy. When I am telling you it is That means I memorized all the book all 700 slides and non still 50 question of the exam were out of nowhere
Horrible absolutely horrible. This guy does not know where his book is probably because all the test questions were not in the book. He makes the course very hard.
Very hard. materials are far beyond from the text book. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!!!!!!!!
His style is changed from previous semester I an going to drop this class do not take it
Dr.Candas is the best! Although his section was more difficult from the first section, it was definitely doable. He is kind enough to provide a study guide which if you do, will cover about 80% of the material on the exam, the rest coming from power points and the textbook. He is very approachable and easy to talk to if you have any questions.
Very nice professor! He is very knowledgeable in what he teaches and if you study the review he posts before exams it is easy to make a good grade in the class. I really like how he utilized clickers this past semester and it motivated me to go to class. Lab practicals were easy as well if you studied.
When he tells you that you don't need to know details, don't take this statement literally. You do need to know stuff in detail just not in extreme detail. Reitzer's section is much clearer on what is expected of the student so try to score as high as possible on his exams. There is a lot of curving at the end.
Very interesting, great professor! His tests are multiple choice, exams are a bit tricky; however the curve at he end was amazing.
Dr. Candas is a below average lecturer who has no knack for explaining biochemistry to undergrads. He's usually unprepared and makes tons of mistakes. Going to office hours will probably lead to deeper confusion. If you don't have access to test bank questions, you'll be at a disadvantage on exams. Beware. Pick another professor if possible.
Dr. Candas is a nice guy, however he sadly does not know how to teach effectively. His slides are convoluted with peer-reviewed journal materials that just don't make sense with the subject at hand. His lectures do not help. The first half of biochem 2 is much better since you clearly know what is expected. Study everything, hope for the best.
read his notes as many times as you can, his study guide is useless. he will as questions that you have never seen on the study guide
Great teacher who tries to connect bio to everything . The lectures aren't the main focus of the tests so i would recommend studying out of the book and not lecture slides. His test might have a few tricky questions but he will balance it out with a few easy ones.
Great person. Lectures were straight forward from the slides. He gave practice tests that were identical to the real test so that we "knew what we needed to study." Always met if needed outside of class and very forgiving about attendance if you let him know you'd be out.
Candas is one of the most-gifted and most-talented professors I have learned under. He is passionate about the material and uses a dynamic teaching approach that aids in student learning. Candas is not concerned over grading criteria, but encourages students to learn for their own sake, that the knowledge would be of great use and application.
Unhelpful, rude, and condescending. Tests are from material not found in study guides, powerpoint, notes, or even textbook - TA's for his lab are very young seniors and juniors that are inexperienced, unhelpful, and have no idea what they are doing in any facet of the running of the lab portion of this course.
Candas/Lee is easier than Marsh/Spiro for Biochemistry I. Candas' test questions are straight from his study guide, so as long as you memorize his study guide answers, you can get a 100 on his exams. Don't let his low rating scare you, maybe he's bad for other classes, but for Biochem I he is easy. Tests are multiple choice. Take Candas/Lee 4 easyA
don't underestimate test difficulty. he seems real chill in lecture always saying things like "i don't see any point in memorizing all these details" and then the test is allllll details. but he posts an exact review of what you need to know. it's a lot though. start studying it early and you'll be okay. lectures and notes are disorganized
Prof. Candas was very funny and extremely knowledgeable in his subjects. He is very available and strives to help students understand and not just memorize (so if you don't really want to learn take a different prof). I used the book a lot, but his tests were very similar to his practice questions and reviews. Overall, he's a great, fun teacher.
Dr. Candas is a great professor for Biology. His lectures are very entertaining and informative, and he prepares you for the exam by giving out practice questions and study guides. He cares about the success of his students, and he is always available if you need help. His exams are easy as long as you read from the book and do the study guides.
Prof. Candas it is a awesome. You can make an easy A if you study. He gives test possible questions that if you study those with the book, of course you will be able to solve all questions on the tests. Lots of homework though. Be prepared to study and understand Biochem.
Dr. Candas has a personal interest in teaching and working with students, as well as a strong passion for his subject. His enjoyment of teaching shines through in every lecture and individual interaction I've had with him.
