Smith, Taylor  

Let me start by saying Dr. Smith is exceptionally compassionate, kind, lighthearted, and INTELLIGENT.... perhaps to a fault. I took this support course instead of Human Genetics, expecting it to be easier and less science based and more psych-based, but this class is hard. He genuinely just doesn't realize how much smarter he is than his students. His language and the textbook's are really advanced. His tests are challenging but doable. This is the first quarter he's ever had the class so he's figuring it out, and I want to give him slack. He's a GREAT guy, but just don't think this class will be a breeze. You need to understand lecture and textbook material, not memorize, and it's dense. BUT he is great in office hours, works with you and dumbs things down and wants you to succeed.

Professor Smith has to be one of the best professors at Cal Poly. He's very passionate, funny, always prepared for class, and genuinely cares about his students. He made our 8am class bearable and kept everyone awake, which is quite a feat. This class (how he teaches it) is much more psychology and statistics than biology, which is a blessing for those of us not in STEM. It is generally interesting and not overbearingly difficult. The big downside is that the textbook is super expensive and DENSE to the point where you can read the same section three times and still have no clue what is going on. Unfortunately, you need the textbook to pass the class. Also, the tests and quizzes could definitely use some revision because a good portion of the questions are not entirely relevant to material covered in class/by the reading and that screws with your grade. Overall though, I would recommend this class and I would DEFINITELY recommend Professor Smith. He's awesome.

Dr. Smith is THE BEST TEACHER EVER! I actually looked forward to going to class and listening to him lecture because he makes the material very clear. He is the nicest person, super approachable, & really helpful in office hours. He provided study guides for the quizzes and exams which were very helpful. I truly believe he wants all of his students to succeed and it shows. Dr. Smith is the bomb.com so you should definitely take him whenever you get the chance

Does not know how to speak to students and uses terms that are very vague, tests are very up in the air and might be a trival detail he mentioned in class Will reject you in his office unless you come to office hours very difficult course

Sweet man. He is very keen on helping his students succeed. He is truly interested in the material and gives examples from his career which are very helpful to understand the concepts. He loves group work and talking about concepts with our neighbors as well as working on various in class activities with them. His midterms are fair, half multiple choice, half short answer. Overall, I enjoyed this class and you definitely get the grade you deserve.

Dr. Smith is an excellent asset to the graduate division of the psych department. He grades super meticulously but incredibly fair. His enthusiasm about his lectures is infectious and motivating. He has a great approachability and empathic disposition towards the class. Class material is dense but very reasonable and relevant. My only suggestion for students preparing to take this course is to become familiar with the DSM-5 before classes begin. Heavy emphasis on knowing diagnostic criteria, which is a good thing for a budding clinician. Smith definitely caters to the class to make the learning experience as optimal as possible. His main priority is for the class to learn and not be tricked by testing procedures. The two papers that were assigned were essential to better understanding fundamental course material. The papers were research-based and (from a personal perspective) fun to write. Overall, I am very pleased with Dr. Smith as an academic and a representative of the field, and I feel that he shaped this course to be at the graduate level.