This guy walks on water. He is absolutely the greatest teacher that ever lived, even better than Aristotle! Should be given a large raise in pay. Elect him ruler of the Universe!

Hot is an understatement. He rock's!

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very knowledgeable and a great lecturer

Very nice!

One of the best teachers here at pacific. If you can't pass his class, then you don't belong in college. How much clearer can he be?

His tests were hard. he tests from memorization of his lecture notes. the material is boring too. he does try to keep you interested, but his lectures are impersonal.

Very clear professor. Tests on his lectures notes, so it is easy to pass once you know what he is looking for.

Dr. Brunell is a very helpful professor who cares about his students. To do well on his tests, be prepared to spend a lot of time memorizing his lecture notes. I enjoyed this class.

He is a good teacher. His tests are not that hard if you take good notes and read the stuff he gives you. He also has a study guid so that helps. I don't see why so many people didn't like him he was interesting knew his stuff and didn't make me sleep like Viara.

Don't take him for BIOL 51 (too hard and crazy) but for BIOL 79, it's his specialty and he's one enthusiastic botanist! Brillant; lectures w/o notes and WILL KNOW YOUR NAME and exactly who you are even if you never speak to him (somehow scary but genius). Tests are easy and straightforward; we always get out early from lab.

the man is a genius. to pass his class you need to memorize your notes, simple as that. the tests are well written.

He's a great prof. Just show up to class and take good notes. I studied the notes mainly and just use the book to look up stuff i didn't get. he's really nice and his lectures are clear and straight forward.

This guy is great. The metaphors and analogies he uses really make a lot of the concepts very clear, and he's a very approachable guy. Basically like a big teddy bear botanist. Doesn't use powerpoints, which some people may dislike, but as long as you take notes on what he says (and on the study guides he provides!) you'll be fine.

awesome teacher! He is very knowledgeable and says a ton of fun facts that keep the lectures interesting! His lectures are also clear despite not using powerpoints (which i didnt like at first but it worked out). His tests are also not bad as long as you study his notes.

Pretty awesome professor. He is really interested in the class and his lectures are really fun because you have to draw a lot. good lectures actually and his test aren't bad just read his notes and you got it!

Lecture was always interesting, never used power point so it was a steady speed. He's awesome, tells you what you need to know and a lot of interesting facts!

Great professor. Very interesting and knows his stuff. Doesn't use powerpoint so GO TO LECTURE. Tests are based on his lectures fully so it would suck to miss one. Makes things very clear so you can understand it (ie. uses analogies). Awesome professor and he will remember you =)

Highly recommend taking his Natural Medicines class if you're pre-pharm. Learn A LOT from this course that has been very helpful in pharm sch. His exams are hard since they are mostly free-response, but they are all based off of his notes (which are very clear). Def one of the best professors at Pacific. Very interesting class! =)

Dr. Brunell is hands down one of the best and easiest science professors at Pacific. He gives clear lectures with effective analogies - as long as you memorize his lecture notes, you won't need the textbook at all and you'll be sure to ace his very straightforward exams. He's passionate and understanding - awesome professor! Highly recommended!

Brunell made 51 fun and understandable. His analogies are good and he really encourages people to answer questions. He doesn't use ppt which was surprising since there's a lot drawings but hand-drawing them made things a lot easier to understand. Stop by his office hours! He's always willing to help is the most open prof I've met. Take his class!

EXACTLY like a teddy-bear botanist. SO helpful. Doesn't exactly go with book. It's ok, tests are lecture-based and straight-forward. Doesn't use PowerPoints and draws a lot on board. But now I actually prefer that! Clear lecture for the most part, uses metaphors and dope facts. Def one of my fav and more interesting science profs. Taking him again!

As a non-science major the course was challenging (in fact fairly frustrating), but enjoyed the camping and day trips (despite eating a weekend). Dr Brunell is excited about his subject, willing to work with you during office hours and if you happen to have your own garden a tremendous resource.

He knows a lot about plants and he is always willing to share his knowledge with you. The class is difficult for non science majors and is a lot of memorizing but that's expected. He also gives out very useful handouts for every family he goes over.

I took Brunelle's 51 class over the summer and it was tough! The material in general for 51 is ridiculous (and pretty boring if you aren't into plants), but Brunelle definitely made it bearable. He's a super friendly professor and really takes the time to make sure you understand the concepts with metaphors and analogies. Doesn't use Powerpoints!

Just memorize your notes because the tests are basically just questions from the notes. Take a good note and memorize it. That's all you have to do, memorizing everything from your notes. You should be able to teach others by explaining everything without looking at your notes that is how you have to have your notes memorize....Good luck.:)

Bio 61: I hear he's much harder (in his Bio51, you don't need the text, only notes). Tests are a bit hard since it can be pretty detailed. Free response is okay, not too bad. Study and KNOW and UNDERSTAND everything! Good at explaining, but his voice is very soothing and you might fall asleep. Make sure to record lectures! Easiest of the bio profs!

Took his class for summer session. Best teacher I've had thus far. Interesting/clear lecturer, pretty funny at times, goes into plants in detail more than other profs since he's a botanist which helps with practical. Pretty concise and helpful during office hrs. Didn't touch the textbook once, study his lectures only!

