2.1
Quality4.2
Difficulty30%
Would Retake99
Reviews30%
Would Retake
99
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
8
4
11
3
20
2
21
1
39
What Students Say
“Some days she is super nice, but others she's just awful”
BIOL105 - 2.0 rating“Seema Bharathan's cell biology class was challenging”
BIO105 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
72%
Textbook Required
32%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.23 avg changeRatings by Course
CELLBIOLOGY
5.0
(1)BIOL250LAB
5.0
(1)CHEM102LAB
4.0
(1)CHEM102
3.8
(5)BIOL202
3.5
(4)Difficulty by Course
CHEM101
5.0
BIO105BIO211
5.0
BIO105
4.5
BIOL241
4.5
BIO202
4.5
Reviews (99)
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Rude to students, moves faster than any other general chem class. She is unwilling to help students during her office hours. Will lock the door if you are late to her final so you will fail. avoid her if possible!
angry rude lady - may be good at chem but sucks at teaching - avoid her at all cost
HORRIBLE......almost impossable to get better than a C
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by far the worst prof i have ever had...can't teach to save her life...don't EVER take her class
She was hard to understand and didn't explain things well if you had a question. Suprisingly, i found a cool sense of humor in her, but she had little simpathy for those who weren't doing well.
Very hard to understand. DO NOT TAKE if you want to learn chemistry.
worst teacher ever! tests most times had nothing that she told us to study and quizzes are even real hard! do not take her!!
evil.
Material is very hard. Lectures are boring. Studying doesn't really help. Need to do well in lab to pass. Be on time b/c she locks the door. Knows her material, but not very personable. She intimidates people. She does offer extra credit occasionally.
Had her for lab. she sucks. she doesnt care about students. She can be a **** and expects you to understand everything. Accent is hard to understand. Do not recomend if you have another option.
She is only a bad teacher if you are a complete idoit. She seems to have a pleasant attitude, a sense of humor, and is not intimidating. The only problem is that you have to study for the tests..but this is college duh.
REALLY NICE LADY. HARD TEST BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. VERY HELPFUL IF YOU ARE WILLING TO ASK FOR IT. REALLY NICE LADY. JUST MAKE SURE TO DO WELL IN THE LABS B/C IT WILL SAVE YOUR BUTT IT YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO PASS.
She is hard to understand at times because of her accent. You really need to be able to understand the lectures.Even little things mentioned in lecture that seem insignificant may be worth lots on the exams and theyr HARD. She tries to be funny.
Very nice, tests weren't that bad. Study and go to class and you will get a good grade.
Don't take her...
Possibly the worst teacher I've ever had. Teaches an introductory science class like a graduate class.
Do not take her. Not a nice person. She is hard to understand and she doesn't really care about you. Not a good teacher.
Her accent has nothing to do with her ability to get the point across. She knows when she says things that we don't understand and she writes them on the board. The tests are a little tough and she expects you to have a knowledge base before entering the class, even if it is introducotry.
Seema is a horrible teacher.I had a death in the family and funeral was scheduled the same day as a quiz.She said tht she had 200 kids & if she made arrangements for me she'd have to make them 4 every1! I had to b there! Her accent is the least of her problems, she needs to learn how to teach!!
she is by far the worst teacher @ iup. she is rude. u can't understand her, and even if u could she has no idea what she is talking about. she gives u quizes/tests on things that she hasn't even taught yet. i dislike her more than anything, and she yelled at my like 6 times! booo hisss gooo seema!
This was a very challenging class and having a professor who changes up the syllabus when she feels like it doesn't help. I received an A, but it was an A fought with sweat and tears! I do not recommend her. On a couple of quizzes, she put material on there that we had not covered.Teach then test!
Seema was a decent lab teacher. She would always cut out a lot of sections b/c she wanted to get out of there as quickly as we did. Her quizzes were hard, but they were announced and we only had 2 b/c she didn't feel like giving them. She's ok for lab.
Great teacher, would take again in a second. Very helpful. Easy tests if your not stupid and you study the material!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very hard tester. It's a bio class but her tests deal mainly with chemestry (go figure?). Her tests often don't match the material that we cover in class. I'll probably end up with an A or a B in the course, but it won't be because of her remarkable teaching ability. The majority of what I learned I learned from reading the book.
