2.6
Quality4.4
Difficulty33%
Would Retake104
Reviews33%
Would Retake
104
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
104 total ratings5
14
4
17
3
19
2
22
1
31
What Students Say
“The tests require much more than what is given by Dr”
BISC160 - 1.0 rating“It's not clear what should be studied to be prepared”
BISC160 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.28 avg changeRatings by Course
BISC2
3.0
(1)BISC160
2.7
(73)BISC162
2.5
(21)BIO160
2.4
(7)BISC161
1.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BISC2
5.0
BISC160
4.4
BISC162
4.3
BIO160
4.1
BISC161
3.0
Reviews (103)
Really enthusiastic about the class. She made it quite fun.
She is the worst teacher I have ever had. I am an A student and I got a D in her class. She talks way too fast and you can't understand anything that she is saying. On one of her tests the average was a 40 and no one got an A. Do not take her unless you want to fail.
You can tell she's extremely smart and loves biology. The problem is, she doesn't help you learn the material. She basically just speeds through all of the lessons and hopes you caught all of it! This class is extremely difficult.
Really hard class. Make sure you read from the book every night and do all the homework/quizzes. The quizzes will help your final average.
VERY DIFFICULT CLASS. She one of those people who's really smart but really crappy at communicating that intelligence. Take this class over the summer or transfer it in if possible
This professor is ridiculous. You can tell she's really smart but she's not so great at helping us understand as well as she does. She speeds through lectures and doesn't care if you understand or not. I don't recommend taking this class with her whatsoever. Try to take it somewhere else and transfer the credit. Or take it during the summer.
HORRIBLE DO NOT TAKE! She has no communication skills whatsoever! Save yourself from failing!
Horrible teacher. Shes very smart but not very nice. Doesnt really help when it is needed you just pretty much get the "why are you asking this" look. Expects you to know everything about Biology before the course even starts. Any student who has taken her will agree. Save yourself from the horror. DO NOT TAKE HER
This is a very difficult class. I never went to help sessions or made the effort to ask Dr. Symula for help, so I don't know how helpful she is. This is called a pre-med weed out class for a reason. There is no way around it, you cannot use AP credit from high school. Come prepared and be prepared to spend numerous hours studying.
DO NOT TAKE!!!! Worst teacher I have ever had. She does not care about the class or her student's grades. She is very smart but cannot teach at all. If you get stuck with her then read/ study your book before you go to lectures and prepare to have no life outside of her class.
If you don't go to her office hours then it may seem like she's no help but she really is a good teacher. This is just a difficult class and you have to actually study. and go to her office hours
Dr. Symula's class is very hard and fast-paced. You have to keep up on your notes and reading to get even a decent grade. And waiting until the night before is a big mistake. I never went to her office hours, but she is a very nice lady, regardless of the other nasty comments. Just very straightforward and a tough teacher!
i asked her a question in class and she was rude about it, as in she talked down on me and made me feel dumb in front of other people
She's tough. There for you if you need help, go to office hours, she's nice but a tough grader. Record lectures, test questions are tricky. Study study study, from day 1 if you want to do well.
The best professor choice for Bio 160! Precise, well-delivered explanations, but you had better be good at taking notes from verbal lecture, because her powerpoints only show terms and lack details. She may not be an easy teacher, but it's the nature of the material that makes it difficult. If you don't like biology, change your major.
Dr. Symula, although a very controversial biology professor, has been great for me this semester in BISC 160. Although I haven't had the chance to visit her office hours, her lectures are very easy to grasp, uses great examples, and makes sure you understand the information. She's not out to fail, but genuinely wants students to understand biology.
I can say she was hard all I want but at the end of the day you must take her in 162. So why not start out with her so you don't have to adjust?? I've never given so much time to anything but I wanted an A and received it. Go to office hours EVERY single one of them. This class is humbling be ready for a rude awakening, but never give up.
Hardest class I have ever taken but with that being said it is not impossible. If you put in the work and the study hours you will be successful in the class. Record lectures because she talks fast, go through her lecture slides again, and read/take notes from the book. Good luck!
The class itself is grueling enough but having Symula made the semester infinitely more stressful. Nothing she said in class was of use, and listening to her only confused me more. Ironically, the less attention I paid to her lectures, the better I did on exams. I stopped going to class at all after the second exam and ended up with a B. Self-study
Dr. Symula gets a bad rap. Yes, her class is challenging, but she is not the uncaring, cruel teacher that many students make her out to be. She genuinely cares about her students and schedules ample office hours. Her tests are hard, but if you study a week in advance, you will do fine. Do the work! She's also had some extra cred for few tests
The tests are really difficult, prepare to study weeks in advance.
