| Note-Student comments have NOT been edited and any mistakes, gramatical inconsitencies, etc. are "sic." | |
| Advice | AP Score |
| I would advise students to keep up with the reading all year or else they wont retain any information. All the topics taught are almost connected with each other and to have a better understanding of a new topic requires the knowledge of previous chapters. Start really studying for the exam in febuary/march and to not only study the test material but focus a lot of the way the test is structured because we didnt get a lot of practice on it. If science isn't your thing dont take the class, you have to have an interest in this stuff to actually remember and retain all the material taught throughout the year. | 1 |
| Advice to the future students would be to genuinely take the class if you LOVE science or have a career they'd like to pursue that has to do with biology. I made the mistake of taking AP Bio just to take it and see where it would take me and it ended up being difficult. At least, it showed me that something having to do with science in my future isn't for me, so I took it as a learning experience. If you willing to put the time into the class and actually want to pass the AP test, I'd get the AP review books since the first month. Make sure to turn in your work on time, even though Dr. Gottfried could be lenient, still do it. Also, you should make a good group of friends in the class especially when it comes to labs because then if you don't, you end doing all the work if it's a group lab report. Overall, just study a lot, do your work and you'll be fine. | 1 |
| Any advice I would give to next year’s AP Bio students is that all the work given is very capable by everyone and it has plenty of time to be completed. The assignments do require some thinking and can be broken up into parts to be completed over periods of time. If someone puts their mind on completing the many tasks that we encountered throughout this year, there’s no doubt that the incoming students will encounter any difficulties as they progress throughout the year. The instruction given by the teacher, provides us a clear pathway in order to succeed, the most significant thing to understand, is that work ethic is the most important characteristic in being able to pass the class. | 1 |
| Definitely be consistent in the readings that the book has, if not you will not be prepared for the test at all. When it gets closer to the test have study groups with your friends so you can all share what you know. I did not feel prepared because I didn’t take the time to study but that’s my case and I’m sure my score will tell you. Also listen to Dr. Gottfried don’t just use the class to be on your computer the whole time because it really takes a toll. | 1 |
| For the upcoming AP students I advise them to READ THE BOOK, READ THE BOOK and to always listen to everything you have to say. They might learn something they didn’t know, and it would change their minds. To not judge the course and to actually put time into you and everything you have to say, because no matter what your voice will appear during the test. To not be scared of the first few days, to say I can do it and I will make it. To sit down and relax. Everything will be fine. If they are seniors, try to get everything together by December and to not be scared of taking the chance to learn something about what Biology and you have to offer. | 1 |
| For those who would be taking your class next year i would definitely read alot more than i did this year even though he provided the tudy guide thats less than 60 pages it wasn't enough at least for me on the exam and i wish i particularly read and studied certain sections more than others. also just because gottfried is pretty lenient with grades and always allows late work i wouldn't take advantage of that because waiting till the last minute sometimes can be the thing that prevents you from having a an a and only earning a b. | 1 |
| Good Morning/ Afternoon new students Be ready. Listen. Read. Take notes. Actually care. 5 easy little things I didn’t do. To anyone who is reading this, please don’t waste Dr. G’s time and don’t mess up your GPA. I say this because I thought I could handle the class and get through, but nope… I got lazy 5weeks in, and assignments pile up -turn in all assignments. Extra credit doesn’t help the grade- Don’t be the one person in the class to have a C or a D, it is honestly easy to pass. APPLY YOURSELF! My final piece of advice is for those who want to challenge themselves. This class will 100% show you if you are ready for college. If you feel you can do this, and you just want to test the waters. Please take this class and commit to it. Follow everything he says, EVEN IN HIS JOKES THERE IS A LESSON. Have fun, keep up, and enjoy the long ride of AP Bio. | 1 |
| Let me start off with I personally think I got a one. Not because of the teacher and not because of me not understanding the material. This advice is mostly going to be about what you should not do, because if you do what I am about to say you WILL get a one. Go to class because if you don’t you will miss all the class material and then will be lost while doing your homework and taking tests. Senioritis will hit you hard in every single one of your classes but make sure it doesn’t in this one. Turn in your work on time, it is not hard so just do it. Most of the answers to the work are online and your teacher knows that, one thing you don’t want to do is get on his bad side. If you want to pass the AP test make sure you read the book and take notes throughout the year because I didn’t and now I think I got a one. It doesn’t matter if you are the smartest kid ever, the questions on the test are so precise it is easy to tell if you know the material or not. Major advice, if you are one of those students who doesn’t care about passing the AP test and only passing the class all you need to do is complete your classwork, homework, and get at least a D on the exams. Go to school, turn in your work on time, and read the book. Those are the three major things you need to do to succeed. Have a great year youngin. – Senior, Class of 2019 | 1 |
| My advice for next year’s AP bio students is to READ READ READ. Spend time studying every week and take the class seriously. Don’t fall asleep during Dr. G’s lectures, actually listen to what he is saying because you will use the information. Also even if you don’t turn in an assignment on time still turn it in late, Dr. G will still accept it for a lower grade. Be respectful in class. Don’t be afraid to ask questions (even if you think they’re dumb). Finally make sure to STUDY FOR THE AP TEST, ESPECIALLY FOR FRQ’S!!!!! Good luck guys! | 1 |
| I would advice the Future Ap students to read from open stax which is something i wished i did. I also would recommend the to at least study 30 each night not to get behind. Don't expect this class to be an easy A because without studying you are NOT passing the AP test. When Dr.Gottfried assigns a practice test and the FRQs be ready to give it your 100% because those types of test are just like the Ap test. When Dr.Gottfried is showing a subject pay attention, don't just sit on your computer and watch videos because your just setting up yourself for failure. Good luck on your future AP test. | 2 |
