3.1
Quality2.9
Difficulty40%
Would Retake106
Reviews40%
Would Retake
106
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
34
4
13
3
19
2
15
1
25
What Students Say
“There is no passion or enthusiasm when she speaks”
PSYC3500 - 1.0 rating“Takes forever to get your marks back”
PSYC3500 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
22%
Textbook Required
17%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.51 avg changeRatings by Course
DEVELOPMENTAL
5.0
(1)PSYC4010
5.0
(1)DEVELOPMPSYC
5.0
(1)PSYC4460
5.0
(1)PSYCH3490
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
DEVPSYCH
5.0
PSYCH3135
4.0
PSYC4460
4.0
AHSS1110
4.0
PSYC3510
4.0
Reviews (106)
Prof. Varghese is such a nice person. She just finished her PhD in December 2005 so she understands what it's like to be a student. She gave us the weekend to study for our exam, plus she gave us a study day for our final, which she didn't have to do. She always made sure that we had time to take down notes. Excellent professor, interesting topic.
Love her. She is so sweet the way she talks about infants. You can tell she actually cares about what she teaches. Make sure to read the chapters and study her notes and you'll do good. She is fair and nice YAY Jean!!!!
She is the only prof I like at YORK. her teaching style is very clear and understandable. her lecture notes are very helpful...very understanding and caring.. i would love to have her again!!!!!
awsome prof for developmental. easy straight out out the book multiple choice and very caring as well. would love to have her again.
good prof but dont expect to be bumped .5 for a whole grade change!!! C+ to a B...thats tight!
ohy, nice woman but i cant stand her teaching style, simply way to boring.
The material is interesting and the tests are straightforward. Classes are extremely boring and not necessary because she posts everything online and just reads off her slides. You need to read and understand all her slides though.
This prof read directly from the powerpoint presentation, added nothing to it and to top it all, she waited for minutes between reading out lines for people taking notes even though the notes were available online. I could not sit for more than 10 min in this class...very disappointing!!!
A lot of people said she was interesting and taught well. I took her section and regretted it. In my opinion, reciting info as it is written on her powerpoint slides that are taken almost directly from the book and using examples that fit a grade 8 level is just insulting and definitely isn't worth the money paid for the course. The book was good.
No need to come to class - all lectures posted online. Tests were multiple choice & short answer. The MC were easy, but there are 8 short answers (no choice - have to do all 8) lecture notes - have to know your stuff.
very nice prof and clear about what's expected of you for the exams (which is extremely rare) :)
Lectures are very boring. She hides behind her desk and does not stray away from her powerpoint. Just memorize her notes for the short answer and study all the little wee details for the multiple choice. Unprofessional e-mail correspondence. Seek help if needed elsewhere...
Great prof!! Could have shown a little more of her personality during lectures. Lectures are clear and to the point and gives lots to chances to ask questions during class.
Must attend class if you want to fully understand her notes. Clear and to the point in lecture. Good course and good prof
AMAZING prof! she is really helpful and very knowledgeable about developmental psychology overall..she gives great feedback if you ask for help..she posts her lectures online and it helps to come to class although if u miss it u can still do pretty good..hafta study the textbook well for the exams but if u do its a fair exam
She's a great prof! She always posts her lectures beforehand and you can even get away with gettin an A+ without going to class. Her short answers are usually specific and straight out of the lecture notes - focus on the headings of the lecture slides. She's very approachable - very helpful when it comes to the essay. Amazing prof!
The best psych professor at york. Study notes they make up most of the short answer, & textbook & this is one course you will do just fine. This is the only profesor I could say this about. Go to class she shows such interesting movies the first 1/2 of the semester that in 45 minutes go over main concepts in chapter. Has good quality online notes :
She is an amazing prof! Very understanding and helpful. She does will do anything to ensure her students to well. She is very clear in explaining and makes the course interesting. Her exams are straightforward and I definately recommend her.
