2.6
Quality3.1
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake117
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
117
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
11
4
25
3
27
2
29
1
25
What Students Say
“There are so many other ways to get your GER 3”
PSYCH202 - 1.0 rating“The tests weren't too bad, though”
PSYCH202 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
25%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.40 avg changeRatings by Course
PSYCH111
5.0
(1)SOCIALPSYCHE
4.0
(1)201
3.0
(1)202
3.0
(4)2002
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
INTRO
5.0
INTROSOCIAL
5.0
PSYCH101
5.0
PYSCHINTR
5.0
PYSC201
5.0
Reviews (117)
boring lecturer
Not the most riveting lectures, but he does his job very well- 1 of my favorites
Learned more when I skipped class and read the book
DEAN OF PSY DEPT! Lots of test-able anecdotes in lectures!
tests are too precise and don't cover what he presented in his boring lectures.
Boring lectures and a jerk to boot. Skip class and read the book for exams, class is a waste.
topic is interesting thought he drones on and on. nice guy but not very able at presenting the class in an interesting way.
EASY class. Don't take notes, don't go to class, just read and know the book. His lectures are basically a reiteration of the book made much much more boring. And I hear he's an a-hole too.
The worst professor I've ever had, and the only C I've ever gotten. Extremely picky exams, with an inordinate amount of questions on his stupid personal humor research (he mentions his research every class). Very boring and an awful, awful lecturer
good, but relatively boring. attending class helped me, despite what others said.
Interesting material and easy tests! If you thought the tests were hard, you probably didn't study. Lectures are boring, pretty much repeat book material, but are very organized.
Extremely articulate in class- very organized and you can tell he loves psyc. Tries to get others to like it too (always a good thing).
He's a good lecturer and a fair grader. Those who rated so badly are probable just pissed that they failed the tests because the didn't study.
He is the worst professor EVER!! I failed my first exam and when I asked him what I did wrong, he said he saw that I did nothing wrong! He is boring and not worth anyone's time!
Go to the lectures, read the book, you're good. The tests are multiple choice, and I could probably pass on common sense alone. Lectures just repeat the book for the most part, so I can get a big chunk of the crossword done.
Boring but clear. Basically teaches straight out of the book.
contrary to the beliefs of the rater 4 below me, he's not a very good lecturer at all. i stopped going to class and am passing just fine, thanks. read the book. or even don't. you'll be fine.
Nice guy, but tends to make bad jokes. The class has interesting material, but he just makes it boring. Can't just read the book, since he throws a few things from the notes in the tests. The tests sometimes test unimportant material.
Nice professor, not overly difficult.
Be prepared to sleep.
Teaches right out of the book. I don't even bother looking at my notes anymore, but still get As on the exam. I never noticed this guy to be a jerk, unless you skip the exam or something.
Boring class, relatively worthless. The professor reduces what could potentially be an interesting topic into complete drivel. He also seems to be relatively rude to his students when they approach him for help. If possible, take 202 with someone else.
His lectures are fairly boring, and his tests come right from the book. All around not to bad if you actually read the book and ignore your notes.
Sleeping through this class makes for the weirdest dreams. But don't. He tests on a lot of info from the lectures, even though the book covers the important stuff. Bring something to entertain yourself.
Lectures are really boring and easy to fall asleep, but most commonly used as a time to catch up with friends. Takes a lot of details from the book, so you should read it.
No Comments
Stay away from this prof. Lectures are dull and pointless and he has a split personality. He can be easy going and then be nasty for no reason. It is bizarre. He was so mean to one student in my class for no good reason. Watch out!
Ventis is very boring during lectures and had no enthusiasm for his subject. His tests are very stupid - they only test for picky facts that maybe get one line in the textbook - hope you fancy a pointless fact-finding duck-shoot.
I though he was very nice, clear in lectures, helpful outside of class, and a fair tester.
BORING. Worst lecturer I've had here. Turned interesting subject matter into a nightmare. I'd recommend 202, but with a different prof. At least the book was interesting.
boring, but very straightforward.. what you see is what's on the test.. just a LOT of note memorizing
I'm hearing a lot of bad things about the guy, but it isn't really fair. Ventis stays focused, is well organized, and gives fair tests. Sort of a passive guy, but he loves what he's doing and he doesn't waste your time.
