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
Winter 2024 - Tbh I originally signed up for the course because I had a bad enrollment time but I ended up loving the class. The lectures were super engaging and I loved professor Illes short stories and personal anecdotes. The field labs were super fun and I enjoyed getting to look around Sage hill and the UCLA garden. The labs are graded the harshest out of any of the class material. My tip is to start them before class if you can, that way the material is more manageable during lab. The discussions overall are chill though. My TA was nice and knowledgable but didn't really understand personal space which as a woman (or really anyone) is kind of frustrating. Some things to be cautious about. The lectures ARE NOT recorded. If you don't go to class or have a very kind peer who records the lectures for you, you will not be able to obtain the material. There is no textbook for the class which is nice in terms of both having outside material to go over. There is also no actual homework which is a plus. The exams are pretty simple, mainly multiple choice and matching. For reference I studied for about an hour and got a 100% on the midterm. The final project was fun to complete and although I disliked it at the time I'm glad the professor had us turn in portions of it throughout the quarter since it made the end presentation SO much easier to complete. I'd recommend this class to anyone since an A is easily obtainable so long as you go to lecture, complete the labs, and put effort into the final project. Plus, you'll come out of the course with tons of fun animal facts :)
Winter 2024 - Tbh I originally signed up for the course because I had a bad enrollment time but I ended up loving the class. The lectures were super engaging and I loved professor Illes short stories and personal anecdotes. The field labs were super fun and I enjoyed getting to look around Sage hill and the UCLA garden. The labs are graded the harshest out of any of the class material. My tip is to start them before class if you can, that way the material is more manageable during lab. The discussions overall are chill though. My TA was nice and knowledgable but didn't really understand personal space which as a woman (or really anyone) is kind of frustrating. Some things to be cautious about. The lectures ARE NOT recorded. If you don't go to class or have a very kind peer who records the lectures for you, you will not be able to obtain the material. There is no textbook for the class which is nice in terms of both having outside material to go over. There is also no actual homework which is a plus. The exams are pretty simple, mainly multiple choice and matching. For reference I studied for about an hour and got a 100% on the midterm. The final project was fun to complete and although I disliked it at the time I'm glad the professor had us turn in portions of it throughout the quarter since it made the end presentation SO much easier to complete. I'd recommend this class to anyone since an A is easily obtainable so long as you go to lecture, complete the labs, and put effort into the final project. Plus, you'll come out of the course with tons of fun animal facts :)
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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