Lectures were well organized and posted on-line. You don't have to go to lecture, but if you do it's the difference b/w an A and an A+. Short answers straight from lecture, multiple choice are straight from text which makes for easy studying. Great prof, extremely helpful w/ questions about grad school. Highly recommended.
She's excellent, clear and conscise. Attendance is not mandatory, but it does make a substancial difference in your final grade.
Very nice prof. Everything that appeared on her exams was in her notes and the texts, so there were no surprises. She even tells you in class what to expect for her test items. Take this course if you can.
The best prof at york, had her in 08 for developmental psych & fall of 08 for infancy. Clear online notes, lecture notes make up most of short answer & textbook makes up most of the multiple choice. So very fair, I thought easy exams & no trick questions. Any course this professor teaches in the future I definately want to enroll in:D
Great professor, very clear in what she teaches, slides are posted online. She goes through them in class, so I'd recommend you take notes by hand and pay attention to her descriptions and additional examples. Tests are straight forward, and if you do your readings you'll enjoy the course and do well.
What an amazing course & professor. She is very inspiring and to date this is the only textbook that I have not sold, but instead kept.
I just love her! Such a warm and helpful person!
Great course and very informative proffessor. Notes provided as well, however lectures are VERY helpful! 2 tests, 1 final and an essay. Essay isnt too bad if you don't procrastinate. Tests aren't too bad if you read the textbook and go over the slides, but does have short answer along with multiple choice(READ THE TEXTBOOK).
Absolutely loved her! If you had Jubis for 1010, I'd say easiness is about the same: high content, but straightforward questions. Attendance isn't mandatory and slides are provided online BUT attending helps. She's my favorite proff at York so far, definitely hoping to have her again in the future. Got an A by studying the night before.
Great professor. Interesting class in general, but you must study since the course is demanding. A lot of information to remember, and I mean A LOT. Study, study, study.
Her exams are very fair 60 MC and 40 SA, most of which are from lecture, you can probably get an A just from the textbook and slides but for an A+ going to class is definitely mandatory, however still very difficult as readings are long, extensive and somewhat dry. If you are an average A or A+ student than that is achievable in this class too.
she is just the best !!!!!!!!
One of the worst 2nd year Psych professors I have ever had. She speaks so fast in class and her tests are very tough. I dont know how her class average is A+ when alot of people I know failed in her class. Just a terrible professor and she is nothing like Jubis! To the people that say that. and The material which you have to study is very hard.
i cannot believe the ratings of this prof. shes one of the worst i've had at york. her exams are ridiculous and instead of explaining the textbook (which she already stated is dense) during lecture, she gives you more material that is not in the textbook it doesnt make sense, class average is between 60-65 right now, wonder why
3 exams (30%, 30% 40%) 60 MC 40 SA. Multiple choice is straight from the textbook and short answers comes from the lecture. Course requires ALOT of readings which can get very dull and dry. Exams were pretty hard so study well. Class average was in the low 60s. Overall great course, A is attainable.
She seems nice but not a good prof. Tests are HARD. Course material is dense and she does little to help you learn. Lectures are boring and as if she's having a conversation with you so there's little time to take down notes. Slides are available online but that's the only perk for signing up for her class.
One of the worst courses I've taken during my 4 year undergrad. 3 very tedious exams , 60 MC and 8 (Yes I said 8) short answers. Make sure your SAs are word for word. Textbook is EXTREMELY dense and boring, lectures mainly cover additional material so you are pretty much teaching yourself the textbook material.
I loved Dr. Varghese. You definitely have to put effort into the course and it's not something you can study for in one night. However, all the material is laid out for you and the tests are mostly based on her lectures. Focus on bolded words in textbook and everything in lectures. Got an A in the class
Decides to record only 1 lecture and that was because of the strike. When the strike was over, immediately stopped recording lectures even though many professors have said it costs nothing. Students are blocked from communicating in the online forum. No forum for discussion or help with lecture concepts. You're on your own. How is this development?
