I loved this class and it's very easy if you take the time to put in the work. I recommend creating a ton of flashcards before the midterm and final. I had a set of over 200+ and that worked for me. The midterm is 35 multiple choice questions and 2 questions of short response. There is also a group portion where you complete the midterm with them again, deciding on all the answers to the questions (kind of like 7A). The final is just 60 multiple-choice questions.

It's a lot of memorization so as long as you memorize all of the important concepts, you can then apply it to the scenario-based questions she asks. The professor is amazing. She's very clear in what she wants and is super nice. There are also in-class labs that we complete and the TAs will walk around the lecture hall so take advantage of that. They are very easy to complete, just follow the directions. There are also some quizzes online and they're timed 20 mins. to complete 10 questions. They're also super easy. Just review the lecture slides and you'll be fine. I really liked the class, the concepts are super interesting.

Professor Smith does a great job explaining the material and making it stick. However, I did not care for this class and found it super annoying. The individual labs and article analyses were completely pointless for an introductory psych class; it felt more like a stats class. They were super time-consuming and very annoying to complete. If you don’t feel confident with these assignments, use ChatGPT because the professor is supportive of you using it to help guide your learning, but not having it do the work for you. In fact, she makes you use ChatGPT for one of the article analyses, which was very easy. Or, use Studocu because you can easily paraphrase other students’ documents. Another thing I found annoying was the group lab reports. They are the worst and are almost worth as much as your midterm grade. The TAs grade them super hard because the professor expects you to be like a little Einstein. I had a 95 in the class after the midterm until I got a 78% on one of the lab reports, and it tanked my grade down to a 92%. About the midterm, it was pretty tricky but I somehow got a 92 on the MCQ by studying the day of, and a 4/7 on the free response since I didn’t study for that; it was free for others though. However, I just took the final and don’t feel confident at all, because I prioritized other finals and studied for those over this one. The final and midterm both have a bunch of lab/article analysis questions, as well as tricky questions on lecture content with extremely similar answer options. To be well prepared for these, definitely study in advance with good retrieval of the material and use the test bank. Some questions on the midterm and final came directly from the test bank and were free points. [Overall, the class is not bad but if you do not have to take it- like how I didn’t have to- don’t take it. Hopefully, I end up doing decent on the final and end up with a B or better.

This class is super introductory, but Packet-Smith does a great job of teaching you the information. There are lots of labs and group projects, overall a lot of info, but I liked the class and would recommend.

Really enjoyed this class. Prof was very engaging and explained concepts very clearly. It was a good intro as my very first psych class. It’s important to take good notes during lectures, review them and make use of the test bank website every few week. The website makes it very easy to do low effort spaced repetion with questioning.

Psych 10 with Professor Paquette-Smith was a great class to take my 1st quarter at UCLA. The class is straightforward and not so much hard - it's more paying attention during lectures to make sure the material sticks, and being able to memorize all the content. However, it's really not bad at all, if you put in a bit of effort studying the material (there's a lot to digest and memorize, especially when the final rolls around). For context, I got a 91% on the midterm, 96% on the final, and ended with a 96.3% (A). I studied pretty extensively for the midterm, but not so much the final, and still did fine - which goes to show getting an A is definitely doable with just a bit.

Tips:
- Make sure you know the article analyses and labs, because they will show up on both the midterm and final. Most questions I missed on the midterm were from these, even though I thought I did the assignments thoroughly.
- Do the test bank questions - they're good practice, especially for the midterm/final.
- Rewatch lectures. I know this is tedious, but I found hearing it a 2nd time (whether I paid attention in class or not) really helped the info sink in. It helped me retain things for the final so I didn't have to go hard core reviewing pre-midterm things (because they did show up on the final).
- Add pictures from her slides to your notes. And make your notes really, really thorough and good. Include examples, etc.

Overall, a solid class and great professor! Very straightforward, engaging, and good person. Would highly recommend this class with Melissa!

This class is interesting and would recommend for non majors. It is pretty easy if you pay attention and go to class. Make sure to study once in the while for the midterm and final. The quizzes are open notes. The attendance is required which is graded. She lets you drop one attendance and one article analysis (meaning it won't count against you). The professor is very nice and kind. She has the perfect balance between reading off slides and adding more on the side. She's willing to clarify any questions you may have during the 10 minute break she gives.

The way the course is organized makes it easy to study for and very organized. Very basic psych information. Very similar content to AP psychology courses. Professor is super helpful and does a good job fully answering questions and making sure students understand content.

Take this class with Melissa! It was very well organized, and the content was really interesting. This was a rare UCLA class where it felt like the professor actually wanted to help us learn and do well. It is easy to get an A if you put in the time and fully do all of the assignments, article analyses, and labs and study for the midterm and final. (There is a lot of memorization). The class structure was straightforward, and she provided helpful practice tests. Lectures were recorded, but there were some group labs that were in person during the second half of class. She also posts her lecture slides and outlines, which are helpful for note-taking and review. I recommend taking this class and taking it with Melissa!

I found this class interesting enough. The professor was nice, and her office hours were very helpful. The midterm and labs were really easy. The final was easy too if you study for a while.

Honestly take this class with her! I didn't put in the most effort and got an A-. The class is recorded which is nice cause she speaks really slowly so i like to speed up the recordings. What I was flabbergasted by though is that everything all quarter is at home and open book, whilst the final is in person closed book, which literally doesn't match with what we learned about learning in class. So she doesn't apply what she teaches.