Dr. Symula is really good at explaining concepts and is very accessible. However, her tests are literally impossible. The average was a 70 and on one it was a 50. The wording is confusing and there are multiple right answers. If you took AP Bio or a lower level bio class, you will probably do okay because you're familiar with the content
First off, Symula is awesome. This is an extremely hard class, and you are expected to work hard. A lot of people fail this class, but it's not from Symula. Bisc 160 and 162 offers plenty of opportunities for students struggling. Take advantage of the SI sessions, extra credit quizzes, and office hours. This is a hard class but it's not impossible.
Everyone is harsh to Dr. Symula but only because she gives a crap about what she's teaching. Don't come in wanting an easy Biology or to become a doctor or nurse or whatever by sliding by. But if you want to learn how to study and completely understand the material, Symula will get you there. Just STUDY and stop expecting college to be like HS!
One of the worst professors I have ever had. This class by itself is difficult but with her teaching it you are screwed.
Many people don't like Symula because of the intensity of the course, but she was positively one of my favorite teachers. She always knew what she was talking about, even if she was going fast. But, you can still pass the class with an A if you really put in the time & effort & have good studying & note-taking habits. It's worth it.
This class is HARD and I hated it. That being said, Symula really does know what she's talking about. Lectures heavily from the book so read it. Take advantage of the tutoring sessions and extra credit. It's possible to make an A, but she makes you work for it.
The class itself is difficult and she is rather difficult herself. Must read, must go to office hours, and must do any extra credit possible.
People are honestly was too hard on Symula. Her class is difficult and its a lot of material, but if you put in the work you can pass. She is really understanding when it comes to being sick too. I was out for a week and 1/2, and she pushed back my test, made sure I had recorded lectures, and put me in touch with another student to get her notes.
very good teacher, but do not take this class if you do not have to. Tests are extremely hard and require lots of prep time before. This is a weed out class to see who is actually good for pre med type majors. Go to office hours, as much as you can. They help a lot.
This is one of the hardest professors I have ever taken. If you do not read and study and you will fail. Symula loves biology, but not her students.
Many believe you shouldn't take Symula, but thats because they don't look at the bigger picture, they're looking for an easy A. But Dr. Symula is one of the smartest women I have ever met. The class is difficult but only if you don't apply yourself. All her tests are based off of her lectures so if you go and take notes/record her, you'll do fine
I was enjoying bio until our professors got switched halfway through the semester and I got Smyula. I studied hours upon hours for her test and thought I knew everything until I looked at her test questions...
SHE GIVES SUCH HARD EXAMS! But you can defiantly make an A in the class if you try. A lot! Go to office hours because she is really helpful and is honestly really nice! She doesn't put anything on the exam that she doesn't go over or tell you to read about so you just have to make sure to do the things she recommends.
Just hard.
She is a good person, but she is just not a very good teacher. This class is very hard, and you need to study every day to make an A in the class.
If you had anything resembling a decent bio education in high school, you will probably be fine. If you never had AP classes or got a poor bio teacher in high school, honestly, its not worth it. You need to have a strong foundation of knowledge going into the class. Otherwise, you wont be able to catch up.
Very difficult professor. Must study and read the textbook. SI sessions are very helpful, but not helpful enough. Multiple choice question exams are overwhelmingly hard even after studying and reading the textbook. Also, there's only 4 exams the entire semester. Take the extra credit quizzes !!!!
I have had her for 2 classes Bisc 160 and 162 and she is the only one that teaches it here. She is by FAR the worst teacher I have had. She is a sweet lady but cant teach her on test. Her test are impossible to pass. I was a straight A student. Get ready to cry every night.
Worst teacher ever. She is the only teacher for bisc 160 and 162 so get ready to fail every test. You can study for hours on her material on everything and still fail. I was a straight A student.
This class was tough. The tests require much more than what is given by Dr. Symula or her team. The extra work was miserable and the professors were not accessible. Fails a lot of students.
Dr. Symula's lectures are not particularly helpful - largely just reads off slides. What's annoying is that the exam material is not representative of what she says in lecture or what the textbook contains. It's not clear what should be studied to be prepared.
