Professor
Lilia Illes
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Most Helpful Review
No matter how much she says that you do not need rote-memorization, trust me you do ! I didn't go for many lectures ans still got an A-. The stuff is really really simple. So basically, you have to update your blog every week with a write up and post an image of your lab. There is this software called ArcGIS which is used to create maps. You just make different maps every week and write a paragraph on it and that's your post. There are 2 exams one midterm and one final. You sit in front of the computer and they are multiple choice ! (35% each exam). Just memorize (throughly) her lecture slides a day or two before the exam and go give it. The question are straight out of the slides. I would say take this GE if you want to get done with a requirement and want an easy A
No matter how much she says that you do not need rote-memorization, trust me you do ! I didn't go for many lectures ans still got an A-. The stuff is really really simple. So basically, you have to update your blog every week with a write up and post an image of your lab. There is this software called ArcGIS which is used to create maps. You just make different maps every week and write a paragraph on it and that's your post. There are 2 exams one midterm and one final. You sit in front of the computer and they are multiple choice ! (35% each exam). Just memorize (throughly) her lecture slides a day or two before the exam and go give it. The question are straight out of the slides. I would say take this GE if you want to get done with a requirement and want an easy A
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - Dr. Illes is a great lecturer and she is good at it, but she might be the toughest teacher I have ever met. Do not take this course if you want to have a nice GPA. The class is not easy and I personally regret taking it. For this class, there will be several labs and lab works related to that, one conservation module each week, one midterm of multiple choice and blank filling, and a similar final. •Some pros of the class: you really get to know animal preservation and biodiversity, and geology in general. The lectures are clear and easy to follow, although the topics are quite broad. •Some cons of the class: No recording for lecture; no microphone (although tons of people at the back could not hear her very well); no curving (although mean score was low); no study list for exams (which she promised to give us one); no make-up exams; no words and main points on PPT; no late submission for assignments for any reason; no textbook The professor does not take attendance for lectures, but it is important to go to them because the only way to catch up is relying on others' notes. She also assume that students get sick only because of contagious diseases but not being aware of other physical and mental wellnesses, and she does not let student to catch up during office hour for getting sick because that is not her problem. The conservation modules that we need to study are meaningless and get more and more confusing. The professor assign this module and expect us to be experts, but what really matters is the questions at the end of every module that might appear on the exam. The labs are kind of fun but I don't get why we need to do these tbh. The exam was disastrous, because every session has their own sets of questions (because she got comments about how unreasonable the tests were from past students and now she lets TAs to make the questions), which means different degree of difficulties for each sections and different point distribution; pretty unfair. Plus, the lecture covered A LOT of details and those were on the exam. You need to memorize everything on the lecture basically. No study list makes it even harder. There is also a story map that we need to make, which I get the intent behind is to raise awareness for endangered species, but the structure of the how project does not make sense. We need to make a very specific and detailed research outline, but the presentation of the story map should not be more than 3 minutes, but also not less than 2:50 min otherwise you will not have any credit, which is again, unreasonable. I don't understand why other comments say that the class is easy. This class isn't hard, but it is definitely not easy. Comparing to other GEs I have taken, this is the worst one. Generally it is not very friendly to students.
Fall 2024 - Dr. Illes is a great lecturer and she is good at it, but she might be the toughest teacher I have ever met. Do not take this course if you want to have a nice GPA. The class is not easy and I personally regret taking it. For this class, there will be several labs and lab works related to that, one conservation module each week, one midterm of multiple choice and blank filling, and a similar final. •Some pros of the class: you really get to know animal preservation and biodiversity, and geology in general. The lectures are clear and easy to follow, although the topics are quite broad. •Some cons of the class: No recording for lecture; no microphone (although tons of people at the back could not hear her very well); no curving (although mean score was low); no study list for exams (which she promised to give us one); no make-up exams; no words and main points on PPT; no late submission for assignments for any reason; no textbook The professor does not take attendance for lectures, but it is important to go to them because the only way to catch up is relying on others' notes. She also assume that students get sick only because of contagious diseases but not being aware of other physical and mental wellnesses, and she does not let student to catch up during office hour for getting sick because that is not her problem. The conservation modules that we need to study are meaningless and get more and more confusing. The professor assign this module and expect us to be experts, but what really matters is the questions at the end of every module that might appear on the exam. The labs are kind of fun but I don't get why we need to do these tbh. The exam was disastrous, because every session has their own sets of questions (because she got comments about how unreasonable the tests were from past students and now she lets TAs to make the questions), which means different degree of difficulties for each sections and different point distribution; pretty unfair. Plus, the lecture covered A LOT of details and those were on the exam. You need to memorize everything on the lecture basically. No study list makes it even harder. There is also a story map that we need to make, which I get the intent behind is to raise awareness for endangered species, but the structure of the how project does not make sense. We need to make a very specific and detailed research outline, but the presentation of the story map should not be more than 3 minutes, but also not less than 2:50 min otherwise you will not have any credit, which is again, unreasonable. I don't understand why other comments say that the class is easy. This class isn't hard, but it is definitely not easy. Comparing to other GEs I have taken, this is the worst one. Generally it is not very friendly to students.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - Professor Illes is engaging and funny in her videos, but she is brutal and cutthroat in my opinion. She basically does not tolerate late work unless your mom died. Her 90 multiple choice midterm questions (with no given study guide besides hours of rambling lectures) were written so vague and confusing and sometimes conflicted with lecture material and that was a huge scandal. The final was better, she dropped a study guide but it was vague and I basically only got a good grade because an angel student made a Quizlet. In terms of the class, GEOG 5 is a great lab GE to take, and in terms of the content it is very easy and comparable to AP Environmental Science. I took asynchronous lectures and in-person lab, so I watched 4-6 lecture videos ranging from 20-50 minutes a week, with the weekly assignment being to write 3 questions and answers per lecture video. The lab is mandatory with no makeups (depending on your TA), but the labs are incredibly easy and often group work.
