2.5
Quality4.2
Difficulty21%
Would Retake108
Reviews21%
Would Retake
108
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
15
3
13
2
29
1
33
What Students Say
“He is the most self centered instructor I have ever had”
BI215 - 1.0 rating“Avoid him at all costs”
BI100 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.11 avg changeRatings by Course
BI422
5.0
(2)UN100
5.0
(1)BIOL201
5.0
(1)BI
4.0
(3)BI315
3.8
(6)Difficulty by Course
104
5.0
UN100
5.0
BIO100
5.0
BIO
5.0
BIOL201
5.0
Reviews (108)
No Comments
very hard, and talks down to students, study a lot if you have this class!
Difficult; can be arrogant; sets high standard
very interesting class, good teacher, helpful, enjoys teaching
Heard that his class is the most dropped/failed course on campus. I believe it.
No Comments
i have never had a class that i hated so much....he doesn't take the time to teach the students....in fact i think he'd rather see them fail......me recommendation, don't take the class unless you have to, and if possible....find another teacher
No Comments
Need to be more precise at times. Great guy, but you need to try and be more helpful instead of always critical. Loved his classes, learned a lot. Need more structure.
No Comments
Good luck! You need to attend all the lectures, and read everything. He is WAY too precise. He picks the least important things to test on.
Everyone says how hard it is but it's a cop out!This class will be hard if you don't put the effort forth to study/succeed.I am bitter that when I went to his office to see if there was an error in my C+ grade, I had a 79%and he wouldn't give me the point
Give the man a round of applause for making life challenging. All college courses should be based on his teaching methods. Maybe all of you underappreciative whiners would learn something.
my advisor was a crackhead and told me to take this class even though i didn't need it. god, what a nightmare! he loves telling you on the 1st day how many people drop/fail. had him for lab and told me i wasn't going to make it in college! he is the devil
This is a 100 level class, teach it that way. Nice guy though, just very hard class.
The class totally sucks, he expects you to be some sort of specialist in it. Hello this is a 100 level class. I'm not going to be a doctor. He is so unhelpful & rude!! Don't take the class!!
Personally i thought he was terrible for a hundred level class. i never had a class in 4 years that was so demanding. It was ridiculous
Intensive course that is a lot more difficult than it should be. Lectures are a must. Lab is the hardest part, and good luck if you get a lab with him as your instructor. Study! Study! Study! Because this class sucks.
VERY hard class, especially for a 100 level. lab and lecture do not follow the same schedule and most of the time have nothing to do with eachother, which makes things even more difficult. i do not recommend unless it is required for your major/minor.
Teacher is very cocky and unhelpful. Took the class twice and dropped twice. Now taking the class at Bay College. If I were you - I would go there too.
Graves has totally lost focus of what a college prof is supposed to be. Save your money! I think it is time for him to take a look back at his job description, and perhaps the mission statement of the UNIVERSITY.
Really hard class for a 100-level course, but at least you really learn something. Would not recommend it to you if you are a slacker with no interest in learning; otherwise, take it and work for your grade: you'll appreciate it later.
This professor is the best one I've ever had in the twelve years I've been taking this class. They finally found someone that can get through to me. I'm so stupid, yet I feel like I finally fit in here at Northern.
Brent is the best professor intelligent and real. Anyone who does not like him is just a lazy bum who does not want to do the work the classes require.
No Comments
well if you think brent is the best proffesor you have had then you must not be an intelligent person. he is very unhelpful and cocky towards his students when they ask questions. He needs to go back to school and take up a new profession!dumb ass
He should teach a class in sleeping, he would rate very well. Boring as hell, tests are hard, very cocky. Bad comedy as well.
this class could be interesting, but it isnt. tests are extreamly hard.instructor dosnt like the use of the word "it" he will count how many times you use that word and let you know about it. have less stress now that i have dropped that class. oh yea lab sucks too. i had a grad student, she sucked2
This guy is the cockiest prof I've ever had. He thinks that he's teaching a freaking graduate class and he doesn't understand that everyone taking it isn't a freaking BIOLOGY major. He's not helpful and makes you feel stupid if you bring up something he doesn't agree with.
Graves is the biggest a*hole I've ever had as a teacher - and I've a lot of those. He thinks we're all biologists, when I know nothing about biology. He needs to get over himself and realise he's being paid to TEACH, not to prance around and make people feel stupid.
He is teaching very difficult material. The class requires a lot of memorization and reading. He won't answer a vague question. If you ask a specific question you will get a specific answer.
I thought that this class was pretty easy. Most of the material that was covered, I went over in HS. It's a lecture class, so expect lecture, not 1 on 1 conversations. I thought Graves was a good teacher, I think that everyone else just needs to lighten up a bit.
