Professor
Michael Collins
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2020 - Don’t take this class!! He is monotone and boring. He expects you to have a really good background in biology since he goes over very advanced topics. Classes are two hours and very boring. He said too many people did well in the homework so he wanted to make the questions harder even through everyone through the homework was hell. The TA, Jocelyn Cannot take criticism and gets very defensive when people ask questions about the class. She is bitchy all the time. This class has 0 structure and is a shit show.
Spring 2020 - Don’t take this class!! He is monotone and boring. He expects you to have a really good background in biology since he goes over very advanced topics. Classes are two hours and very boring. He said too many people did well in the homework so he wanted to make the questions harder even through everyone through the homework was hell. The TA, Jocelyn Cannot take criticism and gets very defensive when people ask questions about the class. She is bitchy all the time. This class has 0 structure and is a shit show.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2023 - Lectures: Each lecture is comprised of 100 + slides featuring screenshots of scientific papers (mostly data or graphs). Prof begins each slide with "the point of this slide is..." While the lecture was a bit unconventional, I found the information interesting. Particularly for weeks 7-10 where we covered neuro, pulmonary and developmental toxicity. Also, he is pretty funny and sometimes cracks jokes in the middle of lecture. Homework: 4 homework assignments spread out throughout the course. The hw was very challenging, taking several days to complete. It was comprised of reading scientific papers and answering questions about the the content. The questions were tough and his wording didn't help. Ask for clarification if you can. The highest grade on each homework was a 90 percent scored by the grad student. The average on the homework was in the 70's. He is a very harsh grader, but in the end the curve was generous. Exams: there are no exams Office hours: He expects you to have a good scientific foundation before taking his class. As a result of this mentality, he is not the most approachable when it comes to questions. He tends to give vague responses and berates you for not knowing the concepts. Honestly it doesn't feel good and discourages students from asking for help. General advice: Make friends and compare answers on the hw before you submit Go to office hours before you submit the hw Read the article thoroughly and use evidence when you can in your answers Ask him to upload the slides to canvas Overall, I enjoyed this class and would take it again.
Spring 2023 - Lectures: Each lecture is comprised of 100 + slides featuring screenshots of scientific papers (mostly data or graphs). Prof begins each slide with "the point of this slide is..." While the lecture was a bit unconventional, I found the information interesting. Particularly for weeks 7-10 where we covered neuro, pulmonary and developmental toxicity. Also, he is pretty funny and sometimes cracks jokes in the middle of lecture. Homework: 4 homework assignments spread out throughout the course. The hw was very challenging, taking several days to complete. It was comprised of reading scientific papers and answering questions about the the content. The questions were tough and his wording didn't help. Ask for clarification if you can. The highest grade on each homework was a 90 percent scored by the grad student. The average on the homework was in the 70's. He is a very harsh grader, but in the end the curve was generous. Exams: there are no exams Office hours: He expects you to have a good scientific foundation before taking his class. As a result of this mentality, he is not the most approachable when it comes to questions. He tends to give vague responses and berates you for not knowing the concepts. Honestly it doesn't feel good and discourages students from asking for help. General advice: Make friends and compare answers on the hw before you submit Go to office hours before you submit the hw Read the article thoroughly and use evidence when you can in your answers Ask him to upload the slides to canvas Overall, I enjoyed this class and would take it again.
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