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Dr. Spell is very helpful. She is a great research advisor.

wth people this class is ridiculously easy....ya'll are not studying!!

Spell's harder than the other professors, but she's a really good lecturer. I definitely recommend taking her. Also, she prepares you well for the exams (especially for second semester when the prof's write the exam together).

The class is hard but is very managable if you are willing to put the time and effort into studying. The tests do not test you on stupid plain facts that you can read out of a book. They test you on how you can apply your knowledge. She is a great teacher and I highly recommend her. If you don't like the class b/c of her voice you are plain dumb...

Dr. Spell is the best teacher in BIOLOGY 141 section. She is interesting and her lecture is visualized so that students can easily understand her materials; in addition, her lecture is well organized. Her Exams and quizzes are tricky and somewhat challenging, but if you really understand what she lectured, then it would be fine :)

She is a great professor. Having her class will be greatly beneficial

She is a good teacher, because she is very enthusiastic about the material. I learned so much in her class. However, she is so damn tricky with her quizzes and exams that I still didn't ace the class. Making an A in her class is half knowledge of material and half deciphering test questions. Beware of those seemingly accurate multiple choice answer

Dr. Spell is terrific. She is demanding, but that's reasonable given the material. College Bio isn't a gut course.

Although she is not an easy teacher, I definitely learned a lot by taking her biology 141 course. I received AP credit, but I was told to take her class anyway, and I don't regret it!

Dr. Rachelle Spell is convinced that she's asking you something you know on her tests. I wish she'd tell me what that is. In her defense, though, there are people who absolutely love her. She's a reasonably funny professor and her lessons are never incomprehensible...just her tests...

I had professor Spell for the whole year (for both Bio 141/142) , and she was one of the best teachers I had. Her tests are tricky, and her class requires a lot of hard work. T's (a SI leader) sessions helped a lot with her quizzes and tests, but unfortunately he graduated this year. If you really want to learn Biology well, you should take her.

If you came to Emory for a meaningful and rigorous education, then Spell won't disappoint. The professor is knowledgeable in her field, incorporates current events, and is exceptionally helpful, if you know how to ask for and seek assistance. If you're looking for an "easy A," then Spell is not for you and, maybe, Emory isn't either.

I don't understand the bad ratings on here. Dr. Spell is the best science teacher I've ever had! She is funny and engaging in lecture. I can see why people get annoyed by her tests (they are short, which may seem good but it's actually frustrating b/c it's not easy to get an A) but overall the class is pretty manageable. Definitely recommend her!

She shows her passion in biology through her engaging and goofy lectures. She really knows how to draw you in. Her class emphasizes not on details but general concepts and application. I loved her class and recommend you take her. Her class consists of online homework, weekly quizzes, 2 exams, and cumulative final.

I'm not particularly strong in bio, but I found her to be pretty easy although a lot of my peers found her difficult. For her tests(all M/C) just use your best judgment and DON'T 2nd guess yourself. That worked for me. But I'm not sure if I learned the material as well as I could because I switched to Dr. P 2nd semester and I'm really struggling.

Amazing teacher. Explained things with such clarity. Tests were a bit tricky but definitely do-able by studying. Doesn't test anything that she hasn't mentioned in class. Definitely recommend her. Amazing.

She's nice and approachable! Her class is interesting, and she gives hilarious jokes sometimes. her exams are okay, not too hard and not easy,too.

Excellent teacher! I'd absolutely recommend her, especially if you're willing to put in the work. She's so enthusiastic about the material and really wants you to succeed. Her best quality is definitely her lectures, which are informative, interesting, and funny.

She's very approachable and helpful for a student's overall development. For those who dislike her because they think her course is hard, I'd say that they really did not put into much effort.

Dr. Spell makes biology interesting. When I began the class I really didn't like bio and she totally changed my mind. I'm now a bio major. She emphasizes understanding versus memorization and keeps lecture engaging. As a result, her tests may be more complicated than other into bio tests but they are LOGICAL.

Dr. Spell was one of the harder professors for my first semester at Emory, but as long as you are keeping up with the reading and asking questions, she is "alright." I still regret not doing better, but she is overall a great person- may not be the best teacher that fits your learning style though.

I don't understand why Dr. Spell doesn't have a higher rating. She is SO dedicated to her profession, ALWAYS striving to improve, funny, enthusiastic, & a great prof who doesn't care that you memorize a bunch of details, just that you understand and apply. As long as you keep up with the material and do the problem sets, you'll be fine. Loved her.

I actually really liked Dr. Spell. She made our early morning bio class really entertaining, and even though I hadn't taken biology since high school, I thought it was really manageable. Her class is more about application of concepts than memorization, so if that's what you're into, definitely take her.

Dr. Spell was absolutely fantastic. I would not take her if I didn't have a strong background in biology. Her tests are mostly application based so a strong background is necessary to apply. The practice sets have a lot of the same types of problems as the tests.

Loved the class! Pay attention and read textbook, practice the problem sets and review the weekly quizzes/group assignments and you'll do great. Fair grading. Very lively lectures even at 8:30 in the morning.

Spell was so fun and enthusiastic! I never read the book (except for carbohydrate structures), listening and taking notes in class was perfectly sufficient. Her tests are on exactly on what she lectures about and not too hard. It's a bit more conceptual which I really liked.

Honestly, she is one of the most enthusiastic teachers at Emory. With over 50 people in the class, she learned basically everyone's names. She wants to get to know you. However, I had a really hard time with her tests. If you have not had AP or have had classes that were more memory-based learning, it will be VERY hard. Her tests are DIFFICULT!