Very bad teacher!! He doesn't help you at all and expects you to memorize every LITTLE detail like biology is the only class you have. I think he purposly doesn't want anyone to pass his tests because he is an **** like that.
This class is very difficult, he doesn't really answer questions clearly if at all, all he wants to do is lecture,if you miss something he tells you to look in the book.Has the personality of a pet rock! He knows his stuff, I don't doubt that, he just doesn't do a good job putting it in simple term.
No Comments
Best teacher ever!!! I got an easy A!!!
Wow, this is one hard class. You have to study more for this class than I did for some 400 level classes. Prepare to lock yourself up for the semester. All that said, if you go to class and pay attention, you should get a B.
His LEC and LABs were way out there. He would start out on the level and then shoot for the stars, I was unable to keep up. It didnt help that he compared everything to reptile anatomy. I do recomend going to see his band though, great musician.
this was WAY harder than it had to be. He asks alot of hard and very random questions on the test. it had a testing average of 54% for 144 people....NOT GOOD. He also refused to cooperate with the lab instructor. Avoid him at all costs.
This is supposed to be a basic course. He does present a lot of information, and knows a lot but is making it a class for med students not LPN students. He is a snob and is making the class more challenging then it needs to be.
He is an ok teacher but obnoxious. He is arrogant and condescending. I studied like crazy and still struggled. There is so much to know that you can know 100 things and forget 3 and only do average. It is definitly a challenge.
He is not a very nice man, but he posts all of his old test on the web, and if you study from those, you should be able to pull a B. That's what I did.
This guys is a royal (you know what). If you like a guy that tells you how smart he is and how dumb you are and then holds his hands up and denies anything is his fault in the end, then hes the one for you.
He has a terrible attitude and doesn't seem to want to help anyone. I wish he would just realize he doesn't like teaching and quit.
This guy is awful...I am a nursing student and have had some pretty hard classes and I definitely have to say that he toped them all off at the hardest ever! His tests are obserd, not at all what he covers..this guy needs to realize that he hates teaching and just quit now because he is not helping
Professor Graves is an excellent teacher for Biology. Lots of homework, lots of studying, but that's what we are here for.
I cannot express how bad he really is at teaching and understanding students problems.
I really love biology, but i can't believe that he is still teaching. I've never heard so many complaints about a professor before. I studied for at least two hours a day and got a C in this class. NOT RECCOMENDED.
This man made me change my major just so I would never have to take another class from him again. TERRIBLE at explaining material, and a complete ass when you ask him for help
This is college! Profs are not here to hold your hand and give you an automatic A. You have to work in Graves' classes, but you will learn more from him than any other prof at NMU if you stop listening to all the bad things unmotivated students say about him and start actually listening to him.
Just a complete dick.
Dude, just study for the class and you'll do fine. THis isnt a class that you can just fly through, you have to work at it and it is worth it in the long run. Graves cares about his students which is why he is so hard on them. He knows that if you work hard now, it will be beneficial for future classes.You definaly get your money's worth! :)
No Comments
I really don't understand why people complain so much about Dr. Graves. He tells you how to study for his class and what you need to know. If you do what he says by reading the text and reviewing your notes after every class you will do fine. He absolutely is excited about what he is teaching and in my opinion their isn't a better kind of teache
He doesn't teach, so much as he tells us what he knows.
The material for this class is very hard, and Graves does rush through it. However, he is willing to go out of his way to help students, as long as they ask.
He is a very hard teacher to relate to and even harder to schedule a meeting with, Rely on your TAs if you have this guy, or go to ACT.
Possibly the best teacher at NMU. Not easy, but he is funny and interesting, and has real passion for his classes. It is fun to go to class because of his random funny stories.
Love love love him. Great professor. Yes, the class is hard, but he does everything possible to help his students out and will go out of his way to make his lectures and lab info clear to you as long as you ask. Very funny guy also, makes class interesting and fun. Wish he was my dad or something...
Difficult class, but if you put effort forth, you'll do alright. Curves the grades, so that helps a lot. Not the best professor, tends to ramble and repeat unimportant "life lessons" and things like that. Go to class and take good notes and you can get a B without ever opening the textbook.
Different professor and he took a little while to get used to, but now i think he's a great professor and i have learned more in his class than i have in any other class at northern. he makes class interesting and loves to talk about other stuff besides just the stuff in the textbook. exams are hard, but go to class because he gives extra credit
unclear
ahhhh
The most interesting class I've ever taken, and it's because of the professor. He is very into what he does, and emphasizes important points very well. If you do not understand something, he is more than willing to help. Also, he is a funny guy!
Gives terrible class notes. Tests impossible. Professor insane. Tells you this is college. How about I shove your exams up your ass.
