Grant-Holcomb, Arlene  

Dr. Grant is super flexible and super nice! She is very knowledgable and informative. She has many connections and is willing to help anyone that is in need! Highly recommend her for anyone having a choice to take her!

I loved having Arlene for lab and lecture. I heard Neuhaus was hard so I was glad that Arlene was teaching this class. She was awesome, thought I got an A- and would have probably gotten an A but I didn't go to lecture more than once a week. Study the terms for the midterms and then the final will be easy because it's cummulative. I didn't study for either midterm and got low Bs on both and studied for the final and ended up with an A-. The books aren't necessary and are ghetto because the index doesn't match up with the pages so it's hard to follow.

Arlene is one of the best teachers I have had at Poly so far. She is so easy to talk to and knows so much about food. She clearly knew the material she was teaching and always taught the class with accuracy and confidence. Besides being a great teacher, Arlene is also very kind and easy to talk with. Take her! She's great!

I had Arlene for both FSN 121 and 250; she was great in both. Though lectures can get a little bit tiring sometimes, she conveys the material in a very clear mannner adding in anectdotes, pictures, and personal experience along the way. Her powerpoint notes are usually posted on blackboard which is also helpful for following along or if you miss something in class. She is also very straightforward with the information you are responsible for on midterms and finals and does her best to answer any questions you may have. She is so sweet and you can tell she really cares about her students. Arlene is definately one of my favorite teachers at Cal Poly!

Arlene is fabulous! If you have a choice, take her! She is a great teacher and all around good person. She cares about her students success and will go to any measure to make sure her students do well. Listen and take notes! Eventhough she posts her notes, take your own by hand; it will help you retain the information a lot better. The lab is so YUMMY!

she is amazing! take her at any chance for any FSN class she's teaching

Arelene is such a great teacher! She loves the subject so much, and will give you so much information, but not too much that it overfills your brain. She's really good at applying the subject to outside subjects (which isn't too hard since it's nutrition!) The midterms are very straight forward and easy to study for, and she supplies a study guide sheet that if you memorize it, you'll get 100 percent!

She's a nice lady. Kinda plays favorites. Some high expectations, 3 midterms with very detailed information that most people wouldnt be able to remember. Go to class, because she leaves blanks in the notes that are VERY important. You dont really need the book, she only tests on lecture material and it wont help you to fill in the blanks for the powerpoint. I took this class to get more units. Its not my major. The lab was fun though.

I loved Arlene. She is a great professor. Now i personally do not think this class is an easy A maybe an easy B. You really have to dedicate time to remembering the powerpoint. You can definetly pull off a B studying the night or day of the test but an A requires a day or two more. My tip to an A would be to rewrite your notes that day or after class and leave out blanks for the important parts and not just the blanks she has on her own slides. Make your own blanks to help you remember and practice. Don't read the book but use it as a guide when you don't understand somethinng in class. she does on occasion ask you specifically to read something in the book that will be on the test. The book isn't expensive and you could share with a friend to save money. Take notes in lab, she does test you in lecture for lab stuff. She is very helpful and its just a fun class over all. It would be a shame not to take this class with her.

Arlene is the best teacher that I've had so far in my Poly career. Her classes are a great environment and everyone gets along great because of her. She works really hard to make your learning experience as easy as possible. Always choose her class over another if you can.

Arlene is one of the best teachers I've had at Cal Poly. I've taken her for two courses now 121 and 250 and she's great. 121 is a lot of fun and I took it just for fun. It's not hard, but you do have to do a bit of studying for the test. It works out well if you already know a lot about cooking and foods. The labs are tons of fun, you just make food, you're not even graded on how it tastes or anything, which is good because you work in groups and sometimes one or more of your group members doesn't know what they're doing. Take Dr. Grant, she knows her stuff and she's a lot of fun.

