Mary-Susan Potts-Santone is a Health Science professor at Northeastern University rated 3.29/5 by 1536 students, with 4.12/5 difficulty and 30.8% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Mary-Susan Potts-Santone professor reviews and ratings: 3.29/5 from 1536 student reviews at Northeastern (30.8% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
This class was unnecessarily difficult for an intro gen bio course. She expects memorization of both lecture content & slides, but slides are disorganized, making studying inefficient. Exams are very challenging & feel misaligned w what's emphasized in class. I recommend considering another instructor for Gen Bio I & II if possible.BIOL1111 2026-02-02 20:33:28 +0000 UTC
If you want to do good in this class you can't skip lectures. This is difficult because this class is so so so boring especially at 8am. The tests are way too hard and actually made me not enjoy one of my favorite subjects. If the professor likes you you won.BIO1113 2026-01-02 19:30:31 +0000 UTC
I love biology, but her class truly made me question and slowly chipped away at my love for the subject. She goes extremely quickly in class, and you'll likely have to teach yourselves a lot. She records her lectures, which are convenient for studying, because anything she says could show up on the exam. Exams are SPECIFIC, so expect to study!BIO1111 2025-12-30 17:53:54 +0000 UTC
Tests are memorization-heavy and VERY specific. You can only do well if you memorize ALL the slides word for word. Lectures are recorded and she gives a lot of extra credit opportunities if you attend in-person. Lectures are a little boring and not engaging. If you're good at memorizing, her class might be ok, if not, not the best class to take.BIOL1113 2025-12-11 23:20:40 +0000 UTC
read off of the slides during lecture and didn't explain the information at all. reading the textbook 1000 times is more helpful than going to her lectures/office hours. 3 exams and one final but only offers corrections for the first two exams. the material seems easy but her exams are difficult for no reason. i don't recommend taking potts-santoneBIO112 2025-04-23 04:49:39 +0000 UTC
I took this class 2 years ago and am still scarred. Exams require you to know the content in extreme, unnecessary detail. The slides are very disorganized. The professor was unhelpful when I went for office hours.BIOL2327 2025-02-16 01:44:47 +0000 UTC
The worst professor I've ever had in all my years of being a student. Does not explain things in a clear way, but rather just spits out information we are expected to immediately absorb and understand. I don't feel as though I've been taught to understand concepts. She is throwing random facts and details at us and hoping they stick.1111 2024-06-06 20:48:30 +0000 UTC
Gives so many extra credit opportunities. The class is lecture heavy but she reposts her lecture videos so you can watch them on your own time.BIOL111 2023-12-13 23:15:59 +0000 UTC
Every little detail matters to MSPS. Understanding concepts isn't good enough. She has designed this course as a weed-out, and it nearly worked for me. Stick with it, find a study buddy, and buckle up for a tough semester.BIOL1101 2023-11-20 19:00:28 +0000 UTC
I would not take class with this professor again. She does not seem to care about the success of her students. The test are extremely specific and volume of lecture material does not match the level of the course.BIO114 2023-05-02 03:12:29 +0000 UTC
I didn't even have her for a real class, I had her for my Intro to my major course, but I will actively try to avoid taking an actual course under her in the future. She advised us not to trust RateMyProf when choosing classes but I think it's because her score is so poor. She's disorganized and tried to be relatable, but it came off as annoying.BIOL1000 2018-03-21 15:42:26 +0000 UTC
Dr. Potts Santone was absolutely one of the best, most organized and inspiring teachers I've ever had. It's clear she puts time and thought into preparing her lectures- she made the material accessible and fascinating. I looked forward to going to class! Tests and scope of material covered are difficult but fair- be ready to study!BIO1AND2 2014-11-18 17:02:45 +0000 UTC
Prepare to have slides with barely any information on them and then writing 2 paragraphs worth of information and terms in lecture that she doesn't put anywhere (including the textbook). When material becomes a little more difficult for some reason she becomes extremely disorganized. Notes are unreliable and the textbook is unreliable. Good luckBIO2 2013-03-25 22:07:34 +0000 UTC
Use TegrityBIOL02 2012-12-13 19:06:15 +0000 UTC
Hands down the worst teacher I have ever had. Her tests are not clear at all. She does not scale even when the test averages are are in the 60's. She doesnt care about her students at all and makes it seem like she likes to see you struggle. I would not recommend her to anyone.BIOL2315 2012-10-09 13:12:37 +0000 UTC
Mary-Susan Potts-Santone has an average rating of 3.29/5 from 1536 student reviews. 30.8% of students said they would take them again.
Mary-Susan Potts-Santone's classes have a difficulty rating of 4.12/5 based on student reviews.
Mary-Susan Potts-Santone has taught BIOL1114, BIOL1113, BIOL1111, BIOL2327, BIOL1000, BIOL1112 at Northeastern.
Data updated July 2026.