Genetics online at UC Berkeley extension?

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LaughingGas

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Anyone took genetics online course at UC Berkeley Extension ?
can someone share experiences?
thanks

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since you have no replies i will chime in. i've taken several online science class through berkeley extension but not genetics. generally, i have very high opinion of them. they are a reasonable amount of work, you learn a lot, and the grading is fair. downside is you don't get much communication with the instructor. they just give you scores and a few lines of comment. recently berkeley has a new online site so the instructors are slow to respond because they are still getting the hang of it. you'll do a lot of independent learning that is directed by the lecture summaries or assignments. this may not work for all learners.

i heard of only one instructor who received reviews as being really bad. my suggestion to you is to look up the instructor at ratemyprofessors dot com even before enrolling. you should even call them and ask for the syllabus before enrolling. if they force you to enroll first, you get 5 business days to look at the syllabus and drop the class to get full refund - $35 fee.

in summary, my experience as an independent learner has been very positive with berkeley online science classes. however, you should do some research with the instructor to be safe. i won't give a blind green light but chances are you'll be happy with the course.
 
since you have no replies i will chime in. i've taken several online science class through berkeley extension but not genetics. generally, i have very high opinion of them. they are a reasonable amount of work, you learn a lot, and the grading is fair. downside is you don't get much communication with the instructor. they just give you scores and a few lines of comment. recently berkeley has a new online site so the instructors are slow to respond because they are still getting the hang of it. you'll do a lot of independent learning that is directed by the lecture summaries or assignments. this may not work for all learners.

i heard of only one instructor who received reviews as being really bad. my suggestion to you is to look up the instructor at ratemyprofessors dot com even before enrolling. you should even call them and ask for the syllabus before enrolling. if they force you to enroll first, you get 5 business days to look at the syllabus and drop the class to get full refund - $35 fee.

in summary, my experience as an independent learner has been very positive with berkeley online science classes. however, you should do some research with the instructor to be safe. i won't give a blind green light but chances are you'll be happy with the course.

Thank you for the reply!! What classes and who did you have as instructor?
 
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biology of cancer - david lieu - awesome! very nice, very fair, i learned a lot. he's an expert in his field.

principles of molecular cell biology - john forger - awesome! you do a lot of independent work with him. his homeworks are based 100% off of the lecture summaries (you may want to look at figures from the textbook for illustration). his homeworks (and practice final) give a good idea of what the final will be like. the textbook is only background / reference. so you don't do endless reading only to find out it is not covered in the homework / final. he guides you well for what to study so your studying is very efficient. he too is an expert in his field and worked under melvin calvin (calvin cycle nobel laureate)
 
Have either of you taken some of the Extension classes in a class through Berkeley or strictly online? Any thoughts on the pre-health post bacc?
 
Have either of you taken some of the Extension classes in a class through Berkeley or strictly online? Any thoughts on the pre-health post bacc?

The only annoying thing is that the classes are all over the Bay (SF, Oakland, Berkeley, MV) and you can only reasonably take a maximum of two classes. If you're really looking to stay in the Bay it's a good choice.
 
I've posted this comment before, but I can't stress it enough. You must be careful of which professors you take because a lot of them are downright terrible and don't care if they give you a bad grade. I had a genetics professor give out a majority of C's and C-'s to our class. For a post-bac program like this, you really don't want anything below a B+.


Dr. Lieu for bio of cancer is a great online course...and its super easy.
 
I've posted this comment before, but I can't stress it enough. You must be careful of which professors you take because a lot of them are downright terrible and don't care if they give you a bad grade. I had a genetics professor give out a majority of C's and C-'s to our class. For a post-bac program like this, you really don't want anything below a B+.

i agree with the above but how can i know if the prof is good or bad? i'll have to call berkeley and see if they have course evaluations available to me before registering. on the down side, berkeley only gives you 5 business days to drop.

i know to avoid the online immunology class (enroll anytime version) because i knew a person who said the prof was the like the one you described above (+ ratemyprofessors decisively verified it).

like the op, i'm also interested in the online genetics class. the prof is Keith Earnshaw

his ratemyprofessor reviews are not helpful so i can't get a read on him.

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=1188338
 
I should have been more clear. When you are actually enrolled in the post-bac program and attend class, you have more access to see if you should take a professor or not. You could A. ask your peers in the program because chances are they have had that professor or have heard something B. Ask the program director. He's very honest and will let you know what people think of that professor.