Dr. Spell's lectures are recorded so you can always go back and make sure you study the concepts she covers. Her lectures are always so engaging and lucid. Make sure to do problem sets and go to office hours. Sitting in them even without questions is the best way to absorb material because questions pop up that you wouldn't have thought to ask.

Absolutely amazing. I came in with zero (absolute nada) biology experience. However, Dr. Spell, with her passion and how understanding she is, was able to help me really understand the material. To do well you will need to put in work and must actually be able to apply material (problem sets etc); you can't simply just read, memorize and recount

I love Dr. Spell. Instead of making you memorize a lot of specific, random details, she focuses on overarching concepts which is easier in my opinion. Then, she challenges you by making you apply these concepts which is where the class can get hard if you don't take time to understand the basics. I think the class is doable if you pay attention.

Dr. Spell has developed a great pedagogy in challenging students for understanding biology concepts and critical thinking, which I still benefit as a biomedical researcher today (took her classes in 2011). By taking on the challenges with commitment, you will be greatly rewarded, but certainly avoid it if you are thinking of an easy A.

Dr. Spell can be a hit or a miss depending on the type of student you are, but she's very passionate about the subject. Her lectures are super helpful for the exams - make sure to pay attention. She's very caring - she took the time to learn the names of every single student in our intro bio lecture. Put in the work, it'll pay off. 10/10 recommend

I took both her Intro Bio I and II. She is so passionate about Biology that although I was a math major I spent so much time digging into the material and trying to understand everything. Biology is just interesting, and so is she. However, I wouldn't recommend if you want an easy A because her lectures have so much information.

If you are passionate about biology or simply learning in general, I highly recommend her intro bio courses. She is one of the best professors I have ever encountered at Emory and is authentically motivated to get those tough biology concepts to stick in your head. Her tests are a bit tough, but fair if you do her problem sets and attend lecture.

Dr. Spell is amazing. As a lecturer, she does more than she needs to do to make classes enjoyable and students comfortable (she learned everyone's names!!). I didn't think her tests were significantly more difficult than any other biol 142 professors but she DOES randomly call on students during lecture to answer questions.

I have no idea why her rating is so low. One of my favorite teachers and the reason I am now a bio major. She goes above and beyond, standing on tables, running around the room, wearing silly clothes, ANYTHING to help you learn the material. She GENUINELY wants you to understand the concepts. Tests are difficult but not impossible. Fun & energetic.

I took her FSEM, the science of learning, and really enjoyed it. Everything was a completion grade and the topics covered were study habits, how to approach reading primary research articles, and teaching elementary school students. The curriculum was designed to best help the students and was extremely reasonable. I enjoyed having Dr. Spell.

Doctor Spell is a very good professor. She gives tons of practice. Her explanations are very clear, her classes are entertaining. She does have a problem with wording questions on exams, but she may give you points back if you explain the reasoning behind your answer. Overall, an excellent choice for your first bio prof!

Dr Spells classes are objectively difficult. That being said, she is one of the best professors Ive ever had.

Dr. Spell is a tough professor because she doesn't want you just sitting in lectures writing down information. She wants you to apply your knowledge, which means her exams are a little harder than other professors. Take her if you really want to solidly understand the material you learn. Just be ready to do the homework and study if you want the A

Dr. Spell is a genetics gem. She really cares about how much you learn inside and outside of class. While this can already be hard to do given the class size, you can still learn the proper foundations of biology. There's case studies and take-home quizzes but these help prepare you for her lectures (they're all recorded, by the way). Take her!

Honestly the difficulty in this class is over-estimated. If you have a strong foundation in AP Biology you will do just fine in Dr. Spell's class (admittedly the course difficulty was impacted by COVID but still). She is super engaging and is very passionate about biology. She does emphasize some higher order bio which makes the class somewhat fun

I honestly feel like many of the ratings on here are unfair. Dr. Spell definitely makes you work hard, but gets you to understand the material in a deeper way. You can't expect to just memorize her material and get by, she makes you think about it in a deeper way. Then again, that skill is necessary in everything we want to go onto.

How to get an A: Go to office hours, meet with the mentors, speak up in class. Understand the concepts, don't just know the facts. The outside sheets she gives end up being test questions.

If you are interested in genetics then I highly recommend taking her for intro bio

She is passionate about biology and sets you up for upper level bio classes :)

Dr. Spell is the best kind of prof ever--the one that wants you to actually understand the concepts instead of just writing them down. She prepares you for upper bio classes really well and is very caring about her students. She also shows you pictures of her dogs. This is not a class to slack off in, but if you're in for a good challenge, take it!

Out of all the bio profs I've taken at Emory, I loved Dr. Spell's class bc she cared the most about our well-being. This class is difficult, but you just have to put in the effort. It's also somewhat a flipped class - the prep work she assigns is background for lectures. office hours are extremely helpful as she covers more material that's on exams

I think that Dr. Spell's class really helped me learn how to apply the genetics, and effectively read papers. The tests/quizzes are a bit difficult and make you apply what's learned in the asynchronous lectures and class discussions, but if you go to office hours and study the lectures really well, you should be relatively fine!

Dr. Spell's Freshman Seminar, The Science of Learning, is extremely easy and light on the workload, yet interesting. She makes an effort to include everyone in discussions and create a sense of community in the classroom. She is a great addition to a freshman schedule if you're looking for a cushion for a smooth adjustment to college.

If you are taking her for the freshman seminar abt the science of learning ur doing the right thing. The class is largely participation-based and there are 3 relatively simple assignments due each week. She cared for each of us and was willing to spend time to listen to what we had to say. It's an easy A but she never goes back to fix grading.