PSYC 3006

Put in work! Professor makes far too many smart comments.

This class is not as hard as everyone makes it seem - just follow these few steps and you can come out with an A, trust me ;). For the lecture component: 1. Attend every class - no one likes 9 AMs but the bonus points from clicker questions really do make a difference, 2. Ask questions - she is really helpful if you make an attempt to try to learn. For the lab component: 1. Keep up with the work, don't slack and leave your papers for last minute, 2. Ask your TA questions - even if it means you have to send them 9999 emails, they like to see you are putting an effort to produce the best work and are always willing to help, 3. Follow directions - There are easy points for just keeping your head screwed straight on and following directions that are written clearly in black & white, 4. Have fun - This was one of the coolest classes I took because we got to design our own research projects with friends, don't be afraid to be super creative and make your project worthwhile - you get to hang your own poster in Gilmer! Good luck, you're going to do grrrreat.

Schmidt is a crazy woman who does not teach well in class but her powerpoints are super helpful. Regardless you should def. go to class even if you do not pay attention to get clicker points and attendance points (they help out in the end). She has the option of dropping your lowest score which could be the final so try to do well on the tests since the final is hard from what I heard. The hardest part of her tests are the matching which are all conceptual. Make sure to do practice problems and memorize how to write out responses otherwise you will lose unnecessary points. Not a fun class but you have to do it for the major so try and make the best of it.

It makes me sad to see so many bad reviews for Schmidt. That being said, she's definitely a unique person, but I've come to respect her the most. Although people would surely tell you differently, she doesn't make the material hard at all. She actually does a really good job of detailing what you should know about the material and recognizes that it's difficult. It's a hard class so of course the professor isn't going to be loved! People come into this class thinking they can look at the powerpoints and do fine on the tests but Schmidt specifically outlines what to do to do well in the class. All you have to do is come to class every day, pay attention, and study hard for the tests. If she tells you to do something, just do it. Like study, use the review sheets, and ask plenty of questions if you're confused. If she says not to have your phone out while going over exams, don't do it! Just respect her rules and she is perfectly fine. She is very strict about going over exams because she doesn't want the questions to be shared, so do as she says and don't write or take out your phone during that time. Don't ask dumb questions that she's just went over, or yeah, she will get a little condescending. She doesn't tolerate stupidity or inattention so treat her respectfully. During the semester she joked a lot and was happy almost every day. I really enjoyed the class and I hope you will too!

If you're curious, here are my own personal grades. Four exams (89, 90, 90, 91), clicker points (6 total for the three days she randomly picks), and lab (90). I did not take the final because even a 94 wouldn't have changed my overall grade a single point. I had to take this class as I'm a 4th year. I was scared to death after reading reviews that I would have to learn R and that I'd fail the exams. But people in the psyc. department really blow it out of proportion. There are no more lab write ups. The lab is very easy (unless you get a TA who grades funky) and all you have to do in R is copy and paste. They're currently changing some stuff though, so be warned that this may not be true by next year. After getting a B in 3005 I was terrified of 3006. But I made it out with an A because of Schmidt's teaching style and materials. You can too. Don't be afraid of 3006, it's challenging in a good way and you'll be so relieved once you've made it through.

Karen Schmidt...where do I even begin? Karen is definitely a character. She claims that she's been teaching this class for almost 20 years...you would think that by now she would have come up with a way to make lecture more interesting. However, she does iClicker questions basically every class, and they're always opinion questions, so you get points just for participating. Therefore, you really should come to lecture because those points really do give you a nice grade boost (they're worth like 6-7%). Karen pretends to be all funny and cutesy during lecture, but then she transforms when it comes to exam time. The day of the exam, she starts passing out the exam at 8:45, even though the class technically starts at 9, so if you have an 8 am, you're already at a disadvantage. She claims she does it to give us more time at the beginning so that we have a full hour to take the exam. Apparently she takes points off if you're still writing at 9:50. Then, the day we get the exam back and go over it in class, she's even worse. She has a super strict procedure when you're getting your exam back, and it makes no sense. I think she's just such a stickler about the Honor Code, and she will go great lengths to make sure you're not sharing test questions with anyone. You aren't allowed to have anything out while we're going over the exam. Don't even think you can have a notebook out, thinking you can jot down some things so you know how to do better on the final--there was a kid who did that and she took his notebook and ripped his page out in front of the whole class. She also once called a girl out for waiting in her seat when we all went up to get our exam back--the girl was just waiting for the line to die down! There's really no point to ask questions about correct answers on the exam, because she'll just reply in some rude, condescending way that it was on the powerpoint. That she at least does right--she doesn't ask you anything from the readings, just her powerpoints, on the exams; so I never did the readings and I was fine. She does let you drop your lowest test grade or not take the final, which is nice. Honestly, my opinion of her is so back-and-forth, because although she's super mean on exam days, it's pretty nice of her to drop exam grades like that or weigh your super-easy clicker scores so high. The one time I went to office hours, she was also super nice and helpful.

