Amazing!

Easy and interesting class, fair exams

Great lectures - fascinating to listen to... very dedicated and helpful. Simply the best!

she's hot if you are in to that sort of thing

GOOD COURSE

It is a very good prof. Take this class. Not too hard and the exams are fair.

She's a great teacher. Friendly and clear. The class is pretty basic/easy but also interesting.

Really cool woman. Always enthusiastic about her lectures. Sometimes goes on tangents, but they're interesting. Her notes are good enough to do well in the class. You can just enjoy the lectures and the little tidbits she puts on the web.

Very easy class, very nice Prof., entertaining (lots of inside info about transexuals in this class...) I liked her, she was nice... the lectures are pretty random but it's almost impossible to do badly in the class, so who can complain...

I adore Olivia! She's one the most hilarious and kindest profs I've ever had. Super-enthusiastic about just about everything. Lectures are usually fun, informative, and clear. The quizzes are really easy. One of my favourite classes at McGill!

What can I say...I loved the course! Very interesting material, dynamic prof, great class! You won't regret taking it!!!

Course is very interesting and great but she tends to go too slowly at the beginning of the course then rushes through notes near the end of classes before the final. Overall pretty easy and the notes very well explain almost everything. Recommend!

Just get this strasight - THIS IS NOT A CLEAR A... you wont fail by any means but moderate effort produces a B-B+... Olivia is a very kind and helpful prof. Very considerate and comitted to a very interesting field. HIGHLY RECOMENDED. Shes a kind soul.

If you put in the work, you can get an A/A-, but it is not a given. Interesting material, and Olivia is the sweetest, funniest, most caring prof at McGill. TAKE THIS CALLS AND TELL ALL YOUR FIRENDS TO TAKE IT AS WELL!!!!

Such a nice woman - but not such a great teacher. If you put in the time and effort though, you will do very well.

she warned us at the beginning that it wouldn't be an easy A as we might have heard. and she was right. don't let this deter you though. it was pretty interesting, though you have to be willing to follow her inconsistent pace (left stuff for the end).

A guaranteed pass! How well you do, that's up to you. If you attend class & read the printouts, the midterms & paper are easy. Careful: some MCs are a bit tricky. The final is ok although the bubble sheet is a bit of a nightmare! Lectures are interesting!

The easiest class of my life! I went to three classes the entire semester (the first one and the two before the exams) and breezed by with an A. Essay is optional. Exams are very similar from year to year, and you can basically talk aloud during midterm.

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She's the best. She is so nice, and really tries to help students a lot before exams. The chat room is really where you prepare the best for tests. And the course is really interesting, and to do well one needs to work quite a bit.

I got to say, by far the most rewarding class at McGill. For science students, it's interesting and overall an enjoyable class. If you can do science, you can definitely do this with a bit of detail work.

MAN, OLIVIA RULES! We sat up front to get the full olivia treatment. Very clear and straight forward. Easy marker and easy class. Enjoy her.

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Hmmm...let's see: I've shown up to 3 lectures so far and I'm on the cusp of an A. I see no reason in attending lectures unless you have an intrinsic interest in The Terrestrial Planets. Her lecture notes are posted on her website so all you need to do is read them before the midterm to succeed.

Interesting class, but way too easy.

most boring class ever and a complete waste of time.it would be better to take something more intellectually stimulating.midterms are a joke and you can talk outloud.final was just plain stupid.olivia is very nice but you'd be better off taking WOC since its more interesting and stimulating.crap cl

I loved Olivia's class. She's a great teacher, a lax grader, and an extremely kind woman. The material is actually very interesting if you take the time to listen. This is the kind of class that you get what you want out of. If you want a grade, memorize and you get it. If you want to learn, LEARN!

Olivia's made the class a bit more difficult (per McGill standards) but she is very friendly and the course material is intersting and the assignments are pretty liberal. If you honestly apply yourself, you should do well...I think 80% of students got B or better.

Good class, but definitely not an easy A!

Olivia is a great teacher! She's helpful and clear, she just doesn't want a bunch of people taking her class for an easy A (which is understandable, she clearly loves space stuff and doesn't want to feel like shes wasting her time with ppl who dont care) Great class! Not hard.

Ok, the prof is nice. But this is not A course. Quite lots of things to memorize, and they are just random stuff. Midterms do reflect on the notes, but the final is totally random. In fact, this is the worst course I did in this term.(A-) Take western music if you want an easy A

Easiest class at McGill!

Olivia is the most genuine, caring, helpful prof I have met since highschool! (and since I usually have ~3 profs per course on average, that is saying a lot!). You need to study for this course though. As long as you memorize a few facts and numbers and have a general understanding of the processes, you should get an A!

amazing class! wonderful teacher! really interesting and easy. all you have to do is memorize the notes!

I did very little studying for the midterms and the final, I always left class early and yet I got an A in the course. The final was almost identical to the one from the previous year - what can say? Take this class for an easy A!

I never went to class once, studies once, and got a B. After the first class, what can one say? Olivia is fun...I realize now I could have gottan an A if I tried but whatever. She is fun and engaging and interesting. I like her and I would recommend her classes.

Olivia is a nice prof, but the class isn't that easy as some people say. Although I did well, I had to actually study for the course. Also, since most people did well on her last class, she said she will make this class HARDER for the next year. I gurantee that you will not get A- or above if you don't put some efforts into it.

