3.1
Quality3.7
Difficulty57%
Would Retake113
Reviews57%
Would Retake
113
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
26
4
26
3
27
2
21
1
13
What Students Say
“Best prof in Biology department”
BIOLMANY - 5.0 rating“His lectures definitely showed his great passion for biology”
BIOL105 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
65%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.46 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOLOGY
5.0
(2)BIO1051062211
5.0
(1)BIOLMANY
5.0
(1)BIOL499
5.0
(1)CS251
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIO105W
4.4
BIO211
4.0
BIOLOGY105
4.0
BOIL105
4.0
BIO105
4.0
Reviews (113)
Great teacher, has a dorky sense of humor which is fun. Hes willing to explain things over and over and hes very flexible.
No Comments
No Comments
Reads off of Pwpt slides and still gets confused. Doesn't know how to do the problems. Not exciting at all.
Great teacher, if you don't mind actually teaching yourself. He enforces study groups with people of his choosing, then you have to set up meeting times w/strangers w/different schedules. He confuses even himself in lecture, avoid him.
no point in going to lecture, just reads powerpoint slides.
Take it if you want to learn by yourself. Lectures slides is all he reads for lecture. Doesnt prepare his classes well for exams, but you do get to play with a clicker in class. You need this class for a BIO major but it wont kill you.
Good teacher! His test are hard, but he has review nights that help you prepare for the test.
Very smart, but can not teach what he knows. He has lecture slides that can be helpful, but is not personally willing to help. Good for those who like independent study.
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I love Dr. Sorensen. He's a great person, however, SIT IN FRONT!!! If anyone doesn't sit in front, they deserve their awful grade. Biology isn't supposed to be easy. I got nearly all of the clicker questions correct everyday just by sitting in the front. Some of the material is harder than others, so be ready!
This guy knows the meaning of confusion. I have been in many different biology classes and I have not been so confused by a teachers explanations. It is apparent that he knows the materials but I think he would be better suited as a researcher than a teacher. Be ready for the class to run over the time limit, he tends to get long winded.
He was a decent teacher. Lectures were slightly boring and he often confuses himself. I still got B's on his tests without ever touching the textbook. You should do independent studying and keep up in the text if you want an A.
Before I took the class, I liked biology, but after taken him I lost my interest in this course. He is nice and knows the stuff(material) but he cannot pass the knowledge to his students. He is not supposed to be a teacher because he makes you very confused with the material. He set up extra hour before exam but this does not help.
He knows what he's talking about for sure, but he can't explain it in plain english to save his life. he likes insulting your intelligence unless you have an A or B, and in general likes going over the time limit... it's hard, but if you like to study on your own, take it
he IS A GREAT GUY. FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL. JUST REACH YOUR TEXT VERY WELL BEFORE AN EXAM. HIS LECTURES ARENT WORTH MUCH ON TESTS AND HE WILL POP UP QUESTIONS THAT YOU CAN ONLY ANSWER IF YOU READ THE TEXT.
This is not your easy 100 level class. Be prepared to study and work hard. The class is also writing intesive. Make sure you have plenty of time for this class. He is a good teaher and is willing to help. He expects alot out of his students.
couldnt explain what he was thinking, lectures were kinda boring, and tests were hard. unintentionally insulted our intelligence. otherwise, very nice.
When a teacher asks the class, "Is anyone confused now?" and almost the whole class raises a hand, and the teacher chuckles and says, "well, you better understand this by the test because it will be on there", you know right then and there the teacher is a ****bag.
Yeah he was a little confusing but if you go to his review sessions and pay attention to his clicker questions it is easy to get an A.
His tests are amazingly hard. He is very good at explaining concepts, but could not answer many questions. He expects a lot out of his students. One of his weaknesses is not reviewing topics that the majority of the class has questions about.
He is a good prof and is realing enthusiastic about teaching. His only downfall is that he takes FOREVER (about a month) to get exams back, and the exams can be quite indepth.
Jumps from topic to topic a lot
He really is not THAT bad, but it can be a bit tricky. I detest the General Biology courses for many reasons, but not because of Dr. Sorensen. He is friendly in person and the tests aren't terribly impossible. People have had better success with Dr. Hart though... so take her in the Spring if you can.
