PSYC 2200

This class is fantastic. It is my favorite class that I have taken this semester.

If you are interested in Neuroscience, I highly recommend this class. It is broad overview of various topics in neuroscience from a biology focused perspective. There are no homework assignments or psych studies, and your entire grade is based upon 5 large exams that are all equally weighted 40 multiple choice question exams. The lowest exam grade is dropped, which is nice, but the class is still fairly difficult. You will need to do the readings and pay attention in class. The average grade on the exams is about a C+, and they are not curved at all. However, it is not impossible to get an A if you study adequately beforehand and memorize the few important sections that each exam covers.

Professor Hill can be a little bit dry at times, however he teaches well. He knows what he is talking about, especially concerning taste. In fact, some of the material in the textbook concerning taste comes from his own research. He makes the material very easy to understand, and makes it very clear what material will be on the exam and what will not be. Although he claims that his lectures are more important than the textbook when it comes to exam material, you should still read the textbook. His powerpoints are very useful and posted on Collab a few days before class, so you can print them out or use your computer to take notes on the actual slides. That said, you need to attend class, since the slides by themselves are not enough to study for exams. Also, the tangents that he makes in lectures are pure gold, so you definitely don't want to miss those. There are few professors who can give you real talk about sex and drugs from a neuroscience perspective and make it interesting.

Finally, Rolf as a TA is fantastic. He is very passionate about the material, and his Monday night QA sessions and office hours are very very useful when you get a bit confused about what's going on.

I came into this course expecting a low grade based on all the rumors/reviews that I had received. I'm actually pulling through with a slightly higher grade than what I was expecting and though it's not an A or A-, I am pretty satisfied with it. Hill isn't too bad of a professor. The material is hard in itself and the tests aren't as bad as everyone makes them seem. I didn't ever get above an A- on one of the test, but I understand it wasn't really impossible. The book is pretty interesting to read and I felt like it definitely helped on the exams. The lectures aren't too bad (admittedly easy to fall asleep in some), but you really have to pay attention to the opening questions in each lecture. From what I've heard, it's also better to take this class in the fall than in the spring. I'd say, go for it and take it. Most of the people that take this need it for their major anyway (like me). The 4/5 tests thing is cool and if you're satisfied, you don't have to take the final. My suggestion is to do kick-a** on the first 4 tests and not screw yourself over on the final.

I personally liked this class a lot! David Hill is an interesting guy and the material learned in this class is quite fascinating. This class is essentially the biology behind psychology, which is why many psychology majors dislike the class and don't do as well as they want (because it's more biology than psychology). It's definitely not an easy A but if you do the reading and study a good amount you should be able to end the class with at least a B.

For sure interesting material, and Hill does a great job explaining it... but the tests are another story. None of the questions are straight forward and most seem to be very unfair trick questions (I still have not figured out why a professor would manipulate their exams in this way, tricking students into getting the wrong answers on material that was studied in depth). Anyways, it is a very fast paced class, but pretty manageable if you do some of the readings and attend lecture. Still, I would not recommend this class to anyone who anticipates that their grades reflect their efforts in a class, unless it is required (if that is the case, good luck).

update: just took the final and 19/40 questions had the correct answer of "none of the above" or "more than one of the above." this class is 10/10 a scam.

This class was deceptively hard for me. Prof. Hill's passion for the topic is infectious, and it makes his lectures seem a little more informal at times. However, do not allow his passion to underestimate his tests!! They are exactly like other tests in the intro psych courses -- detail oriented and designed to confuse people who don't know the information inside and out.

The readings are important, but pay more attention and take detailed notes in his lectures because most of the test material comes from the lectures. Also, pay attention to the details in lectures! Take notes on the diagrams he spends time on and on the videos he shows, because those are also used in tests.

This course is not curved, and have a pretty low test average (mid 70s usually)
Tests are unnecessarily difficult and even though I study and feel confident both before and after the exam, I've never scored above an 85 on a test. I seriously believe he writes them with the intention of you getting them wrong; I have no other explanation. There is no need to confuse students as much as Hill does in order to test their knowledge on a topic. It's killing my GPA this semester, despite the fact that I enrolled in it hoping for a relatively easy interesting psych class AND i actually do understand the material very well. Hill said there would be no material covered on the final exam that wasn't covered on our other four exams which is straight up lie. Final was even harder than the other exams. I cannot express how taxing this class was - I wouldn't take this class if my life depended on it. you will destroy your GPA and your mental health. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS YOU WILL REGRET IT

Hill is the worst professor I've had. The course is so interesting, yet he makes the material dull and unlearnable.

I actually really liked this class! Fair warning, it isn't as much of a PYSCH class as it is a biology and anatomy course. I found the material very interesting, especially if your interested in the medical field later on. Professor Hill can have a monotone voice, but if you power through, he actually can have a very dry sense of humor. I would recommend this class- the material is super interesting, but fair warning there is a lot of it.

I came into this class having heard only bad things and expecting to fail, but I actually did much better than I expected and really enjoyed the class! He does say at the beginning of the semester that he refers to the course as Psychobiology because it really isn't focused on psychology at all. However, if you are interested in neuroscience and biology, and how they relate to psychology, then the material is very interesting, though it can be a bit difficult or confusing. There are 4 exams and a final, all 40 multiple choice, with the lowest grade being dropped (including the final). The exams can be tricky for sure, and it does seem some of the questions are designed to trip you up, but I think some of the students exaggerate this at least a little bit. I never got above an 85 on an exam, but he posts the grades and answers a couple hours after each one and when I reviewed my exams I was immediately able to figure out why I had gotten it wrong or why it made more sense, even thought I didn't fully understand while taking the exam. Aside from the class being a little difficult and hard to study for with the amount of material you have to know, my only other concern is with the way the professor interacts with the students. He definitely has a sense of humor and I enjoyed all of the lectures and was entertained during them, but he often comes across as condescending when students ask questions, which can make you feel hesitant to ask for help. Overall, I would recommend this class if the material sounds interesting to you, though I wouldn't take it expecting an easy A.

I actually really enjoyed this class with Prof Hill! It's pretty much a biology class and the topics were pretty engaging. There are 4 exams and the final which you can drop at the end of the semester (so nice!!!!). Overall, I would say that the exams are pretty average. Some of the questions are definitely there to trip you up (especially since a lot of them have the None of the Above Choice which is sometimes right). However, Hill is understanding at the review sessions and will give back points to questions where more than one answer might seem correct. Hill has a dry sense of humor, but keeps the class pretty engaged. Make sure you print of the PowerPoint slides before coming to class because most of the information for the exams come straight from lecture. I'm going to end up with an A in the class, so it's definitely doable to do well in this class. You WILL get through this class. Good Luck!!!