r/nvcc • • 3h ago

Professors Unresponsive microbiology professor help

4 Upvotes

I’m taking BIO150 online and my professor, Dr. Hermoso, has been impossible to reach. I’ve taken tough science classes before, but this level of neglect feels totally abnormal.

Here are the main issues:

• Complete lack of availability. If he does reply, it will be something like “I’ll get back to you later” and never does… I’ve asked about office hours twice and he says he will email me a zoom link after he “checks his hours” but doesn’t.

• Class feels extremely disorganized. He posts every module at least 2 days late, and considering this is an accelerated class that leaves us with less than 2 weeks to prepare for the test. The lab exam was supposed to have an essay question but he didn’t even bother to add one… It just had red text saying “PROFESSORS PLEASE ADD ESSAY QUESTION HERE…. DELETE THIS TEXT BEFORE PUBLISHING”. We were supposed to have a group project and he told us not to do anything until he posted an instructional video. A week and a half later, no video was ever posted on it, nor were groups made.

• Failing class median, over half the class failed the last test. He promised a curve, didnt happen. He promised to take a look at the questions that were missed to see what went wrong and drop those questions. Didn’t. Labs, homeworks, and discussion posts are still entirely ungraded and its more than half way through the semester. Also he said that if anyone averages under a 60% in the exam or lab portion, then they will receive an automatic F in the course no matter what their grades are in the other sections.

I’ve never had a professor just post the module (late) then go absolutely MIA for the next 2 weeks until the next module. Microbiology is a difficult class but it feels even more difficult having absolutely no contact with my professor. Oddly enough, this professor has absolutely raving reviews on RateMyProfessor. Even in my toughest classes, my professors have always answered to emails and offered office hours. I’m doing fairly well in the class now, but thats only because I’ve had to spend a genuinely obscene amount of time on it since I can’t get any clarification on anything.

What should I do here? Should I escalate this?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Edit: the professor’s name is Dr. Hermoso


r/nvcc • • 1h ago

Woodbridge Micro 150

• Upvotes

Would you guys recommend Vincent NG for Micro 150?


r/nvcc • • 12h ago

Math MTH 161

7 Upvotes

With registration coming up I thought it would be a good idea to post this. MTH 161 is a demanding course that requires a significant amount of time, practice, and consistent effort, regardless of which professor you have. This is especially true if your mathematical foundations are not particularly strong. Students who struggle with algebra, functions, equations, or other prerequisite skills often find the course considerably more challenging because MTH 161 builds upon those concepts while introducing new and more advanced material.

One of the challenges with MTH 161 is that many students enter the course without having the prerequisite level of preparation they actually need to be successful. In some cases, students may be placed into MTH 161 when they would benefit from taking MDE 60 first, which is designed to help strengthen the foundational skills necessary for success in MTH 161. As a result, the course can have a relatively high withdrawal and failure rate.

It is not unusual for a class to begin the semester with around 30 students and have fewer than 10 students remaining by the end of the semester. Of course, this varies significantly from professor to professor, as well as from semester to semester, and the level of rigor and expectations can have an impact on student retention. However, the larger issue is that MTH 161 requires students to be prepared to work consistently throughout the semester.

If you are considering taking MTH 161, you should be prepared to devote substantial time outside of class to reviewing concepts, completing homework, practicing problems, and getting help when you need it. The course is not one where you can typically wait until the night before an exam and expect to be successful. Regular practice and staying current with the material are extremely important.

That being said, struggling in MTH 161 does not necessarily mean that you are incapable of succeeding in mathematics. It may simply mean that you need additional preparation or support with the prerequisite material. Students who recognize their weaknesses early, take advantage of tutoring and the Math Center, ask questions, and consistently practice can significantly improve their chances of succeeding.

The most important thing is to be realistic about the level of commitment the course requires. If your foundations are strong and you are willing to put in the necessary work, MTH 161 is manageable. If your foundations are weak, however, taking the time to strengthen those skills before or while preparing for MTH 161 can make a substantial difference.


r/nvcc • • 3h ago

Computer Science Dr H Shaban's CSC215 Midterm

1 Upvotes

Anyone taking Dr H Shaban's online CSC215 class? I am very confused because the practice midterm has questions from later chapters.


r/nvcc • • 4h ago

Advice Geo 210

1 Upvotes

Has anyone taken Amber Huffman for Geo 210? If so, would you recommend her? Is there tests in the class? I checked rate my professor but there’s not much there to go off of.


r/nvcc • • 7h ago

Textbooks All Access

1 Upvotes

Is All Access worth it? I get that it’s probably easier because most things are in one place, but I feel like I should opt out of it especially since a lot of things can be found for cheaper, what do yall think?


r/nvcc • • 14h ago

Loudoun MTH 263, professor recommendation

3 Upvotes

I’m taking Calculus 1 (MTH 263) in the Spring 2027 semester, and I’m looking for professor recommendations specifically at the Loudoun Campus.

Thanks.


r/nvcc • • 15h ago

Annandale good bio 101 teachers?

2 Upvotes

Does anyone know any good Bio 101 teachers?


r/nvcc • • 14h ago

Annandale Are the academic planning advisors at AN truly helpful?

0 Upvotes

I'm a freshman and have heard people online (from all over the states) say that they've had bad experiences with advisors regarding class/transfer planning. While I know I should also be keeping track of things myself, which I am, I just wanna make sure I can rely on them to know what they're talking about lol... because I don't, and will believe whatever they say

I plan to meet with one this upcoming week to discuss next semester's classes/plans regarding the transfer agreements for the schools I'm looking at. Do y'all have anyone specific you recommend? Or any experiences/info that might be helpful?


r/nvcc • • 1d ago

Advice No CHM111?