No Comments
Tests are not easy but he answers questions in class. Reading is a must to do good on any of the tests
if you can avoid taking this class with sorenson i recommend that but if you end up with like a c or d it turns into a B with the curve so its not bad
A lot of times he doesnt seem to know what he's talking about and can be very confusing! He doesnt exactly tell you what are on tests so you have to study everything.
He's very nice and funny but his tests are very tough. What he lectures on isn't necessarily on the tests, you need to read the textbook very carefully! Willing to do help sessions of weekends before tests to help students out.
Super helpful and has an answer for any question. He seems more interested in if everyone is learning something. Great guy!
A tough class if you're not in the bio major, but Sorensen is a nice guy and doesn't hesitate to consider student's input and enjoys teaching.
Great guy with hard tests. You sudy you will get a good grade, but you have to put in the time. Helpful if you have questions.
HE is one of the coolest instructers... U would never regret for having taken a class with him
Take this class with heart if at all posible, with Sorenson it is extremely rigorous, and not worth it for a 100 level course.
he's cool and kindof funny but he just isn't fantastic at explaining things. It's like he OVERexplains them and it just complicates things.
very caught up on words. tricky tests. has the motto you have to teach yourself but ill il give you the tools.
Rediculously hard for an intro level bio class, even for someone majoring in biology! Definitely try and avoid him for 105. Despite 80% of the class getting a question incorrect, it is still the students fault for not reading the question correctly??
Dr. Sorensen is a tough grader, but he is still a good professor. I took Bio 211 with him and the only reason I did any good in that class, was because of 105. His tests are tricky, but only because he requires you to think alot and READ THE BOOK! Excellent professor overall, really knows his stuff
He really knows his stuff. He just doesn't know how to communicate it to the students. You will learn more from lab... He doesn't know how to explain things well, so read the book. Don't rely on lecture because his test are difficult... He's overall a pretty good teacher because you will learn a lot. Just don't expect anything better than a C or B
This professor is ridiculous he taching methods are not adequate for an entry level class. His tests are very hard and somehow its over half the clases fault for not being able to understand the material. Even after i studied for hours upon hours. Stay away from this teacher, remember this is supposed to be an ENTRY LEVEL class.
Overall he is a very knowledgeable professor. He gets caught up in trying to explain things from his power points. His tests are extremely hard and you need to read all the chapters in order to do good. He doesn't give any extra credit so your grade reflects your test scores and lab scores. If you can try to take bio105w with another teacher!!
very tricky tests, even when you know the material well. my grad assistant was horrible in lab. follow the rubrics closely with the papers and they are all caught up in weird grammar.
What a college class should be. You are responsible for learning the material on your own, he will clarify anything for you if you have questions. He doesn't like people who are lazy, but he is always willing to meet and help anyone who asks for it.
I think I counted 5 minutes where he did not pause or end a thought. Not clear in explaining and will overexplain ideas and confuse everyone. Smart guy but shouldn't be teaching supposed "100" level class.
He tends to start rambling if he gets asked a simple question, but he's a good teacher. Read the textbook or you'll be doomed to fail.
This class is hard! Please don't take it if you don't want to be a bio major, I made that mistake. It is not a 100 level class by any means. Also, there is a lot of variation in how the lab instructors grade so watch out! Tests are extremely tricky. I would recommend not reading the book, it will give you too much information.
He tends to over explain really simple concepts, and his way of explaining things can get confusing, but other than that he's a good guy--very approachable. Easy class if you just read the textbook.
Not the easiest class ever, but I think meant as a sort of weed-out for bio majors that want to be lazy. I found the best advice is to always go to lecture and print the ppt's. Also, some things are better explained in lab, so be careful to pay attention there too. Sometimes rambles and makes things more confusing.
He's really smart but he can't take what he knows and explain it in a way that makes sense. The test are hard but if you can understand the wording you'll at least pass.
He likes to have very difficult and in-depth exams, but it is possible to raise your grade my doing well in lab.
It is obvious that Dr.Sorensen knows the material he teaches. I would not endorse taking his class if you are not a biology major. He gives fair warning of this and he means it.He can be difficult to comprehend in lecture and depending on your TA the instructions you receive in lab may differ greatly.
Can make things more confusing. Definately do the reading. Not an easy A, or B for that matter
i did not like him at all
Sorensen is really awesome. He is a great professor and teaches the material well. I loved genetics and parasitology. He's always helpful and one of the best professors I had in college.