| A) In this class I highly recommend to review the material on the tests that were given during class because the tests are literally what we learned in class. Do the homework on time and not rely on the late assignment system simply because I relied on the late assignment system and got 60’s for hw that I should’ve gotten 100 for because I was lazy. The AP Bio AP Test is not a joke and is something you really need to study for because I went in that test highly unprepared and let me tell you those FRQ’s are no joke they are extremely difficult, so don’t join this class thinking that the AP EOC will be easy because it is far from that and you NEED to study for it. | 2 |
| a) b) My advice for future AP Biology students is to take the time to actually understand the material. Lectures go by fast and it becomes easy to not process the information as intended. You won’t be made fun of or seem annoying for asking a lot of questions because most everyone else is just as lost. Take the time to at least understand the concept of each topic before moving onto another one. Trying to learn everything the day of the test or weeks before the exam isn’t a smart way to get through the year. Procrastination will catch up to you in this class if it hasn’t previously. Overall, the class is worthwhile not only in material but also in livelihood and experiences being made. Some of the most cherish able memories and eye-opening experiences had during this school took place in this class. | 2 |
| A. For the future AP Bio students, I recommend that you spend your time wisely in terms of coming up with a study plan for the whole year because if not you most likely won’t pass the AP bio exam. Actually pay attention to the lectures that Dr. Gottfried gives because he covers all of the confusing material. Read and study at home and if you have any questions about a topic speak to Dr. Gottfried and he will help you out. YOU NEED TO STUDY!!! | 2 |
| Advice for students thinking about taking the class: Just because Dr. G allows you into the class, does not mean you should be in the class. This class takes a lot of time studying and reading, if you are not willing to do that, then do not take the class. Advice for next year's AP Bio students: Read the chapters in the text book, because the information in this class is very dense. Study and practice the FRQ's because the AP Bio test has 8. Take this class seriously, it is not a joke. Take the class to learn and understand the material, not to just get the good grade. | 2 |
| Advice that I would give AP Bio students is to try, to actually try. If you read, pay attention in class, take notes, use all the resources that you provide such as your website, the power points you provide as well as all the knowledge you teach and you follow each assignment as it is assigned, I think that doing all those things, you can realistically be able to pass and do well in the class. Dr. Gottfried is an excellent teacher and strives to provide us with resources that unfortunately I didnt use efficiently which most definately reflects in my score... Don't be lazy and turn in everything in time, and definately don't take advantage of his kind heart, respect him, as he will respect all of you. Goodluck, you got this! It'll all pay off in the end :) Oh and wear uniform lol😂 | 2 |
| Advice that I would give next year’s AP Bio class would be to STUDY! Not studying for this class can take a big toll on you and can lead to failing the AP exam. I wish I would’ve studied more and payed attention more than usual. Another advice would obviously be to pay attention and not tend to be on your computer not understanding the different topics Dr. Gottfried teaches. Another important advice would be that during group projects not to always be with your friends knowing they don’t do their work. You want to be with people who you don’t know at all or with friends that do their lab reports. Last advice would be to not be disrespectful to Dr. Gottfried by using your computer, phone, tablet, etc. He has patience for this but don’t always depend on him to teach you when he knows his students don’t want to learn. Last but not least don’t take advantage of turning in late work cause that’s what I did. It would help your grade but it isn’t helping your character and showing Dr. Gottfried how you are. | 2 |
| And for next year students, I recommend that you study and READ! Study for the test and quizzes and the FRQ’s and for the actual test. And read, it will help you. Do the extra credit when it is given. And also remember to stay on Gottfried’s good side. | 2 |
| As for the students, I would advise them to consecutively read and keep up with the reading assignments. DNA sequencing and Punnet Squares okay a huge role and we’re in particular the ones I personally struggled with more. Biology for Dummies is a book I used through the entire year which I found very helpful as well. | 2 |
| Be honest with yourself. If you have no liking in biology or science, don’t take this class. If you do decide to take this class, then you should pay attention if you seek to pass the AP exam. And also, you should read the chapters besides the topics which you discuss in class to have a good understanding of the class and what’s going on | 2 |
| Dear students in Dr.Gottfried’s class during the 2019-2020 school year, if you want to pass the test do the reading and do the labs yourself. If you really do want to pass do the work and read. If you just pay attention to his powerpoints you won’t get as much as you need for the test. Start doing practice questions and FRQs in the beginning of the year. Gte used to the rigor of these questions especially the FRQs because those are very long, tricky and may take one a while to figure out the answer. Also don’t procrastinate because the work adds up, Gottfried often takes late work but don’t take advantage of that because there are late grades. You may think he doesn’t read what you put but trust me he does. Whatever you put in a case study, lab report or google form will be read, and should be shouldn’t be submitted until you’re sure that it’s correct and makes sense. Gottfried is a very interesting teacher and shares many stories but honestly listen to them because they help to relate topics to the real world and not just from a powerpoint. You should take notes and study them throughout the year, don’t write things down and then not review because it may make you feel smart for doing something but you won’t gain any of the knowledge if you aren't constantly reviewing. So guys really just pay attention, listen and review throughout the whole year not just when Gottfried gives you an assignment. He will provide many resources and review packets and those really help so use those to start reviewing in the beginning of the year. | 2 |
| Don’t slack off. You will think that the last month or week before the ap bio exam you will review a whole year of a class, You cannot. That’s something I believed and well didn’t end up so well. Also pay much attention to what he said because there at times where what he teaches is not in the book. Also, don’t take the homework’s as a joke believe or not they actually teach something | 2 |
| For next years students I would just say if you’re taking AP Bio because you heard it was an easy course that can raise your GPA, don’t trick yourself, take courses that genuinely intrigue you rather than those that are easy “A’s”. Also, if you plan to take AP Bio and pass the AP exam, then make sure you have a study guide and determination in order to pass. | 2 |
