<p>ok from what i've heard this is a great class and hard to get into. could someone tell me why? whats so great about it? is it the professor? and are there any other classes that are many students want to take?</p>
<p>it's hard to get into because it's ultra-popular. The professor is very famous, he coined the term "power nap" and has written many many popular books. His lectures are also fantastic ... students rave about him nonstop. It's by far the biggest class at Cornell and the most popular. It's turned into some type of "right of passage" at Cornell nowadays.</p>
<p>I don't think it has the largest enrollment at Cornell (that honor probably belongs to Chem 207-208) but it's probably the largest gathering of people for class. I read through the textbook thing for it freshman year. Really interesting stuff. I will be taking next semester (my senior year).</p>
<p>why is it popular?</p>
<p>there was a picture of the cornell psych 101 class in one of my psych text books- something like 2,000 students filled in an auditorium.</p>
<p>well, i mean largest single lecture. </p>
<p>it's just a fun class that picks up alot of hype so alot of people sign up for it.</p>
<p>I think psych 101 had the greatest number of enrolled students in the nation in a single lecture hall, before the renovation of bailey hall.</p>
<p>psych 101 definitely has more students enrolled compared to chem 207. In fall 1999, there were 1499 students enrolled in psych 101 and only 810 enrolled in chem 207. Now both courses more than 1000 enrolled in each.</p>
<p>so is the class worth trying to get into or is its appeal overblown by students? meaning is it just cool to say i got into the class bc its impossible to do or do students feel they walked away learning something?</p>
<p>i think def. the learning part. It's popular but not impossible to get into (especially if your a Jr. or Sr.). The professors's famous lectures are what made the class popular in teh first place.</p>
<p>power nap. so cool.</p>
<p>I was lucky enough to get in last semester (as a freshman), and yeah, it lived up to the hype. The lectures were interesting and informative, and the class is essentially a free A if you keep up with the reading (or even if you don't, but you do it all right before the prelims) and do the practice exams online. </p>
<p>Maas IS a great professor: knowledgeable and energetic. With a class that large, it's hard to get individual attention from a professor like that, but I e-mailed him a few times and he always responded within a couple of hours.</p>
<p>Also, there were only about 800 enrolled in my class, because for whatever reason, it was held in the Statler Auditorium...that's a lot smaller than usual.</p>
<p>for cornell university, can't you just sit in on classes if you want to, even if you are not enrolled in it? </p>
<p>that's what the person that interviewed said to me... i can see how that would be a waste of time especially if you have another load of courses that actually are grades that will show up on transcripts, but i think i want to take a look at what psych is like without the obligation of doing the work</p>
<p>That would've been impossible this past semester. Because class size was limited, he made a seating chart and had the TAs take roll every day...after a certain point, people were no longer allowed to sit in simply because there were no available seats.</p>
<p>I heard that next year is the last year Maas' is teaching.</p>
<p>Anyone know if this is true?</p>
<p>If it is I'm really disappointed. I have a required class during the lecture next semester. . . .so the soonest I could take it would be fall 07.</p>
<p>well couldnt they just stand and watch? thats what i did when i visited.</p>
<p>I understand he's taught the class for over 40 years. When we dropped off our S last fall, it was rumored that he'd be retiring soon. Just as an FYI, we sat in on a session that he held during student/parent orientation & it was terrific - a very dynamic speaker.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I heard that next year is the last year Maas' is teaching.</p>
<p>Anyone know if this is true?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Toward the end of last semester, he told the class that he was thinking about it, but I don't know if he's actually going through with it.</p>