Explains things thoroughly and is very willing to help.
he's really nice and wants to help, but the tests are brutal, and he never once tells you what to study specifically for the test...pretty much everyone does badly on the tests so don't beat your self up too much...
he's a nice guy and really smart. only problem is he just can't teach. you basically have to memorize the entire textbook and thats pretty much the only way to get anything above a D on his tests. Lectures don't make sense. tests are HARD!! Take this class with someone else unless you want your entire life to revolve around a measly 100 level class
He is not a nice person, i went in for help & he basically asked ? until he could prove me wrong. Average on tests were 62%, can't project his knowledge, labs easy only bc of TA's, don't expect an A. I came from a 3.9 in hs & haven't gotten 1 A on any test. Average people to get an A/B is 18% of class meaning 82% get below a C! Take with prof Hart
I studied for DAYS and DAYS before his tests and I GOT D'S EVERY TIME! He doesn't teach just tries to show off his vocabulary. Honestly a rocket scientist would fail his class. Doesn't tell you how or what to study. I read the notes, the book, took practice tests and still failed miserably. this class was hopeless. Class avg. is a D for a reason!
If you take this class you will be asking yourself the same thing I asked after that very first day...I have to teach myself everything...so why do I still have to pay him?
wants students to learn, but very boring, repeats what he says and gets more confusing every time. Not a bad class, pay attention to the first few examples he gives.
Note to self before taking this class- the total class average is a D, i went in & asked for suggestions on studying for the class & he told me to retake the class. Tests averages were around 62%, lab averages were around 79%. If you want a good grade, take it with professor hart otherwise don't expect anything more then a D. Seriously... good luck
This is a very hard class but definitely passable. I got an A (because he curved our final grades) but had to work hard at it. Expect to read the chapters and make use of the book's online features. They are a big help preparing for tests. Fortunately, the final wasn't comprehensive, so that made things easier.
This class is tough, but definately not "unpassable". You need to read the book and ask questions when confused. He does a really nice review before tests thats helpful if you attend them.
Class is definately passable if you attend lecture and try to understand what he is saying. He tries to explain things clearly but ususally ends up making more confusing as he goes on. Test averages are in the 60s but if you put work in an "A" is not as difficult as everyone says.
He is helpful but his tests will trick you. Seems like he doesnt want you to do well in his class. Doesn't really do a good job with explaining things in class either.
I dont know why I went to the lectures. I never learned anything from them. He told us at the beginning of the semester that 30% of students would fail. Now I know why.
Yes he is hard to understand because he knows everything so well but does not know how to say it in simpler words to use students. Yes his tests are difficult..but to be honest i really didnt study for them. they are all out of 100 my highest was a 70 and 60's and 50's were my rest..but as long as you do well in lab, it balances out. i managed a B
He often laughs at his own jokes even though they are not that funny. Class is difficult if you haven't taken a biology class since 10th grade. If you took an AP course in high school, you should be fine. Hardly used the textbook since all of his powerpoints were online (use one from library instead)
To be honest, he is a pretty good professor. Although his lectures are sometimes hard to follow, but for the most part, it is understandable. Lecture exams are somewhat difficult but as long as you do well in labs, you should be fine. In fact, the class average for this semester is at 85%.
He is a pretty good teacher since he is quite interested in what he is teaching. Don't sit in the front since he tends to get excited and raises his voice a lot. The online connect resource was worthwhile as some questions were similar on exams. Put in the effort and you can easily get a good grade.
Dr. Sorenson is a good guy, but he does not teach well. I attended lecture rarely and read the book instead of going and the highest grade ive gotten is a B on a test. if you want to work hard and test yourself definitely take this class otherwise, dont expect it to be easy. half the class got a C or worse on last test. def use the connect page!!
I have taken several classes from Sorenson and he is a very nice guy. He has his own lecture notes and I just recommend not buying the book because I never read them...ever...His tests can be challenging but everything is what he taught. If you have questions on the test he will definately help! Best prof in Biology department.
Grades are all over the board for this class but averages on test were never over 70%. Connect is a must to pass in my opinion. Notes are all posted online and he's easy to contact with questions.
BIO 105 is not your average 100-level course, and Dr. Sorensen is upfront about that the first day of class. It's not a class to take to simply fill 4 credits in your schedule, if you're not interested in biology or willing to work really hard. Dr. Sorensen is very passionate about biology, and it's clear he loves sharing that with students.