Post image
5 Upvotes

I'm fully aware that classes aren't fully refined yet, but many of them seem to already be up and posted on SIS. I can find chm101, chm112, but no chm111. Did they get rid of this course? Does anyone have any idea what may be going on?


r/nvcc • • 1d ago

Financial Aid Refund

5 Upvotes

My full financial aid was disbursed on October 6th, 7th, and 8th and I still haven’t received any refund. Financial aid office is literally of zero help when I contact them. All my classes had a September 9th census date and I’m enrolled in 13 credits. Anyone else or literally just me? How am I seeing partial refunds go out and I have nothing 🫠


r/nvcc • • 1d ago

Transfer JMU Poli Sci

1 Upvotes

I'm at NOVA rn, and I'm thinking of transferring to JMU in the spring. I've heard it has a pretty good political science program, so I wanted to know how other poli sci majors like it and if they think it's worth transferring for. Also, I've heard some things about racism at JMU, but I'm not sure how accurate they are or if people are exaggerating. So if there are any Black students or alumni here, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences and whether it's actually as bad as people say. Okay, thanks!!!!


r/nvcc • • 1d ago

Alexandria radiation oncology

1 Upvotes

who all is interested in the radiation oncology program and how are prereqs going so far! :)


r/nvcc • • 1d ago

Miscellaneous Student Success Week next week?

2 Upvotes

Does anyone know anything about the Student Success Week that is on the calendar for Spring 2027 students?

I haven’t received any information that I am aware of unless it went to student emails, which I have not received access to yet. The calendar of dates just gives the dates October 26-30 with no other information and I haven’t been able to find further information anywhere else on the site or on MyNOVA. With it being next week I would have hoped they would send out further information by now.

Is missing information a common thing for NOVA?


r/nvcc • • 1d ago

Springfield Medical Rad 105

1 Upvotes

Has anyone taken professor Williamson for RAD105 and if so what was your experience? I’ve taken professor Potts and got a B in her class so I’m trying to retake for the A


r/nvcc • • 1d ago

Humanities/Fine Arts Humanities Electives

1 Upvotes

Hi!
For the nursing program, it says humanities electives give “extra points” when applying for the program. Have yall found that it actually helps? If so, which one(s) would you recommend taking? I’m not super interested in the early humanities one (cave men and what not are not of my interest lol)


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Advice Spring 2027 classes

5 Upvotes

Hey guys!! The spring 2027 class schedule has shown up on SIS I was wondering if these were all the classes being offered for 2nd semester? There’s barely any 7, 10, or 13 week! Will more show before the 26th at this rate I don’t even know how I will get a part time job most of these classes go till late at night and are on multiple days of the week, sincerely coming from a biology major!! I would love to know if anyone else is in the same boat because I’m stressing really bad right now


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Advice BIO141/142 7 week online course

3 Upvotes

Has anyone taken the online 7 week A&P classes?

I’m looking to retake them to get a higher grade before I apply for two healthcare programs next year, and may just want to try and get them out of the way in the spring so the grades are finalised before applications are due.

If anyone has taken them, what teachers do you recommend, and how different was the course work from in person vs online format? And is it doable or am I setting myself up for failure?


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Annandale vending machines

2 Upvotes

guys how do the vending machines work. i’m studying with my friend and i got hungry and decided to get something. i noticed there weren’t any prices on anything but i needed something in my system and figured the charcuterie snack tray i got would be like 6 bucks or something. tell me why it charged me 10 dollars from my bank account. is this like a pending payment and they’ll pay me the difference of the snack tray and the ten dollars? help cuz im genuinely broke and this lowkey hurt me


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Financial Aid Refund

2 Upvotes

OK guys I’m finally getting some of my refund. I checked my account activity last Friday. and it showed Nelnet PPL CC Refund on 10/15 however I’m still waiting on that. And then yesterday I saw that my pell grant refund had shown up for October 20 and I just got an email saying I am getting my pell grant refund process to my bank tomorrow. Do you guys have any idea why I haven’t got that same email for the Nelnet PPLCC refund. Also, do you guys know when my scholarship should be disbursed? I’ve received a scholarship for $1250 and it still hasn’t disbursed yet.


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Annandale CST 151 Professor Paul Awad

1 Upvotes

Anybody taken this Professor for this course? I wanna know what he’s like and what type of assignments he gave, thanks


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Advice When does the Winter Session 2026–27 schedule come out?

5 Upvotes

r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Alexandria Spring Registration

5 Upvotes

Hi! Does anyone know when we can see the schedule for spring classes for 2027? I'm trying to plan my schedule since it opens literally next week. They have the Fall one and Summer of this year so where's the Spring lol


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Annandale Posted on SIS but not Nelnet

2 Upvotes

my refund from 10/8 is showing as disbursed on SIS but its been about 2 weeks and im still not seeing anything on nelnet. tried to reach out but haven’t heard anything. is anyone else having the same issue or is it just me?


r/nvcc • • 2d ago

Miscellaneous How difficult are the 4 week winter classes? SOC 200 (Introduction to Sociology)

3 Upvotes

I am planning on taking SOC 200 (Introduction to Sociology) as a four-week online course during the winter. If you have ever taken an accelerated class similar in length to this one, please let me know how difficult it was.