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Professor Ratings & Grade Distribution Data for George Simmons
George Simmons
Professor (2000 – 2012)
Virginia Tech (VT)
Biological Sciences
Virginia Tech (VT)
Biological Sciences
Overall rating
Rated by 321 students
2.87
Avg GPA
across 8 classes
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Most Helpful Favorable Professor Review
Most Helpful Critical Professor Review
BIOL 1105 - Principles of Biology
Dr. Simmons is the best biology professor to have. His class is no joke, but if you put in a good amount of effort, you should make a B or A if you really work your butt off. I had him this semester and didn't know what to expect.
The exams get har...
Read the full review >
The exams get har...
Read the full review >
Professor rated by: Biochemistry Student on 12/18/11
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1005 - General Biology
Pros:
-Doc is a funny teacher and is very passionate about his subject
-15 free i-clicker questions which are 15 freebies on the test
-His cumulative final is mostly old test questions or different variations of old test questions
Cons:
-Does not teach well during the lecture
-You don't learn much from the lecture
-You have to know everything single chapter really well for each test and I recommend to read each chapter carefully
-He does not curve
Professor rated by: Marketing Student on 6/4/10
Helpful Rating?
Student Ratings 1 - 20 of 321
BIOL 1105
Principles of Biology
Dr. Simmons is the best biology professor to have. His class is no joke, but if you put in a good amount of effort, you should make a B or A if you really work your butt off. I had him this semester and didn't know what to expect.
The exams get harder and harder but stay in the class. He says he doesn't curve individual exams but he does curve final grades a little bit. On my exams I made a 84, 73, and 65. Each exam is 1/6 of your total grade.
Then you have iClickers which will make or break your grade. There is an iClicker quiz every day. Each question is 2 points, 1 point you get automatically for going to class and the other point if you get it right. For example: 6 questions are asked, you get 5 right. that is 11 out of 12 points. I would suggest getting him Tuesday/Thursday and makes friends with a M/W/F student. The iClickers are almost exactly the same so you have a better chance of doing well. Then at the end of the semester your iClickers are averaged and submitted as one exam grade which can really help your average since it is also 1/6 of your grade. I didn't do so hot cause I had him M/W/F and I helped my friends who had him T/R. I had an 78 average, they had 90 averages or higher.
Finally you have the Final. This is the best part of the class, it will be around 100 questions. 75% of the questions are past exam questions and 25% new material. The past questions are almost exactly the same because Simmons gets lazy. Do extremely well on this and it counts twice. I made a 85 on the final. So it is 2/6 of your final grade.
Here is what you can expect when it comes to your final grade: 84, 73, 65, 78, 85, 85 = 470/600 = 78 average. Then he does a little curve which brought me to a B! He does care for his students!
The exams get harder and harder but stay in the class. He says he doesn't curve individual exams but he does curve final grades a little bit. On my exams I made a 84, 73, and 65. Each exam is 1/6 of your total grade.
Then you have iClickers which will make or break your grade. There is an iClicker quiz every day. Each question is 2 points, 1 point you get automatically for going to class and the other point if you get it right. For example: 6 questions are asked, you get 5 right. that is 11 out of 12 points. I would suggest getting him Tuesday/Thursday and makes friends with a M/W/F student. The iClickers are almost exactly the same so you have a better chance of doing well. Then at the end of the semester your iClickers are averaged and submitted as one exam grade which can really help your average since it is also 1/6 of your grade. I didn't do so hot cause I had him M/W/F and I helped my friends who had him T/R. I had an 78 average, they had 90 averages or higher.
Finally you have the Final. This is the best part of the class, it will be around 100 questions. 75% of the questions are past exam questions and 25% new material. The past questions are almost exactly the same because Simmons gets lazy. Do extremely well on this and it counts twice. I made a 85 on the final. So it is 2/6 of your final grade.
Here is what you can expect when it comes to your final grade: 84, 73, 65, 78, 85, 85 = 470/600 = 78 average. Then he does a little curve which brought me to a B! He does care for his students!
Professor rated by: Biochemistry Student on December 18, 2011
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
His tests are really hard to get A's on but easy to get B's on. Everyone studies differently, but I've found that using his overviews that he emails you to make notecards really helps. Also, when he references a figure or table in the book, LOOK AT IT! More often than not, information from those figures and tables has a very good chance of showing up on the tests. Another thing is that just because a piece of information seems insignificant, doesn't mean he won't test you on it. His tangents in class can get annoying, but they're worthwhile and make for good stories sometimes. He likes to include students in his lectures and uses iclicker regularly at the end of most lectures so pay attention during class. The iclicker questions can serve to be a grade booster and tend to show up on tests. The last thing I'll say about the tests are that they usually cover a lot of information, so it would be wise to start studying early. Overall he's a good teacher even though he's a bit goofy. Finally, he curves his grades at the end depending on the class average.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on April 9, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1005
General Biology
Pros: -Doc is a funny teacher and is very passionate about his subject
-15 free i-clicker questions which are 15 freebies on the test
-His cumulative final is mostly old test questions or different variations of old test questions
Cons: -Does not teach well during the lecture
-You don't learn much from the lecture
-You have to know everything single chapter really well for each test and I recommend to read each chapter carefully
-He does not curve
Professor rated by: Marketing Student on June 4, 2010
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
Pros: Doc is really passionate about teaching and is very down to earth, approachable, and understanding of students' problems. His lectures are fairly entertaining and he has a good sense of humor. The iclicker questions in class weren't graded but were taken word for word on his tests, and comprised about 25% of them. The final is mostly old test questions.
