2.6
Quality4.1
Difficulty46%
Would Retake92
Reviews46%
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
9
4
17
3
21
2
14
1
31
What Students Say
“this is my second semester with Dr”
BISC1112 - 1.0 rating“I'm not even going to try to write a terrible review for this class because it would never do it justice”
BISC1111 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
BISC1112
2.8
(29)BISC1006
2.7
(9)BISC1111
2.5
(37)BISC1005
2.4
(15)BISC10001
1.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
BISC10001
4.5
BISC1111
4.5
BISC1112
4.2
BISC1006
3.8
BISC1005
3.2
Reviews (92)
Basically, the class isn't hard. The professor is fine as a lecturer. If you're just looking for a Gen Ed it isn't a bad choice. BUT the professor, as a person, is rude and condescending to his students. From mocking a girl who accidentally walked in during our midterm to treating students like they are incompetent, this man treats students poorly.
Was expecting this class to be an easy A but it turned out to be the opposite. Midterm and final were all MC but the professor words the questions very strangely. It is true that he's very rude to students. He just came out of PhD school so he doesn't know how to teach. Beware of random group quizzes. The lab for this class is very tedious too.
If you need a science course and are looking for above a C, this professor is NOT THE ONE TO TAKE IT WITH! I have never seen a more unfairly graded course. Manubay treats students with disrespect like I have never seen. Gives terrible lectures and basically calls you dumb if you ask questions. DO NOT TAKE if you have no biology experience. -5/10
Manubay is very inconsiderate with the way he treats other students as his goal is to come of as "funny" or "relatable" when its actually just rude. He makes himself very available however any time spent in office hours is not useful or helpful at all. The class is also very disconnected from Lab b/c the TAs dont know what is happening in class.
Worst professor I have taken so far. Extremely unhelpful during office hours and extremely rude. DO NOT TAKE ANY OF THIS CLASSES!!!
Avoid Manubay at all costs. He is the worst professor ever and his labs are like hell. His labs will make you want to drop out of his class. Especially his lab professor Jennie is the worst. He explains his content horribly and is not helpful at all.
Manubay is the worst professor. Lectures are dry and boring. Exams are hard and confusing. The lab is the most annoying experience I had so far. Do yourself a favor and avoid him.
This class is so hard for no reason for an intro bio class. Don't take if you're looking for an easy A. He assigns so much work and the labs are so hard (with a pre-quiz, post-quiz, assignments to do beforehand, etc). His tests are confusing and there's random group projects every other week. SO hard and he's not even that good of a lecturer.
BISC 1006 was easy and straightforward. There are clicker questions and group worksheets during lecture, so attendance matters. It depends on what lab instructor you get, mine was very kind and easy on grading. However, I did hear some labs were harder. But overall, this is one of the easiest science classes if you need a science requirement.
BISC 1006 is suppose to be one of the easiest science courses, but it's not. Definitely have to work for it. Lab is alright, but it depends on the TA. What you do in labs doesn't correlate with what goes on in lecture. Attendance is mandatory. Don't buy the textbook. Tests are difficult (you really have to study the powerpoints!!), but EC helps!
In all fairness yes the professor does give extra credit to make up for any shortfalls throughout the class. However there are an excessive amounts of small assignments that make it difficult to track and lost many points in doing so. Furthermore this man is uptight when it comes to Missing lectures. Take geology if you need a credit. Far better!!
BISC 1006 was easy if you put the work in. The small assignments are clear and straightforward. The tests are based on the lectures for the most part. Your lab grade depends on the TA but overall lab was easy. Make sure to keep on top of your work and you will be fine. Extra credit is provided, which helped. Just make sure to study.
