2.3
Quality4.4
Difficulty34%
Would Retake98
Reviews34%
Would Retake
98
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
9
4
15
3
21
2
22
1
31
What Students Say
“The 3 midterms are VERY DIFFICULT”
GEOG1 - 1.0 rating“She seem like a nice lady but she wasn't a professor I could learn from, she is horrible, avoid if you can”
GEOG1 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.41 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOG118
3.5
(6)GEOG100
3.1
(22)GEOG02
3.0
(1)GEO2
3.0
(1)GEOG101
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HIST100
5.0
GEO01
5.0
GEOG01
5.0
GEOG02
5.0
GEO2
5.0
Reviews (98)
Hate this class! Sometimes she's very clear, other times you wonder what she's talking. There's map quizzes which are a little juvenille at the college level. The tests are ridiculously hard and it feels as though she's trying to trick you. I would NOT recommend her.
I never knew what she was lecturing about and her tests were from left field. I stopped studying after the 1st test because it just didn't matter if you studied. She is very nice, but not a good teacher.
She is a very nice person but a horrible teacher. You sit in her lectures not knowing what on earth she's lecturing about. Her assignments are as hard as the midterms. The test reviews are a sham; the tests have nothing to do with it. I officially hate geography after taken it with this teacher. I'll probably have to retake it again.
Tests have nothing to do with her lectures. Shows slides of places she's been instead of teaching what the book goes by. She is a smart woman, but that doesn't always make for a good teacher. Said she'll curve our final grades, but who knows...
Tests are crazy difficult. I studied for hours and hours, and squeezed a C out of the second test(got a D on the first one), which I believe was one of the better grades. She pretty much wants you to be able to re-write the book. Very frustrating. She's been places and knows her stuff, but lectures are hard to unterstand a lot of the time.
Her tests really are amazingly hard. Attendance is not necessarily mandatory, because she stops officially taking it, but you have six (very difficult) quizzes throughout the semester and you can drop the lowest score. But if you miss one, since they are not scheduled, that is your lowest. suuckkss
Don't take this class
2 midterms, a final, 6 map quizzes, and 2 projects. Her tests are not that hard. She gives you a study guide a week before. The map quizzes are easy but requires a lot of time for memorization. The projects are easy and self explanatory. Her lectures are boring. Between her quizzes and projects, it feels like a high school class.
Shes a very nice person but just not that great of a teacher. I had a hard time understanding her lectures. The tests were super difficult!!! I think I failed them all. The map quizzes were tedious. The assignments were hard too. I walked out early the last day of class thinking I was going to have to repeat the class. But I passed with a C.
While I don't doubt that she knows the material she's not very clear in teaching it. I went to class every day & studied for tests but still failed them all. The map quizzes are a sham you basically have to memorize 50+ locations & are then only asked to locate 15. Test questions were far more complex than anything explained class. Avoid her!
I'm not sure what the other reviewers are talking about. Her tests are fair and easy. She grades easy. She requires participation which means she makes the class give their opinions all the time, so you don't learn much. But she's good when she actually lectures.
She is hard to follow in class and her lectures dont reflect the tests. The projects were easy, just time consuming. She was very nice and super accommodating when it came to schedule conflicts. She let me make up a midterm because I was out of town and didn't dock my grade. The tests were hard. I got C's on all my test but still got B in the class
Easy class if you pay attention and do the work! Her lectures are a little on the dry side, but it's cultural geography... What do you expect! She is a very nice person, and I did learn from her!
So freakin' hard. Map quizzes are killer; her midterms are a pain, and her lectures are even worse; I hate Geography and Geology, but at least my Geology professor actually made the class a bit easier to understand and comprehend. She's in her own little world at times haha.
Super nice lady. This class covered alot so not easy. Her lectures went fast but she'll help if you missed something. Tests were way long, lots of essay questions. Grades fair if you answer with some thought. Concerned about students and cares more that you learn than what score you get. Read, come to class & study. Answers her emails if you write!
Her tests are insane. Straight up. Her study guides are ridiculous, so many questions on them, and to make it worse probably 1/3 of what's on her study guides actually show up on her exams. So frustrating! She is a nice person, but as a professor... if you can take Geog from another prof, DO IT! I'm usually an A study, got D's and C's on her tests.
Her powerpoints are general but her tests are very specific. She grades on the bell curve (though she says she "generalizes" - whatever that means since she can't explain it herself). 2 Projects, 2 midterms, final, some class activities and quizzes. An OK professor overall. I'd rather prefer someone else though. I do like her food analogies though
Her test are sooooo long, but she does let you use an index card. She has a 10 page paper you have to write, but you get to pick the subject. She requires tons of reading from the textbook and from many other books that she puts on reserve at the library. However,her test are mainly from lecture so you don't really need to read any of them.