Many students would want to take this professor for next semester, but i would suggest, DO NOT TAKE HIM. He expects A LOT from his students, A Lot of work and a very intense class. I would rather suggest students to take an alternative class for BIOCHEM 2 offered at UTD.
He reads off the slides and does little to no teaching. He gives a study guide, BUT that does not mean his test is limited to just the study guide. (Many people make this mistake and then blame him.) Study ALL the slides thoroughly, but use the study guide to concentrate your studying. 65%-75% of the study guide shows up on the test.
Be ready to study, biochem 2 it is a difficult class with lots of complex information. Cannot emphasize enough the difficulty of this class. DO NOT RELLY ON STUDY GUIDE CAUSE IT IS ONLY 50% of the test. Study slides throughly, and be ready to understand the concepts.
Candas is kind and enthusiastic about biology. He gets philosophical with it sometimes, but I enjoyed that. Know the powerpoint and you will get a good grade. He'll go over things with you as asked, and his extensive experience lends itself to his lecture in relevant side-steps from the core material in order to aid understanding. Good professor.
He is an awesome lecturer. Makes great jokes, gives background to make topics more interesting, provides study guides to narrow down the content you need for the exams, and is a fair grader. Excited to have him for two more courses next semester. He really is a UTD gem, take him if you get the chance.
I highly recommend Dr. Candas for Cellular Microbiology (or any class he teaches, honestly). He is an amazing professor. He loves getting to know his students and loves watching us succeed. 20% of the grade is attendance, so just show up. His exams arent meant to trick you, but are very detail oriented. Know his review thoroughly and youre good.
He's really understanding, and gets that students are human and make mistakes. Gives a study guide that is very clear and similar to the exam, going to lectures is super helpful IF you can pay attention. Has a lot of good information to share that helps solidify the concepts and sincerely enjoys teaching. I don't like the subject but he's great.
The two words I would describe this professor is self-absorbed and arrogant. The professor slides are convoluted & packed with vapid information, completely not available outside of class. Personality is always poor.
4 exams (80%) and 3 HW sets (20%). TRICKY exams. Tells you to not memorize, but you should memorize everything on his (repetitive) ppts, including charts/diagrams not just bullet points. HW sets boost your grade if you DON'T PROCRASTINATE. Boring lectures. Felt like we were talking about enzymes the whole summer. Friendly, but I can sense a big ego
Dr. Candas came off very nice at the beginning, but as the class progressed, it became evident that he did not care to work with students. Very inaccessible outside of class. Lectures about concepts and tells you not to worry about specific details, but exams are very detail heavy. Overall, I learned a lot from his class but grade doesn't reflect.
His exams are pretty detail oriented. Textbook is not necessary you just need to memorize every slide that's in the unit. He also gives a study guide that has some of the same questions that will be asked on the exam, so that was nice. This class has a lot of information that needs to be learned. It is difficult because of how detailed it is.
Memorize all the slides and take notes over the textbook, to do well on the exams. He gives a study guide that features some of the questions that will be on the exam, so be sure to look through that. He also gives some in class practice questions that he will sometimes put a couple of the questions on the exam. Exams are a mix of conceptual&facts
Dr. Candas' lectures are interesting, though he does not go over everything on the slides, so you'll need to open up the textbook. The tests are fairly simple as long as you study, and the optional review sessions beforehand usually cover all the questions that will be on the test. He's pretty funny and cares about his students.
Really nice and knowledgeable about the subject. Memorize the powerpoints and the review sheet completely for the exam to do well.
His presentation of the knowledge in slides and class is very convoluted, but dont be too intimidated. The study guide will give you 60% of the test. For the rest, read through his slides 3 times and understand what youre reading. All in all, requires a few hours of work for each test to get a B+ or higher, depending on your ability to memorize.
Dr. Candas is an extremely passionate and caring professor. He does a great job of telling you exactly what is on the test and gives you word for word about 10-15/50 questions that will be on the exam. He is sometimes hard to reach but does his best and He also has good advice for pre-meds! Read the chapters from the book, the class was a breeze!
a professors job is to teach you efficiently and effectively. Throwing every single detail he knows about the subject on ppts without specifying what and what not to know (study guide doesnt help with this) makes this course an unpleasant experience. We don't have time to memorize hundreds of slides worth of material for each test.
