PSYC353 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Susanna Crowell McQuarrie PSYC353 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 11/01/2024	She's great and super fair; also willing to write rec letters and no final!
Abigail Nicolas PSYC353 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/17/2024	Her lecture style is a little on the dry side, but you can tell she genuinely cares about the topics and has experience with the course material. All her lectures are recorded, but she sometimes does in-class activities that are graded. The exams are all online an open note, so they're fairly easy. She also gives extra credit so I ended with over 100% in the class.
Susanna Crowell McQuarrie PSYC353 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/29/2024	I took her last semester. She was very understanding and receptive to students' needs. In her class, she allowed us to complete a few extra credit assignments which helped my grade and also helped me learn the content more better.
Susanna Crowell McQuarrie PSYC353 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/11/2024	Dr.McQuarrie is one of the sweetest professors I've taken at UMD! Lectures are interesting and she does a good job of trying to find video content for lectures to help make the experience of different disorders more relatable and understandable. Exams are all multiple choice and very easy- if you've attended class you should be able to get a good grade pretty easily. Other than exams, the only other things you are graded on are writing assignments and attendance checks, both are fairly simple to complete. This class was easy but the information is still valuable and interesting, and Dr. McQuarrie is a lovely person and a professor who has the wellbeing of her students in mind.
Susanna Crowell McQuarrie PSYC353 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/19/2023	Dr. Crowell McQuarrie sets clear expectations from the start. This professor had so much insight and passion on the subjects she was teaching. The exams were pretty straightforward and the questions are derived from the lectures. The assignments were thought-provoking but nothing too challenging, especially since the rubric was clear. Grades in a timely manner. Overall, a knowledgeable and caring professor!
Susanna Crowell McQuarrie PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2023	She is absolutely amazing and this is my favorite class I have taken at UMD. I would take her again if she taught more undergraduate classes. The exams are very straightforward and she will even drop questions if most students get them wrong. There is extra credit offered, and two writing assignments. I would recommend this professor to anyone!
Susanna Crowell McQuarrie PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/21/2023	Crowell is one of the most polite and caring professors I've had!
Heather Ganginis DelPino PSYC353 Expecting an A- Anonymous 04/20/2022	Listen, Heather is a really nice woman, and she cares about psychology and discussing racial/societal issues, but does not cover class content. I took this class and was so excited, as I want to go into counseling so this class was important. Unfortunately, we spent 75% of class talking about her personal stories with clients or issues within society. At first, I enjoyed this. It has been helpful to hear her personal experience in the field, as well as understanding the ways in which racism, classism, gender, etc., play into the concepts we discuss. However, after a few classes I realized that this was the whole class. We never went over things in depth that were on exams. Towards the end of the semester, quizzes and exams had incorrect answer keys, which were only pointed out by students when their correct answers were marked wrong. The class is relatively easy, as paying attention is not necessary... since content is not discussed. Overall, she is a kind, understanding, and caring person, but she should really be teaching PSYC232- Psychology of Racism.
Christopher Seitz-Brown PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/07/2020	He's probably my favorite professor out of all the virtual classes. Can tell he really cares about his students. Originally scheduled an exam for election day, but pushed back the exam date twice AND gave us an extra 10 minutes to take exam. Lectures are short, but informative. about 80% of the info is on his slides, but sometimes he says something important so I'd still recommend watching lecture. Every other lecture is synchronous (he still posts synchronous lectures after they're done), but attendance is optional for live sessions. There's a light HW load, and virtually no readings (no required text either). Very direct teaching style, no busy work or overly complicated explanations. I've learned so much already and we still have about a third of the semester left. Highly recommend.
Christopher Seitz-Brown PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/17/2020	CJ is one of the best professors I've ever had. His lectures are interesting, informative, and fun. His exams are fair, and there's not a ton of outside work. He treats students with respect and care and is fun to speak with outside of class. Definitely take if you can!
Jack Blanchard PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/18/2019	All grades come from 4 exams and one paper. That being said, the paper seemed to be graded very leniently (by the TA). Otherwise, the 8am time slot isn't ideal, but the tests aren't too hard. Just read the powerpoints (that he posts online) and the textbook and you'll be fine if you don't feel like waking up for the 8am.
Jack Blanchard PSYC353 Expecting a B Anonymous 03/20/2018	Blanchard likes 8 ams, so that makes the class rough, especially since he is pretty monotone. But as long as you can stay awake, the topics are interesting and Dr. Blanchard is really smart. If you don't do well with exams though, don't take this class.
Jack Blanchard PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/23/2015	This class is wonderful. Blanchard is a great professor and knows so much. A potential downside is that there are only 5 grading opportunities (4 exams and 1 paper) but it is very possible to do well. It is really important to follow all directions for the paper. Study hard for the exams and definitely read the book and go to class (even though it's optional). Blanchard is slightly monotone but if the topic interests you then its easy to listen.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting an A ebane 12/16/2011	Tests = 1/2 book, 1/2 lecture. Lecture is off the slides, but attendance is mandatory because he adds so much information verbally. Tests are straightforward, no curveballs, so study the important stuff. Lecture is kinda boring, but the subject is still really cool and Dr. Gelso knows his ish and engages you. REAL SIMPLE: YES. Dr. G = amazing professor. Nationally recognized to be correct. so don't worry about the teacher, just the class if you like the subject.