Professor
Julie Smurda
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Most Helpful Review
I completely disagree with the other comments below. Prof. Smurda made the class very entertaining and this was by far my favorite class. She was also the best professor that I have ever had. She was intelligent, very concerned about students' learning, and had a great energy about her. Her exams were also very fair. I would highly recommend that you take a course from her if you get the chance.
I completely disagree with the other comments below. Prof. Smurda made the class very entertaining and this was by far my favorite class. She was also the best professor that I have ever had. She was intelligent, very concerned about students' learning, and had a great energy about her. Her exams were also very fair. I would highly recommend that you take a course from her if you get the chance.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - I want to start off by saying, I genuinely LOVE Dr. Smurda as a professor. Her lectures were thoughtful, engaging, and I truly feel like I learned a lot in her class. However, her tests were NOT fair. The class grade is weighted 80% exam scores and 20% everything else. She gave us practice exams and in NO WAY did they reflect the material that was on the tests. There were too many questions placed in the test that were designed to trick you as well... if you like selecting from "A, B, C, A&C, or All of the Above" type questions, you may do well on the tests. All closed note tests as well. I'm an honors student, and I worked HARD in this class this quarter to still only come out of it with a C- (AFTER the 3% extra credit she thankfully offered to us) was factored in to my final grade. I don't feel that my final grade reflects the knowledge I did take away from this course, and it's so unfortunate. I know a ton of other honors students could also agree with me on this. To reiterate - AMAZING professor, AWFUL / UNFAIR EXAMS. I probably would not take this class with her again due to the testing situation alone, but I would if that were to change in a heartbeat. TAKE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
Winter 2022 - I want to start off by saying, I genuinely LOVE Dr. Smurda as a professor. Her lectures were thoughtful, engaging, and I truly feel like I learned a lot in her class. However, her tests were NOT fair. The class grade is weighted 80% exam scores and 20% everything else. She gave us practice exams and in NO WAY did they reflect the material that was on the tests. There were too many questions placed in the test that were designed to trick you as well... if you like selecting from "A, B, C, A&C, or All of the Above" type questions, you may do well on the tests. All closed note tests as well. I'm an honors student, and I worked HARD in this class this quarter to still only come out of it with a C- (AFTER the 3% extra credit she thankfully offered to us) was factored in to my final grade. I don't feel that my final grade reflects the knowledge I did take away from this course, and it's so unfortunate. I know a ton of other honors students could also agree with me on this. To reiterate - AMAZING professor, AWFUL / UNFAIR EXAMS. I probably would not take this class with her again due to the testing situation alone, but I would if that were to change in a heartbeat. TAKE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
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Most Helpful Review
Summer 2017 - Professor Smurda was by far one of the nicest professors I've had in my four years here at UCLA. She is very helpful and makes research seem fun in a way you'd probably think was impossible (especially after taking 100B). She is very clear when presenting and always willing to answer questions and simply go the extra mile with her students. If you need to do your psych lab, I would recommend having Smurda as your professor 10/10. She was great and there is no way you can't like her.
Summer 2017 - Professor Smurda was by far one of the nicest professors I've had in my four years here at UCLA. She is very helpful and makes research seem fun in a way you'd probably think was impossible (especially after taking 100B). She is very clear when presenting and always willing to answer questions and simply go the extra mile with her students. If you need to do your psych lab, I would recommend having Smurda as your professor 10/10. She was great and there is no way you can't like her.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - I adore Professor Smurda and highly recommend taking a class with her. I took Social Psych with her before taking Influence, which helped my understanding in this class but it is absolutely not necessary to take 135 beforehand. Highly recommend reading the material before class because it helps with understanding the lecture. I also recommend talking with her during office hours and after class, she is very willing to elaborate on concepts. The information from this class is useful in the real world as well; if you have an interest in understanding how people think and ways to use that information, I highly recommend taking that class.
Winter 2023 - I adore Professor Smurda and highly recommend taking a class with her. I took Social Psych with her before taking Influence, which helped my understanding in this class but it is absolutely not necessary to take 135 beforehand. Highly recommend reading the material before class because it helps with understanding the lecture. I also recommend talking with her during office hours and after class, she is very willing to elaborate on concepts. The information from this class is useful in the real world as well; if you have an interest in understanding how people think and ways to use that information, I highly recommend taking that class.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2017 - This was by far the best course I've ever taken at UCLA. Dr. Smurda is obviously very passionate about what she teaches and really likes her students. This class covers topics on the self that are fascinating. Students do presentations on the readings and discuss the material which made me learn it really well. Dr. Smurda did a great job of clarifying the concepts and leading the discussion. There were weekly thought papers and quizzes as well as discussion posts so it was a lot to keep up with, but it didn't really bother me because it was all really interesting. We also wrote a final paper which applies the concepts that we learned in class to our own lives. Overall, I would highly recommend the professor and the class.
Fall 2017 - This was by far the best course I've ever taken at UCLA. Dr. Smurda is obviously very passionate about what she teaches and really likes her students. This class covers topics on the self that are fascinating. Students do presentations on the readings and discuss the material which made me learn it really well. Dr. Smurda did a great job of clarifying the concepts and leading the discussion. There were weekly thought papers and quizzes as well as discussion posts so it was a lot to keep up with, but it didn't really bother me because it was all really interesting. We also wrote a final paper which applies the concepts that we learned in class to our own lives. Overall, I would highly recommend the professor and the class.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2017 - I really enjoyed this class and Dr. Smurda is great. It was different than what I expected it to be (which is actually a good thing) and there was a lot of work involved -- weekly papers and quizzes as well as discussion posts. You also lead a presentation/discussion and there's a final paper. However, I would definitely recommend taking it because the topic is super interesting which makes up for the extra work involved. We had great discussions and Dr. Smurda is very knowledgeable and approachable. You really can't go wrong taking this class.
Winter 2017 - I really enjoyed this class and Dr. Smurda is great. It was different than what I expected it to be (which is actually a good thing) and there was a lot of work involved -- weekly papers and quizzes as well as discussion posts. You also lead a presentation/discussion and there's a final paper. However, I would definitely recommend taking it because the topic is super interesting which makes up for the extra work involved. We had great discussions and Dr. Smurda is very knowledgeable and approachable. You really can't go wrong taking this class.
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