3.2
Quality4.0
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake97
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
97
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
23
4
23
3
28
2
13
1
10
What Students Say
“I want to be just like him when I grow up”
PS323 - 4.0 rating“I absolutely loved both classes I took with Mr”
PS234 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.46 avg changeRatings by Course
PS
5.0
(1)PS101
5.0
(1)PSYCHLEARNING
5.0
(1)PS234PS323
5.0
(1)PSYCH323
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PS
5.0
PSYCH323
5.0
PS322
5.0
PS323
4.1
PS234
4.0
Reviews (97)
Broken English and hard to understand.
This man was so bad that I dropped psych as a major in fear. THE WORST!
very hard, but learn so much if you do the work
Only take if you are a psych major, you will learn a lot! He's a great teacher
stutters way too much....hard to follow...makes me hate psychology!
he pushes his students, but the course is structured well and he teaches it well
His classes are a lot of work and only recommended if interested in lab work
No Comments
Everyone says he's really hard, but he's not that bad if you just go to class, pay attention, and ask lots of questions. He is VERY willing to clear things up if you ask. It was this class that got me interested in psychology. Not an easy A, though.
He plays favorites, and is not very understanding. He says one thing, and then denies it later (in reference to what he wants from you). Overall a bad experience.
Very hard, sometimes he doesn't explain the material that well. Also, he constantly turns the transparency on and off when you're trying to copy, which is annoying. Very bright guy though.
A silly man. Contradicts himself, gets overly animated in lecture, his test questions are incoherent, and he's a capricious grader. The course is both difficult and unrewarding. I did a happy dance when the semester finally ended.
Insane, UNFAIR courseload. Do not take this class, period. He is unwilling to compromise and expects immediate perfection without really teaching how to write a lab report ... and there are 4 of them in the course, due about every other week. Stay away!!!
I studied harder than I had ever studied before, and it never seemed to pay off. Although Idrobo is nice, his course is really hard, his lectures are often complicated, there is a lot of bland reading, and often short notice on quizzes.
DO NOT take his class. He does not help you even if you go in for help. He is the kind of teacher that seeks to make students' lives miserable. He rejoices when a majority fails. It is a waste of time. So if you want to be miserable, take his class
Tough course-- but it gets better the second half once you start to figure out what he's looking for. Make sure to crack the textbook open early-- it's dense and will take you awhile.
Nice guy, very enthusiastic about his work, often unintentionally funny. You'll learn a lot about the topic. If you're not a psych major though, it might be a little too much. Take this class if you're actually interested in psych.
Extremely Hard class but interesting topic, but Irdrobo is really unclear on many things and is simply confusing, don't take it unless ur prepared for one hell of a semester.
worst professor of all time. He's a tool and he's a horrible professor. All he does is breath very loudly into his microphone and act like that will explain everything
I hated this course. Fabio reeks and is completely incomprehensible. "The point that I will discuss is simply the notion which is this: etc" Bah!
No Comments
This wasn't the worst course ever, but it wasn't good either. The book is absolutely godawful, Fabio, although nice, is often unclear, and the class is rather boring. For these reasons, I don't recommend.
Read the book, and you will do fine (quizzes come from a combo of book and points he spends a lot of time on in class). Go to prof with questions or the TA during office hours - they know what he wants. Try and hand in rough drafts of work for feedback
I don't think I've worked harder, studied more, or had such a hands on experience in any other class. If you're in school to work hard and learn, take his course. If you're only focused on the grade, get your priorities straight.
He pretends to be nice and helpful one day and then the next day he will tell you to figure it out on your own with a smug smile. He loves to say you are getting your money's worth in his class and none of your other classes matter. INSANE LAB REPORTS
A really unpleasant man, for starters. The material is dry, which he ensures, so that the course is as boring as possible. Get ready to hear a lot about different pigeon pecking scenarios and be expected to memorize each possible outcome. Decent curve.
Fabio definitely expects a lot from his students. But he also works very hard to make sure that students do well. He was my faculty advisor and a good friend while I was at BU. It is thanks to him that I made it into a prestigous grad school.
Fabio is nice enough and pretty funny. He always says something random that makes the entire class laugh, like "Have you ever stuck a piece of tinfoil in a light socket? Now that's cool!" Ed. majors beware...he hates applying the class to humans. Tests are hard and complex, but there are reviews.
Fabio likes his material a lot, but he doesn't know how to present it well. He gets excited too easily and he will then talk about a lot off-topic stuffs that confuse you a lot... He tries to be funny by using a lot of slangs and idioms... but this confuses us even more... Tests are tough.
Lectures are boring and often confusing, and tests are hard. You know it's bad when you need to look through that HORRIBLE text for clarification. That said, if you really apply yourself you can get a good grade, but it's not nearly as good a class as the subject matter makes it seem.