Dr Sorensen was a good lecturer. His lectures definitely showed his great passion for biology. Biology 105 is a tough course. Sorensen's exams were hard too. His lectures did help but did not make the material any easier.At the end of the day, it's you who need to work hard.To get an A in this course, you've got to have keen interest in Biology.
Overall I got a good grade in the class, but that is thanks to my lab TA and the connect assignments. He covers the test info in class for the most part, but tends to go off on rants about specific details that won't even be on the test. Use connect and get your lowest test dropped!
He lectured about what will be on the exams, though he often would explain things over and over again that were already made clear. Went off topic regularly. If you study you'll do just fine, if not you'll get a D
If you are not a Biology major, do not take this class. Lectures get long and are hard to listen to. He goes over what will be on the exams but gets off topic very easily and gets confusing and hard to follow. Will clarify if you go to office hours. Take advantage of the connect opportunity to get your lowest test replaced with the completion avg.
Dr. Sorensen was an awesome biology teacher. I learned a lot from this course, but it is an advanced biology class. You will have to study quite a bit and going to the lectures helps a lot. Print out the slides from D2L and follow along. It is not difficult to do well if you put in the effort
Dr. Sorensen is a good professor - he cares about the students understanding the material. He can go off on tangents and not directly answer your questions, but he will clarify if you ask him to. He's more than willing to help you if you need it and is a genuinely pleasant person. His connect options will increase your grade, too.
I have nothing but good things to say about Sorensen! He's a wonderful person with a huge passion for what he teaches. He mentions all the time how much he loves his job! Diagnostic Parasitology is a challenging course in and of itself as it is largely based on the recognition and life cycles of common parasites, but he makes it enjoyable!
Dr. Sorenson is an extremely rude and unprofessional person. He talks down to people that intimidate him. I am unsure why he is a professor. No I am not a disgruntled student. I received an A in his hardest course.
Dr. Sorensen really is a great guy! He cares immensely about student learning and clearly loves his job. Taking him in the summer is nice because he'll know you personally. It's a lot of work in a short period of time though. Pretty dry lectures and tough tests is the downside as well. Still a good prof overall though!
Take classes with him if you can! He is a great teacher and gets very excited about what he is teaching, which makes it more enjoyable. He WANTS his students to succeed and is willing to help. If you don't understand something he will try to explain it a different way until it makes sense to you. The exams can be hard so read & study lecture notes!
Current textbook is now on Wileyplus, you do not need the hard copy of the book. He is clear on what is expected and obviously is excited about the material. You need to work for this class to be successful for you. I'm sure he has a lovely singing voice as he projects well.
Dr. Sorensen cares about his students. Attend lectures and go to labs. Study and try and you should be fine.
Sorenson is such a great professor! He's so passionate about parasitology and it shows when he teaches. Always easier to learn from someone who cares about what they are teaching! Always accessible and willing to answer questions and help students!
I am someone who is lucky to be on Dr. Sorensen's Parasitology Research team. He recognizes you when you are doing great things in the lab, and he gets everyone to think on a deeper level about the work that we are doing. He is one of my favorite professors, and I will definitely be taking more classes with him in the future!
Best professor ever...
Dr. Sorensen is very honest about the level of difficulty of this course but still wants you to succeed. He genuinely cares about his students and offers help if you ask for it. Dr. Sorensen is a great lecturer, but sometimes things are unclear. He's kind of intimidating at first but don't let that scare you away. 10/10
He did not explain thing in a way I understood and if you wanted to do well in the class you have to read the textbook!!! Half of what was on test was not talked about in class. He did take student feed back into consideration! Just be prepared for this class it is not easy no matter who is teaching it!
Hates answering questions and dances around them. Also laughs at you if you don't understand the content. Because this semester has been online (because of Covid), he hosted a zoom session for students to get help with study strategies. His strategy was "just know all the stuff!". He is proud of the fact that a class average is a D.
I took Animal Diversity with Sorensen this semester, and he did a phenomenal job with this course amid the global pandemic. The lab in the class is very interactive with microscope work and dissections, and the lecture exams align with the content covered in lecture. The connect homework takes hours, but it helps when studying for the exams.
