2.8

Danielle Samuels

Psychology - University of Massachusetts - Amherst

2.8
Quality
3.2
Difficulty
47%
Would Retake
108
Reviews
2.8
Quality
3.2
Difficulty
2.8
Helpful
2.8
Clarity

47%

Would Retake

108

Reviews

Rating Distribution
Official

5

24

4

17

3

16

2

19

1

32

What Students Say

She's soooo boring to listen to, her slides are hard to understand, and she set the pace of the class badly so we have the last 3 (out of 8) very large HW assignments due within the last three days of class

PSYCH240 - 1.0 rating

I really hated going to this class

PSYCH100 - 2.0 rating
Class Info

Online Classes

100%

Attendance Mandatory

45%

Textbook Required

0%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

A-

95% confidence
Based on 76 grades
Most common grades:
A (39)
A- (10)
B (10)
Grade Distribution
A(44)B(13)C(2)D(1)F(0)A-/B+(17)
Based on 87 reported grades
A: 39
A-: 10
B: 10
Not sure yet: 8
Common Tags
Lecture heavy (31)
EXTRA CREDIT (27)
Get ready to read (20)
Lots of homework (20)
Test heavy (19)
Clear grading criteria (18)
Caring (15)
Skip class? You won't pass. (13)
Rating Trend

Stable

-0.17 avg change
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Sep
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

100H

5.0

(2)

PSY240

4.0

(1)

PSY355

3.3

(8)

PSYCH100

3.1

(29)

PSYCH241

3.0

(3)
+7 more courses
Difficulty by Course

PYSCH100

4.0

PSYCH241

3.7

PSYCH100H

3.5

PSYCH355

3.4

PSY355

3.4

Reviews (108)
4.0
2.0
PSYCH100
Oct 16, 2018
Would take again

Very nice, young professor. Relatively easy class, with weekly or biweekly homework that should take no more than 30-45 minutes all together. Interesting material for anyone interested in the basics of psychology. Clear lectures, answers questions well. Exam material only on what is taught in lecture. Textbook for class is free

Get ready to read
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
EXTRA CREDIT
2.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Nov 15, 2018
Wouldn't take again

I really hated going to this class. The material is really interesting but I really dislike the way she teaches. The lectures are boring and pointless to go to considering she post them all online and she only reads off her computer. She seems really unsure about the material and not confident which is frustrating. I do not recommend!

5.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A
Nov 23, 2018
Would take again

I've never been great at math but the pace Samuels goes at and the way she takes times to explain the basics of statistics is great. If you pay attention in class you'll do fine. Posts slides on moodle. Homework due in lab every 2 weeks and a short online quiz every 2 weeks. Lots of opportunities to get points while theres only one exam, the final.

EXTRA CREDIT
2.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Dec 4, 2018
Wouldn't take again

The classwork was almost entirely online. The main written portion was the exams, where I feel she contradicted our online textbook at times (even giving us points back at one point). The professor reads off of her slides, and talks awfully fast. She will also rush through material and not completely cover portions in the last 5 minutes of class.

Get ready to read
Skip class? You won't pass.
LECTURE HEAVY
1.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A-
Dec 6, 2018
Wouldn't take again

She's soooo boring to listen to, her slides are hard to understand, and she set the pace of the class badly so we have the last 3 (out of 8) very large HW assignments due within the last three days of class. I understand stats but I wouldn't if I was going by only her teaching. Very unprepared for class/moodle/iclickers. Would not recommend.

Participation matters
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
LECTURE HEAVY
1.0
1.0
PSY100
Grade: B
Dec 7, 2018
Wouldn't take again

The worst experience ever. I totally lost the interest in this course. The professor is so boring. She just reads off the slides. She is not willing to help her students.

Tough Grader
BEWARE OF POP QUIZZES
TEST HEAVY
2.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Dec 18, 2018
Wouldn't take again

She is defintely not the right person to teach a stats class. She reads directly off the slides without explaining one thing. She also always seems confused on her own material and has at least one error in the slides/homework each class that a student has to point out. She also doesn't use a book so you can't even self-teach easily.

3.0
1.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A
Jan 3, 2019
Would take again

Professor Samuels was a new professor for this semester. She tried teaching the best she could, yet like everyone else, had errors in some of stuff. Her quizzes are written out when they are due within the syllabus, as well as the homework. She does do extra credit. She does not grade hard. She is also helpful in her office hours.

Skip class? You won't pass.
ACCESSIBLE OUTSIDE CLASS
Clear grading criteria
1.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: B+
Jan 5, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Professor Samuels is a nice woman. However, her teaching style is lackluster. The slides are very word heavy and the animations she puts on the slides are distracting from the information on the slides. I found that the TA's were more helpful than her and I left every class feeling confused about the material. Her quizzes are also quite difficult.

Participation matters
Skip class? You won't pass.
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
3.0
4.0
PSYCH241
Grade: B
Jan 7, 2019
Wouldn't take again

She's great and you can tell that she really wants you to do good. I still think there are definitely some things that could have been done better, tho. The lectures, for example, were difficult to stay engaged with and very long. The quizzes were online and you only had 15 minutes to complete, and the homework is a lot of work in one assignment.