You know the science teacher on the Wonder Years who teaches in a monotone? This is Ventis. If this were my first psych class I would be completely turned off to the subject forever. This could be such an interesting class, but he makes it excruciatingly boring. Tests aren't too bad, though.
Dr. Ventis is pretty borin, but if you have a cup of coffee pre-lecture you are in a good position to learn quite a lot. Ventis moves fast and doesn't slow down very often. He will occaisonally crack a hilarious joke. VERY Knowledgeable about the subject.
He actually is quite good. Amusing anecdotes. He has a very sound grasp on the material. Nevertheless, some lectures are boring but that may be because I only took this as an extra class with no prior interest in the material.
Eh . . . like everyone said, he's pretty boring. He does have some funny stories every once in a while, though. Tests and lectures pretty much come straight out of the book, so read the book and you're in business. And yeah, bring some caffeine for class.
No Comments
lectures mostly dry, though he does try to inject some life into the class. Very helpful, easy to approach. tests come from book and tend to be tricky, study everything, will ask picky questions
Larry Ventis is the most impersonal professor you will meet on this campus. If you talk to him outside of class, don't expect a friendly chat- he's dull. But in class, his lectures are somewhat entertaining. His tests are bearable if you study.
His voice will put you to sleep since it's like the guy from "JFK" who says "Back, and to the left." Reading the textbook is an absolute necessity, as he tests on the most random information from the book. You have to know everything from lecture and every word from the book in order to get an A.
No notes, no help, and no coherent thoughts
During the entire semester I felt like Professor Ventis could have given a rat's ass about teaching. He showed up to class late, and his lectures were boring. He will put u to sleep! It would have also helped if he had posted his lectures earlier in the year. Avoid this class unless u love Psych.
I really liked Ventis. His voice was monotonous for sure, but he made the occasional lame joke, and was overall a really nice guy. His tests were easy and his notes were good.
boring lectures, picky questions on exams, but occasionally had a joke so lame it was halfway funny. Got a B- in it (other classes I had A's or A-'s)
lectures will put you to sleep and the endless case study examples can seem overwhelming and pointless. exams were hard..the last one is cumulative, so beware. he ruined the class for me so i would recommend taking it with pilkington if you can.
Boring lectures, tricky tests, and made me not want to be a psych minor.
I'm fairly certain he couldn't be more boring. He's not even interested in what he's saying. Tests are all multiple choice but phrased in about the trickiest manner possible. The one thing he's good at is ruining a potentially interesting subject.
This class was extremely boring. I still like psych, but do not have fond memories of his lectures. His exams were hard, but not too hard if you took lots of time to read/study.
I really liked Ventis. I had him for a religion/psych class. He was not exciting but I enjoyed his class. He was also very helpful to me as dept. chair. He approved the transfer of one more elective than I was really permitted to have.
Showed up to class late, had a very aloof personality, and did not post his powerpoint notes online until 2 days before the exam. Cared more about research than teaching.
Could not be more boring if he tried. Lectures straight from powerpoints, where he gets most of his test questions. Ironic that his research specialization is in humor. I copied notes from the slides, slept until I heard papers rustling, then woke up to take more notes and start the process over again. Don't waste your time.
He uses PowerPoints and posts them on BlackBoard. It sounds nice, but he reads DIRECTLY off the slides, which is really redundant. Three MC tests.
He does a poor job of really getting into the material in teh book. He basically reads off his notes unless he goes off onto a tangent which generally has nothing to do with the material in question. Not a bad teacher, just not a very good one. The tests are difficult, but not impossible.
I have wanted to take Psych as a social science for a while and was looking forward to an interesting class. The content is interesting - he, however, is not. It's not that he doesn't try. He really does - he'll add in stories and clips from movies. He even tries to crack jokes. It just doesn't work. Testwise... it's all multiple choice but tricky.
I LOVE HIM. VENTIS IS A DAWG. SURRIOUSLY.
Nice guy, tries REALLY hard to make jokes. Book is essential, b/c MC tests ask questions about random facts from the chapters, but isn't as hard as it sounds. Don't have to go to class, but get notes from someone who will catch all he says.
He's extremely boring and not very helpful. He doesnt really care how anyone does and he doesnt curve at all. His tests are all multiple choice but they are very tricky and he asks random questions about minor things. Take social psych with someone else!
