Schein is wonderful. He spends a huge amount of time preparing his lectures, and it shows: they are all very entertaining and well-presented. He also chooses to highlight some of the most interesting aspects contained in the course, and leaves out a lot of the "fluff" in an attempt for a more conceptual learning experience. He can be a little prickly in person, but is always more than willing to help. Tough class, tough exams, but it's a generous curve so "tough exams" doesn't really mean anything other than a slightly humbling couple hours each quarter. Overall, his class is a really wonderful learning experience.

prof schein is an incredible professor in regards to the presentation of his lectures and how knowledgable he is. his lectures are very easy to follow & he constantly asks the class if anyone is confused and needs further clarification before he introduces new concepts. he took about 5 mins of the first 3 weeks of class to personally introduce himself & ask each student's name--something that rarely happens in the typical ucla psych class. the only problem with this is that he will typically call on those persons to answer questions he has regarding course material--so if you dont want to be called on, dont sit in the front 4 rows! his tests are very hard but they are not cumlative. his class is hard but he is one of the best professors i have ever had at ucla. he can be quite arrogant at times or appear as such but he truly has a great personality.

I don't know what all these people are talking about. I'm a psych major and I got an A in this class. yeah- you have to work hard...I never actually read my textbooks until I took this class, but trust me, he's a better professor than Grijalva for psych 115. Schein's lectures were very well-organized and he's a really succint and straighforward professor- Just do all the multiple choice quizzes on the CD rom that comes with the book and you'll do fine on the exams. However, I do agree with those who said that he's a bit condescending when you ask him questions...so turn to the TAs instead if you don't want to feel like an idiot.

Professor Schein is a wonderful professor and an absolutely friendly guy. I feel that the negative reviews about him are inaccurate. He is one of the best lecturers that I've had at UCLA thus far because he makes sure to explain the more difficult concepts slowly and he always stops for questions. You can tell he wants to make sure that we are comprehending the material. As long as you attend his lectures and understand them and the book, there is no reason why you shouldn't get an A in the class. To be successful, you really should skim through the material before class and re-read the book after the lecture. He makes the lectures entertaining by involving the class and asking us questions. Never before have I had a professor who makes an honest attempt to learn as many names as possible. I've dropped by his office several times even though it was not office hours and he took time from what he was doing to answer my questions, thus proving that he is always available. I highly recommend you take Professor Schein or you're missing out a great experience. If you still have your doubts, sit in on one of our lectures (10 am on M,W,F in Haines 39) and you'll see that what I say is true...I bet he'll even learn your name!

Took him for psych 115...yes he is hard! I read the chapters twice and did all the problems in the CD like he told us too, and did really well in the practice stuff in the CD and still failed his exam. i was so ready and prepared and did horrible on the exam.

even though he's hard, he is a REALLY good lecturer and he really cares about student learning. i think i learned the most in his class in all my classes at ucla (with the exception of chem 153A). the material i learned is really interesting and very valuable. he keeps the class awake and he's nice in class. he's a little intimidating at first, but a nice person in general.

Personally, I very much enjoyed taking 115 with Professor Schein. I think that the comments said below are unfair and, in my opinion, highly unaccurate.

With regards to the exams...
First of all, the course exams are not cumulative which is a definite plus.
Secondly, the tests are definitely focused on his lecture material...so what I found really helpful was to tape record the lectures and listen to them before the exam. Professor Schein's lectures are very clear and interesting. Also, it's easy to focus on what he's saying because he posts the course notes on the web.
Overall, I would say that while the exams are challenging...the questions are fair and make you think. There ends up being a nice curve (the exams aren't designed for anybody to get 100%...), so the difficulty evens out.

As for the professor...
I ENJOYED attending Professor Schein's lectures...and, I'm a 4th year with major "senioritis". He's very knowledgeable and he's able to any question regarding the material. I found the course material to be very interesting. Also, Professor Schein actually gave the exam review HIMSELF which I've never had before (usually, the TA's give the reviews...) And, as for his office hours...I found him to be helpful. If you can't make his regularly scheduled hours, you can email him and he'll tell you when he'll be in his office...so I found him to be very flexible.

In all, I highly recommend taking Psych 115 with Professor Schein. I do admit, however, that it has been helpful being a Psychbio major...with more of a science background. I can see how it would be a disadvantage to be a Psych major...as you are competing with many other science majors. So...don't let the other messages deter you from taking his course...you should make your own opinions because I definitely disagreed. The course is challenging...but in a good way because it forces you to put in a good effort...and you'll end up learning a lot.

First of all, I 100% agree with the psych. major student who evaluated Schein on 5/4. I'm in the same class, and am also a psych major, and also feel pretty confused the majority of the time. What makes it tough is even when I feel that I have studied for hours on end, and am no longer "confused" during lecture--and that I know the material backwards and forwards--the tests are still out of my ability! the tests are very conceptual based (as well a few very very detail oriented questions from the book--don't ignore the small details in the book because you think they're too nitty-gritty to be part of the exam, because they very well could be) I realize that this information may not be much more informative than the former evaluation given on 5/4, but I just also wanted to say that I don't think Prof. Schein is as awful and mean as the other evaluations say he is...maybe it's because it's psych 115, and not one in which he feels that students should be further along in their knowledge of neuroscience, but I don't find him to be rude at all. I think he's a rather nice guy. His lectures are very organized, and I can't help but feel compelled to pay attention--not only because I think to sleep in class would be like a death sentence for my grade, but because I find them to help out a LOT in terms of comprehending the material better. good luck!

Okay, so I come from the standpoint of a psychology major. Lets just say that psych majors (if you plan to take this class) are at a serious disadvantage. It is going to be extra work-because this is review for bio/psychobio majors who have completed LS1-4. So think twice before you take this class, you might not be ready to challenge your classmates.
As far as Stan is concerned. I think I have learned a great amount of information and it is useful however, I am not expecting to get a great grade. His tests are DIFFICULT. They distinguish those who know the information and really "know" the information. As a psych major, I fit in the know category but I didnt get a lot of questions on the test because it was down to two answers that were so incredibly similar, you would have to be a true expert in neuroscience (or have had previous classes like LS2 ) to really know which answer is right. Which makes this class really frustrating. I honestly can say-that even if I had a second chance to take the test over again, I would probably put the same answers I put which were wrong-catch my drift? He's tough and a challenge. Despite when professors say "were not trying to trick you"...well he is! So be careful!
If your desire is to get a good grade...schein is probably not the teacher for you...but if you want to come out of the class knowing the info, he's okay. I have learned a lot...especially for my LS15 backround...but I will admit...it is very frustrating to take his class and tests because I think psychology majors are at a disadvantage....beware!