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BIOL 130Introductory Cell Biology

Units
0.50
Faculty
Science
Subject
Biology

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

An introduction to the concepts of cell biology with emphasis on (1) the structural organization of the cell and (2) the function of critical molecular processes that are characteristic of living organisms.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0017324437 / 446TTh 11:30–12:50
LEC 0027104443 / 446TTh 13:00–14:20
LEC 0037374334 / 340TTh 11:30–12:50
LEC 0047325323 / 340TTh 13:00–14:20

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00168111 / 200TTh 13:00–14:20
LEC 7012555157 / 9999Online or by arrangement

Reviewed on UW Flow

56% liked it52% easy82% useful

From 845 ratings and 207 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • 1. Reorganize their lecture slides. It's easy to get lost in their "order"
    2. Draw out all the processes and details on the slides onto a separate page. All the info you need is on the slides. Go through the whole process and draw it out.
    There. I got 90s going through it once. It took a while, but it was worth it since I didn't have to review again, and everything stayed in my head. You really should NOT buy the book, the info is all on the slides, and if in doubt, borrow from the library or check videos.

    Nov 2015 · didn’t like it · 5 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Good luck, soldier! This is a canonical event for every science student. On the Piazza, she chose to ignore roughly 80% requests for help and respond in a very passive aggresive way. Certainly, credit is due where it's deserved. For the questions she does answer, she goes into detail and explains them well. The only somewhat useful thing I found were the practice tests and Kritiks. I found the courses that she taught,BIO130, to be more self-taught as the lecture videos were low quality and In the lectures, she tends to just go over slides in a way that nobody understands. As I attended almost every lecture, I found the iClicker questions somewhat helpful to go back and review them, and very…

    Nov 2023 · didn’t like it · 4 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • If you took high school bio is easy. Just dont forget to study cell communication

    Jul 2018 · liked it · 4 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • (Learned remotely due to COVID) All tests/ exams were multiple-choice. You would think that's easy right? Sometimes it was... But most of the time the questions involved 3 options and the other options were "A and C" and "A, B, C." Professor Engalheardt really knows how to make a multiple-choice question feel like a short answer question because you will need to explain the question to yourself thoroughly in order to arrive at the answer. Half of this course was grade 12 bio and the other half was an expansion of grade 12, adding more detail to the concepts taught in high school. Make sure you are able to explain each concept in the required amount of detail by yourself WITHOUT the aid of…

    Dec 2020 · liked it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Memorization is one thing you have to be good at if you want to take this course and do well. If you aren't willing to put some serious work in, do not take this course. If you want to save yourself some money and not buy the textbook, it is a must you go to class and take efficient notes as the exam and midterms are from IN CLASS content only. The first midterm is much easier than the 2nd one as it based mainly on high school review AND is written by Dr Holyoak but does not mean that no effort is needed. Although this course was difficult, the content taught in this class was indeed interesting.
    DISCLAIMER:
    In order to pass this course, you must pass one midterm and the final to pass…

    Dec 2018 · liked it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

542 posts and comments in 381 threads mention BIOL 130, August 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

transferring from laurier cs to waterloo any degree with a mid gpa 4 points, 12 comments

“has anyone ever or know anyone who transferred to waterloo from laurier without super high marks? what programs did you apply and get into? what program were you originally in at laurier? …”

u/VP007clips: “Depends on the science honestly. Most sciences would probably be willing to at least discuss directly entering if you had good marks. …”

u/priceypapaya: “ya i took BIOL 130 and CHEM 120 at UW to see if i could do well and im glad to say i finished with low 90s. so my hope is, even though they are first year courses, they would consider that i can indeed be successful in it”

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Biol 130 1 point, 11 comments

u/CompetitiveEmu1314: “Do bio courses get easier plz say yes i am barely passing 🙏”

u/l_bb0: “Biol 130 is honestly a pretty rough course just due to the amount of content. There are definitely easier bio courses but there are a few trickier ones as well like bio 308”

u/voxaun: “i got 50 in biol 130 bc i didn't take bio in highschool. i got 80+ in all of my 200-level bio courses. however, i changed my studying method, so it won't happen without change!!”

u/collagen_deficient: “Biol130 is mostly multiple choice based questions that test your ability to memorize/learn facts. Subsequent courses will test your ability to apply your understanding to a variety of experimental and application style questions. It depends on which style of testing you prefer. …”

u/guitardesk: “after 5 years of uni biol 130 is still the lowest mark on my transcript”

u/Anal_Iverson: “Biol 130 was the hardest biology course for me, aside from 308.”

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is biol 130 hard for someone who didnt take biology in high school 1 point, 2 comments

u/SkirtAlternative3266: “pls help ;; i wanna take biol 130 next term bc i wanna transfer to science from arts”

u/alicialillie: “… designed to kinda teach you the same stuff as from highschool + a bit more my friend took biol130 in 1b (i took it in 1a) and some of her tests got curved because they did poorly on some questions LOL, it’s definitely doable, just gotta put in the work :) good luck on your …”

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Used/Cheap Textbooks 2 points, 7 comments

“Hello! This is my first reddit post so please bear with me lol I'm a first year biology undergrad student who's looking for access to free or cheap textbooks. …”

u/SwingDue7753: “What specific ones do you need”

u/Ok-Ebb-789: “unfortunately im in biol 110 & 130 but i rlly appreciate the offer ty!!”

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biol 130 TT 6 points, 1 comment

u/voxaun: “went to purchase my lab manuals & saw vivian will be teaching biol 130 this fall... my fourth year self would give anything for that experience”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

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