<p>so the only bio class that can fit into my schedule is the one with the "staff". I'm freaking out because so many people say he is bad. just how bad is escobar and what makes him bad?</p>
<p>if escobar does turn out to be the “staff,” it won’t be the end of the world, but do realize that you will be at a HUGE disadvantage once you hit biol 142 and decide to switch to a harder prof such as Spell, meaning you’ll just have to cram twice as hard. Yes he is a poor teaching does not drill in important concepts well enough and teach you to really understand them, and his easier exams will reflect that. Of course you could potentially take Escobar for 142 as well, but then you would have a weak bio background for both 141 and 142, which can be SERIOUS problem later on on your mcat and perhaps even the upper level bio classes since w/ easy professors you don’t learn much yield the most simple concepts, and even those are very easy to forget the day after an exam. Remember you want BOTH a high GPA and MCAT for med school. Don’t sacrifice your mcat for gpa since that would be not be much better than doing bad in both.</p>
<p>also do u have ap bio credit? if so, then definitely do NOT take biol 141 (just do 142 + upper level) and use that slot to get physics 151 out of the way (or perhaps another GER or elective in your desired major).</p>
<p>i don’t have bio credit. how will easier intro bio 141 affect Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (including lab) and Microbiology. will i be at a significant disadvantage?</p>
<p>sure. Of course it will.</p>
<p>My son had Escobar for 141 and Spell for 142. He felt Escobar was not nearly as bad as others have portrayed him and had no problem getting an A in Spell’s class. Simply make sure you read the required text and do not simply rely on lecture notes for learning Bio 141 material. MCAT’s are definitely a test you can and should study for prior to taking the test. The depth of the material is quite shallow (compared to Emory standards) and you are essentially learning to take the test in an efficient and effective manner when studying for the MCAT’s. Many people recommend taking genetics and physiology prior to the MCAT anyway as this is the material emphasized on the Bio section. Others can correct me, but I do not think Bio 141 or 142 covered much microbiology, anatomy or physiology so you will not be at a disadvantage there anyway. You will be quite fine taking Escobar for 141.</p>
<p>No one said he or she was particularly hard. He just doesn’t teach well (the man can’t even explain simple acid/base chemistry). I agree that Spell is very Aceable, but it’s because she’s a superior teacher and can go into much more depth without having the class fail. Escobar reads from a powerpoint slide. He sucks. If you want something extra, you take Spell, Passalaucqua or anyone else. It’s totally worth it and you may actually end up liking biology or science even more. This is less likely in Escobar’s class and gaining a greater appreciation of science is useful for upperlevels (as you’re likely to simply have more interest when you get there) The experience of adjusting to upperlevels will be much easier that way. It’s not about the material (as in vs. upperlevels) moreso than the rigor and inspiration. Escobar doesn’t teach well and hardly inspires. Why take him when you can have an easy-moderate tester like Passalaucqua that teaches in a way that makes you work closely w/relevant and interesting material. You get a good grade and you learn, I mean come on. Escobar and his ease is very over-rated as many are doing much poorer than they should given the level of his exams. If your schedule can accommodate someone else, I recommend choosing whoever that is.</p>
<p>Also, I think things like cell bio and genetics are more relevant to med. school. Courses like organismal form and function and comparative vertebrate anatomy are much better than human phys. at Emory (where there is only a phys. 1 and not a phys. II) and unfortunately for someone w/a weaker teacher like Escobar, they do integrate a lot of material from bio 141/142. Having a stronger prof. or taking a case-based class will make it a lot easier. Oh, as for microbiol, many who took it w/Campbell said that it reminded them of the portions of 142 where they covered bacterial genetics, so knowing that well was actually useful.</p>
<p>im not doing premed so mcat won’t be a problem. how is that guy with a name that starts with a G and you mentioned him when you were talking about case study?</p>
<p>I have no idea, I just didn’t hear any complaints from his summer class and those were non-majors, the most prone to complaints. They seemed actually interested. Guess he’s reasonable.</p>