[BIOL 0145]
Cell Biology and Genetics

Rate This Class

Professor: Combelles, C

Value of Course / Overall Score

Not Much (0%
Average (8%)
Valuable (92%)

Material

Friendly (0%)
Average (28%)
Competitive (72%)

Class Atmosphere

Boring (48%)
Average (48%)
Fascinating (4%)

Prep Time Needed

1-2hr (0%)
3-5hr (40%)
6-8hr (44%)
9-11hr (16%)
12+ hr (0%)

Grade Weighting

Harder (36%)
Average (0%)
Easier (64%)

Adequate Assistance

Yes (100%)
No (0%)

Would Recommend Class

Yes (88%)
No (12%)

Evaluation Comments for Combelles, C

  1. Professor Combelles is brilliant. Seriously. Take this course with her. She is absolutely the sweetest woman too, besides being the most comprehensive lecturer I've ever had the pleasure of learning from. She truly cared to answer every student's question until the point where she knew the understood it, so don't be afraid to ask questions that are truly comprehensive because she knows the answer, and will explain it like a champ. She speaks fast so taking good notes is crucial, and the material is often engrossing enough that the 50 min class period never feels like wasted time as it may with other professors. Take her class!!
  2. I didn't take AP bio and haven't taken a bio class since 9th grade, but I found this class manageable and did well. You have readings due before each lecture and online quizzes to test your knowledge of the readings. The quizzes were ultimately very helpful in keeping you on task. It was essential to do the readings, because lectures were fine details of the "basics" you read. Lectures could be a bit dry... Tests were challenging but very fair. Combelles expects a lot but you learn a lot. The "cell hell" reputation is based solely on the lab section which was pitiful.
  3. Combelles wrote her thesis on microtubules. She knows a lot more than the textbook but this makes the class very confusing. Her test questions are bizarre and frustrating.
  4. I love her. She is awesome. I love bio and I loved this class with her. It is a lot of memorization, but If you like bio its awesome. The lab component of the class sucks, but her lecture is awesome.
  5. "cell hell?" nah brah. This course was one of my favorites at midd, and combelles is the best. Take good notes on the reading and lectures (she emphasizes things not adequately covered in the readings... exam material!) and you're golden. Hardest part was the lab, but if you put the effort in, you can get what you want there too.
  6. Combelles is a fabulous lecturer. Even if the material seems completely baffling the first time she presents it, by the time the exam comes around, you will have it down. Just do the readings before class, not after. This class' bark is way worse than its bite.
  7. Professor Combelles presented a lot of material everyday, but she made it really intersting and was very dedicated to teaching the course and making sure students were challanged yet understood the material. She seemed to really enjoy teaching the course. Labs are a lot of work and there is a lot of studying, but overall if I had to take this course again I would glady take it with Combelles.
  8. Be ready to take notes quickly, because the professor talks quickly, but she is an amazing professor who makes the subject fascinating. I loved this class!
  9. Do not take this class with Combelles. I came into this class with no background in biology and nearly died in this course. Her lectures were all over the place and she did not go over background concepts clearly. I read the book, both before and after lecture, studied hard, and yet I still had a great deal of difficulty understanding the material. Some people say her accent is hard to understand (French) but I had no difficulty with it. It was how she would not explain a very basic concept then test on a more difficult one without clearly explaining the gaps. Quiz grades were a perfect bell curve, ranging from 25 (no background in biology) to 100 (took AP bio and strong background in biology). I am not kidding. I got a decent grade in the course overall, but could have gotten a much stronger grade if it were not for lab (a killer) and the teaching. That said, the information itself is really interesting, and it is a must if you are going on into higher level sciences.
  10. lecture was fine... but the lab... awful (but that wasn't cobelles' fault)
  11. Professor Combelles is awesome, she really enjoys what she's teaching which makes it so much easier to get into what could potentially be a really boring class. That said, the fact that she gets so into her subject sometimes causes her to increase the speed of her talking so fast note taking is sometimes required. She is very good about going back and re-explaining things though and is almost always available if you need help. Her exams are pretty fair and nothing should seem unfamiliar on them since they only encompass what she goes over in lecture. Thus, it is recommended to go to all the lectures as she sometimes covers things that aren't in the book. I really enjoyed taking Cell Bio with Combelles and I would recommend taking this course or another course with her.
  12. Combelles is great but she speaks super quickly. Be ready to take fast notes but learn a lot of fascinating biology.