The exams are nothing like what we discuss in class, and most of the material on the exam has a lot to do with chemistry. I have not missed one class and I am still lost. A teacher is what makes the class, and she hasn't "made" the class.
Ugh... She knows her stuff but can't TEACH it to other people very well. She acts like you're mentally disabled if you have a question - very rude! Material was very hard and the key to this class is reading the book! If you don't you WILL NOT SURVIVE! Notes only tell you what sections to know - they aren't worth crap!
Seema is the devil! You would think if you signed up for bio you wouldnt be taught pure chemistry...shes rude and by far the WORST teacher on campus...no joke...stay away
Definitely a hard prof. Has difficulty getting some things across. Never in her office during office hours, I've been there 6 times and not there! But she won't post your grade, or email it to you, only give it to you during her ... not existent office hours! Tests are tough, you have no idea what to study and what you do study won't be there!
Aww, you guys are too mean. Her class is pretty hard, and expect to get a C, but the lady is so nice and sooo funny. If you just talk to her, especially during lab, she says the funniest things. I mean, her ring tone is In da club how can you beat that!
She is a little difficult but very helpful. She makes sure you understand the material. Her tests are kinda hard and there is no homework so quizes and tests are your only hope! She is very friendly too!
Her tests and quizzes are very hard, she tries to trick you by wording questions awkwardly. Her notes are very unorganized and hard to follow. Lectures are somewhat entertaining, but you have to show up to class to be on her good side.
She is very mean, and hard to understnd. She thinks other people are stupid.
No Comments
Shes the worst. Never in her office for office hours and barely responds to emails. Rude when you ask questions like she cant believe you dont understand her
Worst prof. I ever had!! Not only was she difficult to understand, she was completely rude to her students and treated them as though they were idiots, often belittling them and openly making fun of them in front of the entire class. I don't know how she has managed to keep her job this long.
Pretty good professor. She has a good sense of humor, and she explains things very well. You can tell that she wants her "trying" students to learn. She seems to have no use and gets very annoyed with people who don't try and/or walk in late everyday to class.
She was my BIO LAB teacher. This class is so easy. She teaches everything RIGHT OUT OF THE BOOK, and the books lessons are like 3 pages long, so it's easy to keep up with. You have a exam every class since the class is once a week (The exams are half a paper with 5-10 questions). She helps out a lot and the class is fun + easy. She's a fun prof.
when i first read this about this teacher i figured she would be ok cause every bio teacher is rated poorly. this is BY FAR the worst prof. on this campus..first test highest score 54%.. second test average score 60%.. she doesnt care if you pass or fail.. ive been to every class and still dont do well. DO NOT TAKE HER!!!!!
this lady gave our second test back the day AFTER the withdrawl period, so she made no attempt to get them done earlier incase people needed to withdrawl. horrible teacher, don't take
She is a nice person but her tests are ridiculous. They are worded to confuse you and the class average is never above a 70. Her notes are hard to follow and she gets of topic a lot. You basically have to memorize the entire book in order to pass her tests. Even the quizzes are hard and they're only 10 questions.
she doesn't really care about her students, she once said " i dont care if you pass i'm not going to lose my job over it". You DO have to memorize the book to do well, she gives you notes that DONT help at all on the test and changes all the words to confuse you purposely. If shes the only prof. available, wait until another semester to take the cl
She's a little crazy to be honest...And for some reason she seemed to like the blonde kids more(?) Her English is very broken and hard to comprehend and she gets a little bit sarcastic at times. She actually scared me most of the time.
She is the worst teacher. By far my worst grade. The last test class average 55%, test before that 61%. She is hard to understand. Her tests seem like they are worded in a different language. I never missed a class and i have to get an 80 or higher to pass the class... DO NOT TAKE!! take at a different college if she is the only one available!!!
I took this class in Fall 08. She is the worst bio teacher ever. The last test class average 55%, test before that 61%. She is hard to understand. Her tests seem like they are worded in a different language.DO NOT TAKE!! take at a different college if she is the only one available!!!
