This teacher was a great help. She knows a lot and always has new facts every class. She is understanding and is willing to help or describe anything you might have questions about. I recommend her!

She is a great teacher and really is helpful in explaining things that you have questions about. Bearly any homework and tests aren't to tuff but i reccomend studying to get an A. Highly reccomend her she is a great teacher!

Mary is an awesome teacher. I'm in the middle of the semester, but I'm totally enjoying her class. She gives clear study guides, answers questions and responds to emails promptly. She is fun,refreshing, and seems excited about teaching. I would take a class with her again in a heartbeat!

She is a great teacher who provides awesome notes! If you're a good note taker.. I guarantee you will pass this class. She gives you everything you will need to know for exams and papers. She is also a very nice person who is always in an upbeat mood! Coming to class is always a joy! I would take another class with her anyday!

I took all my notes on laptop which made studying and test prep a breeze. I'd say take notes and do all 3 (short) essays for an A. Take NO notes, and do essays for a C. If you do first 4 tests, and are happy with your grade, you can SKIP FINAL! I took no final and got an A (but I did give full effort)! Plus, she is SO cute, and really nice.

I Found her class to be very straight forward take notes look over the studyguide and write three papers. easy A no need for the book save your$ either 4 or 5 tests and she drops the lowest test score, an idiot could pass

As long as you attend class you will do well! She's a great teacher and you can tell she enjoys it. She is very understanding if something comes up and will work with you as long as you talk to her. As long as you do the 3 papers and study the study guide she gives for the 5 tests, there's no way you wont pass. I highly recommend her!

Easy. Easy. Easy. The outlines for the three research papers made everything crystal clear. Never took notes but made flashcards from the study guide and passed every test with a high B or A.

She is so nice and helpful. She really makes the material understandable. She does use the book but you don't need it if you go to class and listen to the lectures. She gives you really good outlines for the easy tests (ec opportunities on them) and REALLY helps you out on the two essays. Highly recommend taking her! She makes research methods fun.

So easy a caveman could do it. (R) Don't bother with the book, take extensive notes, come to every class... PROFIT ?????

Fantastic teacher! She funny and super nice. No homework and study guides are pretty much exactly what going to be on the test. 3 papers to do, but they're only 2-3 pages long. Take her class!

Super easy class. Didn't really use the book, so don't waste your time buying it. Just come to class and take notes and you'll do fine.

The BEST teacher I have EVER had. No doubt about it. :)

So easy and great teacher. I chose her because of the reviews on here and they all were right. I did the same thing one person said about making flashcards out of the study guide and I passed every quiz and I never read any of the chapters. I did go to every class though and learned a lot but someone else said so easy a caveman could do it and this

Mary is cool. I always laughed when she would explain things and then look at the class weird to see if we got it.LOL Not TOO much work. some tests and research assignments, but over all chill for sure. I asked her to marry me and she said no. :( lol

Mary is a great teacher. The tests were not very challenging and almost too easy sometimes, but where the class really shined was in the papers. Mary really shows you exactly how to write a good research report. She is very helpful, very clear, and very friendly. If you put in the work, you will learn a lot and develop your skills. Very fun class!

Easy class, excellent teacher. Attend class, and you will get an A. Hands out study guides prior to exams - GET THE STUDY GUIDES!

Easy class and great teacher. Hardly ever used the text book, take notes, turn in all the assignment , show up, and you will get an A. I learned a lot from this class despite it being easy. Oh and all the homework can be done in class minus the papers.

Take this class. Should I say it again? TAKE THIS CLASS. Dont worry about buying the book, it is rarely referenced. Loved her, her teaching style, as well as her lectures. It may be an easy class - but the things i learned were phenomenal and many.

Mary is so sweet. Her class was fun, chill, and interesting. Her study guides are dead-on and tests are straight from her notes. I highly recommend taking her!

This class was so easy. Her lectures are straight to the point, she doesn't tell you info you dont need to know. 3 essays over the semester, and quizzes every few weeks. The quizzes are super easy, mostly multiple choice and 2 short answer questions, and she gives a thorough study guide. Her class is fun. Attend, take notes, get an A.

This was very interesting. Quizzes every couple weeks on the weekly lectures. Couple essays. She was very easy to understand and well organized. Great teacher!

