I enjoyed this class and Prof Bianchi is a very passionate lecturer. I have definitely learned a lot about the topics in the class.
There is a clicker quiz every week on the previous week material (3 questions) at the beginning of lecture, can miss up to 4 lectures, 2 discussions.
There is a field trip to the Santa Monica Bay which was really cool, there was a pre and post cruise assignment.
6 homeworks in total, as a bio major, was difficult for me and lots of others. I was always at TA OH which made it possible to finish the homework since they are graded very meticulously. The lectures taught the concepts, but didn’t show how to do calculations which made it hard. Homeworks account for 20% of the grade and its easy to miss points. However the TA’s were very helpful and knowledgeable, but to get an A in the class, you would have to go to the TA. Homework’s may be 5 questions, but have parts a-g sometimes.
The midterm and finals are modeled after the homework, so if you can do those, you’ll be fine. (Can drop one homework) but recommend to do all of them to do well on the exam.
Overall, enjoyed the class, but I would say the homework is the hardest part, not an easy A class
Check reviews for AOS 105 because it’s the same class