The following are letters from former students to future students, such as you, on how to succeed in Dr. Ford's PSYC 150, General Psychology.

A students:
     To be prepared for class you'll need to read.... The absolute best advice I can give to get an A in the class is to print out the Learning Objectives from the course website and answer the questions as you read. Some of the questions will be extremely similar to the test questions.

     Just a couple of suggestions that make it easier to pass the class, for this is one of the harder psych classes for gen-ed as I hear it. So the first thing that I would tell you to do is to print off the slides to take notes on it will make your life so much easier. The second thing that I would tell yout o do, is to print off the learning objectives and to anwer the questions as you cover them in class, this will, one, help you retain the information that you got that day, or the day before, in class a well as give you a complete study guide when it comes to the test week.  ...And the other, last thing, is go through your CD simulations. I know for me they provided more of a visual awareness, of which I am a better learner."

     At first this class might seem intimidating, but don't let it be. This professor will help you out in more ways than you think. Read the syllabus the first day. Print off all the slides for all the lessons in the semester and put into your binder. These slides are the guidelines for your notes and note taking process at Mesa. Make sure to put her e-mail in your mesa e-mail address book, it will be handy. Next, go to her personal web page; this will be of great use to you considering all the resources that are available to you on this page.  That's where your grades will be posted, where the syllabus is with the web addresses for some articles you'll need to read to be on top of your game, it's where you can find the publishers web address at so you can go there and do those assignments and most of all The Learning Objectives. If you want to do good in this class print those off and the slides. When you're reading the assignment for the next class, do the learning objectives with it. Don't skip any questions, if you do you're only hurting yourself. The learning objectives are your study guide for every test and also for other activities in class. Always come to this class and be prepared.  You don't want to miss a pop quiz, participation points, or even the notes for that day. If you're not sure, ask questions, it's better to ask now than fail a test and try to get help after, when it's too late.  Hopefully this letter will help you with this class and others because most all classes are along the same line with little differences. Have a wonderful semester and don't SLACK OFF, it's not worth your time, effort, and money.

     The first thing to do if you really want to succeed in Professor Ford's class is to read the material. Often students don't want to, but the book is very clear and highlights all of the important aspects that you will be tested on. If you partner your reading with taking your own notes the material will be deeply embedded into your knowledge. When the time for a test rolls around you will barely need to study, because you have already been over the material three times. Once by yourself just reading, twice if you took your own notes, and three times if you always attend the lecture. Honestly, if you do it right the first time it will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Tips for studying would be to look over your notes and make sure you know the answers to all of the Learning Objectives. Ford has basically given you a "cheat sheet" for the tests. If you go over that material and truly understand it, you will be well set. Also the bold words are very important to know. When you study for a test if you can go through all the definitions of the bolded words that is a good way to test your knowledge.
If you ever miss class I strongly recommend getting the notes from a trusted friend (someone who takes good notes) and look over the power point online. Also be sure to read over the material and write questions down if you don't understand them. You can then ask these questions at a later time instead of just missing a big chunk of material.
Do all of these things and you are certain to succeed in Dr. Ford's class.

B students:
"In order to succeed in Dr. Ford's PSYC 150 class, you need to be able to devote time to this class every day. Reading the material in the book, using the study resources, and attending class helps tremendously with the amount of information you are able to remember and understand. Actually being present in class and participating by asking questions and/or answering the [quiz and] participation questions correctly, greatly assists in telling you what you need to spend more time studying. Cramming before the tests is not sufficient studying for this course.  ...[S]tudy wisely throughout the entire semester."

"[F]irst off go straight out and print all PowerPoints and Learning Objectives. Then when class starts you are ready. Get an i-clicker before class starts; don't wait. You will need it and it helps keep your grade up. ...Then before each class read the chapter assigned the night before and review before class. Follow the syllabus. Do all Psychsim, PsychInquiry, and all on-line work requested. ...If you have PowerPoints and did the learning objectives the night before, you will be able to really listen in class, yes listen not everything on the test is in the book.  ...[G]o to page 281 in your Psych. Book and read Superpower Memory in minutes per day!!!!

