This is Prof McMurtrey's first semester teaching, but he does well. He was previously a Neurosurgeon, and is thus really intelligent. Sometimes this shows as he says things that are hard to understand; Luckily most of this isn't essential for the class and is just "FYI". Doesn't require much work outside of class. Attend class and you'll do well

My favorite class so far, covered a lot of complex material but in a way that tied things together and was really interesting rather than stressful, plus just for fun he shows clinical and research applications for those going to med/grad school. The lab assignments are straightforward, but tests are tough and required applying the material.

Incredible professor! It was amazing how he could simplify complexity enough to really understand the concept and not just for repeating the information but really grasping the functionality and interaction beyond. My favorite part was the random details/examples (at times off topic) that was still relevant (just not for the test). Would take again

Dr. McMurtrey is great! He has a lot of great experience and his class is fair and helps you to learn lab techniques used in the Neuroscience field.

Dr. McMurtrey is a great professor! He is very knowledgeable and explains the laboratory techniques very clearly and simply. The class is graded on the assignments done in class and two exams, so participation is essential for a passing grade. He gives a study guide so know everything on it and you will do well. Neuro 481 is super applicable.

Dr. McMurtrey is great. As a former neurosurgeon, he does a great job of putting the course material in the context of clinical medicine. Plus he just really knows his stuff. The class is very manageable, with little work outside of class. Tests are challenging but doable. I would definitely recommend taking this class from him.

Great professor, really knows his stuff. Tests require gathering information on your own. Go to every class.

He si well organized and though we had to skip class a few times did a very good job o making sure that we were prepared for the exams. Weekly lab makes up 50% of grade with the potential of like 10%o of extra credit. Good teacher who knows how to explain complex ideas succinctly.

I really enjoyed Dr. McMurtrey's class. It didn't seem like a waste of time and the things we learned are very applicable. His lectures can be a little confusing at times and his tests require some deep thinking but he will help you with anything you ask. I would take it from him anytime!

Overall, he's a great professor. Really nice and approachable. The only issue I have is that he isn't very clear on what he expects you to know until you're taking the test. His lectures are a little dry, but make sure you pay attention, because everything is fair game.

Dr. McMurtrey really cares about his students and wants them to succeed. He loves answering questions and helping in any way possible.

Dr. McMurtrey is awesome. His background in medicine was invaluable as he explained how the things we learned in class mattered in the "real world". He's absolutely brilliant, but very kind and always willing to help. Great teacher.

Dr. McMurtrey wants all his students to succeed. He teaches concepts well and grades fair.

Hard for a 1 credit class, but good.

Dr. McMurtrey is easily one of the smartest people in Utah. He takes tricky concepts and guides you along a nice story arch until you understand them. Tests are pretty tricky but the rest of the class isn't too bad. Most weeks are lab and lecture and you really learn a lot.

Good Professor. Very professional, very realistic in his expectations. Exams were difficult but then curved accordingly.

I think he mentioned this was his last time teaching this course. He was a good professor, very nice and professional. He was pretty overqualified for the course but didn't have unrealistic expectations at the same time. Tests were difficult but he curved them. I learned.

Amazing lectures! Never a boring moment. Tons of information but you learn all you need to. He is very clear with what we need to know for the tests! Do the study guides and come to class ready to learn and you should be great.

Dr. McMurtrey is super smart! Went to med school, became a neurosurgeon and then went to Oxford. So he has great stories and awesome insight on med school and everything. His lectures were good and he explained things well. We always got out early too which was awesome. Tests were tougher than expected so actually study.

Great professor! Loves to teach hard concepts though, so probably don't take this until you've taken the upper level neuroscience classes!

Dr. McMurtrey is one of the most intelligent professors I've had. He has an incredible background and we are lucky to have him at BYU. I was impressed with the breadth of activities that this 1 credit class covers. From Nissl staining to microscopy to EEG/polygraphing. The tests were too detailed considering the limited exposure we got in lectures

Dr. McMurtrey has an obvious passion for the human brain that makes this laboratory course both extremely entertaining and highly enlightening. I felt that I became a better research assistant in the lab I work in on campus as I progressed through the course. Take this class as early as possible in your neuroscience major, after physics 107 though.