LOTS OF HOMEWORK
LECTURE HEAVY
3.0
1.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Jan 9, 2019
Would take again

I feel like I learned the fundamentals of psychology in the class, which was the goal. That being said, the lectures weren't the most interesting, but I did really like the smartbook because it was really good practice for exams. It would take up to 3 weeks to get our scantron exams back, which was frustrating, but overall this was an okay class.

Get ready to read
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
Clear grading criteria
2.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: B+
Jan 14, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Lectures were very dry at times. Exams were harder than the actual content was. The online textbook/homework was good, but very time consuming. It was her first semester at UMass this fall, so I think from this point on she'll have a better idea on how to lecture 400+ students at once, hopefully

LOTS OF HOMEWORK
LECTURE HEAVY
3.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A-
Jan 24, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Her lectures dragged on and had info not in book. Tests were hard even after 15 page study guides I made. Her test outlines were long and irrelevant. Smart lady, and gave extra credit opportunities (although not sure I got full credit for what I did). Took FOREVER to get SCANTRON exam back...& random inclass work that's an easy 100 if you're there

BEWARE OF POP QUIZZES
EXTRA CREDIT
LECTURE HEAVY
1.0
5.0
PSYCH240
Feb 8, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Samuels' style of teaching is the most ineffective style ever. Her lecture heavy class with mandatory participation mixed with unclear explanations and unhelpful animations on the slides just makes the class THAT much harder to bare. Also, there's only one exam- the final exam. Which is a bad thing because you just KNOW it'll tank your GPA. Booooo.

Tough Grader
Skip class? You won't pass.
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
4.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: B
Mar 17, 2019
Would take again

Interesting class with low workload. The lectures were sometimes a little dry but she added lots of interesting material and videos. She really helped me outside the class , we discussed how should I go about the classes. The exams and quizzes were easy. Don't forget to complete the LearnSmart!

Get ready to read
Caring
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: B+
Mar 18, 2019
Would take again

I took this class in the fall, and it is a tough class but she's a great professor. As long as you did your homework and did well on quizzes you would definitely get a good grade. The homeworks cost a lot of points so make sure you do well on them. Her powerpoints are fun and she always asks if we have questions! She's very sweet, funny and caring!

5.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Mar 28, 2019
Would take again

Bases each unit off tv shows to make class material more interesting

Clear grading criteria
Hilarious
3.0
4.0
STATS240
Grade: A
Apr 1, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Prof Samuels is very sweet but really was not a good teacher. She tries her best to be funny. I ended up teaching myself most of the material. HW assignments about every week. Theyre not too hard as long as your discussion TA is good at explaining concepts. a lot of your grade relies on iclickers, so make sure you go to class.

Lots of homework
Skip class? You won't pass.
1.0
1.0
PSYCH240
Apr 5, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Professor Samuels is a really nice person but her lectures are dry and easy to fall asleep in. I ended up teaching myself a lot of the information.

Lots of homework
Skip class? You won't pass.
Lecture heavy
1.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: Not sure yet
Apr 5, 2019
Wouldn't take again

She is a very sweet person, I would love to have lunch with her or be her friend but she is a really bad professor. Her slides are confusing to follow, so much homework due almost every week, and only one exam: The Final. The quizzes consist of 10 questions, and only given 15-20 minutes to complete them, which is VERY STRESSFUL. Good luck!!!

Lots of homework
Participation matters
Graded by few things
1.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Apr 11, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Dani's nice but this class is just plain horrible. Material isn't clearly stated in slides, and if it is it's piled under weird TV shows references that ends up just distracting me from statistics. Her sense of fashion is unbeatable tho.

1.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: Not sure yet
Apr 22, 2019
Wouldn't take again

I would never take her classes again. It is so hard to follow what she is saying because the true material we are being assessed on is buried beneath unnecessary jargon. She circles around concepts until you don't even know what concept you are learning anymore. She never posts lecture slides or quizzes or assignments on time.

Clear grading criteria
1.0
3.0
PSYCH350
Grade: Not sure yet
Apr 22, 2019
Wouldn't take again

There is 3 exams for this class and one of the grades is dropped which can be taken as helpful or not helpful, personally I didn't like it. The lectures are very dry, some videos, but the material is so lengthy. She never posts things on time, which leaves you scrambling days before the exam. Everything ends up being pushed back without notice.

Graded by few things
Lecture heavy
2.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A
Apr 30, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Very sweet but horrible prof. Slides are stream of consciousness and she didn't get to the point until the end of class. Clicker attendance, no required textbook. Homeworks were pretty easy and quizzes were online but few questions. Final was really difficult and took forever, but you get a cheat sheet. Not the hardest class but wouldn't recommend.

4.0
2.0
PSYCH100
Apr 30, 2019
Would take again

3 exams which the lowest one is dropped. The exams are pretty easy if you read the online textbook and see what it overlaps with in her lectures. If you only pay attention to the lecture but don't read the textbook, the exams will be difficult. It is a lot of reading though. She's very sweet and tries her best to help her students.

