Dr. Merrill is funny and smart. He has a dry sense of humor, class was generally enjoyable to sit through. This was one of my favorite public health classes by far. The tests aren't too hard, he lets you bring in a cheat sheet for the exams and the second one is take home.

His class isn't too hard. Understand the lecture notes and all the homework questions and you'll be prepared for the tests. He's a pretty relaxed and fair teacher, and sometimes goes off on interesting tangents.

Professor Merrill has a dry sense of humor, but he is a really awesome guy who loves what he does. You can go get help from him pretty much any time during the day. Everyone says that the 2nd test is hard, but come on, it is a TAKE HOME EXAM. You can look up the answers. You can always have a cheat sheet with the 1st and final exams as well.

I liked prof. Merrill alot, but he was gone a large chunk of the semester. The TA was rad though so it made up for it. The class was somewhat easy, cheat sheet for exams 1 and 3. 2 is take home and yes it sucks. The rest is quizzes (7), a paper at the end of the semester, and a group presentation (which was really easy). Overall I liked the class.

Super teacher! Very funny when you understand his jokes. He is very fair and at times lets his students decide on their assignments. Great Teacher!

Dr. Merrill is hilarious and goes on very amusing rants during his lectures. He's obviously a super smart guy but his research is better than his teaching and it's obvious he only teaches so he can do his research. He's available and willing to help his students, which is good because the class can be super confusing.

Dr. Merril is incredibly intelligent, kind, and genuine. This class follows his well-written books and his question style for exams does not differ from what is in the books. He is always available to help if needed and explains things well one-on-one. This class does require effort but is a totally doable A. Great intro to Epi.

Take Dr. Merrill! He's funny, caring, and really smart. He wants students to do well and offers lots of extra credit. I thought his class was so much easier than Magnussons sounded! Honestly it wasn't a ton of work and it wasn't a hard class, just go to class and pay attention and use the TA! He lets you use notes on tests sometimes

I would take his class Over Magnusson. He lets us use a page of notes both back and front of paper. Yes his lecture is a bit dry but his first exam is taken in class (yes can have notes) and the second and third exam is take home. Homework isnt too bad and you can do it ahead of time. The final exam is tough (can have notes) but didnt put on LS!!

Hard. Fair. One of the most stretching classes I've taken. He makes getting a good grade very straightforward. However, the class is a tough subject material. Dr. Merrill is caring, kind and wants to help you succeed.

Dr. Merrill is one of the nicest professors I have met. He is always willing to help you with the homework or answer questions. While attendance during COVID isn't required it is very helpful. It isn't the most exciting class and he sometimes expects you to have a background in stats. But this class is very doable if you spend 1-2 hours a week.

Definitely pay attention to the lectures as this course can be a bit intense for those who dont know excel very well. Overall, well explained and lots of opportunities for extra credit. Great class!

Professor Merrill is very patient and kind!! He took time to address the needs of every student that went into his office for help. I really struggled to understand the concepts and in result I did a lot worse than I thought I would on the final, but being a blended class due to covid-19 did make it a little more difficult to grasp concepts.

I think this class was very challenging because of the format, however, Professor Merrill did try to give chances for extra credit to make up for the gap. This class is mandatory for most PH majors, so I can't say to avoid it but I would suggest being aware from the start that it is hard to get an A in this class.

Dr. Merrill is a cool guy. He's pretty funny and makes a lot of dry jokes during class, and you can tell he tries to make it interesting. He's also very helpful if you email him for help. In class he usually goes over the homework and gives answers. The class is a lot of work but it's not too bad.

Dr. Merrill is one of the kindest professors I've had at BYU. He is very knowledgeable and it is clear that he is passionate about his work. He wants his students to succeed. He is great at responding to emails and at being available outside of class. Make sure to put in the effort on the homework and quizzes and the tests should not be too bad.

Not too much work. There are a few homework assignments, a project, test and final. Tests were open book but you need to take notes in class for it to help you. Test wasn't too bad, but the final took a really long time to complete. (4 hrs) Overall pretty good class.

Dr. Merrill is a super great guy. I enjoyed his class and getting to learn from him. I especially liked the excel content but that may just be me. Dr. Merrill is funny and strives to keep class entertaining. He really is one of the nicest professors you will have!

Dr. Merrill is very genuine and loves his field of work. The lectures are dry but he goes through the homework and shows exactly how to do it. Others are saying tests are hard, they're not. They take a long time, but you can usually find answers word for word in the textbook and they are open note/book. He is also very helpful if you need it!

Dr. Merrill is a great professor! The class was half online so it was a little confusing, but he made sure to be available for any questions we had. He takes time in class to go over homework assignments when there are lots of questions. Overall I felt like he really cared about the students success and I would take another class from him!

Professor Merrill was very accommodating to me, so I'm sure he would be flexible for other students too! Barley any assignments, so you need to make sure you do well on all of them.