The class isn't that hard. If you read the textbook, you can scrape by with an A or B. But Symula is of no help to her students. The fact that my mediocre public high school biology teacher was better is very telling.
Dr. Symula would rather focus more on outside things rather than teaching the class examples: pointing out masks every 3 seconds, pointing outside conversations that aren't distracting until pointed out, and overall focusing more on what other students are doing rather than teaching the class. Also, lectures do not help with any of the exams.
Dr. Symula is by far the worst professor I have this year. She is never available and is unable to competently answer even the simplest questions. As another reviewer previously noted, my high school bio teacher was better suited. Is this the best the University of Mississippi has to offer? Disgraceful.
Dr. Symula is extremely helpful outside of class, especially if you regularly attend office hours and SI sessions. Bisc 160 is a challenging class no matter what professor you have: the material in this class will make you cry. But Dr. Symula breaks down concepts and thoughtfully explains all of the answers to my questions whenever I have them!!
I hate this class. She is mean and rude. does not care about her students. Yells at us for no reason like were children. Terrible lecture slides. Spends half her lectures fighting with her ipad . doesnt test on what she lectures on. Exam questions have no correct answer- which she admitted to in an email- but doesnt give us points back. Hate her sm
She does not care about her students. Her tests are rife with errors--which she admits to in emails--but does not give points back. Simply a bad teacher. High school caliber.
This class has the highest fail rate at the uni. The professor does not make it any easier. I do not know anyone who has gotten higher than a C on any of the tests so prepare to be getting D's. 50 minutes to submit 40 questions that take longer than the time given to answer. You feel rushed. Everything else is easy. But it is a test heavy class.
This class has been the worst class I have taken at Ole Miss. She simply does not teach what are on our exams. Most of the tests consist of things we do not go over in lecture. There have been chances for extra credit after 90% of the class failed an exam, and even when she tells us what will be on the extra credit opportunity, most fail that.
Dr. Symula's class is one of the more challenging classes that I've taken, but she does her best to make sure we understand the material and she gives plenty of opportunities for extra credit. She is a very good lecturer. She explains the material very well and always stays on topic in class. I would take Dr. Symula again.
I think people are way too hard on Dr. Symula. Bisc160 is a very challenging class, but if you take good notes on her lectures, you have all the information you need to do well on the tests.
I got thrown into the deep end with this class. I was mistakenly guided into her class by my adviser and could not drop because of hours. I still tried hard, reading and really taking thorough notes in lecture. Still failed EVERY. SINGLE. ASSIGNMENT. was NOT accessible during my free time. rude and mean. always been a good student but this sucked.
People that fail this class do it to themselves. This class is VERY difficult and requires good study habits and interests. It's a required premed class, and you will not survive if you party constantly and never try. Dr. Symula is very nice and helpful outside of class during her office hours and she really does care as long as you put in effort.
Symula is never available. She does not respond to emails. She is often late to class and her notes and teaching are disorganized at best and incoherent at worst.
Not gonna lie, for an entry bio this class is hard. That said, she is a great professor. She knows what she's talking about and if you take good notes in lecture, go to office hours, and go to SI you will be okay. You definitely have to work for your grade, but she does give extra credit assignments and the class is not impossible to do well in.
Symula gets a worse rep than she deserves. Yes, the class is very hard. There are also over 600 students in the course, so she can't be the most attentive to every single one. She does care, and gives an extra credit opportunity to add 5% to your total grade. This class is for science and pre-med majors so it is just preparing us for the future.
Worst teacher at Ole Miss
At the beginning of the semester, I had Jones and, while boring, he was bearable. Halfway through, we all switched to Dr. Symula. The entire time she was really boring while being super tough. The class got exponentially harder when she took over.
A difficult class with a difficult professor but definitely do-able with time and effort. SI sessions were a big help. Tests are open note but you definitely need to know what's going on beforehand to do well on them. I heard a lot of people struggled with this class but I also know a lot of people who ended the class with an A.
Very condesending in and out of class. She doesn't work to help students. She has weird and confusing grading so no one knows their real grade throughout the semester.
her tests are hard. going to lectures is very important. lectures are boring though
VERY difficult for an introductory biology class. The tests require intense knowledge of the textbook and consistent lecture attendance. There's decent extra credit opportunities, but it's really a necessity with how difficult the actually graded content is.
