Current instructor

Thomas Givnish

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.71/5 from 28 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

BOT460 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 4/5
Dr. Givnish's lectures can be fairly disorganized and research-heavy (difficult to know what concepts you will be graded on). Although he does genuinely care about his students he can come off as very intimidating at times. Botany 460 is an interesting class but be prepared for a lot of work coming from studying and a big research project in lab.
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Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
I dropped this class due to the confusing and disorganized teaching style. He would rush through complicated topics with wordy definitions and spend the rest of lecture on loosely related examples.The exams were heavily based in the readings (old research papers) that had to be memorized. I didn't learn much at all from my 6 weeks of this class.
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BOT460 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 5/5
Tom's classes are definitely hard and require a lot of effort, but if you put in as much effort as he does you'll learn a ton. He admittedly seems scary and rude but honestly he does care a lot about students passing his classes and learning, he's just super smart and I think sometimes forgets that we aren't all on his level.
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BOT460 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 5/5
While Dr. Givnish is very knowledgeable but he isn't a great lecturer. He runs through material very quickly and focuses a lot on his research & interests (Hawaiian flora). I never felt comfortable asking a question in lecture. His tests are very challenging and he takes no accountability for his dysfunctional teaching style. Avoid if you can.
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BOT460 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 4/5
Lectures are boring and FULL of information, he is way too smart to be teaching an intro ecol. class. Also he's kind of mean when people asked questions in class Things I recommend: - don't waste your time reading the textbook - Do read and understand the discussion texts (they show up on exams) - practice exams are very similar to real exam
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BOT460 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 5/5
Very few resources given to succeed on exams that are graded at a high difficulty. Only given a few practice questions (with no answer key) to prepare. Prof is intimidating and will NOT record lectures so don't bother asking. Grading is not consistent. DON'T TAKE unless absolutely necessary.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Thomas Givnish

Senior Honors Thesis course for Botany majors involving individual research to complete an honors thesis, arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

No recorded grade history

Senior thesis course involving individual research for students completing theses as arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

No recorded grade history

Senior thesis course in Botany involving individual research for students completing theses as arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

No recorded grade history

Directed Study: Explore research questions in botany through guidance and mentorship in a research environment.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027BOTANY 299Directed Study in Botany
Spring 2027BOTANY 499Intermediate Directed Research
Spring 2027BOTANY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027BOTANY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027BOTANY 691Senior Thesis
Spring 2027BOTANY 692Senior Thesis
Spring 2027BOTANY 699Directed Study
Spring 2027BOTANY 994Research-plant Systematics
Spring 2027BOTANY 995Research-plant Ecology
Fall 2026BOTANY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026BOTANY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026BOTANY 994Research-plant Systematics
Fall 2026BOTANY 995Research-plant Ecology

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
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