Fall 2023 - Professor Illes is engaging and funny in her videos, but she is brutal and cutthroat in my opinion. She basically does not tolerate late work unless your mom died. Her 90 multiple choice midterm questions (with no given study guide besides hours of rambling lectures) were written so vague and confusing and sometimes conflicted with lecture material and that was a huge scandal. The final was better, she dropped a study guide but it was vague and I basically only got a good grade because an angel student made a Quizlet. In terms of the class, GEOG 5 is a great lab GE to take, and in terms of the content it is very easy and comparable to AP Environmental Science. I took asynchronous lectures and in-person lab, so I watched 4-6 lecture videos ranging from 20-50 minutes a week, with the weekly assignment being to write 3 questions and answers per lecture video. The lab is mandatory with no makeups (depending on your TA), but the labs are incredibly easy and often group work.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - THIS CLASS IS NOT AN EASY GE!!!! This was probably one of the most time-consuming and confusing classes I have taken here. Now, the class is very interesting if you enjoy learning about the environment but the professor doesnt use a textbook, does not write words on the slides, and constantly mentions her other classes and opinions during the lectures. Although it is pretty funny, I took this class online but it has an in person discussion which often involves fieldwork at ucla and attendance is mandatory. If you have a good TA it is so much more helpful but if you have a bad TA you are on your own. The final is cumulative and there is no study guide or mention of what you should study besides to watch the lectures so you really have to put in the work in order to get a good grade on the midterm and final which are 60 percent of your grade. Literally everything she says in the lectures are up for grabs including the mention of any numbers and the videos she includes in the lectures. The workload itself ranges anywhere from 1-6 hours of lectures and I would never recommend unless you have to take this class for your major.
Fall 2023 - THIS CLASS IS NOT AN EASY GE!!!! This was probably one of the most time-consuming and confusing classes I have taken here. Now, the class is very interesting if you enjoy learning about the environment but the professor doesnt use a textbook, does not write words on the slides, and constantly mentions her other classes and opinions during the lectures. Although it is pretty funny, I took this class online but it has an in person discussion which often involves fieldwork at ucla and attendance is mandatory. If you have a good TA it is so much more helpful but if you have a bad TA you are on your own. The final is cumulative and there is no study guide or mention of what you should study besides to watch the lectures so you really have to put in the work in order to get a good grade on the midterm and final which are 60 percent of your grade. Literally everything she says in the lectures are up for grabs including the mention of any numbers and the videos she includes in the lectures. The workload itself ranges anywhere from 1-6 hours of lectures and I would never recommend unless you have to take this class for your major.
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Most Helpful Review
Don't take geog7 as GE unless you have some knowledge about the material. It starts off with really easy stuff, but it gets harder after midterm and by the end of quarter, you would regret that you didn't change the grading to P/NP. If you just want B, you don't have to care what I wrote. But if you want A and you don't have any knowledge about the class material, then find some other class.
Don't take geog7 as GE unless you have some knowledge about the material. It starts off with really easy stuff, but it gets harder after midterm and by the end of quarter, you would regret that you didn't change the grading to P/NP. If you just want B, you don't have to care what I wrote. But if you want A and you don't have any knowledge about the class material, then find some other class.
Most Helpful Review
Great professor!! I've had her for Animal Geog., Conservation in Developing Countries, and Geog. 5. Smart. entertaining, passionate, and very clear in what she expects from you. Her exams are straight forward and don't aim to trick you. You do have to take good notes and know them well before you head into her exams, but it's comforting to know that as long as you put in the effort you will get a good grade (and learn something in the process). Her work loads are fair. She does have 10-page research papers in her upper-division classes, but they are more than do-able, as she gives you the entire term to work on them. You can't go wrong with Prof. Illes. I wish UCLA would get more professors like her.
Great professor!! I've had her for Animal Geog., Conservation in Developing Countries, and Geog. 5. Smart. entertaining, passionate, and very clear in what she expects from you. Her exams are straight forward and don't aim to trick you. You do have to take good notes and know them well before you head into her exams, but it's comforting to know that as long as you put in the effort you will get a good grade (and learn something in the process). Her work loads are fair. She does have 10-page research papers in her upper-division classes, but they are more than do-able, as she gives you the entire term to work on them. You can't go wrong with Prof. Illes. I wish UCLA would get more professors like her.
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