Professor Ventis is THE DEFINTION of WHACKNESS i have never met someone who cared so little about his students and his terrible side part. I spoke to Dr. Ventis on how and what i shoul do to raise my grade but he was as perceptive as a rock on the deep ocean floor. His jokes are as stale as caf bread and BEWARE OF VENTIS take PILKINGTON shes w3rd
While he tries to make the class entertaining, he still comes off a little boring. Provides good notes straight from the book for the test.
Definitely boring... you can skip this class and not really miss anything. He puts his powerpoints on blackboard and all the info comes from the book anyway. He does put picky questions from the book on his tests, so be careful. Lots of typos...
terrible, boring, just talks for 1.5 hrs and leaves. tests are nitpicky too and ask tiny details about obscure things. dont take it
The subject matter could be interesting, but the delivery of the lectures is extremely dry. The midterm was graded erratically, with no consistancy. There were barely any comments written at all on my midterm; when there were comments, they weren't constructive. The texts are interesting, but the class itself is monotonous and not worthwhile. Avoid
I ended up not coming to classes because he was so boring. Put me to sleep on several occassions. If you want to take a psychology class, you want someone who will spark your interest in psychology. Ventis just didn't do that for me.
He is a nice guy, but the lectures are not very interesting. The test material mostly comes from the book, so make sure to take notes on it and study those (they're probably more important than class notes). There are three tests, the final is cumulative, and he offers a chance at extra credit.
Since the class was big, I always found myself tempted to skip the class. I didn't put much effort to this class, I ended up getting B-. I regret not reading text on regular bases. READ THE TEXT! Also, there are only 3 exams for the entire semester, so if you screw on one exam, you are pretty much done getting an A. All in all, Ventis is hot.
went into this class thinking that i would absolutely love intro to psych - boy, was i wrong. prof ventis is horrible, tells bad jokes, and has extremely obscure tests. i made straight a's in high school & was salutatorian, and cried tears of joy when i got a c in this class. avoid him if at all possible..he is also practically unreachable by e-mai
Ventris is horrible. Completely boring lectures, luckily posts power points online, so zoning out or skipping won't penalize you too much. Exams are very difficult multiple choice based on lecture and reading. YOU MUST READ THE TEXT FOR EXAMS. Both intro psych courses are considered 'weed out' and ridiculous.
He is TERRIBLE. I was really interested in taking psych since I hadn't taken it in high school and then I took his class. He makes me hate psych. There are parts that I still was interested in but the lectures are agonizing and a waste of time. His jokes are dumb and his voice makes me fall asleep.
very good professor. explains material in depth. very approachable for questions during office hours. definitely read the text book and your notes for the tests. Great class if you are interested in studying the mind and behavior of human beings (definition of psychology).
It was a big class, so not much personal attention. He just stood at the front and lectured. His jokes were sometimes funny and he often goes off on tangents. A good GER class but it was pretty boring.
Horror show! Stopped going to class because he was that boring! Some test questions were not even related to the subject matter. He's a terrible lecturer. Stay away.
Ventis is a pretty bad professor. If you go to him looking for help, he treats you like you have some sort of learning disorder even though the subject, but more importantly how he teaches it, are extremely difficult. Psychology is a really interesting subject, but unless you go above and beyond, you'll get a lower grade than what you want.
Surprisingly hard, extremely boring, text-heavy class. Should be avoided if possible.
DO NOT TAKE ANY CLASS WITH VENTIS! He is very boring and his tests are impossible. They are based heavily on the book and sometimes notes and the questions are extremely specific. He does not curve (at least he never did even when on one test the avg was a 40%)He is hard to reach for help, does not care about his students. Turned me off to Psych!
Not as bad as people make him sound, but he is really painful to listen to and goes through his slides too fast.
Don't go to class. Read the book. Use the textbook online website to study. If you really like psych take the class to get the major requirement out of the way, but if it's for a GER there are other classes that aren't as boring.
Completely unnecessary to go to class. Material covered in class is not on exams. All test material comes from text book. Difficult to follow and extremely boring in class.
Class can be boring at times but I would recommend going. Test material comes from the book and questions from the book's online study website. Do the reading and you'll be in good shape.
Class is extremely boring. Only 2 tests and a final so could use some more grades but tests arent that bad. NEED TO READ the book because most questions come from it and the online study site. Look over his powerpoints too. Not to mention he looks like the epitome of a shrink
His lectures are entirely Powerpoint-based, and there is little need to attend class, as he doesn't extrapolate on his bulleted points. Reading the book is important, but pay attention to the Powerpoint notes. 2 50 MC tests and 1 100 MC final, no curve unless no 100%. Avoid Ventis if interested in pursuing psychology.
