BIOL BC3360

2 midterms and a noncumulative final. 3 problem sets and a 5 minute presentation

2 midterms, last midterm during finals 3 quizzes (only 3 questions) on papers --> maybe 20 mins each 3 psets (as a group project) --> 3-4 hours each readings for lecture --> 1 hour each

Animal physiology was by FAR the best class i have ever taken at Barnard/columbia. Professor Glendinning is very clear when explaining the material, is super open for questions and is always willing to meet with you if you have questions about the course material. He provides you with slides that you take notes on and his tests come from those slides. When studying for the test, if you know EVERYTHING in his slides, you will do very well on the tests. His exams are very manageable and tho it is challenging it is definitely not impossible to do well in his class. You are also given a couple of problem sets over the course of the semester that summarize class material. I'd suggest starting them a week before they are due because they may take a long time but you can work in groups which makes it a fun experience. You also have a 5 minute disease presentation that you do as a group on a specific disease of your choosing. He grades easily on those. If you have time in your schedule I 100% recommend you taking this class! if you love physiology you will definitely love this class. I'm sad that I'm almost done if I could I would take this class again. You learn a ton and it is definetely a rewarding experience.

Professor Balaban is super nice and passionate about physiology. The course is heavily muscle and neuro heavy, as that's what Professors Glendinning (other prof who teaches the class) and Balaban study. Professor Balaban is generally really accommodating and a decent lecturer. Physiology is inevitably dense and a lot of memorization, but Balaban does try to make it interesting. It's his first time teaching the course so he is definitely still finding his feet and it was a bit disorganized. The tests can also be fairly confusing. I think as he teaches it more it'll run a little more smoothly in terms of pacing. He does make his lectures as entertaining as possible and is clear about what you need to know

6 Group Problem Sets, 3 Exams (non-cumulative), textbook reading, Group Research Article Reviews

i completely completely, vehemently disagree with the past reviews for this professor. While Prof. Glendinning was challenging, his class was extremely rewarding. He is extremely intelligent, extremely helpful when you go to talk to him, and the exam questions are difficult but isn't that what exams are supposed to be? Just because the exam questions require you to think does not mean that they are unfair. His exams were challenging as was the class, but I came out far more knowledgeable on the subject at hand than before, largely due to his help. Workload was difficult but manageable, and his lectures were often interesting and engaging. I disagree about the lectures being boring and straightforward, and am actually surprised to read them as most of the students I talked to were very happy with him as professor. I came back to write this after seeing the terrible reviews, and came to let people know that he is not nearly as bad as they write, and is in fact, extremely extremely good. He is one of the nicest and most knowledgeable professors I have had at columbia, and I strongly recommend him as a professor

Bi-weekly problem sets, sometimes short answer and sometimes multiple choice but almost always ripped from the internet so you can often google your questions. A chapter of textbook reading per lecture. Occasional readings of scientific articles with questions. Two midterms and a non-cumulative final.

Glendinning is an awful grader and gives almost no partial credit, so you can fully expect to master the material better than him and still end up with a B+. If you attend office hours and regularly suck up to him you might have a better shot. Some of the material was useful, but the learning usually occurs through the book on your own, and he is often more of a hindrance than a help. Avoid this class if you can.

6 Group Problem Sets, 3 Group Research Article Reviews, 3 Exams (non-cumulative), textbook reading supposedly optional, but do it

Prof Glendinning is the worst professor I've ever had. He never explains things clearly and instead of trying to explain he just says "you've got to wrap your head around it." His grading is completely unfair, he gives people with the same answers different amount of points. He also gave zero credit for an answer that is what it says in the textbook, that he chose, and made up his own answer. When you go talk to him about your exam, he won't change your grade even if you show him where the answer in the textbook was. He cannot take criticism and will basically ignore your comment in class if it has anything to do with how he might be wrong. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS UNLESS GLENDINNING IS NOT TEACHING IT, YOU WILL REGRET IT. Everyone told me not to take this class and I wish i had listened to them so please take my advice and do not take this class. It will drag down your GPA for no reason.