Mitra Hooshmand is an absolute GOAT. She is incredible knowledgeable, with engaging lectures that cover everything one needs to know about stem cell biology and policy. Although I am not a STEM major at all and was worried about learning all the biology, the science behind stem cells was actually the most fascinating part of the course for me. While she didn't cover as much of U.S. stem cell policy and ethics, she did an incredible job structuring the course, making the content easy to understand for non-STEM students, and getting us to critically think about stem cells. The tests do require studying and really good understanding of the material. I would absolutely recommend this class.

(note: this class is definitely geared towards people without a background in stem cells, so it probably won't be as interesting for people that already know a lot)

Grade breakdown:

5.5% - section participation
22% - homework (super short and easy, basically graded on completion)
13.5% - paper (kinda long tbh but not that hard)
11% - 2 short quizzes
32% - final

This has to be the funnest and most engaging class I have ever taken. The subject is Stem cell in Medicine, but you learn HOW TO THINK! in this class. This class thought me how clinical trials work as well as what questions to ask about a certain drug that can be prescribed and to think about them mechanism behind something that you can apply to science but other subjects as well. Just take the class and you will see what I am talking about. There was a midterm and final as well as 3 quizzes and participation that makes up your grade. You basically have to take good notes because the ppt slides dont have enough info on them because she likes to have a discussion with the class, so try to record and fill in your notes afterwards. Midterm was straightforward no trick questions. The final was suppose to be this way as well, but since it was online she made it more conceptual, only 1 person got above a 90 % on it, but there was a extra credit assigned in the class, and told us we can opt out of the final, but overall this class is so much fun and totally doable!!!

Mitra was my first instructor at UCLA, and I only took the class because I didn't know what I was doing when I originally picked my classes at orientation. This is a great professor and she is very helpful with students who put in the effort, but overall it was a very difficult course for me. My recommendation is, do not take this class unless you are knowledgable about the subject of stem cells and/or are a fast learner with new information because this class covers a lot of material over 10 weeks, and it is very easy to get lost and overwhelmed if you are not prepared.

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Hooshmand is probably the most passionate professor I've met who has a deep and vested interest in her study of stem cells. Here are some key points.

1. Show up to lectures. Since there is no textbook for this class, all test questions come directly from lecture slides. Though she posts her slides online, it is mostly pictures and diagrams.

2. There is NO homework, labs, or projects.

3. There are only 3 quizzes, a midterm, and final. Mix between multiple choice and short answer.

4. Show up to discussion. You get participation points for being active in discussion.

In order to get an A in this class you cannot rely on the lecture slides. Study them but they have minimal info when it comes to studying for the midterm and final. The free response questions are not graded leniently, it’s all or nothing most of the time. In order to get an A, audio record every single lecture and go back later to note every single thing she said. This is the only way to get an A if you are not an MCD Bio major. Please remember that the few reviews for this class are the top 2 students of the class so don’t rely on them as a reliable review of the class. My major is completely irrelevant to this class which is why I struggled and the other people who reviewed here did not. Good luck to whoever may take this class in the future.

I received a C+ in this class. However, don't let my poor performance deter you from taking this class. Professor Hooshmand genuinely cares about her students. She makes the class very interesting, and there were several lectures that left me in awe of what stem cell medicine could do. IF YOU WANT AN A, HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: RECORD EVERY SINGLE LECTURE, AND RELISTEN TO EVERY LITTLE THING THAT PROFESSOR HOOSHMAND SAYS. Unlike most other college courses, this class is entirely dependent on what the professor says. There's no textbook and no homework so everything is based on what is said in lecture. I wish I had known this earlier because I didn't record lectures until the last few weeks. I ended up getting a C on the final, and thus that's what I finished with. Regardless, the professor is great and the workload is light. If you record the lectures and replay them meticulously, you'll get an A, if you don't you'll get a C as I did. Overall, she's an amazing teacher and the class is great as well.

I took this class fall quarter of my freshman year, but Hooshmand still stands out as a very memorable professor. She is extremely passionate about the course and will put in extra effort to help each student understand the material. Maybe things have changed since I took the course, but I don't think the tests were detail-specific. She posts study guides for each exam, and as long as you fill those out thoroughly, you should be more than prepared. I got over 100% on the final because there were extra credit questions and I did NOT take extremely thorough notes in class.

Very engaging and interesting presentations, I loved getting to hear guest speakers and their stories. The course material is all very relevant and very interesting, and I am glad to have learned all of it. As a non-biology major who took the class as a General Ed, the exams were absolutely horrendously difficult and frustrating (focused on minute detail & not curved) and I would advise non-bio majors to be weary if they want a good grade.

I would recommend this class to anyone who is interested in stem cells. You do not need to have a science background, but I found it helpful if you had taken a general biology class before. Dr. Hooshmand gave very engaging lectures and was very helpful. I enjoyed the small class size because it allowed you to interact with the professor and other students. There were 3 quizzes throughout the quarter, but you are well prepared. The midterm and the final both included questions from the quizzes. My TA created a class study document that allowed us to ask questions about topics that we were unclear on. There was a section for student responses and the TA would also respond. This has been my favorite class so far and I would take another class from Dr. Hooshmand in the future!

This was one the best classes I've taken at UCLA! Professor Hooshmand is very passionate and knowledgeable about stem cells! I learned so much about biomedical research and cell development that I have found myself applying in work and lab. She also goes out of her way to help students. There is little outside work required and tests and quizzes are doable if you attend all the lectures and take good notes. There is no textbook for this class so going to lecture and taking detailed notes is super important for the test. I would for sure take a class with Professor Hooshmand again!