Olivia is okay but the class is no easier than most others.

This class is guaranteed to give you an easy A or A- as long as you take time to print out the notes and take the time to go over them. Believe or not, going to class actually helps and saves much of the memorization because most of it is extra and she breaks it down to the basics so that you can understand. Take this class!

Although class attendance was very uncommon, she loved teaching the material and really cared about the students. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the topic. She very nice and means well. She was quick to mark and very helpful. Website was great and provided lots of helpful information. This course is highly recommended

All the rumor's you have said aout this class/prof are TRUE! That said, I don't think Oiliva cares. She's a well established prof who just wantes to instill kids with a love and knowledge of her subject. Her webpage is INCREDIBLY helpful...and while the testing format is pretty easy, the actual material is really challenging and interesting stuff.

This class is pretty boring, but Olivia is really into it, so you gotta give the woman credit. This is supposed to be the epitome of GPA boosters at McGill, and everyone takes it. However, you should try to actually go every couple weeks because if you don't, you can actually do really crappily on the final (embarrassingly enough).

Took the course for the easy A. Turned out to actually be interesting stuff. And 100% mark didnt hurt either.

Very easy class, and interesting and light if you're casually interested in the planets. Class attendance not necessary, but sometimes the lectures are legitimately enjoyable.

Definitely a whacky prof - She spent the entire first class explaining her whole... and I mean WHOLE life story from birth to the present minute. She is very interested in making sure her students do well, and her webpage is extremely helpful. A prof who truly cares about her students, and doesn't let McGill tell her what to do.

EASY CLASS TO GET AN A

This is an elective. She obviously won't shove your brain with theory 3 hrs/wk. I understand that students without a science background might find her final hard, but she curves the grades until she gets a 75% average. Those who didn't do well probably didn't care or took it for granted. I got an A and worked harder than I had to for it.

She is great. All material is posted on the class website. I worked so hard to study for the exam, but it paid off. It was super interesting, and I hated space before taking her class. You learn a lot, and if you do the work then you'll get a good grade.

The topic is interesting and it IS a pretty easy class, but she is a very fair marker so you will have to be in the top 15% or so to get an A. You don't have to be a science student, that's a load of rubbish. The final is curved. Do the essay, it gets marked very well. Read her notes and you'll be alright.

Seriously, the people below either do not know the final is curved (20%) or never showed up to class and wanted the A handed to them. This is NOT a hard class at all. It's manageable to learn the class in 3 days if need be. You don't even have to take notes for crying out loud! she posts them online! Easy science credit for an Arts student to get.

This was a great class. To those who say you need a background in math and science you are wrong. Her quizes are open book! You don't need to buy a textbook or even take notes in class as she has all of her notes online clearly laid out in a way thats easy to understand. Definitely recommend this class, especially if your in Arts and need a science

Hottest McGill professor hands down!

Bird course! You DON'T need a background in math/science at ALL, she just likes to go into it but you'll never be tested on it. The quizzes are easy to do well on because they are online/open book, the final was brutal but the curve is huge, and she guaranteed no one will fail the class. Class is recorded and there're no readings. TAKE THIS CLASS!

Loved this class. You are guaranteed a good mark and it was interesting too. I learned a lot. Good for some basic background astronomy and geology. She's also very nice and helpful. Recordings come in handy too.

BIRD COURSE !!! This course is hands down the EASIEST COURSE AT MCGILL without question. What other course offers you a passed mark from the start, even if you do not attend lectures or take note of the course. Jensen is lovely and only cares about passing her students. The most work you're required to do, is to know about 15%-20% of the course.

(Winter 2011) Can get by just from reading the provided notes, but going to class or listening to recordings may help in knowing what was covered and what wasn't. Quizzes were easy, but final exam was all minor details and the average was in the 50s. However, final grades were curved up 11%! Overall, easy/fun course to take if interested in space.

Olivia was super sweet and helpful but the class material itself is boring and sometimes difficult. Although everyone comes out with a good mark because it's curved so harsh, no one really understood anything. The memorization sucks and although the quizzes were easy (online and at home), the final was a lot of useless knowledge.

Very helpful and understanding. She is obviously very knowledgeable and loves the subject. Course was 'easy' but very interesting, course note set provides TONS of additional information for more scientifically inclined persons. It is definitely not the easiest course anymore though. Olivia lets students pick term essay subject very liberally.Great

Never attended class - watched maybe two of the lectures online. Her noteset is really helpful. Everyone does super bad on the final so everyone gets curved in the end by alot. She doesn't fail anyone, unless you literally don't write the exam.

Sweetheart. Lectures posted online. I found sitting in class was hard and I'd fall asleep so doing it at home was good. She takes the MC q's on final from practice MCs online and she gives you the topics of the "long answer" for both midterm and final. Super easy A if you do MCs online and learn about the topics she gives you in the lectures.

Just so so

Olivia is the goat. She said in her last lecture "Don't worry, everyone that did the work will get the grade" and she provided. Her exams are based on the practice material, so practice!

Lectures were pretty useless, I stopped going to class like three weeks into the semester because she posts so much content online that there was no point. The quizzes and labs are free marks as long as you skim the material beforehand. No midterm, the final was reasonable. Even managed to change the final date so we could all go home earlier lol