Get ready to read
Clear grading criteria
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
3.0
PSYCH350
Apr 30, 2019
Would take again

The library provides the textbook which you can check out for 3 or 4 hours. No quizzes. Extra credit. Post slides on Moodle after class. Slides are primarily made up of images. 3 exams which lowest one is dropped. Exams were difficult; people usually scored between 60-85. Easy short group project instead of finals.

Get ready to read
Lecture heavy
EXTRA CREDIT
1.0
4.0
PSYCH350
Grade: A
May 1, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Danielle is so hard to access after class. While she is extremely nice and approachable, her lectures are boring. She does not really explain things that well. Her slides also have no words so you must pay attention - and the exams. The exams are so hard. She does applied questions on them and not the definitions. You are not prepared at all.

Get ready to read
Graded by few things
Lecture heavy
3.0
2.0
STATS240
Grade: A
May 2, 2019
Would take again

Professor Samuels is a very nice person. Weekly homeworks are due and a very large portion of your grade. Only one exam which is the final. Attendance is mandatory due to iClicker questions. Get ready to waste your time in lab as it is required for handing in homework.

Lots of homework
Participation matters
Lecture heavy
1.0
5.0
PSYCH240
May 3, 2019
Wouldn't take again

worst professor ever- shes horribly boring and actually doesnt know how to teach... she should NOT be a professor. if you want to see weird tv references and not learn a single thing take her class. warning: youll probably fail because she doesnt teach well (the TA's are better teachers than her) and theres only one exam... the final. Good luck....

1.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A-
May 12, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Impossible to listen in her lectures because they are awkward and dont make sense. The homework makes up the majority of the grade, yet u should hope u get an easy grader as a TA, bc some got all high grades and some would count everything off. The final is the only test and was very hard. She only takes iClicker 1/4 classes, which is frustrating

Lots of homework
Skip class? You won't pass.
Graded by few things
2.0
4.0
PSYCH241
Grade: B
May 15, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Professor Samuels is so sweet and really just a nice, young professor. Which makes it even worse giving such a low rating. Her lectures are dense, often misleading and you really need to teach yourself. Do well on the homeworks even though they can be long. Only one exam which was the final & was extremely poorly organized. Really just aggravating

Lots of homework
Lecture heavy
2.0
2.0
PSYCH350
Grade: A
May 15, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Lectures are very boring- I skipped most towards the end and the only downside is some questions/extra credit questions on exams were only said in class. Easy to get 100% on all assignments and one exam is dropped. Really an easy A if you just do the work and prep for exams. Things are never posted on time & lectures are frantic- can be annoying

1.0
3.0
PSYCH240
May 22, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Professor Samuels is the worst professor that has ever stepped on campus. The only reason I took her awful class was because PSYCH 240 is a requirement. She reads off the slide with includes paragraphs. I learned more from my TA than Professor Samuels and the only test we had was the final, so we didn't have anything to compare it to.

2.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: Incomplete
Nov 10, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Although professor Samuels is very nice, her class is very boring. Half the time she can't even get in class videos to work and her lectures are dry like she just reads off of her slides. I wish attendance wasn't as important but because there are random in class writing things it is. Exams are ok and the quizzes are super easy.

Get ready to read
1.0
1.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Nov 20, 2019
Wouldn't take again

She is an awful lecturer you can barely understand what she's talking about because of how dull her lecturing is. Her class is an actual joke and I have no respect for her as a professor, do not take her class, she will teach you nothing. You only have to go to class for in class writing assignments, everything else you can learn easily by yourself

Graded by few things
EXTRA CREDIT
1.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Dec 7, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Dull lectures, not sure she actually knows what she's talking about because she just reads off the slides. She lets the class make so many stupid comments and wastes class time. 60% of your grade is determined by two exams and she nitpicks on them. Also she writes her slides in all lowercase letters which is both infuriating and a red flag.

Graded by few things
Test heavy
Beware of pop quizzes
2.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: B
Dec 11, 2019
Wouldn't take again

the exams were incredibly hard, nothing like other psych 100 classes which asked simple definition questions, she asks in depth confusing and interpretive questions which require deep knowledge of the material. monotone. im somehow doing better in organic chem than this supposedly simple class. very nice but too hard of a tester. easy quizzes.

Test heavy
Lecture heavy
Tough grader
2.0
2.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A+
Dec 13, 2019
Would take again

She reads everything off from slides and the lecture slides are posted online. There are few tidbits or videos that she says will be tested on, so you might consider attending. You can get by w/o looking at the textbook. For this class the tests seem like a joke. Simple questions. In-depth questions aren't complicated. Quizzes are more like HW

EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Dec 22, 2019
Would take again

If you're looking for an easy class, this isn't it. That being said, if you're a student looking for a challenge or looking for a strong start to a psych major this is the class for you because you're tested on lots of little details. To balance that out, she has so many oppertunities for help and extra credit. Would reccomend for psych majors.

