BIOL 273Principles of Human Physiology 1
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Biology
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 3 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
The physiology of major organ systems of the human body. Topics include neurophysiology and peripheral nervous system, muscle, the cardiovascular system, the components of blood, respiratory system, and immune system. The combination of BIOL 273 and BIOL 373 covers all of the major topics of human physiology.
Prerequisites
- Must have completed the following:
- BIOL130 - Introductory Cell Biology (0.50)
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 7284 | 441 / 446 | TTh 08:30–09:50 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6643 | 0 / 387 | TTh 10:00–11:20 |
| LEC 002 | 6988 | 0 / 387 | TTh 08:30–09:50 |
| LEC 701 | 2475 | 751 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
85% liked it36% easy94% useful
From 386 ratings and 73 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Stressful 12 minute online quizzes but a great course in general. Midterm and final were fair, study from course notes, pay attention in class, and most importantly, watch Cells at Work if you have trouble with immune system unit.
Sep 2018 · liked it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
I say it is useful ONLY if you continue to pursue something medical or in a health profession. If not please skip this course (unless you really like anatomy) because it goes very in-depth into a lot of stuff and leaves you confused. I personally loved this course it was a challenge but it was nice learning the content did not mind I was up until 3am doing so. Here are some tip.
1. the course is not easy. A big reason is that it's very textbook-heavy! I had Vivian and she uses a lot of info from the textbook into the test and final as well as a lot of application questions. I highly doubt anyone would pass this course without the textbook. luckily it's free online.
2. What I wish I had…Dec 2021 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
michael is a great guy, very nice and funny but i did not like his teaching style at all. the notes provided were from vivian and i would read the notes, understand it, and then michael would start talking and make me confused LOL but not a bad course at all, pretty average. bonus questions on midterms (and exam) are clutch + a couple little things to help boost your grade
Jul 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
LOVED THIS COURSE. The content is really interesting and consequently the lectures are interesting. I would highly recommend attending in person because you are actually able to pay attention when you're there, whereas if you're just watching a screen recording, you automatically stop paying attention. Dr Dayeh knows what she's doing and she's very competent (and I wish she taught human phys II, iykyk). Our course consisted of 3 25% tests and some assignments. There's a lot of content to memorize, but space it out and understand it, and you'll probably be fine. Although there are quite a few application questions on the tests, so you really have to grasp the content well. But it's…
May 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Quite possibly the easiest course in the department of biology. Free 10% of assignments. The midterm was very fair. The final was a notch harder but that's understandable since it covers so much materials. The course notes are excellent, about 150 pages summarizing half of the textbook!!
May 2017 · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
327 posts and comments in 266 threads mention BIOL 273, October 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
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/SwingDue7753: “If you’re taking biol 273 I have the lab manual for that”
KIN 217/HLTH 217 and BIOL 130L and BIOL 273, will I be okay? 2 points, 10 comments
u/NothingHungry6830: “This upcoming semester I am taking Kin 217/HLTH 217, BIOL 130 Lab, and BIOL 273 along with other health courses such as HLTH 204 and 205. Does anyone have any advice for taking these courses together? or at least any info on KIN 217/HLTH 217? …”
u/SwingDue7753: “Hey good luck ! By the way if your interested I have the lab manual for biol 273. I’m selling it for $5 if you want it”
u/brokenup99999: “… BIOL 273 is a good course but needs a lot of studying and readings to stay on top of to do well. …”
Spring 2024
BIOL 130 VS BIOL 239 VS BIOL 240 VS BIOL 273 1 point, 8 comments
u/ComprehensiveBack767: “Torn between these 3 bio courses. Im in third year and tried taking biol 130 but dropped it. I don’t know if I should retake it, which biol course do you guys think its not as content heavy and actually enjoyable. …”
BIOL 273 (Online) or CHEM 266 as Elective? 1 point, 0 comments
MATH128 and STAT 202 in the same term 4 points, 3 comments
u/Specific_Way966: “… Mandatory courses for 2A are BIOL201, BIOL273, BIOL240 and CHEM266. And I have to take MATH128 by June 2025. Should I take STAT202 and MATH128 in the same term or take MATH128 in 2A term? …”
Life sci students! What courses did you choose for first year? Tips for first year? 3 points, 14 comments
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u/guitardesk: “almost all your courses are preselected based on which major in life sci ur in (biomed, biochem, bio, psych). i did get to choose one bio elective in my second semester, i went for Genetics (BIOL239) I also know Human Physiology is popular for that (BIOL273).”
BIOL 240 online 3 points, 5 comments
“Currently taking BIOL 240 online and it is way too much content. Started off the first week with 4 lecture readings, each taking about \30 minutes each without taking notes. …”
u/Opposite_Ring_5111: “I'm currently taking BIOL 273 (human physiology) and it's a lot. How would you say the assessments and overall course load is in BIOL 240? How many quizzes and assignments do you have? Is the final exam cumulative? Thanks in advance, I appreciate it!”
u/CryCT: “I took biol273 and biol240 in the same term (f2023). I had weekly Pearson textbook assignments that took a while in biol273. had 3 term tests (no finals period), and the last one was cumulative but with a heavy skew towards the last 1/3 of the term. …”
biol 273 course notes 1 point, 0 comments
biol 273 3 points, 2 comments
u/Acceptable-Ad-2995: “anyone who has previously taken this course recommend studying from the textbook? or are the course notes good enough? it says it’s required but idk”
Winter 2024
BIOL273 1 point, 1 comment
u/No_Pilot_3484: “I was just wondering how you should study for this course. Should I focus on the course notes or should I also read the textbook? The prof for this term isn"t that great :(”
Biol 239 vs Biol 273 5 points, 12 comments
u/Routine_Zone985: “How hard is bio 239 this term? Are the new profs good? I’m thinking of switching to 239 from 273 Cauee it’ll be easier. Any advice?”
u/CryCT: “… I actually loved biol273 when I took it last term with Vivian Dayeh. All you need to do is understand the lecture material/course notes well (as in, you don't need the textbook or do extra reading). The term tests are really fair and the online assignments are easy marks. …”
Transferring into Eng and math 128 4 points, 9 comments
u/Routine_Zone985: “… (Please help the add/drop period ends tmrw night 😭) For reference I am currently taking BIOL 273, PHYS 111, CHEM 123, PSYCH 101, ENGL 193. I think my semester is heavy enough otherwise I would’ve taken Math 128 as a sixth course. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
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