Dr. McMurtrey is brilliant, and knows probably everything about the brain. He's extremely friendly. The class was interesting, though I was frustrated with the tests. I felt that we were taught things once, and expected to remember little details a few weeks later. Other than that, good teacher and class.

Dr. McMurtrey is an awesome teacher. He's got a ton of real experience, and takes a very practical approach to his teaching, which I loved. He's a brilliant guy, and makes very complicated material easier to understand. He's also personable and tells fun and funny stories.

Dr. McMurtrey really focuses on the application aspect of medicine which I think a lot of other science classes can lack, so I appreciated when he explained how what we were learning applied clinically. He has a dry sense of humor and is very intelligent but still finds a way to explain difficult concepts so that students can understand.

If you show up, you will get an A on all of the assignments. If you don't pay attention, you will probably not do good on the tests. They are pretty stinking hard. But he provides extra credit opportunities that make getting an A doable!

For a one-credit class, I learned a lot about neuroscience! The labs themselves are easy, but watch out for the tests. They're by far the hardest thing I've ever done in a 1 credit class. I'd even say they're a little too hard. But there's usually a curve! Dr. McMurtrey knows his stuff, though, so it's an enjoyable class.

The chillest professor ever - sometimes a good thing, sometimes not. He helps you out without making you feel stupid when you have questions. He also tells you when things aren't going to be on the test - but then again he spends a lot of time on things that aren't going to be on the test.

Crazy smart, accomplished guy but still humble, down-to-earth, and respectful. Young and funny enough to relate, but can nerd out and teach you a lot, including more than is on the test (like pathophysiology), if you're interested. Other than what he specifies won't be, everything is on the test, which is tough because they're mostly free response.

Dr. McMurtrey is one of the most intimidating yet chill people you will ever meet. He just knows so much. The labs are pretty deceivingly easy, but be sure to pay attention because it will definately come up on the test. The tests were really difficult, I relied mostly on info from other classes to do well, but there is tons of extra credit.

Dr. McMurtrey is awesome, super smart and chill guy. The labs are easy and then the tests are hard. It's a sweet class. Took it my final semester at BYU

Ridiculously smart, relates lab to real medical applications, exams are super challenging but he curves them and offers extra credit

Professor McMurtrey is very smart, but he teaches as if we also are very smart. I wish he dumbed down to our level and helped us get to his level, instead of expecting us to be up to his level of smartness.

Good guy! If you do the labs and the extra credit you will be fine.

I liked this lab a lot. Tests require a lot of studying to do well, but the bulk of the class is the labs and extra credit. His teaching style makes you think in depth and connect concepts from other aspects of neuro, which was cool. The class exposes you to a lot of lab techniques and preps you well for grad school.

Good class, but what he teaches is very in-depth compared to the actual lab assignments. So you end up doing very well on the assignments but the finals are difficult

This class is setup to balance your grade between lab participation and exams. This is great because receiving full points on many of the labs will help cushion your grade (the exams are quite difficult). Overall, it's a fair course because of the extra credit and curving of the exam.

Awesome class, awesome professor. I learned so many interesting facts in this course that were so applicable

Dude loves himself, but I can't blame him. Abandoned Neurosurgery because it wasn't fulfilling, so he went to Oxford for a career change. Tests are intense but everything else is laid-back.

Excellent instructor. He's a decorated scientist and physician and that is conveyed clearly in his lectures. Come to perform on difficult tests though.

Dr. McMurtrey is brilliant. Luckily, he is one of the few science teachers I've had with this quality that doesn't let it get in the way of the class. If we have questions (because honestly, we are only undergrads), he answers them without making us feel dumb and is always willing to answer questions or explain things in a different way.

