Ryan, Sean  

honestly at the beginning it seems like a super chill class because you get to go hiking during lab and because sean is actually a super nice and relatable guy but the class is actually really hard and you have to put way more work into it than a major course. That being said if you have an easy time memorizing over 70 common and scientific names and identifying them, reading 100's of pages about botany to only be asked about something super specific then take this class. If you have a heavy workload then i would def think about taking a different GE that can fulfill this class.

Professor Ryan is an adorkable, kind, and awesome professor who truly loves his job. He's incredibly passionate about plants, and his main goal is for you to understand broad, foundational concepts, rather than a lot of specific ideas. If you can get him as a teacher for the lab, do it. The lecture is significantly easier than the lab in my opinion! Lab is twice a week compared to once a week in Bio 111; each lab is still 3 hours too. So, you're dedicating 8 hours a week for a 4 unit course. The concepts you learn in the course isn't hard; what's hard is the amount of time required to master the material. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about: part of the lab required that we were able to identify 65 plants and know how to correctly spell its scientific and common name, in addition to many characteristics about each of those plants. Also, since there are 2 labs a week, there's so much more information to learn. Your lab professor makes a huge difference. I had the proclaimed, "difficult" professor, and it made the course so much harder than it should have been. P.S. Look up the plant: Beach Evening Primrose and its scientific name. That's only one of the plants we had to memorize. Know what you're signing up for! Good luck :)

Sean Ryan was the best professor I've had at Cal Poly. Mind you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for Plant Diversity and Ecology. However, his passion for the subject is evident from day one, and it's so uplifting! Let me tell you, you'll definitely need that boost, because the lecture and lab combo (if you get him for the lab portion) plus all the memorizing drains the life right out of you. I took this class in the last school year and it was the hardest, yet most rewarding class I've taken thus far. You really have to be open to the intensity of it! He is a fair and fun instructor, and he really cares about his students. I don't see any reason why shouldn't give BIO 114 a shot, because why wouldn't you want to walk around campus and be able to rattle off all the scientific names of the trees? Sean is an absolute gem, and I think you'd be very lucky to have him as a professor.

Sean is a chiller. He's a great guy who really knows his stuff about plants. I really loved the field trips and the labs. Great great class. Sean, on the other hand, is a really hard grader. He wants you to know so much from the field trips for the exams. It's kind of unreasonable how difficult this class is for being a 100 level GE. Even with that in mind, I loved this class and would take it again, as I did enjoy a challenge.

AHHH, along with Ritter, Professor Sean Patrick Ryan is one of the best professors on Cal Poly campus. He makes an effort to inspire and at the same time relate to his students. I will forever be amazed by his ability to effortlessly transmit the scientific names correctly of so many plants. He's absolutely cool beans. Pick him for lab if you can. :)

Overall Sean is a cool guy, but you could tell he has days where he was more easily aggravated. My only complaint is that he introduces the class like it will be so much fun and almost like a summer camp where you go hiking and hang out, and to be honest that is a lot of what you do. But, when it comes to tests they are actually pretty hard and require hours of studying and memorizing. Also, Sean grades the notebooks really, really harshly. My best advice is go to his office hours and have him look over your notebook before turning it in at the end of the quarter. It is worth a lot of points.

SEAN IS THE BOMB take the lab with him and it's so much fun! Labs are usually easy/fun and get out early and the field trips are so much fun. Just make sure to really pay attention in lecture and lab because the tests can be harder than expected and there's usually lab material on lecture tests even though he says otherwise. Super fun and easy class!!!

Honestly not an easy class, you definitely have to put in a TON of work... if you have a heavy work load I would wait to take this class until you have more time to be able to study. I had Sean for both the lecture and lab section which i think was helpful, but there's just a ton of material that he expects you to memorize. Sean has a great personality but its just the material that I would say he has high expectations for. In the end you have to memorize over 75 common and scientific names of plants and have to be able to tell which they are by just looking at them... 10/10 recommend him as a person but 6/10 recommend for material

This guy is the man. It's not an easy class because there is a lot of material that he covers throughout the course of the class and lab. However, he does offer some extra credit which can balance out how hard the lab is. Take this class for the experience and don't worry so much about your grade! By far my favorite class/professor I was fortunate enough to take at Cal Poly thus far.

Sean is THE MAN. Seriously, he's one of those professors that's great at his job because he A) is passionate about it, B) makes it interesting even if you're not into plants, and C) is a hilarious young dude who starts the day with "Anyone have any fun plant stories from this weekend?" and ends it with "Hey, it's 4:20, time for a snack!" as he rips into a tangerine with a pocket knife. Cracked me up every time. He also shows you REALLY cool nature videos voiced by David Attenborough—the British version of Morgan Freeman. The tests were very straightforward and honestly pretty easy. Also, you don't need the text book. I would recommend downloading the powerpoints and pretty much studying those for the tests. TAKE THIS CLASS! ONE OF THE BEST CLASSES I'VE EVER TAKEN AT CAL POLY!!!

