2.0
Quality4.4
Difficulty30%
Would Retake92
Reviews30%
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
2
4
11
3
18
2
19
1
42
What Students Say
“Her trademark phrase : "I want you to know this for the test, wait no, just one part, actually just memorize the WHOLE THING" Tests are unpredictable because of this, but the curve helps”
BIO2200 - 2.0 rating“Although I am expecting a B out of this class, she's still the worst I've seen and it is almost comical how bad she is”
BIO3200 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
59%
Textbook Required
62%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.34 avg changeRatings by Course
B
4.0
(1)2600
3.0
(1)BIO22OO
2.8
(5)4370
2.5
(2)BIO5060
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
2600
5.0
MICROBIO1
5.0
BIO3200
4.7
MICRO2200
4.7
2200
4.5
Reviews (92)
Really ! No one is good
She talks way to fast, and doesn't example things on her powerpoint. Her powerpoints are simply outlines, and you need to read your book to understand the rest. She expects you to know certain concepts ahead of time.
"Essentially" she is very scatter brained during lecture. She'll tell you to not worry about details of a process and then say well it's good to know for general knowledge and then go back and say to make sure you know the details for the exam. VERY CONFUSING. 2 positives: 1. BIG curve 2. She speaks clear english unlike half the profs at Wayne.
This class is extremely difficult. She reads super fast off of her slides. Is rude when you ask questions in person or in email.
Terrible. Does not post study guides and does not answer questions about her exams, which include questions not talked about in lecture. Has some knowledge but does not display it well. Save yourself.
I overestimated the difficulty of this course before the first exam. She did't provide a study guide of what was going to be on it, but it turns out that her sides ARE the study guide. Nothing was on the exam that wasn't on her slides unless she said to read that section. 30 basic questions that require understanding, not memorization.
As easy as it gets
Dr Higgs knows her staff really good, but she doesn't possess a good teaching skills. In 55 mins lecture she you would cover 65 slides that requires a ton of time to understand. She runs really fast over the slides, and the stuff she focuses on lecture are useually not on the exam. if I had a chance I wouldn't take it with her.
Started by reading the book, but her exams are pretty much off the slides. She is really fair in that aspect. She does ask specific questions on the exams BUT its all covered in her lectures and on her slides. Know the slides AND!!! what she says about them and get an A like me. Definetly would take again.
The worst science professor I've ever had in my life! Lecture's are not clear, it's not even hers, she gets it from different universities. She reads right off the slides and doesn't explain anything on it. Her tests are even worst, she doesn't give out study guides cause she's lazy. She expects too much from a student
She doesn't even cover the material she tests students on. The lab work is horrible and unnecessary, on top of having to know 28 chapters for the semester. If you have a life outside of college, don't expect to pass this class. She doesn't make the lectures interesting either. Expect to sit through 40-50 slides every lecture.
Her trademark phrase : "I want you to know this for the test, wait no, just one part, actually just memorize the WHOLE THING" Tests are unpredictable because of this, but the curve helps.
Although I am expecting a B out of this class, she's still the worst I've seen and it is almost comical how bad she is. She crams 10 detailed facts onto one slide, abbreviates or uses acronyms for everything, and doesn't actually explain anything, just reads them off quickly, in a low and unclear voice. Multiply that times 60 slides per lecture.
does not teach, just rambles off of slides. she tries to cover as much as possible in the 55 minutes. claims she makes tests off of the slides, but makes questions and answers extremely tricky. changes one word to make answers wrong. answers set up like all of the above, none of the above, a & c, a,b,&c. basically, this class was miserable with her
This was her first time teaching in Wayne state, so choosing her was definitely a gamble and the worst too. I had high hopes of having an A for this class, but thanks to her it isn't going to happen. This class was soooo hard. I literally studied everything and felt confident after the exam, until I see my grades. All I'll say is avoid at all cost.
The worst professor at Wayne State. Expects her students to know everything and tries to cram 60 slides per lecture. Very rude and not helpful one bit. Claims she writes questions straight from her slides, but it's not true. If anything, take BIO 2200 with Professor Thomas instead, way better than Higgs. Do not easily expect an A with her.
The worst mistake I made was taking this class. Studying didn't help at all, I might as well have just guessed on exams. Wouldn't have affected my grade. She gives 60+ slides and runs through them as if its a race to finish the most chapters. And exams are ridiculously hard and tricky. The best advice I can give for her class is to NOT TAKE IT!