Mrs Polstra is amazing! I had her for a 6-9:45 lecture and although it didn't always go the 3:45 that it was scheduled for, she made it interesting and fun. If you show up and take notes and stay involved you'll pass the class. She's incredibly nice and lenient with people who might need to turn in an essay or assignment late.

Mary was great! Very prepared and organized. Pay attention as the information she provides will be on the test.

You're supposed to buy a textbook...I didn't use it once. Show up to class, do the study guides, and you'll get an easy A. There's three EASY papers and five easy tests, plus she drops the lowest.

- She's super straightforward, organized, and helpful - Papers were actually fun to write - Class is easy, but you actually learn lots of cool and useful things Take her! ^_^

Her class was pretty easy because she has slides for you to take notes from and she gives you a list of what the tests will be on. As long as you take your notes, you can study off of them and get an A. I didn't read the book once.

I took Mary Polstra for PSYCH 1A she was amazing, I had little to no knowledge in psychology and she did a good job teaching me the about it. There are 3 papers you write(2 pages min) and 5 tests(multiple choice & 3 short response Qs) you take. Powerpoints are straightforward, and her reviews give you a good target as to what is on the tests.

She is the best. Take her class. You won't regret!!!

Her class was one of my favorite I've ever taken. She is an amazing teacher and very straightforward helpful and easy to understand. As long as you take good notes and study and just follow the criteria on the papers you will do well.

I loved this class! Ms. Polstra is an amazing teacher who really cares about her students. Her lectures were always interesting and she had very clear study guides for tests. Any homework assignments had clear instructions and she was always there to help. I would highly recommend taking her class.

Research Methods is a bit harder than normal Psych courses. There's 3 exams plus the final, final is not cumulative. Hardest part is doing the research and writing the papers, there's two research papers and you design a survey. Mary's a great teacher, especially for PSYCH 1B, she makes it so much easier and is very knowledgeable, TAKE HER!

Mary (as she prefers to be called) is an amazing teacher! She's young , fresh and is very engaging. I took this class over the Summer and although it was a lot of information in a short period of time, she made it engaging and interesting. She provided very clear study guides for the quizzes and she drops your lowest score. TAKE HER!

Mary is patient and gives clear study guides. If you take notes and review them before tests, they will be very easy to get a good grade. She gives clear grading criteria for papers, so you'll know what do you need to work on. Moreover, some grammatical mistakes are tolerated as long as the paper meets her criteria.

Mary is the most amazing Professor and person! She will always go the extra mile to help you be successful in her class! Her style of lecture is casual, fun, interesting, engaging and interactive! Mary makes learning easy and a enjoyable! The projects she assigns are clearly stated and easy to do. She also offers Great question and answer time!

She gives you the respect you deserve. She also isnt harsh she is lenient with most things giving you the chance to do the best you can do.

Clear and Concise instructions for Tests and assignments. Short answers on study guides are almost verbatim to what is asked on tests. Textbook is needed for days not in class, otherwise, lecture covers majority of detail needed. Do NOT slack on papers. Otherwise your grade will suffer.

I love her. She's perhaps my favorite teacher at SRJC petaluma. Her lectures are so interesting she keeps you engaged at all times. I had her for psych 1A and i loved every minute of it. The videos she showed were interesting. He study guides were clear and resembled the test exactly. It really helps if you take notes straight from her power points

She's very interested in her topic, and provides an organized and well planned out semester. She gives you the requirements for what you need to be accomplished for the class and it's not very difficult. It's easy to get an A, but you get out more depending on how much you put in. I loved the class, learned a lot, and she's a great teacher.

Professor Polstra was amazing. She really seemed to care about her students and made the materiel interesting and not overwhelming. She is a very fair grader and not test, homework heavy at all. Take this class if you need to knock out one of your requirements and learn some interesting stuff at the same time. You won't regret taking her!

Mary is an awesome professor. Didn't have much interest in Psychology going into the semester but thanks to her great teaching style I love it now! Just pay attention and take notes and you'll be fine and easily pass. Couple papers throughout the semester but otherwise no homework.

I love love love Ms. Polstra. She's super nice and super helpful if you have questions and go into office hours. An excellent choice and worth the extra drive for me (Petaluma teacher was closer).

