A course for exploring the biological sciences PhD experience, helping students confirm their fit for graduate study and prepare application materials.
Reviewers report difficulty in receiving constructive guidance, with one student feeling discouraged about graduate school prospects after seeking advice.
Raw average: 1.67/5 from 3 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.
For this course: 1.5/5 raw quality · 2.0/5 difficulty · 2
reviews
RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.
John Pool receives severe criticism for creating a discouraging environment where students feel incompetent and belittled. Reviewers report that he offers no support, only judgment, and actively shuts down questions, leading to decreased confidence and negative outlooks on graduate school prospects.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.86 GPA, 93.1% A/AB (n=29 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.90 GPA, 90.3% A/AB (n=31 letter grades).
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
JOHN POOL is recorded teaching in Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future
schedule.
Calendar & sections
Fall 2026
Schedule loads here as you scroll.
Section
Mode
Enrolled / capacity
Waitlist
LEC 001
Classroom Instruction
12 / 40
0
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
John Pool receives severe criticism for creating a discouraging environment that undermines student confidence and offers no support.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.86 GPA, 93.1% A/AB (n=29 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.90 GPA, 90.3% A/AB (n=31 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Reviewers report difficulty in receiving constructive guidance, with one student feeling discouraged about graduate school prospects after seeking advice.
Students report being belittled and shut down when asking questions, resulting in feelings of incompetence and insecurity.
Topics
PhD student experience and application process
Personal goal reflection and graduate study nature
Admissions timing and personal readiness assessment
Skills
Application material improvement and interview skill strengthening
Identification of research areas and prospective advisors
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Fall 2026.
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
A90.3%90.3%
AB0.0%0.0%
B9.7%9.7%
BC0.0%0.0%
C0.0%0.0%
D0.0%0.0%
F0.0%0.0%
Grades over time
Through Fall 2025
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Where this course fits relative to
Latest available grades · Fall 2025 · all course levels
3.903.90GPA
Higher than 8080% of other courses
in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
3131letter grades
More recorded grades than 33% of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: 70.070.0 letter grades.
About this comparison
1320 courses over the same term, each with at least 30
recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure
of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded
grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.
Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.
Sources & history
UW–Madison
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.