Easily the worst professor to ever exist. He consistently belittles and berates students, making them feel incompetent, unworthy and unconfident. Countless classmates and I have been shut down or made insecure for asking questions. He offers no support, only judgment. I genuinely hope no other student ever has to endure him.I pray he loses his job.Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
John Pool
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Before I took this class, I had a positive outlook on my experiences and the possibility of going to grad school. Afterwards, I felt more discouraged and less competent. When I asked for advice about my GPA and current research, he told me it was not likely to get into grad school.Rate My Professors ↗
Seems like he is just teaching so he can do research. lectured all about the qualitative parts of genetics, but the majority of his exam was quantitative. He also has a very weird exam structure.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with John Pool
Independent Study
1–3 creditsGENETICS 299 is an independent study course involving research work in Genetics under faculty guidance.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2024 · limited sampleSenior Honors Thesis
2–4 creditsGENETICS 681 is an individual study course for majors completing theses for Honors degrees as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
A course for exploring the biological sciences PhD experience, helping students confirm their fit for graduate study and prepare application materials.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
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.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Fall 2025 · limited sampleSpecial Problems
1–3 creditsGENETICS 699 is a special problems course allowing students to conduct individual advanced work in a specific area of Genetics under faculty guidance.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Advanced Genetics
2 creditsAdvanced Genetics provides professional-level training in genetic mechanisms, analysis, transmission, and variation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.54 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=12 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.53 GPA, 73.3% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.71 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleResearch
1–12 creditsGENETICS 990 is a research course where students conduct independent laboratory research under faculty supervision to prepare a graduate thesis.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Research
1–9 creditsZOOLOGY 990 is a graduate research course where students conduct advanced biological research under faculty mentorship to fulfill program requirements.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | GENETICS 299 | Independent Study |
| Fall 2026 | GENETICS 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GENETICS 695 | Advancing to Biological Sciences Phd Study |
| Fall 2026 | GENETICS 699 | Special Problems |
| Fall 2026 | GENETICS 701 | Advanced Genetics |
| Fall 2026 | GENETICS 990 | Research |
| Fall 2026 | ZOOLOGY 990 | Research |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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