People complain about Bisc160 and Dr. Symula a lot- they are not that hard. With all the extra credit you have a chance to add over 6% to final grade. No problems with Symula, only dislike how she stops lectures when kids whisper, and she would always go over. Lectures really help though, and if you take good notes you will succeed on the tests.
Dr Symula is often harsh and rude to students and yes, the class is hard. But it definitely is not impossible with SI and extra credit opportunities. However, her lecture is super thorough so it is easy to take good notes which help a lot on tests.
Although attendance is not mandatory, it is important to go to her lectures. The lecture slides are very minimal so listen. If you do not read the textbook, you will not pass the class. She does not want to help you understand your grade in her class and her grading is unclear.
Honestly as a professor Dr. Symula is good in lecture, however almost everything else is a mess. If you're schedule doesn't allow you to meet during office you're SOL, e-mails have a long response time. You can get 5-6% of extra credit. I ended up with a 255/300 (85%) with extra credit and somehow got an A, so there might be a generous curve.
This is a notoriously difficult class. Dr. Symula is a good lecturer, you just have to get used to her style. Write down what she says, not what's on the slides. Attendance isn't mandatory, but you can't miss if you want to do well. Attend SI! It is the most useful resource. Online tests. You just have to be ready to put in the work.
WORST lecturer ever!!! Never allows students to ask questions during lectures and makes her office hours during times when most students have classes. Lecture notes do not resemble tests or homework. Creates busy work during weeks of tests. You literally have to be Charles Darwin mixed with Einstein to know all the questions she asks.
Kind of embarrassing that Ole Miss only offered one teacher for non-honors Biology when I took both BISC 160 and 162 last year. It was a guy then her. IMO she is not that great. He was better. Tangents and calls you out for not paying attention. Relies more on what she says than the lecture slides. Wouldn't advise skipping. It will hurt you.
For people that think they want to be doctors, this is actually VERY EASY. Do all the extra credit. Write what she says in lecture(then re-type and control F for test) and you will get at least a B on all test. The final is 80% old test questions. Only hard part is homework, but go to office hours and she pretty much tells answers. BISC162 not hard
Worst class on earth nothing you learn will be on the test her goal is to fail you. She refuses to help you out in any way. Is obsessed with frogs.
studied very hard, failed both her quizzes. I was very glad when the teachers swapped half way though the semester
GO TO OFFICE HOURS, this is one of those classes where you want her to know you, the hw are hard and if you are confused go to her she will help. I went from Jones to her and compared to him she was amazing cuz we actually discussed exam question during lecture. go to SI, bio mentor meetings don't know how i ended up with an A, but those helped
Hard class. Hard Professor. Get ready to memorize so much stuff.
The class itself is a weed-out class. Unfortunately, as an incoming freshman, I was not prepared for what was bound to be a hellish class. The class itself may be difficult but despite that, it is very well possible to pass. DO THE EXTRA CREDIT every week it is very helpful. Attend SI's study and read at least every other day.
This class is a challenge but not impossible. I took notes by literally typing everything that she said. It helped so much because the bulletpoints on the powerpoints were terrible and gave zero explanation. I HIGHLY recommend taking the extra credit quizzes and attending the SI sessions.
Worst teacher I've ever had in college
This teacher gives extra credit but it is not a good class. It is very test-heavy so if you don't test well you will not do great in this class. The content is a lot more boring than expected and it is hard to do well.
I don't understand why people hate Symula. She understand what she teaches and does a good job explaining topics. Read the book, take good notes, and starting studying a week before the test and you should be fine
The people who rate her badly are just rightfully not meant to be in higher-level medicine. She is an excellent lecturer, speaks clearly, engages with students, and uses applicable case studies/statistics to help learn certain concepts. Do the extra credit quizzes each week (given, imo), pay attention, and most importantly, go to SI !!!
Does not curve the final. The lecture content she teaches is so boring and will never be used ever again. The section of the semester where Dr. Leary comes and teaches is hard but is actually interesting stuff that will come if you are doing medical school. Claims a 70% on finals is good which I am not sure if it is close to failing.
Dr. Symula genuinely cares about her students. She has a bad rapport so I was nervous going into her class. If you attend lectures, take notes on what she says, and do all of the assignments you will be fine. She has extra credit quizzes for 5% added to the total grade. Go to SI and mentor meetings. She is a great prof. and I would take her again.
Symula is a great professor! She is known to be tough because she does include some tough test questions, but she is beyond eager to help you out during office hours! I recommend listening and taking notes on what she says not what's on the lecture because you'll get the lecture posted later. She does teach the more difficult topics though.
