I'm sure she's an ok person outside of school. She's very intelligent but has an extremely difficult time explaining material to students. She's also unbelievably unhelpful and sometimes just outright rude when you go to her for help. Though it's probably just b/c she's insecure, it's uncalled for. Don't take her classes, especially 100 level stuff

She's intimidating, mean and she won't really help you. She might know what she's talking about but she can't explain it. Don't bother tro go to her for help because she'll just make you panic.

She might know a lot about Bio, but she can't teach. Her way of answering your questions is "Great Question, i dont know." She is thoroughly confusing, goes way too fast, and can't explain herself, AT ALL.

She made me not want to be a bio major. I went to her for help before a test and she called me stupid. She has trouble relaying information to students without a good background in biology and chemistry. Her section of intro bio is too intense to be a part of an intro class.

she absolutely cannot answer questions, and she expects intro students to know 300 level organic chem, its ridiculous. i got a 5 on AP bio, and it was torture to sit through her lectures. don't bother taking 105 if you're just trying to fill the science requirement!!

She might be good for 200 and 300 level, but DO NOT take intro with her unless you're 100% sure you want to be a bio major! Her lectures depreciate in quality rapidly throughout the semester and she acts like everyone has background chem and bio knowledge. If you're anything but a dedicated bio major, avoid Bio 107 like the plague.

As someone who's not a bio major, I wish I had never taken this class. Pat constantly makes me feel inept even when I ask valid questions. She always manages to sidestep student concerns by going off on tangents. The recorded lectures are boring and basically useless. Her classes feel like a waste of time for how much material she actually covers.

She is condescending, very harsh and has no problem embarrassing students in class over minor mistakes. It was hard to watch. She acknowledges that her behavior sometimes intimidates students, but she acts as if that's the student's problem. That's unethical. You are in a position of power, please do better. Don't abuse your position.

We were warned at our first class that the average grade in her class is a C-. That isn't something a professor should brag about. You would think Pat Hilleren would change the way she teaches her course but no. She doesn't think the problem has anything to do with her. Unfortunately Professors at Skidmore are limited so

A teacher who is skilled at making interesting subjects feel miserable. If you've ever watched the film Matilda, she is quite similar to Principal Trunchbull. Unfortunately, that's not a joke as funny as it sounds. I found her way of dealing with students inappropriate & overly harsh.

She constantly made comments asking why I (as a psych major) was taking her intro class. She sent out an email before the semester warning us the class wasn't easy and discouraging seniors from taking it (direct quote from the email: "It is much too intensive of a course. You will be sorry."). Just overall rude. Great scientist, bad professor.

Even if you're a biology fanatic, this class will make you hate it. Not because the content is difficult, but because her attitude is unacceptable for this day and age. She can claim it's her "teaching style" all she wants, but it's an excuse to not change her inappropriate demeanor towards students. Skidmore needs to choose faculty more wisely.

She constantly puts her students down. I wasn't comfortable asking questions after seeing how she treated the ones who did raise their hands. She embarrassed them. It was obvious she was trying to assert dominance. Confident people don't need to use manufactured ego to control situations. It didn't feel like a happy environment. It was depressing

Professor Hilleren told us the average score in her class is a C- but somehow still finds a way to blame the students instead of her teaching method. I dropped this class and took the SAME COURSE at a different University over the summer. What a difference. The students had much higher outcomes and the teacher was personally invested in each of us

She'll warn you on the first day of class that many students find her mean-spirited remarks and inappropriate ways of treating people odd - but then will excuse it and say that the students are sensitive or not studying the way they should be (not true). She knows it's a huge issue yet continues to do it anyway instead of improving herself.

Pat made comments to the entire class about a few students who were absent stating "you know, this isn't an online class!" which is strange because she automatically assumed they weren't sick, or doing anything important with their time. Very controlling, rude, & always putting a negative spin on the intentions or studying habits of her students.

You will be teaching YOURSELF. Pat doesn't teach, she has you read entire chapters in your textbook, and then embarrasses students in class who don't immediately understand the content even though this is supposed to be an introductory class. She assumes everyone already comes with certain knowledge which is a privilege not everyone has in life.

I agree it's best to take your pre-med courses at a different college and then transfer the credits to Skidmore. You are much more likely to get a higher grade at a different institution. This will preserve your chances of getting into med or grad school. Nearly all of Skidmore's professors actively practice GRADE DEFLATION (rarely give out A+)

If you take this course, it should consume your life or you won't get a decent grade. I'm sorry to say that, but there is hardly any teaching going on - just intense pressure from Pat to read many chapters and listen to hours of confusing lectures. Pat applies pressure rather than giving students any comfort. She seemed to find it somewhat amusing.