There's no doubt that Dr. Higgs knows her stuff, however; does she know how to project her knowledge on the subject in a classroom? No. Exams are tough, 30 multiple choice exam over 6-7 chapters. I would not recommend her.
This teacher has got to be the best teacher i have ever had. Clear, Kind, and Fair are the best ways to describe her. The test were exactly what she said they were going to be and everyone i know did well. Also i am completely joking. She is everything opposite of everything i just said. All this aside, with the curve the class is manageable
Higgs is a pretty good professor. She tests you on basic concepts but expects you to understand the details. Her exams are tough. There is always a choice for all, none, or 2 of the above. She tests to see if you know the material but then curves the exams a ton. Keep up with lectures and do well in lab and you should do just fine!
Worst teacher ever. She talks so fast in class that your brain can't comprehend what she's saying. He exams are insane but no worries because everyone fails and the curve is great, but the worst thing to do is depend on a curve to help your grade. I'm gonna leave it at the fact that 102 people didn't pass the class. Good bye.
Microbiology is obviously a very tough and detailed class. Dr. Higgs is very intelligent and many people that took this class did not know what was coming their way. Many people commenting below are just lazy and didn't prepare for the exams. I studied for about a good 3-4 days before exams and got an A on each one. IF YOU STUDY YOU U WILL Get AN A
Students mostly beat themselves out when it comes to microbiology. That added with Dr. Higgs' confusing details and unwillingness to answer questions is tough. I beat myself on the first 2 exams and then got A's on the last two but only studying off her slides and echocenter. Not bad, but be prepared to start studying from the first day of class.
higgs is a terrible professor due to the fact that she is RUDE, not helpful, and has unrealistic expectations for her exams. The curve helps a lot but she is still absolutely horrible and it is extremely hard to get even a B. Do not take this professor and waste time, effort, and your sanity.
She is a tough professor no doubt. Microbiology is a really broad course, and she touched on topics that SHE thought was important. I would suggest not taking it with her, but if you do read material before class, pay attention to minute details and when she says it's gonna be on the test study that!
Dr. Higgs is very intelligent when it comes to microbiology. She is more than willing to answer your questions in office hours. The subject itself is difficult and not interesting. Her exams were extremely difficult. She seems to test her students on topics in great detail. If you can avoid taking this class with her, then avoid it.
Christ, she knows her stuff but CANNOT teach microbiology. Her test questions aren't bad but her answer choices are abysmally unclear and purposely frustrating. Get ready to spend 20 minutes on an exam question only to find out later that there are 2 possible answers. HARD professor, manageable material.
Don't make the mistake of taking microbiology with this professor. No matter how much you study, the exam questions still make absolutely no sense. She should not be teaching an intro level class. Unless you have time to study for this class, and this class only, do NOT take it with her.
Horrible.
Higgs knows her stuff, she just can't teach it. Students struggle preparing for her exams because there is no outline; basically, whatever she discussed during the powerpoint is game. If you are the type to commit studying only the weekend before the exam, sign up a different semester.
She does not know how to teach microbiology. Do not take her. She is a good professor and a nice lady and all, but she simply lacks the talent of teaching. I would not recommend her to anyone.
Moves very fast and is not very clear. Tests are tough, poorly/confusingly written, and over arbitrary info. All test questions are multiple choice with options A-E. I would avoid her if possible. I thought A&P was bad, i think this class is worse.
Dr. Higgs is very knowledgeable when it comes to microbiology; however, the class itself has difficult content. She expects you to have a full understanding of what is going on, which is what school is about. While there is a lot of material on her lectures, they are posted. If you study, and pace yourself with the lectures, an A is achievable!
Worst professor! I spent hours each day studying her lectures and reading the book. I even spent time at SI and hired a tutor. She is nice but makes this class IMPOSSIBLE. DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH HER IF YOU ARE PRE-MED OR PRE-HEALTH
I had Professor Higgs for fall 2015 semester. She claimed she wanted you to know the main concepts but then would ask you very detailed questions on the test about multiple things. The average for each test was usually a D/ D+ . The lectures were easy to understand, however the tests were nothing like that.
She was an okay teacher. I got an A in this class by listening to the lectures the day or two before the exams and then reading the slides once afterward, and once the morning of the test. I thought her lectures were very clear and she was fair with tests. The lab is annoying because of daily quizzes and the lab notebook, but keep up and its okay.
