Reviews of professor Laura Danai

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Definitely not as bad as people here made her out to be. Exam questions were very wordy and definitely had a time crunch, so more time + practice questions would have helped. Still, she is a good lecturer, the TAs were very helpful and the problem sets weren't graded too harshly.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
My first C letter grade ever in uni. Her exam question writing is atrocious with only 18 questions per exam. Otherwise a great lecturer but sets incredibly high expectations for her students. Incredibly frustrated, don't take this class unless you absolute need this class

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
She has changed a lot from last year and actively made this class easier for students. Exams quite fair, and at times, quite easy. Like, the average for our third exam was an 83 or something. As a Biochem major, I found the contents of this class is really cool and she does an amazing job as a lecturer. The class isn't a death sentence anymore.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Yes, this is a challenging class but it is completely manageable. From my experience, the students who struggled in the course are the ones leaving these scathing reviews because they did not come to class/do the readings she assigned as homework. You can't expect a 400-level class to be easy but it is certainly doable if you put in the effort.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
For a 400 level class, tough grading and exam heavy weighting is to be expected. Although this was a difficult class, Professor Danai is very understanding and accessible for help in and out of the classroom. As long as you go to class, do the readings, and ask questions when confused, the class is passable.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
BIOCHEM 423 is a tough course and requires effort, no doubt. But Prof. Danai does everything in her power to make the material accessible. She is a great lecturer and encourages you to stop her to ask questions. She genuinely wants students to learn and succeed. Poor reviews are definitely coming from those who did not do well in the class.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
The class is certainly difficult, however that is part of being a biochemistry major. The reviews make it seem like she is a terrible teacher/person but that is not the case. She is a fantastic teacher considering how difficult the concepts are to explain and does her best to make the materials accessible for all learning styles. She is respectful.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
The class is difficult but not excruciating. You have to be a master of the material to receive an A. Do readings before class, stay on pace, expose yourself to as much material as possible, and study normally before exams and you will be just fine. If you try hard for an A you will get one. Danai has reasonable expectations and is a great teacher.