She's great! She was always willing to try to help you. She's not easy, but she makes you learn.

Very approachable; not egotistical; goes way beyond what is expected to unsure and understanding of the material and overall success; one of the best profs. I've had

Zane really knows what she's talking about and is good professor, her tests are a bit hard, but she's always willing to help you

She was very help, some times hard to follow, but she always cleared stuff up if you just asked.

She really likes teaching. She makes biology easy to understand. Her tests can be kind of tricky, but overall, i feel like i have learned a lot!

She goes out of her way to help students out. She's firm but really funny and easy to approach. Some questions are worded strangely on exams but for the most part the exams are very easy. She's even lenient about letting class out early on a nice day.

i think zane was a great professor. if you were really confused by her lectures, then its partially your own fault. she is VERY approachable and helpful one on one, so if you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask her. she will go out of her way to help!

Zane is an excellent teacher. She's always willing to help and will sit with you for as long as it takes until you understand the material. Her tests are short and fair. If you had trouble in this class then you should stop talking during lecture and pay attention to what Zane is teaching.

She is a great teacher. She makes class interesting.

Great teacher.. very helpful. Sometimes she's hard to understand in the lectures, but if you see her for extra help she's great; she really cares about her students.

Awesome prof. Really listens to her students, helps in the extra help sessions, understands, even giving breaks during long lectures because she is cool.

my favorite professor so far...extremely approachable and fair...she makes class very enjoyable. the class goes in an understandable order so you actually feel like you get an understanding for biology instead of just skipping around topics and going straight through the book like normal bio classes

One of my favorite professors so far. She explains the material well, you just have to go to clas and pay attention. Learn how to take notes well and her tests are just easy questions they require you to think but you actually learn things, not just memorize info and spit it back out. Great professo

The class is very deceptive, while in class and in the readings things seem straight forward and easy, the tests are like they are for a different class. Barlow is good in class, but the tests seem to come out of nowhere.

really good explanations. no need to read the book if you pay attention to her in every class. the tests utilize the knowledge learned.

tries to keep interested and shows many visual displays, but i still found the class difficult.. learning out DNA and RNA just isnt fun!

She tried to get us interested in the material but I don't think she did a good job of it. Her exams were crap, but the final was easy.

Zane's class was tough just cause it was Genetics but she is totally helpful and will do anything she can to help you do better and understand the material!! Go see her, shes great!!

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Wow...the stuff about DNAs and proteins are really confusing and all, but I can see that Prof. Z trys to make sense and explain things out. She's an awesome prof., the subject's kinda over the head at times.

I enjoy Zane's class... she is very approachable and understanding... She takes the time to make sure that you understand the material-you just have to ask...

If u're serious about this class and put in the effort u will do well. Lectures can get a bit confusing but Zane is very helpful during office hours and the SI sessions are also helpful, I'd recommend going. She is very fair on exams, and will free-bie questions that seem to have caused confusion with most of the class.

The best professor I've had to date. The material isn't always easy but if you go to class you don't need to even do that much outside of class. She expects you to do the work, but you definately get rewarded for doing it.

In office hours, she will work with you until you understand what you are asking; but make sure you know what to ask. The lab is hit or miss; for me, a big miss. But, the tests are generally fair. You have to have a strong understanding for what she asks, and simply memorizing things won't help very much. Ask questions on the tests, it helps!!

Always there for you.

you really need to step up in this class because she's not going to do a lot of heavy lifting for you which is good because she prepares you well for what you will expect in college. get a good study group and visit her often. her tests are like fun puzzles.

amazing professor and extremely helpful. answers any questions and will help u as much as u need. tests arent too bad but office hours she gives u awesome advice on what to know and makes sure u know material. easy to talk to and wicked cool

Zane is an amazing teacher. you don't needd the textbook at all but you need to attend every class if you want to try and learn the material well. She is great at communicating to the class and will help you with anything if you ask her. Wicked cool teacher!

If you can follow her teaching style- AMAZING TEACHER... If you can't, ask her for extra help and she is more than willing to help. Too many people give up because they can't follow her in class. That's why you either love her or hate her. But those who hate her just haven't put in as much effort as they could have and got discouraged. I loved it!!

Zane is phenomenal! She really wants to help you learn the material, she is my favorite prof at umass. She actually has office hours that she uses to help you, most prof brush you off, shell sit with you for hours working on the material

Do not take class with her unless you are fairly confident in your Biology knowledge. She teaches a class based on logic and your ability to apply what you learned to new questions. Hard, but WORTH IT. She is a phenomenal professor and knows a RIDICULOUS amount of information. She was AWESOME

Zane is amazing! Her class was definitely harder than the average intro bio class, but if you pay attention and put in the work you will do fine. She has interesting lectures, great stories, and awesome tricks to remember complicated material. Her tests aren't based on memorization, but actual application of knowledge, which is refreshing.

Zane is awesome. The material is confusing, but she will take the time and walk you through it. She makes time for her students and your grade will reflect your effort. One of the best professors ever.

Zane is an awesome professor!! Her classes are so interesting and she takes time to answer every question and make sure the material is understood! She is AMAZING!

Bio 100 is difficult, definitely NOT going to fly through it unless bio is really your thing. Going to class is definite, you get PRS questions and if you miss topics there is no bouncing back. Do the required reading and pay attention. Mostly logical thinking applied to topics learned. She is really helpful, always answered questions & is so nice!

love her, she makes everything so easy to understand, also i like how we are tested on what we go over in class, not on memorizes terms from the book

Zanes awesome. Go to class, have a few laughs, take notes and your'll get an A. The negative comments are from kids who don't study and therefore can't get the A. She's great :)

A difficult course, but she's a fun teacher so, at times, you forget how difficult that the class is. She teaches well though.