I enjoyed this class. I do agree that her tests are difficult and very specific, but she is a fair grader. I didn't do well on the exams, but the map quizzes and projects helped my grade. You have 2 projects, 6 map quizzes, and 3 exams. Overall I enjoyed the class and she is a really nice and understanding teacher.
Professor lost assignments, gave useless study guides for midterms and final, extremely hard map quizzes and 2 projects. The workload was alot. Also, she did not inform students she had specific expectations regarding map quizzes. Furthermore, only reason to attend class is to get the handouts. Other than that, teach yourself from the book.
Great teacher!!! Very passionate about the environment and her students! She grades fairly and is more concerned that you learned than what you got on an exam. In the end, she grades based on a curve, and that helps more so if you have a lower grade. I got B's and her tests and an A on the term paper. I say take her! Great teacher!
Do not take her! She is the worst professors I had yet. Useless book. Useless study guides. Useless powerpoints. She literally read EVERYTHING that is on the powerpoints. She also gives out pop quizes. If you take her, good luck teaching yourself because she is useless.
great class its really up to the individual if you keep up with your work you will get an A its a easy class only if you choose to fall behind then u fail...however, i choose to fall behind and manage to get a c so im happy
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! I have straight A's and was very excited to learn Geography. This teacher has ruined it. I study for at least 10 hours for exams and I get a D which is curved to a C. SHe wants everyone to say her exact words on essay questions on test. SHe is sooo boring. She just lectures and sometimes will keep us over.
She is the worst professor I have ever had. She is rude and will not ever let you know your grade. I am calling the department about her because she should not be teaching, she should be dictating a small country.
This is the craziest thing in the world. Cultural Geography, by far the most boring class of my life. i stopped going.. Got C and D on the two big tests. and a D on the final. I was actually gonna take the F i was expecting. Passed with a C+... She grades on a curve. Still wouldnt suggest the class... but it was a plus..
Very nice teacher, but participate, be vocal, and do the work. The tests are difficult but class is averaged. There is so much info but lecture and slides keep it interesting. Make sure to keep abreast of cultural geography topics that are happening. took home a B, though test scores seemed low.
do not take this teacher!!! her class is just reading of the powerpoint which she puts online. she does not take attandence. her study is nothing like her test and be prepared to spend at least 10 studying!!! i studies and still got an F. on the plus side she does grade on a curve.
This is by far the worst teacher I have EVER had! I attended EVERY class, did ALL the reading, studied like crazy, and even set up an appt with her during office hours for extra help (which didn't help), and only pulled away with a B! She thinks everyone is a GEOG major! Don't take her, if you can help it!
This class had me on edge all semester, along with the rest of my classmates. Almost everyone failed the midterms, even after studying like crazy. There's 2 midterms and 1 final worth a chunk of the grade. If you needed help she was nice and helpful but her tsts have nothing to do with material and she only lectures...which is insanely boring. C
The tests were ridiculous. Study guides did not help at all. Nearly everyone failed every single test. I got As on all my projects and quizzes and still only got a C because of the tests. She never took attendance or had participation and yet she docked me points for both. DO NOT TAKE
Tests were hard. Class lectures were boring. Basically a self taught class so tea your textbooks because her lectures are useless. DO NOT take if you just want to fulfill your GE. She grades hard. Three tests and two projects. Don't recommend at all.
Don't take if you just want to fulfill ge requirement. This class was harder than it should've been. Her ppt lectures are disorganized, and the tests are difficult. They're like gambles-they could have stuff from the ppt or book, or they might not, so studying is almost useless for this class. Nice professor though, just gets irritated sometimes.
Very difficult class. Exams are extremely hard, even after studying like crazy. I do not recommend this professor!
This professor SUCKS!!! I am a geography major and she is by far one of the worst. She has absolutely no structure to the course. tests are long and cover things never mentioned. She expects a huge research project and only ever talks about environmental crap in her lectures instead of geography. STEER CLEAR OF HER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Worst teacher ever. Exams are very long and hard, some students didn't have time to finish. 3,000 word research paper. lectures are boring and unhelpful. DO NOT TAKE HER.
I am a straight A student. I recieved a B+ in this class. The majority of the class fails the exams. My advice is to study everything on the study guide to the best of your ability. Don't bother reading the chapters fully, they're too long and time consuming. Study the important concepts; If you try to memorize everything you'll do bad. Goodluck!
DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. Disorganized lectures/ppts. There's only a midterm, final and 2 projects. Just about everyone fails the exams. I took this to fulfill GE requirements. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU'RE ONLY TAKING IT FOR GE. Class is WAY harder than it should have been. She wants everyone to go extremely in-depth w/ their answers, it's insane.
her class is hard BUT if you pay attention and are able to connect big ideas its easy to follow. Ive learned and retained the most from her class and she was very helpful when i went to her office hours. College isnt supposed to be a breeze and id take a class of hers again, any semester!
Sometimes can be confusing and her tests are difficult.
2 midterms, final & two projects. She lectures quickly so its hard to keep up. Shes nice but her teaching skills arent the best. I wouldn't recommend for a GE requirement.
Hardest/worst class I have ever taken!! She assumes your interest in geography is as in depth as hers. She lectures fast and there is an outrageous number of notes to memorize! Would not recommend to anyone!
She lectures very quickly. She has 2 midterms, 2 projects and 1 final. Sometimes she can be unclear about certain concepts and can sometimes on tests expect you to connect an example to a bigger concept. We as a class really struggled with this. She is willing to help you if you go see her but can still be unclear.
Was a pretty challenging course. Wouldn't recommend it for GE but it's possible to pass if you study and come to her lecture.
It's very hard to understand the subject. The lectures go in circles and the test are even harder. There isn't much explanation either. It just happens because that's how the world made it happen.
Toughest class of the semester but if you print out her powerpoints and bring them to lectures you can write notes next to them. Helped me a lot. Plus I wrote "tons" of flashcards for all the vocabulary terms which you will see on all the tests. The hmwk assigns are easy and the online maps quizzes are fun to take. Be sure to have your maps near.
Professor Fridirici made her class challenging but if you did all the work and did generally pretty well on the test then getting an A is not out of the question. I would definitely take class again.
WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER HAD. She lectures way to fast, and the in class not are out of control! I had to buy a entire new note book for all the notes! Her study guides are the just the very surface of what the test involve. Seems like a nice lady DONT take this class with her!
Good. I dug into previous geology knowledge. A lot overlapped. Attend classes. Say a comment in class. Don't miss assignment deadlines. Pay attention. Print the lectures. Skim the book. Start studying early. Ask a lot of questions in class and you do not have to go test through the whole book. Will fall behind schedule. Try.
Her study guides are long and usually won't help much on her exams. She can be tough, however, she is very lenient. She curves her exams and reward students who tries. She doesn't get enough credit for that. If you are a serious college student, you will pass her class no matter how hard it may seem.
Worst class I've ever taken. Also the hardest, pretty sure 90% of the class is doing bad. Based on other reviews seems I'm not alone. Avoid this class if possible. Really wish I would have dropped it and taken it with another teacher
I would not recommend this class to people who have never taken a class on weather before. She did not start from the basics so I struggled a lot with more complex ideas we learned. I thought I would be learning about violent weather (the name of the class) but did not get to any cool weather phenomena until the last 5 weeks of the semester.
I really enjoyed the lectures and her as a teacher, but her exams are HARD! Be aware that she expects incredible amounts of detail of the material on her exams. It's not enough to understand the concept, She wants ALL the details. EX: It's not enough to know A classified areas are tropic, she wants you to know all the subclasificatications too
First time I have felt the need to go out of my way to rate a professor. She is HORRIBLE. Her lectures go extremely fast and if you asks questions she makes you feel stupid, or just ignores your hand in the air. The 3 midterms are VERY DIFFICULT. She tests on things from future chapters so when you get to the test you feel clueless. DO NOT TAKE HER
She seem like a nice lady but she wasn't a professor I could learn from, she is horrible, avoid if you can. She is unorganized and it's a basically self taught class. Her lectures are general and she reads directly off the slides. But her tests are specific and long. If you're taking it for GE it's not worth it!
Please do not take her. Her tests are so hard, they are worded very weird. Weird group projects. EVERYONE FAILS HER TEST. after the curve, 1/3 of the students were still failing
Her exams are extremely difficult! Print out her slides and add side notes rather then scramble to write everything down she is extremely articulate. And every word she says is "fair game" for the exam. Take Natural Disasters is you can- much easier and covers the same GE. Be ready to put in work and fail exams.
