Students across the country in universities will most likely experience a professor or class that didn’t meet their expectations. Whether students don’t like the class or professor due to methods of teaching, the workload or any other varying factors, students can share their opinions and experiences on the Rate My Professor website.
Starting in May 1999, Rate My Professor has been operating under the premise of being a platform where students can anonymously share their ratings of professors and classes. Students can not only write comments but can rate one through five in the categories of quality overall, difficulty, for credit, the student’s final grade and if there is a textbook required.
Having a platform dedicated to reviewing professors gives students who are registering for classes an extra resource to ensure they are making the right decision.
“Freshman and sophomore year I used ratemyprofessor.com a lot prior to registering for classes,” Anthony Salazar, a senior biology major at the Dahlonega campus said. “Reviews from other students used to influence which classes and professors I signed up for.”
Victoria Landa, a senior internal affairs major at the Dahlonega campus said she found out about rate my professor from fellow students before she registered for classes during her sophomore year. She makes it a habit to look up her potential professors before registering, and if the rating is lower than four, she will try to avoid taking their class.
Rate my professor has become a staple tool in many college students’ cases. With the ability to not only research classes and professors before committing to them, students can share how the class or professor ended up after the class was complete.
“I believe I have only written one review, and only because my professor was so terrible. I wanted to write it so that other students who were debating between the same class and the two professors that were available would steer clear of my professor. I also wrote it hoping my professor might look at it and change her teaching strategies for the next semester.” – Anthony Salazar, senior biology major at the Dahlonega campus
Students should still be cautious when relying on word of mouth from anonymous sources, yet students highly recommend checking the website out. Salazar recommends students only use the website to assess whether or not the professor’s teaching style suits their academic needs. He opposes using the website to judge how difficult a class may or may not be.
Having an extra tool in one’s pocket is never a bad idea, especially regarding college classes and credits. Checking out the Rate My Professor website is encouraged by fellow students but like anything, students say not to trust everything you see online.
