Gill, Samantha  

It was frustrating to be Dr. Gill's student. She relied on a huge binder to get through lectures, which became awkward when she had to stop midsentence and flip through the book before she would finally be able to complete her thoughts. Many times she would say something, then look in her binder to find out she was completely wrong. I found myself thinking "if she doesn't even know this, why should I have to for a test?" There are weekly quizzes (drop 2 lowest scores), one 3-5 page paper, and the final. She doesn't explain the grading criteria for the paper very well, so many of us were suprised to find low grades. Be careful about grammatical errors...I was docked major points for having contractions (we're, he's, can't, it's, etc.) in my report. I would suggest going to her office hours before turning the paper in. Overall, it wouldn't be terrible to take her, but I think Cal Poly would be a lot better with a higher calibur of professor.

Dr. Gill is one of those teachers that you just cant figure out. For the most part her class was pretty easy, but then occassionally she would throw in a trick. She seems to be pretty knowlegable. For this class all it took to get an A is show up, do the labs, and do the final. Beware, the final is more than you expect... it actually encompasses all of the info in the class.

Dr. Gill shows no enthusiasm for the class ,which shows in her teaching. Her explanations for using tools and how to do the labs are vague and unhelpful. If you have never taken any fnr class using tools you will be lost and will be asking for help from students who already know how to use most of the tools. You can definitely pass the class ,but you will have to put in more effort than is needed for a 2 unit class. You have 2 quizzes in lab, that are easy if you can name the tools and work out the lab problems.

There are homework assignments that are due each week and she lectures on the material in class. The material is trigonmetry, which sounded scary, but she makes it super easy. Go to class, take notes, and the homework will come easy. There were a couple quizzes and the final was during dead week. Just review the homeworks and you will do great! TAKE GILL!

I have had Dr. Gill for two classes, and I can honestly say that she is a great professor. There are so many harsh reviews on here, and during my first class I felt the same way at first, but after a while I realized that she really knows her shit. She may not seem like it at first, but she is a genius and goes over everything multiple times until we get it. She is helpful when you ask for help, and she is nice to everyone as long as we are respectful and work hard. She's has a great awkward sense of humor as well.

This is the first C I have recieved in my entire life. I hope that says something to all of you out there watching their GPA. Do not take him--this class was a nightmare!

she is a moron. she snorts all the time and her voice cracks a lot, which is about the only thing that kept my attention in the 4 hr class

Professor Gill knows her stuff. However, she really has no idea how to teach. Every class period she would rifle through her gigantic binder, and ramble on about what we were going to do. Everyone in the class was completely lost. She explained quizes only to have to go back and re-explain because she messed up the whole quiz. Equations are not presented in a clear manner. They should all be handed out on a piece of paper instead of hastily scrawled on the board. Lab exercises were a joke, as were the classes. She has TMJ and constantly complains about her jaw hurting, and snaps that she "can't continue talking" because of it. If you KNOW you have that problem, WHY would you then take on a job that REQUIRES speaking for hours on end? Everyone in the class was muttering that she should just retire already under their breathes. Take this with a different instructor. About the only thing she does right is have the practice quizes available on blackboard.

RUN!! If you can take this class with Dr. Mastin, do not even think about taking this class with Gill. She knows the material BUT ABSOLUTELY FAILS at teaching it! She briefly explains the instructions for the lab and turns you loose to figure it out on your own. Some days she is nice and will answer questions, other days you better stay away from her. She sits on facebook in class and then spends the lab sitting in the shade on her phone. It is really a shame that Cal Poly allows a teacher such as Dr. Gill to continue teaching.

This class was an easy 2 unit class. She puts you in groups for lab, which suck because you are stuck with that group all quarter. Pray you get lucky and get at least one group member that knows what's common sense. Everything for labs is in a little book and it gives good directions on what to do and she briefly explains labs before letting you loose. Lecture goes by pretty quick and everything relates to lab. If you're worried about a break for the 4 hour class, sack up you can be on your phone whenever you want during lab. I didn't put much effort into this class other than studying for the midterm and final. Stupid thing is Lecture final was worth 70% of the grade( i think) and lab final was 30%, doesn't make sense when time spent is the other way around.