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT!!!!!!!!! Better than Jones, but still very hard.
The way she taught worked well for some others, but was a bit tougher for myself. Questions on tests may seem like they cover the tiniest things you discussed in class, which was a little harder for me. When it comes to material, she is very well versed in what she talks about, but just a bit harder to apply what she teaches. Trust, you got this!
Pure lecturing most of the time, which some people dislike, but I found the way she covers the material to make it very easy to understand. She is careful about the amount of time and slide-space she spends on a given topic, and she is very clear about what will/won't be tested on. She is tough, but she's effective.
Focus on the little things in lecture. Also recommend doing the pre-reads. It is nothing but lecture in class, but she is clear on what will be on the exams vs what won't be. I also recommend attending the SI sessions when you can.
Dr. Symula is a great lecturer and really knows how to explain the material. Her tests are extremely hard and all about application, so just memorizing stuff won't get you very far. Reading the book is super important in this class—don't skip it like I did, or you'll fall behind fast. She's a great professor, but be ready to put in the effort!
BISC 160 is a tough course if you do not have a strong background in bio. Dr. Symula explains the material well in lecture, but the tests are tough. They are very detailed, so pay attention to what she includes on her slides. Even though it's not required, reading the book helped me succeed in this class. Overall, BISC is not as bad as people say.
She is very much difficult, but much better than Jones. Don't just study the slides and what she says in class because most of the info comes from the book, so PLEASE READ!! I barely made it by because I literally just studied my notes and the slides so I've learned my lesson.
Please avoid taking BISC160 entirely if you can.
I have nothing good to say about this professor. I am still traumatized from taking this class. I went to every class, SI session, and office hour and still didn't do well. I enjoy biology and did well in BISC 160, but this professor would say something once, which would be half the test. I felt like I took this class to fail. I wish you luck!
She is pretty nice and knows exactly what she's talking about. She is a genius-- which doesn't make it any easier for the students. She moves quite fast through lectures and her tests are super tough. You really have to apply yourself here and use critical thinking. All I can say is GOOD LUCK, and PLEASE use the SI!
Horrible lecturer. Good luck knowing what will be on test from her awful PowerPoints. Yells at people in class she believes are talking (maybe schizophrenic?). Would never take again.
She is not a difficult teacher despite what most people say, although she expects respect from her students during lecture. She provides PLENTY of extra credit and small points so that you can make C's on every test and still pull out an A. Get ready to use your planner to stay on top of everything! SI is a live-saver because they know the ropes!
Dr. Symula knew what she was talking about for sure, but I feel like sometimes she forgets that students may know nothing about the basic information that her lecture is BASED on. I know students don't really get to choose their bio teacher, but GO TO SI!! Yes, this course is difficult, but the extra credit helps and SI sessions will explain notes.
These tests were actually so hard for no reason. i liked her but its time to stop making the intro bio class a weed out course. shes likeable and funny but its hard to do well without putting 100% in. mostly freshman take this it just feels evil to make it that difficult to succeed
The teachers for the Bisc 160 series including Dr. Symula are just too smart and they forget that their mainly freshman students do not know everything. They assume you already know information. SI does help, but the tests are just unnecessarily difficult. This is a weed out class, and hurts gpas.
Dr. Symula gives great lectures and answers questions thoroughly. PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS and GO TO SI SESSIONS!!! The SI was really a make or break for my grade because they give so much more information. Dr. Symula mainly went over concepts and SI went into specifics necessary for the tests. Reading the textbook is also really helpful.
She is a wonderful professor, and she really saved my grade. She was a little strict, but after dealing with Jones, it helped. Ignore the bad reviews, if you actually pay attention to what she says you will not have to touch that book a single time.
She was a great professor. She is the reason I passed the class.
Dr.Symula was a great lecturer. She often got irritated and sometimes it was unwarranted. Before exams, I took notes from the textbook using the cheat sheet we were allowed. I went to SI study sessions and also studied the extra credit quizzes as those are old exam questions. Focus on understanding rather than memorization.Put in effort to do well.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
78%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.28 avg changeRatings by Course
BISC2
3.0
(1)BISC160
2.7
(73)BISC162
2.5
(21)BIO160
2.4
(7)BISC161
1.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BISC2
5.0
BISC160
4.4
BISC162
4.3
BIO160
4.1
BISC161
3.0