Hi, I wrote the other eval under BIO 121. I messed up. He teaches BOT 121. MY BAD but he's still an awesome professor so literally whatever he teaches, TAKE HIM

Sean Ryan has to be by far one of the best teachers I have ever had. Plants are his passion and you can definitely tell that he enjoys teaching it to his students. He explains the material clearly and concisely. Every lecture was fun and entertaining. I highly recommend taking any classes with him. Also his David Attenborough impression is the best ever.

Sean Ryan is, without a doubt, the nicest professor I have ever had. He is a great professor and explains everything so clearly and on top of that, he is just such a nice guy. He loves to take time in class to answer people's questions that they have about plants and trees and whatever else which at first annoyed me, because I just wanted to get out of the class, but you can tell that Sean really loves botany and that makes everyone else in the class love botany too. His quizzes and tests are completely manageable with some studying but that said, you will have to study at least a little bit for them. In lab, he would take some time to explain what we were going to do and then let us loose to perform the lab. We would usually get out of lab about an hour early and he was totally fine with that! I would highly recommend taking Sean for any class that you can because he truly loves teaching and he is passionate about what he does.

Eh. He's pretty cool and knows a lot about botany but wasn't very helpful in office hours. Seems like the kind of guy who would get high with his students (you decide if that is good or bad).

Best teacher I have had at Cal Poly. Nicest guy... the most approachable teacher and someone that you can also be friends with. This guy totally burns...

Sean is a great professor for this course. Super entertaining and interesting class, however my only suggestion would be to teach the harder stuff (Photosynthesis, Respiration, etc.) at the beginning of the quarter and not the last two weeks where everyone is completely zoned out. It would make the flow of the quarter much better rather than having to cram the hardest part of the quarter into 2 weeks when we have no time to understand it at all right before finals.

Sean Ryan is the Michael Jordan, the Obi Wan Kenobi, the DUMBLEDORE of Botany. He is a botanical wizard who will change your perspective on plants. You will never look at a banana or eat an avocado the same ever again (BECAUSE THEY ARE BERRIES WTF!). His botanical wisdom spans galaxies and transcends human consciousness. In all seriousness Sean is a fantastic professor and a great human being. He is the best professor I have had here at Cal Poly. The dude dresses up like a Panda and shreds Bike Night every month, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM A MAN! Sometimes he dresses nice to class and looks spiffy in his blue pants and the whole class ogles at his greatness. If your lucky enough to have him for lab, you will get to see him wield his botanical scythe with Jedi precision! Oh my lord - HIS BEARD- Sean's beard is the stuff of legends. As a young child, elders speak of his facial hair around a raging campfire. If you have any opportunity to take a class or lab with him, do it! You won't only learn about the subject, you will leave his class a better person. He cares about his students and understands that learning is more than just a grade. He relates Botany to our everyday lives and inspires you to go on botanical adventures and hang out with your plant pals. You will gain a newfound appreciation for San Luis Obispo because of its crazy botanical diversity and beauty. Sean Ryan is a true role model and Cal Poly is so lucky to have him.

This class was really interesting, but it was a lot of work. I was putting in more time for this class than most of my major classes. Sean is a great teacher, and he is really passionate about the information, but the lectures are not useful for the labs, and the labs are incredibly difficult. The class has two midterms, a couple of quizzes and a final. All in all, its an ok class, but it is not easy, and there are definitely a couple of boring lectures throughout the quarter. I honestly don't know if I would recommend this class just because of the time commitment it requires. If you're a good test taker, you'll do fine in the lectures, but not in the labs. Also if you do take this class take him for the lab too, the other instructor does not know what she's doing.

Best lab teacher!!! This class is awesome in general, I wish I had Sean more than once a week! If you get the chance to take this amazing class and lab, get to know Sean. Super humble, fair, funny, and adorable. I thought he was attractive ;)

Sean Ryan kills the game. He was one of the best professors I have ever had. I don't normally do polyratings, but I felt it was necessary to alert all Cal Poly Students that he was incredible. He presents the material in such a clear and interesting way and engages the class with his own excitement about the material and his positive attitude. You also get to eat some figs during class as well as watch him eat during class which is fun. He felt more like a fun uncle than a professor, and I felt so comfortable to just have a conversation with him or ask him any question at any time. Highly recommend this class to anyone considering it, especially with Sean. He friggin rocks.

Sean Ryan is an awesome teacher. He makes all the material clear and the tests come from what is on the lecture slides. The final was harder than anticipated, but still definitely doable. This class is a great class to take and I would recommend it to anyone. I was shocked at how interesting he could make plants be. I did not think that I would like this class, but it turned out to be great. 10/10 recommend. There is no homework and he gives a decent amount of extra credit.

Sean is absolutely amazing. Made me love and appreciate plants. He is so knowledgeable and funny and wants you to be as excited about plants as he is. Weekly tests but they aren't bad because what you need to know is in the lab manual. I have such an appreciation for plants and i will never forget my lab class with sean. He is so approachable and loves helping you and will clarify anything. He takes the time to learn your name and he truly cares and wants you to do well. You have lots of time in class to ask questions so there is no need to go to office hours, unless you really want to. Outstanding guy.