Alexander Kusnecov - Rutgers - State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

Professor: Alexander Kusnecov

Department: Psychology

College: Rutgers - State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PSYCH272DRUGS
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

loved this class! having neuroscience background is super helpful. this class also aligns really well with Prof Shors Abnormal Psych so you could kill two birds with one stone in that aspect. lots of extra credit on the final and gives you what you need to know for exams.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I enjoyed this class a lot. Going to class, listening, and handwriting notes helps a ton. There are online quizzes each week and a couple quizzes on documentaries, but they aren't bad at all. Prof. Kusnecov teaches the material pretty clearly and is interesting and funny. I got A's on all the exams, but you do have to work!! 10/10 recommend

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This class is super interesting but sometimes he is hard to follow. He is clear what is going to be on the exams but it is A LOT of info. Overall I recommend, just know it's no easy A. Weekly online quizzes are kind of annoying because it doesn't pertain to the exams but if you take book notes you should be okay. Slow grader too.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Tests are entirely based off it lectures. Quizzes are just for extra points. He focuses more on the neurological side of drug affects so if you've never taken neuro psych, good luck. very knowledgable and hes australian which is cool i guess. other than that not the worst yet one of the hardest by far

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I LOVE Dr. K!!! Drugs and Human Behavior is one of the best classes I've ever taken. If you are interested in how the brain works and how it makes you act, you will love this course too. Quizzes are straight from the text book but exams are a little tricky, study hard. You have to work for an A but its worth every minute!!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS360
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Kusnecov took a really expansive subject (Drugs and Human Behavior) and made it really interesting and fairly easy to understand. He tries to maintain the same structure between units, while making the material fun and relevant to students. Exams are basically straight from the online quizzes, and documentaries are interesting. Great.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS360
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

You need to really know all of the material (even the stuff you may think is irrelevant) to do well on his exams. 20% of your grade is quizzes (15 of them, 40 questions a piece). Very poor professor in terms of lecture, very disorganized, and expect to listen to a lot of "ums". Overall, extracred got me an A, one of the tougher psych classes at RU.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Tremendous course. Dr. Kusnecov is a great lecturer. Content is engaging and thorough. Exams are powerpoint and lecture heavy. Be present, be attentive. This course is rigorous. Your knowledge will be tested. For those who are interested in learning more about drugs and their pharmacological effects, this is the real deal. Highly recommended.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don't get distracted by his charming looks and pleasant Aussie accent, very well educated, conducts his own research and discusses class topics thoroughly during lecture. Tests can be judged difficult upon face value because they make you think and apply knowledge gained in the course. learned a lot enjoyed the class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PSYCH272DRUGS
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Overall I learned a lot in this course. It's not an easy A though. Weekly 40-questions quizzes online that require you to read the entire chapter of that week's lecture and exams can be tricky. There are lots of documentaries of 1 to 2 hours of duration to watch too. Recommended if you're genuinely interested in learning about drugs.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PSYCH272DRUGS
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

The hours of online quizzes/documentaries per week only count for 20% of the grade, and difficult exams are the other 80%. Lectures are hard to follow and fast paced because he goes on off-topic tangents for 20 minutes at a time & puts almost no info on the slides. Rude/unhelpful over email, refuses to give any type of study guides

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PSYCH272DRUGS
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

If you have to take this class take it with someone else. Anyone else. This class was ridiculous. 3 exams, and 1-2 quizzes a week that are just as long and hard as exams. I did about 3 hours of homework a week plus all the countless hours of studying and my grade does not reflect that. Exams are clearly meant to trick the students.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PSYCH272DRUGS
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Class is interesting, BUT IS ALOT OF SCIENCE. Don't come in thinking its like any other psych course, cuz this class requires alot more work. DO NOT SKIP CLASS. Trust me, dont do it. He is a good professor and does want to help, its worth to take his class if you genuinely want to learn.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHYSIOPSYCH313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Kusnecov seems to fill people with anxiety with his emails before exams reminding students if they don't show up to class, then they would be at a significantly great disadvantage. I've never written a review for a professor in my 3 years here at Rutgers but wrote one for him because people have to know how he is. Attendance is MANDATORY. Good luck

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Assignments easy. Read and answer questions at home. Also vid assignments (mainly documentaries) that require you to answer questions. Lectures interesting. Topics - meth, heroine, acid, weed, ecstsy. No textbook, but recommended reading in syllab for those who need it. lectures clear, and notes posted. Exams not hard. Tells you what to study.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PSYCH412
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Don't trust the good reviews below, they're lies!! Its so hard to follow his lecture because he makes no sense--spot on "scattered brain" comment. Plus he really doesn't care about your success as a student, he'll make you cram, ignore your emails, and then give us an exam with only FIVE questions on it worth 30% of our grade. GRADE 3 essay exams.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PSYCH412
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Take this class if you actually want an education! Prof K is a genius. I caught something that contradicted his lectures and told him about it and he wrote the writer of the TEXTBOOK and corrected him. Total boss. Read the chapters multiple times, record the lectures and you'll learn a lot. You can find the book online for free. Expect to work.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I took him for Neuropsych fall 2012. Had no idea what I was up against, but incredibly happy I took him.. YES. Kusnecov is a hard professor. I slacked off most of the time & studied my butt off for the final & ended up getting a C in the class. If you put more than minimal effort, you'll get a better grade. What you give is what you get.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: DRUGS272
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

excellent professor. very into teaching and gets your attention

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PSY310
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is very understanding and patient. He wants you to understand the material he teaches. Like a 300 level course, you have to initiate contact with him. His exams are a little tricky, but they really test your knowledge instead of memorization skills.