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Dr. Xianpang Xu (Fall, 2020)

Pretty disorganized in delivering the materials, tests were not terribly difficult but were very hard to finish in the allotted time because they involved very long calculations.

Textbook: Not Required, It wasn’t helpful

Methods of Evaluation: Tests, Assignments

Dr. Xu (Fall, 2020)

Textbook: Helpful

Methods of Evaluation: Tests, Exams, Assignments

Dr. Xu (Fall, 2020)

The content was fascinating, but very very dense. The tests always felt very crammed given we only got 50 minutes to tackle problem solving based multiple choice and short answer. Textbook was basically mandatory since you need to purchase Mastering and DSM for 14% of your grade in the course. Test question could get pretty similar to Mastering which made it a good resource for studying and being prepared for evaluations.

Textbook: Required

Methods of Evaluation: Tests, Assignments, Group Projects

Dr. Xu (2018)

The course changes a lot depending on who the prof is in terms of evaluations!

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Dr. Xu & Dr. Dworkin (Fall, 2018)

Don’t take this is you don’t have to. Worst class I’ve taken at Mac by far. There is far too much content and not enough lecture time to adequately go over anything. The textbook is your best friend particularly when Dr. Dworkin starts teaching. The second midterm is a mess, not enough time is given and it’s just a mess. The course is a mess. The DSM and mastering genetics (online hw) are very time consuming, this course definitely demands more attention than other 2nd year courses. That being said, the online hw gives you a free 15% so it does cover up if you mess up the second midterm and final exam. STAY AWAY IF YOU CAN.

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Dr. Xu & Dr. Dworkin (2018)

This course is mandatory for most, so I won’t go into why you should take it so much as some tips and tricks! The course is pretty difficult overall, especially if you have poor time management skills. Keep up with the lecture material and course assignments! The assignments are weekly and pretty long, so I recommend splitting up the reading over the week instead of doing them all day-of (which I did and did not enjoy). The textbook is very important for Dworkin’s section so make sure you have access to it, whether you own it or are sharing with a friend. The group chat saved my life, join it! And help out when you can! There are 2 midterms (45%), 2 tutorial assignments (10% for me but I heard they’ve decreased it since) and weekly online assignments (15% overall). The final exam is 30%. Good luck!