I already know that Dr. Grant will be my favorite teacher at Poly. She's a very good speaker, makes class enjoyable and is fair. The test are not easy at all; you have to read and pay attention in class. but if you make the effort its manageable! the lab is so fun and easy points for your grade! reading quizzes around every other week and will effect your grade so do it..! Loved her and im so glad she is also my advisor. recommended to anyone

Dr. Grant-Holcomb is probably the sweetest teacher at Cal Poly. Take her if you can! She is so nice and really knowledgeable in the Nutrition field due to all her past experience. FSN 121 wasn't too hard, I got an A without much hard work. She gives quizzes usually about once a week and they aren't bad, you can only get a 0, 5, or a 10 and the lowest grade is dropped. You really don't need to do all the reading but it's probably a good idea to. Go to class even though she puts up powerpoints. Midterms and Final are multiple choice and not too hard... just do the study guide she gives you and re-read all her slides. Lab is fun and you get 10/10 for all of them if you just show up!

DR. Grant-Holcomb is a great teacher who is eager to offer practical advice about food health. In this course, we learn about all the food groups, and how to apply that knowledge to our every day lives. The lecture portion of the class requires tons of memorization, and it's not easy to get an A on the tests; you have to study hard. The real gem of this class is the lab section, where you get to cook something different every week including soup, fish, chocolate, pastries, and so on. It's a lot of fun, and you can eat the food you make or take it home, which might save you from having to prepare dinner. Later, you might even want to try to recipes at home. If you have spare time, I would recommend this course, whether required or not, just for the lab section. You can always take it CR/NC.

This was by far one of my favorite classes thus far at Cal Poly. The lab portion of this class is like no other and I actually would look forward to waking up at 7 am to head over to start cooking! Like some other reviewers have stated, the lecture tests for this class are absolutely INSANE! I recommend making tons and tons of flashcards for each minuscule part of the power points. The material in the class is so basic that the only way the teacher can have a range of grades is to basically test your memory on the tiniest of details. Dr. Holcomb is an amazing and knowledgeable teacher, don't be afraid to ask her questions in class!

Dr. GD is awesome. So is so sweet and cares for her students. I loved her lab (it was very easy) and her lectures weren't too bad (a bit dry for 8am). Overall, I would highly recommend taking any of her classes.

Dr. Grant is pretty much the bomb. She's really cute, like a little grandma & so sweet. Watch out for her tests, because she will pull stuff out of no where. Pretty much can't be prepared at all because it's literally things we've never heard about/talked about EVER. It is a ton of reading & totally not an easy A, but the lab is seriously the FUNNEST. If you can take this class with Dr. Grant, DO IT!

Professor Grant-Holcomb is such a sweet women. She truly loves her job. Her exams are hard! The reading quizzes are very specific so do the reading and take notes(your lowest quiz score is dropped). But expect to get at least one 0 out of 10 on a quiz-they are that specific. Assigned reading can be 50+ pages of what I call "bible font" size. Her final exam is killer! Study! Study! Study! You'll think the class is a breeze because lab is sooo easy and fun!! Show up to lab and cook! You'll have a blast and enjoy delicious food and learn to cook. But don't let the fun lab discredit the difficult lecture. It's manageable and she's very nice and understanding. PS there are flashcards on quizlet of this course! google them... very useful!

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She was definitely my favorite professor this quarter, and maybe overall. She was just so nice about everything all of the time. The class involved a lot of work, but it was not too bad. There were 3 assignments (about 3 pages in length) a restaurant review, a midterm, a huge project (consisting of a paper (6-8 pg.), a group presentation, an outline to give to the class, a power point to present from(or alternative), food that you make representing your culture, and a bunch of other little things to decorate the table like your culture), and reviews of other peoples projects. As long as you are there and put a little bit of effort into the assignments ans project you will get an A. The tests are cake. You don't need the book.

This has been one of my favorite classes so far at Poly. Each day until you do presentations she brings in a different type of food for everyone to try. The classes are very straightforward and you print out the notes on BlackBoard and bring them to class. The exams are SUPER easy and if you attend all of the classes and study for at least a few hours before it you will do well. In addition you do a restaurant review that has ethnic food. You pick a country or region to study and do a presentation on it and write a 6 to 8 page paper. Overall the class is very fun, you learn a lot, and it does not involve hours and hours of work each week. Take her if you can!!!!!!!!!