Dr. Candas is a very nice man. He does point out SOME of the stuff you need to know for the exams. That being said, his ppts are loaded with too much info and he lectures so fast that you are unable to digest the material. The average for each exam was in the mid 60s, so don't procrastinate because you'll run out of time to learn and memorize.
I really liked Professor Candas! Make sure you go to lectures since he will mention what will be on the exam (More than half of my class was absent on average so I don't think they were doing themselves a favor lol). If you complete his study guide well then you will be in a good spot. An A- was a 77, an A was a 80. Take your time with this class!
His class is relatively easy. However, hes one of the most arrogant professors at UTD though its not immediately apparent. Hell yell at you like a middle school child if youre late to class. I once left to use the restroom during class and came back to find the sign in sheet had passed me and he very unreasonably would not let me sign it.
Dr. Candas is an awesome guy but can be a scary professor. Ways to succeed in this class is to not skip, and read and study the book and homework like crazy. Don't bother with the study guide. Just reread and redo homework over and over. Also, don't ever miss workshop, it really helps seal in information!
Dr. Candas is very passionate about his field. He's very willing to go over any material you don't understand. REALLY memorize the slides for the first two exams and really understand the pathways for the next exams. Sometimes throws in test Qs during class. Go to workshop. Start hw well before it's due b/c it can take forever to verify answers.
Attendance is mandatory, he goes off topic and does not cover all the material in class. Better off reading the book, have to teach yourself the material. Half the time don't understand what he is saying, does provide study guides but some of it is not covered on the power points or in the book you have to google. Recommend taking someone else.
I loved Dr. Candas and would definitely take again. He does go off topic, but it was always interesting and he makes it applicable to what we were talking about. He also really cares about his students so go to his office hours and hang out with him. He's really into biochem & nutrition so if taking for biology, keep that in mind when studying
A really cool class, and tests are largely based on the study guide the rest is memorizing the powerpoint. Not too much work and interesting subject matter.
Dr. Candas is a good professor and wants his students to learn more. His slides are text-heavy and contain almost 200 slides per chapter. He speaks really fast, it is hard to keep up with the notes. You basically have to teach yourself. Make sure you find a good TA to understand the material during workshops. His tests are all MC and hard.
His section is a LOT more challenging hands down, the key is to focus primary on his slides, and fill in the gaps with the textbook chapters. The study guide is really just a guide for studying and not something that is related to exam questions really. Overall an interesting class, and very challenging.
Make sure to really study, understand, and memorize the powerpoint slides. The study guide is not too helpful and he does not provide condensed notes. Lectures are very fast paced, so spend time after class to look over material. grade is only based on 4 exams
If you're going to take classes with Candas, then make sure you study every detail given on his ppt. His exam study guide is very helpful as questions on the exams are based off on that. He takes attendance seriously! Lectures might not be helpful, but attendance grade matters! He's also a very generous grader.
Absolutely terrible professor.. his lectures are reading the PowerPoint and not a single word more. Will make you pay for things completely out of your hand especially during COVID19 era. Never have I had such a patronizing and borderline disrespectful man in my educational life.
Maybe he's a nice guy? I dunno but he should make audiobooks or something because all he does for "lectures" is read off of his incredibly dense and verbose slides. He doesn't really reply to emails either. If you can, wait to take Biochem I with a different professor.
Professor provided study guides for which I made copious notes of. He suggested to prepare concepts from the study guide and be able to recall: which I did. The exams were extremely difficult. There were no class lectures by the professor, he read his powerpoints and loaded the same. There was no contact with the professor wrt clarifications.
Absolutely zero communication from him the entire semester. Simply has short recorded videos of him reading the lecture slides and does not explain one bit, however his exams require an in-depth understanding of the material and are VERY hard. If you can avoid this guy, please do! This class is a waste of your money.