Incredibly redundant, doesn’t explain exams, never really cares who you are, he’s a closet English professor who rips your writing, and takes class time to convince you he’s a college professor. What a waste of time.
Don't listen to people who **** about this guy. They're mostly all babies who can't read and shouldn't be in college. His class is easy enough if you're a serious student and you work consistently at it. He's not a great professor, but he's definitely not a bad one either.
This is a class he designed 12 yeas ago, and just finally got to teach this semester. He really enjoys conservation biology, more than anatomy, so he is a lot more laid back in this class than in BI140. It's a small class, so there is less intensity. You still need to know how to read and speak intelectually to get on his good side.
Yes this class is very hard, as most of his classes seem to be-but it's not his fault. The classes he teaches are upper level classes full of information and taxonomy. But he is very fun, and entertaining. The class is very hard but I've learned ALOT! And had fun doing it. :)
Worst professior at Northern. He just jumps around during lecture, everything is unclear, and is COMPLETELY UNHELPFUL, he's all fine and dandy until you need an ounce of compansion.(Don't try to reschedule anything) He can't be bothered, atleast he curves.
immpossible
Dr. Graves explains things well, but you have to pay attention closely and read ahead just to make sure you understand the material!
AWESOME teacher! Love him!
His class is challenging yes, but if you read the required text, show up and pay attention to lectures and study well for tests, it's easy to attain an A. I've heard a lot of people complain this class is hard, but that's just cause they are lazy and don't want to work. He's a pretty entertaining guy!
I don't understand why some people are so against him. Super cool guy, very interesting. Old school though, no power points or computers, you gotta show up to class ad pay attention
If you put in the work, you will do fine. Everybody expects passing grades for nothing. You are in college now, act like it. He is a solid teacher.
I love Dr.Graves. He is an extremely interesting guy who knows his stuff. His tests were a bit nit-picky I think and he has a tendency to get side tracked a lot which makes studying difficult. If I had put in some effort I would have ad an A without too much extra trouble. Good guy.
Dr. Graves is an excellent professor; he's not an easy grader and he won't powder your bottom for you, he tells it like it is. This is college, and you need to study and go to class to pass. He is the best adviser I've had at NMU. Always willing to help if you show up at his office and ask. If you're lazy or can't take criticism, don't take him.
class has 50 percent failure rate but I thought it was easy. Just ignore him and learn on your own with the book. He dosn't like questions so just look online for for information ( there's a ton online ). Teacher has admitted he enjoys failing students so be prepared for this course. I got a 98 percent and spent about 2 hours a week studying!
Professor is very difficult. This class has a 50% failure rate. He has been warned and put on probation by NMU administration. He lacks the ability to present material in a basic straightforward manner that someone with only an HS education could understand. The university is only allowing him to teach upper level courses. (300 level on up)
He's a little confusing at times and he doesn't always check and make sure he hasn't made a mistake in lecture. But by reading the book and keeping up with notes I don't see why anyone would have a problem with him. He gives us his last year's tests which are basically this years tests only with a few changed words and he gives extra credit too
He teaches as if for his own glorification, there to prove you wrong. He is extremely intelligent, but does not seem to be able to explain concepts to us laymen without throwing around complex terms, name-dropping, or ranting. Graves makes me want to stop pursuing a career in evolutionary studies, because I fear I will turn out like him.
If you're going to take this class, I highly recomend you wait and take Evolution with Teeter rather then Graves. His lectures can be confusing and he gets some of the information mixed up. He likes to go on rants and at times he can be egocentric. His tests are very hard, even if you study the book and the notes. He's not a good professor.
His tests are unnecessarily difficult and don't really represent what you know on the subject. That being said this is one of the most interesting classes I've had yet and would recommend it and Dr. Graves really knows his stuff and expects a lot from his students.
He is the most self centered instructor I have ever had. He is extremely egotistical and does the least amount of work for his classes as he can. He will not allow questions unrelated to what he is directly lecturing about, and I mean directly. If it is about a previous slide he either ignores your question or replies condescendingly.
Dr. Graves is very firm on his views of Evolution, and he will not tolerate other views. He doesn't allow computer or phone use during lecture, and the exams and chapter quizzes are difficult, as he doesn't write them. In situations where more than one answer is correct, don't expect to get points back. I don't recommend taking this with him.
I've been at NMU for 3 years now, experience both good and bad professors, but I have to say, Dr. Graves has been the worst by far! He stumbles over his own lecture slides, his tests are ridiculously hard for what the class covers, and just, in my opinion, a terrible professor. If you need to take this class and he's teaching it, just wait
I do not recommend Professor Graves. He is extremely demeaning and makes you feel like youre stupid. The classes he teaches overall arent that hard. Just read the chapter. Its really just his personality that makes the class awful. Im looking forward to the end of this semester so I never have to associate with him again.