He is very boring and tedious. He has seriously made me reconsider my chosen major. Class was fairly easy if you can stand not to fall asleep during it.
Lectures and class are extremely boring, but you should still attend. Read the textbook and take notes, and you should be fine. If you get your textbook new, it comes with an online study program which was more useful than the professor in the end. (its easy to zone out in class, so don't bring anything too distracting)
He tries hard, I'll give him that. However, he is one of the most boring people I have ever met. It's easy to zone out in class and miss everything he says, because his voice is very monotone. The tests weren't too bad, though. His ppts don't make sense on their own, so it's good to go to class so that he explains them aloud.
I am very interested in Psych and am actually thinking about majoring in it. This class, however, is absolutely horrible. It is a very painful hour and 20 mins. His tests are doable even if you don't attend class because he puts his powerpoints online. It is an easy GER but don't expect to be engaged in class.
Ventis is absolutely awful. I have never read a textbook for any class and I have read every chapter for this class because I would rather do that than suffer through his lectures. People leave early every day because it is actually painful. If millington 150 were more comfortable this class would be the perfect nap spot.
One of the worst professors EVER. No exaggeration. I will make a short but sharp comment about him. Dont need to go to class because its absolutely unnecessary. No curve if one person gets a in the class. Test-wise, it gets complicated: sometimes its easy because its almost sttaight from the book and sometimes hard because the test is from the note
Do not take his class unless you either lost a bet, are receiving SUBSTANTIAL financial incentive or just want to take a nap for three hours a week in a lecture hall. I skipped his class more times than I skipped every other class I've take combined. Just don't take him. There are so many other ways to get your GER 3
not recommended. took for social psychology and found the class and teaching to be bland and uninspiring. textbook was ok and was probably the most helpful part in aid for tests, which were hard and EXTREMELY nit-picky. allows students to submit questions which makes them difficult and inconsistent. better classes out there.
Dear lord this man is boring. Paying attention is impossible. The subject material itself is interesting enough, but he just kills it. Test are ridiculously specific for what is covered in lectures/text.
Professor Ventis gives long, and at times boring, lectures, but he really knows what he's talking about. As long as you attend most of the lectures and read the textbook, you will be okay on exams. He is not good about answering emails, but he is helpful during office hours. Overall a good professor and good intro class.
OK so all of his exams are made by students looking for ext a credit points. Which mean that the questions are tiny details that you probably missed. Fully understanding the material has no correlation to a grade. Extremely monotone. very boring. yet has a lot of morbid stories. don't do it
Ventis seems like a sweet guy but his lectures are confusing and he is not really clear on what he expects. His exams often asked about obscure things that were maybe mentioned once for a second if at all. He is not very engaging which makes coming to lecture extremely boring.I would recommend taking this class with another professor if you can.
His lectures were extremely boring, and he was so condescending towards my classmates and me when we needed help. SORRY that we are trying to learn and make mistakes. Made us do an entire research project in 1.5 weeks and gave us zero guidance on the two projects we had to do. Not okay.
Tests are tricky because things he mentions in lecture shows up, so attendance is necessary. However, his tests aren't necessarily hard b/c much of it comes from the textbook. Read the book and attend class.
You don't have to go to lectures. Just read the textbook and you'll pass the test. His lectures are boring anyway.
Honestly, Professor Ventis is not a bad teacher. He genuinely knows what he's talking about, and it really seems like he tries his best. He's actually kind of a charming man, and sprinkles a few jokes into his lectures. He even sang a bit for my class once. Very knowledgeable guy, it's important to pay attention to both lectures AND text.
Lectures are long and can be boring, but for a Gen-ed req it is pretty easy if you just attend most of the time and read the chapters. Memorization is important but tests are fairly straightforward and predictable. Good speaker, and the material is interesting, just can get a bit old if psychology doesn't get you super hyped.
A lot of people don't like Dr. Ventis' teaching style, but I found it to be organized and easy to understand! If you read the textbook as you're supposed to, attend every class, and review your notes throughout the semester, you'll do just fine. Grades are based off of two midterms and a final exam that are all fairly straightforward.
Ventis is a nice guy, he's just not very engaging and reads off his slides. READ the textbook, skim over his powerpoints (he posts them on BB), and you'll be solid. Tests are all multiple-choice. I went to maybe 5 classes total and got an A.