This guy seriously is one of the most disrespectful teachers I've ever had. Called me in and told me with the content left there was zero percent chance of me passing which was a complete lie. He also said "he cares" about the student then graded me harsh because he assumed I put in no work to the class. Not a good guy if he doesnt like you.
Dr Sorensen is a great professor. He genuinely cares about his students and wants to see you succeed. He has a sweet personality. Boring lectures but he has a fun personality that makes it a little easier to listen to!
Dr. Sorenson goes on long tangents about things that don't even matter for the exam. Since he rambled during lectures, we fell behind, then all the material we still needed to cover was crammed into the last 2 weeks of the semester. Also, you better hope that you don't get sick or someone dies because he will more than likely not care.
Dr. Sorenson will teach you things in class, and if you understand it, you may think you will do good on the test. but when you get into the test, the questions seem to not be on what you learned. he says its a 100 class so its not very specific, but when you get to the test, it couldnt be more specific. also, doesnt tell you what to study for.
Dr. Sorensen gives very boring lectures. in my personal opinion, it was very difficult to pay attention because he loves to back track and go on tangents. be sure to listen to the tangents that have nothing to do with the lecture, though! they will be on exams! MAV Pass doesn't help because nothing relevant he covers in lecture is ever on the exams
Super heavy lectures and rambles about things the whole time-uses up class time/tends to leave many students behind in the curriculum. Instead of changing how he teaches he just says it's our fault that every single year the class averages less than 60% on tests...? Its pretty much independent study and then listening to his stories for an hour
The lecture was very dry. The tests were much harder than what was covered in lecture, he is also very hard to get a hold of outside of class. Your best bet at getting decent help is with your lab T.A.
Absolutely awful. Exams will have things that you didn't talk about in class on them, once he even told us something WASN'T going to be in the exam, and then it was almost half of the questions. I only learned the content from the lab part of the course and mavpass. The only good thing he did all semester was give us 20 extra credit points.
He bounces around a lot, very hard to keep up with and scattered in what he says. The labs are dumb, not helpful and isnt organized with lectures at all.
Bob is really great at explaining concepts in a way that most of his students should understand. He makes sure to answer any questions that come up during lecture and is just a very fun lecturer.
Do not let this professor discourage you from a major in biology. I changed my major after taking this class with him but I changed it back a year later and I have been getting A's in almost every thing. His exams are hard for no reason and are not accurate representations for what other biology classes will be like.
If you go to lecture and lab you should be fine. All assignments are out of the textbook so you'll need to at least need to open it to do them. MavPASS is available but it really only helps before exams, otherwise you should be fine with just taking notes and doing the assignments.
Lectures are bad, nothing is actually understandable. He confused me even on the topics I already knew. The only good thing about the course is lab. I learned so much from there. Be ready to grind the book, as it's an easier explanation than getting one from him. Course is pretty intense in overall too, so grind never ends.
It's tough for an intro course. It helps to proactively read the textbook, write your own notes, and view the lectures as supplemental review. Exams were difficult but many questions came straight from the book.
Dr. Sorenson lectures covered only half of the things on the exam because he would go through the slides at a snails pace. If you take BIO105 with him, get ready to read and study a lot outside of class.
Very knowledgeable about what he is teaching but occasionally gets bogged down and off topic. Although he seems a bit rude at times, he does care about teaching his students and getting them to pass. Lab can get really boring but it depends on your TA.
Dr.S was really good, i enjoyed and found his lectures engaging. they aren't required to go to but you'll almost definitely do poorly if you don't go to them. If you get confused during the lecture I'd write the question down though because he is bad at clarifying while lecturing and finds it hard to resume lecturing if something distracts him.
Very enjoyable and respectful. Gives very good feedback in letting us know how to improve on our exam.
Dr. Sorensen was a very sweet professor and does genuinely care about his students. I found his lectures boring and he does tend to go on tangent. Bio105 is a very hard course and its meant to be that way, half my class failed, but that's more on the course itself not Sorensen. If you want to do well, you have to work for it.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
65%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.46 avg changeRatings by Course
BIOLOGY
5.0
(2)BIO1051062211
5.0
(1)BIOLMANY
5.0
(1)BIOL499
5.0
(1)CS251
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
BIO105W
4.4
BIO211
4.0
BIOLOGY105
4.0
BOIL105
4.0
BIO105
4.0