Her tests are tough, and requires you to read all the answers carefully or you will be fooled, take your time. Tests have a lot of information covered, and it is not clear what will be on them, resulting in studying a ton of information. She basically reads from the slides, but must attend class due to clicker points.
I enjoyed this class however it is a lot of reading and memorization. You must understand mechanisms on a molecular level and basically memorize what they are and distinguish similar processes between organisms. She will help you if you ask her, however you must approach her and talk to her. Much of this course is just understanding how to learn
This spec. topics was for microbial communities & honestly this isn't a blow-off class. She lectures on things, we learned different experimental approaches then we read primary lit. using these things. It's a tough class but I think it's very helpful for your BIO writing intensive course. Very approachable & always went over prereq stuff.
She really knows her stuff! It's clear that she's passionate about what she's teaching and, if you go into class ready to learn, you'll do great. It's important to know that college biology classes actually require you to put in time outside class to do well, and this was no different. Read the book, pay attention in lecture and you'll get an A.
If you have to take Micro at Wayne, take it with her. This course is a ton of work but she structures it so that if you put the time in you'll get the grade. Includes extra credit and 1 dropped exam. Bad news is the lab and lecture are both a lot of work. I respect her though. Hard course, but she's pretty fair. Just know you need to study a lot.
She reads directly from her slides that she doesnt post until the night before at best, mostly the day of, and adds very little to no extra information. She says she wants you to know general concepts and asks very very specific questions on her exams. Study guides she makes are worthless she avoids most of that content on exam.
Honestly one of the worst professors I've ever had. She reads directly from the slides and she doesn't seem to care that she moves super fast and things are so rushed. She will tell you to focus on something and none of it would be on an exam. Doesn't care about her students.
This is the worst professor I've ever had. She rushes through lectures because she's behind. Makes the tests 30 questions on 6+ chapters and asks about stuff she barely talked about. Always rude to people who ask questions, only talks about her research like she doesn't even care about this class. Take it with someone else.
She doesnt explain things well . She doesnt care students. She cares about covering the chapters to give you the exam on time . She skips so many helpful videos. Exams are so difficult. Average grades on the exams were 65 % , 65% , 74%. She is so rude with students.
She just reads ppt slides without explaining in lecture, but expects everyone to show up. The exam question are practically your whole grade; but exam questions are not worded well and are overly confusing even if you know all the information. The lab portion of the class sucks. She does not help you to retain the information.
Most of the information on the exams are not discussed during lecture, or are skipped over. Do not take with another hard science class.
AWFUL, by the worst professor Ive ever encountered! Reads off slides, exams are on 6-7 chapters with each chapter being roughly 80slides, Exam reviews are posted but no answers are given. TOTALLY unapproachable, unless you want to be yelled at and devalued. Dont even think about asking questions in lecture or she'll be rude and degrading. AVOID!!
WORST BIO PROFESSOR EVER!! So rude and doesnt care if her students pass. She will give you an exam on a bunch of chapters and doesnt even care if you understand it she just rushes through them!! She is VERY unapproachable and gets mad if you ask her to explain a concept. Never in a million years will I take her again!!!!!
This professor is a hoe. She is very mean and rude to her students because she expects people to understand something the first time they are learning something. The lab is fun, the lecture is dreadful because of her: 1) Shoving material without covering it, 2) Rolling her eyes at people when questions are asked. Avoid at all costs. Take elsewhere
Not very helpful in promoting student success, can be a little blunt/rude. Tests are not that bad, everthing is on the slides. Lecture isnt very helpful for that reason. Lot of material to know for each exam but doable
Dont get me wrong, microbio is a difficult class. Regardless of your professor, youre going to have to put work in on your own. However, she is just plain RUDE. I have never seen a professor disrespect students and make students feel so stupid in my three years of college so far. Discouraging and does not care if youre failing. Not made to teach
Okay, I understand this is a hard class, but this lady didn't make it any better. I had a question on the format of the class during week 1 and she simply rolled her eyes and was huffing and puffing at me. She really is a Big Bad Wolf. She loves to roll her eyes and say "Get out of my class!" Never take her PLEASE!