The first couple of weeks are pretty relaxed. However, make sure you are there when the group presentations start. Every day you miss is 20 points off your grade. The final is very easy. Memorize the questions given to you before the final. There are a several assignments in this class and a group project accompanied by a research paper. Don't buy the books, but be prepared to take quizes out of one and write a paper from the other. I just used the ones in the library. Overall, the class was not too bad. The good food kept me in the seat.

She was ok, not my favorite teacher. The class was pretty fun and interesting. I heard it was a lot better than Dr. Neuhaus.

Arlene is a great teacher! The class can be boring at times, but it's interesting to see how people present the different cultures, and you get to eat good food. The tests are pretty easy, the final is from the presentations so you know the answers. Just go to class and you'll be fine. Arlene is very friendly, personable, and cares about her students. I would highly recommend this class and teacher!

Arlene is an amazing teacher and she goes out of her way to help students understand the material she is teaching. She is willing to present information in numerous ways so that all of her students comprehend the topic.

Arlene (as she tells all of her students to call her) is absolutely one of the kindest people that I have ever met. She was an amazing teacher who I had for both 121 and 250. Arlene presents the material very clearly, and lets her students know PRECISELY what will be on the tests and/or quizzes. If you can take her for this class, please DO. It was a fun class that I usually looked forward to going to. Also, when I was sick and had to take over a week off of school, Arlene was completely understanding (more than I could say for the rest of my profs) and let me have as much time as I needed to catch up.

TAKE HER! This class is really fun, you get a lot of good food, and professor Grant-Holcomb is AWESOME! There are 2 tests and some assignments, then a large project. Get a good group for the project and this class won't even be a real class. She will bend over backwards to help students learn, an exemplary teacher, we need more of her and Cal Poly!

Arlene is the most delightful professor I have had at Cal Poly. She is a very sweet lady who is very easy to talk to. This class is really easy and pretty interesting. The lectures can get a little boring, but she alwasy brings a new food for people to try. There is one big project that I did the night before and got an A. If you need an elective and enjoy food take this class. One of the easiest and most fun classes I have taken at Cal Poly.

Take her if u want an easy A. First half of the classes are lectures on really basic stuff. Second half are group presentations that you have to give, but it is very easy.

this is the most enjoyable class ever...had soo much...tons of good food...easy final...what more can you ask for?

ditto

This is a really class. If you go to class you will get full participation points and you will know what is on the test. She is also really understanding and lets you turn in things late. Also, there is an open book quiz once a week and she lets you do it in pairs, so basically you get full credit there.

FSN 250 was such a great choice for a GE class. It covers GE D4 and USCP. Arlene Grant-Holcomb was awesome. She brought food in every day and the second half of the class there were group presentations every day, so each group brought in food. I heard the other teacher isn\'t as good as Grant, so take it with her. Definitely recommend the class!

I graduated Poly last year, and took Arlene's class two years. This is an awesome instructor. She genuinely cares for her student, and is very approachable. Take her and any of her classes that you can. She makes you really want to learn.

Love her. I took the online FSN250 class which was pretty laid back, and she is not too strict on the deadlines. She is so sweet, and very helpful. It was her first quarter doing it online and she was a little behind, but I enjoy the class. I would take it with her. She is such a sweetheart and the information is pretty simple and interesting.

This was Professor Arlene's first time teaching an online course, and was probably the most unorganized class I've ever "participated" in, despite it being online. She was very unclear with her instructions and told us she would provide us with a calendar, which was never actually done. Her deadlines are all over the place, and because she isn't particularly technologically-minded, Prof. Arlene makes the assignments 10 times more complicated than it actually should be, which is very time consuming for students. Despite this, she grades pretty easily to make up for her lack of organization. I didn't study for the midterm or final and still got a B. I got nothing out of this class and recommend it to people that have a tough load and don't want to worry about getting a bad grade in a GE course.

Dr. Grant was a great teacher. Always friendly and available if you have any questions. Plus, as other people have said, she is super friendly and makes the class very enjoyable. Food, cooking, American cuisine. It's pretty straightforward what you need to know. The only complaint I have is how often we talk about lactation. It just gets awkward.