NIGHTMARE FOR YOUR GPA! Pre-Med students beware! If you don't come to this “intro” class with a very strong, pre-existing science background you will not do well. In the beginning, the class seemed to fast, but manageable pace. It went downhill immediately past the course drop date/deadline. Unfortunately I couldn't get out after that

If you don't come from a privileged academic background you won't be prepared & especially not with a full course load. Most high schools in the US do not provide intensive chemistry training before college - yet she will assume you already know various chemistry principles. Not a realistic, accessible or inclusive course for many.

Don't overlook the reviews. Skidmore's STEM departments are ravaged so you might not be able to avoid this class the same way that I wasn't. She was extremely rude during office hours and actually shut the door in my face when I showed up & another student was already there. I tried to peek in and she pushed it shut again ... in my face and yelled.

I had to get a W (withdrawal) on my transcript to save my GPA from this disastrous class. Pat seems to think this will be our only class of the semester judging from the amount of work + lectures she assigns for us to watch before each class. She needs to talk to Skidmore about making this a two part class. This isn't feasible for anyone.

This is a class for privileged students indeed. If you have to work a part-time job to support yourself or even just a few hours a week, you cannot take this class on top of your other course load. The work is beyond anything you've been assigned before. I am unsure how first-generation and low-income students are able to pass this class.

She calls on random students during class to quiz them and see if they've watched the hours long lectures that you are required to do before each class. She has no problem embarassing shy students or ones who don't know the answer immediately. I wish I could say that this is a rare experience at Skidmore but sadly the culture here is very toxic.

Being a pre-med student at Skidmore is already hard enough and this class was just the topper. This school makes the sciences absolutely miserable. Bland, old-fashioned, and stressful. I feel bad for the students who have never tried out other colleges. They believe this way of learning is normal and the only option out there. I'm transferring ASAP

The only professor worse at Skidmore is Minita Sanghvi. Pat and Minita hide behind their roles as professors to mistreat students because consequences for professors at Skidmore is rare. In the real world, this wouldn't slide. They would need to improve their personalities and treat other people with respect - or get fired. Skidmore enables lunacy

Why can other colleges teach biology effectively + reward their students for their hard work, yet Skidmore struggles so significantly? It's their professors. I dropped this course and took it at a different college. Most students in the class got an A because the professor didn't make their grading unnecessairly difficult. Skidmore is the problem.

I feel bad for the students that think they aren't studying hard enough and that it's somehow their fault. It's not. As others have mentioned: Skidmore, its culture, and its professors are the problem. Not you. This school is very outdated. Sadly I couldn't afford to take the mandatory pre-med classes at other institutions as my peers have.

One big guilt trip. Very stressful class. She assumes everyone has foundational knowledge when some of us certainly don't. Considering that Skidmore advertises they admit a diverse range of students, I simply can't understand why she doesn't start from the bare basics instead of making us feel inept. Isn't this supposed to be an intro course?!

The lecture section was just as bad as the mandatory lab. Couldn't wait for the semester to end so I could cut my losses. Skidmore doesn't inspire with its STEM instructors or teaching approaches. Also, I've noticed this school has extremely tough graders. Never benefit of doubt. My sister goes to another Uni and it's nothing like Skid's classes.

Treated me (and the entire class) like children all while telling us how we are adult aged college students. Furthermore, she told us that our usual studying techniques won't work for this class which was her way of preemptively putting the blame on us for "studying wrong" if we were to do badly in the class instead of her chosen teaching methods.

She drained the excitement I had for the class on day one. She focuses mainly on how hard the class is rather than how beneficial biology, medicine, or STEM is to our world. I didn't like the fear based approach she took as an instructor. It sabotaged the class for me. The way she makes you dread exam days you'd think you're being sent off to war.

She emphasizes from the start this class is hard to do in the time we are given (one semester). I think Skid needs to do two-part introductory courses if that's the case. Why set your students up to fail? When Skidmore calls the school "academically rigorous" what they mean is courses are not logically constructed so you'll likely get a bad grade.

Regardless of the in-class lectures, homework, textbook readings, AND out-of-class lectures you are required to watch before each session -- you'll still be confused, overworked, and trying to manage your other classes. Having us watch additional HOURS LONG lectures on top of everything else means this class setup needs to change. It's not working!