Cons: His tests aren't terribly bad, but require a fair amount of studying. Around 3-5 good hours of studying in the 2 days leading up to the test should give you a B-. Double that for an A-. Grades aren't curved.
All in all, Dr. Simmons was a really good professor. Take him if you want an enjoyable in class experience and probably the lightest work load for a principles of bio class.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on August 21, 2011
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
I don't know anyone in Dr. Simmons class who thought he was less than an excellent teacher. He keeps the students engaged in a huge 500 person lecture hall and also makes jokes that help you remember the material. He gives quizzes everyday and often times the quiz questions are on the test, along with 80 others, but the exams are fair. Dont ever skip class there is a quiz everyday and every question counts as one point, tests and quizzes and final count all the same. 1 point is 1 percent.He doesn't curve but there is no need to, all is fair. He is great!
Professor rated by: Physics Student on August 25, 2008
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
Dr. Simmons is an awesome professor! He really knows his stuff. Make sure you study a lot for his tests. As long as you study his study guides and go to class, you should be alright. If he tells you to know a figure in the book, make sure you know it. It will show up on the test. Make sure you know the processes fully not just little parts of a figure, really try to understand them, because he tends to ask questions that are comprehensive of the entire figure usually.
Professor rated by: Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise Student on March 11, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1005
General Biology
Simmons is a good man, he really is and you can tell that he cares about his students. However, I am not a fan of his organization. He randomly writes key points on transparencies, but they don't seem to coincide with the book...his notes are just all over the place and makes it hard for anyone to actually study, let alone learn. Also, this is supposed to be a "general" Bio class, yet it seemed SO in depth. I didn't like this class one bit.
Professor rated by: English Student on January 11, 2010
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1105
Principles of Biology
Dr. Simmons is a great teacher. It's important to go to class because there is a quiz every day that boosts your grade. Most of the quiz questions then show up on the next exam. I definitely recommend reading and outlining the chapters---thats what i did and i will be expecting an A in the class...also, if you do better on the final than one of your exams, he replaces the exam grade with your final grade, which can be helpful.
Professor rated by: Psychology Student on December 7, 2008
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
Dr. Simmons made this course extremely interesting. Rather than just reading a power point or showing overheads, he acts out examples and students can't help but pay attention as he frequently asks questions. It is a good idea to prepare for the quizzes each class, and I liked it because it made me keep up with the assignments. His exams are kind of tough, but fair. STUDY!
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on May 3, 2007
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
He is an amazing teacher by all means, especially if you're taking the MCATs. I mean the class isn't easy by any standards but if you take good notes and listen to his lectures you'll be okay...reading the book doesn't hurt either. Study for it like you should any other class and you'll be fine, I managed to keep an A the whole semester.
Professor rated by: Psychology Student on August 26, 2008
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
He only has office hours on sunday. I studied very hard for the tests and did all the study guides but still only received high 80s on the first two. Overall, he's a good teacher, but instead of writing notes on an overhead, he simply puts up figures and illustrations from the book and explains them. You really have to learn how to take notes from him.
Professor rated by: Psychology Student on March 25, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
Simmons is one of my favorite professors, I don't consider biology a really riveting subject to be lectured on but he does his best to keep it fairly interesting. His exams are challenging but the material is always covered in class. Best advice is to attend class because it is most helpful on exams and he gives an iclicker quiz at the end of each.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on February 16, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
I love Dr. Simmons. He's so enthusiastic about biology and he genuinely wants us to succeed. His class isn't super easy, you definitely have to attend class and read. Second semester is much easier. He gives extra points through in class quizzes so your entire grade doesnt rely on exams.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on March 26, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1005
General Biology
He is a very boring teacher and does not teach basically anything from the book. I had to read the book in order to really learn anything. He never curves or gives extra credit and his tests are very hard.
Professor rated by: Architecture Student on December 12, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
One of the best Biology professors around. Knows his stuff. It was just difficult learning in such a big room and he his lectures are pretty compact. Tests were the hardest I've had in my Freshman year.
Professor rated by: Psychology Student on July 26, 2008
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
Simmons knows what hes talking about and comes off kinda scary. The quizes that you do everyday help your grade out in the end and are imporant to do well on becasue he does a point system in the end.
Professor rated by: Biological Sciences Student on September 4, 2008
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
I will say I liked this course much more than BIOL 1105. Dr. Simmons is amazing and I can't wait to have him again in one of my courses next semester. It would be nice if he curved grades though...
Professor rated by: EXERCISE SCI, SPORT, PE, REC Student on April 27, 2007
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
Great teacher, very knowledgeable. Not only teaches us what is important for the class but also what is important to succeed in life. Goes above and beyond what is expected.
Professor rated by: Geography Student on May 11, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
Dr. Simmons is an amazing professor! His class is a little slow, but as long as you attend every class (he does iclickers) and read his study guides, you'll do well.
Professor rated by: Biochemistry Student on May 5, 2009
Helpful Rating?
BIOL 1106
Principles of Biology
He has a log of knowledge about the subject, he has quizes right after all of his lectures and they help you get points - so its not all just based on your exam grades
Professor rated by: Animal and Poultry Sciences Student on March 18, 2009
Helpful Rating?
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