Dr. Austin's class was great because it exposed me to biomedical research concepts and techniques I was unfamiliar with. Don't get overly stressed on the quizzes and worksheets, the largest and most important component of this class is a research proposal that you write up and present. Working on your proposal as early as possible is important to having success in this class, especially if you have little experience with presenting or watching others present their research.

I really like Professor Austin, and the class. The class was fun and engaging, but there was a lot of HW and it was somewhat manageable. Overall, I really liked this class, and I would love to take any other class from her.

Worst professor I've ever had at UCLA (and I'm a MCDB major, rising senior, so I've taken some pretty tough classes with some pretty horrible professors). Super disorganized from the beginning, and two weeks into the course she decided to change our quiz date for no concrete reason - based on 'popular vote'. Yet when students stated that they would not be able to take the quiz on the new date due to conflicts, she stated that there would be an online option, but that we would be given 'significantly less time', as if that would somehow discourage us from taking that option, even if we had no other choice (once again did explain why we would be given less time online). In my opinion, a professor has to lead by example, and can't expect students to accommodate to multiple changes in deadlines, course structure, etc., while refusing to give students an INCH of leeway. When I asked WELL in advance if there was any way I could make up my attendance for a discussion section and lecture, due to a medical appointment, she did not even bother to respond, and my TA only responded the day after the section had already happened, only to state that "there is no makeup policy for this class". So are students simply expected to accept doing poorly in this class, not because of a lack of effort or poor academic performance, but because of extenuating circumstances they cannot control? Additionally, our assignments would randomly get regraded to lower grades with NO explanation, and the TA did not grade according to the rubric. Which meant that there was no consistency with grading, yet because this was such a small class, there weren't enough students to stand up to the professor or TA, without fear of retribution. Overall, poorly disorganized and if I had known this required class for the minor would have been taught like this, I would not have applied to the minor at all. Point blank period.

Overall, I have to admit, this class was not easy for me. The workloads were heavy and I spent a lot more time on this class than any other classes. Before getting into this class, I read all the comments about this class, and for some parts, I do agree. This class won't be exactly the class with clear due dates for the assignments or exams and oftentimes, there will be some confusion. However, I would also like to emphasize that this class is completely doable. You don't need to be scared or be intimidated. All you need to learn is how to allocate your time well. I know it's stressful and it was stressful for me too, but really talk to your professor, so that she could understand your hardships too. Dr. Austin is an understanding person and she truly cares about your learning. Some of the comments were saying how she has her favorites, but I honestly think that's because those people try hard to interact with her more during class time or during her office hours. Whenever you face difficulties, talk to her and ask her for advice. She'll try her best to accommodate. My final note is to put in your effort, try your best, and let Dr. Austin know you are trying then you will succeed in this class.

If you get a chance to take this class with Professor Austin, take it!

Out of all the classes I've taken at UCLA, this one was by far the most impactful. Just entering the minor, I really didn't know much about the research process. This class teaches you not only how to come up with an idea, but how to design experiments in order to test your theories. You get to deconstruct interesting papers, present a research topic you’re interested in, and write a research proposal. You use everything you learn in this class in upper division courses and the lab you end up joining. To this day, I still use all the skills I’ve learned in this class. I can’t tell you how many times my PI talked about a research method and was surprised that I already knew the technique! No other class will teach you the actual research process to this extent, so take it with the intention of learning it well. I promise it will benefit you. In other words, this is the most practical class you can take.

Professor Austin also really cares about her students. All the research she discusses and shows us is incredibly relevant to some of the most groundbreaking research today. She designed the class to have every possible thing that will be relevant to you for a future in research. On top of the stuff I talked about earlier, the presentation at the end also gets you comfortable talking about research in front of an audience which is SO important for URW and even just being in a lab. Also if you don’t understand something she will take the time to explain it to you during office hours and in class. The class is really designed for you to make the most of it. Professor Austin will also give you incredible advice about your future plans, so I highly recommend attending office hours for this class. It’s a small class so this is one of the few opportunities at UCLA to get mentorship and advice from a professor.

Definitely the best class at UCLA!!