Think of the worst class you have ever taken and multiply it by ten. Not only does he refuse to be helpful to his students, it seems that he actually goes out of his way to be rude and disrespectful when faced with valid questions. If you are looking for a science course to take you would be better off in advanced organic chemistry. XOXO
Took it online bc COVID. Manubays class is pretty dull and tedious, but its probably one of the easiest lab science classes at GWU. There is regular online groupwork & quizzes, 5 labs (at-home experiments), and a research project. Lab is taught by a TA who is also pretty dull. They said to buy the textbook, what a waste of money, you don't need it.
Very boring but an easy grade and minimal work was required
Not the worse lab science class during covid, but the class is tedious and lecture is pre-recorded powerpoint slides that you must attend live. Lots of quizzes too.
I took both BISC 1005 and BISC 1006 with Manubay. This is the class to take if you want to get your science requirement out of the way. Labs were not that hard, even in an online setting. I had constant WiFi issues but my TA was completely understanding and accommodating. I also learned a lot of useful information about nutrition!
Dr. Manubay wasnt very in touch with his students and gave pretty dull lectures. The labs were also dull and the TAs were ok. That being said, the class itself wasnt too difficult online because there were no finals. There was a semester-long project, lab quizzes, lab work, and group quizzes (graded strictly). OK class to take for the gpac req.
Took the class for GPAC and almost wished I hadn't. TAs more helpful than this prof, doesn't know what's going on in lab, and has pre-recorded (zzz) lectures u have to listen to during class time. Not hard in terms of content bc no tests, but SO little time for in-class groupwork. Bought the textbook and regretted it--all content covered in class.
I really don't biology, however, Dr. Manubay made it manageable. He's nice and very accessible.
so this class is NOT as easy as everyone says it is. unclear grading and lectures are just all over the place. professor is nice but hard grader and feel like there's a disconnect between him and the class. i really wouldn't take again lolz
This was my fav class this semester, definitely worth taking for a GPAC. Although there's a disconnect (because it is a big lecture) if you visit his OH or email him he is very responsive and helpful. There's so many opportunities for an A because the midterm and final are not weighted a ton. Do well in the lab and group quizzes and you'll be fine!
Manubay is accessible and mostly nice but also has a record of a disrespectful attitude with some students. Hes firm with the way he does things and a tough grader. Do well in your lab (Andrea is a great lab instructor) and the group quizzes and you should be fine. Overall-great class for a science req. Fun labs and the nutrition lectures are cool
Good lecturer and very knowledgable. Doesn't grade anything though, the TAs do that. Hard tests even though MCQ only. More work than expected for a intro class for non-majors. Overall nice guy though.
I enjoyed his lectures and the material given. He did include topics that I didn't understand what they had to do with ecology or evolution, but they were fine. TA grades everything and is a little slow because each class has about 190 students. Labs are boring and a lot of work. Be sure to organize yourself with the lab handouts and videos.
Professor Manubay genuinely enjoys teaching biology and really wants the best for his students. It's hard in such a large class (160-ish students) but if you put in the effort and go to office hours and such, you'll do well. It's a hard class, don't get me wrong, and I struggled a lot, but he really does his best in helping you if you just ask.
This course was bad. I passed AP biology with a 5 on the exam and cannot score above a 75% on any of the exams. I did all the readings, homework assignments, attended class and lab and still struggled. Manubay didn't cover 25% of the content putting us behind all the other sections and the lab content. Exams are extremely fast paced, be warned.
Professor Manubay is not a good biology professor. BISC 1111 is supposed to be an introductory class, and 2022 was his first time teaching it. He was woefully unprepared. TA's do the heavy work and host review sessions before the exams, but exams both had averages in the 50s. Attendance is mandatory and group activities sink your grade.
If you want great and interesting lecture then he is great! On the other hand exams are hard, questions are twisted and the group activities will be the death of your grade if you have unmotivated people. I strongly recommend choosing another professor. Although he is nice and wants people to learn, he makes things harder than they really seem.
DO NOT TAKE. He thinks 50% test averages are normal. He obviously wants his students to fail. The TAs take off points for the dumbest things like misspellings. It was terrible. This class was the worst thing I've ever experienced. There is no reason students should be suicidal over an intro class.