Lots of homework
Accessible outside class
Test heavy
3.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Grade: A
Dec 26, 2019
Would take again

Took 240 with her as well. Her slides are stream of consciousness and she reads off them. She gives good extra credit and easy assignments. Difficult pop quizzes/midterm but final was half quiz questions we'd already seen. She seems disorganized and frazzled a lot of the time and doesn't communicate w/TAs. Overall easy class and I did learn a lot!

Beware of pop quizzes
EXTRA CREDIT
2.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Dec 28, 2019
Wouldn't take again

If you want a challenging Psych class that will benefit you in the future, don't take this class with her. However, if you want an easy A this is the class. Exams are 40 multiple choice and easy if you thoroughly read over the slides 1-3 days before exams. Lowest exam also gets dropped, and there's 4 exams total. Also offers A LOT of extra credit

5.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Jan 1, 2020
Would take again

Take good notes and use those to study for the exams. She tells you exactly what you need to get a good grade. She is also really cool to talk to.

Get ready to read
Clear grading criteria
Caring
3.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Jan 3, 2020
Wouldn't take again

For psych majors, this class is great and prepares you well for upper level psych classes because of the excessive amount of memoization needed. If you aren't a psych major, take this class with another professor. If you want an A, you NEED to do the textbook readings and take notes on the powerpoints. In depth tests but lots of extra credit

Get ready to read
Skip class? You won't pass.
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Grade: A
Jan 6, 2020
Would take again

Have had Prof. Samuels for 2 classes and she's really the most caring and clear professor you could ever ask for. She's new so some lectures are smoother than others but she really knows her stuff and cares about her students doing well. The classes were requirements and were HUGE, so take the cranky reviews with a grain of salt ;)

5.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A+
Jan 24, 2020
Would take again

Professor Samuels is genuinely invested in the content and puts tons of videos and current research into her lectures which are super interesting. As long as you attend the lectures and do the readings (which don't take all that long) you should be fine. There are tons of extra credit opportunities that can boost your grade so much.

Skip class? You won't pass.
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Jan 26, 2020
Would take again

Professor Samuels is an amazing professor. Her lectures are clear and as long as you're there and take notes, you'll do good on your tests. She offers a ton of extra credit and review sessions that help a ton and prepare you for your tests.

Get ready to read
Test heavy
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Mar 23, 2020
Would take again

As commented by others, this class is AMAZING for psych major, because of the amount of content you need to learn, but if you are looking for an easy A, look somewhere else. Prof. Samuels really wants you succeed , so to you keep up with the assignments you can easily get a B/B+. Her syllabus is clear and the final is optional.

Lecture heavy
Caring
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
PSYCH100H
Apr 2, 2020
Would take again

I was scared to go into this class initially because of the reviews but I was pleasantly surprised, this lectures are very information dense and you will need to do some work, but Samuel's is a great lecturer I learned a lot in this class for such a small period, she cover's all the important topics in a clear way.

4.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A
Apr 15, 2020
Would take again

Her class can seem long and boring, but she does well trying to make stats less boring than it is. She teaches the content pretty well and labs help you understand even more. helpful weekly review sessions that are extra credit too. Do not listen to all the bad reviews! She is really nice and if you put in the effort you can get an A

Skip class? You won't pass.
Caring
EXTRA CREDIT
1.0
4.0
PSYCH350
Grade: B
May 10, 2020
Wouldn't take again

I hated this class. The lectures are UNBELIEVABLY boring and incredibly difficult to understand. Her slides are useless and the class is basically just writing down what she says. The exams were "applied concept format", which made them 10x harder. Weekly assignments kept me afloat and helped me get an average grade. DO NOT take this class.

Test heavy
Lecture heavy
Tough grader
4.0
2.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Jun 6, 2020
Would take again

The class relies a lot on the exams, but if you study the vocab and read the lectures its an easy A. She posts all the lectures online so class is not mandatory. I would get the textbook because if you use it the exams are much easier. She has 4 exams but drops the lowest (so you could skip the final if you do well on the first 3)

Test heavy
Clear grading criteria
Caring
4.0
2.0
PSYCH350
Grade: A
Jun 6, 2020
Would take again

This class can get very boring but it is not hard. Use the textbook. I didn't think it helped much but I did much better than people I met without it. The exams are worth a lot but she drops the lowest of the 4 so you can skip the final if you try for the first 3. I liked her as a person the material can just get dull sometimes.

Test heavy
Clear grading criteria
Caring
5.0
3.0
PSYCH350
Grade: A
Jul 16, 2020
Would take again

She's a really kind professor who will try hard to make things work out for you. Honestly one of my favorites.

Clear grading criteria
Caring
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Sep 23, 2020
Would take again

I don't know why she has so many bad ratings, this is my second semester with Dr. Samuels and she is so beyond sweet. She is understanding, approachable, and wants only the best for her students. Honestly a favorite professor of mine. As for the class itself it isn't super difficult but you will have to apply yourself.