Took this class during summer Quarter Plus program where the class was accelerated. It was one day lecture one day cook for our class might differ for a regular quarter. Overall understanding professor and a fair grader. She is very passionate about lactation so be prepared to talk about that. One big overarching project for the entire class and it was very doable as long as you stay on top of it. Reading was a bit bland only because it's a bunch of history, but it is not difficult material. The final was a lot of information but as long as you stay on top of the reading its not hard. Overall great class with a cool professor.

Dr. Grant-Holcomb was a great teacher. I had her for Quarter Plus, and she did an amazing job. Even though the quarter was fast, the pace was very manageable. So if your taking her class in a regular quarter, you will do good. Highly recommend.

While this class is monotonous, Arlene makes up for it! She is an outstanding teacher who truly cares for her students! Don\'t put off the group assignment. take her! WAY BETTER than Madoka

Dr. Grant-Holcomb is a very experienced and knowledgable professor. She is great to get advice from about any matter. As far as FSN 343 the class was ok. Its pretty easy and the material is pretty much common sense. She curves all of her tests which is good but she gives weekly quizzes that suck. you read a whole chapter and she pulls out one question. I got full credit on all of them but i still hate this way of giving a quiz. it doesnt test knowledge or tell if you have read or not becasue you could easy not remember that one specific detail when you have 50 pages to read. The midterm was really east only on one chapter and the final was more difficult but i had good notes for the presentations which helped a lot. The lab is super boring but usually only goes for 2 hours which is nice. Discussions are fine just make sure you spot unique equipment so you can write about it and dont spell anything wrong becuase she will deduct points. Overall this class is easy and you should be fine as long as u read and do discussion boards.

Dr. Grant first comes off as a nice, friendly person in 121. She seems sweet and smiles a lot and knows your name. However, once you go on to take the foodservice sequence (which should only be one class, not three deathly boring ones), you start to notice things about her. She does not respond to students' emails, no matter how important/urgent they are to the student, though she'll send out mass emails to the entire FSN department 2 seconds later. She expects you to be as thrilled and knowledgeable about foodservice as she is, which is nearly impossible. She rambles on in class about stupid, common-sense things, then formulates crazy tests comprised of things she never talked about and tiny details from the readings and videos. She will also sometimes irrelevantly bring her personal/religious beliefs into education. On our tests, 1-3 people would get an A while the rest fell under a D. Dr. Grant is too busy to grade anything and should focus her career on something other than what she calls "teaching".

First off, I, nor any of my peers are failing this class. In many ways it is just a class, but in many ways too it is a black hole where your the valuable and fleeting time remaining in your life goes to die. I would just like to say that Dr. Grant is a genuinely good person with good intentions, but this class is an affront to the pride and dignity of FSN students everywhere. I guess my main problem here is that it is an unnecessary waste of time. Personally, I love a good hard course. O-Chem, B-Chem, Metabolism, throw it at me and I'll eat it up because I know that I am learning a valuable skill that I will not learn anywhere else. Institutional Food Service on the other hand is a waste because 1) It cannot figure out what kind of class it is. Is it a Food Service class, an econ class, an ethics class, a machinery class? Week to week it feels like the other food science class cut out all of their fat and threw it into this lecture. It hurts. 2) All of the information here is simple information that any new employee will learn as SOP in any and every job that they will go into in the Food Service industry. Now, that might sound like a reason to teach this class, but I have worked many jobs in Food and otherwise, the simple reality of the situation is that education or not, every company has a way of doing things that it will expect you to learn over the course of a few weeks. Knowing how a piece of equipment works and its specs in a college class is just noisy information. Talking extensively about the NSLP or Hospitals, or prisons or whatever else is inch deep mile wide information that all gets lost in the sauce of your brain. I love a challenge. I love FSN. I am a hard worker and I know that you are too, but we do not need this class. Dr. Grant's talents should be used elsewhere, because this time suck is not worth your money. Ironic how often we talk about economic decisions than.

Taking this instructor is like being in a Twilight Zone episode. You just can