This is the WORST class I have taken at BU..Fabio,the prof., is so unclear and confusing and you can pretty much get no help from the textbook because it is the most dry, difficult, and evil textbook ever made. This class is sooo hard, Fabio hates giving out grades better than C's..don't take it
If you take this class it will probably be the hardest you've worked your entire college career. Def not an easy A, the class is demanding; two quizzes a week, four lab reports that can take days to write. Quiz/Test ques's can be tricky. He's helpful, but you will prob be confused by his rambling.
Fabio knows the material very well but doesn't quite present it in a crystal clear manner. Challanging class. Take this class if you really want to learn psychology; planned quizzes during class [to make sure you're keeping on top]...he will let you know in advance when the next quiz is.
Fabio didn't really explain how to write lab reports, or how all the pieces fit together. He told us he teaches this class at a graduate level -- even though it was a 300 level class with no prerequisites. I recommend having had intro statistics and intro experimental psych before attempting this.
by far the most difficult class i took at BU. professor was very unclear and TA was very unhelpful. very dense material and impossible tests. be prepared to study a lot. boring text book too.
I thought fabio was a great teacher. His class actually taught me a LOT about psychology (unlike my current class with "Doctor Grant" *as he likes to refer to himself in the third person* anyway, a little difficult but DEFINATELY worth it. TF's an idiot tho.
I learned so much from this class. Fabio wants you to do well and makes sure that you understand the material. He even makes the effort to learn everyone's name! The TA was very helpful during office hours, though not so much during discussion. I definitely recommend this class.
Is Fabio a weirdo? Sure. Is the class difficult? Sure. But you get that after the first lecture. You have to work, but it pays off. Deal with the class throughout the semester, and towards the end he applies everything to humans. That was extremely valuable and interesting. Stop whining, people.
This class is not conceptually hard. Esp. coming from a science major. The material's a breeze but his inability to speak/write english makes questions difficult to interpret. Over excitement and stuttering make for an unprofessional environment. Hardly worth the hassle or bore.
This class was very hard and time consuming. However, I must admit that I learned a great deal from the course. It is a great prep course for any degree in research and learning how to write journal articles.
Fabio is confusing, but he wants students to undestand. Print the lectures, take notes in class, ask questions, you'll be fine. He's always willing to stop for questions, and he answers emails. You will work a lot, but it's interesting material. Don't take if you aren't interested.
This is one tough class, but fun at that. Overall I wrote more than 160 pages for it. Experiments are fun, I mean, where else do you get to watch a rat for hours during the undergrad program? Fabio helps you out if you're in trouble, and overall takes good care of you, as long as you show interest.
I didn't think he was confusing; his tangents were actually explanations of the material -- people just need to keep listening to him. He is very informative, replies to emails within hours, and very knowledgable about this subject.
Took this class and then took Psych of Learning with him also a while back. Yes he's a little "eccentric" but its in a good way and it made the lecture that much more fun. Used excellent examples to demonstrate points and very dedicated to teaching- something you can tell pretty much right away. Nice guy and good sense of humor-hot in his own way
The complaints about this class are unjustified. Fabio wants his students to do well - he posts the slides before class (take notes on these) and he is very easy to get in touch with, either through office hours or email. If you have questions, he will answer them. If you want more examples, he will give them. Tests are MC and short answer.
This class was not what I thought it was going to be, but in the end, I learned a lot. His approach to psych is science-based, which gives you a new perspective on the whole field. He is fairly challenging, but the material was interesting enough that I wanted to study. On a personal note, like others have said, he is kinda weird!
No Comments
He is a nice guy and wants people to do well but i feel like he is very unclear. It was a terrible class. He is a nice guy but has trouble expressing his ideas verbally. Dont take this class.
The topics can be a bit dry, but then there were some that were really interesting. tricky tests (mc) and quizzes. overall, a really nice guy.
Fabio expects a lot of his students but he is a fair grader. If you put in 110% you will learn a lot. The topics are fairly interesting but lectures aren't. This class recently converted to virtual rats instead of lab animals, a plus for those concerned about animal rights. Overall a good, tough class with a bad rep from lazy students.
Fabio is very passionate about his lectures and tries hard to make class interesting even though the material is WICKED BORING. His exams are very hard and a little tricky, but he does tell you exactly what will be on them. The quizzes aren't so bad and most likely save your overall grade in the end. Sometimes the material seems impossible, but you
one of the most eccentric professors ive had..but then again, he is a psych professor...some of the lectures were interesting while others bored everyone to tears..this class was much harder than i expected..his TA Bob is helpful and kind though, so if you need help, go to him
extremely clear about the material and what he wants, never relents until he's sure everyone understands and he always has weird examples that are not easily forgotten
Very helpful and not critical when you don't understand something. A lot of work but wery interesting material. Understanding and fair teacher.
