Pooja Balani is a Biology professor at Northeastern University rated 2.4/5 by 8 students, with 3.6/5 difficulty and 38.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
Pooja Balani professor reviews and ratings: 2.4/5 from 8 student reviews at Northeastern (38.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
The exams are really specific, the lecture is extremely boring, you just sit there listening to her read powerpoint slides that are available on the website. As for her lab, she has no formal way of taking attendance but if she doesn't see you she will count you as absent, labs are usually confusing because she does not explain them well.BIO1101 2018-04-28 20:53:44 +0000 UTC
Worst teacher I've ever had-- and I went to public high school. Lectures are incredibly boring and unnecessary considering she just reads off the slides anyway. There are tests every other week, and the questions are insanely specific. She's nice and understanding, but the class is horrid.BIOL1100 2018-01-11 20:19:02 +0000 UTC
A good professor who is fair and sticks to the Biology curriculum for her exams. Do the readings and Connect assignments, review the lecture slides on Blackboard and do well. You do have to study. Online weekly quizzes are open book, midterm & Final are closed book, in class. The rating grousers apparently didnt want to study.BIO1100 2018-01-11 17:21:36 +0000 UTC
Would not recommend this professor. She gives very obscure exams with questions that are oddly specific beyond what you learn in class. People stopped going to lecture because she just stands and reads off the 50+ powerpoint slides that later go up on blackboard. Easy to pass, impossible to get an A.BIOL1115 2017-12-12 17:16:01 +0000 UTC
Contrary to some of the other reviews, Prof Balani is great! Her weekly OPEN Book quizzes and Connect help you prepare for the Mid-Term & Final. If you study and prepare, no prob with her class. All quiz and exam questions are from the PowerPoint slides and book. All Bio sections at NU, use the same material and same quizzes. same with the LabsBIO1100 2018-01-11 14:31:00 +0000 UTC
each lecture has 50 slides. She stands there and reads them to you - fast. Lots of time consuming homework. Every 2 weeks you panic at the sheer amount of information to study. You study everything but it never matches with the very few and obscure test questions. You grow to resent her.BIOL1115 2017-10-16 17:13:52 +0000 UTC
Dr. Balani knows her material, and teaches it well, but is hindered by the format demanded by the Biology Dept. At Northeastern the core classes are formatted to be the same across sections, and this is one of those. They are PPT heavy but the quiz and exam questions come directly from the PPT slides. Study and you get a good grade, slack, Not.BIO1100 2018-01-10 23:26:14 +0000 UTC
she is one of the professor would keeping you out of reaching your academy dreams she awful at teaching completely vacant.BIO1100 2016-12-23 14:32:21 +0000 UTC
Pooja Balani has an average rating of 2.4/5 from 8 student reviews. 38.0% of students said they would take them again.
Pooja Balani's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.6/5 based on student reviews.
Data updated July 2026.