This is straight up a weeding-out class. This class is much more difficult than it has. With lectures being mandatory, the mastering biology HW, BGAs, and lab (which is another beast in itself). There felt like no time to actually digest the material. Although the TAs and Manubay were easily accessible. If you put in the work, you can pass!
Manubay thinks that a 55 avg on an exam is fine because he drops scores that he doesn't want included. People leave questions blank (meaning they didn't understand) and he removes their scores from the average. Intro bio shouldn't be a weed out but he makes it one. He plays favorites and requires group activities that sink your grade
If you attend lectures and take thorough notes on what he says in class and note the specific examples he uses, you will be prepared for his tests. Study for the group activities and write every detail to ensure you don't lose points. The TAs are super helpful, make sure to go to their office hours.
lectures are straight from the textbook. memorize all info on the slides and his specific examples for exams. iclicker and mastering homework (quizlet!!) are easy 100s. group assignments have ~5 questions per question, divide and conquer. TAs and Dr.Manubay are very accessible out of class. takes forever to get grades back.
NEVER TAKE HIM! His exams are impossible to complete by average student within time limit. He has final exam, while other bio professors don't... His group activities are hard. Worst part is lab! It is too much effort for not that many points. The only way to get a normal grade is to immerse yourself into this class or you have to be a bio genius.
makes exams hard and justifies it by saying this class "prepares you for future stem careers and upper classes". exams are some of the most challenging tests I've taken. the average for the exams hover around 60%. good luck!
Prof was a bit patronizing at times, the group activities and exams were challenging especially since there were no clear guidelines.
Be prepared to dedicate hours to this class. Tests and in-class group activities were difficult and hard to finish in time. iClicker questions and mastering biology were easy ways to get some points. Prof. Manubay seems like a nice person and was accessible outside of class, but this class took over my life.
this is my second semester with Dr. Manubay, and I am still struggling to pass his exams. He can be very passive aggressive at times.
I took him for 1111 & 12. This class is def easier but I recommend sticking w him (start w 1111) bc it helped A LOTTT. If you took AP/IB bio in hs you'll get by w/o doing much extra, just go to office hours & talk to him or the TAs!! it makes a world of difference. all the profs are ~the same j diff grading criteria, dont let the reviews scare you
difficult but worthwhile bc I felt prepared for bisc1112. class avgs mightve been low but he curved at the end which brought me up a letter. I thought the labs were interesting & he genuinely cared ab helping students better understand & not just giving you an answer. I took him again for 1112 and felt like I had an upper hand over others who didnt
I am going to be the one outlier for this thread, but honestly I loved Manubay so much. I took him for BISC 1111 and choose to take him again for 1112. His course is undoubtedly rigorous, but if you truly love biology and want to really learn the material in depth-take him. Go to office hours, class, and learn the lecture fully for exams/quiz.
I'm not even going to try to write a terrible review for this class because it would never do it justice. This class is the bane of my existence, thinking about it makes me physically ill. There is a difference between a weeding out class and literally setting up students to fail. The class is half based on luck and completely rigid. You will fail.
Manubay is one of the hardest professors I've ever had. He only reviews slides during his lectures and he focuses more on sounding smart than actually teaching to his students. There are group activities where your grade fully depends on the people in your group, so if you have a bad group you're going to fail. Terrible teacher, take someone else.
He is actually the worst. Don't take his class. Pick anyone else. It's just a lot of material and things he expects us to know. An intro-level class is not supposed to be this hard. Also, his exams are impossible. Like they're designed to make you fail. I'll just leave it at that because words are not enough to describe how horrible the class is.
Dr. Manubay is very passionate about biology and was very willing to help students that needed guidance, but this class was ROUGH. Class averages on exams were in the 50s/60s, and the questions are very tricky. Lab was also very tedious and assignments can be graded harshly depending on the TA. You will have to study VERY hard to do well.