Dr. Merrill may not be the most interesting professor youve ever listened to, but the man knows his stuff and is really generous with his grading and the information he shares in the lectures

Prof Merrill is a really knowledgable professor in his area and although the lecture are not super exciting you do learn a lot! There are a few assignments and quizzes, so make sure you do well on them. He is easy to access outside of class and willing to help and give feedback on all your assignment!

Professor Merrill is so caring and adapted timing based on our needs. The lectures can feel long, especially on Zoom days, but he let us come in person when there was room. You can use the book and Excel on homework and tests. (He makes Excel spreadsheets with most of the formulas we need!) He often went over homework questions before they were due

Dr. Merril is incredibly calm but funny. Assignments and most exam questions are directly from the textbook and lectures. He is always available to help if needed. You would have to put in a little effort and you will be fine.

Dr. Merrill is a great professor and is passionate and well versed in the subject. His assignments and tests were straight forward and open note/open textbook. While attendance was not mandatory, I would recommend going to class because the information he gives in class is very useful for assignments, tests, and your overall grade.

This class was split between two professors which meant that there was a lot of extra work . If you pay attention in class you should be good with quizzes and homework. He is really straightforward about what he will quiz on and reasonable with expectations. It was lecture heavy, which was really hard on zoom.

Professor Merrill is so nice and is willing to work with students to help get a good grade and understand material. I took it when classes were online so it was so helpful to refer back to the lectures. It would be very hard if I didn't have the recorded lectures. We cover a lot but if you reach out to him, he will help you with any clarification.

Professor Merrill is very kind and is always available to help. He is even willing to stay late to assist you with the homework or other major assignments. His tests weren't my favorite and I felt like there were sometimes questions that didn't match the material we learned or were just very vague and hard to understand. Great guy though!

Dr. Merrill taught this semester over zoom because of COVID. There were a few assignments that weigh heavily on your grade. He was very understanding and cares about his students he gave multiple opportunities to bring their grades up and improve. Miss the lecture and you will definitely be lost, when watching lectures he explains assignments well.

Make sure to pay attention in lecture! A lot of what you need to know, he just gives a tutorial in excel. So you either have to go back and watch what he did or try to absorb every step as he goes over it. A lot of what you need to know is not in the slides or textbook.

Professor Merrill was great. You can pretty much get extra credit every day by answering questions. He goes through everything you need to do in class, so if you just go and pay attention to class you should be good, and he'll go over anything you don't understand if you ask .

Professor Merrill is so sweet! He is incredibly kind and you can tell he really cares about his students and wants them to succeed. He offers extra credit and let me redo a homework assignment after I did poorly on it. You learn a lot about how to use Excel and he always gives really interesting examples during class. Hes the best!

Hlth 313 was split into halves and I only had Professor Merrill for the second half of the semester, but it was still really good. his lectures help a lot, but I learned mostly on my own about using excel for quantitative data analysis. There was an option to watch the lectures online, but i found it much more helpful to attend class in person.

Because of COVID the class was taught by two teachers so I had Dr. Merrill the second part of class. I'm so bad at excel but Dr. Merrill walks through the whole process and gives you so many examples that even if you are terrible at it you can still do the hw and tests! Overall, he's really great and a nice teacher!

Awesome professor, material is straightfoward, fair grader.

I think Dr Merrill is a solid teacher, his lectures can be slightly boring but it's because he is giving thorough explanations of the concepts. I like the information provided by his class but it was difficult to be in a hybrid class format. Really nice guy.

Dr merrill was very nice and gave lectures full of information, to the point they were a little dry sometimes. I thought his grading criteria could have been much more clear but I enjoyed his class and thought he did a fine job with the weird hybrid format.

Dr. Merrill did a great job teaching in such a strange semester. He makes sure that the class understands all the material and basically shows you how to do the assignments, tests, and quizzes. He is genuinely cares about his students learning the material rather than just passing.

I learned a lot with Dr. Merrill, but felt that the final was WAY too hard! I genuinely studied for it and still didn't do well, even after I did well on the homework and tests. He was a nice person and gave interesting lectures, but watch out for the final!!

HLTH 447 is a useful but challenging course, but Dr. Merrill made the material much more manageable. He always takes the time to make sure that everyone knows what's going on, and is very approachable both in and outside class. I had a hard time with the material and his extra help made all the difference. Definitely recommend

Professor Merrill is a good and funny professor. This class was not difficult but can be if you miss class. It is very important to ask good questions and he will answer. Class is mainly just lecture, no activities. It is a very straight forward class- show up, take the quizzes or do the homework and then take the midterm- not much else.

Professor Merrill is very kind and helpful when asked. The class is pretty straightforward and you are mostly graded on homework and a tests. If you attend class and get help from the TAs and Professor when needed it is easy to do well in the class.

Professor Merril is a great professor and cares about helping students, the class can get a bit boring sometimes but if you enjoy the topic, it is easy to follow along. Not too much homework, a few quizzes, and some work from the textbook. Make sure to practice and ask questions.

Dr. Merrill is an intelligent professor with a fun sense of humor. The class could get boring sometimes, but ask questions. He tries to explain things in different ways if you don't get it the first time, and he is very kind. Try to participate because you'll learn more and have a better time in class.