Ventis had long lectures, but if you went to class and read the textbook, you could easily get a B. If you studied for his tests (2 midterms and a final, all multiple choice), you could get an A. Just be prepared to sit through long lectures with a dry sense of humor.
Professor Ventis is incredibly sweet and charismatic. He is knowledgeable and capable. Lectures can be quite long and monotone. You should definitely take notes and show up for every class. I wouldn't recommend to non-psych majors just because it is hard to do well and can be boring.
Lectures can get pretty boring, but the actual material is very interesting. The information is presented in a clear and easy-to-follow way and the tests are not difficult. Even though it can get boring, I thought it was well worth it.
I can barely stay awake in this class. You would think for a course entitled "The Psychology of Humor", it would be pretty interesting. Professor Ventis seems to have the ability to make any material boring. Half of the material he lectures does not relate to what we should be learning. Would not take any other classes with him, ever.
Ventis is very nice, but the reviews about his lectures being dry and boring are true. There's a lot of material and he's monotone, so some of it goes over your head. He does put videos and jokes into his lectures to try to liven it up, which sort of helps. It's not very hard, but there is a lot of material
It's not a difficult class if you show up and read the textbook.
Ventis's lectures are unhelpful. That being said, if you read the textbook, you're golden. He offers extra credit in the form of exam questions. He is caring and sweet, but very boring and monotone.
Professor Ventis might just put the sleeping pill industry out of business. If you need to catch up on sleep stop by his class. Absolute snoozer. Would recommend not going to class and instead reading textbook ad nauseum and going over posted lecture slides. A lot of work but could be worth it if you work hard. Seriously, most boring guy ever.
If you read the book and pay attention during class, you'll still probably only do alright. His tests are unpredictable and more critical thinking than information recounting. They are based mostly on the lectures, designed to trick you, and are not a good reflection of your mastery of the material. He's also not too helpful and monotone af.
I attended most lectures and read every chapter of the book. The lectures are boring and not structured in any particular way. He puts trick questions all over his exams and if you ask him to clarify he will be of no help. He covers something for days in class and then asks 5 questions on a person only mentioned once in the book. DONT TAKE THIS.
lectures were irrelavent to the textbook; he included material on the test that was about his own experiements... plus you have to do 6 hours of required research participation. try to stay away from this class!
Professor Ventis' lectures are hard to handle because they are so long and boring. Each exam is multiple choice but he doesn't make it clear what material is going to be tested, making studying hard. He rambles so much during lectures and has incredibly dry humor.
This is the worst class and professor I have ever had. His lectures are awful and don't pertain to the course. Just stay home and read the chapters instead of coming to class because you'll just be wasting your time. I'm typing this up in class because its a better use of my time. If you want to waste your time and teach yourself take this class.
His PowerPoints have no organization to them and he could not hold my attention for more than 10 seconds. His lectures are direct from the textbook and he reads directly from the PowerPoint slides. If you wish to take this course, I highly recommend taking any other professor.
This class is so boring. It is impossible to stay awake and find motivation to actually come to class. He reads directly from the PowerPoint slides and constantly sounds like a nervous high-schooler giving a presentation rather than a professor. The only good thing about this class is that the book is free and he posts the PowerPoints online.
Class was so boring. You could go to every class and read every word of the textbook and still barely pass the exam. 3 exams decide your grade, that's it. He puts the most obscure information on the exam, so unless you have a photographic memory, good luck.
I absolutely hated this class. Ventis gave the most dry lectures ever. You have to read and remember every word in the textbook and every slide shown in class because it's usually completely different information and there's no telling which obscure fact he's going to put on your one of three tests. The good news is I think he's retiring.
I still get upset when I think about this class. PSYC202 is an EASY class; however Vents makes it hard. He is impossible to listen to. Literally. He speaks so softly, doesn't know how to work a mic, and has the most dull drone. This was by far the easiest material I had all semester, but i got the worst grade in it. EC is amazing. go to class.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
25%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.40 avg changeRatings by Course
PSYCH111
5.0
(1)SOCIALPSYCHE
4.0
(1)201
3.0
(1)202
3.0
(4)2002
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
INTRO
5.0
INTROSOCIAL
5.0
PSYCH101
5.0
PYSCHINTR
5.0
PYSC201
5.0