Her class is very hard. I went everyday and still barly passed. But she gives plently of quizes and if you go to class she remembers your face. she gives a lot of chances to bring your grade up, but some people don't try. She's really helpful if you go to her office but you have to take the time to go. To do good you must go everyday and sit up fro
This is an introductory class, and She does not teach it like that. DO NOT TAKE HER! i got a B but i should have easily gotten an A. Only B i have had in the nursing major so far. She is not helpful or clear and just overall confusing.
She is a terrible teacher. There are no words to describe how frustrating her class is. You can devote your life to it and not do well. She seems to thrive on her students failing, and she takes no responsibility for her tests being completely ridiculous. An A is impossible in her class, so if you're concerned with your grades avoid her class!
Dr. Bharathan's lectures don't always coincide with the exams. THe material on the exam is much harder than what she explains in class. She can be condescending and she does not care if her students do well. I received a B in this class. Read and study the chapters in the book. That is the only way to do well on her tests.
horrible proffessor, incredibly unhelpful, even in office hours, makes fun of studenmts in class, made my life hell fro a semester. do not take!
Really not that bad whatsoever. I don't think anyone gives her a chance. Actually take the time to read the book and study your notes. I got an easy A in the class. She gives extra credit quizzes and curves whenever the class does bad on a test or quiz
I had her for both Cell Bio and an accelerated Microbiology course over the summer and she is extremely difficult. However, she curves her grades a ridiculous amount because everyone does awful. Her classes are hard but not impossible, study study study.
Where to start?? Okay so she is a really sweet lady. I would recommend taking her for both lecture and lab. Even tho the lecture material is hard to comprehend, she reinforces it in lab which really helps. Her lab quizzes were the easiest part just pay attention to what she says and you'll be fine with the lab quizzes.
Bharathan is a good teacher, but the material is HARD. you HAVE TO STUDY and attend class!!! Put forth the effort and do your work. She does not like lazy students. Go to her office hours if you need assistance. She is a nice lady!
Dr. Bharathan is one tough cookie. Her tests are extremely difficult. It doesn't help that she only reads her lectures straight from the powerpoints. She is there to help during office hours. Her tests focus on applying concepts. I believe 3118 students received an A for the semester. Hardest class I've ever taken.
Dr. Seema Bharathan's cell biology class was challenging. You need to study and work for what you want to achieve. If you put the work into the class, you have great attendance, and get to know her, the class will benefit you. DONT (DONT!) listen to the other posts on here, yes it is hard.. But that's to be expected. From 2 nursing majors:fall'14.
Dr. Bharathan likes to teach the basics in lecture and make the students figure out the rest. Exams are very hard; they were all multiple choice but with choices A-E. My highest exam grade was an 81%. The only ways to get points in her class are exams and quizzes. Thankfully, in my class at least, she ended up making all the quizzes bonus points.
This class was awful. I couldn't tell you how many people withdrew or failed. There was no homework and barely ever any quizzes. The only time there was a quiz was when she felt like giving one. The tests were completely different than what she taught. I would advise not taking her. You will never have time for anything else.
She can be confusing, and really makes you work for your grade. But she was always available in her office hours if you put in the effort to seek out help. She's a good professor if you have a solid biology background, which isn't always the case in a 100 level course.
Please get to know her on a personal level. She is one of the most sweetest and helpful professors I have dealt with. Be kind and show her you are trying your best.
Stay away... very far away... unless youre one of her favorites and never miss a class... ever. Oh and text book? Don't even bother buying one cause she makes up her own criteria with nothing from the text book.
She has such a bad reputation of being a witch, and she says she needs to maintain it. Some days she is super nice, but others she's just awful. She gets pissed if you don't ask questions, yet yells at you when you do. She is pretty clear with her teaching, but 50% of exam material was never covered.
She wants you to do well in her class. Very smart and will help as needed. The class is hard but if she knows that you're trying you'll be just fine.
Dr. Bharathan is a great professor and knows her stuff. She made me laugh daily, and understands what it is to be a college student. You have to work hard and study a lot if you want to do well but I think any science class is like that. I would take another class with her in a heartbeat.
