By Haley Whitt ’15

Abnormal Psychology is not the first class that has been offered to students to take through Montgomery College, but it is one of the most interesting. For the first time, Abnormal Psychology will now be offered to Sherwood students.

Although even the name of the course is intriguing, there are requirements students must meet in order to enroll. “The pre-requisite [to taking Abnormal Psychology] is passing the AP Psychology exam with a score of 4 or better,” explained counselor Lesia Perkins. In addition, students must also have a GPA of 2.75, and have SAT scores of 550 for reading and 550 for writing.

Meeting these basic requirements will be worth the hard work if one is interested in minoring or majoring in psychology for a career. “I’m super excited for the class,” said junior Jacky Mueck. “I can’t wait to learn about anything and everything because it is so fascinating. From mental disorders to serial killers, I’m game. [Psychology] is one of the majors I’m considering, and I plan on minoring in it if I decide to become a teacher.”

A bonus to this specialized class is that approximately 15 students have signed up for it. Therefore, the students will be able to acquire individual help with the professor that Montgomery College selects to teach the course.

AP Psychology teacher Christine McKeldin says that while psychology focuses on topics such as the biological basis of behavior, human development, perception, learning, mental disorders and social behavior, Abnormal Psychology offers more of an understanding of behavior disorders and insight into the personality of a disturbed person. “Symptoms, contributing factors, treatment, diagnosis and classification of the mentally ill and the mentally defective, as well as the maladjusted person, will be studied,” said McKeldin.

The class will discuss roles of members of the mental health team in the prevention, analysis and rehabilitation of disturbed individuals. “I think the class will be extremely engaging and will give those who really enjoyed the AP course a chance to dive deeper into the material. It will also be beneficial for those who plan on majoring in a psych-related field,” said McKeldin.