Leif Pallesen

BIO1A · BIO41 · BIOLF001A · BIOL41 · BIOLF012 · BIOL12 · BIO001A · BIOL1A · 27 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 75/100
RMP rating: 4.3/5
Take again: 85.19%
Difficulty: 3.4

The decision

if you want an engaging but demanding biology class and are ready to participate, read, and study seriously.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerPassionate lecturerParticipation heavyHard examsCaring but demandingFast-paced tangents

Pallesen is often praised as passionate, funny, caring, and excellent at making biology engaging.
The course is demanding, with , and difficult exams.
Students who actively attend, read, ask questions, and study for .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

44/100

An A is possible, but students , and serious exam preparation.

Online reviews show strict testing and participation demands, while as worthwhile.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

35/100

Biology content is concept-heavy, lecture-heavy, fast-paced, and often tested through tricky or short-answer exams.

Both formats are challenging, with online reviews adding tech and Zoom-following problems.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

24/100

because participation, clicker questions, lecture content, and .

Online reviews explicitly mention participation and , while in-person reviews repeatedly say students should attend lectures.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

85/100

, and support, but only for students willing to work hard.

, while online reviews are more divided because of , and technical issues.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

52/100

as fair, but and strict enough that effort is required for high grades.

Format shift

Online reviews mention strict tests and proctoring, while .

Workload

Heavy

32/100

The workload is heavy because students , and prepare for difficult exams.

Format shift

Online reviews mention long lectures, Labster, homework, and exams, while and lecture preparation.

Teaching experience

Good

82/100

He is passionate, funny, knowledgeable, and caring, though tangents, pace, and occasional crankiness hurt consistency.

Format shift

In-person teaching evidence is stronger and more positive, while online evidence includes tech and followability complaints.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

Grades appear heavily shaped by quizzes, exams, short-answer questions, clickers, and participation, with some papers and homework.

Format shift

Online reviews mention quizzes, exams, short papers, and proctoring, while and .

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

18 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In person reviews are strongly positive about his energy, knowledge, and support, while warning that exams and participation are demanding.

Main concern

Students must keep up with , and .

What students said

“This is not a class you can BS your way through.”
BIO1A

“He makes you work for that A.”
BIO41

“The class is only tough due to short-answer exam questions, but .”
BIOL41

Remote format

Online

9 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

students praise his passion and care, but complain about , and participation pressure.

Main concern

Online exams and , and harder to follow.

What students said

“His class and teaching, however, is extremely and his internet is so bad that he constantly cuts out and crashes out of zoom.”
BIOLF012

“ and sound to ensure there is no cheating.”
BIO41

“ATTEND LECTURES and PARTICIPATE.”
BIOL41

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

because they are often hard, short-answer heavy, and in online BIO41 explicitly proctored with video and sound.

Hard ExamsShort-Answer QuestionsOnline Video And Sound ProctoringParticipation-Test LinkStudy Guides

Assessment risk

Strict

34/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In person reviews mention difficult , and lecture-based exam content, but do not clearly prove closed-book or proctoring rules.

Difficult MidtermsShort-Answer Exam QuestionsLecture-Based TestsTricky Tests

“ , so make sure you read the sections before lecture so you do not .”
BIO1A

“ .”
BIO41

“ .”
BIO1A

Online

Online and exams, short-answer grading delays, and video-and-sound proctoring for one course.

Strict TestsOnline Video And Sound ProctoringQuizzes And ExamsShort-Answer Portion

“ and sound to ensure there is no cheating.”
BIO41

“ so don't expect an easy ride through those.”
BIOLF012

“ .”
BIOL12

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“This is not a class you can BS your way through.”
Voice snapshots generated from 27 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

82/100

“His passion for biology is evident in every lecture and he makes them interesting and lively.”

🔥 Course Difficulty

35/100

“He makes you work for that A.”

🧪

34/100

“The class is only tough due to short-answer exam questions, but .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Super funny and very passionate about what he teaches.
He always had really interesting and thought-provoking lectures even over Zoom.
he's a great professor and is really smart.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

but also very straight forward.
A is very possible with lots of work
Lots of topics covered. .

Theme 3

🗣️ About Participation

ATTEND LECTURES and PARTICIPATE.
Come to class and be ready to participate.
but recommended.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Twenty-seven detailed reviews across recent years show consistent themes of strong teaching, high effort, participation, and .

Inside 27 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 515

4 out of 57

3 out of 53

2 out of 51

1 out of 51

Course coverage

BIO1A10 reviews

BIOL125 reviews

BIO413 reviews

BIOL413 reviews

BIOL1A2 reviews

Show 3 more courses

BIOLF0122 reviews

BIO001A1 review

BIOLF001A1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

24 reported outcomes

A range

A 9 · A- 4

B range

B+ 4 · B 3

C range

No reported values

D range

D+ 1

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Not sure yet 3

Leif Pallesen

Take him if you want an engaging but demanding biology class and are ready to participate, read, and study seriously.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Mandatory

MustTake

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

🔥 Course Difficulty

🧪 Exam Risk

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

🗣️ About Participation

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want an engaging but demanding biology class and are ready to participate, read, and study seriously.

🧪