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Anyone took genetics online course at UC Berkeley Extension ?
can someone share experiences?
thanks
can someone share experiences?
thanks
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.
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?
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+.
nvm.. seems he is a terrible professor
here are the links:
http://it.spcollege.edu/course_info/inquiry.cfm?number=1755
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=521752&page=2
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=590723&page=3
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 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.
he said to know the book
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 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.
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.
Do medical schools and/or SMP programs accept credit for these online classes?
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.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 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 =]
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
I sent you a private message. Please help!
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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)
JuddWould you mind sharing the profs name? Do you know anything about hedeman?
Judd
I know nothing of Hedeman, sorry
Anyone took genetics online course at UC Berkeley Extension ?
can someone share experiences?
thanks
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?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.
Hi, I am planning on taking this class. Do you have pointers on how to study, the midterm and final?Has anyone taken Cell Biology with Nidhi Ahuja? The midterm and final are very vague...just needing some pointers!