Dr. B is very helpful and really cares about her students and how well they do in class. I loved her class, and would take her again. The course was hard but she did what she could to help everyone's grade by including extra homework assignments.
She is the worst professor I have had so far. Her tests do not match up with her lecture so it is near to impossible to study and prepare. I would never take her again.
Very funny and smart. Tests often have material not covered in class or book. Strict but her sense of humor makes up for it. Test are very hard, study more than what you read and take notes on. For human biology, we had a lot of animal questions on tests. Bonus points for attendance if she is in a good mood.
sassmaster. pretty funny. will roast you if you don't know what you're doing. definitely go to class, buy the book, read it, and go to tutoring (get all the help you can) because the tests are hard and you have to know what you're doing to pass
Super sassy. Make sure you get on her good side as soon as the semester begins so she likes you. Tests are super hard no matter how long you study for them. She does curve, so thats nice. Also, her lectures are so boring, but don't have your phone out or she will call you out in the middle of lecture and take it.
Doesn't give homework. If you just memorize the lecture note you won't pass. The exams are all application based which she doesn't go over. No one was doing well and she felt bad so she gave bonus quizzes. All in all, she cares. Just because she cares does not mean that she will make the class easier (it won't happen).
buckle up because this class is a bumpy ride. I attended every lecture and visited office hours and this class was still difficult. I read the text book, memorized the notes, AND went to tutoring. Tests are insanely difficult because you can tell she simply copies and pastes the questions. I did learn a lot but did not get the grade I worked for.
Mrs. Bharathan is a really good teacher, but her classes are hard. Memorizing definitions will not help you. Her tests are all critical thinking based off the notes she gives you, she expects you to think past just definitions to actually how they connect to real world examples. Always get on her good side then youre set!!
Yes the exams are hard, but she curves appropriately and you will get the grade you deserve. People cry because they don't study for them and expect to do well. She cares about her students and is actually hilarious. Show up and do what's expected of a college student, and don't expect any free passes that other profs may let you get away with.
I feel like any 100 level class is so far below her pay grade that she just won't put that much effort into it. Also, she definitely gets pissed if you have your phone out and she loves to call people out for missing or being late to class. Besides that, the lectures were meh, you could miss class but still do decent if you studied the powerpoints.
It's a hard class made harder by a difficult teacher, She openly makes fun of and humiliates students during class and calls people out for being on their phones or whispering even if its a question about the class. She'll make you feel like an idiot even if you answer all of her questions correctly. All the tests are applied knowledge.
When I first got told I would be taking cell biology I was a little excited. After I found out who my professor was I was warned about her and I soon found out why. Although she is funny at times she is very lecture heavy and her tests don't really go with the lecture. Not all of her lectures are on the P Drive as she does not use D2L.
Had her for micro lab. She's not mean, she just expects you to know what you are doing in lab & gets upset if u dont. If you are respectful she will like you. Your only grades are the midterm, final and final lab report. Her exams are tough (there will be unfamiliar info) so you HAVE to study ALL the material she gives you hard if you want to pass.
you have to attend lectures or you wont understand any of the material. she gets irritated very very very easily. as long as you attend class and study your notes everyday you should pass
Avoid her at all costs, your only grades are quizzes and tests so if you don't do good on them you fail , I was up till 2am studying for her test and still do poor , She is very annoying when it comes to people who aren't paying attention , she will stop her lecture just to call someone out for being on their phone, and she will even try to take it
If you dont like demanding professors than I would highly recommend not taking her. She likes to be the center of attention at all Points of the class so dont be on phones or not paying attention. Her tests are nothing like her powerpoints and she wants you to know more in depth but you arent required to buy a book. No homework is given.
Dr. Bharathan is so kind but her teaching isn't the greatest. She reads directly from the slides so it is hard to learn anything new from it. Her quizzes were relatively easy and the final project was even easier. I would recommend taking her if you are willing to put in a little effort.
I took her for a winter class (Biology 313). She seems like a nice person and was easy to teach outside of class for questions. Course relied heavily on the powerpoints she provided. Exams had questions that made no sense, along with having grammatical errors everywhere. Case study questions were difficult and some couldnt be found in the reading.
