Walter Piper - Chapman University

Professor: Walter Piper

Department: Biology

College: Chapman University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

If you want to take someone who is going to hand things to you on a silver platter, he's not your guy. However, if you are a hard working person who can think critically you'll survive. Review the material, go to his office, and don't freak out.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: C-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: No
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Approached this class with optimism as a science lover. Came in to his office hours every Thursday and even showed up to his three hour review sessions. Humorous character, however I absolutely disapprove his teaching style. He expected us to know everything the way he said it. Reviewed notes and recordings,and could not get the way he expected :(

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Piper is incredibly smart with a great sense of humor. If you pay CLOSE attention in class to where he makes connections between material you will do well. He is a great teacher I highly recommend!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Piper is a smart man and to me quite funny, but his class is completely lecture based and if you miss you will not pass his class because he wants the tests to be verbatim to what he says every lecture in detail. If you do not think like him, it is hard to perform well in his class, but if you do, it will be a piece of cake. He grades hard.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Bio205 honestly just isn't that interesting to begin with. Dr. Piper is super charismatic and funny, and he is very passionate about the subject. He makes the subject interesting. His quizzes and tests are very hard - you have to write in exactly the same style that he speaks in, and he looks for very specific answers. Not an easy A.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Attendance is needed because all you need for the exams and quizzes are based on his lectures. His lectures consist of him talking through most of it and showing through a presentation with the occasional writing on the board of key terms to know. He's a picky grader so my advise is to write down his definitions (etc.) exactly as he says them.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Piper expects you to memorize A LOT of info. He's a nice guy but its super unclear what you need to know and the test questions were pretty tricky. With that being said he did curve it a lot. He does test on in class material so showing up and taking good notes is the way to go. Wont need the textbook if you go to class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BIOL333
• Grade Received: INC
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Piper is a very knowledgable person but in my opinion he is not a good professor. He is extremely specific, and you literally cannot do anything other than the exact way he would do it. I'm pretty sure he thinks that we should all be like him. He needs to check his ego and ease up a bit because he honestly ruined the class for me. Never again.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: BIOL205
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Very specific about what he wants on quizzes and tests - it has to be the way he would answer it, not you! If you pay attention, take good notes, and study hard, you'll be fine. I didn't record his lectures and I ended up fine. One thing that annoyed me is that he never notices if your hand is up in class. Go to office hours for questions.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

205 with Piper was my favorite class at Chapman. Although he is a tough grader, if you are interested in a thorough course on the evolution of multicellular organisms, this is the class for you. Know what he says, but also why he finds it important. There is a well thought out reason behind his lectures. One thing Dr. Piper is not is a lazy prof.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Ok so first thing you need to do is learn how to answer his questions, he really makes you think. Write down EVERYTHING he says and memorize it and you will get As. If evolution is interesting to you this class is amazing! He's such a dork about this stuff it's hilarious. Go to lecture or die. I missed two classes and my next test dropped a letter

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Piper is one of my favorite professors. He makes jokes that are nerdyfunny. You definitely need to go to class in order to understand the material. He has started making sample exam questions and study guides for this class, so if you don't do well it's really your own doing. Ask questions because he loves them and will try to clarify.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Tough class, tough grader, don't recommend, avoid at all cost

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Recorded all his lectures, took tons of notes, went to his office hours and still bombed all his quizzes, midterms, and final. The only good thing about this class is the lab which boosted my grade a little.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I felt that Pipers class was more about memorizing word-for-word what he says instead of focusing on understanding the material and being able relay it in a way that is still correct, yet processed through the mind of someone other than his own. I would not recommend taking this course with Piper if this method is not something you are used to.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Really tough class, he explains things and expect something else, take the other 205 teacher instead.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Just be careful on the final, cause it's worth a lot of points. If you fail the final, you are pretty much toasted like me.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: D-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Took off so many points because the answers i wrote were never the ones he wanted

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

At first I struggled with his quizzes and tests but I found out a way to do well in this class. So here's the jist, you need to record or write down every word he says and study only that. During a test, just write down what "He" says word by word and you will get full credit. I know it sounds dumb but that how his grading works.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: BIO205
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Literally the worst teacher ever, not helpful whatsoever and was not respectful of the effort put in if it was not what he thought was good enough. NEVER take him