| Hello class of 2019-2020!! You guys should definitely study a lot for the AP exam. This class is not hard to pass, but only if you turn in your assignments on time and actually put effort in to it. I don't really know whether or not I passed so I can't really give specific advice on how to get a 5, but investing in an Barron AP Bio book did help me study for the exam. One tip is to make a group of friends in the class so that you guys can help each other out throughout the school year. Having my group of friends really helped especially when we met at one of the houses and had whole cramming day for the exam. Don't ever believe that you won't pass the course because if you do study you have pretty good chances. Good luck!!! | 2 |
| I believe if students do not truly understand the concepts they will not be able to deliver proper responses to the exam. As a matter of fact, I would recommend students to get a head start by reading the OpenStax book and planning to finish it by the 3rd quarter. After that, one should start focusing on reviewing these concepts in order to fully comprehend it. They can do this by reviewing the Geta5 videos and the 60-page review posted on your website by the student. If I'm being honest however, I find the most effective method to be the AP Princeton or Barren Review Book. They provide you with the most direct source of information that relates to the AP exam.I would also warn students to carefully split their time for the multiple choice section because it can go by in a breeze if you don't remain vigilant of time. | 2 |
| I don’t know what my score will be for the exam, but I do believe it is either a 3 or a 4. My advice to you is that you listen to Dr. Gottfried and read the book. If you do not understand a topic don’t be shy to ask him or you can also watch videos on youtube that might help (I recommend Crash Course). You also should complete all of the assignments he gives and turn them in on time so you can get a better grade. Follow his directions on the labs and pay attention to his lectures. And remember that his patience only goes so far, don’t disrespect him (or any of your teachers). | 2 |
| I highly recommend students who take this course, who want to do well on the exam, to study often and review previous material. Do the assignments honestly, to really learn what you have trouble with, and to stay organized by keeping your notes clean and easy to read for future reference. I wished I had taken the class during my junior year, because by January of senior year I was nearly all “burnt” out from all the AP courses I’ve taken. I recommend not to take many AP courses at all if it is your senior year, and select one like AP bio to thoroughly learn and study for to pass the exam and save some money in college. I made the mistake of taking too many Advanced Placement courses, and feel like I didn’t study enough for any of them. The FRQ’s for this exam are challenging and require you to study beforehand to get points on them. This class is very interesting and educational, but requires you to put a lot more effort than some of the other AP’s I’ve taken. But if you put the work ethic in, should do very well. | 2 |
| If you have a chance, show preferably to the students signing up for the class instead of the ones that are already in it. Alright so, I understand that you are here because either you are passionate about Biology or because your friends told you to take this class because it’s the easiest AP core class to take. If we are all being serious then you probably fall into option 2. Take a moment to look at my score and now listen and learn from my mistakes. Gottfried will assign you to a source of reading which in my case was OpenStax. This is something you WILL have to read every day after class in order to review the day’s material and maybe copy some notes down. No no, you can’t wing it and go without reading because you won’t be able to keep up with everything as it’s so much information. Pictures of the board won’t work either; we all know you will erase them later that week along with all the others. We have no assigned seating and this class attracts all kinds of people including smart ones and dumb ones (if you don’t believe this, in my class I had one student who failed almost all their classes, and 2 seats to the side was the number one in the 2019 graduating senior class). STICK TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE. The assignments are not products and shouldn’t be bought from students because you CANT wing the work and expect anything higher than 2. I can’t stress enough how important it is to read and pay attention in class, take another look at my score and you get why. Make sure to keep up with the work and reading because once you give up a week then it piles up quick. Apart from all this, the class was a lot of fun and Dr. Gottfried was an outstanding teacher. | 2 |
| If you want to be successful in this class you have to do your part you cannot just rely on Dr.G's lectures and labs to understand the material. At home you should be reading or watching videos in order to get a decent understanding of the material before he actually goes over it. If there is something you don't understand don't be afraid to ask Dr.G as he is a very chill and thoughtful teacher. when he is lecturing avoid being on your phone as it not only rude but you will miss very entertaining stories that will help you memorize the material. Although Dr.G allows late work try to avoid procrastinating because once you turn something in late the first time it becomes easier to do it again. when you feel demotivated try to keep in mind the benefits of passing AP biology and how good its going to feel if you work hard and it pays off. I know I personally regret not studying as much as I should have to be successful. | 2 |
| If you want to pass the class with good grades you need to pay attention, do all the homework, and study every now and then. If you want to pass the AP EXAM then you need to put much more effort then just trying to pass the class. When there are discussion going on in class and you need to take notes, take notes of what you feel you need to know and that you can understand don't just copy everything off the board word for word. Be active in class discussions, even if you may be wrong it's better to look like a fool in the moment then test day breaking a cold sweat because you don't understand one word. Study, Study, STUDY!!! 3x for emphasis because in the beginning every thing may seem easy but as you come to the end of the course, all those concepts you should have learned pop up again and are needed to know so that you can understand what they are asking in the questions for the Exam. Now if you're a student athlete and you've got a time in placed for doing homework on time then you should be fine. But if you're like me and the bed sometimes whispers in your ears *go to sleep big fella your tiered* then be happy that he excepts late grades . But try your best not to take advantage of this and only do so if necessary. Don't let the fact that this is an AP class scare you into thinking that this is a hard course and you are going to fail and bring shame to your families name. Just do what I stated before and the course should be easy. | 2 |