AWFULLLL!! She will leave during the lab portion to go do her own thing. My group spends about 1 hour of the lab trying tofigure out how to do the lab and we still don't really even know what the point of it is. I literally had to walk around the building to find her once, because she disappeared to just chat it up with another professor in his office. She is also not really nice, so she can't redeem herself at least a little bit. She explains the lab in class which is super confusing since it's always with new equipment and she will just verbally say how is done without notes. The lab manual is not much more help either. Overall one of the worst professors I have ever had.

So, this is the first PolyRating I have ever written and I am a Senior graduating in 2 weeks. I do not intend to rip on Gill because she is a fairly nice woman and somewhat amicable. Here's the problem with this class, if you are not detail oriented you will fall behind, and completely fuck up your notebook. You aren't allowed to erase in them, you must state California Polytechnic State University for the location of the lab instead of Cal Poly SLO, and if you forget small elements you'll immediately drop to a C. As an ENVM student I put off taking this class for 2 years and for good reason. This class is not the least bit relevant to any future career of mine and it's only offered in a 4 hour lab/lecture on Friday. You are given until the following Monday at 5PM to complete the lab and drop it off at her office. This leaves little time for questions/doing the lab in general, especially because she leaves us in the field to go get food most labs. Overall the class is not incredibly hard, but much harder than it needs to be. I have taken all of the NR classes required for an ENVM degree now, and I feel as if this one was the most (unnecessarily) frustrating. Not a bad person by any means (very catholic, don't swear in front of her) but not the right fit to teach this class.

I cannot even begin to explain my frustration with this woman. It upsets me that Cal Poly would hire a person like this in the first place, let along allow then to continue teaching classes. I had her for a 2 unit measurements class, which you would guess would be super hands-on and straight forward, but no. This woman's inability to communicate astonishes me. I took this class the same quarter I took a 300 level chem class. I got a D in this class and a B in chem, what does that tell you? Cal Poly, make Gill leave. Also she's just really condescending to the women in her class and she goes to get Starbucks during lab. Also once, when I came to ask her a question she told me to wait a minute; she was on Facebook. I would suggest changing your major before you take a class from this small very mean and infuriating woman.

This class was 4 hrs every thursday. It is the biggest pain in the ass. There are so many frivolous rules. I am lucky to have gotten a C. God luck if you have to take her.

Easy class, but be sure to go every week. I think that's a must since you do all or most of your labs in groups which she assigns. A lot of assignments to do, but theyre pretty easy if you have a solid geometry and algebra background. I hardly studied for the weekly quizzes and midterm cuz if you know what you're doing in lab, then they'll be cake come crunch time. She encourages the class to find old exams (and so would i!!) make sure you know how to frickin work a compass cuz that's what killed most of our class on the final. You have to navigate 4 points and the area that you traverse has to close... tough shiz when the compasses she gives you are hella g-h-e-t-t-o. By the way... fudge your data if your group is falling behind... this 2 unit class ain't worth the stress of trying to get the numbers right. It's main purpose is to familiarize you with how it works.. not it's accuracy or precision.

Oh, Dr. Gill. She's actually a pretty cool person. You joke with her, she'll joke back. Get on her good side and show that you are trying to learn and she'll help out. If you don't understand something...ask! She'll go over it again. Sometimes she just says the same thing again and again, which can get frustrating. Homework...well, none really. Except to get your lab done from the week before. The midterm isn't too bad (just go off your quizzes--which aren't hard), but I think I bombed the final.