Show up. It's pretty hit or miss on the material he makes available online, so take good notes or you'll get confused once test time comes around. I really like the guy. Some of the people in my class felt he liked to brag, but didn't make him any less cool. I'm really glad I had him as a professor for this class.

Crazy smart guy and an overall awesome professor. I'm pretty sure he's the only one that teaches this class but take whatever you can from him. Super helpful and interesting. Tests are pretty hard but he curves them.

Dr. McMurtrey is basically a genius neurosurgeon and is also a chill, approachable guy, but this class structure was catastrophically boring. Two hard tests which are difficult to study for, taking them ends up being a crapshoot. In-class labs are easy and soften the impact of tests. Valuable but hard extra credit assignment at the end of semester.

Fun class and really cool teacher. The midterm and final were difficult but nothing out of the ordinary. Interesting class!

Dr. McMurtrey is incredibly smart and has had a lot of experience with medicine and with research. His lectures are very interesting, but sometimes a little difficult to follow. Ask questions! The tests aren't weighted very high at all, though they are pretty tough. He offers quite a bit of extra credit and the labs are awesome!

Great professor, good for the subject. A little arrogant but that comes with being so accomplished.

He is a really great guy. Tests are tough

This guy is so cool. You'd think a guy with his background wouldn't really care about his students, but he's pretty legit. I'd totally take another class from him. You should definitely go to the labs though, you probably will fail the test if you don't.

Really nice teacher. The extra credit is a lot of work but also a lot of credit, so totally worth doing. Don't wait until the end of the semester to start it!

I thought he was really cool. But I don't feel like the tests reflected what he taught us in class.

Great guy! I really enjoyed this class. Inspires you to really know your stuff!!

Most of your grade is based on turning in lab reports and as long as you show up and fill them out, you'll get 100% on most of them. Exams are pretty challenging, but they are usually curved. Final is taken in class during the last day of class. Dr. McMurtrey is really helpful with any / all questions in class.

Lecture is important, not for the assignments but for the tests. If you miss lecture, you will miss the assignment and the material needed for exams.

I know some people were stressed out by this class, but I actually loved it and learned so much, and you can get out of it what you put in, yet the bar is low enough that even with just moderate effort you can do well. It is very different than the typical course, tests required thinking and problem solving, which I know some students didn't like.

Amazing course, vast number of topics covered, opened my eyes to how much there is to learn. He is also really down to earth despite being incredibly intelligent, and he shrugged off the rude and entitled students who would talk over him in class or complain or roll their eyes when he went off on topics not tested on. Great all around example.

This is a hard class. Dr. McMurtrey is VERY approachable and helpful, and will take as much time as you need to explain concepts to you. The tests are too hard for a one credit class in my opinion, but the rest of the labs are not hard and there is extra credit. I liked how he tied in clinical examples, more than any other class I have taken.

Well-organized and prepared for the lessons in class, he was clear at explaining difficult concepts while still enabling students to learn on their own, espcially through the labs.

Dr. McMurtrey was a neurosurgeon and is very, very smart. He has a ton of medical experience, which is really nice given the class is about 2/3 pre-health. He does prefer writing on the board a lot, and it is often difficult to see--sit up front if you can. Be prepared to be surprised by the difficulty of the tests.

Dr. McMurtrey knows a LOT of information, and sometimes his ability to apply what we're learning is intimidating (especially when the physics gets involved). That being said, he always tries to make sure people understand. Don't assume that just because out-of-class work is minimal that tests will be a breeze. Hard, but fair and very intelligent.

Dr. McMurtrey is knowledgeable, approachable, and willing to help you understand. That being said, he doesn't have office hours and there is no textbook so be sure to get all your questions answered during class! Some concepts he teaches are very challenging if you don't have an extensive background in physics. Tests are tough; do extra credit!

Dr. McMurtrey is super smart but also extremely friendly. The labs are pretty easy but the tests are tricky. I would definitely recommend him.