Took over the summer. Tests based entirely on lecture which is on the board. No powerpoint aid. A lot to memorize in 5 weeks but doable. Got a generous 10%+ curve. Recommend taking over summer for this reason

So I never actually got to meet him but I took this class online over the summer. Class was dirt easy. Lots of readings but pretty much if you had the word requirement on the reports it was good.

Excellent Professor, exams are based off of lectures and every detail must be memorized but the exams are very reasonable. Very funny prof and very approachable. I highly recommend you take Brunell for bio 51 or any class for that matter.

He is pretty easy going, and very clear in his lectures. His test are based solely what he goes over in lecture and anything that he tells you to read. He doesn't use powerpoints, so if that's what you want, probably shouldn't take him... But I found this class extremely enjoyable. Would take again

Be ready to draw because his lectures include many diagrams. He doesn't have any powerpoints and goes through a lot of detail so attendance is a must. He's obsessed about bees and can get off topic with them. His exams are very detailed and sometimes his FRQ's can get very confusing. Average test grade was about a 63%

Do not skip class. Take notes on basically everything he says, as he likes giving out examples that will appear on his test. As long as you take good notes, you should be fine. He's well-respected in the bio department. Remember, don't skip class.

You must memorize every word of his lecture to succeed. Also he LOVES greek/latin roots and makes you memorize hundreds of them. He's a great professor and a great person but his exams are killer if you aren't used to him. Also no practice exams nor powerpoint.

Exams based solely on lectures so you won't have to study from PPTs/textbook for every exam. But on rare occasions, he assigns reading from the textbook and that will be on the exam. Lots of drawings during lecture that end up being on the FRQ, so don't skip class. He's a beekeeper and often goes off topic talking about them, but it's on the exam.

Exams based only on lectures. Should bring recorder since he talks kind of fast and MC portion goes into detail. Write down examples since they are usually on FRQ. Has Greek/Latin root words you need to memorize for each exam, but it's there to buffer the MC and FRQ. Final exam average grade: 55% (had to memorize 136 roots, only 50ish on exam).

Exams are difficult but doable. It is mainly based on lecture but he follows the books pretty so don't abandon it completely. He cares a lot if he sees you put in the time and effort. Don't ever skip lecture because he gives examples and diagrams puts them on the test. Make sure to memorize the images he draws. He is a great professor.

Cal Flora is a DIFFICULT class, but Dr. B made it incredibly fun. The tests were hard, but the field trips and the three day camping trip was worth it. You MUST study once he starts handing out class materials because there are a lot of memorizing. Very passionate about botany and I do recommend the class, but just be wary of the workload!

Dr. Brunell's lectures were really interesting, but make sure you're paying attention the whole time. Record lectures b/c he doesn't give you notes/powerpoints. He goes into a LOT of detail, but you learn a lot. His exams were VERY difficult and specific, but as long as you memorize every word he says and actually understand it, you'll be fine.

I love Dr. Brunell <3

Brunell is great because he doesn't use powerpoint, so he puts things into more understandable terms since he teaches verbally. He has a great sense of humor and can be intimidating but is really kind and reasonable. Tests are not too difficult but there is a lot of memorization involved. If you actually study you shouldn't have any trouble.

An amazing and hilarious man with great lectures. Unfortunately all of the content in lectures are a complete waste if you plan on taking the MCAT or DAT because he focuses on all the wrong things. Class was the hardest course i've taken at UOP. Got A's on the first two exams but ended up with a D+, no idea what happened. NOT RECCOMMENDED

This was my first science class at college level, and it definitely prepared me for other science classes. Dr. Brunell really knows his stuff, but the material builds up really quick if you don't stay on top of it. He is very detailed and sometimes it sounds like he is going on a tangent, but the tangent is actually a free response question.

Dr. Brunell is a fantastic professor. His lectures are really interesting since he goes deep into detail on each process and anything he talks about. I thought his tests were decent, not deathly hard and not too easy. You definitely need to start studying your notes the week of the test.

8 AM with him is a bit tough to stay awake in but loved his lectures! No powerpoints. Goes into very specific detail but tests are more general, but it's good to know everything just in case. DON'T PROCRASTINATE, obv! Really cool professor, lots of people say don't take him but if you do end up having his class, you'll be def fine if you just study

Has the reputation of being the most difficult Bio 61 professor at UOP, but don't get deterred because Brunell is solid choice. He goes very in-depth with his lectures at a level beyond the rest of the Bio 61 professors, so expect a lot of specifics as opposed to general ideas. Just grind hard, listen well, and you'll definitely pass the class.

Dr. Brunell is awesome! Although he adds a lot of additional material in addition to the textbook, the content is very interesting and useful for pre-dents and pre-pharms. Rootwords and participation are easy points on exams. His FRQ's are pretty tough but all test content is based off his lectures. The DEFINITION of quality over quantity.

