hilarious!!!

Controversial, and that's what makes him entertaining! Great class!

best prof ive had, very professional

Awesome prof! Definately made going to class entertaining

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Great prof, very entertaining...makes it easy to learn

Interesting and funny. Exams are straight from the overheads, but beware he is looking for a very specific single-word answer.

great prof. i heard such a variety of opinions about him before i took his class, but after the first few lectures, i completely loved him!

Prof Pihl has a lot of stories to tell... and they are all on the exams! The stuff he thinks are jokes... are exam questions. Beward!

a good prof, but he means business. you have to study hard and know lecture & book very well, but it's a very rewarding course.

Dr Pihl is my favourite prof at McGill!!! His class was so interesting and I love the rings he wears

For Pihl's class it is best if you have taken a neuro class before because he assumes you are familiar with the terminology he uses... Super interesting class, extremely useful for psyc majors. Pihl is a very cool prof, not always politically correct but has a, um, "unique" sense of humor!

LOVE him! he's brilliant and he tells great jokes that half the class doesn't get. what you need to learn for exams is really obvious, don't listen to the whiners. highly recommended!

I thought he was the best prof i ever had. his exams are hard, but not bad if you study. and he's so interesting. one of the only classes i looked forward to attending.

Probably one of the most insightfull series of courses I've had at McGill..ever. Being a psyc major, this should be a prereq. His exams kill you, but we don't care, right? GPA? What GPA? Whoooo neeeeeds it. Take this if you really want to know what psyc is about. Oh and take it with Pihly

Interesting teacher, fun class, exams are a ****. If you don't need to increase your GPA, I'd recommend it. If you do, however.... you might want to make sure you're a mind reader - it's hard to figure out what he's asking for in his short answers...

Unbelievably arrogant,but who blames him? Quite simply, he's a genius. He should teach all psych classes. Material is interesting, pertinent and complex - LOVED IT. Currently working on my masters and I still refer to him and his class. Take the class and, most importantly, WITH PIHL. A+

He knows his stuff, and is pretty grass-roots in his teaching approach. He calls it as he sees it, and opens the door to critical thinking.

Difficulty of this class is completely overrated. Pay attention in class and go to conference/ do the readings and you're guaranteed at least a B, even with minimal revision. He loves doing what he does and he does it well. Good tempo to classes; good mix of jokes(funny 50%;lame 50%), anectdotes and actually lecturing.

This prof is really something-he is a true classic.a really funny guy. he is incredibly smart and an excellent teacher.he is not approachable and his exams are not easy at all so beware!

One of the best profs I've had at McGill; his lectures are filled with fascinating material & he is really funny. The final was one of the hardest ever, though. Make sure you learn all the details from the lectures.

great prof but his exams are brutal... just memorize everything he said and do all the required readings and you should be fine...

Good Prof. Tells interesting stories. Memorize everything for exams- final especially is a killer.

most definitely an interesting course and the prof is very interesting and funny. i walked in expecting a boring prof, but phil is quite a character! hard exams but if you do your studying/plan well very easy to do well. material presented also interesing.

Amazing. The best class I've taken at McGill for sure. So interesting, I enjoyed studying and doing readings and learned more than in any other class. Take it if you can!! Pihl is awesome, very funny quirky and a confident lecturer. Watch out though.. you have to work hard, but it'll come more easily than in other courses cause its damn fascinating

Honestly this was possible my favourite class of my entire mcgill career. It's a tough, but I found the key to learning all the material was to condense, condense, condense, and then MEMORIZE everything word for word. That way you know exactly what he is asking for in his short answer questions. As for the multiple choice, memorize the summaries.

This class is not hard, but for arts kids: welcome to science - you have to know what's on the slides! They're there for you, so just learn them, that's it. And no, there isn't too much detail, it's just that having a general understanding of concepts isn't enough. So suck it up, learn the stuff, get an A!

Avoid if you want to go to grad school, or prepare by memorizing-not understanding, memorizing-every single detail that comes out of his mouth during lectures. that is no exaggeration. Those exams were like being sucker punched.

Um...fantastic. If you want to laugh, see a critical view of psychology, fall in love, see what's actually going on in the world, and see some interesting stuff...take this course. The articles suck but whatever.

Challenging class, but the prof is very interesting, knowledgeable, and funny. Don't put readings off until the last minute, and watch all the lectures (only 2 per week, and they're recorded). Make sure you know readings well, since the MC part of the exams is usually the hardest part.

I agree with a previous comment, this class is not at all challenging if you can diligently learn the slides. The material is interesting so it's not hard to memorize. Pihl is a great prof, very intelligent, teaches critical thinking and doesn't sugar-coat things. Should be a required course!

Good and interesting content... BUT: exams are ridiculously testing your memory, not your understanding. The prof does not care about you or your success in that class. Clearly asked us not to ask questions in class or send him e-mails because he does not respond to them. First time I get below As in Psychology courses at McGill (it's my major).

I agree to the below comment. This prof tests memory and exams are hard. This is THE course that will lower my GPA. If I would have known I would have taken that course at Concordia, UQAM or University of Montreal through CREPUQ. I recommend it to you. It is an easy process that McGill allows you to do.

Great prof. Exams are very hard and test your memory, but the material is great and he is interesting and funny! I was never bored in class.