Students seemed to love him or hate him, but no one doubted he is absolutely brilliant and very willing to help you think thru and understand the material. He does not spoonfeed tho, more like a firehose of information, which stressed some people out, but he is really just passionate about the topics, not trying to make you feel dumb or overwhelmed

Dr. McMurtrey is an incredibly intelligent man! He is clearly passionate about neuroscience and tries to make his class interesting. The labs are easy, but the tests are very tough! He gives a study guide for each exam, but the tests covers more in-depth material than the study guide implies. Tests require a lot of studying and application.

Good professor and good class. Had a lot of fun and learned a lot.

His tests were difficult, but you are a senior in college by now so with that in mind they are completely reasonable. Great professor.

Dr. McMurtrey was a really cool professor. He treats students like colleagues and you can tell his focus is preparing his students for careers, not testing. Almost all labs were cool and easy to get full credit for, and the tests were moderately difficult but fair.

So the first half is very straight forward. The second half is tougher. Overall very fair. Tests can be difficult. Does a good job of answering questions. Very approachable.

Dr. McMurtrey is super awesome!!!! Seriously, one of the coolest people I've ever even met. And he knows everything. Ask him any question, and he'll know the answer. Take a class from him!!

Great Professor! I really enjoyed how he tied clinical aspects into each lecture.

Really good teacher. If you show up every week you should have no problem passing the class. Really wasn't that difficult, but learned a lot at the same time.

Dr. McMurtrey knows what he's talking about. Good dude, hard-ish tests, interesting content.

He is a ridiculously smart man. He goes way over the top in lecture with what you need to know, but he'll clarify what he will test on. Fair grader, curved our exams pretty significantly. Has a lot of life lessons to impart on us.

Dr. McMurtrey is a wonderful teacher. He really knows his stuff. The labs are straightforward, the test are difficult, but overall the class is doable.

The in-class assignments were not too difficult to do well on. However, the two tests were particularly challenging. Dr. McMurtrey does a great job at explaining everything and knows a ton, so he can answer pretty much any question. I wish he taught more than just 481 because I would take any other class that he taught!

Dr. McMurtrey is super smart but is so nice. Was a neurosurgeon, thought it was boring, so decided to go to Oxford instead. If you go to class, take notes, and do the assignments, getting a decent grade is totally reasonable. The midterm and final add up to half of the points in the class. Midterm wasn't too bad, final was pretty tough. Good class!

Really great teacher and crazy smart. Used to be a neurosurgeon. Class is fun, the midterm and final are the only exams and are kinda tough.

Dr. McMurtrey is brilliant and knows so much more than he could teach in this short class. He does well to teach the basics and also give extra information for those who want it. He really cares about his students and wants them to recognize they have great potential. His tests can be very difficult, study everything from your notes and the slides.

Smartest and most accomplished guy I've met, yet really nice and approachable too. Interesting to talk to, he's been through a lot, has really helpful perspective. Tests were hard but not in any unfair way, just made me think hard and apply the material, which was stressful but in retrospect also incredibly useful.

He's basically Superman but smarter.

He is awesome! Really great professor who really knows what he is teaching and helps students as much as possible

Dr. McMurtrey is one of the best professors on campus. He knows everything about everything and has really mastered the material. He's a genius but somehow manages to come off as relatable to his students. His class is based off two exams (which are difficult but not unreasonable) and in-class labs which are essentially graded on participation.

Dr. McMurtry is a smart guy but he requires you to think beyond what he has lectured. He wants to prepare you for medical/graduate school by making sure you understand the concepts well enough to be able to apply them in many different situations. The tests are super hard, but he will work with you to make sure you understand the concepts.

This class is great for giving hands on neuroscience experience. The labs are straightforward, and aimed at learning, not busy work.. There are a few lectures, and these are were the bulk of the test material comes. Dr. McMurtrey tries to explain what will be on the test and what wont, but it's in your best interest to know everything you can.