As for the online classes, those are a complete shot in the dark.
 
Are you in the program Amali? If so, how do you like it? Aside from the apparent mixed bag of professors.
 
just as an update i decided NOT to enroll in this class. i understand that he assigns you 700 pages to read (the whole book) and that you are responsible for all of that. he offers very little guidance in his lecture notes for what you responsible for. this sounds very poorly managed and you get no guidance. i'd hate to struggle through 700 pages and find out that the test covers only a fraction of it. the purpose of a course is for an expert in his field (the prof) to guide you with what he thinks is the most important concept. you don't need a course to read an entire textbook! that defeats the whole purpose of a course (besides getting 3 credits i guess).
 
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DO NOT take a course from Keith Earnshaw. All awful reports are accurate; he is completely tuned out and unsupportive, the course and work are poorly designed and there is no guidance for exam except "learn the textbook." He completely failed to respond to any of my emails to him. My experiences with other UCBExt courses have been good.
 
I took Genetics in UC Berkeley. The WORST online class ever! 800 pages book and no guideliness whatsoever. If you have a lot of time and can purely dedicate it to genetics then go ahead.
 
I took Genetics in UC Berkeley. The WORST online class ever! 800 pages book and no guideliness whatsoever. If you have a lot of time and can purely dedicate it to genetics then go ahead.
I completely agree the class is horrible...however I am stuck in the middle of it and i was wondering if anyone had any advice for the final. He said to know the book and the questions will be similar to his module questions. I feel like a lot of the module questions are not in the book and I end up researching what he is asking online. Did you feel like the final was a fair representation of the book or should I study something else? I really appreciate any help or advice. Thank you!
 
i spoke to someone who took your class 3-4 years ago. he said the exam was long but if you did ALL the study questions earnshaw recommended and knew basic / important definitions, it was not too bad. some of the study questions did show up on the exam. there were also some pages where you either had to flat out right the definitions or match them.

he said to know the book

all 700 pages? then what is the point of paying him for the course? we all can read the book on our own.

i really wanted to take genetics in the summer but after your post i won't. uc berkeley has a second instructor also teaching genetics. he's new but the syllabus is the same and i doubt he'll be able to give better guidance on how to study for the exam.
 
What do you guys think about taking the other online UC Berkeley Extension courses, like Intro to Statistics and Immunology? I'm just about done with the prereqs, and want to take some of the recommended classes I haven't taken.

Would it be ok to get stats and immunology over with now online before I plan on studying for the April MCAT? Also thought about genetics, but I've only seen negative reviews for that course from the school.
 
What do you guys think about taking the other online UC Berkeley Extension courses, like Intro to Statistics and Immunology? I'm just about done with the prereqs, and want to take some of the recommended classes I haven't taken.

Would it be ok to get stats and immunology over with now online before I plan on studying for the April MCAT? Also thought about genetics, but I've only seen negative reviews for that course from the school.

NO! NO! NO! Save your money and run. Normally I would say this through PM but I want all visitors to benefit.

Do not take Genetics or Immunology online. Someone I knew well took Immunology online and had a very bad experience. I don't want to mention the professor's name because I'm not here to badmouth anyone...but read her reviews at ratemyprofessors and they are unanimously consistent with what I heard. Stay away!

As for Genetics, I was enrolled in the class for 1 week before I decided to drop out and run with my money minus 50 dollars. The student board had students complaining about the class and there was a thread where students said, "We're tired of googling the answers to the problem sets." Looked to me like the professors just gave you random questions. His "lecture notes" were not specific and did not prepare you for the assignments. You are literally paying someone to tell you to read the entire textbook and do random problems that he assigns you. That is NOT how a course should be IMO. It defeats the whole point of a course. A course guides you through the material concisely and skillfully with the expertise of the a good instructor. You don't get that in these classes. Funny thing is, the instructors were so bad at communicating with students that the student threads in the classroom about how bad the class was and how professors never communicated, were left ignored and continued to grow in chorus - because the professors either never checked or did not care. Btw, another class called Epigenetics was also really bad.

