Pretty tough class with low averages on tests (~60% for each one); participation in discussion matters as your TA will probably be arguing for your grades! The professors (I took with Reue and Lusis) both stress improvement on exams, which can really help your grade if you don't do so hot early in the quarter (it can't hurt you if you don't improve though, only helps you should you improve on the second midterm/final!).

I did pretty average on the exams but scored super high on the quiz and discussion section scores and ended up with an A. There are quizzes almost every day in lecture, and each week in discussion section you'll have a short written quiz and student-led team presentation on the paper for the week. If you're interested in genomics you will definitely learn a lot of interesting info from a lot of cool lecturers/guest lecturers. It's a lot of work though, so while I suppose its fairly doable, for an 8 am elective in your senior year its definitely not worth if you have other options available! Good luck :)

MCDB/MIMG CM156

The class was divided into three professors. Professor Reue's lecture slides are very clear and concise. I felt she was the most straightforward out of the three in terms of organization and lecture presentation.

The exams are still pretty hard and without the practice exams given I think I would have gotten 45% on each exam. Even with the practice exams the averages for the two midterms were both around 65%. The final wasn't too hard but I felt this final was way different from the past finals provided.

Professor Reue and the other professors emphasize two things: 1) participation in discussion and 2) overall improvement in exams. While I have no idea how much participation factored into my grade, I felt my improvement in the final exam boosted my overall grade.

She's really caring and knowlegable. Her lectures are clear and organized. CM156 is one of the best classes I've taken here. The class is hard but I've learned so much. Karen rocks!!!