| I'm just gonna say I'm not actually sure I passed the AP Bio exam so I'm not going to give that much advice, but one thing that I will tell you is to make sure that you prepare yourself for the exam way before you take the test not just the day before, and if you do end up waiting till the last minute watch the youtube video called 1 Year of AP Biology in 43 minutes. | 2 |
| My first advice is that if you haven't read the summer reading books you should really do because those two Z’s will impact your grade a lot worse than you could imagine during the first quarter, talking from experience. Reading of course should always be done since that’s one of the only things that will help you on tests, quizzes, etc... I also recommend that after every new thing that it's given to you review after. Don’t let it accumulate or else you will have a very hard time catching up. Another advice is that if you're going to be absent for a long time due to any emergency or reason let Dr. Gottfried know in advance, he won't kill you he will be very understanding. If you have any questions on something he taught that didn’t make sense, seek for help it won't help if you stay quiet. | 2 |
| My name is XXXXXXXXXX and I’m a senior from class of 2019 who had Dr. Gottfried 2nd period for AP Biology. The purpose of this letter is to inform the upcoming classes what exactly Dr. Gottfried has in store for them. This course is challenging but very interesting when you put your mind to what you learning. This class really helped my understand biology more in depth, most of all I enjoyed Dr. Gottfried’s enthusiasm in each one of his lectures. He really hooks you and ties what we’re learning to everyday things currently in the real world. I also loved the labs that we got to participate in, they were very unique compared to other science courses I’ve taken in the past. I also enjoyed the amount of group work that was assigned it really helps understand the topics better when you have the opportunity to discuss it with your friends. The best advice I can give to next year’s class is to STUDY! Remember to always look at the website and to do all the work when it is assigned. Also pick a group that you can trust to help you do the group projects so you’re not stuck doing them alone. Another thing is taking notes during lectures and labs can really help, because later when you’re at home doing the homework and forget exactly what you did during that lab or lecture it really helps to look back at your notes. In conclusion, I hope you have a great time in AP Biology with Dr. Gottfried. I know procrastination can get the best of you sometimes, but trust me if you forget an assignment by the end of the quarter, you’ll regret not doing the work sooner. If you just remember these tips from a past student like me you will be fine and definitely pass both the AP Bio exam as well as the class. | 2 |
| o Dr. Gottfried's new students. There are only a few things that you need to know so you can finish his class with an A. I am not talking about the AP Bio exam, because that's a different story in my point of view. To do well in his class it's important to do all your work. Even if you are feeling lazy, do it. It will help you in the long run. Especially the Mastering Biology. And when Dr. Gottfried tells you to to read something, even if he doesn't grade you on it, or check if you even read it. It WILL help you when he is in class lecturing. If you don't read when he tells you too, during the lecture you will understand about 70% of what he is saying. But if you read, you will know exactly what he is talking about and you will be able to comment and further understand better than all the other students. Which will help you during his tests. He won't always teach all of what's on his tests, but he will test you on all of what you read; he won't tell you that, but it's true. For example, if you begin learning about mitosis and meiosis, he will lecture you on the subject, but he will also tell you to read on it. And when it's time to test, those who read and listened to him will do way better than those who didn't. Also don't wait until the last day of the quarter to ask for extra credit, because he won't give it to you. Do things in advance. You need to treat this class like a college course. He will not baby you. You must be responsible about your tasks and when something's on your mind, speak to him sooner rather than later. He is understanding. Try to start the year on your best foot, with your best work, so he doesn't start the year, secretly thinking you're stupid. I wish I would have gotten this advice in the beginning of his class, it would have really helped me. | 2 |
| Overall, having AP bio for the year of 2018-2019 was what I expected; you thought the class in a way high school students would understand and comprehend what was needed with it being very enjoyable. What I would recommend to be changed or altered is how testing and homework assignments are handled. I’ve realized that some of my peers would purposely miss school on the day of the exam, to receive answers later for the retake. I know there really isn’t a way to monitor this, but if possible I believe there should be three different versions of a test: having two versions for the odd and even classes (one for odd/one for even), and the third one for make-ups. As for homework, in my opinion students shouldn’t be allowed to turn in work after 2+ weeks of the due date, many of them use this as their advantage of completing the work late. Honestly I don’t believe the class should be harder for the next year students, but have “restrictions.” Someone who didn’t do anything the whole marking period shouldn’t be allowed to make up assignments last minute that were due months ago; you shouldn’t stay late grading their work, when it was their responsibility to complete it on time or at least a reasonable time after the due date. Advice I would give students who are taking AP bio next year is if you put your maximum effort, complete the assignment needed and read when assigned then the class shouldn’t be a problem. | 2 |
| So, if I have a passing grade all I can say is read when you're assigned to, do the mastering biology, listen to him during class, and don’t fall asleep. On the other hand, if I didn’t pass you should still listen to it because that’s what all the people who passed probably did. | 2 |
| Some advice that i would give incoming AP Bio students is to pay more attention in class even if the lesson seems boring, trust me that will be the one thing you forget on the AP Bio exam. Yes the class seems fun and chill but if you don't pay attention or take it seriously then your final grade for the final exam wont be serious either. | 2 |
| Take the class seriously because it’s not just material you can learn over a week period. You actually need to plan accordingly and set each week to review each new lesson you’ve learned. Trying to memorize a numerous amount of information all at the same time will just end up confusing you and result in a cluster of facts in your brain. Actually read the biology review packet that Dr. Gottfried gives you because it’s well organized and helps break down the lessons material a lot. Personally I had used the AP Biology Crash book towards the end it really benefitted me in recollecting everything that’s been previously taught. I would start using the book early on so it constantly serves as a refresher. Do not procrastinate on your assignments because they will add up and end up feeling like a hassle even though it may just take a few minutes to fully grasp the concept. Most importantly, do not zone out in class and go on your computer instead. Although the lesson may at times seem tedious, moving your attention away from the board may result you in not knowing vital information later on for a test or lab. Try keeping your electronics out of sight to fully have your attention on Dr. Gottfried unless he tells you to have it out. As long as you honestly continue trying to study the concept, you’ll be on the right path towards success and getting that 5. | 2 |