His lectures were always interesting and I was never bored. Material wise it was one of my favorite psychology classes. The exams are hard and it does take a lot of memorizing. The final was by far the worst exam I've ever had, it almost killed me.

One of the best profs I have ever had. His course is engaging, relevant and challenging. He completely changed my perspective. He does not use a textbook, instead he uses a research compilation he assembles himself. The exams are very difficult and ask highly precise questions so memorization is important.

Very rich course, you learn a LOT of stuff. He likes random jokes and tidbits and can branch off a lot. Hellish exams though. You're really at the mercy of your memory at exam time. I got A- from 337 and C+ from 338 - you'll get by if he asks the questions that you happen to know the answers to, but there's no way you'll know everything.

Very interesting class, but extremely hard to ace. This is the class I studied for the most, so far I've only managed to pull off A-'s on the midterms. I'm dreading the final because it's going to really hard. He goes through LOTS of material in each class and does not repeat anything, so you MUST listen to recordings! Otherwise, VERY COOL course!

Tremendous

Loved this class. It was very difficult and takes A LOT of studying and hard work, but was definitely worth it. Learned so much from this class, way more than with Dr. Sullivan in PSYC 338. I have never studied so hard for an exam but ended up getting an A- in the class so it is possible to do well you just need to work hard.

best. class. ever... its hard but you learn a great deal, favorite psyc class so far :)

Pihl is hilarious, highly intelligent, and his lectures are fascinating. He gives people a new perspective on how to look at abnormal psychology. And he's also so humble. BEST prof I've had at McGill hands down

Fantastic teacher! He's fun and provides new perspectives on the psychological field. Exams are extremely hard, and you have to memorize his definitions word for word, but he curves the grades always. Favorite class, even at 8:30! Anyone interested in clinical psych needs to take this course!

best prof ive had at mcgill. very sweet man too. who cares if you cant ask Qs in class... the classes are 50 minutes and packed with interesting info. qs are for conferences and office hours. got an A-... possible to do well if you prepare.. worth it if thinking of doing clinical psych.

PSYC 337 is a such an interesting class... but so much material to be covered. First midterm was really easy (focused on a lot of studies), but second midterm... let's just say a lot of people didn't finish. It just might have been a lack of preparedness. Article questions very tricky, but written by TAs!

Difficult class, but the material is super interesting. You must study a lot, but it's not as painful as some other classes. Also, Pihl is great and gives you an entirely new perspective on psychology. Overall, it's possible to do well if you put in the work. I finished with an A and I'm definitely not one of those super smart McGill students.

Best class at McGill. Best Prof at McGill.

Great prof, great course, Pihl was not as hard as thought going into this course, exams are detailed but reasonable. Despite what people say out of frustration, they are fair, he won't give you things he didn't go over

Pihl is great: he has first-hand experience, great anecdotes and he encourages critical thinking. Add that to his dry sense of humour. The exams go into a lot of detail, but they're fair. The lectures are recorded. The conferences are hell though...

PROS: Lectures recorded. Information clearly delivered. First two exams noncumulative and lightly weighted (10 & 20%). Conferences are easy. CONS: Exams extremely difficult. Study all the minutiae. Hard to be adequately prepared. Prof prone to making off color jokes; doesn't like when people don't laugh. Asking questions explicitly forbidden.

Pihl makes class so interestingengaging! You'll never wanna miss a class! The tests are so fair, not sure why ppl say they arent (probs bc they're in 2nd year). Just know the details of the lectures and the general idea from the articles (which aren't hard). The conferences are AWESOME, get into one of Lance's and you'll be inspired!!

50 minute lectures, lecture material is really interesting, he's experienced and funny, tells stories. the course pack is hell, articles suck. exams are mcq & short answers, doable but hard. conferences are literally the worst, so boring and you have to present an article. 2 midterms one final. it's hard, but it's a prereq for other courses so..

He's knowledgeable, gives you new perspective on psychology and is funny (ppl are too easily offended). Course pack is difficult to understand but the TA's help you go through it. Very detailed exams, but never asks smtg he didn't touch upon, nor tries to trick you. Finished with a B+, didn't put a hell load of work into it. I'd take him again!

Lecture material is fascinating; coursepack is completely unrelated to lectures and extremely dense. Exams are 1/2 MC from coursepack (reasonable albeit specific), 1/2 short answer from class (almost impossible because of poor wording). TAs even said they wouldn't be able to answer the SA. MEMORIZE EVERYTHING. Great class, but difficult to do well.

He's hilarious! Great prof, classes were recorded but I went anyway because they were so interesting. He knows his material and has done extensive research that he integrates well into the class, as well as cases of patients he's had, which make the lectures quite engaging. Exams are hard but fair; if you don't have a memory for detail AVOID HIM.

Dr Pihl is extremely knowledgeable and his lecture material is very engaging! This class helped me develop a more critical perspective on abnormal behaviour and on the different fields of psychological research. The conferences require a lot of work (cover material we don't go over in class), but if you do your readings you'll be fine! GREAT CLASS

He's THE BEST prof I've ever had at McGill. He's extremely knowledgeable and his lectures are thought provoking. His exams can be quite hard(but if you study hard you can absolutely do well, No I'm not one of those smart/A students). He really cares to educate his students and open their eyes to real challenges in psychology.