Skip class? You won't pass.
Clear grading criteria
Lecture heavy
4.0
3.0
PSY355
Nov 11, 2020
Would take again

The way she does her textbook through McGraw-Hill Connect is really awesome, you do little assignments and quizzes after you read, and it's the best way to learn in my opinion. She is really cool and makes lectures interesting. In my opinion, she should have a better rating on here.

Gives good feedback
Clear grading criteria
Caring
1.0
5.0
PSYCH355
Nov 13, 2020
Wouldn't take again

I took this class because I thought it would be really interesting but I was very wrong. There are weekly homeworks, quizzes, and 3 exams that are extremely hard. You need to pay attention in class and the work load is a lot. She does not seem to care about the wellbeing of her students at all. I do NOT recommend taking a class with her.

Test heavy
Lecture heavy
Tough grader
3.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Nov 15, 2020
Would take again

This is my 3rd class w her. She is really nice and very caring. Completely asynchronous. Watch lectures, and do the weekly hw/quiz and learnsmarts. It's really pretty easy and requires just doing the work. 3 exams that can be a little tricky but not awful and an optional final to drop lowest exam grade. Fairly easy class if you do the work.

Clear grading criteria
Lecture heavy
3.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Nov 17, 2020
Would take again

Prof. Samuels is understanding and wants her students to learn. There are weekly quizzes, which aren't bad if you read. Lectures are on the longer side and she isn't great about posting them on time (at least for my class). Exams are lecture based so make sure you take good notes (I recommend printing out slides). Overall good class.

Get ready to read
Lecture heavy
Caring
3.0
2.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Nov 18, 2020
Wouldn't take again

Professor Samuels is pretty understanding but not as bad as past reviews make her out to be. There's 3 exams that were mostly centered around lectures but TAs host review sessions and she provides study guides so you know she wants you to succeed. Smartbooks could be really time consuming but overall it was a low workload with a quiz each week.

Lecture heavy
EXTRA CREDIT
2.0
2.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Nov 18, 2020
Wouldn't take again

due to the pandemic, this class was online, & lectures were asynchronous. my only complaint is that she uploaded the lectures very late (sometimes not until midnight), so it'd be difficult if you wanted to stick to your schedule, which is very annoying. be prepared to watch these lectures on days dedicated to your other classes.

Get ready to read
Lecture heavy
4.0
4.0
PSYCH355
Dec 1, 2020
Would take again

Be sure to take these bad reviews with a grain of salt! Prof Samuels is really sweet and her async lectures were clear + easy to follow. SmartBook HW isnt hard + an easy way to study w/o reading the whole book but it can be really tedious. Exams are all multiple choice, but they arent super easy so beware! Overall shes a good prof, would take again

Lots of homework
Lecture heavy
EXTRA CREDIT
2.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A-
Dec 6, 2020
Wouldn't take again

HW is easy but annoying to enter the answers because Moodle just likes glitching on me. Exams are easy enough. There are four exams and you only have to do three. The final is optional to boost your grade. They were non cumulative three exams. It's really easy to get an A if you pay attention and math is really easy.

Gives good feedback
Lots of homework
Test heavy
1.0
2.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A-
Jan 2, 2021
Wouldn't take again

I don't like her, unbelievably rude and mean. My friend from the class said the same thing. She is very bad at explaining things in the fifth chapter and on. I guessed a lot in the exam that covered it. I got a 97. Didn't understand much. The HW's are easy but the exams are tricky because she never explained some things that were on the exam.

Gives good feedback
Lots of homework
Participation matters
5.0
2.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A+
Jan 25, 2021
Would take again

Statistics is a boring subject by nature, but Dr. Samuels does a good job teaching it. If you show up to lectures and do the homework, you'll be fine on the exam. There's also review sessions and lots of TAs to help you. I highly reccomend taking stats with her as you'll learn why you're doing statistics instead of just coding on a computer.

Participation matters
Caring
EXTRA CREDIT
1.0
3.0
PSYCH100H
Grade: A
Jan 26, 2021
Wouldn't take again

Incapable of grading anything on time, I had assignments from September that weren't graded by mid November. The material itself is interesting and her recorded lectures are subpar, but don't take her if you want to know how you're doing before the optional final exam.

5.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Feb 11, 2021
Would take again

Dr. Samuels provided a solid introduction to Psych 100. I had to work for my grade, but it was all based on material assigned, and review sessions were helpful.

Accessible outside class
Caring
EXTRA CREDIT
4.0
3.0
PSYCH241
Grade: A
Feb 17, 2021
Would take again

Before taking her course I was scared because of the reviews, but they seem a bit unwarranted from my experience. She was only in her first or second year when I took her so she was a bit disorganized but other than that I learned well, the course wasn't very difficult as long as you did your homework, and she was extremely nice.

1.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Grade: A-
Mar 22, 2021
Wouldn't take again

I took Adolescent Psych as a fun class during my last semester (I am currently a Masters student in Psych) but this class was anything but fun. Because it was during COVID times, it was a remote, asynchronous class. She didn't keep her own deadlines for posting information, and her lectures were BORING. Subject was fun, her, not so much.