Manubay is very knowledgable in his field of study. Class consists of group activities(closed note), exams, mastering bio, attendance and labs. For short answers, memorize slides word for word, he's very specific. Nice guy when you get to know him.
honestly hes overhated. pay attention during lectures and make sure you write what HE says. (he gives examples in class which you would need to know for exams). ik he says dont memorize but you should tbh. also memorize the right answers on the grp activity. study hard for those bc sometimes it has stuff you learnt in the beginning of the class.
Dr. Manubay is good at explaining concepts but sometimes condescending. This class is content-heavy but if you study and go to lectures you will be okay. I relied a lot on the TAs, they were great. If you put in the work, you will see results. Curves at the end of the semester to make class avg a 75.
Professor Manubay is nice as a person, the issue is with the way the class itself is structured. The material is not too difficult, but it is made to seem far more complex than it needs to be. Lab is tedious and often unnecessary. The TAs are very tough graders. Way more difficult than AP Bio, even though it's supposed to be equivalent.
I know a lot of people struggle with him but as someone who was really lost coming into college having him as a professor was a blessing. I began the semester with a 40% as an overall grade but after engaging with him in office hours and class I brought my grade up to a B-. DO NOT DEPEND ON YOUR GROUP , SOME PEOPLE ARE NEPO BABIES YOU WILL KNOW
By all means I wish there was another option for bio class. While this is an introductory class, Manubay practically expects you to be an expert biologist. DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON LAB. Even if you memorize his definitions, it still wont be enough for him. You better be bill nye to take this class.
Manubay himself is a great prof. He's very caring and isn't insanely strict. He lectures well and is great at explaining things. The exams are pretty difficult consisting of multiple choice and short answers the class average is always super low. The group activities before the exam are also quite difficult and you cant use notes on them.
The professor is fine he's nothing special. It's a 4 credit class which means the work is going to be difficult it's expected. He curves your grades at the end, but it is very normal to do bad on the test.
Manubay's lack of empathy and disregard for individuals undermines the learning environment. His communication style is often dismissive and condescending, fostering an atmosphere of intimidation rather than collaboration. An introductory Biology class, should not be easy, but this class feels impossible!
To be honest, he is a really good professor when it comes to explaining content. He is very knowledgable and well spoken. Though his grading can be kind of brutal. The exams are pretty difficult especially with the timing. There are some group activities and poll questions that are done in class so participation is required.
I had him for both 1111 and 1112 and 1112 is significantly easier because he likes the subject more. He offers a lot of extra credit in 1112 and he curves significantly in both classes. As long as you do well in the lab and do the minor work (Pearsons, iclicker), you'll most likely end with a B even if you fail all the tests. Just study A LOT!!
man is the goat, gave everyone A's and canceled final exams for everyone
I had Manubay for 1111 and 1112, he is a knowledgable prof but tough grader. If you are an average test taker in his class (60%-65%) you really have to get EVERY SINGLE participation, lab post/pre quiz, notebook check, group activity, point or else you will not recieve an A. Oh and 1112 is way easier, and he was nicer in it.
Had Manubay for BISC 1111&12. He's actually overhated. Put in the effort! I haven't taken a bio class in HS but still managed to do well. If the people in ur group activity are horrible PLS tell him asap bc he will switch ur group and you'll have better GA grades. Also study the GA bc 4/5 short answer questions are past GA questions. U GOT THIS!!
What you've heard about Manubay is true. He is an extremely tough and unreasonable grader. I had to put a lot of studying into this class to get an A-. The only reason I'm giving him a 2 is that protests prevented us from taking the final, so he ended up giving us all 100s. We got lucky though. Would still wish you good luck if you take him.
Manubay is very knowledgeable and over-hated. Make sure to get as many points as possible from textbook homework, iClicker questions, and lab; it's much easier to get those points than on group activities and exams. Exams are not too difficult, just a lot of content to study. Group activities depend a lot on your group and grader, but not too bad.