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting an A bunnykid123 05/18/2011	I disagree that lecture was boring! I found this class to be fascinating and Dr. Gelso to be an excellent professor! After my science courses I would come into abnormal and relax because it was such a stress-free environment. We watched videos, discussed schizophrenia, and engaged in debate. The exams were also super fair and straightfoward. Gelso is one of those professors that really wants you to do well. He believes that all of his students deserve to excel and gives us extra credit options and straightfoward tests. The TA's for this class were also great. Take it! You will learn a lot about psychopathology.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/14/2010	Lecture was honestly boring most of the time but still a fairly good class if you are interested in the abnormal part of psychology. A lot of studying is required for the text part of the exams because its not covered in class and the questions are specific and tricky. Dr Gelso is very nice and approachable and there was so much extra credit , which is easy and worth doing. There are only a few exams so doing well on them is essential, as it makes up your grade. Going to lecture is absolutely necessary, so if you do that , keep up with the text, and study, this class is pretty easy.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 06/01/2010	Hands down one of the most engaging, informative, and interesting classes I've ever taken--not just because of the subject matter per se, but the professor as well. I have to strongly (but respectfully) disagree with the negative reviews, because I personally think that Dr. Gelso is a phenomenal professor, one of the best I've ever had in college. His lectures are very well structured, especially for a 75-minute class--he lectures for the first half, gives the class a break, then provides supplementary material (videos, case studies, etc.) and initiates thought-provoking discussions with the class. As a professor and clinical psychologist, Dr. Gelso has many years of professional and teaching experience. His good-humoredness, coupled with his wealth of knowledge and experience, makes this class a must-take. The multiple choice-based exams are very straightforward, and are based upon the lectures and the text, split exactly in a 1:1 ratio. The text portion can be a little challenging, but as long as you review the boldfaced terms in the book, the tables, and the general ideas found in the summaries at the end of each chapter, you should be more than fine. The final is noncumulative, and only tests the last part of the course.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/25/2010	Professor Gelso is an amazing professor and this is a must-take class! To me who normally hates going to lectures, I looked forward to these lectures and never skipped one. They are very interesting and don't follow the book and are more related to real life. The tests are easy but the questions are all fair and straight foward, you just need to know the information. If you study hard and pay attention in lecture it is not hard at all to get an A. Don't let these negative reviews prevent you from taking the class because you will love it!
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/21/2010	I really enjoyed this class. It was great that there was no homework, and only 3 tests (supposed to be 4 but changed to 3 because of the snowstorm). Gelso is a pretty great professor, in my opinion. He's an extremely pleasant person, and funny now and then. It's true that his lectures could be a bit more structured, but if you go to every class and pay attention/take notes you'll be fine. Its a longer class, but even he knows that so he always give us at least a 5-minute break. The first portion of the exam is on textbook information, the last half is lecture stuff. Review your notes and read the textbook (yeah it's a lot, especially if saved for the last minute but at least it's interesting!) and you really should be fine if you really care about doing well. He repeats that you should focus on the bold words anyway. The last review confused me because I took good notes and read through the text once (usually right before the test, especially going over harder-to-remember parts, and I always did well... But there's extra credit if you need it, you can do up to two 2-page book reviews. They're not necessary though, I didn't do them and still got an A in the end. However, before the final I wished I did one, just so preparing for finals would've been less stressful!
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/18/2010	I actually thought this was a very interesting class, and I loved Dr. Gelso's teaching style. It made things more interesting when he switched from lecture to case studies to videos, and gave a more complete picture of the material. If you can keep up with the reading and study well for the tests, it's not too difficult for a 300-level class. I would recommend this class.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting a C Anonymous 04/27/2010	The person who said this was a great class is LYING to you. I too was fooled by great reviews on ourumd and other sites so i took the class. I couldn't have hated this class more. I thought it would be interesting learning about abnormal behaviors. Gelso is extremely boring. There's no structure in the class. He switches from power point to just lecturing and you never know what is worth writing down and what isn't. Randomly he'll break out into class discussions. I'm always confused as to what we're doing. He uses videos about people with disorders, which was interesting. There were only 3 tests, strictly half of the questions from the book and half from the lecture. No matter how many notes I took or how many times I read the book, I always did bad on the tests. I wouldn't recommend this class to anyone. The extra credit is to read a book on a psychological disorder and write a review on it for 5 points.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting a C psychterp12 04/26/2010	This class is fairly difficult. There are usually 4 exams but we only have 3 because of the snowstorm. The exams are half textbook, half lecture which isn't so bad but can get really confusing. There are two extra credit opportunities which involve book reading and paper writing - not worth it. He is fun and knows his information however he is not very good at teaching. Try to find another professor for this class.
Charles Gelso PSYC353 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2009	Great class, great professor. Dr. Gelso is engaging and interesting and actually makes going to class enjoyable. Exam questions are half lecture material half textbook material, which means you have to read and learn the book material on your own....annoying but very doable. Try not to miss lecture, because you won't be able to find what he says in your book. Three exams and a final, as well as extra credit opportunities.