Get ready to read
Lecture heavy
EXTRA CREDIT
3.0
2.0
PSYCH355
Grade: A+
May 13, 2021
Would take again

Honestly, this professor gets a lot of bad reviews but I've taken two of her courses in my time at UMass and they really haven't been that hard. I'm not an amazing student either. Just do the basic (but long) homework assignments, complete the easy quizzes and tests and if you're not a complete moron you're guaranteed a good grade.

Lots of homework
Graded by few things
Clear grading criteria
1.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Grade: B
May 13, 2021
Wouldn't take again

Shes a nice professor but is horrible at getting to the point of things and is very disorganized. Shes a highly responsive professor but shes a slow grader. I dont like her teaching style.

Lots of homework
Get ready to read
Lecture heavy
5.0
3.0
100H
May 17, 2021
Would take again

Passionate about material and teaches it well. Also shares cool supplemental stuff. Doesn't respond to email for some reason which would typically be annoying and problematic, but didn't mind (figured something out). Exams are absolutely perfect. Final paper kind of a force, but ok I guess. Def learned from final ppr. Also assgmnts were fun

Clear grading criteria
Amazing lectures
5.0
2.0
100H
Grade: A
May 18, 2021
Would take again

Professor Samuels was one of my best professors at Umass. Her lectures were super organized and easy to understand. The exams were so easy as long as you took notes from the lecture slides, you could easily find all the answers. All deadlines were very clear from the start of the semester. Overall a really nice person with a great personality!

Respected
1.0
4.0
PYSCH100
Grade: B
Nov 10, 2021
Wouldn't take again

She wanted us to remember the most insignificant things in the textbooks. I have never seen someone not care about the concept but rather the little details about it. She focuses way too much on biology than psych. I had to memorize more biology terms than psych ones. Just a terrible professor.

Lots of homework
Get ready to read
Skip class? You won't pass.
3.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A-
Nov 15, 2021
Wouldn't take again

Class is EXTREMELY dry. Shes not a bad teacher but is very rigid. She insisted on administering paper exams when every other prof has switched to online ones, then took 3 weeks to grade them because she wasnt used to in-person testing after covid. You have to really pay attention because the way she lectures is very dense with terminology.

Clear grading criteria
Lecture heavy
1.0
4.0
PSY100
Grade: C+
Nov 19, 2021
Wouldn't take again

I would not recommend, if you are too intelligent then go for it or else choose some other professor, she focuses on small details from concepts, I thought psychology class would be fun, but it's not, such a boring class. her classes are disorganized.

Lots of homework
Participation matters
Tough grader
1.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Nov 29, 2021
Wouldn't take again

if you took psych previously in HS, this class is an easy A. if you are completely new to the subject of psych I don't recommend taking her class. i was so excited to finally learn about psych but her exams feel extremely detailed and I would study for everything and still feel like I didn't do enough. HW and Quizzes are not helpful with her exams.

Lots of homework
Get ready to read
Test heavy
2.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: Not sure yet
Nov 29, 2021
Wouldn't take again

this class is tough to begin with and not very interesting, although I really admire Professor Samuels drive to make the course more interesting with references to shows, movies, and her dog:). Although, I feel like she is not the best at teaching and if you really arent good at math courses, PLEASE CHOOSE A DIFFERENT PROFESSOR.

Respected
Accessible outside class
Graded by few things
1.0
4.0
PSY100
Grade: Not sure yet
Nov 30, 2021
Wouldn't take again

she is really not a helpful professor, she doesn't reply to your email neither does she bother when you tell her in class that we are struggling, she will ask you to go to Ta where Ta doesn't care either. I regret taking these classes with her.

Skip class? You won't pass.
Test heavy
Tough grader
1.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 8, 2021
Wouldn't take again

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH SAMUELS. I took AP psych in HS and struggle on her exams. Thought this class was going to be an easy A... I was very wrong.

4.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: B
Dec 16, 2021
Would take again

she's very nice and intellectual, wants students to succeed, and is thorough when explaining materials, exams for me personally were a bit of a challenge as I often got thrown off by wording or the knit picky questions, despite having a challenge, i still prefer working harder over a class easy to pass

4.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A+
Dec 24, 2021
Would take again

She was very organized both in her lecture and what she posted which was helpful. she makes herself available for students. kind of a dry topic which isnt her fault but I found it hard to pay attention for the whole class sometimes.I think she did a good job going through problems to make sure we understood so I am not sure why people complain

1.0
4.0
PSYCH240
Grade: C
Jan 4, 2022
Wouldn't take again

Dont take this class if you are deciding between Psych stats 240 and stats 240. Just take normal stats. She is bad with grading and not very organized in my opinion. Lectures are hard to pay attention to, though she does try to make them fun, but theyre still not fun. If you do good on everything else but bad on the tests, u will get a bad grade

Test heavy
Lecture heavy
4.0
3.0
PSY240
Grade: A
Jan 11, 2022
Would take again

I really liked Prof. Samuels' teaching style. She had detailed slides and basically read off of them and explained further during lectures. The lecture slides had clear example problems which were helpful for homework. She allowed a note card for exams and the final was optional. She took a while to grade but that's my only complaint.

