I took Dr. Grisham's Neuroscience 101L class. Now this class is not a joke at all. Most of my time spent for schoolwork was devoted to it. Somehow, even though there are about two weeks between the end of an experiment and the time the lab report is due, time is never enough. This is because writing a quality lab report means not skipping anything, and being redundant is actually advised-- and also, you have other classes that require assignments and exams, too. I admit to having pulled two CERTIFIED all-nighters for Neuro 101L. CERTIFIED, no kidding.

The grading depends on the TA. Regrades are not worth it, because those are handled by Dr. Grisham, and he is a VERY stringent regrader.

The class meetings themselves are always a pleasure to attend. Grisham is very clear and helpful and organized. Also, there is no such thing as a stupid question in his class-- you can ask the most basic question, and it is totally well-received (actually, lots of students will benefit).

The class has four modules: Molecular Neurosci (which was more biotech than neurosci), QTL (more bioinformatics in relation to molecular genetics), Swimmy (this is neuroscience and physiology, and my favourite module by virtue of the topic), and Cognitive psychology (could have been the favorite, since it dealt with disorders and learning tasks, but it was only 2 weeks long, hence, abridged). The four modules are all challenging.

I did very well on everything, except one lab report, which I should have gotten a very high grade on (47/50), but turned in one day plus 10 hours late. BEING LATE is the biggest mistake you can ever make, because one day late is minus 10%, which compounds to additional minus 10%'s 8 hours subsequent to the first day late. So yea I got a 35/50 on that module (minus 20%, which was -12), which pulled my total grade down to a B. Somehow, even the bonus points (7 points total during the quarter, plus some more points I believe from Dr. Krasne's pre-test) did not rescue an A- for me. =( sad.

One thing I did not like about the class is that we never learned about the grades on the final, and all the grades were not tallied on gradebook for complete clarity of breakdown (it helps, even if we do get our reports back, just to see that everything was totaled in fair). I don't know if the bonus points were legit, I did the extra credit but never heard anything about those anymore. If the extra credits counted, I should've gotten an A-.

However, I enjoyed the class very much, looked forward to attending, and I liked Dr. Grisham-- he is DEFINITELY TOUGH, but highly recommended.

Professor Grisham is a very fair professor and you can tell he puts in the effort into his slides as well as labs. Everything is very organized and very clear, and he really does everything in his power to make the class beneficial to his students.

With that said, this class requires A LOT OF WORK. Not only that, because it's separated into 3 modules, you have to always be on top of your work. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Otherwise, there should be no reason why you can't do well. The information is not difficult, you just have to put in the time. Plus, each module is only 3 weeks long, and tests are not cumulative.

I'm really torn over Grisham. On the one hand, I really did learn a lot in his module of psych 116. On the other hand, he almost expected too much memorization, even on stuff that he barely glanced. He's the coordinator of psych 116, and I have to say, his module was the best of the three... the other two were a ton of work, uninteresting, and really harshly graded. By the end of the quarter, I was expecting a B+ or an A (as I'd written at 16 page take-home midterm and then a 12 page take-home final), and ended up with a C. I've gotten all A's this year except for this class... dropped my GPA down by .8. What's more, the previous quarter had different teachers and tests, so friends of mine who usually do worse were pulling out A's. It was incredibly frustrating.

BUT, you all have to take him, so whatever. Go to office hours, ask questions, don't put off any take-home tests that you might have, and try to probe for what kinds of answers they want to see on the tests. Even if you know your shit, you still might lose a ton of points if you're not phrasing it the way that the professors want. The anatomy test isn't hard if you stay on top of your schedule, the others are.

Grisham is pretty awesome - he is a little socially awkward and sometimes it can come across as being impatient or unfriendly, but if you joke around with him you'll see how nice he is. However, do not take this class unless you want to learn and work hard, because Grisham is one of those professors who is so concerned about student learning that he will kick your ass until you get smarter. People don't seem to understand that he's a lecturer and not a tenure track professor - he's what all our professors would be like if UCLA hired based on teaching ability instead of research output. Makes you think, huh?

Dr. Grisham is awesome. He is the only professor that I have seen so involved with student learning. His course is not easy, but very fair. You will defitinely have to earn the grade, but it's worth it. I learned lots of things that I deem very valuable; and I didn't just memorize, I actually learned it!! I can't say that for many classes. His teaching stlye is very unique. He expects students to learn and his exams test exactly what he teaches. His class is one of the best I've had in my 4 years at UCLA. NOTE: You MUST study for this class, don't be fooled into procrastination because you'll fail.

I did not enjoy his class one bit. This class was very difficult and extremely disorganized. I put a lot of time into this class but got absolutely nothing out of it. He always had an attitude whene he lectured, and when you ask him a question, he makes you feel stupid for asking. If you have a choice to take this class with a different professor, then dont take him.

Grisham is a nice guy and is a very dedicated teacher, he puts way more effort/time into this class than you would ever imagine, its very impressive.
My advice: read the instructions before hand, especially if you are doing the Swimmy program because understanding it will save you hours of computer work. especially since the program is new and has many flaws.
Secondly, go to every office hour to look at brain anatomy before the final. It will make/break your grade. just looking at the book pictures wont fly.

Definitely take 116 with Grisham! He is the most dedicated and enjoyable prof I have taken here. (My impression was partly due to the lab set-up, where the professor is present at every lab, not just the TA's). He conveys the material well and expects students to be on top of their game, and he's got a great sense of humor!

I had Dr. Grisham for Psych 116 during Fall 2001, and I'd have to say that the class was pretty enjoyable. This professor is generally friendly and very approachable, however, there were a few things about his class that should be changed. Early in the quarter, students have to take a lab test on brain anatomy. Different students take the test on different days of the week, but all the students take the same version of the test, which isn't fair for those students (like myself) who had to take the test early in the week. He tells his students not to discuss the test with other students, but that's obviously not going to happen, so people who have the test later in the week have an advantage. The same goes for the lab paper that everyone has to write. The TAs in the class totally underestimate the work that goes into writing this paper. They say that it should only be 10 pages long, but I defy anyone to find someone who could write it in less than 15. And once again, those students who have to turn the paper in during the beginning of the week are at a disadvantage. This class is more work than Psych 100B, but it's interesting material. If you have to take this class, take it with this professor, but try to enroll in a lab that meets late in the week. Trust me, it'll give you more of an advantage.