| The advice I would give is that reading the textbook is not the best way to study, sure you’ll learn a couple things but there’s no way they’ll have any interest in sitting there for hours just reading a paragraph over an over because they keep spacing out and not understanding what they’re reading. In my opinion what actually helps is taking mock exams and practicing the multiple choice along with practicing to be timed. And also (obviously) practicing the FRQs. By taking the mock exam questions is how I realized where I stood on the knowledge of the class and I focused on the areas where I was more lacking. And as a result the multiple choice was not challenging on the exam. And also have perseverance and know that it’ll pay off in the end, because it does get difficult simply to stay on task. A lot of them will probably be seniors so yea. And I think it would be a good idea to tell them how beneficial it will be for them to pass the test. With all the credits and whatnot, because I think that will help. You told us in the middle of the fourth quarter but I think you should do it a bit earlier than that. | 2 |
| The advice I would give to next years AP biology students is to study. The material we learned was hard and if you don't take time out to just study and review for this class then you are going to be lost. Also to pay attention to the acronyms, analogies, and stories that are told in class. Paying attention to those made me remember what he was teaching and those stories helped me on the AP test. Also to start practicing the FRQs early in the year because this years (2019) FRQs were confusing. | 2 |
| The advice I would give to students taking the course next year is to be productive and work diligently no matter how lazy you may feel or how tired you may be. The information Dr. Gottfried is providing is very useful so make sure to pay attention in order to retain what he is teaching you. Another piece of advice I would give to students is to write notes to serve as a study guide for the end of the year AP exam because along with the material Dr. Gottfried provides you; this serves as a very helpful review. Finally, remain positive about the class and learning and try your best to disregard any bad test scores you earn and keep on persevering to achieve the grade you want. | 2 |
| The advice that I have for you is to go study during the break because you have a clear understanding on the topics and the course really. You should pay attention to Dr Gottfried because his lesson are very important to past the class. Also you should take notes and ask a lot of questions because they are very useful to you when it time for the AP Exam. Also You should not go to sleep in his class and also not to get distracted whether it is by talking or playing on your phone. You should go get the barons AP Review book or just watch the crash course video on YouTube. If you do this you can pass the class and also the test. | 2 |
| The AP Biology class is very intriguing in different ways and was always a pleasure to be in the class. Dr. Gottfried is a very interesting person with his lesson, and video that he would use. If you had him before hand with honors you would understand what I mean but, nevertheless he is very lenient with many students especially me because I believe I have been his worst most lazy senior student he has had. So from first hand experience don’t get on his bad side and do your work unlike me which did nothing but bother him. To begin with, all the advance I am going to give you is everything I didn’t do in his class which probably shows why I got a one in the AP Exam. Dr. Gottfried might not teach you things because you are suppose to learn it out of the book and should be ready for any test he brings out. It is a chill class from time to time and might not feel like you guys aren’t doing anything but it is a AP class which mean the teacher won’t guide you through the lesson help you answer. Also, you get to do a lot of fun experiments in the room and actually feels like your doing something smart. Well at least that how I felt. Furthermore, is his story that he tells. Dr. Gottfried might look like a crazy scientist because probably he is one and sure his story might be cheesy but it helps you remember some of the lessons of that day. Don’t be scared to ask anything because I sure was; but he’ll try his best to accommodate you and find a way. Beware to schedule things because the online assignments that he gives are long and have a big impact on your grade. This is all the things that will Joel- you become a better student in the class and have a higher probability of not only acing the class but passing the test as well. In conclusion, overall the class was great to be in it but lessons were pretty hard. He is brilliant but if you ask a questions, you’ll just be asking more question of what he said and might give you a headache. Dr. Gottfried is nice but if students put there part in reading and doing work like me, just get out of the class while you still can. This is my feeling towards the class and my advice that I didn’t take for myself. | 2 |
| The best piece of advice I can give to next year’s class it to read the book, just read it. Also, when you have time in class do not waste it on random stuff it is not worth it. If you pay attention, read and turn your work in on time there is no reason you should not be hyper successful. | 2 |
| The best thing to do is paying attention to Dr. Gottfried’s lectures. I used my phone every class and didn’t listen. Don’t do the same thing! Also, do the Mastering Biology seriously, all the answers are on quizlet but don’t look at it. If you complete the lab by yourself, you’ll comprehend the subject a lot easier. Do not copy other students. | 2 |
| This is beating a dead horse, however, it’s important to emphasize this because most people (including myself) still continue to not do this: DON’T PROCRASTINATE! You will understand the lectures so much more if prior to, you read the textbook chapters and write notes on them. It is much easier to have a foundation of knowledge about each topic and review everything before the exam instead of cramming and trying to learn a year’s worth of biology days before the exam. Also, personally, I felt as though the biology textbook we use in class was too specific about each topic and I would recommend reading pages of the AP Biology Barrons book throughout the year, as the review book is straight to the point and includes the information you need to pass. | 2 |
