The tests were hard, but she offers extra help and is willing to work with you. The lectures are interesting with real-world examples. There is a lot of reading, but it is important to do it. It is hard, but an interesting class and I enjoyed it. Professor Smurda cares about the students and is often available for help or clarification

I really liked Prof. Smurda. She was engaging and the material was interesting. Tests can be difficult, but I studied and did very well. I would definitely recommend taking it with her if possible.

Dr. Smurda was very engaging and funny. I always looked forward to class because it was so interesting. She podcasts her lectures so you can actually participate in class rather than worry about typing everything she says. She is also very helpful if you go see her during office hours. She will spend as much time as it takes explaining everything until you understand it.
Her tests are not easy, but they are very doable because they are right out of the lectures and readings.

***Took two different classes with her across two quarters but the point will stand for anyone looking her up for other classes that they may not see connected to her.***

If you take any class with her just pay attention to the syllabus for that class and really decide if you want to take it. Some classes taught by her have over 75% of your grade determined by her subjective grading rather than objective performance on exams and that huge percentage is a bigger deal as she often assigns *a lot* of work and writing. I'll repeat that too, *OVER 75%* of your grade for some classes taught by her are determined by her subjective opinion and not your own objective, correct vs incorrect, performance in class.

I kept up with all the abundant work but still received a grade less than what I felt I earned both times I had her, as often times she disagreed with my writing or things were unclear in her opinion. So, tread carefully if you take her as I personally think that much subjective control over your grade and something that can affect your future, is too much.

Great professor! I would definitely recommend taking Psych 10 with Dr. Smurda. She was entertaining and I learned a lot. She's also very helpful, but you do need to study for the exams. If you do, then you'll do fine.

I thought her class was really great! If I had bothered reading earlier than the day before the test then I would've easily gotten an A+. Her lectures covered mostly everything but the tests were fairly specific. It was fine if you even skimmed though. Also super interesting I loved this class and she was really nice.

I would definitely recommend taking Dr. Smurda for Psych 10. There are 3 exams and you get to drop your lowest grade. Lectures were very entertaining and she is very helpful in office hours. She is clearly very passionate about psychology! You do need to study though. It's not as easy as people commented below.

This was a great class to take! The professor gives 2 midterms and a final but all of them are NOT cumulative and she drops the lowest grade of the 3 of them. The tests are very reflective of the material covered in lecture, it is just a lot of information that she gives, such as definitions and case studies that you need to know, so you have to memorize a lot for the tests. She podcasts her lectures and posts the lecture slides. She is super nice, funny and very helpful!

Got a 73% on the first midterm, missed the second midterm because of sickness, and then got a 92% on the final exam, and Smurda drops your lowest exam grade so I ended with a B in the class. I thought the first midterm was bullshit and much harder than the final exam, so that was annoying but the class as a whole didn't suck that bad. 3 exams, all noncumulative, and all weighted the same. Only homework there was was weekly reading and completing 6 units of research in research studies. If you don't like studies you have an option to write about articles instead. Smurda was nice, but the exams were always harder than necessary for the material we learned.

The reviews for this class and professor were very misleading. I came into the class confident that I would succeed, but it was the opposite. Her tests were extremely hard and covered so much information. Office hours were not as helpful as I hoped. Really wanted to get an A in this class, but it wasn't possible. I would take it with another professor!