You have to put in the work. Do your HW (I forgot so I got an A- but you can quizlet HWs), go to class and do iClickers, do your best in lab. Dedicate time and you'll pretty decent. Make sure to study!!! Tests are a lot of material but study the PPTs and their speaker notes. He's a good lecturer. He's better than people make him out to be.
BISC 1112 was definitely easier than 1111. He gives a lot of extra credit second semester and it seems he gets more lenient as time goes on. Cancelled our final exam and gave us full points so that's a plus :) He's not bad! People say he is but I think he's a good lecturer and can be funny. Just put in the time and work and you'll be fine.
Overall overhated. He clearly enjoys the material of this class, and you can see his passion. Easy to access him, tutors, and teaching assistants due to his consistent communication. However, his assignment/exam design sometimes fails to account for the size of the class, making them harder. If you study up, you should be fine.
This class was a lot easier than BISC1111, I feel like Manubay got more and more lenient over time and gave us a bunch of EC, he even canceled the final and gave us all 100s. Overall, not a bad class at all, pretty interesting material, and prof is clearly passionate about it. Once you get used to the structure of it, you'll do great.
Definitely easier than 1111. He's a great lecturer. Offers easy homeworks and iclicker questions to cusion your grade. Group activities are make or break depending on your group and exams are pretty hard, but he curves the class to a 75% average if it isn't already there. Biology is a hard class, but I think he's a pretty decent option.
The best way to describe Manubay is firm but fair. The class is extremely hard, and unnecessarily so at times, but Manubay wants students to succeed. The tests and GAs are very difficult but can be balanced out by lab and the easy iclicker/homework points. Manubay is also very accessible outside of class and is understanding of whatever comes up.
I took BISC 1111 and 1112 with him. He is not inspirational at all. As an untraditional student who hasn't taken bio in 5+ yrs, he made me feel like I should give up many times and that STEM wasn't for me. Lab is way harder than it should be, too much work for little learning. Too many assignments, and unclear grading.
Dont expect to have a life outside of bio lecture and lab - Manubay thinks his biology class is the center of the entire world
people really hate on manubay and i get it, the class is unnecessarily hard and the group activities are awful BUT if you take this class with other easy classes and have the time to dedicate to this class i promise YOU WILL BE FINE, i genuinely thought i was going to fail so many times throughout the semester but I put in the work and pulled an A!
He grades based on very few assignments. DO NOT take BISC 11 unless you have too. It's incredibly hard and unless your amazing at BIO you wont do well. I could care less about whatever anyone says on here about him being a nice person because at the end of the day, the grade is all that matters and he absolutely sucks. Hes so hard and not worth it.
Manubay is over-hated. When I was a freshman, I disliked his course. I'm now a sophomore and I'm returning to say that he is probably one of the best professors you'll have. Advice? Go to office hours. He WANTS you to learn. Start lab reports early, if you are a freshman this class will help you understand how you need to study. Lock in y'all!
Not understanding or caring. Passionate about material, but not good at explaining or teaching. Reads off of the slides, throws some of his own understanding at you with extremely detailed language, and expects you to know every minute detail on the exams. Not a good teacher. Class is impossible. Do not take.
Professor Manubay truly enjoys his job and you can tell through his enthusiasm during lectures. Manubay structures this course to weed out non-STEM majors - so if you are fulfilling a major science pre-req don't take this course. Exams are difficult but fair if you study an ample amount of time in advance. Be prepared to study for GA's and Exams.
Lecture heavy and the workload is manageable. He aims to keep a class average of 75%, so if you do the homework, come to class/participate, and study the slides he provides you will pass the class. That being said, his class is difficult and he isn't the best at teaching, and exam material comes from very specific things on his slides.