Mary is a good professor, and very lenient with late work and attendance. She's very clear in her lectures and assignment expectations, and is more than willing to answer any questions.

This was a fun and easy class. It does require some effort but is overall really fun. She is an easy teacher to talk to, and the grade was based on the quizzes and paperwork. If you listen in class then there is no reason for you to get a bad grade.

Inspirational class! If you go to class, take notes, and stay on top of the essay papers you will succeed.

Mary is the best!! I did not buy the text book and it was super easy. There was no final, just four quizzes but the lowest grade gets dropped. She tells you exactly what is expected on papers which are super short and tells you what the test short answers are before the quiz. Really easy, super sweet, definitely recommend

STOP READING NOW AND ADD HER CLASS. Mary is the hands down the most caring teacher I've had. Always available outside the classroom and makes her lectures interesting. She wants you to do well in the course and gives a study guide before each test!

She is very kind, caring, and passionate about what she teaches. She cares about her students passing her class and gives study guides to all of her tests, thorough and interesting lectures, and simple, understandable homework (papers). She's open to discussion and willing to answer any and all questions. Made me very interested in pursuing psych!

Amazing class. Tests are easy if you review lecture notes. Very approachable.

She is super sweet and understanding, but if you don't study for the 5 quizzes she gives and if you don't do the 3 papers then good luck. Her lectures are short and to the point. She addresses every topic and is available for questions during her office hours. Take good notes and you won't even touch the textbook.

I've taken 2 of her classes, PSYCH 1A (summer) and PSYCH 40 (online). She's very to the point and the assignments are clear. I've enjoyed both classes by her.

I took Mary's Social Psych (Psych 30) class online in the Summer. It was my first summer class so I was a little worried about workload but this class was very manageable. There are several discussions, small quizzes, 4 larger quizzes and two 3 page papers due during the summer course. I would take a class with her again.

This class was pretty easy, very relaxing, and stress free. There is little fluff and the work load is very doable with a busy schedule. 4 exams total, weekly quizzes, weekly discussion posts, and 2 essays total. The class is straightforward and I enjoyed my time. Would take Polstra again.

Professor Polstra is amazing! She goes over how to write a research paper in depth which is so extremely helpful. Our first observational study was interesting and fun and. She doesn't assign loads of busy work and only assigns homework that is critical for learning how to write and read research articles. One of my favorite professors at the JC!

One of the best teachers I have ever had, took Psych 30 in Fall 2018, now trying to take more with her. Going for a 2nd AS and am trying to take as many classes as I can with her. Lot of tests, but lectures were an hour and then we'd dip! XD

Mary was one of my favorite professors. She gives good lectures and her videos are up to date. Participation matters. Her papers are pretty simple, just follow the guidelines she gives and she gives you an A. She also gives good study guides that have material used in the tests.

Choose Polstra 100%! Its an easy class and youll learn a lot! I really enjoyed her class and would take her class again! You dont really need her textbook btw even though it says required. I dont think I really ever opened it.

She was a great teacher to have and really knows how to structure an online class. She sets you up for success and there is really no reason why anyone should fail. There were a total of 3 papers and 4 exams, which were not hard at all. Every week expect to turn in a discussion and quiz. Everything is due on the same day of the week, so no surprise

One observational research report, four exams, quick weekly discussion posts, and weekly quizzes with unlimited attempts. The discussions make the dull material of the textbook interesting. Tough grader on the short answer exam questions. She gives you very detailed instructions on the research report. Caring in her discussion feedback. Easy A

Polstra is a great teacher and her classes are super interesting! The textbook is definitely important and reading it is your best bet to fully understand the material. She offers study guides for her tests, which are pretty helpful. Tests are not that hard and don't have any surprise questions on stuff you haven't learned.

Excellent teacher, well-organized curriculum, but a tough grader. Not one student in our class had a perfect score in any of the tests or the required paper. She's a good teacher and you'll learn the material, but don't be discouraged if you can never get a perfect score.

She is really nice and so sweet I dropped out of college tho but while i had her she was amazing! She has the vibes of a caring sweet mom:)

AMAZING professor. There's not a lot of work in this class, however it is harder work (just papers and tests). Papers are easy peezy, while tests are a little bit on the harder side.