Dr. Gill is a very cool woman. Also, the fact that the class is so small makes it kinda fun, like an extended family. She doesn\'t like cursing, which is cute (the only time you\'re allowed to say \"shit\" is when referring to cow pies out in the field). Her quizzes aren\'t hard as long as you\'ve paid moderate attention in lecture and done your labs. She also has lovely reviews before each quiz, making them even easier. The final was pretty easy. Again, as long as you\'ve paid attention to what you\'ve been doing the whole quarter you should be fine. The only thing that might bite you in the butt is how perfect your field book has to be each week. Don\'t forget ANYTHING on the little grading sheets. Overall, not too bad of a class :)

Gill is a great professor! Don\'t buy the book because you do not need it! I studied for the quizzes the night before and did pretty well. If you don\'t understand the math make sure you go into office hours and have her explain it to you better; it really helps if you put in the extra time! Be thorough on your fieldbook; the details matter a lot in the fieldbook! Some people complain about her but I\'m not sure why. I think she\'s a great teacher!

Dr. Gill was completely insufficient at teaching both lecture and lab for Forest Surveying. She became obviously annoyed if any of the students asked for help and sent us into the lab portions virtually blind to what we were supposed to be doing. Not friendly, not helpful, seemed to take joy in the student\'s frusteration or dislike of coursework.

Gill is not a nice lady. I think they changed the structure of the class recently because the lecture portion is all trig, which is VERY easy and if you took any trig in hs at all, its pretty much as basic as it gets. That being said, if you ever don't understand what is going on, you better just ask one of your friends who DID take trig in High School because she does NOT like questions, or concerns.... or really anyone but herself. I didn't have her for the lab portion of the class but I heard she was totally inadequate for that as well. Basically, you are stuck taking Gill, she is the only teacher for pretty much all the classes she teaches, but at least now you know what to expect.

Dr. Gill pretty much doesn't make any attempt to teach at all. She had a class of 30 people and would always complain it was too big and because there were too many people she wouldn't do demonstrations of techniques to use for the lab portion out in the fields. She teaches the class as if you all should have already taken the course. Asking for her help individually is the only way to actually learn anything. She makes the class much more difficult than it should be by not teaching the material during the class period. Go to office hours and bug her for help

Samantha Gill is the least effective professor I have had at Cal Poly. Now, I consider myself a fairly good student and I got A's in all my other classes this quarter, but the way in which professor Gill runs this class, her grading, and her teaching style made this class very frustrating for me. She often arrived to class late, did not provide any breaks at any point during the four hour class, and did not hold office hours between when the lab was conducted and when the lab write up was due. She cancelled class several times and did not communicate what lab we would be doing the following week or what the next quiz would cover. Her grading was also very unclear in I would not know why she took points off until I asked her directly, and she would also take points off for things she did not discuss in class. She did not show any enthusiasm for anything we did in class and made little to no effort to engage students in the topic at hand. From the students' perspective, it seemed that she was just doing the bare minimum required of her to teach the class. If you are unfortunate enough to be enrolled in Dr. Gill's class, I would recommend using the online lab guide she posts on Polylearn for guidance. Besides just figuring it out on your own, the only way to get help in this class is if you ask her directly in class or in office hours. As a Cal Poly student, I have a lot of pride in my school and love to brag about how awesome the faculty are, but this experience has made me embarrassed for Cal Poly. A school of this caliber should not be employing such an inadequate professor. It reflects poorly on the school and Cal Poly is so much better than this.

Gill is generally reasonable and nice, if a bit curt. After pretty much every lecture I didn't really have any idea what the hell I was doing in lab, but since it's pretty straight forward material, you can figure it out on your own most of the time. She's good about addressing questions at least. So probably not the best teacher, but tbh you don't really need that great of a teacher do pick up the material in this class.

Despite what lots of people say, Dr. Gill is a very good teacher. I got along with her very well and she is pretty laid back. She is always very willing to go back and explain things that weren't understood. I've had her for a couple classes now, and she's a good prof.