First of all, his name is Fabio. Not only that, but he MAKES you call him Fabio. Amazing. Other than that, this class is so irritating. It's not necessariyl hard, it's just that writing a 20 page lab report based off fake data from a computer program isn't that enthralling. Fabio himself is extremely nice and somewhat helpful. So it goes.
I hate psych of learning, but Fabio was pretty cool. He learns names, and tries really hard to make sure that you are doing ok in the class. Sniffy was a cool simulater but the labs were annoying. Don't expect the class to be easy, but it's not that bad...now that it's over and my GPA is still intact.
great professor, great class. requires a lot of work but fabio is willing to help you a lot. i highly recommend taking the class!!
Fabio is alright. I can't stand his lecture style. I'm sorry, but don't ask me to finish every single one of your sentences. He quizzes you on a book that you never talk about. I really enjoyed the textbook. Lab is interesting, however the lab reports are just annoying and tedious. If you can, take something a little more interesting.
He is a good teacher that gets you interested in the material. Only problem I had was that since English is his second language he sometimes uses odd wording to describe things. In terms of difficulty, I did well all semester and bombed the final, ended up with a B, but it was much easier than my final grade shows.
class is definitely a challenge, but he really tries to help you learn the material. GREAT experience for anyone interested in continuing psyc. great hands on experience, unlike other psyc classes. class helped me for future lab work. if u are a major, he'll help you out with getting lab work/internships. great guy!
Great class, great professor, great TF - Matt. You will learn a lot, and Fabio's antics and enthusiasm are sure to keep you interested. I love Fabio!
Nice, smart, and enthusiastic professor. The course is interesting but the presented information is too much and becomes confusing in spite of the best effort from the student and professor. Do not take this course unless you absolutely have to.
Awesome class! Awesome teacher! Definitely hard work but nothing is rocket science if you keep up with the reading and go to lectures. Be able to wrap your head around the information and you will be very happy with the results!
I took PS234 and PS323 with Fabio... by no means are the classes easy, but if you put in the time you will do well. He is an incredible professor and truly cares about his students' success. I definitely recommend any of his classes.
If you're a psych major looking to fulfill one of the Group A courses, I would avoid this class at all costs. I studied nonstop for this class, and I couldn't get above a C on any grade. If it weren't for the TF, Matt, I would have failed. Fabio is difficult to understand, and his teaching style is confusing. Don't take this class!
Definitely one of the more interesting professors I've had, but he really cares about his students and is always willing to answer questions and clarify things. As long as you keep up with the reading and attend lectures you'll do fine.
Hard class, and the material could get boring. Fabio tried to make it interesting, though. Matt, the TF, is definitely a life saver. Sometimes attendance is taken (as a boost to your grade) and there are around 4 quizzes. Try to keep up with the material, since there is a lot to learn.
Fabio genuinely loves teaching this class. The class itself is not easy, but if you keep up with the material you will do fine. He gives quizzes throughout the semester which seem to be a pain but are helpful because they force you to stay on top of the material. Matt (the TF) is incredibly helpful. Not an easy class, but I'm glad I took it.
Material wasn't the most interesting but Fabio made sure we got through it. He's very helpful and the TA, Matt, was by far the best TA I have had at BU. Tests were a little long but otherwise not too difficult. Just don't fall behind.
Worst. Class. Ever. The book is boring, the lectures are boring, and the tests are incomprehensible. Thank goodness for the TF. Unless you want to be bored to death and fail, avoid this class.
Fabio is one of the better professors I've had. He makes sure everything is crystal clear. Ask for clarification, you'll get the material. I guess the material was more difficult than psych majors are used to, but the topic is interesting in that it explains much of human behavior. But if you're not up to paying attention in lecture, don't bother.
Class has a lot of material. Attendance is randomly taken in lecture so it's good to show up. I didn't really read the book and I did ok so you should probably read it. TA is AMAZING; discussion was very helpful. Fairly difficult class but interesting material. I recommend it.
Awesome prof who genuinely enjoys teaching. Seems to really enjoy this material and really wants his students to do well. Class is not easy though; grade mostly consists of lab reports and a single, cumulative final. Weekly quizzes for lecture and lab really boost your grade (don't just brush them off like I did!).
The toughest psych course offered at BU. Fabio is a bit intimidating, 25% dropped after the first meeting after his warning speech. He doesn?t sugarcoat anything. No easy A. If you want one you have to work for it. He?s helpful if you ask, but you have to ask. You?ll learn a lot if you put in the time. Review stats before taking this class.
This class took a lot of effort. There were days i'd leave the lecture and feel like i had NO idea what went on. However, things in lecture were also covered in the book. Tests were impossible and averages for them were in the D+ C- range. (There was a huge curve at the end of the class) If you are willing to work at it, it is possible to get the A
I took a class with Fabio over 15 years ago. I was 33 years old and finishing my undergrad. If it weren't for him I never would have gone to grad school and he even wrote my recommendation. He is unusual to say the least but he loves to teach and he loves his work. It was the most difficult class I ever took undergrad but it was worth it.