I found this course really difficult through the semester since I received low exam and GA scores, but once he combines credits from lab, clicker, mastering bio, etc., I was able to end with a B lol. his exams include very niche content briefly mentioned in lecture so be warned. Graduate TA's help a lot for written responses
His class is so hard because he grades everything harshly and he expects you to memorize everything ever done in the class. Also, his group activities are actually group quizzes and he does not give enough time for someone who always looking for something specific. The GTA's are ok, but some are unhelpful as if they haven't been students like us.
YOU ONLY HAVE ATTENDANCE AND HW (WHICH BARELY IS ANYTHING), AND THOSE DUMB GROUP ASSIGNMENTS/QUIZZES AND TESTS MAKE UP MORE OF YOUR LECTURE GRADE. Make sure to do well in lab. Use your TAs; they were the best part of that class because they will help with the short answer questions on the exams. Don't take this class unless necessary!!
He seems like he wants his students to fail. Our midterm average on a class of 150 students was 54%. I don't know how GW still lets him teach as that's the case every semester. The class always does bad as a whole. He teaches an insane amount of content and grades things extremely harshly. His tests are worded so weirdly like he wants to trick us.
He will collect your tears and agony in a jar.
I've never really had interest in science until college. Dr. Manubay does not deserve all of this negative criticism. He is consistent, accessible, humorous, and passionate. Most people here are just bitter that the class is hard and can't take accountability, so they just blame him. He made labs very fun and engaging as well! GO TO OFFICE HOURS!
having a good understanding of the topics covered in each lecture means nothing if you can't word it exactly like he does on his slides. he makes the class unnecessarily difficult and takes the fun out of learning bio. he also is so sassy if he doesn't like you (ex: asked for studying tips and he unsolicitedly told me to get medicated for anxiety)
Took this class as a junior at GW and oh my god he is the worst professor ever. Unnecessarily hard intro class, too much content just thrown at you, unreasonable work load and expectations. Dude thinks his class is the centre of the world. I have never hated a class or a professor this much before. I wish GW would just not let him teach anymore
Don't take him, he's the worst.
If you want to pick the hardest science with such niche exam questions about one tiny detail in the slides this is the class for you. If you took this freshman year first semester you will get below a B. My whole group got a D or dropped out. If you're not a bio major good luck. Bro has a stick up his....
hes mean ..
This class was so hard. so much homework and if you miss a class or two you'll be pretty lost. The test are so hard because of the massive points of the short response. It's not the worst class I've ever taken but it takes so much effort to get a good score on the test. You'll probably need to study for minimum 4 hours the day before a test.
I'm literally dreading taking his BIO 1112 class next semester. Every day I have his class, I want to literally cry. Lectures are boring, he's condescending if I want to talk to him, Group activities are annoying and one person carries the team. Hes the definition of taking his job too seriously. literally stop bruh
I'm not paying GWU $90,000 to feel unwelcome, shamed, and treated like a 7-year-old in I am here to learn. I shouldn't be taught by someone who clearly does not care for me as a student or my future. I do not care how many things he runs here at GWU, the number of people who actually dispise him and his attitude is clear and very apparent. Fire him
Today was the last day and I genuinely saw the light for the first time in forever. Lectures=ego rituals, students are his sacrifices. His smug little smile has appeared in my nightmares multiple times. Seems to take pleasure in suffering… rude…DO NOT TAKE AS A GEN ED…must trade your soul for a good grade…cooked if you: have a life, bad GA group
Prof. Manubay WANTS you to do well, you just have to take advantage of everything he provides: go to the office hours/test review sessions and ask questions in class if you are confused! Unfortunately bio is a subject you HAVE to memorize stuff for, but his slides and expectations are clear and will help you do well on tests and group activities.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
93%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.01 avg changeRatings by Course
BISC1112
2.8
(29)BISC1006
2.7
(9)BISC1111
2.5
(37)BISC1005
2.4
(15)BISC10001
1.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
BISC10001
4.5
BISC1111
4.5
BISC1112
4.2
BISC1006
3.8
BISC1005
3.2