Clear grading criteria
Lecture heavy
EXTRA CREDIT
4.0
3.0
PSYCH240
Grade: A
Jan 14, 2022
Would take again

I don't know why her ratings are so low! Prof Samuels is great. The homework assignments were a little much, but they definitely helped prepare for exams. Grades were a little slow to come back, but that is the only real complaint. TAs were very available and a great addition to the class.

1.0
5.0
PSY355
Grade: B-
Apr 7, 2022

I have taken both psych 100 and 355 with her, I have nothing to say but never take a class with her. She expects you to remember every word from her heavy lectures and often tests you on things she thought she covered but didn't or mentioned in passing for two seconds during a lecture. I do not pay tuition to be miserable learning about my major.

Lecture heavy
Test heavy
1.0
4.0
PSYCH355
Grade: A-
Apr 17, 2022

Her lectures are the most boring things I have ever had to sit through. She puts a novel on each slide and 10 mins feels like 30. Her tests are so hard for no reason. She doesnt know how to make exams and the questions are strangely so specific. Also the "study guide" is the entire unit, every slide and note taken in the past month. AVOID HER.

Lecture heavy
Test heavy
2.0
4.0
PSYCH355
Grade: B-
May 5, 2022
Would take again

I really like Professor Samuels and her personality, however it has been very difficult to succeed. I had her for Psych 100 and now Psych 355, and in both it was nearly impossible to do well on an exam even though I attend every lecture and ace every quiz. The exam questions are not related to the lectures, and it's very frustrating.

4.0
2.0
PSY355
Grade: A
May 6, 2022
Would take again

Class is entertaining and mainly a review of each week's reading. Tests are a little tough, but not bad if you read.

Get ready to read
Test heavy
5.0
3.0
PSY355
Grade: A
May 11, 2022
Would take again

This course is truly not difficult as long as you attend/ listen to the lectures and prepare for the exams. She is very thorough and provides ample opportunity for students to succeed. Lowest scores from each category are dropped including exams. Her lectures are interesting and homework assignments are opinion based. She is a very good professor!

Clear grading criteria
5.0
2.0
PSY355
Grade: A
Aug 31, 2022
Would take again

Took her for Psych 355 and she was really good with presentations and teaching what she tests on.

Amazing lectures
5.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Grade: Rather not say
Oct 4, 2022
Would take again

Professor Samuels is awesome, she knows so much about adolescent psych that it makes this class so much more interesting. She is my favorite professor. If you keep up with the textbook readings and go to the lectures you'll succeed very easily. HW is opinion based and she gives plenty of time to complete assignments. 100% recommend.

EXTRA CREDIT
Amazing lectures
Gives good feedback
3.0
3.0
PSYCH355
Grade: B+
Oct 31, 2022

I tried to love Samuels after I had her in Psych100 but she's just not for me. She's very educated and well respected but her classes are extremely material heavy. Her lectures can be hard to sit through and her tests are specific and pretty difficult if you're not incredibly prepared for them. Homeworks are opinion based but lots of weekly reading

Respected
Lecture heavy
Test heavy
4.0
3.0
PSY100
Grade: Not sure yet
Nov 7, 2022
Would take again

Biggest issue was the really long smart-book assignments that took hours to complete. Sometimes the quiz timings/dates were moved without enough notice. It's easy to accidentally miss some. Lectures are easy to comprehend, tries to incorporate experiment examples in class. She drops your lowest grades. She is nice but due dates are pretty strict.

EXTRA CREDIT
Amazing lectures
Lots of homework
3.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: Drop/Withdrawal
Nov 30, 2022

She is a great lecturer, she goes over content well. attendance isn't "mandatory" but she has in-class writings we do at random times so if you aren't there to do it you're getting marked. The homework=time consuming. the exams suck bcz I would study hard, But every time I would get a 55% (out of 100%!) the exams are nothing like her study guides.

Tough grader
Lots of homework
Test heavy
4.0
3.0
PSY355
Grade: B+
Nov 30, 2022
Would take again

Her lectures are clear and concise. Her test has strange wording which can make it hard to understand. Be sure to skim the textbook because her quizzes will most of the time feature something in the textbook that is not in the lecture. She is a huge fan of the Netflix show Big Mouth.

Get ready to read
Respected
Lecture heavy
5.0
3.0
PSYCH100
Grade: A
Dec 7, 2022
Would take again

Professor Samuels is a great Professor. She explains well and there isn't a lot of assignments. All her exams are MC and non-cumulatives. She is caring and always takes time to answer questions.

EXTRA CREDIT
Amazing lectures
Caring
2.0
5.0
PSY355
Grade: B+
Dec 8, 2022

I don't know why she has so many positive reviews. You will have to WORK for the A. Psych is my EASY class and this class was hard AF for no reason. Her lectures are extremely content-heavy, and you are expected to memorize everything for the in-person, closed-note exam. Class average was a C for the first exam, B if you're lucky.

