Rate my professor?

jess.mont, ADN, RN · Apr 15, 2017

I've looked at it, but I take the negative reviews with a grain of salt and try to judge the opinions by the writing style. Here are two reviews of my current professor. She is great! She's so organized and very fair. I'll give her an excellent review at the end of class, but she has a few negative ones. I wouldn't have let those sway me when I was choosing my classes, though, because I could tell from the positive ones that she would be an excellent professor.

she doesnt teach she repeates her lecture notes even if you ask her a question or to explain she just repeats what her power point says, she not helpful, its alot of material and she doesnt explain anything shes very hard to follow and can be rude.

A&P is hard by nature. With any professor, you need to devote a large amount of time to studying for this class. That being said, I found that she was very clear cut with what she expected us to know for exams and quizzes, and both are very fair. Only referenced the text for further explanation of topics.

Editorial Team / Admin · Apr 15, 2017

In addition to what jess.mont said, you also need to understand that people are much more likely to complain than they are to compliment. Those who are satisfied with their professor vs. those who are dissatisfied- who do you think is much more likely to run to sites like Rate My Professor?

Simplistic · Apr 15, 2017

I have used it for EVERY teacher that I have chosen thus far, and for the most part the ratings have aligned with what the teacher was like. I highly recommend using that website for any science/math classes that you have to take, because a good teacher will make life a whole lot easier.

caliotter3 · Apr 15, 2017

Ratemyprofessor can be very helpful when one reads one negative review after another and they give suitable examples. You want to avoid that instructor. But when there is a mix of negative and positive reviews or the negative reviews are poorly written and speak in generalities instead of giving specifics, you need to take the reviews with a grain of salt. If several sections of the same course are offered, try to go with the instructor that gets positive constructive remarks across the board.

crazydoglady89 · Apr 15, 2017

I used to use it in my first degree program ~6-10 years ago. I checked reviews for my professors that I used for pre reqs, and found someone who rated the professor as poor because "he teaches us things that aren't even on the tests", and another one complaining that you have to actually read the book.

Take it with a grain of salt.

Anaya96 · Apr 16, 2017

Yeah I'm using it to find out which English class I should enroll in for Summer 2017. She has a rating of 4.5 and excellent reviews, there is another English teacher that I enrolled in because I couldn't get the other class that I wanted to enroll in to fit around my work schedule. English is not my best subject and it is important to me that I have a very good professor. I will be sure to use it when I get into my science courses. Thank you so much for the advice :)

Anaya96 · Apr 16, 2017

Will do, thank you :)

HAMSAMICH · Apr 16, 2017

Yes. I use it to get a feel for the professor, what are some dos and don'ts, how many people are passing with As, and the workload. Generally, if there are a lot of negative reviews or if the workload is unusually heavy or if the professor is known for outbursts, I try to avoid those classes. I also talk to class mates at school that have taken said classes before to confirm the reviews.

I've posted my fair share of positive reviews on the site and only one negative review. So, it's not always disgruntled students that post.

Wiggly Litchi · Apr 16, 2017

I love RMP, but as others have said, you've got to really read in to the reviews to see if they're garbage or if there's any merit to them.

If the negative reviews are consistent and revolve around the same subjects "Doesn't listen to students concerns" "Doesn't show up to class" "Reads word for word from slides" etc, then I'd be less likely to take that professor.

Watch out for the ones that are positive too listing a prof as an "Easy A"... I made the mistake of taking a former classmate's recommendation last semester and I will be a lot more cautious in the future. What good is an easy A if you're not learning anything? :/ Had I looked at this professor's page on RMP before I enrolled in the class, I would have seen how terrible she was >

tl;dr version - RMP is a great resource, but exercise common sense when reading reviews.

Nu2be, CNA · Apr 17, 2017

I loved RMP website when I was attending a university. However, beware of students reviews; some students don't want to put in the work

Anaya96 · Apr 17, 2017

I'm using it to sign up for a very good English professor since English is not my best subject. It is important to me that i past the class with a descent grade. And thank you for your comment I will be sure to keep that in mind.