Only 3 graded papers with clear guidelines. 3/4 of test points are multiple choice and 1/4 of test points are open ended. Tests can have trick questions, but it's never the teacher's fault; she's kind enough to explain most commonly missed questions so students can learn from it. Take advantage of study guide and textbook for best test performance.

I took this for summer and 1 disscussion and 1 quiz due like everyother couple of days and only 2 papers due. Really easy book is suggested but I passed just fine without it.

This is the feedback from a person who took onl summer Psych 1A of Polstra ~ She is definitely your online savior, so much caring, if u miss any discussion because of some reasons, explain to her, and actively do the make-up one. She gives feedback for all of my discussion posts, many discussions and quizzes but they aren't hard, be ready to read!

clear instructions, clear grading, clear feedback. teacher clearly cares

Her class is super easy if you show up and take notes, shes incredibly understanding and will work with you to try and help you understand it. Theres not much homework maybe 3 essays and 5 quizzes total and that's it. Shes probably the sweetest professor I've had!!

Mary is a genuine angel. Her lectures are enjoyable, & she cares for her students. Make sure you do the readings, because the class is scored mainly on your tests. But her lectures are so detailed and perfect you can definitely pass the class without a book. I have taken her two semesters, & wish I could keep taking her. The best professor. GOAT!

ABSOLUTELY TAKE MARY. Favorite professor here at the SRJC. She is incredibly caring, leaves great feedback, and is super flexible if you need an extension. I will be taking her again next semester. The class is mostly based on quizes, so pay attention to her lectures. But she makes them so fun that'll be no problem at all! So thankful for her!!

There are about 2 quizzes a week (on a summer schedule) with a lot of reading from the textbook and discussion posts. She is able to be reached through her email and offers very kind support when you talk to her through emails. This class is a lot for the summer, worth it if you are determined to work. It just took up a lot of my summer.

Dr. Polstra is a fantastic teacher. Even in a fast-moving, online, summer class, she manages to grade and respond to everything in a timely manner. You'll be happy to have taken her class; just make sure you sign up early! Thank you Dr. Polstra!

If you read the textbook, you'll breeze through this class. Every week was well-structured and predictable to get the information I needed.

The work she gives is a lot but its not hard. she is a nice grader. I would take her again

I only used my textbook to review notes before tests. Very kind and super understanding if you happen to miss class. She explains concepts well as well as makes sure to answer questions thoroughly. Would definitely recommend!!

Mary is absolutely awesome she is so passionate and interesting during lecture. She inspired me to take another psychology class next semester. She doesn't give any homework besides a few papers and not many quizzes either. If you go to class and pay attention you should be able to pass all your tests😊

Mary is the best teacher I've had in my first semester at the JC. Her lectures are so fun and thoughtful. I feel like I'm genuinely learning so much when I'm in her class. She is extremely intelligent and joyful. The class is all about just paying attention, taking notes, and reading. The quizzes are a majority of the grade, but are not too hard.

I highly recommend taking psychology with this professor. The lectures are short but well discussed. In class assignment are easy and fun. Quizzes are multiple choice and are easily able to be done. Very sweet and nice professor .

Took her PSYCH 4 class. Was her first time teaching that class. She's lecture heavy BUT the lectures are organized, neat, and she does a great job of explaining the topic thoroughly. There were like 7-8 assignments in total (3-4 tests, the final, 2 papers, and a group project). The final and tests were multiples choice as well. Great professor.

Great teacher! very understanding and she is very good at explaining the subject during lectures.

Mary provides lots of feedback, but make sure you come to class. She does not post lectures or slides, so be ready to take notes. Very clearly outlined exams, and even discusses the answers in the class prior to the exams. She's clearly passionate, and cares about her students success.

Polstra is such a sweet instructor! Every single class was a lecture, except on test days, but she really did a great job of making it engaging and interesting. She doesn't post her slides, so you've definitely got to make an effort to show up to class. As long as you pay attention, you are sure to succeed. Almost no homework, just quizzes- easy A!

Easy as pie. Lectures are super engaging and fun. Very calm woman and very understanding. You really do not need to buy the text book I never used it, and she would put topics not covered in lectures on test. Literally takes notes and you are golden.