Do not take this professor. She is extremely difficult. The powerpoint she gives you is not the same as the powerpoint in class. Her lectures are fast and she expects you to read and know the chapters before class. Pop quizzes are hard, but exams are harder. Her study guides only skims the part of the book, but you need to know the smallest details
She is absolutely terrible!!!! Though you can tell she is passionate about the subject. She knows what she is talking about but, she would be better teaching an upper division class not a G.E. class. I would AVOID her class at all cost. TEST ARE HARD and study guide does not help you at all. Even when you ask a question she gives a complicated answ
If you're expecting an easy A, then you can forget about it this class. This is one of the hardest lower division GE course I've ever taken. Even if you studied the textbook, printed out her lectures, and attended every class session throughout the semester you still won't get a good grade on her exams. Good luck, if you have her for this class.
This is one of the hardest professors I ever had for G.E. for geography. Gives out unexpected quizzes so you must read. Quizzes are hard too. Study guides do not help much for the exams. So you must read the book. Class is composed of quizzes, 4 exams, one paper, and blogs. Exams are worth heavy in her class, so study and read. Boring lectures tho.
Professor Fridirici had a spectacular personality and engaging and informative lectures that covered just about anything and everything in the world. Though exams were tough, if you take notes diligently and pay attention in lecture you will be fine! She is a little difficult on giving help and prefers you to figure it out on your own, just think!
For a GE course, this class was difficult. Majority of the class didn't pass her exams. However if you do take this course with her, it is essential to pay attention to her lectures and draw out the diagrams in the textbook and lectures.
This was a very difficult GE class. Would not recommend taking this class, or at least not with this professor. Midterms are really tough, study guides don't help at all. Pop quizzes are also really difficult. Although, the blogs are easy. Her lectures are long and she doesn't help to make them clear. Just try to avoid taking her class.
Avoid this class and teacher in general. Tests are extremely hard especially when you have not previously taken a weather class. Attendance is mandatory. Online quizzes and blogs are assigned regularly. I'm pretty sure half of the class was also failing. Bad lecturer. Print out the notes(which are 20 pages long)
Try not to take this course with this professor. Very hard tests no matter how hard you study, because she words them difficult for a lower division GE class. She gives study guides, but they are no help at all and expects you to understand the test, especially is the study guide is not relevant to midterms. Again. Avoid at all costs if can.
I attended every lecture and couldn't pass any tests or quizzes. There are three separate midterms. Questions are complex. 1 person recieved a B on the last test. Majority of the class was not doing well. She knows the subject but does not relay the information very clearly. If geography is not your strength, you should avoid her class
Horrible professor. Reads off her slides and pretty much sets you up to fail. Her tests do not reflect her study guide. Don't take her.
I have talked with a few people as the semester is ending. People who'd never gotten a D before said they'll be lucky if they got one now. She grades hard, her study guides are messy, and her tests are super hard. Don't take this class unless you can devote all of your time to it.
Tests are hard. Lectures are boring. Given a study guide but not everything on it is on the test.
Lectures are boring, speaks in monotone voice, she doesn't even try to make it interesting. The first thing she said on the first day of class was "I know this class seems interesting, but it's not. It's boring." Needless to say, she's a terrible professor.
Gives you the most unaccessible articles and videos. One example would be this National Geographic Article, which you need a subscription oe else you can read it only once
I took her Geo 2 course and on one of the midterms there was a class average of 27%. I honestly think just that alone should tell you how her class is. When everyone fails a midterm.
This teacher has verbally admitted that she likes to torture her students with assignments and test which in my opinion is so sad. I highly recommend avoiding her if you have the chance. Her test are extremely hard, and the average of the class is usually low D or F so that should tell you something.
Oh you have an exam? You better have done homework because those are the only As you'll get in the class. For every exam they're absolutely arbitrary questions and then theres an essay section, where she expects you to go so in depth about clouds that you mention the greek god that created them. Absolutely awful teacher.
I was afraid to take her after reading the reviews, but she really isn't that bad. I've gotten a B on both exams and everything else is doable because it's open book at home. I have three children and I work part time. It helps to come to class, as her lectures are really useful, so useful I never really read the text book... like never.
DO NOT TAKE! She doesn't know how to DIRECTLY answer a question, office hours doesn't help,tests are super dense and hard, study guides are long but surprisingly vague, jokes aren't funny,hard grader, quizzes don't help with test. This subject is hard and she doesn't make it any easier.
This professor really was really enthusiastic about what she was teaching. Although it was not the most interesting class, you need to pay attention and take notes. She posts her notes online but it's important to attend class because she takes roll. Her exams are pretty difficult if you don't study. She is very helpful though which is why i passed
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH THIS PROFESSOR! She teaches the class at a level only a geography major can understand. I have never failed a class and this was the first. Tests are extremely hard and study guide is extremely vague. Must attend all classes as she takes attendance and missing will affect your grade.
