Reviews of professor Caitlin O'Connell

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Extremely kind/accessible professor. Her passion for her field is contagious. Lectures are extremely dense (she often doesn't finish the slides), but she makes jokes and shares interesting stories from her own field research. Exams are straightforward if you take detailed notes, STUDY and discuss your questions with her in advance. NOT an easy A.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
This is a solid choice for the life science GE. TONS of information to memorize, but just do it--you'll be okay because nothing is conceptual. Show up to class. I know the lectures can be long and dry but all the info you need is there and prof is very nice. Lab was super easy and TA was very kind and helpful. Extra credit helped my grade for sure.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Dr. OConnell is very sweet and wants her students to learn! Interesting material too. Definitely not an easy A, but also wasn't THAT hard imo? HW was minimal/easy, lab grade was an easy A as long as you show up. For the tests: go to lecture, do the study guides thoroughly and go to office hours. Save your p/np GE for this class if worried

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
O'Connell is a good teacher, available outside of class and wants you to succeed. The subject matter of this class is interesting, but there is SO MUCH INFORMATION. You HAVE to start studying for the tests early. Labs are good, but tests are BEASTS. There are 3 extra credit assignments worth 1% each, and no overall curve, unfortunately.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Lectures are a little dry but going to them helps you with the more obscure test questions. Tests aren't too bad if you take the time to memorize what's on the study guide, which is manageable but a little time-consuming. Overall, I learned some worthwhile things. Plus, the TAs are cool.