Easily one of the worst professors Ive ever had. Reads directly off the slides and never elaborates. I used the textbook and Anki to study for each exam in addition to online videos. Basically taught myself. Study WAY in advance for a few hours each day and youll be okay.
professor never responds to emails. I sent him three separate emails, each unrelated to each other, throughout the semester and he didn't respond to even one. You'd think he'd make double the effort to respond to emails during this pandemic as it's our only way to contact him! he also comes off as arrogant and trigger happy. youll c what I mean
Prof. Candas probably is thinking that as the book has been prescribed be prepared for everything from the book. At undergraduate level, you don't go through such intricacies. You want to know the overarching principle and examples of those that conform and those that don't and the reason behind it. TA's read the slide, I can do that!
Prof can recommend ProcterU or similar applns to be sure of fairness in exam taking. Instead he is providing the toughest exams, with little time to think, anticipating students to cheat. If he is so worried, he should either not offer the class or use a proctering service. Not spoil the average student's life who may even change majors!
Do not take him for an online class! His "lectures" are 100% reading off the slides. Tests were 45 questions in 1 hour. You basically have to teach yourself. However if you take him in person, he's very interesting to listen to.. idk why he can't do that for an online class.
This guy puts on such a nice face, but in reality is the least helpful professor. Asking for help will only get you shot down, or sent a canned response that is as good as no response at all. Absolutely useless as an online professor. While the world is still online only, AVOID THIS CLASS AT ALL COST.
His online lectures were tough because he read off the slides, but he's such a nice person and will totally meet with you outside of class and give advice if you make the effort.
Each PowerPoint for a chapter is about 180 to 200 slides long. So a unit already had about 500 to 600 slides. That's just for one class. Please do not take this with other hard classes like A&P, Genetics, etc. You will suffer. And his study guides only over about 50% of the exam content, so memorize the slides.
Reads off 170 slides (per topic) verbatim, no use watching lectures. Disorganized study guide covers 50-75% of exam. Answers questions quickly, very nice professor. Teaches 2nd half of biochem 2, longer exams, detailed questions, more difficult. Memorize enzymes, pathways, and committed steps. Makes an interesting subject boring and mind-numbing!
Easily the worst professor for Biochem. Just reads verbatim from the slides adds no value. I learnt on my own watching videos online for free and they teach way better than him. Does not allow you to review your online exams and I am sure there were questions with wrong answer choices but you can not prove it with no review. Avoid him.
This is literally my first time writing a review for any professor because I feel a special duty towards my fellow classmates to keep them safe and informed. This professor is easily the worst professor I've had in my college experience. Despite all efforts, I genuinely feel that this professor had no intention of teaching you or seeing you pass.
Had him for 2nd half of Biochem 2 in Spring 2021. Candas is nice, but an awful professor. Reads WORD FOR WORD his insanely massive slides (150-200+ ppts) which are impossible to completely memorize for exams. And yet, he somehow finds a way to put anything and everything on the exam. Did CR/NC bc of how bad this course was. Do not take if possible.
I had Dr.Candas for the 2nd half of Biochem 2. Although, Dr.Candas is an extremely nice and helpful professor outside of class. His course is difficult. Powerpoints are 150+ slides each with a lot of content. The only way to do well on exams is to memorize them all. Besides this, I would advise reaching out to him for career advice or rec letters.
His exam reviews cover only 40-50% of the exams. He'll test you on things he didn't even discuss and has extremely long PowerPoints for each chapter. As in at least a couple hundred pages, and if you want to do good be prepared to memorize every PowerPoint.
He has around 200 slides per chapter and we often go over 4 chapters per exam and everything on the slides is fair game on the exam. His exams are difficult and there are often questions that are a sentence from the slides, so make sure you start studying early!
Nice professor, he really tries to tie the subject into the real world so it is easier to understand. The course is hard but he provides a study guide and lectures. Taking notes while he talks on the slides really helps, he also sometimes goes over which parts to study for the test.
The bad ratings on here don't do Dr. Candas justice. Biochem 2 isn't easy but I really enjoyed his portion of the class. Attendance isn't mandatory, but showing up and participating helped me a lot to not only do well on the exams, but to also learn the material for future use. He's really passionate about the subject and interesting to listen to!
Best Professor in the Biology Dept. He cares a lot about his students. Materials were hard but the class was doable. Professor curves a lot, which is great. Just do the study guide and relevant ppt reading, you should be good.