Fabio is a great teacher. Some of the material is a bit dense/boring at times, otherwise it's a fairly good class. Not the most lively topics but he really tries to make it interesting and always gives lots of examples. He's hysterical also. But there's lots of reading and material to cover. Exams are hard but quizzes are bearable. Must work hard.
He's a phenomenal professor. The material is a bit dry but he works hard to apply it to clinical psych and current events. Always there to help explain things. Funny and nice. I really didn't think the class was that hard...just study and read the textbook.
Lectures were pretty boring since he PowerPointed the whole 3 hours...however, he started to let us do our own little (extremely casual) presentations on various articles each week to mix it up. Big huge paper at the end but he's a really fun, nice guy. I'd recommend it.
Very entertaining but has trouble being clear in lecture
My favorite undergrad professor. Fabio really brought the subject to life.
Professor Idrobo seemed pretty nice, but he is extremely confusing and rambles frequently. Taking notes in class is very difficult. The textbook we used was TERRIBLE. The papers he made us read were very long, and didn't add much. Our T.F., Tenzin, was clueless about psychology and wasn't helpful with the papers we read. Tests/quizzes were hard.
Idrobo was a great professor. Sometimes it was hard to understand his reasoning. He is a very smart man and knows a lot about this subject. He's also a funny guy. He wants his students to do well and if you put in the effort and read what he tells you to, you'll do good in the class.
Very difficult class. Although attending lecture is not mandatory, he takes attendance regularly and it affects your grade. Idrobo loves this field of psycholog but sometimes that isn't enough to be a good teacher. Always go to lecture, and make note of the jokes he tells (they're exam questions).
Great prof! Class is fun, minimal work, overall good class. A lot of movies shown.
HORRIBLE. He is so unhelpful and doesn't know how to explain any concepts that he expects us to know for the exam. Introduces ideas and never explains any of them - asks us questions and never tells us the answers during lecture. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!
Fabio is really engaged with his material & truly taught this class so the students would know the material. He's always open for questions/criticisms, hoping to give the best lecture and to make sure everything is clear and fair. I've learned so much and feel prepared to do research and run statistics. Going to lecture is mandatory but worth it.
Do NOT take this class if you're expecting to have a good handle on the material and get a good grade. Lecture very difficult to follow, he speaks too quickly to comprehend and copy down the tons of slides. On quizzes very specific questions taken out of a ton of material, next to impossible to prep for. Spent 5 days studying for midterm to get 70
He is a great professor. Very nice and will work with you to make sure you know the material. He does cover A LOT of material which makes it really hard to study for and his exams/quizzes are hard. Attendance is required and he does talk fast but keep up with the reading and pay attention in lecture and you'll be fine.
Sweet guy but tough to understand. He knows his stuff but he tries to jam in too much information. His quizes are hard but fair. His exams are HARD!!! BE ADVISED!!!
I absolutely loved both classes I took with Mr. Idrobo back in 1993 and 1994. Our class suffered a tragedy that year and he was supportive of all of the students. His classes kept my interest in the field and inspired me to become a mental health counselor for persons with developmental disabilities.
Idrobo is great. I really loved his class and plan on taking more with him in the future. He is upfront and honest that he is a tough professor but with that in mind he is also very understanding. He loves his students and really does care about your opinion. Hes a great teacher and you will learn a lot from him. His quizzes/exams are hard but fair
Fabio is a nice very nice guy, but that being said, his class was a little tricky. He often went on tangents that had nothing to do with what he was teaching, and his lecture style seems disorganized frequently. If you study hard for quizzes/tests, you'll get at least a B. He gives you a day's notice on quizzes as well, which is cool.
Fabio is the man. I want to be just like him when I grow up. This is my 3rd class with him, and if he taught more classes I would be sure to cram them in before I graduate next spring.
Fabio is hard to understand. I sat in the front row in class and still couldn't comprehend what he was explaining half the time. The quizzes were difficult to finish in the time allotted, and the exams were HARD. In an attempt to save my grade I tried to learn from the book, but he uses his own wording on the tests so it didn't work. HARD CLASS!!
Horrible, stay away
This class was certainly difficult and had a really heavy work load, but I feel I learned so much. Fabio is so approachable and really helps you learn. He is not the best lecturer but he is great in office hours and will work with you until you understand something. I would say take this class if you really want to learn.
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.46 avg changeRatings by Course
PS
5.0
(1)PS101
5.0
(1)PSYCHLEARNING
5.0
(1)PS234PS323
5.0
(1)PSYCH323
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PS
5.0
PSYCH323
5.0
PS322
5.0
PS323
4.1
PS234
4.0