The labs are a little different from 3005. We use R Studio, not SPSS (which, if you've by chance taken Bio Stats, you'll already know how to use). There are no lab homework assignments--you do everything in your lab section. My TA was super nice but a pretty strict grader, so I didn't do as well in lab as I did in 3005. But if you ask a lot of questions, your TA will definitely be willing to help.

I really don't like how this class is required for the major when I know I'm not going to go into research (and I doubt most psych majors do). It's not the funnest class, but it's not horrible either, if you can get past Karen's mood swings.

She is nice and kind, really helpful if you just go to class and watch her powerpoints carefully before exam.

I feel like there's a lot of bad reviews on here, but honestly I liked Professor Schmidt. I feel like she has changed the course over the years, and she is very willing and helpful if you go to her and ask good questions. Just don't ask questions that are really obvious, and I think you will find her pretty helpful. She cares a lot about the Honor code and in making things less messy during the passing out of exams, which is why she has strict rules. But, don't take her rules personally. Also, some people might find her a bit intimidating, but I think she is actually trying her best to be nice to students. I would recommend! You learn a lot :)

First of all, the fact that this class is required is ridiculous. Half the class is double majors that have already taken a stats class that goes way more in depth than this class, the other half are psych majors that never want to take another math class. Karen Schmidt takes herself way too seriously for a class that no one wants to be in. Clickers at the beginning of class to make sure you're there by 9:00 am 3 times a week. God forbid you ask a question in class, which she will inevitably begin to answer with, "Well, you wouldn't know this but...", then continues to use some stats term that we didnt learn to explain a question, only making people more confused. When handing back tests, you are not even allowed to have a piece of paper out to write down what you did wrong on a test to help study for the final. Even worse, when you have a question about how a specific question on your exam was graded, you tell her when handing your test back and she proceeds to call out your name in front of the entire class when she has all of them. I've honestly never seen anything like it.

Bottom line is, don't take this class with her unless you have to (in spring '16 the other professor didn't speak english). It may seem bearable at first, but later on in the semester its terrible. It's not completely Schmidt's fault that the class is boring and poorly structured, but she does absolutely nothing to help herself. Looking back, I would rather have had a teacher that doesn't speak english than Schmidt, which should tell you a lot.

The most egotistical, condescending, and rude professor I have ever encountered. Her arrogance and haughty attitude prevented her from helping her students. Her lack of manners and the manner she addressed her students was inexcusable. A professor is supposed to help their students understand the material, not put them down in a condescending tone when they ask questions about concepts they don't understand and make them feel useless.

She was a decent professor in lecture, the lecture slides were easy to understand, and the way the class was organized was helpful. The fact she also creates her exams straight from the powerpoint materials means that I was perfectly fine even though I never did the reading (I honestly didn't even buy the books for the class). She also lets you drop the lowest exam grade, which is nice but trust me, you don't want to have to take the final (the 5th test).

Overall, her lack of care over her students' difficulties/problems in the class and overall treatment of those she is supposed to help was pathetic and if she has tenure, I hope that UVA reconsiders. Needless to say, Professor Schmidt's attitude and superiority complex need to be adjusted ASAP.

I don't know where to begin but IF THIS CLASS ISN'T A REQUIREMENT FOR YOU, DON'T TAKE IT! Schmidt is the most condescending professor I've ever had at UVA. She picks and chooses what questions she wants to answer in lecture. Her grading system for tests is the most unfair I've ever encountered, she docks points for any and everything. If you miss one clicker question, you lose all clicker points for that day. Most of the time she spends in class complaining about how the class is meant to be taught by two professors and she's stuck teaching it by herself. She has a very strict exam procedure where she starts exams 10 minutes earlier and expects for exams to be handed in at least one minute before class ends. She's so uptight and paranoid, she assigns seats just to review tests. The only positive is that you get a formula sheet for the tests. If you take this course, good luck!