| To prepare well for the AP exam, I recommend taking notes during lectures, doing all the homework, and reading the chapters that are assigned. Listen to Dr. Gottfried even when he is making jokes or telling stories. If you don't understand something look it up! Nearing the final, its best to take practice tests and understand the questions you got wrong. This way you can remember important things that will possibly be on the AP exam. I used the Princeton Review book and also studied the biology flash cards from Barron's. If I didn't fully understand something I'd watch a crash course on it. | 2 |
| Yes, the class is not hard. Ending with an A is easy if you are responsible and turn in all your work. But don’t let this get to your head. Biology in my opinion is a very complex and difficult subject. Yes, Dr. Gottfried is an amazing teacher and yes he will lecture and teach but it really is all on you. If you are planning to pass the AP test, you should read and watch videos. Dr. Gottfried tends to go really fast when he lectures, the best advice I can give is, don’t take notes just listen. Later on, when you go home u have to watch a video or read that chapter to make sure you understood and got everything. Also don’t cheat on the homework. It is honestly not hard and everything Dr. Gottfried assigns connects to the test and will help you. I did not follow a lot of my own advice and I now regret it. | 2 |
| Advice for AP BIO students would be simply to do as Dr. Gottfried asks and you should easily pass the test. If you pay attention passing the ap is very possible. | 3 |
| B. I would tell future students to pay attention from the beginning so when you study for the AP test it's more of a review and you aren't stuck having to reteach yourself certain things. | 3 |
| B. To the AP Biology students for next year I would recommend that in addition to taking notes they read a review book that goes along with the lesson being taught; if you listen to the lesson, take notes, and review what you learned with a review book like Barron's then the information is further instilled in your brain. When reviewing for the AP Biology test I would suggest that the student spend a large amount of time per chaoter so it is easier to understand the matierial and it does not feel like the information is overwhelimg your brain.I would really recommend that the students take the class a step further because the class is extremely dense and is not just memorizing but understanding and seeing how everything relates. When taking notes it should really just be the key points because when I was reviewing for the test I reread the notes and oversimplified them to the least amount of key words I could use while still making it understandable. Additionally, I would suggest to make notes when you realize that there is a connection between lessons or topics that you are learning so you can refer to them when stuyding what to possibly integrate into the written portion. Try to let the students know just how information dense the class is and that it is not just memorizing like history, it is a lot more difficult. | 3 |
| Dear Future AP Bio Student, Congratulations on signing up for AP Biology. Regardless of how you feel about science, you will find something to enjoy about the class. Dr. Gottfried’s assignments are not the usual, dry chapter-by-chapter questions due every week. You will find yourself designing the premises of your own lab, eating candies for classwork, and watching biology-themed acapella videos. The best advice I can give you is to pay attention and try your best not to fall behind, which seems pretty basic but is very true. If you do your part in class and take notes, the lesson is easy to understand and you won’t have to do much outside studying. If you fail to do so, however, it is easy to fall behind on the lesson and get lost. This can leave you confused for an entire quarter, which feels pretty hard to bounce back from. If you do ever find yourself in this position, you should catch up with the AP Biology Barron’s book. I, personally, found it really helpful, both for reviewing at the end of the year and catching up on lessons that I didn’t understand. Something I wish I did this year but didn’t, was take advantage of every extra credit opportunity. Unless you have a high A, do the extra credit. It’s usually very doable and never too hard, so no excuses! Lastly, choose good members for your lab group—people you know will pull their weight in group assignments and lab write-ups. Your first lab group will probably be the one you have throughout the year, but by choice (Dr. Gottfried never chooses the groups). Goodluck on the AP Exam(: | 3 |
| For incoming AP Biology students, I would recommend to do the reading, do your homework, pay attention in class, and be responsible. Because the class is mostly electronic, with very few on-paper assignments, it is important for every student to look after themselves and remember to do all the assigned work. Doing the reading before the lecture can be extremely helpful in having a full understanding of the information during the class. This can be difficult to do due to homework from other classes, but I do see it as something that would have been very helpful to me. I believe making sure that you have time to study for the AP Exam would help in getting a better score. Because it was one of my last AP Exams, it was difficult for me to find the appropriate time to study, but if one manages their time, it is possible. | 3 |
| Hey future AP Biology kids. i have one lovely piece of advice for you....READ ! yes he tell you that you’re going to have to read. And you’re probably gonna keep up with the reading at first because you’re motivated. But as time goes on you’ll realize that you’re able to glide by and get decent grades without reading. Then you’ll stop reading. Then the exam will come and you’ll realize that you recognize the words but don’t truly understand it’s connection to all of biology. You’re probably not gonna listen to me but then you’ll realize i was right. So good luck 🥳 don’t cry ! | 3 |
| Listen to the lessons that Dr. Gottfried gives because you can learn a lot. Pay attention especially to the topics of genetics and evolution. Don’t be a procrastinator and start studying for the exam early on, at least two months in advance. Don’t be afraid to ask questions that have already been answered and do as many practice tests as you can. Study the FRQ’s because they tend to be more difficult than the multiple choice. All in all just pay attention and start reviewing early. | 3 |
| My advice for any incoming AP Biology students is to stay focused but also to let yourself relax every once in a while. | 3 |
| My advice for future AP Bio students is first to just do the work. You literally can fail every test Dr. G gives, which isn’t that many, but as long as you do the work and turn it in on time, you should get a passing grade. Also don’t be afraid to ask questions. Yes google has all the answers but google won’t explain it like Dr. G and google is not as funny either. If you actually want to pass the exam, which you should want to do, it will require work besides what Dr. G assigns. This isn’t a class where the teacher is going to hold your hand through the class and the AP exam. Regardless off the lack of coddling, Dr. G is a really good teacher and can probably explain things a million different ways if you don’t understand something so don’t be afraid to ask. Finally, don’t be a dick in class (that should go without saying). Your not cool if you do and you definitely should respect the hell out of Dr. G because #1 he’s an adult and that’s the rule in life #2 he controls your grade and #3 he’s a genius and could end you in one comeback. | 3 |