Susanna Crowell McQuarrie
PSYC353

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
11/01/2024

She's great and super fair; also willing to write rec letters and no final!

Abigail Nicolas
PSYC353

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/17/2024

Her lecture style is a little on the dry side, but you can tell she genuinely cares about the topics and has experience with the course material. All her lectures are recorded, but she sometimes does in-class activities that are graded. The exams are all online an open note, so they're fairly easy. She also gives extra credit so I ended with over 100% in the class.

Susanna Crowell McQuarrie
PSYC353

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/29/2024

I took her last semester. She was very understanding and receptive to students' needs. In her class, she allowed us to complete a few extra credit assignments which helped my grade and also helped me learn the content more better.

Susanna Crowell McQuarrie
PSYC353

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/11/2024

Dr.McQuarrie is one of the sweetest professors I've taken at UMD! Lectures are interesting and she does a good job of trying to find video content for lectures to help make the experience of different disorders more relatable and understandable. Exams are all multiple choice and very easy- if you've attended class you should be able to get a good grade pretty easily. Other than exams, the only other things you are graded on are writing assignments and attendance checks, both are fairly simple to complete. This class was easy but the information is still valuable and interesting, and Dr. McQuarrie is a lovely person and a professor who has the wellbeing of her students in mind.

Susanna Crowell McQuarrie
PSYC353

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/19/2023

Dr. Crowell McQuarrie sets clear expectations from the start. This professor had so much insight and passion on the subjects she was teaching. The exams were pretty straightforward and the questions are derived from the lectures. The assignments were thought-provoking but nothing too challenging, especially since the rubric was clear. Grades in a timely manner. Overall, a knowledgeable and caring professor!

Susanna Crowell McQuarrie
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/12/2023

She is absolutely amazing and this is my favorite class I have taken at UMD. I would take her again if she taught more undergraduate classes. The exams are very straightforward and she will even drop questions if most students get them wrong. There is extra credit offered, and two writing assignments. I would recommend this professor to anyone!

Susanna Crowell McQuarrie
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/21/2023

Crowell is one of the most polite and caring professors I've had!