The course material was great,to bad she is the most monotonous prof I've ever had. She does NOT try to give examples when explaining concepts and is awkward. Long answer question re not marked fairly by the TAs due to the "strict marking guidelines" she gives so make sure they're detailed and to read over the chapters twice.
omg. Actually think this Prof actively looks for the most expensive textbooks to assign. Had her for developmental before and regret that experience too. Plus she's monotonous. Smh.
Amazing prof - really tries to discipline/educate her students and set them up for success in uni. Listen to her cues. She will tell you how to study the course. You can apply her studying techniques in most psych courses. Reading the text is important - elaborate her slides. requires consistent work-ethic. Got an A.
She's very monotone during lectures and not clear with what she wants us to know for exams. Her powerpoints are useless and not that helpful. Not that caring for students from my perspective. I rarely showed up to class and still managed an A so I would assume showing up to class is not mandatory
Actually thought the class would be interesting until I entered her lectures. She is very monotone and gives no direction what so ever in what to study for in the exams. She is unbelievably boring and you honestly don't have to be in class because you basically teach yourself the course anyways. Entered loving the class, exited hating it.
Dr. Varghese is an amazing professor. She is very caring and approachable. She truly cares about her students and whether they are in the right path when it comes to assignments/tests. She always responds to your questions clearly. Her tests are not the hardest but you definitely need to be in class to pass this course. Heavy reading.
Dr. Varghese is a terrific professor. She is organized in lecture and allows for class participation. You can tell she's rooting for you to do well. She gives you free reign for your term paper (within the scope of the course) which allows you to focus on topics that actually interest you. Exams are mix of textbook and lecture, so do your readings.
Great prof! Clear, organized and is open to any questions. She told us exactly what to focus on from the textbook (just definitions) and if you show up to class and write good notes there is no way you cannot do well in this course! Term paper she assigns was restricting by only allowing articles within the last year but overall great course!
Dr. Varghese really knows her stuff when it comes to Psychology. You can tell because she spends little time looking at the powerpoints and elaborates on what she has on each slide. She usually says more than what is on the slide which is typically the examples the textbook gives so if you don't like reading the textbook, pay attention.
Honestly I walked into class excited for the class and then the lecture started.. my mood shifted. She talks in a monotone voice, does not show any sign of expression AND she does not move from her spot through out her entire lecture. Her short answers screw you over. The one good thing is her lecture is not a full three hours.
Professor is very unapproachable and the T.A. for the course was very rude. The material isn't hard but the attitude of the professor is a turn off she gives the impression she doesn't care about her job. Takes forever to give back marks on tests written. I wouldn't recommend this professor at all.
Professor along with the TA are very rude and unapproachable. Class consists of her reading off a bunch of slides not necessary to attend just read the textbook. Takes forever to get your marks back. Very boring class professor seemed very uninterested and gives the impression she is only interested in collecting a paycheck. I would not recommend
I have never rated a prof before but I felt this was necessary to do. This prof is so incredibly boring and monotone sitting through class is torture. There is no passion or enthusiasm when she speaks. She replies to emails with a single word or phrase and is not very reasonable when it comes to giving extensions due to legitimate circumstances.
Wish I read the reviews before taking this class. She teaches with no passion as if she is forced to be a professor. She doesn't engage her students and looks at the back wall when talking. She reads every word on her slides like she made them the night before so you're better off reading the textbook. As for her emails, worst replies and very rude
Dr. Varghese is really knowledgable and lectures are full of interesting information. Only 2 midterms and a final exam. All tests have MC and short answer questions
I love this prof. I just took her PSYC 2110 in summer school and I had read the reviews and they were mostly bad but I took it and loved her. She lectures really well, and she covers everything you need to know for tests and exams in the lectures. As long as you go to class and listen, you will do really well. Would definitely recommend her.
There's a kernel of truth; her lectures are very monotone, and the course is straight forward. However, she is very passionate and you would see this if you went up and asked her a question. She cares for the work she does. Grading criteria is clear, and A+ is possible but you're going to have to work. Only take this course if you love dev. psych.