| My advice for next year’s students is as follows. First thing is to read the chapter summaries for open stax when reviewing for the AP exam. Then if there is something that you don’t understand in those summaries, go back into the chapter and look at it more into detail. Know photosynthesis and cellular respiration like the back of your hand; it will do you a lot of good in the exam. During the school year if there is something you don’t understand on an assignment or lab, don’t try to wing it. Asking for help is the best thing you could possibly do, and it leads to less embarrassment which is a plus! It is also important to pay attention to the PowerPoints during class and taking good notes that you will understand later. Don’t write something down for the sake of writing it. Also write a mix of both things that are on the slides and pieces of information that Dr. Gottfried is saying because if you simply take notes on what is displayed on the PowerPoint it will be harder to comprehend when studying later. When working on a lab with a group of people, don’t rely on your classmates to get your lab reports done. You will never learn or understand the whole point of the experiment. Don’t turn in assignments late either, that just lowers your score and Dr. Gottfried’s opinion of you. Working on assignments with your peers is ok but just be sure to write on the work you are submitting that you did it with someone and DO YOUR OWN WORK. You can work on something with your classmates but write and turn in your own paper unless told otherwise. Biology is less about memorizing vocabulary and processes but more about understanding how certain pieces of information interact with each other. For example, knowing what the word evolution means is one thing, but it is another thing to be able to apply it to real-life scenarios and explain its purpose/ relevance. If you are having trouble with FRQ questions and want to do some practice problems the college board does have some questions and answers from previous tests so you can take them and see how you do and get used to doing those questions. If you get the opportunity to, I also recommend going to the AP review for biology as you do a large amount of practice multiple choice questions from the college board and learn a lot form it. My last bit of advice is to please READ. Whether you use open stax or other you need to read; no question. | 3 |
| My advice to the incoming AP Biology students is to always pay your full attention in every class lecture. It does not sound very hard, but i saw a lot of students always distracted during lectures, doing other assignments, or just playing computer games, those same students told me they had trouble on the AP exam. I believe if you take the whole years notes on one document and pay attention in every lecture, overtime you open the notes you look over all the notes taken in the previous classes, and with constantly added new notes and reading over the old notes, the material starts to stick in your head. This is something that i found to be very efficient in the class, as i felt readily prepared for the exam. The best advice i can give is pay attention and always read over your notes. | 3 |
| Please, do your reading, I guarantee you that you will not do well in the class without reading the book. It isn’t that bad, it takes at most an hour per night and you normally have two nights to do it and he does not give reading every class. Everything seems like a lot, but it really isn’t, it’s a fun class that if you stay on top of it you will succeed. Also, do your homework on time in you don’t want to have to do 4 labs the day before the gradebook close. Also, if you’re aiming for a 4 or a 5 in the AP test, as you should, start studying on time, because it is a lot to remember and non-understanding a single topic will cost you many points of the ap test. | 3 |
| The best advice I can give to anybody in AP Bio next year is to actually do the Mastering Biology. They’re annoying sometimes, I know, but they’re so so so worth it. I would sometimes take notes on them when I was cramming before a quiz, and I did way better if I did. They aren’t even that hard (except the chart things, those are awful), they just take time. Also, even if you don’t care about passing the exam, you can still get a good grade in the class just by turning in assignments. I don’t understand how people have such bad grades because of Zs on missing assignments; literally just submit something!! Anything is better than a Z!! Why would you bother taking an AP class and tanking your GPA just because you don’t turn stuff in?? | 3 |
| The class is a college level class and you will need to stay on top of your games, I learned that a bit late. You will need to read the book, I know many of us don’t want to read chapters about the topics but you have to, if you want to pass the class and the test. However if you are a more interactive person, you can try the CrashCourse videos, they are entertaining and fast paced which can be use as a review. I hope you all have an amazing year. Good luck! | 3 |
| The following advice is not exactly what I did, but what I wish someone would've told me before taking the class. Reading the book will make a difference. I understand how time-consuming reading the book sounds (and it is), but it makes a difference. Reading the chapter, prior to the lesson, helps understand the concept better than just paying attention in class will. Manage your time and make sure you get some reading before the lecture day. Also, Mastering Biology should be an interesting source to learn other topics or go over them. Understanding labs is very important. Do your best in every assignment since it will make a difference in your grade. | 3 |
| The way I did AP Biology is probably how some would do it if they didn’t have a lot of time in their hands (I took AP Psychology, and I invested a lot of time there than in AP Biology) I didn’t read all the chapters of the book, I only skimmed through them to do the homework. For the test, don’t do this but, I didn’t study (not that I’m saying I’m so good I didn’t have to study, but since I knew most of it I just rolled with what I already knew). This form of doing tests is not very lucrative, as reflected by my test grades (C, D, C, A, B, A, A, F, A, A, A, D, D, D, C, B), I don’t recommend anyone doing what I did, I had to do extra effort on other things in order to balance out the bad test grades, and I was always on the verge of 89 and 81. I do recommend you study. If I were to retake AP Biology, I would have given it 100%, and not what I gave it, since after all Biology is my favorite subject and I want to major in Microbiology. TL;DR: Study; Don’t cheat; Do extra credit only if needed ; Be respectful ; Don’t fall asleep; ??? Profit | 3 |
