This class will engulf your entire semester, so try to lighten the load when you take this class. Like everybody else says, record the lectures and relisten once after in order to catch the underlying details. If Wormington doesn't mention it in the lecture or explicitly tell you to learn it (PULMONARY UNIT), then it will never be on the exams; therefore, don't ever waste your time buying or reading the textbook (There's a free copy online that you can look at for the one time he wants you to actually read it), because Wormington is a walking textbook. He's clearly knowledgeable and a pretty cool guy. I really enjoyed the material, but it's a hard class. He rarely curves the exams and when he does, it's 1 or 2 points so don't expect it. Office hours are super helpful, so go if you can.

TLDR: Wormington is cool. Read the textbook only when he says in lecture to read it. Memorize the lectures. It's a hard class. Good luck.

The person who commented about having to read about CO2 transport and pulmonary/systemic capillaries very clearly didn't read Mike's "reading assignments" where it explicitly states that he will NOT be teaching them in lecture but that you HAVE to know it on the exam. You can't be bitter about something that is expressed VERY clearly in his reading assignments. All of the other reading is irrelevant - just make sure to transcribe lectures and you will do fine. You do not really need to read except for what he doesn't talk about in lecture (which is stated on Collab!!!!)

READ THE TEXTBOOK FOR CO2 TRANSPORT FOR PULMONARY/SYSTEMIC CAPILLARIES AND GASTRIC EPI CELLS or you will get POINTS OFF even though he doesn't go over it

Definitely a difficult class but so so interesting! Wormington is an amazing professor and is literally so intelligent. He does go through his lectures pretty fast and fits alloooottt of material into a 50 minute lecture. His powerpoint slides are mainly pictures and diagrams without much context, so I would highly recommend recording the lecture and transcribing it word-for-word later that day. I relistened to every lecture immediately after class and I found that doing so helped the material stick a little better. Because there is so much content and so many details, studying for exams are very time consuming. We also had homework quizzes due before every class that were very difficult, but they were open note and if you spent a lot of time on them you could do pretty well. His exams are pretty dense and I always left feeling brain dead. Occasionally he also had bonus homeworks that you need to take advantage of. He did end up curving the class at the end of the semester. I got two Bs and one A on the exams and ended up with an A in the class because of the curve. A different professor taught it Spring 2019 and I think the class was structured a little differently, but I don't know if its going to stay like that or not. Overall, a very interesting class that takes a lot of work but I would 100% recommend it!

The only way you can succeed in this course is to record the lecutres and literally transcribe word for word. Look for the homework questions on quizlet and really commit to transcribing if you want a chance in this class. Didn't think it was bad as all the other reviews but Wormington's slides are very bare. Really need to pay attention to his words.

Never have I ever cried so much because of a class. Yes, the class was very interesting and eye-opening, but the exams were ridiculously difficult. Wormington definitely knows his stuff and has proved, time and time again, that he is a very knowledgeable person. The exams are difficult because the subject itself is complex and very integrative. There were three exams and a final, plus homework (THIS WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE). He does not ask a lot when it comes to homework and other outside work, so use that time to say your Hail Marys and Our Fathers and study for this class. Like mentioned before from previous students, record the lectures. Aside from that, Wormington is not very approachable and is condescending. I went to get help from him a couple times, and he was very rude when responding. But yeah, good luck :)

Workington is pretty straightforward about his expectations for his students, and if you buckle down, study, go to office hours, and show up to class, you'll be okay. It is a difficult class with lots of reading and lots of studying attached, but it is possible to succeed.

I took BIOL 3000 (Cell Biology) with Wormington fall 2018. First, the stuff you need to know:
1. Don’t buy the textbook. There are technically readings assigned, but you should not do them. Download a .pdf of an older version and use that if you ever need help outside of class with a concept.
2. Record every lecture. Go back and re-listen to the complicated ones as you prepare for an exam.
3. Memorize (almost) every word that comes out of this man’s mouth.

Mike Wormington is a legend. I know people twice my age who still remember taking biology with him when they were students here. There’s a reason he’s been at UVa since 1989 (and teaching Cell Biology since 1992): knows his freaking stuff and he knows it well. For a 9:00am lecture with 300 people, Mike made every day worth it and interesting. He explains concepts very well, he’s actually pretty funny, and his lectures cover everything you need to know. Are the exams hard? Yeah, for sure; one of my favorite quotes from this semester was when we were walking out from the first exam and someone said, “I used to think our professor was a nice guy.” But Mike knows his exams are hard, and he will prep you as well as he can for them. He can sometimes be a little unapproachable, but he has a heart of gold and I swear he knows more biology than any human on Grounds. Name one other professor who will talk about a Nobel Prize-winning lab for 30 minutes, then pull up a picture of himself working in the lab (surprise!) and roast himself for wearing short shorts in ‘80s. Dude is a legend.
As far the class itself goes, yeah Cell is difficult. There are daily homeworks, 3 exams, and 1 final exam. Do the bonus homework assignments when he offers them as these are pure extra credit. Study for exams starting a week in advance; they are hard.

Whew, what a class. This has been my most favorite class of undergrad so far and that might be part of the reason of why I was able to get a good grade. I'm not sure if Wormington is going to be teaching this class again but either way I'm gonna give some tips. Use the textbook only for the first exam for the topics he says learn on your own . You don't need it for any other part of the course because the exams are lecture heavy. Put effort into the homeworks. They may be the factor that save your grade. Go to lecture and record them. After lecture, fill in your notes on things you may have missed from lecture. I think the main mistake people make is transcribing every word Wormington says. Be reasonable and write down content you know you will actually study. Use some notetaking skills instead of just writing down every damn word that comes out of his mouth. I think another mistake people make is not thinking they need to know all the individual proteins. Yes, you do. Know their names and their functions otherwise you will sacrifice points on the exams. His exams are not just memorization, although you will need to do this to succeed. You have to try and understand the material at a higher level such as the effect an experimental action will have. Wormington is an extremely knowledgeable guy who will answer any questions you might have. Overall, you will learn more in this course than probably any other biology course at UVa. While it is difficult, you can succeed with the proper effort.

The class runs at a breakneck pace so you'll want to record everything you can. Beyond that, its a matter of thinking analytically about the course material rather than rote memorization. You'll be successful if you devote most of your time to this class and stay on top of the material.