Great prof for freshmen; his class really teaches you how to STUDY for college. He doesn't use PowerPoint, but has really good lectures. Participation and root words are easy points on the exams. Don't skip lectue because the diagrams he draws are guaranteed to be on the exams as well. I loved his class :)

Not much reading, no homework. Great lecture, really knows the materials well, good explaining, does the whole lecture from his memory. Only test on the lecture and assigned reading. 100% of his lecture has the chance to appear on the exam, study everything he talked about. Take this course if your goal is to learn instead of a nice transcript.

If you take good/detailed notes on his lectures and study them well, there's a great chance you'll do really well on his exams. Explains concepts super well and detailed in a way that it's easy to understand for everyone. You still have to work for a good grade but he lays all the material out for you, you just need to study hard.

Took Ecology and Conservation as an elective and it was all online. There were no lectures. The only assignments were SimBio with quizzes, chapter readings with summaries, and non-cumulative lecture exams. Very interesting topics, but it is done all at your own pace.

Brunell is a really sweet guy. EdPuzzles 3-6 a week, around 40 mins each but will take around 1hr 3 if you take notes (which you should). Highly recommend doing them either right before or right after lecture depending if you're a fast notetaker or not. Don't let them pile up because you will need to study for exams at least a week in advance.

Very lecture-heavy but I appreciate that he knows what he's talking about and genuinely really likes botany. Labs aren't too hard and overall, you'll do a good job as long as you review material. Lecture exams are a little hard though. 2 mandatory field trips.

I love Dr. Brunell - took him for Bio61 and 51. As long as you know mostly everything from the Edpuzzles, you will get an A! He is so funny and an amazing prof to talk to :-)

Dr. Brunell is notorious for being a difficult, nonetheless, fair biology professor. Do the edpuzzles and discord Q's. Everything there's on the exam. Discord is extra, but prepare you well for tests. Go to office hours and lectures. I was really luck to have him as a 61 prof. He genuinely cares for his students. Don't be deterred by what some say.

He's great, has frequent office hours, and is a charming fella with the caveat of suffering. Someone told me I was "chronically Brunell'd" from the sheer volume of edpuzzles consumed. There are also his "demon ahh" exams that have averaged from the 50s -75s range. Those vary and you should be good at memorizing if you want Brunell. I also took 61.

He lectures slowly and in an easy-to-understand way. Exams (all MC) are difficult as they require memorization of specific details. There are a lot of Edpuzzles that you have to watch, and you should try to stay on top of them and not let them pile up. He's nice and easy to talk to in office hours. He doesn't curve exams, but huge curve at the end.

A LOT to memorize, much more than other sections. If you put in your time and effort, an easy A. Everything but only the things in Edpuzzle are on the tests. All MCQ and very straightforward questions. However, you really need to memorize the specific details to do well. Lecture helps a lot in lab tests. Midterm3 and final is pure memorization.

Go to lectures because his diagrams on the boards (not in Edpuzzle) help visualize things and aid in memorization. One of the easy 61 professors. He knows what he is talking about. Straightforward and easy test. He knows that ppl learned 61 material in high school, so his lectures are good for refreshing your memory. Strongly recommend 61 with him.

Lectures are good and tests are all mcq and aren't that difficult. We're assigned edpuzzles, which are literally the exact same as the lectures given in class. I personally liked it because watching and studying edpuzzles gives you all you need for a test(attendance is mandatory though).

Dr. Brunell assigns Edpuzzle lectures, and then gives the same lectures in person, on the board. No powerpoints, which can be hard to cope with. You need to learn how to take good notes. He does take attendance, but it doesn't seem to count for points. He will message you if you miss class, so show up!

His exams are tough, but you have the chance to go over the material 24/7 since everything is on Edpuzzle or posted (like word roots). No powerpoints. Exams are MC and TF, and some matching. Exam averages were between 72 - 83%. He runs a Discord server that has practice questions. Overall a good experience but I had to work really hard.

Dr. Brunell is the BEST if you want to learn the material and the WORST if you want an easy A. He posts Youtube videos of his lectures ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours per lecture day that you should watch in advance, and EVERYTHING is on the exams. You need to have good study skills right off the bat since exam averages are around a C or D.

If you are a pre-dental student, Dr. Brunell will definitely get you prepared for the DAT. The biology section of the DAT is literally what he teaches. Dr. Brunell follows the book, and his lectures are on video too. There is usually a big crowd of students at his office hours, and he is very helpful in going over exam questions that you missed.

Unlike some other professors in the biology department, you actually know what you will be tested on with Dr. Brunell. He provides you with everything you need to know. It's just a matter of going through the material and learning it. There are no surprises, and little to no wasted studying!

I really like Dr. B! He is a popular professor, and he really cares about his students doing well. He has turned part of his lab into a student study area, and supplies snacks too! There is a long list of negative comments posted on Dec. 9th, 2024 - I heard that a student was caught cheating about that time, so that may explain it.

His class is hard but doable. He follows the book closely, and posts Edpuzzles of his lectures. Teaches you the fundamentals that you will need going forward to higher level courses.

What he expects from students is outlined from day one. Some people dislike his style, but I have had little problem with him. The class is difficult in general, and the exams make sure you know the content thoroughly enough to apply it elsewhere with hypotheticals and more. More easily approachable during office hours than lecture.