Cell Biology:
I really like both Haas and Gharkhanian, but I learned much more material from Dr. G than my own research "leader." In the second half of the semester, her explanations about intracellular trafficking, which I expected would be a whole bore, made it not only interesting, but more understandable about this specific concept. I'd grade her even higher for lecturing about apoptosis & cancer, which she made it even more intriguing than I imagnined.
Microbial Ecology:
I only took this because of a major requirement. Dillon is also an exceptional lecturer, but because I don't find ecology as exciting as I thought I would, my disinterest got me mediocre results on his exams. At least I'm able to grasp a few items I've learned, such as bioluminescence & wastewater treatment using microbes, plus enhancing my problem-solving skills on how to use the molecular methods on some unknown microscopic creature.
Bacterial Pathogenesis:
Oh, my, fuckin, goodness. This is the most disappointing class of the semester. Way before the 1st day of his class, I thought this would be the my number 1 subject out of all my other classes, & I was highly ecstatic to learn all the details & how certain pathogens cause diseases like STD's and gastroenteritis. But throughout spring, I tried several different tricks & strategies to learn, absorb & comprehend his material, butI still had my teeth grinding, obtaining upsetting results when taking both his quizzes & tests. Let's put it this way: he sucks! Zhang is surely adorable, very nice & enthusiastic, but to pull in the lectures & the stuff we need to understand was like sticking two magnets, both facing the negative sides to one another. The textbook & choppy notes he posted were no help; the only thing I learned by heart was when my friends & I orally presented about Helicobacter pylori. So I'm really sad about this atrocity, but hopefully immunology next semester will cure my MICR 320 grudge. If only I had the other professor from UCLA (shut up, Fia).
Biostatistics:
This was another semi-B.S. class since it was another major requirement. However, I'm super glad that I took Baldi than any of the other professors who would teach this class. Her casual attitude, unlike the rest, is what I like, saying that in the real world we use TI-83/84 calculators & programs like Minitab to calculate our findings when we undergo real experiments. But the lab version was a total drag, & word had spread that a different grad was a more effective T.A. than he is. Oh well, I'm glad it's over.
Finally, the 2nd half of Biochemistry:
I thought this would be the worst of the class during the beginning. Lots of teasing & sarcasm infiltrated within the classmate circle to cope with Acey's disorganized, random lectures and WTF-tests & quizzes. However, I had adapted to his 2nd & 3rd exam because I knew how he'll ask us. Yet, I can't go cocky over this since I don't know what to expect on his final, & I do want my final to be the highest score to twofold & bump out my crappy 1st exam. The more I knew his personality, the more I felt sympathetic, because I could tell that he loves to helps his students during office hours by his frequency of asking us via voice or email to visit him . However, his ratty attitude in lecture intimidated the heck out of all of us, & thus we would be hesistant walking into his corridor. Nevertheless, I'm quite surprised that I could handle biochemistry way better than bacterial pathogenesis, unfortunately...
Wow, I wish I had more positive feedbacks to write about, but hey, this is crucially my worst semester for everything, well with only very few exceptions. But next semester should be much better. Just move on, acknowledge my mistakes, keep up with the work-play balance, improve self-discipline, & continue learning while studying hard.
"Good luck." =P