Heather Ganginis DelPino
PSYC353

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
04/20/2022

Listen, Heather is a really nice woman, and she cares about psychology and discussing racial/societal issues, but does not cover class content. I took this class and was so excited, as I want to go into counseling so this class was important. Unfortunately, we spent 75% of class talking about her personal stories with clients or issues within society. At first, I enjoyed this. It has been helpful to hear her personal experience in the field, as well as understanding the ways in which racism, classism, gender, etc., play into the concepts we discuss. However, after a few classes I realized that this was the whole class. We never went over things in depth that were on exams. Towards the end of the semester, quizzes and exams had incorrect answer keys, which were only pointed out by students when their correct answers were marked wrong. The class is relatively easy, as paying attention is not necessary... since content is not discussed. Overall, she is a kind, understanding, and caring person, but she should really be teaching PSYC232- Psychology of Racism.

Christopher Seitz-Brown
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/07/2020

He's probably my favorite professor out of all the virtual classes. Can tell he really cares about his students. Originally scheduled an exam for election day, but pushed back the exam date twice AND gave us an extra 10 minutes to take exam. Lectures are short, but informative. about 80% of the info is on his slides, but sometimes he says something important so I'd still recommend watching lecture. Every other lecture is synchronous (he still posts synchronous lectures after they're done), but attendance is optional for live sessions. There's a light HW load, and virtually no readings (no required text either). Very direct teaching style, no busy work or overly complicated explanations. I've learned so much already and we still have about a third of the semester left. Highly recommend.

Christopher Seitz-Brown
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/17/2020

CJ is one of the best professors I've ever had. His lectures are interesting, informative, and fun. His exams are fair, and there's not a ton of outside work. He treats students with respect and care and is fun to speak with outside of class. Definitely take if you can!

Jack Blanchard
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/18/2019

All grades come from 4 exams and one paper. That being said, the paper seemed to be graded very leniently (by the TA). Otherwise, the 8am time slot isn't ideal, but the tests aren't too hard. Just read the powerpoints (that he posts online) and the textbook and you'll be fine if you don't feel like waking up for the 8am.

Jack Blanchard
PSYC353

Expecting a B
Anonymous
03/20/2018

Blanchard likes 8 ams, so that makes the class rough, especially since he is pretty monotone. But as long as you can stay awake, the topics are interesting and Dr. Blanchard is really smart. If you don't do well with exams though, don't take this class.

Jack Blanchard
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/23/2015

This class is wonderful. Blanchard is a great professor and knows so much. A potential downside is that there are only 5 grading opportunities (4 exams and 1 paper) but it is very possible to do well. It is really important to follow all directions for the paper. Study hard for the exams and definitely read the book and go to class (even though it's optional). Blanchard is slightly monotone but if the topic interests you then its easy to listen.

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting an A
ebane
12/16/2011

Tests = 1/2 book, 1/2 lecture. Lecture is off the slides, but attendance is mandatory because he adds so much information verbally. Tests are straightforward, no curveballs, so study the important stuff. Lecture is kinda boring, but the subject is still really cool and Dr. Gelso knows his ish and engages you. REAL SIMPLE: *YES. Dr. G = amazing professor. Nationally recognized to be correct. so don't worry about the teacher, just the class if you like the subject.*

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting an A
bunnykid123
05/18/2011

I disagree that lecture was boring! I found this class to be fascinating and Dr. Gelso to be an excellent professor! After my science courses I would come into abnormal and relax because it was such a stress-free environment. We watched videos, discussed schizophrenia, and engaged in debate. The exams were also super fair and straightfoward. Gelso is one of those professors that really wants you to do well. He believes that all of his students deserve to excel and gives us extra credit options and straightfoward tests. The TA's for this class were also great. Take it! You will learn a lot about psychopathology.

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/14/2010

Lecture was honestly boring most of the time but still a fairly good class if you are interested in the abnormal part of psychology. A lot of studying is required for the text part of the exams because its not covered in class and the questions are specific and tricky. Dr Gelso is very nice and approachable and there was so much extra credit , which is easy and worth doing. There are only a few exams so doing well on them is essential, as it makes up your grade. Going to lecture is absolutely necessary, so if you do that , keep up with the text, and study, this class is pretty easy.