  13. Catherine does a great job of teaching this introductory class. She is such a nice women and really wants her students to both do well as well as throughly understand the material. Tests were tough, and my grades were never proportional to how much time I spent preparing for them. This class is definitely a lot of work, but I highly recommend it because I now look at all living things with a better understanding of how they function!
  14. Combelles is a great professor. I feel like i learned a TON in this class but it was also a lot of work. but worth it. tests were hard but fair and her lectures were very well organized. although she does have a pretty thick accent and talks really fast (you get used to it). take this class
  15. Professor combelles was great. Definitely take 0145 with her. Yes she speaks fast, but everything she says is valuable an interesting. Tests aren't too difficult. I never took AP Bio and still managed to do well. Be sure to study the experiments she hands out in discussion for exams. Clicker questions are fun and a good way to boost grade. If you are going to take this class, take it with Combelles.
  16. Definitely the most challenging class I've ever taken, but also the most rewarding. Not taking AP biology in highschool was definitely a disavantage for me, but not something that is impossible to overcome. I still did well in the class without having taken it. Between the lab and the lecture, this class had the most work I've ever seen... ever. It was A LOT and was basically like two separate classes with the workload ( and the material in lecture and lab didn't really match up and are taught by different teachers). I learned so much in this class though, and Combelles is such a wonderful teacher/person that it was well worth the hours of work. Don't take if it is not a requirement and if you are not passionate about biology though because it wouldn't be worth it.
  17. I absolutely loved this class and loved Prof Combelles. It's a lot of work and her exams are quite hard, but I felt like it was definitely worth it. There isn't a huge amount of reading but you need to do it all very carefully. She is a great lecturer and makes them really interesting. The only little problem with lecture is, like people said, she talks kind of fast so it's hard to take the greatest notes sometimes and you really need good notes to study for exams. This is a class I would definitely advise having friends in so you can compare notes while studying for exams. Definitely take this class with this professor!
  18. Take Cell BIo with Combelles. She is a great teacher and presents the information in a very organized and understandable fashion. Tests are very manageable and clicker questions are a great way to get extra points.
  19. In this class, you learn a lot, and do a lot of work. The lectures are interesting and interactive (with clickers), and Professor Combelles answers questions well. The lab part of the class is a dousie. I have a lot of lab experience, but DeSimone is picky, and grades are low. For the lecture quizzes, if you study, you'll do fine.
  20. Do the reading the night before! Not only will it help you in lecture the next day, but when you go to study for the quizzes you will have a much easier time. And do study for the quizzes, they are pretty hard.
  21. Like people have said before, be prepared to really listen in lecture and take fast, thorough notes. She talks very quickly and a lot of important information could be missed if you weren't paying attention. I can't speak for those without a biology background, but I took AP Bio in high school (and had a great, thorough teacher) and still learned a lot from this course. The textbook is great for background information, but you are tested only on lecture. However, be sure to read the textbook before coming to class or you won't have any idea what she's talking about. Prof Combelles is incredibly enthusiastic, nice, and a great person in general, though, and I would definitely recommend taking this class. Quizzes are tricky and time pressured, but exams were really fair and there wasn't a lot of outside work besides reading.
  22. this course can be tough and very demanding especially if you have not taken cell biology before. even if you have experience, it can be challenging. lecture is fine, as long as you keep up with the readings, but lab will probably be difficult nonetheless. but it is a useful course that i do recommend!
  23. This is a really hard class. She talks really quickly in class making it hard to fully grasp concepts and understand her. Test and quizzes are really hard. I always studied a lot, went to class, and took really good notes, but I would still do really poorly on them. For the most part, I was fairly confused on how I was suppose to know some of the material I was tested on. Though I did enjoy learning the material, I would not suggest taking this class unless it counts for your major.
  24. A tough class, but fascinating! The lectures were stimulating and fast pace. Even though its a big class, the students still have the chance to participate (clicker questions!). The tests are difficult, but really make you think and form broad connections between different units of the course.
  25. The class was difficult and a lot of work, especially having not taken bio before. But Combelles was a good lecturer and always available for extra help.

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