There are a few things to recommend doing well in this class.  Always go to class because we use the i-clickers every day.  There are plenty of notes to take, and you never know when there will be a pop-quiz. 
I also say that you should always pay attention to the class syllabus because there are things due all the time.  Read the required text for your homework.  It helps to know what Dr. Ford is talking about for the day.
You must study to pass the exams.  There are five tests throughout the semester and to do well you must study.  The exams are challenging, and you will fail if you do not stay up on your assignments and studying.  I would recommend not procrastinating.  Getting behind in this class is stressful.
I recommend coming to class on time, and keeping up with your attendance.  You are graded on your attendance, and you do not want your grade to go down because you did not go to class.

     There are many ways to do well in this class, Psychology 150. The first thing to do is go over the syllabus. Every night look at it and do the reading assigned. Do not wait until the night before the test, you wont be able to remember everything. Do the learning objectives. If you do the learning objectives you will do great on the test. Make sure you spread the learning objectives out. Don't do them in one or tow sittings. Do a little each night and do them before you are lectured on them. If you do the learning objectives before class you will understand the lecture more.
Come to class everyday. You get a point lots of days for showing up and they count. Also you have several pop quizzes which are 5 points each. If you miss class you can not make the pop quizzes up. This is another reason to do your reading.  People, the pop quizzes are on the reading the night before.
Bring your i-clicker to class every day. You always use it and if you do not have it, you do not get your participation point that day and if there is a pop quiz you can not take it.
Do all your homework assignments. Dr. Ford usually gives you the class period before it's due off, so you have extra time to finish it. They do not take long so you have no excuses about not doing them. Read over you answers before you turn it in and dont guess on your answers. Understand the material.
If you have a question, ask her, it's her job. There are no dumb questions in her class and she is very understanding.
Study with other people. Do your learning objectives yourself and then go over them with a partner. This has helped me the most.
My last thought for you is, don't wait till the last minute to do anything in this class, you will be overwhelmed and you won't understand it as well if you don't spread it out. Come to class and ask questions!

C students:
"This psychology class is not something you cannot study for, and expect to get a passing grade! The first few test I took I just reviewed the notes, but my grade did not reflect well since I did not pass them. I figured out a system which helped me fully prepare for the test as well as in class notes and homework.
Firstly, I would go to class everyday.... The lectures that werer covered that day I would highlight in my book as well as take notes next to the highlighted text. ...When studying for the test I would go back through my notes and write them out. From there I printed off the lesson objectives for the chapters and went through each question and wrote out my answer. I did this usually two days before the test. This way I could review them for an hour each day. The lesson objectives and lecture notes are your best friends. Utilize them."

To future students, I would just like to begin by saying that this course that Dr. Ford offers is by far the best class that I have yet taken at Mesa State. To succeed in Dr. Ford's class you need to be focused and commit your full attention to the course. Always come to class unless it is an emergency, and let her know if you're not going to be there by emailing her, because you could miss out on something very important. She is very clear with what it is the assignments are, so just keep track of your syllabus and follow it precisely. Keep focused on what it is that she is lecturing on, because it will help you when it comes to exam days. Do not be disruptive in class, that is one thing that really makes her angry and as you know it is not a good thing to get on your professors bad side. Ask questions if you are confused, she will be more than happy to help you understand the material. Go to her office during her office hours if you need help with anything, it is better to know the material than be stuck and not understand anything. Always be prepared, that is the biggest thing I can tell you. Have your slides printed out so you can take extra notes, this will be very helpful when it comes time to start studying for your exams. Take clear and understandable notes that you can relate to, and after you take notes go home and look them over for a second time so that it is clear to you. Do your assignments and turn them in on time, "people this is what being in college is all about" get your stuff done! I hope that this letter helps you clearly understand what you need to do to be a successful student in this specific class.

     Success in Dr. Ford's class is purely up to you.  *The best thing that you can do is to read the sections before class and after class as well.  It helps yo clarify things and gives you the ability to have educated questions during the lectures, so that the lessons are clear and you have little to no misunderstandings.  *Make sure that you don't leave the chapters behind as you will use them throughout the whole class.  *Take time when doing the assignments as they have a great deal of information in them.  *Go to class!!!  Class is so important as there are so many little things that you can miss in one class that are on the tests.  *Make it fun for you, find a way for you to study this without making it a burden.  Make it something yhou "want to do" as opposed to "have to do."  *Don't be afraid to ask for help, from Dr. Ford, another student, or the tutoring program.

D students:
"The best advice I can give you about succeeding in Professor Ford's General Psychology class is GO TO CLASS! I made the mistake of not attending as frequently as I should have and my grade reflected this."