Reviews of professor Caitlin O'Connell

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
As a human bio major, I'd like to offer an unbiased review of Dr. O'Connell. She is not so good (fair) a grader as she is a lecturer. For reference, I got an A in HBIO-200. She was extremely fond of deducting points off of the most trivial parts of our answers without a convincing justification. Reasonable objections rarely changed her mind.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Come to lecture, take detailed notes and begin studying in advance. The material is interesting but very comprehensive. She is a great lecturer, extremely kind and willing to answer your questions. Offers 3% total extra credit. Looking for an easy A? This course is NOT for the faint of heart. You will only succeed if you put in the effort.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
From an HBIO major: Dr. O'Connell (and TAs) are very approachable in class and OH. Though the class material is relatively easy to understand, tests can be hard and there is no curve. Three midterms + lab are each worth 25% of your grade. Use notecards to help with term memorization. Do the extra credit assignments and participate in lab!

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Almost failed this class but didn't by the skin of my teeth. All the work I did is not reflected in the grades, and I did the most work for this class out of any other in my college career. No curve + only a 3% extra credit option is on the verge of being a crime. Terrible structure of this course and the study guides don't prepare you well

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Dr. O'Connell is by far my favorite teacher this year. Although the lectures are quite detail heavy, she makes the material very interesting! Very little homework, but you'll have to study for the tests! She a fair amount of fun extra credit to boost your final grade. She has a lot of real world experience and knows her stuff!

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Dr. O'Connell's kind but this has to be THE HARDEST CLASS I've ever taken. There's NO CURVE and we only get a 3% increase option in the form of 3 very time-consuming extra cred assignments. My brain's fried after every lecture. Also, Dr. O'Connell is stunning w/ cheekbones that could cut glass, but that doesn't make up for the fact that I'm failing

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
She's good. Don't get me wrong. VERY hard class though, in terms of how much you have to memorize. If you're just trying to satisfy a GE, take another one. This class is made for people studying primates, not the average student trying to fulfill a requirement. A lot of work. No curve. And only a chance to increase your grade by 3% w/ extra credit.