To whoever is looking to take this course with HIGGS. First, she is VERY RUDE. Second, she makes you look dumb if you asked her any questions. Third, she rushes through the slides with each chapter being 70-80 slides and each exam covers 4-5 chapters. Four, she reads off the slides and doesn't seem to explain. Lastly, her exams are EXTREMELY HARD.
Microbiology is not an easy class to begin with, but Dr. Higgs made it more than tolerable. Her exams were extremely fair if you pay attention to her lectures. She is passionate about the material she teaches.
I would never take her class again. Her lectures are all over the place, as is she. She tries to jam as much material as she can into each test and does not care about her students at all. She is mediocre at best. If you are looking to not care about any of your other classes, this is for you.
Class is hard, but it's not to hard to get an A. Write notes, read the chapter, and make a group app and share test banks
She is in general a bad professor. If you ask her a question about something thats going to be on the exam she will reply with, "sorry i cant answer questions about content that will be on the exam." WHAT QUESTIONS ARE THERE TO ASK WHEN THE WHOLE GRADE IS BASED ON THE EXAMS AND CLICKER QUESTIONS
It is obvious when you take Professor Higgs' that she does not want to be teaching, she just is there for her research. Very poor at explaining things, rushes through processes, hates to answer questions from students. On the bright side, the lab for micro is very helpful and a lot of fun!
Professor Higgs is a tough professor but not unreasonable. She expects a lot but if you pay attention in class and read the book you should be fine. She tends to read form the slides a lot and can talk extremely fast but lectures can still be helpful. Don't talk during class or she will call you out.
To be honest, Dr. Higgs is a decent professor. She does not go deep into detail when going through content, but will have videos from the textbook posted, which go into detail and are very helpful if you are confused. There are extra credit opportunities. If you read the book when youre confused and watch the videos, youll be fine for the exams.
If you're the type of person that can learn on your own by reading the book then you should be fine taking her. If you're not, I suggest you avoid taking her and take it a different semester. She's very rude when you ask her questions, she rushes through the material so she can cover everything for her exams. You basically have to teach yourself
The course itself is TOUGH bc it covers a lot of material. Be prepared to read and study ALOT. She's not a horrible professor, she is tough, and can come off a bit intimidating but you can def pass her class with determination. Go to her office ours after every exam to check your answers to help you understand the material better and the final!
Penelope is one of the toughest but manageable professors I ever had. It's really about cracking the code to decide how to tackle her class. What I did was dedicate the majority of my time to go over her lecture with a study buddy together any chance we have and take note along the way. If you can manage that her class will be more understanding.
More of a soft-spoken drill Sargent than a qualified educator. Take the class and youll see exactly what I mean. She does not have sympathy for the workload she puts on students. This single class workload is enough to keep you busy for an entire semester. Its more than physically possible for an average student.
Dr. Higgs is a great professor. Yes, she can get frustrated mid class at students, or give out (what I think) really tricky questions in exams. But she teaches really well, and if you give an ear and a heart, you'll learn even by merely attending class. She expects a lot from her students, micro isn't typically known as hard, but it REALLY is.
Im writing this review for the students who usually get As and aim for As in their classes. it was very difficult for me so let me give some advice. her tests are very lecture based and she WILL pull out a word she mentioned only ONCE in her lecture to put on the test so pay VERY close attention! shes not a bad prof but study hard and very often!
Highly recommend. Will push you to do well and be the best student you can be. My advice is to read the textbook religiously, highlighting and/or taking notes. Then make notecards, especially focusing on the lecture material. Doing well in this class will take *hours* of your time. Also, Dr. Higgs is asocial.
worst professor i have ever taken
Lectures are rushed. Lecture exams cover 4-6 chapters but are usually 30 questions on an obscure point she *might* have covered exactly once. Forget about a curve. Higgs is rude, petty, disagreeable when students ask questions and disorganized. Take this class somewhere else.
Not empathetic, and doesn't care about your feelings.
Microbiology isn't an easy class to begin with. I think Dr. Higgs is very passionate about what she teaches and cares about the material. Sometimes she can be blunt, but people make her out to be MUCH worse than she is. If you genuinely put time into the class and want to learn the material you'll be fine.
RUN! Thats all I have to say...