Dr. Candas was a substitute for fall '22, so if you end up in the same situation, it's worth considering to switch to Dr. Srikanth for real learning. If not possible, to do well in this class, I'd recommend reading the textbook if possible, but completing, understanding and memorizing the study guide will absolutely carry you.
He's good at giving lectures, but those exams are on the next level. Even if you try to memorize the entire 400 pages slides, it will still give you a 50 out of 100. The study guide is not helpful at all; you will eventually see some vocabularies that you have never seen before. Don't recommend it.
I'm conflicted. On one hand, Dr. Candas was, by far, the most entertaining biology lecturer I've had; he supplements his slides by giving examples of real world applications of the topic we're discussing, and it's clear that he's very passionate about the material. However, his tests consist of memorizing 400+ slides, and the questions are specific
Decent enough. Lectures consist of 3-400 slides per exam. Lot of memorization, but he provides you with a handy study guide to help you through it. Not the worst option for Biochem.
I crammed for every test this way - Download all your slides on your iPad, set a 1 minute interval timer and pretty much annotate each slide within one minute; take a break after every 50-70 slides. Rewrite everything quickly on a notebook including PATHWAYS and PICTURES and keep repeating if necessary. Watch TA sessions/YouTube videos as well!
Candas' lectures are engaging, but his exams are brutal - expect to memorize 400+ slides verbatim. The study guide is lackluster, so use Unstuck AI along with the textbook to prep.
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. You have to memorize hundreds and hundreds of slides verbatim.
His exams are SO detailed, and he has you memorize like 400 slides/exam. Our first class average was a 53, and he said it was "doable" makes it so hard to know what is important for the exam and what isn't and his study guide is such a joke. If you take him, prepare for the worst.
entertaining lectures, but like everyone else says, his tests involve memorizing 300+ slides. he's also kind of arrogant - i came to him with some questions outside of class early in the year, and his responses were always short and standoffish. the in-class quizzes can be kinda hit or miss, but he allows you to work with your neighbors
Do not take him, but UTD doesn't have any other professors LOL. Long confusing slides that only confuse you more, you'd have to put in ALOT of time outside of class to understand/do good on the exams. Please don't rely on his study guide, they are way simpler and easier than test questions. First exam average was a 50.
Dr. Candas is well versed in subject matter. The exams are tough but not impossible. There is a curve that is centered with the average of the class being a B-B+, which means 50% of the class will get a B or lower. Lots of slides, but put in the work and it is doable to do good in this class. Good prep for med school if that's your route
Dense material but that's the nature of biochem, lots of pathways to know. Study guides are a good guide for learning material but do not fully rely on it, focus on slides. Dr. Candas is nice. Takes time to explain material outside of class. Study 4-5 days in advance. Invest in some good dry erase markers, and you will make it out alive.
Lectures are super engaged, he loves the content and expresses it which makes it fun. Class is hard, but the content is relevant and helpful for anything biology/medical related so it makes it interesting at least. Lots of slides, but definitely memorize them the best you can, pathways and pictures included. Curve is insanely generous, 75+ is an A
Class is graded on a bell curve so you need around a 75 for an A. Lots of material, his slides are around 300-400 per test, he offers a study guide which you should complete in extreme detail and then try to memorize as much as the slides as you are capable. To get an A you need to start studying for the exam the moment slides are released.
Do NOT rely on the study guide for Candas's exams. Study the entire slide deck if you want to score high on the tests. If you just want to pass the class, the study guide is sufficient (make sure you complete it in detail). Other than that, Candas was a great lecturer and he is very knowledgeable and passionate about teaching his students.
I still can't believe they offered Biochem 2 Online this summer lol! This class was super easy and required 0 energy. There were a total of 8 exams, but all of them were unproctored, and open note. It really did feel too good to be true to offer such a difficult course online. I'm not sure if they will do it again, but if they do, TAKE THIS CLASS!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
33%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.61 avg changeRatings by Course
2312
5.0
(1)BIOL4380
5.0
(1)BIOL4325
5.0
(1)BIOL2312
4.8
(4)BIO2312
4.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
1300
5.0
3362
4.5
BIOL3362
4.3
BIOL2420
4.0
BIOL3361
3.8