Douglass Forbes - University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA

Professor: Douglass Forbes

Department: Science

College: University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

PRO: (1) Obviously cares about students. (2) Practice exams provided. CON: (1) Refuses to podcast lectures, post lecture slides before lecture, or post electronic copies of practice exams and keys. (2) Very dense class - lots of material in a short time (even for the quarter system). (3) iClickers for each lecture. (4) Vague exam questions.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Great professor and truely cares about her students

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Pretty good professor. Her powerpoint slides are well organized and easy to follow. She clearly knows what she's talking about. Tests can be a little vague though in terms of getting full points (sometimes, it's not clear what constitutes a full answer). Memorize everything on her slides, and you'll do fine. Would highly recommend her.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Loved Dr. Forbes. I earned a D on my midterm (1 midterm, 1 final) and worked incredibly hard to do well on the final so I could drop my midterm score. There is a lot of material but it is absolutely doable to earn an A. Forbes cares a great deal about her students and makes it clear as to what she will test on. Memorize lecture slides + handouts!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Forbes is a great professor. She genuinely wants her students to understand the material and to succeed in their careers. Her exams are representative of the lectures and the handouts. KNOW EVERYTHING ON THE LECTURES AND HANDOUTS and you will be golden. Also, she allows students to drop their midterm score if they do better on the final.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This is one of the hardest classes I have taken at UCSD. I worked so hard. Don't lose hope I got a D on my midterm and pulled through in the end and did exceptionally well. She is the most caring professor I have ever had in my entire UCSD. No teacher would take a whole class day to encourage students except her. She is a true gem and excellentprof

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I found this class to be the easiest upper bio class I've taken so far, and it's probably because of Dr. Forbes. Exam questions can be vague at times, but just memorize her handouts AND lecture slides (for small detail questions). Lecture had clicker Qs and there are quizzes in section. The final and midterm were very straight forward. Take her!

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Her tests are exactly like her slides so my advice is just memorize them. Clickers and discussion mandatory. Lectures go really fast but take a second look at slides after she posts them. There's a LOT to memorize so put in the work. Dr. Forbes is one of the most caring professors and genuinely wants to see people succeed later in life.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I love Dr. Forbes! Yes, her lectures can be a unorganized at times, and it can get boring.. But she's very considerate of her students and will always be there to guide you through life in general. If you want to pass her class, however, memorize every bit of the slide because her style is straight out memorization.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

First of all this class is one of the hardest classes in UCSD because it is detail oriented. I took this class with Wilhelm before and dropped because I didn't like his teaching style. Forbes is better. Her exams are representative of material but for some reason I got a D lol. It's okay final I'll get a good grade. It's 40% MT and 60% final but

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Horrible Professor! Designed the Midterm which requires more than 1 hour and 20 min. Research Paper is also included in the exam which is ridiculous when there is so much material to memorize. DO NOT TAKE HER!!!!!! SHE REFUSES TO POST MIDTERM ANSWER KEYS ONLINE EITHER! NO PODCAST PROVIDED TOO which is super hard to take notes!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Forbes is an amazing professor, she is always ready to help. Clickers are necessary and quizzes are taken during discussion, so you have to attend both lectures and discussions. Her tests are really fair and are always representative of the material taught in class. The handouts are more important than the lecture notes.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Forbes is a great professor. Her lectures are super helpful. She emphasizes on what she wants you to know for her exams and she actually tells you what will be on the exam. Her exams are fairly easy if you study her lectures and your brief notes. She also drops your midterm score if you do better on the final. Easy quizzes in section! Take her!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Prof Forbes is decent. She explains stuff in a lot of different ways so that everyone has a way to visualize the concepts but if you understand the concepts the first time, it gets boring and makes it hard to organize your notes. Its no easy class but she isn't a bad professor to take for it.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Although Dr. Forbes tries to prepare her students for the STEM field by various means, she fails realize her presentation of the material is highly unorganized and her exams are written in a way only she could understand. Instructional assistants are NOT allowed to provide any tangible resources to students without her permission. Try to avoid.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Forbes is a great professor for Cell Biology. The lecture notes may seem to be too much, but once you understand them, they are quite doable. The Midterm and the Final are straightforward, and the 2-3 DOTTED lecture slides and the HANDOUTS are essential when studying for them. You gotta KNOW those two things to get A's on both exams!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Forbes approaches cell biology in a refreshingly straightforward manner. She covered all the fundamental concepts thoroughly, and I left her class with a solid understanding of the basics of cell biology. Anyone who reviews her slides after every lecture should not encounter difficulties earning solid A's on both her midterm and final.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very well-organized and clear in lectures. Exams were very fair and representative of the lecture material and handouts. She's an amazing professor who clearly cares for her students. To do well in this class: attend lecture! Take good notes. And then take notes of your notes. Make sure you know the handouts intimately.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very nice professor who cares much for her students, but is extremely disorganized, making it very hard to take notes. There is a LOT of material to learn and the TA's are no help because she is clearly not very selective when choosing them. Handouts are horrendously cluttered and very hard to look at. AS Notes are basically mandatory.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BICD110
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

As a senior, I'm sorry to say that she is probably the worst professor I've had at UCSD, doesn't matter if she's nice. Her notes are incredibly disorganized, her handwriting is messy, and her time management is horrible-30min of inconsequential small talk followed by 50min rushing through her slides every lecture, almost always going over.