Professor Higgs is good at explaining content if you pay careful attention to her lectures. You must know how to study effectively for this class in order to do well. Lab final is highly specific and you must know how to memorize everything. Higgs promised a curve, but never gave it in the end. Overall, you must work hard to do well in this class
People complain a lot about her on here but she was super caring during the pandemic and bumped my grade up and I was not even borderline, so she did curve everyone's grade. Exams are hard but still manageable if you listen to all of her lectures and take time to study the material. She also offers extra credit for attendance and hw points.
Dr. Higgs is definitely a smart lady and I learned a ton in her class. That being said, this was the hardest class I have ever taken. At the end of the semester, I barely had a B in the class after studying constantly. Luckily she curved the entire class and I ended up with an A. Dr. Higgs isn't terrible but I would not take her again.
So rude. It was terrible, and I cant emphasize enough how much.
Higgs exams were hard with so much content to study for (written response only) Tough questions and tough grader. Expects you to know everything she does and everything from Cellbio she expects you to have retained. The good news is exams were only 175 total points, 200 points for homework and participation (in-class quizzes). You can get an A
This professor is impossible - do not take her. Highly critical, nit-picking every word you write. Unreasonable expectations. You have to be able to read her mind and produce EXACTLY specifically what she wants. Toughest grader I've ever encountered - coming from an A student who has taken much harder and higher level courses than this. Just no.
I really enjoyed this class. She grades quizzes extremely hard. Participation is mandatory.
Trying her best to be one of those professors that has these hard classes, that only a few do well on. Studying her exams are impossible, as her exams arent correlated with anything she teaches. However she did hold office hours if you even needed them which could be helpful.
DO NOT TAKE HER SHES HORRIBLE, she makes u hate your life and criticizes your answers on the exam making u lose posts of points even if u consistently prepare for the exams it feels impossible to achieve a good grade without the in class assignments helping u.
BIO 3250: normally i'm an A student, but exams are very difficult and are all short answers including the cumulative final. she does not curve no matter how terrible the class averages are (our class had a consistent D average). you get one exam drop and that's pretty much it. if u have the option to take this class with anyone else please do so.
Worst prof ive had by far, very tough grader steer clear, will take pts off for every minor thing wants you to read her mind, will never give full pts on anything. exams are fully written.
GET OUT she's horrible I had to drop this class because of her. She would speak in lecture like we were already supposed to know the material (insanity). It was not an easy environment to ask questions either because she speaks super fast, before you've finished writing down what she JUST said... she's already onto the next slide. Prayers to y'all!
Reviews here are rougher than it seems. Shes a hard grader; conceptual, short ans exams. BUT she provides 200/375 as free buffer. Gives partial marks, sample exams & remodifies old qs (with new) for cumulative. Not a perfect prof, but imo easy high lvl bio class for an A. It's memory and concepts, not just typical mc which is why people complain.
Hard but doable. There were online quizzes and assignments which were basically free points, as if you got 85% or more of the offered points, she would give you 100% of the points. We had three exams & the final, but one was a FULL drop. The questions on the ch. reading guides were what she focused on when it came to exams, so study them for an A.
Run far away from her. The only good reviews are from nerds. She is the worst professor ever and I hope she gets what's coming to her…
For any student with no choice but to take her as a prof: A is DOABLE. She's flawed but the course layout itself is ok and lessens pressure for exams. I didn't attend any lecs (watched live or recorded) & ignored textbook to focus on lecture ppt. I studied guides and thought broadly about the overall application on top of memorization for A. GL
The best word to describe her is... mercurial. Some days she is very nice, but other times she gets mad and becomes rude, even if you're just asking a clarifying question. The class itself isn't too bad, but it's a lot of memorization. She is a tough grader and will occasionally take off a large proportion points for a simple mistake.
I had a 4.0 before coming into this class, I just couldn't work around it she expected us to understand everything, and just reads over and goes like uk this i don't need to explain this, very hard professor and acts as if a curve will end her life, would not recommend at all.
As an exchange student, it has been a lot to adjust to with the differences between education in my home country and here. Dr Higgs made it incredibly easy for me, I think that a lot of people may misunderstand her. She was very accessible, her strictness is only because she wants what is best for her students. My favourite prof!!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
59%
Textbook Required
62%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.34 avg changeRatings by Course
B
4.0
(1)2600
3.0
(1)BIO22OO
2.8
(5)4370
2.5
(2)BIO5060
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
2600
5.0
MICROBIO1
5.0
BIO3200
4.7
MICRO2200
4.7
2200
4.5