Overall, this was a really good class. With it being an intro class, he did a good job on focusing on the basics and not overcomplicating it. He is very willing to help when you have questions, and running things by the TA is really beneficial for success.

Dr. Merrill's lectures are hard to follow at times, but he is good about answering questions asked in class. He is always willing to help with the homework/concepts outside of class too. The course subject itself is just a bit hard because it heavily involves using excel.

Hard class but not impossible. You will fail if you miss this class other than that you can totally do this class and get a good grade.

Dr. Merrill is a really nice guy. He is very willing to go over questions in class but I often felt very lost because PPT isn't my thing. He also doesn't give very in depth explanations to questions via email. Thankfully the TA was super helpful in that regard or else I wouldn't have done as well. The homework and tests were really hard so ask q's!

Dr. Merrill was a great professor! I had him for HLTH 313 and some of the concepts are a little tricky. Just remember to read the book and ask lots of questions. Dr. Merrill was always willing to spend time to explain things further in class and outside of class. He is easily accessible by email! Make sure you do the Extra Credit.

Dr. Merrill's class is lecture heavy. Attendance isn't mandatory, but I wouldn't miss more than a few classes. The homework is pretty straight forward if you read the chapters. He is very accessible outside class if you email him. Very willing to meet outside class and make accommodations if necessary. He has a great sense of humor!

Professor Merrill is a super nice guy, genuinely cares about his students. Just make sure you are practicing the material outside of class to make sure you know how to use excel.

Professor Merrill was a great professor who always sought to make class interesting and enjoyable. Some of the concepts were pretty hard especially on the excel portion of the class and the midterm took most students 3-4 hours. Overall a very good teacher and always made sure we understood the concepts.

Prof Merril is a good teacher and there are so many opportunities to get a good grade in his class. His tests are open note and he provides all the resources needed to do well. But make sure you go to class. It is not required, but unless you are really good at stats and using excel sheets, you'll be completely lost on the homework.

Dr. Merril is super smart, kind, and a great professor

Ray is hilarious. He always goes on random tangents about mountains or lakes. The class itself is difficult if you do not put the work in. Pay attention, go to class, ask questions, read the textbook, and you will do well.

Prof Merrill's class can be a bit dry, but he's genuinely helpful. The Excel assignments are tricky if you're not tech-savvy, but using unstuck AI alongside the textbook can really help with study prep.

This was Dr. Merrill's 466 class. He is super smart, kind, and a great professor. He is also very passionate about this subject.

This review is meant for HLTH 466! Professor Merrill is great! He is pretty lecture heavy, but he genuinely cares for his students and is very passionate about what he teaches. You'll learn a lot in his class!

Ray is a great guy. I enjoyed taking this class. It was not hard.

He teaches you how to analyze data using SAS Studio. Most students have never been exposed to SAS before, so the newness of learning how to use it is the biggest challenge. He is always willing to help students individually to help them better understand the material.

I think if you have taken Stat 121, or enjoy math/have some Microsoft Excel experience, then this class will be pretty straightforward. If you don't like math, then it will be more difficult, probably one of the hardest public health classes...but still a doable class. Dr. Merrill has dry humor and is a reasonable guy.

Dr. Merrill was a great professor, he is super easy to work with if you don't understand a concept. This is a mandatory course for the health science major but this class is interesting. You do need the textbook to do homework problems but most of the time he will go over all the questions so that you get full points.

Great guy, you can tell he really cares about his students. His lectures are a pretty boring, so be prepared with some caffeine or something to keep you awake. His tests are all open book, open online, which is so nice. He's really generous in giving points and helping if you don't understand what's going on.

Prof. Merrill is one of the kindest humans you will ever meet. You can tell he genuinely cares for his students and wants them to succeed. While class isn't always the most exciting and can be confusing sometimes, if you ask for help he will definitely will help. Ask questions! Online resources can also help you understand the material better too.

Dr. Merrill is very sweet and helpful if you are struggling in his class and go to his office hours. His lectures are boring, but overall it was an easy class with open book open note tests, and group homework options. Even though I rarely understood what was happening in class I still got a good grade

Dr Merrill knows his material and I can tell he is very smart. His lectures can be a bit confusing, but if you ask a lot of questions you'll get a better understanding. The exams are difficult, but he includes a lot of extra credit so that everyone gets an A or B. This class is harder than it appears at first, but it is not impossible.

Professor Merrill is a really nice teacher! The biggest struggle of the class is learning how to code with SAS Studio, which most students have never used before.

He is such a caring dude. You can really tell that he loves being with students and cares about them. That being said though this class is pretty tough especially if you don't have a lot of experience before hand with statistics and statistical software. He does offer a lot of extra credit with open-book tests which are a life saver.

Amazing professor! Super nice and very understanding! Learned a lot in this class! Would take again.

Very approachable and willing to help outside of class. However, biostats is a difficult class-- much harder than the other PH classes. He does offer a significant amount of extra credit for attendance/student ratings at the end of the semester, and the tests are open note/open book which helps. Just show up and put in the work and you'll be fine.