I took online classes with David Liu (Biology of Cancer) and with Dr. John Forger (he may be retired and no longer teaching but he would teach Principles of Molecular Cell Biology and Intro to Biochemistry) and those classes were OUTSTANDING! Their lecture notes were concise and on target. The professor had outstanding communication. The homeworks and tests tested you on mastery of the lecture notes.

I hate to write such a long post but I'd hate even more to see a fellow student spend hard earned money just be stressed out by being told to read the entire textbook and be given random problems that they have to google. Good luck with whatever class you take.

EDIT: Correct this post because I was in the class for only one week. UC Berkeley gives you only 5 business days IIRC to drop out. After 5 business days, you cannot get your money back.
 
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NO! NO! NO! Save your money and run. Normally I would say this through PM but I want all visitors to benefit.

Do not take Genetics or Immunology online. Someone I knew well took Immunology online and had a very bad experience. I don't want to mention the professor's name because I'm not here to badmouth anyone...but read her reviews at ratemyprofessors and they are unanimously consistent with what I heard. Stay away!

As for Genetics, I was enrolled in the class for 2 weeks before I decided to drop out and run with my money minus 50 dollars. The student board had students complaining about the class and there was a thread where students said, "We're tired of googling the answers to the problem sets." Looked to me like the professors just gave you random questions. His "lecture notes" were not specific and did not prepare you for the assignments. You are literally paying someone to tell you to read the entire textbook and do random problems that he assigns you. That is NOT how a course should be IMO. It defeats the whole point of a course. A course guides you through the material concisely and skillfully with the expertise of the a good instructor. You don't get that in these classes. Funny thing is, the instructors were so bad at communicating with students that the student threads in the classroom about how bad the class was and how professors never communicated, were left ignored and continued to grow in chorus - because the professors either never checked or did not care. Btw, another class called Epigenetics was also really bad.

I took online classes with David Liu (Biology of Cancer) and with Dr. John Forger (he may be retired and no longer teaching but he would teach Principles of Molecular Cell Biology and Intro to Biochemistry) and those classes were OUTSTANDING! Their lecture notes were concise and on target. The professor had outstanding communication. The homeworks and tests tested you on mastery of the lecture notes.

I hate to write such a long post but I'd hate even more to see a fellow student spend hard earned money just be stressed out by being told to read the entire textbook and be given random problems that they have to google. Good luck with whatever class you take.

Ok, from the reviews I read, there wasn't one good thing said about the online genetics course. I'll take your word for it as well and just do it over the summer.
 
I should correct my above post and clarify that I was in the class for only one week. UC Berkeley gives you only 5 business days IIRC to drop out. After 5 business days, you cannot get your money back.
 
I'm taking a hard look at Biology of Cancer. How is the course structured? Is each exam proctored or just the final? Any homework given? Do you think I can complete it by the end of the year if I started the class this weekend?

I should correct my above post and clarify that I was in the class for only one week. UC Berkeley gives you only 5 business days IIRC to drop out. After 5 business days, you cannot get your money back.
 
So there seems to be consensus on that Genetics, Iummuno are classes to stay away from but that some other classes are good.

Any opinions on Anatomy or Physiology and their respective labs?
 
I'm taking genetics right now, and I agree, it's a horrible waste of money. Like everyone else said, why am I paying so much to read the book and google questions that have nothing to do with the chapter assignments? I assumed an online course means there are pre-recorded lectures and was shocked to find out that there are no lectures and basically no resources except the book. Unfortunately, I got my B.S. a while ago and am doing some pre-reqs at a community college so this was pretty much my only option... I think in general, extension classes should be avoided if possible. i also took biochem at UCLA extensions (in person, not online), and I also taught myself that class and barely learned anything.

I'm about halfway through the modules... how was the final? I saw that the class average is in the 60's ... =/
 
I am not impressed by the extension classes at all. I took two at UCLA extension. The teaching quality was poor and you have no guidance on the material--which you obviously want in the more difficult classes. Like you, I am doing some of my prereq's at a community college and I am happy with them thus far.
 
I had John Nguyen. I think he usually teaches Ochem at Santa Monica College. The first day of class, he started out by saying - "I decided to teach this class so I can brush up on my biochem".... not a good start.... and throughout the class he made it very clear he had no idea what he was talking about.
 
wow. that's bad.... Luckily so far I had good professors for UCLA extension. Thanks for the info. I'll avoid taking 153C with him.
 