| Throughout the year we have been taught lessons in a different way than normal. Instead of relying on the text book for information we are told about the information. We discuss it and ask questions on it to get the ideas in our heads. This may be an better style of teaching and it does benefit in making students absorb information. We learn well from class demo starvations and online gizmos. My favorite thing about the class was the gizmos. They make sure you understand the information by asking the questions that need to be asked in order to understand the information. The class work in class needs to gone over in a way that ensures the information is stuck in students minds. The thing I liked the least about the class was the PowerPoints. Although they have all the information we needed, it still amazed me how many people would just sleep through it. I wouldn’t know how to fix this issue but I wanted to point out that some people wouldn’t even listen to a word of it. Overall the class as a whole was above average and quickly became one of the most interesting class this year. 4/5 Stars | 3 |
| You should really pay attention when Dr.G lectures and take notes because he knows what he's talking about and teaches a lot of key points during each lecture. When he says to study or to read something, do it. If you pay attention in class, do your homework, and study, you will definitely pass the exam. | 3 |
| AP Biology is completely doable if you just pay attention and actually understand what’s going on, don’t just copy work from your friends. If you want to do better than just survive during the year and the test, I suggest taking notes, either on the textbook chapters or on the class lectures (I did both), and again, do your work. Throughout the year, Dr. Gottfried provides you with everything you need, so just trust that he knows best and take full advantage of these resources. For the exam, I didn’t buy a review book or attend tutoring sessions, and instead read all my notes and reviewed past assignments, but taking APs is all about knowing yourself, so do what helps you most. If you can’t visualize something, look at the diagrams in the textbook and do the mastering biology because they honestly help so much. Regardless of your study method (or lack of one), I recommend that you try to explain certain concepts you’re unsure of to someone else. If you can’t explain it to someone else, you should go over that topic again, because sometimes small details can help get you at least minimal points on the FRQs. The way I see it, the more you know, the better you can answer everything to the best f your ability and get as many points as possible, but also don’t freak out and try to learn every detail because that’s impossible and you will go insane. Last, watch Mr. Tait’s video (“Pass the AP Biology Exam with Minimal Knowledge”) the weekend before the exam because that helped clarify some things about the way the questions are phrased and created. Good luck! | 4 |
| Definitley read the book, take some good notes to review. You'll benefit from it. Bozeman science makes good last minute review videos. Do the previous year's FRQs and multiple choice to study for the AP exam. The labs are nice, make sure to turn in all your work, Zs drop your grade hard. If you put in some work the class shouldn't be too difficult. | 4 |
| Don't read OpenStax, it's unnecessarily complex and way longer than the chapters in Cambell. Try your very hardest not to fall asleep in class because even if you're not taking notes and you feel that you're not retaining anything, just listening will you get you pretty far. As far as reading goes, I would suggest going through the simplest review book you can find (I used Barron's) and then whenever you are even mildly confused, to consult the Cambell book. Finally, and this goes for every AP exam, you have to step into that room aiming for a 5 whether you're only prepared to get a 4 or 1. | 4 |
| I would advise for future AP biology students to treat this class like a college class. Even if the concept of biology comes easy to you, studying is mandatory for this course and you will likely fail or do poorly if you refuse to. Firstly, new students should treat the supplied biology text as their most important study tool. Practically all of the answers are within it and it will make your time in AP Biology much smoother. Secondly, write and review your notes. Many students already take their notes, but if you go home and rewrite them, you will have better absorbed the information, which will benefit you more. In addition to these, watch videos (Crash Course, Edgenunity, etc.) on biology in order to better build up your biology knowledge, which will make the class and the AP exam much easier. Going off on this, new students should try to start to studying earlier for the AP exam. A lot of the information on the exam are “You know it or you don’t” type questions, which can be answered quite easily if you know the info. Lastly, take AP Biology exam diagnostics throughout the year in order to gauge your ability. Personally, I didn’t do this, but in retrospect, I believe this would have better prepared me for the AP exam. | 4 |
| In general, AP Biology should only be taken if you are willing to do all the work and commit a good amount of time to the class mastering the material. In class, I recommend that you take notes from the lectures, and go home and study those notes to make sure you really soak in the knowledge. Also, you should go online to your textbook and read through it and familiarize yourself with the vocabulary terms and do the practice questions. Sometimes, the textbook will seem like Chinese to you, and that’s okay because we have all been there. In that case, go to YouTube and look up Bozeman Science with Mr. Anderson or Science with Mr. J. These channels have videos for every single AP biology concept, and trust me, without these two channels, I would not have passed many of the tests that were given to us. Since our class was taught as the first class of the day, you tend to be more tired and it is only natural that you don’t absorb everything in class. Therefore, besides paying attention to Dr. Gottfried as much as you can in his class, it is crucial that you go home and watch videos on the concepts to understand as much as possible. Another piece of advice that I have for you is to pay attention to the labs you do in class, because although you might not understand right away what concept it relates to, figuring it out will develop your problem-thinking skills and sharpen them, which is a key skill on the exam. Now, once you get to that time of the year that everybody dreads and gets nervous for, the actual AP exam, my number one piece of advice is not to worry! Stress will cause you do to worst, and trust me, if you pay enough attention to Dr. G and study periodically throughout the year, you should have plenty of knowledge to pass. I would recommend cramming for the exam roughly around spring break, all the way through to the exam date. Besides rewatching videos and reading for the refreshing of necessary knowledge, you should take practice tests online and do practice FRQS from previous exams. Online tests are available on different websites, and you can even find 3 to 4 released exams that have both multiple choice and FRQS. Do as many FRQS as possible, because those tend to be the harder part on the exam. The multiple choice is more common sense, but the FRQs could be extremely hard. Also, practice the AP exams with time limits! Personally, I think the hardest element of the exam was the pressure of the time, because you don’t have a lot of time to sit there and think about each question, especially on the FRQs. It is also very important that you study the math related concepts in biology, because in my opinion, the easiest points you can rack up come from the gridded response questions. | 4 |