Tough grader
Lecture heavy
Graded by few things
5.0
3.0
PSY100
Grade: A-
Dec 8, 2022
Would take again

Lectures are recorded but she will do random in class writings for attendance, 6 total over the semester. Very nice but talks kinda slow. Not an easy A for ap psych from hs, but having that prior knowledge did help a lot. Study guides make you over prepare for tests which are 40 Q multiple choice. Do your work and you'll be fine

EXTRA CREDIT
Lecture heavy
1.0
4.0
PSY355
Grade: B+
Dec 13, 2022

I've liked basically every psych class I've ever taken, but she sucks so bad. The hw and quizzes are easy. It's the tests that are unnecessarily difficult and her study guides are way too long so you don't know what actually to focus on. I'm interested in the material for this class, but she ruined it. No reason you need to take it so avoid it.

2.0
4.0
PSYCH355
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 15, 2022

i love her because she's nice, but her exams are BRUTAL. 3 exams a semester + 50 pages of notes per exam + exams being 60% of your grade = tough class. she has long and mundane slides, so it's hard to feel like you're learning. it's a shame! i love the topic of adolescent psychology, it was really interesting but she made it really hard

Lecture heavy
Test heavy
2.0
4.0
PSYCH355
Grade: A
Dec 18, 2022

Samuels is a nice professor that cares about her students and made an obvious effort to interact which is why I didn't give her a 1. Her lectures are really long and mundane and she expects you to memorize every little thing for her in person exams. Fortunately, they're multiple choice but the wording is weird and the questions were super specific.

Caring
Lecture heavy
Test heavy
5.0
3.0
PSY100
Grade: A-
Jan 3, 2023
Would take again

I took this as a gen ed and it was definitely an enjoyable experience! You do get lots of homework some weeks but you have multiple days to complete the assignments. TAs were very accommodating if you needed to schedule an exam make-up. Also, go to class there's sometimes graded classwork! Also Prof. Samuels's outfits are so cool!

Participation matters
Lots of homework
Caring
4.0
3.0
PSY100
Grade: A
Feb 13, 2023
Would take again

straightfoward class. super nice prof. very tedious homework IMO but fair amount of time given. worst test and homework score are dropped.

5.0
3.0
PSY100
Grade: A
Feb 16, 2023
Would take again

I really liked Professor Samuels. She knew what she was talking about and presented good, easy to understand slides. There was a lot of memorizing which I don't always love, but overall she was great. She was super helpful if you went to office hours too which was really good for me personally.

Get ready to read
Clear grading criteria
Lots of homework
1.0
4.0
PSYCH350
Grade: B
Mar 3, 2023

Danielle is well dressed, and thats about it. Her teaching style is lecture heavy, tests are in person and test for memory more than comprehension. The material is boring, it's not a class you want to go to, an easy one to skip. I'd say try to find classes with other professors rather than suffer through it.

Lecture heavy
1.0
1.0
PSY100
Grade: A
Apr 23, 2023

I was told intro psych is one of the best classes to take, and I'm sure it is...just not with this professor. The class is easy anyways and there is extra credit so getting an A is fine, but take it with someone else if possible. Lectures were boring, she's not engaging, and she made interesting material seem boring

EXTRA CREDIT
Lecture heavy
3.0
4.0
PSYCH100
Grade: B-
Apr 26, 2023
Would take again

Homework takes hours so I recommend you split it up. Exams are all multiple choice but are very specific so pay attention. Weekly online quizzes. Lectures are boring but doable. She gives random pop quizzes every few classes so I would be careful skipping. There are extra credit opportunities. And she brought her dog in for the last class lol.

EXTRA CREDIT
Lots of homework
Beware of pop quizzes
2.0
2.0
PSY100
Grade: A
Sep 29, 2023

This professors definitions for terms were often redundant and/or unclear. Even the simplest of terms had paragraph-long definitions. The language was overly flowery and trying to be scholarly without much additional benefit. I ended up using the textbook definitions because I ended up getting more confused than when I started.

Inspirational
Caring
Graded by few things
Class Info

Online Classes

100%

Attendance Mandatory

45%

Textbook Required

0%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

A-

95% confidence
Based on 76 grades
Most common grades:
A (39)
A- (10)
B (10)
Grade Distribution
A(44)B(13)C(2)D(1)F(0)A-/B+(17)
Based on 87 reported grades
A: 39
A-: 10
B: 10
Not sure yet: 8
Common Tags
Lecture heavy (31)
EXTRA CREDIT (27)
Get ready to read (20)
Lots of homework (20)
Test heavy (19)
Clear grading criteria (18)
Caring (15)
Skip class? You won't pass. (13)
Rating Trend

Stable

-0.17 avg change
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Ratings by Course

100H

5.0

(2)

PSY240

4.0

(1)

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3.3

(8)

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3.1

(29)

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3.0

(3)
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PYSCH100

4.0

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3.7

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3.5

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3.4

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3.4

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