Dr. Gill is very smart and has a lot of practical knowledge regarding forestry and forest practices. You will learn a lot in her classes. GO TO OFFICE HOURS they will save you. She can tend to fly through material in class leaving everyone very confused. She is very helpful in office hours and will help you learn the material if you are lost.

I really don't even know where to start with Gill. She is a horrible and lazy teacher. It really bothers me to know that even a penny of the money I pay for tuition will go to her. I understand missing class for medical reasons, but sending an email 5 minutes before class is pretty ridiculous and would in no way be acceptable if it was a student emailing a professor five minutes before class for the same reason. Even if this had happened one time it wouldn't be as bad but this happened multiple times. I would basically show up to campus, which is a 30 minute venture for me, only to receive an email saying class had been canceled five minutes before. She is constantly on her phone or on Facebook and basically leaves the class to teach itself. This is not because she wants us to learn this way but because SHE IS LAZY and obviously has better things to do. She is horribly inconsistent as far as grading goes and I'm not sure I will ever understand how she has yet to be fired. This school(FNR Department) must be very hard out for teachers because if Dr. Gill is the best they can do, then they truly need to reevaluate a number of things. Avoid this lady at all costs.

Dr. Gill is the most fit professor to teach forest mensuration possible. Yes the class is hard cause the material and work load is tedious and difficult, but it greatly prepares you for the professional world of forest management, if thats the career path you're pursuing. She does tend to blow through material fast, but it's only cause there is a lot to cover in the short 10 weeks. Gill is very approachable and is extremely helpful in office hours and responds to emails quickly (even on weekends). Just work together with others in your class and have her check your work during class before the due date of whatever assignment and she will basically tell you what to do clearly and save your grade. Get your hands on old midterms and class notes if you can cause she does open note midterm and final and doesn't care what you bring in. This class really isn't as hard as it's dreaded to be, just don't go into this class hating Gill cause there's really no reason to and just do the work thoroughly.

Dr. Gill is the Queen of Forestry! She cares about the students understanding of the material and although the class is a lot of work, she extends deadlines because she doesn't want to fail anyone. She does take this class seriously because Statistics is her baby. I don't understand why people says she is a shitty teacher she is honestly one the best professors I had her at Poly.

Dr. Gill is a boss ass bitch.

Dr. Gill is the shit!! She's funny,quirky and really smart. She cares about the students learning and wants you to succeed.

she's aware of polyratings!... everybody run!

Dr. Gill was a great teacher. She extremley knowledgable on GIS and is very good at teaching it. She is also very understanding. I missed one class all quarter, and that happened to be the basis for a major project and a lot of the final. I did everything else, but failed on that portion of the project and the final. She could have easily given me a NOCR, but instead, she recognized that I had understood most of the material and had tried really hard to understand the stuff I had missed. It was refreshing to have a teacher treat you as a person and not just a number. I recommend Dr. Gill very highly.

I\'ve had Gill a few times now, and I have always liked her. She\'s not always extremely clear on her expectations, but if you ask her questions she is always happy to help. Every class began with a powerpoint and sometimes she\'ll do a walk-through of the daily activity. For this class though, the only real way to learn is to do-it-yourself. She knows that, so she pretty much just throws you right in! Class rarely ever lasts the full 3-4 hours. Generally it\'s two hours or so, but there will be the random days when you are there the full time. Get the right book so you can do the activities! Have it with you on Day 1 because you need it the first week. I suggest working with a friend or two on the labs. Overall, I liked this class, even though GIS can be really frustrating!

So where do I start. Gill is a smart lady and knows the material. She is nearly completely incompetent as far as teaching the material and explaining assignments. I've now had her for three separate classes and while she may be curt and borderline rude I don't think she is a horrible person. I do however think she is a horrible teacher is constantly late to class, unorganized, and inconsistent as far as grading goes. And yes office hours do help and are almost necessary, but I should not have to give up MY extra time to learn material that should have been better explained and taught in class. And fore some reason natural resources (NR) was not an option for my class type so NR 414 not AERO