First off, Dr. McMurtrey is super cool. He has clinical and research experience so you learn a lot from him. He shares interesting stories and makes class material relevant (but chuckles at slightly morbid moments). Assignments are easy and you won't really need to work outside of class but exams are harder than you expect.

Make sure that you take good notes for lectures that involve testable material (outlined on the study guides); tests are going to take you by surprise, regardless. Labs are extremely easy.

His class is great. You feel like he is preparing you for medical or dental school. He knows his stuff and honestly cares about his students. His tests are hard, but he curves them so no need to worry when you get a subpar score. He makes them hard and he knows it. Overall the other graded portion of the class is easy, but interesting.

Dr Mcmurtrey is extremely knowledgeable in his field- be prepared to work to be successful. Tests are difficult, Labs are engaging, and the subject matter is explored in depth. I loved this class as a capstone lab for the Neuroscience major. Like the rest of the major, it's work- but really rewarding.

Dr. McMurtrey knows his stuff. If you ever need clarification or help he is always ready to answer any questions. Be sure to understand each lab as you go, and take notes on everything- a lot of what's on the test comes straight from what he's said in class. The labs are straightforward and not too difficult. The tests are difficult, but curved.

Dr. McMurtrey is a brilliant man and expects a lot from his students. In neuro lab, there was a lot of practice with medical application questions. In class, he answers any question with a lot of care and consideration. Study hard for exams. Preparation for exams includes a lot of openminded thinking about how the concepts apply medically.

He is an impressive guy and gives really cool lectures which make it easy to pay attention.

Super cool guy and really knows his stuff. Always willing to help you understand and answer question. Labs/lectures are super engaging and interesting. Be sure to take really good notes. Tests are killer but if you take good lecture notes and study for them it'll be fine.

Dr. McMurtrey is the man. If you are considering going into anything like medicine or dentistry, take his class. Even if it's not required. He teaches you more about real life and opens your eyes to different things.

Dr. McMurtrey is super smart but also pretty chill. The labs aren't too difficult but the tests are. Sometimes it was tough knowing what to study for on the exams. His lectures went very in depth and I lost him most times at least at some point. He grades pretty nicely though and has some good insights to offer pre-med students.

Dr. McMurtrey is awesome. Advanced Neuro lab was always going to be difficult, but he made it applicable. Every lab has a lecture tying in what we were learning to modern medicine, and it wasnt reachinghes an MD whose residency was in neurosurgery. Take this lab if you want to learn something useful, not just memorize terms.

This was a solid class. Dr. McMurtrey has a lot of great experiences to share and is a good lecturer. Labs are no problem. There's really not any homework besides studying for the tests. The two tests are really difficult. They are pretty hard to study for because there is no textbook and the lecture slides are not comprehensive. Take good notes.

Dr. McMurtrey has a lot of really cool experiences and insights to share. You can be certain that the information you get from this course is solid. He puts a lot of thought into preparing the course so that you get the most bang for your buck. Certain parts of the course are very difficult, others not as much, and all of it is helpful!

Dr. McMurtrey is a boss. His tests are ridiculously hard though.

Dr McMurtrey is a great resource for students, he always answered my questions quickly and in detail, and even though online courses suck right now, he took the time to make great videos that really covered a ton of useful information on a huge variety of topics in an interesting way rather than just lecture on zoom.

With all the information Dr. McMurtrey knows I thought he'd be intimidating but he is actually super nice and approachable and even helped connect me to some physicians in my field of interest that I could shadow, thanks!

Dr. McMurtrey is passionate about his work and hes a great professor who cared about us and wanted to help us learn how to learn and teach ourselves so we could make our own discoveries and contributions someday, so I appreciated the historical background that he provided on the material as well.

He did a great job of creating his own materials for us to learn everything. I felt inspired by how much he taught and hes an example of what I want to be. He treated us as equals and taught in a way that made me have to think for myself and apply the material to real world situations.

I really loved this as a final course before graduating. I wish the labs could have been in person but I appreciated the online videos and labs and still learned more than I expected. This was probably the most useful course I had for real world preparation.