This class was really difficult. Our whole class did not do well on each test, except for a few. There are about 6/7 quizzes that can make or break your grade. If you can take another professor, do it!
Do not take her. Take Professor Walton instead. I failed this class and thought that I hated Geo. Then I retook the class with Professor Walton. Guess what, I actually like geography. And Professor Walton actually likes teaching and students.
By far my most difficult class last semester. Even my counselor commented on how few students get As or Bs in this class. I forced myself to listen to her long, extremely dense lectures. The course covers SO much info, we lectured up until finals while my other courses were reviewing. Study guides do not prepare you for extremely difficult tests.
This professor is very enthusiastic about the topic and her job. While lectures are not always the most interesting, this professor covers all of the material you need for the test in class. If you study, you can pass the tests, if you don't study you won't pass. Pretty simple
Fridirici's class was mostly lecture-based and she assigned projects with unclear instructions. her tests are not necessarily hard as they are worded odd
She is horrible! Yes she has energy about what she talks about but does not explain what she is talking about well or give good examples. Lectures the whole class and does not give time to write the notes down! Her test questions are like essay questions cause they are so long! My advice do not take her.
Lectures are heavy. tests are impossible. Study guides are like 2 pages long!
This by far has been the course that I've stressed the most about. No matter how hard I study for the exams and the final it does not really help. Her exams most of the time are harder than the study guides she hands out. She is very specific when I comes to grading the essay questions. The average of the class was a D the entire time. Avoid taking
She is a tough professor, but fair. If you go over the PowerPoints and the class handouts you will be fine. She doesnt make it easy, but the class was interesting.
She is absolutely awful. You are better afff dropping out, since you will get an F anyways. The highest score on all her exams received in my class was a 68% , it's rigged.
Does not give clear instructions. Has over 70 plus slides for each lecture. If you aren't a Geology Major please don't take.
She is a great person and will make you work for it. Online quizzes, writing projects, and extensive study guides and homework handouts. She prints everything for you besides PowerPoint but encourages that you take notes along them during lecture. She tells you exactly what she wants form papers and some instructions may be unclear so ask question.
Text to supplement lectures. WORK HARD. Not easy A. PARTICIPATE. No phones, be respectful. Talk to her, ask lots of questions. It's a hard class don't get me wrong. Work hard. Study. Talk with her. She will help you learn how to study. Don't expect an A. But she curves. Attend every day, pay attention, and ask questions and you'll pass. SHE CURVES!
A lot of papers to do. I was lost most of the semester when we had to turn assignments in and she wouldn't give a rubric to see what she's grading. Goes on tangents a lot and the lectures are so long, even though they;'re online you can't use your devices to follow along. Finding the lectures online were difficult since theres a lot files uploaded.
Im currently in GEO 100. Her tests are crazy hard! I think shes a good teacher though and she wants you to pass. I hear a lot of people complain about her teaching style but it is not bad if you pay attention, come to class, and do the work.. If you have any questions GO TO HER OFFICE HOURS! She is very caring and helpful! she grades on a curve!
If you want an introductory class dont even attempt taking Fridirici. She clearly cares entirely about quantity rather than quality, as she zips through her in depth, information-heavy lectures, expecting you to know every detail for the tests. She wants you to build upon concepts that she barely teaches. Test average for the class was a D.
Do not get discouraged by your midterm scores - class average historically for the 1st one is an F, Second one is a D. There will be plenty of other opportunities for point to boost your grade. She will assign a ton of extraneous work not for points, just for check marks - I guess for participation. I liked her class and style and felt challenged.
Overall good class, Fridirici is a good lecturer. For map quizzes, make your life easier and fill out the maps ahead of time. I studied for every test and only received C's because they are so unrealistic and cover material not discussed in lecture. After getting basically 100% on every assignment I still only got a B+.
Prof. Fridirici is super nice and funny but honestly very poor at teaching. Her lectures are unclear and sometimes unorganized. It was difficult for my class to understand concepts because she doesn't explain them clearly. I had to fight for that A by teaching MYSELF all the material. Very difficult class for non-Geography majors.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
98%
Textbook Required
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.41 avg changeRatings by Course
GEOG118
3.5
(6)GEOG100
3.1
(22)GEOG02
3.0
(1)GEO2
3.0
(1)GEOG101
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
HIST100
5.0
GEO01
5.0
GEOG01
5.0
GEOG02
5.0
GEO2
5.0