Do medical schools and/or SMP programs accept credit for these online classes?
 
Do medical schools and/or SMP programs accept credit for these online classes?

I think many will. I think the problem lies when students take pre-reqs online (you'd have to look up on MSAR for which schools accept pre-reqs online)
 
I'm taking genetics right now, and I agree, it's a horrible waste of money. Like everyone else said, why am I paying so much to read the book and google questions that have nothing to do with the chapter assignments? I assumed an online course means there are pre-recorded lectures and was shocked to find out that there are no lectures and basically no resources except the book. Unfortunately, I got my B.S. a while ago and am doing some pre-reqs at a community college so this was pretty much my only option... I think in general, extension classes should be avoided if possible. i also took biochem at UCLA extensions (in person, not online), and I also taught myself that class and barely learned anything.

I'm about halfway through the modules... how was the final? I saw that the class average is in the 60's ... =/
Hi im in the same boat as you, doing okay on the assignments but worried for the final because I feel completely unprepared. Have you taken it yet? I'm looking for any sort of help or direction.
 
Has anyone taken Intro to Biochemistry with Nidhi Ahuja?
 
I haven't taken it yet but my session ends jan 26 so I will have to take the final soon.. I am also pretty worried about it =\ my friend took the final a few months ago and she said it was pretty hard. I haven't followed up on how she actually ended up doing in the class but I will be picking her brain more in the next few weeks. If you are taking the final in feb or later I can let you know how it went after I take it =]
 
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I haven't taken it yet but my session ends jan 26 so I will have to take the final soon.. I am also pretty worried about it =\ my friend took the final a few months ago and she said it was pretty hard. I haven't followed up on how she actually ended up doing in the class but I will be picking her brain more in the next few weeks. If you are taking the final in feb or later I can let you know how it went after I take it =]

Thank you, I really appreciate that! I'm just working on finishing up the paper and want to take as much time as I can in studying for the final. I have already finished all the assignments so if you still need any pointers on those let me know!
 
Hi I just found this thread through the search function and was hoping to ask a question about it.

I'm trying to submit my primary application on June 1st. Is it possible to take any of these "enroll anytime" courses and get the grades in time to make that deadline? That's my biggest deciding factor with whether or not to go ahead and enroll
 
Hi I just found this thread through the search function and was hoping to ask a question about it.

I'm trying to submit my primary application on June 1st. Is it possible to take any of these "enroll anytime" courses and get the grades in time to make that deadline? That's my biggest deciding factor with whether or not to go ahead and enroll

they require that you are in the class for 3 months before they can release the final exam. for example, if you get all your work done in 1 month, you still have to wait another 2 months before you can take the exam. besides, most instructors don't like it if you hand more than one assignment per week. once you take the final exam, it can take at least 4 weeks before you get a grade on your transcript. it may even take up to 8 weeks but i am not sure.

you may want to call and ask

(510) 642-4111
Mon.–Fri., 9 am–5 pm
[email protected]

i don't recommend taking a class just so you can enroll anytime. online classes can be a hit or a miss. if you miss, the class will be stressful, time consuming, and the grading will be unpredictably subjective. definitely use ratemyprofessors and other resources to choose your class carefully.
 
I sent you a private message. Please help!
 
I've taken...6 classes at UC Berkeley extension thus far, all in person. I've been enjoying them immensely, and I feel as if I'm learning what I need to be. Of the 6, I had a personality conflict with one professor, but other than that no problems. I've been looking into the MCAT physics and I feel as if I'm overprepared for it (which is as it should be immediately after taking the course) after nothing but the UCBX classes. On that note, the Belmont physics class at UCBX has a really cool prof, so if you're in the area and debating it, definitely worthwhile for that one! I've heard the labs are a joke; not really labs so much as mini review sessions for the actual class, and overpriced for what they are. One crucial exception: Anatomy lab I heard only good things about.
My summary thus far? Worth it for lecture, haven't tried lab and from what I've heard I'm not excited to do so.