Professor Graves is terrible with unrealistic expectation, he seems to think that after 5-10 min on a subject you should be an expert and know all that he knows on the subject and that is reflected on the tests they were the most difficult exams I have ever taken by a large margin.
Graves teaches Vertebrate differently than previous professors, he got rid of quizzes and the class was graded on primarily 3 exams (so do well on them). Rarely will offer extra credit. His lectures are straight from the book so if you read you should be good. ALSO, the exams are open book, so buy the textbook but don't fully rely on it.
This class was one of the hardest classes I've ever taken. He would put things in the slides and then say something completely different during lecture, so if you weren't there you were bound to get the question wrong on a test/quiz. He also hated people using laptops during class and would email us about not using them for notes almost weekly.
Don't take this class if you care about your GPA
GO TO CLASS. Attendance is not mandatory but recommended. Exams are multiple choice and open book, so mark the textbook and be conscious of where content lies. Quizzes are take-home, so open book and open note. It is taxon-heavy but this is an upper-level class, so it is expected. I think you get what you put into this class.
This class was useless to my major, all you do is memorize a million taxa and then are tested upon your knowledge. Dr Graves often would forget he assigned things, was very unclear in his instructions. He is unrealistic in his expectations and simply thinks everyone should be an expert as an undergrad.
bi100 should be a beginner class, but he seems to think we are all bio experts. his tests have nonsensical questions and he has an ego that is way too big for a professor that is here on tenure. 0/100
Dr. Graves is interested in what he teaches, making learning more fun. Lectures are not mandatory but he sometimes gives extra credit if you come to class. The exam questions he writes can be worded confusingly which is a down side. Overall, pretty average professor.
You must go to class, he is a huge yapper and looking at the powerpoints will not give you test-relevant information that he conveys in lecture (he often puts incorrect information on the PPT that he proves wrong through his lecture). Test questions can be sort of "off the top of his head" so try to tune into what topics/points he emphasizes.
Graves is a horrible professor. Canceled class because someone wanted to use their computer to take notes because they forgot their notebook. Calls out students in-front of everyone in lecture on if they have accommodations (which is illegal). PowerPoint and Study guides DO NOT HELP for tests or exams. Would not recommend him as a professor.
His lectures are not helpful at all. Most of the time during lecture he just rambles on about random things not related to the class at all. The questions on the exams are nothing like the study guides. Overall, did not seem like he cared about teaching.
Made me hate Herpetology for half the semester when thats what I wanted to do for work after graduation
Professor Graves made an entry level biology class feel as thought I needed to be an expert to understand. His grading depends only on his exams throughout the semester. He has no communication with the TA in our linked lab course causing the two to be on completely different lectures over the material. There were no study guides also.
Usually I love biology but Graves made me hate the class. He is rude and not helpful at all. The exam questions and his PowerPoint's did not make sense. He has horrible grammar as well. He often said he didn't even know what he was talking about. Also, whenever answering questions he would get sidetracked to different topic not related to the class
Graves had a horrible attitude and disregarded the lecture if a student had a laptop out. He even canceled class one day because a student forgot his notebook and used his laptop for notes. He has no regard for his students and their understanding of his teaching. He seems to want to be in and out of the lectures with no help to us.
Constantly talking about anything other than biology in class. Doesn't give enough time to write notes from the powerpoints before switching slides. Doesn't post the powerpoints until a couple days before the exams so you don't have much time to look over them. Always seemed grumpy and like he didn't want to be there.
I have taken several Biology classes at Northern with many different professors. I thought that this class would be fun but I was mistaken. Professor Graves has unhelpful lectures that don't really reflect on the tests, and the amount of material you need to memorize is insane. I usually love my bio classes and do well, but not in this class.
I liked him and found him charming, but I could see how people could find him rude because he would often beg for the class to engage with him during his lectures. Homework is online and test q's were directly from the textbook. Lecture attendance isn't graded but he adds a lot of additional info that is pretty valuable. Will need to study to pass!
This professor has me so sad that I am writing a review for the first time here. I took this course not knowing there would be an insane level of memorization, tough test questions, and extremely few chances to receive grades. Dr. Graves is very impatient and not understanding of how hard he makes this course. I regret having this experience. :(
I can only speak for BI 100, but this was one of the easiest gen-ed courses I've ever had to take. Attendance isn't required, but if you show up and somewhat pay attention you will do just fine. He even gives extra credit for being in class sometimes.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.11 avg changeRatings by Course
BI422
5.0
(2)UN100
5.0
(1)BIOL201
5.0
(1)BI
4.0
(3)BI315
3.8
(6)Difficulty by Course
104
5.0
UN100
5.0
BIO100
5.0
BIO
5.0
BIOL201
5.0