Honestly, this is probably the most monotonous professor Ive ever had. Some people are born for teaching; this teacher is not. She has no passion whatsoever and hardly makes the lectures engaging. She literally just regurgitates the textbook and reads her slides word-for-word. Its disgusting and a disgrace to the world of education. AVOID!!!!!!!!
Horrible lectures. Horrible textbook. No passion.
Absolutely loved Professor Varghese. I've taken this course, and am now taking PSYC 3500 with her again. Her tests are straightforward and easy, and the material is easy to understand. The textbook helps to understand certain certain concepts she doesn't go over in class but is expected to know for the test. Easy to get an A+.
Jean Varghese hasn't published any scholarly articles in over 10+ years. Enough said. Save your money and enroll in a class with a professor who actually has passion.
she's monotonous but it's not that bad. Only criticism about the course I have is the fact that there's no participation marks. Just a midterm, term paper and exam... If you go to her lectures you don't have to read the textbook. Also, her TA is a pretty hard marker for the assignment.
This teacher is by far the most careless individual. If you think she cares about you or anybody else.. THINK AGAIN. This woman does not care about anybody but herself. She is beyond rude, her emails and replies are dry, and she feels as if she has an abundance of power over you. She is monotoned, and doesn't show interest in her job. Never AGAIN.
Dr. Varghese is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about what she teaches. However, her lectures are unfortunately quite dull and monotonous, although this wasn't a major problem for me because I actually enjoy developmental psychology. If you go to class, you really don't have to read the textbook. You just need to review the chapter summaries.
Probably the most average professor I've ever encountered. All lectures are monotone recital of information directly from the textbook. I can't complain, but there is nothing to compliment. The tests sometimes contain questions about things she never discussed. Some very bad questions. The long answers are difficult for an introductory course.
I was a little hesitant to take this course originally but Dr. Varghese made me not regret it at all. She was very clear about the course content and her exams were fair-- not easy, not hard. She provides good explanations of concepts and theories.
Fully Online, She never held a lecture time, just posted videos, took a while to reply to emails, is very rude. she does not care if you have multiple assignments, extensions are a big no. Exams and Midterms, are very heavy and textbook based, lectures recording/videos not so much. Her term paper was hard and worth 30% of the course.
Dr. Varghese is very professional and is lenient with her students. The content she gives is interesting, however, her tone can be very monotone where some might be demotivated. Overall, this course layout is a little difficult because your mark depends on three tests. There are no other ways to improve your grade unless you do good in all tests
Some comments here do not have value. It does not matter whether she posted scientific articles or not, extensions should not be handed out to students, a final essay worth 30% is fine with me. Nevertheless this is the most useless class I took in uni. Assignments are there to fill time instead of teaching something. She does not care, thats it.
To say Jean Varghese is lackadaisical would be an understatement. She reads her slides word for word as if being held at gunpoint, not an ounce of warmth in her tone. Extensions? Nope, she doesn't do those. She'll even ignore learning accommodations that specifically state you need extra time. Kind of ironic considering she's a psych professor, no?
I am normally an A student, but this class honestly made me rethink my whole university career. My advice is to take this course with ANY OTHER professor because you will be trying your hardest and it still will not be good enough.
When I first started this course, I was very overwhelmed. There are a lot of little things due each week. However, they are easy and boost your grade. As long as you plan a schedule, you'll be fine. The course actually helped improve my writing! Weekly forums: 20%, essay component 1-4: 20%, ec 1-6: 20%, final essay: 30%, best writing assg: 10%
The class is scheduled on Tuesday but everything is due Mon/Tues/Wed. This made no sense because it was not like we had only one class to focus on. There was a lack of communication between the prof and ta which made it very stressful. My recommendation for this course is that if you plan on taking it then make sure you have enough free time.
Professor Varghese and her teaching team were transparent about grading criteria and provided great guidelines to use in papers. The course entailed many written assignments but was never too heavy. Overall a wonderful course that can be very useful for future courses. I highly recommend this course to professor Varghese!
Very easy course. Most people complain that there are a couple of small projects due each week, however there is no textbook reading, these small projects are just worth participation marks (easy 100% & grade booster) + only take 15-30 minutes a week to complete. You also get feedback throughout the whole course working on your final essay.