Dont recommend, can be nice at times but very rude and not understanding even when she tried to be. Class based on quiz & exams only. Lectures dont match exams, gets questions from a question bank but they horribly worded. Slides really dont explain much. Have to study 6+ a day to understand, very much not worth it or your mental health.
Should be a simple & easy A, but no. The quizzes were done terribly the questions never made any sense, repeated questions. Her & her husband, who is the head of the department, both taught the class & NEITHER ever respond to emails. Emailed several times throughout the semester with questions - no response ever. Loved the material, hate the prof.
u will pass. (Biol241 lab) attendance matter. She could be nicer but dont expect it. quizzes are ok dont stress about them. Her exam, midterm & final grade is the most crucial. Most of the questions are from quizlet so she doesnt write these questions herself. Try to remember quiz questions/write them down, they might show up on the final exam.
Dr. Bharathan is a nice woman, but her exams and lectures are horrible and I cannot express it enough. Her lectures do not match her exams whatsoever, its very hard to prepare for an exam when the stuff she lectures about is completely different on the tests!
She's like your sassy foreign grandma who expects you to do good but will also help you (while sass-ily) if you need it. Her lab lectures made better sense than a diff prof that did the lecture. She posts everything you need on D2L and/or lectures it before completing the labs.
Dr. Bharathan is a very straightforward professor. She tells you what she expects of you and as long as you consistently show up she will like you. The quizzes are tough, the midterm was online, final TBD. Personally I found the lab to be very interesting and I enjoy going every week. I would recommend her to others interested in microbiology.
Contrary to popular belief, Dr. Bharathan is honestly a really good teacher. She has random pop quizzes that you won't know about unless you go to class, and she takes attendance seriously. The course is a little difficult and has a lot of lecturing and the material is also difficult. If you show up and make an effort, you'll be on her good side.
This class was super hard because of the way she taught and sometimes she's difficult to understand. To do good in her class she tells you to study what is on D2L, but she will still ask questions weren't on D2L. The only reason I passed lab was because she was constantly curving test grades.
I sadly had her twice. Both online courses. Her exams make no sense. Some of the questions are not formatted right, exam questions were graded incorrectly, and her case studies were impossible. Gives you a reading but if you do not have chegg you will fail those because the answer is nowhere found. Was rude when I pointed out her grading errors.
If I could give her a zero, I would. Most of the exam questions weren't even from the D2L material she told us to study. I am currently failing this lab and am just hoping for some miracle points to appear. If you can take someone else, do it.
She is extremely passive-aggressive. She made a very basic course extremely confusing. There were times when she'd give the wrong definition, and when she was called out on it, she barely explained what she meant. She'd often skip stuff and go back, expecting everyone to still be able to follow what she was saying. Avoid taking her if you can.
Graded on very few tests, and the tests made no sense. Questions were repeated several times on every test, formatted poorly, and were not covered in the provided material. You will teach yourself in this class. Textbook, PowerPoints, and that's all you get. I was so excited for this course material and now I can't wait for it to be over.
GENUINELY EVIL. DO NOT TAKE HER. Her husband is the chair of the department so good luck trying to get anyone to hold her accountable. Does not accommodate valid illnesses. Never responded to my emails. Would single me out to yell at or belittle me to the class. Barely any grades, with very hard exams.
Very hard teacher but gives clear guidelines about what she expects. If you follow them, she'll like you and she can be quite fun to talk too. No lab manual and all information is on some confusing D2L slides. Will test on material not covered in class. Study a lot or you will not do well. Did offer an extra credit lab for 10% boost on midterm.
Hard lab. very hard tests.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
72%
Textbook Required
32%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.23 avg changeRatings by Course
CELLBIOLOGY
5.0
(1)BIOL250LAB
5.0
(1)CHEM102LAB
4.0
(1)CHEM102
3.8
(5)BIOL202
3.5
(4)Difficulty by Course
CHEM101
5.0
BIO105BIO211
5.0
BIO105
4.5
BIOL241
4.5
BIO202
4.5