Anatomy: The prof is very...hands off. He basically tells you what he wants you to learn, and then leaves you free to do so on your own time. Fortunately, Anatomy isn't conceptual and there is a discrete amount of material, so this approach works. He grades leniently and gives plenty of prep materials.
Physiology: Didn't like the prof (the kind who acts like his class is REALLY HARD when it's just...not, which always feels condescending to me), felt the class was too easy, but I have an extensive Bio background, so maybe I'm wrong on that. I heard other students talking about how much material they learned, so take my perspective with a grain of (biased) salt! If you don't mind easy classes, go for it...I hate 'em.
Neuroscience: Totally worth it. The prof is still doing research full time, has some cool stories, and tried hard to make it not feel like an Extension course. We had group projects, primary literature presentations, research paper, and we covered every single chapter of the book well. All in the 8 week summer session.
Physics I/Physics II: I had the same prof for both. She takes questions throughout and takes the time to look up your questions in her spare time and put them at the beginning of next week's lecture. She really understands the material, and she likes demos. We apparently do more hands-on stuff in her lecture than they do in the labs (which as I said above, I have not taken)
Cardiac and Respiratory Physiology: I am LOVING the subject matter. The prof seems to know what she's talking about, though it's an interesting mix of very in-depth and super basic due to the mix of students in the course. I wish they had a Physio I prereq for it so she could just dive right into the stuff she clearly wants to get to...but when we DO get to it, it's been great thus far!
 
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Physics I/Physics II: I had the same prof for both. She takes questions throughout and takes the time to look up your questions in her spare time and put them at the beginning of next week's lecture. She really understands the material, and she likes demos. We apparently do more hands-on stuff in her lecture than they do in the labs (which as I said above, I have not taken)

Would you mind sharing the profs name? Do you know anything about hedeman?
 
Has anyone taken Cell Biology with Nidhi Ahuja? The midterm and final are very vague...just needing some pointers!
 
Can anyone help with the final for biochem with Nidhi Ahuja. I am finding her utterly useless in providing any sort of clarifiaction or guidence as to what is expected of me. Really worried about the final.
[email protected]
Thanks
 
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Anyone took genetics online course at UC Berkeley Extension ?
can someone share experiences?
thanks

I TOOK GENETICS ONLINE THROUGH UC BERKELEY EXTENSION, WITH SUSAN PARKINSON.

Feelings: NEGATIVE
Genetics is complicated. There's a lot of probability and pattern recognition, in addition to memorization. The homework assignments took a lot of time, were often very vague, and really DID NOT PREPARE me for random out-of-left field quizzes (worth a hefty chunk of my grade). There was no correlation between hours spent studying and my success rate.

Take diligent notes from the video lectures. Write things down verbatim, as obscure lines from the videos can appear as quiz questions.
Comb through the chapters with a flea comb.
QUIZLET! Test bank questions can be found here. Excellent study guide (I learned this too late).
The final exam is based more heavily off your complex homework assignments.
Solutions manual is a MUST.

I didn't want to risk losing my 4.0 science GPA. I decided to switch my grade to Pass/Fail before the final, as I had no way of determining whether I would do well, or bomb it (as I have had similar unpredictability with the quizzes beforehand). I would have gotten an A- in the class, it turns out.

Current feelings: MORE POSITIVE
I now hold a volunteer research position in the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute, where I spend most of my time genotyping mice. I am extremely grateful now for my struggles in Genetics. I would have a hard time following the conversations otherwise. Much of what I learned in that class is reappearing on a weekly basis in the lab. Also... because I took Genetics before General Biology, I breezed through Gen Bio's Genetics section. I felt dreadfully sorry for my classmates then, who were seeing the material for the first time. It is not easy.
 
Taking my final tomorrow in Genetics online. Its been a really hard class. Does anyone have any pointers for the final? Any help is appreciated! If I don't pass this final with a 70% I can't leave for vet school in two weeks :(
 
I am not impressed by the extension classes at all. I took two at UCLA extension. The teaching quality was poor and you have no guidance on the material--which you obviously want in the more difficult classes. Like you, I am doing some of my prereq's at a community college and I am happy with them thus far.
I'm considering taking Biochem CHEM153A, B, C to study for the MCAT as well as satisfying the Biochem requirement for med school. Do you recommend these Extension courses at UCLA?
 
Has anyone taken Cell Biology with Nidhi Ahuja? The midterm and final are very vague...just needing some pointers!
Hi, I am planning on taking this class. Do you have pointers on how to study, the midterm and final?
 
Has anyone take GENETICS AT UC SAN DIEGO WITH LISA LIEVENSE???
 
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