Definition of monotone HOWEVER the most clearest and straightforward in lectures so it didn't bother me too much honestly. Lots of work to do but they were just participation marks anyway, keep up with them and you'll get a good grade. Definitely take the time & put in effort for your essay components bc they mark hard for the final essay.
Professor Varghese was very sweet and i really enjoyed this class. I sometimes could not pay attention because of the lack of expression when reading off the slides, but the professor always made eye contact, asked students if they had any questions, and was very very clear. I learned so much about infant development that I never knew before!
I had her for PSYC 2010 (Writing in Psychology) and she seemed to be fine as a professor for that course. However for Infancy, she simply was not a good prof. She basically just read off the slides and does add much commentary. Her exams were difficult and would put things that we mentioned once (never again) into the short answer. Don't take her.
Her lectures consisted of her reading off of PowerPoint slides and she made no effort to engage students. The exams were unnecessarily difficult and contained questions about things that were not mentioned in class. I would recommend her for writing in psyc but not infancy.
She reads off of her slides and does not grant extensions. The assignments are there to fill time instead of teaching something. There was lack of communication between the professor and the teaching assistants which made it very stressful. She was a tough grader and the course was tight with so much work. You must attend lectures to be successful.
Pls just choose any other prof if u have to take psyc2010. The course itself isnt really difficult but having to listen to her lectures is literally like waiting for a rock to soften in boiling water. her voice is like siri and it doesnt even help that her lectures are 3 painful hours long. Avoid her, dont make urself suffer
She was a great professor! 20% of the course was easy participation marks and 10% was an easy writing exercise! They marked easy on the first assignment but hard on the second assignment! Make sure to work hard on the final paper because they mark hard on it! There is lots of work so manage your time to do well and overall, its an easy A course!
She does not give extensions for assignments or essays even though, every Monday and Tuesday, assignments are due (which is very unrealistic). There is also a lack of communication between the TAs and the professor. For example, TAs were not aware of the requirements of the final essay, one week before submission.
I had a great professor for a course I took. If writing is your weak point, I would recommend checking out the writing centers early on. The course was easy to do well in, and the content was interesting. Highly recommend attending LECS, she provides valuable information. Caring professor stays back after class to address any questions.
lectures are monotoned, however marks are easy to attain, easy grade
So much unnecessary work for no reason, things due every tuesday, wednesday, thursday. In the end they help with ur mark but its so stressful to remember. there is no actual rubric for the essay, its insane. your marks depend on the TA you get not the prof. lectures will put you to sleep and are useless beyond words.
The most boring class I have ever taken. I love to write, and this just Took all the fun out of it, as every time I asked for clarification, it was never given to me clearly. Too many useless assignments ! As well, it was horrible to get assignments done after the strike, to say the least. So I do not recommend taking this course with this prof!
Easy class, but take it with a different prof, but then again, she is one of only a few options. She seems disinterested in teaching most of the time and gives zero extensions. Had a family emergency where I had to take a relative to the ER, and she didn't give me an extension for the weekly assignments bc it would be "unfair to other students."
This class was so not worth it, I was stressing every week and didn't learn much. She is a hard marker and I find her classes unreasonably long and boring. She's also very unapproachable and even when you email her she's very cold and frigid, If yall don't wanna suffer i wouldn't recommend
the prof herself was fine, not the best but also not the worst. the t.a on the other hand was horrible, her name is desiree and she wasnt helpful with anything, marked super hard and her reasoning was not constructive. overall never would wanna take this class again
There were a lot of assignments and deadlines to meet, but with proper time management it was fine. I'm not sure how you can make a course about writing "exciting" so I think she did a fairly good job. Her instructions were straightforward, TAs were responsive to emails and provided constructive feedback.Glad I took the course, great skill to have.