I am sad my semester with Zane is over. I will miss her crazy stories and analogies. Her tests were though, but I enjoyed the class.

One of the coolest teachers i've ever had. As long as you go to class you'll do fine. Just an overall great teacher, love that lady

typical lecture, i reccomend going to most classes, uses prs, quizzes every fri except for exam weeks. exams are fair, quizzes are good to boost grade-if you understand what happened in that week then youll do fine on them. zanes a great prof. i recommend bio100 with her.

She is a great lecturer but I thought her quizzes and tests were more about learning how to de-code the question than understanding the material. There was material on the final that we had never learned before. She is not as helpful in office hours as she seems. For some topics the book taught me more than she did.

Zane is a very good professor. She is incredibly intelligent, very well versed in the material covered, and she can be witty at times. If you want to do well, attendance is a must, as is paying attention in class. Exam averages were low to mid 70's. Zane teaches at a high level and a fast pace. Overall, I would recommend her if you want to learn.

Zane Barlow is hands down the best professor at UMass Amherst. She is here for her students and not for her research. The exams are more than fair, they can be tough, but there aren't any surprises. She's fun and approachable. She is very clear when she speaks and has alot of energy to bring to the class which keeps you focused.

Zane is incredibly smart, witty, and a great teacher for those with aptitude. For those of us who struggle a little in science, though, she might not be the best match. Not her fault, she just can't relate. I felt like the teaching was a little over my head. That said, she's very fair and offers all sorts of chances to succeed. Be prepared!

Very interesting teacher. Funny at times, but the class is very difficult. PRS usage makes the class mandatory. The questions aren't usually too hard but it seems like we often go off onto random tangents when we're learning a specific thing.

Made a tough course interesting and kept everyone trying. Only way to do bad is to not put any effort forth. She is there for you. Class is based more on logic than textbook knowledge.

Zane is a pretty tough teacher, but if you follow along and pay attention, you will be able to understand. Definitely not a class you can skate through, and not a class to take for the "BS" GenEd. If you try, there is a potential to really learn a lot though. Classes are PRS based, so it gives you a chance to apply the concepts you learned.

Class is challenging but really interested. If you like Bio you will like this class, if not she might inspire interest. She is understanding but teaches really challenging material and tests are all application. Do well in lab to bring up your GPA.Quizzes every Friday, but lowest one is dropped. Overall an awesome teacher!

Yeah, this class was hard... def used to weed out majors. As for the people who say you need AP lev bio to do well in this, well they are just stupid. I only took intro bio soph year in high school and took this for a gened, did really well and switched my major to bio. She is amazing.

She does not teach at med school level. However, this is not a typical biology class. You don't really have to know biology in order to do well in this course. You just have to be able to think critically and solve word problems that are in biology context. Exam is long and questions are repetitive. If you are a patient test taker you'll do fine.

I love Zane. I have also talked to many other people who say the same thing. Zane helped us when the lab TAs were grading people too harshly, when they showed up 45 min late, and when they "lost" our work

Amazing class, amazing professor. The material was challenging and at times difficult but she really made it an interesting class and truly wants her students to succeed and gives them lots of opportunities to do so. Make sure to ask questions and go to office hours if you are lost, or else you will be left behind.

Zane is an excellent professor. She is the only one I have had this year that truly cares about her students are truly cares about teaching. She is difficult, but she wants her students to be able to interpret complex material and prepare them for more learning in higher levels of the sciences.

All around awesome. Makes a hard subject a little easier to follow

Great professor! Very challenging with her in class PRS problems, quizzes and exams, but she prepares you thoroughly and keeps the material very interesting. PRS counts as 5% of the grade. We barely used the book at all.

by far the best professor i will ever have. tests are incredibly hard but her office hours are very helpful and will take the time to explain anything you don't get. she's hysterical and probably one of the brightest people i've ever met in my life. take this class if you're interested in bio and learning in a completely new scientific way.

Zane is one of my favorite professors. Attending class is crucial, but she makes it fun. Her tests are hard, but as long as you can work through the problem sets on your own you should be fine. It helps to sit next with people who care about the subject and know whats going on.

Very very hard class for an intro to bio class. However if you pay attention it is survivable. She is very helpful and willing to help you succeed if you are proactive. Tests are extremely hard.

Best Prof for Bio 100! I took it with another last year, and failed.. with her, I am getting an A! It's a hard subject, and she expects you to be an active learner, so make sure you participate. But, if you are struggling, she is more than happy to help you. She wants you to succeed in her class.

Zane as a person is really nice and the way she teaches is interesting. However, the class was more logic based than material based which made the tests impossible to study for. The labs are also a nightmare.

Zane is a really awesome person, but you must have A LOT of prior biology knowledge. Her exams are rough, but she is so helpful. Take her instructions to read VERY seriously, and get help immediately if you fall behind.

She's a pretty interesting person and overall a pretty good professor. But, her tests can be unfair and she doesn't give you much opportunity to improve them. So I wouldn't avoid taking her class, I would just make sure to study well for her exams.

Very hard teacher, go to class and office hours and you should do fine. I did all the reading assignments and went to office hours once a week and she explained everything until I understood and did great on all my exams. She wants you to do good, you just have to put in the effort.

One of the BEST professors at Umass. Makes you actually understand the material and see the big picture instead of just memorize and parrot back information. Having her made my other courses easier.

Prof Barlow loves his group projects. He team taught with Prof Becker this semester and they were a very disorganized team and they did not do a great job of keeping up with grading. However, I enjoyed Zane's lectures the most and he did a great job of breaking things down and making you think more critically. His tests questions were challenging.