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
06/01/2010

Hands down one of the most engaging, informative, and interesting classes I've ever taken--not just because of the subject matter per se, but the professor as well. I have to strongly (but respectfully) disagree with the negative reviews, because I personally think that Dr. Gelso is a phenomenal professor, one of the best I've ever had in college. His lectures are very well structured, especially for a 75-minute class--he lectures for the first half, gives the class a break, then provides supplementary material (videos, case studies, etc.) and initiates thought-provoking discussions with the class. As a professor and clinical psychologist, Dr. Gelso has many years of professional and teaching experience. His good-humoredness, coupled with his wealth of knowledge and experience, makes this class a must-take. The multiple choice-based exams are very straightforward, and are based upon the lectures and the text, split exactly in a 1:1 ratio. The text portion can be a little challenging, but as long as you review the boldfaced terms in the book, the tables, and the general ideas found in the summaries at the end of each chapter, you should be more than fine. The final is noncumulative, and only tests the last part of the course.

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/25/2010

Professor Gelso is an amazing professor and this is a must-take class! To me who normally hates going to lectures, I looked forward to these lectures and never skipped one. They are very interesting and don't follow the book and are more related to real life. The tests are easy but the questions are all fair and straight foward, you just need to know the information. If you study hard and pay attention in lecture it is not hard at all to get an A. Don't let these negative reviews prevent you from taking the class because you will love it!

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/21/2010

I really enjoyed this class. It was great that there was no homework, and only 3 tests (supposed to be 4 but changed to 3 because of the snowstorm). Gelso is a pretty great professor, in my opinion. He's an extremely pleasant person, and funny now and then. It's true that his lectures could be a bit more structured, but if you go to every class and pay attention/take notes you'll be fine. Its a longer class, but even he knows that so he always give us at least a 5-minute break. The first portion of the exam is on textbook information, the last half is lecture stuff. Review your notes and read the textbook (yeah it's a lot, especially if saved for the last minute but at least it's interesting!) and you really should be fine if you really care about doing well. He repeats that you should focus on the bold words anyway. The last review confused me because I took good notes and read through the text once (usually right before the test, especially going over harder-to-remember parts, and I always did well... But there's extra credit if you need it, you can do up to two 2-page book reviews. They're not necessary though, I didn't do them and still got an A in the end. However, before the final I wished I did one, just so preparing for finals would've been less stressful!

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/18/2010

I actually thought this was a very interesting class, and I loved Dr. Gelso's teaching style. It made things more interesting when he switched from lecture to case studies to videos, and gave a more complete picture of the material. If you can keep up with the reading and study well for the tests, it's not too difficult for a 300-level class. I would recommend this class.

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting a C
Anonymous
04/27/2010

The person who said this was a great class is LYING to you. I too was fooled by great reviews on ourumd and other sites so i took the class. I couldn't have hated this class more. I thought it would be interesting learning about abnormal behaviors. Gelso is extremely boring. There's no structure in the class. He switches from power point to just lecturing and you never know what is worth writing down and what isn't. Randomly he'll break out into class discussions. I'm always confused as to what we're doing. He uses videos about people with disorders, which was interesting. There were only 3 tests, strictly half of the questions from the book and half from the lecture. No matter how many notes I took or how many times I read the book, I always did bad on the tests. I wouldn't recommend this class to anyone. The extra credit is to read a book on a psychological disorder and write a review on it for 5 points.

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting a C
psychterp12
04/26/2010

This class is fairly difficult. There are usually 4 exams but we only have 3 because of the snowstorm. The exams are half textbook, half lecture which isn't so bad but can get really confusing. There are two extra credit opportunities which involve book reading and paper writing - not worth it. He is fun and knows his information however he is not very good at teaching. Try to find another professor for this class.

Charles Gelso
PSYC353

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/22/2009

Great class, great professor. Dr. Gelso is engaging and interesting and actually makes going to class enjoyable. Exam questions are half lecture material half textbook material, which means you have to read and learn the book material on your own....annoying but very doable. Try not to miss lecture, because you won't be able to find what he says in your book. Three exams and a final, as well as extra credit opportunities.

Reviews for PSYC353