Hello all.
I know there are multiple comparing course threads but Im really stuck on these two courses.
I have no room for both of them, so Im just wondering which one will come in more handy for me in terms of third year.
Also if you took both which one did you find had less work?
I enjoyed Psych 1XX3, but I also enjoyed cellular bio too. Im just wondering which one would make my life a little easier.

Life Science 2B03 will definiely come in handy for 3d year, cell bio is fun if you take it with Dr. Dej. You might also want to take Bio2C03 in 2nd term with Dr Dej , genetics are prerequisite for couple of evolution courses in 3rd year. We did a cancer project in 2B03 last year, it worth 15%, you write an essay about the connection between a mutated gene and certain cancer. We had 2 mid-terms, 1 all mc, the other mc and some sa. Both of them were fair. The exam was easier than the midterms

As for LifeSci 2C03, couple of my friends took it last year, and they said the course is fair. ( If you are considering taking Bio 2A03, the neuroscience part sort of tie together)

hope that helps

LifeSci/Bio 2B03 has changed a lot since then. There's no longer a cancer project (or labs, as there were in previous years).

Last term (with Igdoura), we had 5 (fairly lengthy) dense Nature review articles--one every other week--that were only loosely related to course content that we had to read/summarize. The summaries were out of 5 marks, and one of those marks was for writing two multiple-choice questions. The other four were for including certain facts from the article, but you didn't know ahead of time what exactly you were marked on, so the main goal was to cut 15pgs of info down to 700-900 words while keeping in every single detail, lest you lose marks for not including something. These summaries were 10% combined (your lowest was dropped). The multiple choice questions were combined to make two very poorly written, grammatically incorrect tests that often had questions with no correct answers. These tests were worth 10% each. The only time we were tested on course material was our 60% final exam, and 40% of the exam was on two weeks worth of lectures (the cancer section). We were almost exclusively tested on random details.

I believe Igdoura is teaching the course again this year. Since everyone hated the way they set up the course, they might change it for this year. Then again, since most people ended up doing fairly well, they might assume that the format worked and keep using it. Igdoura said something about him being like Buckley's cough syrup--it tastes awful, but it works.

If you're good at memorizing a ton of info blindly, then you'll do very well in this course. If not, then take the other one!

Dr Dej is going on maternity leave very soon, so I don't think she'll be teaching any courses next year...if you can, put off taking this course until she is teaching it! She tests very fairly, based on understanding, not blind memorization.

If Dej teaches it, then there is the cancer project and all. I took it with her first semester last year. The course was really easy with her. But yes she is going on mat leave but she comes back for second semester next year, not sure if she's teaching cell bio but she's teaching Mol Bio 3HH3.

You should see which one of the two is a prereq for any 3rd/4th year classes you want to take and pick that one.

^ 'second semester next year' meaning...January 2012?

Originally Posted by Alchemist11

^ 'second semester next year' meaning...January 2012?

She's pencilled in to come back January 2011.

Oh, sweet. Igdoura is teaching Cell Bio second semester, and I have no idea who's teaching it first. So it looks like I won't get Dr. Dej this year anyway.

Originally Posted by Alchemist11

Oh, sweet. Igdoura is teaching Cell Bio second semester, and I have no idea who's teaching it first. So it looks like I won't get Dr. Dej this year anyway.

He's not a bad teacher other than the fact that he likes to pick random people to answer questions. He's good at getting the information across. But the marking scheme was horrible for his class, I'm not sure if they are going to change it.