Define "introductory" class. There seems to be confusion in the STEM department at Skidmore as to what that means.

My advisor had me take this course freshman year claiming that "pre-meds usually takes bio and chemistry in their first year" which was a massive mistake. This course is packing multiple semesters worth of content into ONE. The value of the class is low simply bc you don't get to absorb it fully while managing multiple other classes simultaneously.

You will be assigned an unreasonable amount of work and then she'll act like you're the problem. Heads up, average score in this course is a C+ and she told us this herself. You will attend lectures in-person, but also be required to watch hours long additional lectures before every single class. Not including readings or "iRAT exams" every class

If a professor has to warn us about the amount of work, maybe someone should think about changing it to be more manageable or even teaching it more effectively. Her lectures are miserable to sit through, she's intimidating and drains the fun out of science. Couldn't have been less inspired. I dropped the course so I can take it at a different Uni.

The class starts out everyday with what she calls "IRAT exams". It is based on immense homework, textbook readings, in-person lectures, and additional multi hour pre-recorded lectures you watch as homework. Yes, it's a ton of work. When she asks us to work in groups, people are confused and practically just stare at each other. Little guidance.

I took the course freshman year, dropped it once I realized it was going poorly for me, then took it again during the summer at a different University (I'm pre-med and it's a mandatory req). I aced that one, and completely failed the one at Skidmore. Definitely a difference in teaching methods, grading logic, and learning tools. Glad I dropped!

Skidmore has a terrible track record of picking faculty. This is just another example. Poor teaching skills and old fashioned approaches that simply aren't up to par with other colleges and universities in our modern age. Very unpleasant experience. Can't wait to transfer. True creative learning is nonexistent at Skidmore. It's a marketing tactic

She sucks the fun out of science. Her attitude and the classroom environment she creates completely ruined the course for me. I learned a lot more on my own simply studying for fun during the summertime than I did in her class.

Her telling us nonstop about just how “hard” her class is was apparently just keyword for not being able to teach content effectively. She preemptively warns you and tries to make it seems like it'll be your fault. I took similar bio courses at a top 20 West Coast Uni and the style of teaching and grading was much better there. Drastic difference

I am tired of hearing people refer to her as "harsh". That is far too nice of a way to put it. She is condescending and disrespectful. She is a grown adult and can act like one. She has the ability to stop being "harsh" anytime she pleases. She simply chooses not to! Calling it "harsh" is enabling her behavior towards vulnerable students.

I got my first W (withdrawal) on my transcript with this class which is a shame ... but it was definitely worth getting out of! I have no regrets leaving this course. Her teaching style and way of dealing with students was certainly not for me.

I'm a pre-med student and was very excited for this course. Regrettably, I left completely drained and not nearly as passionate about biology as I once was. I had to spend an entire summer re-connecting with science on my own time because Prof Hilleren and most of Skidmore's mediocre + very institutionalized professors took my joy from it

Domineering personality, condescending remarks, and automatically assumes everyone starts the class with foundational knowledge and doesn't take into account the diversity of student socioeconomic backgrounds. Instead of working with Skidmore admin to propose a more manageable intro course, she will blame students for not studying effectively.

Stressful + incredibly rushed course. She expects you to watch hours of lectures outside of class in addition to textbook readings. But not only will you watch hours of content, you will be required to do so before EVERY class. We aren't talking just once a week. I think the worst part is her attitude. She embarrassed students for minor questions.

Not worth the tuition. I took a biology course at public university recently for a lower cost and it was better. I honestly hope to transfer out of Skidmore. They truly can't get it right.

I didn't notice my peers complaining that class was hard, but rather that she's condescending and mean. I think most of the upset is that for the price we pay we should be treated well, and given a far more innovative and engaging experience than what Skidmore provides. It falls short of the benefits other schools give their students (for less $$$)

Im still paying off loans from taking this course which I wouldn't mind if I had actually gotten something substantial out of it. Once I took some courses at other Universities I realized how lacking Skidmore is. At the other schools I actually felt supported, inspired, and that good grades were easier to get. The system at Skid is not in our favor

She made comments about attendance of other students to the class. Ultimately, it doesn't affect her personally, so if someone is sick and chooses to study from their home/dorm she should leave them be. They are adults who are paying an astronomical amount to be here yet she acts it's middle school and needs to FORCE us to attend. Took the joy away

Taking this course was like constant CBT while getting an unlubed cactus shoved up your a**.