I would not take her for writing in psychology, but... she kinda is one of the only profs. Avoid if you can, lectures are completely irrelevant however theres a lack of guidance. You never really know how you're gonna do on papers because it depends on the TA's themselves. She does not answer emails lol
Her lectures are straightforward and informative. There are many chances to get a good grade in this class as it is mostly participation working towards a final paper. I appreciate how clear she is in the requirements for all of the assignments, as long as you stay on top of what's due and dont procrastinate you will do great!
She was very monotone, hard to stay awake but that's also because of the content. my TA graded extremely specific. Prof overall had good intentions, she did her best to help and was very accommodating after the strike.
I would not recomend her. She gave heavy lectures irrelevant to the assignments , I struggled the whole time even if I love writing . Do Not take it with her
lectures are irrelevant to the assignments, isn't helpful when asked a question for an assignment, TAs are very specific and detail oriented with assignments although the prof doesn't explain what we need to do thoroughly. also very monotone and has a quiet voice to the point you can't hear if you're not sitting first row.
monotone and dull, but overall she explains everything fine. her small weekly assignments make the class bearable and the final essay so much easier to write, plus the way the assignments are set up make it extremely easy to get a 90%+.
lectures not worth attending. can't really blame the professor for boring lecture when the content is basic essay writing that you would learn in first year, but i wish this class was not mandatory. TA marked very hard so i don't blame any decent writer doing avg in this course. ~4 assignments to do every week, i would recommend taking in summer
She was okay. Kind of boring lectures, her voice was droning, but it wasn't all that bad. She was helpful when I asked questions about the assignments and the essay. Speaking of, the assignments helped a lot with the essay. As long as you do them relatively well (and on time), the essay will be pretty easy. Overall, pretty average class.
Her lectures are extremely boring, I saw people fall asleep several times... However, it's a fairly simple course without needing guidance at all, TA's just seem to be tough graders for some reason. Read the criteria for assignments and the essay and you'll do just fine.
I can see this being a bird for someone else, but writing in psych is terrible for anyone with adhd or accessibility needs for deadlines. 2+ graded things weekly - no grace/extension even with accommodations. I'm usually an 80s student and this is the worst I've done in my entire life. Her lectures were fine but if you can, take with another prof.
lectures are boring but It is a writing class so that makes sense. TAs were fair, if you go to lectures and ask questions it will be an easy A. Just keep up with the material and ASK QUESTIONS and you will be fine.
Prof is kinda okay but TAs are kinda hard markers & requirements are specific. It's a writing course so it's bound to be boring but prof does tend to drone on in a monotone voice. Many weekly mini-assignments to do (4+) but they're fairly easy. Do the work, go to class, & ASK QUESTIONS. Not my first choice & I wouldn't retake unless needed.
The professor is very kind, answers questions, and gives great feedback. The most difficult part of the course was picking a controversial topic and finding enough sources to support it. The bundle of assignments were helpful for the essay, and the reflection questions and writing exercises did not need to be perfect to get full marks.
No extensions no matter what, even for students with accommodations. Incredibly boring lectures, monotone voice, nothing interesting or helpful for the only real assignment which is the final essay. many mini assignments each week; very easy and marked on participation basis. Doesn't respond to emails effectively. TA is nice, hard grader.
lectures are very boring and way longer than they should be. she just drones on. at least there are many things to earn grades from, but there are multiple things due three days in a row which makes it overwhelming.
whenever I aseked her question, she couldn't answer and said see your lecture !
never answer and help us in essay and say ask TA.....
If you attend every class, you will most likely do well. Her lectures are a guidance to how you should write your final essay; the whole course is geared towards that final paper. Try to attend every single class and follow instructions with precision! There will be a lot of mini-assignments throughout the semester, taking up mental bandwidth.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
22%
Textbook Required
17%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.51 avg changeRatings by Course
DEVELOPMENTAL
5.0
(1)PSYC4010
5.0
(1)DEVELOPMPSYC
5.0
(1)PSYC4460
5.0
(1)PSYCH3490
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
DEVPSYCH
5.0
PSYCH3135
4.0
PSYC4460
4.0
AHSS1110
4.0
PSYC3510
4.0