Ratemyprofessors.com?

ffweste · Jan 6, 2007

Moondance- I don't usually base my class selection on the site commentary, but this semester I did change out of one class to an online class based on some student feedback. I do find it helpful in knowing what the prof will be like prior to the first day- and everyone has been pretty accurate- ie workload, extra credit opportunities (if any), etc.

bethin · Jan 6, 2007

I checked out my professors for the upcoming semester on it. Luckily, they are all rated high and seem like fair teachers.

nessy · Jan 6, 2007

I use it every term and have rated some myself. I take the comments with a grain of salt but most seem fairly accurate.

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 6, 2007

FYI -- Some professors play games with the site by posting things about themselves and their friends.

A few have also site to try to hurt the careers of their political enemies. So, you are right to take the information provided there with a big grain of salt. Some of it is totally bogus.

It's the equivalent of having a site where your patients and co-workers could post comments about YOUR performance. Imagine how some people would use it against you for personal reasons -- and how you and your friends could use it to make annonymous comments about yourself and each other. It's the same for professors.

stpauligirl · Jan 6, 2007

Have many of you used this website to check out/rate your professors?
A couple of semesters ago, someone told me about the site and I have found the ratings to be very helpful in selecting professors.
Have you found the ratings to be pretty accurate of past professors?
RateMyProfessors.com - Professor Reviews and Ratings

I don't know how it is for everyone else but I found it VERY helpful at my school. Of course always use your discretion, just like you would do when buying a new car or such. Do thorough research and try to speak to other students about their experiences with certain instructors. I have been in a class where the majority of students rated the professor as excellent, but I thought he wasn't all that after I took the class with him....you never really know what it's like until you are actually in the class. Good luck.

NightOwl0624 · Jan 6, 2007

I agree that it can be abused; however, so far I have found it to be dead on. You can usually tell when a comment doesn't seem to fit in with the others.

I didn't know about it when I registered for my first class, and was very lucky to get such a good professor. Now I do use it all the time, and I have found it to be very accurate at my school.

SarasotaRN2b · Jan 6, 2007

Well, I have to say that, I too, have found it to be a good source. While I can see LLG's point, and that might have happened in the beginning, but I think that if you see a large amounts of either pros or cons against a particular instructor, one would still ask around to see if they have some validity. I prefer seeing a mixture of both because that is more realistic. There will always be instructors that will have a few students on either side of bell curve who will be either say that an instructor is either fantastic or really s*&&^ks. I would rather read that an instructor, though tough, is fair and by the end of the class you learned something.

RN,BSN84 · Jan 6, 2007

I have also used this website for selecting professors. I found this site to be very useful for me. However, not all the comments about professors are true!!!

shoegalRN, RN · Jan 6, 2007

I've used this website to blast my Physiology teacher and good thing I wasnt the only one. Starting with a class of 30, only 8 remained to take the final. He has also been known to "brag" about how many students drop his class after the first test. He didnt really have a good grading system and used essay type questions on his test. He would only give the maximum amount of points based on what he "think" you earned. On one test he wanted us to describe Red Blood Sythesis and I understood the process and put them in my own words from the book, I got 5 out of 10 points. When I asked him about it, it was because he felt I should of used the words in the book, in other words, memorize word for word out of the text. I told him I need to know the application, not memorize. I ended up with a B by the skin of my teeth. He is only allowed to teach at one of the metropolitation community colleges in the area because the other schools have gotten wind of his "reptuation". It's not a good thing if they are trying to increase attendance and enrollment.

Ari RN, BSN, RN · Jan 6, 2007

I use it every semester. So far they've been all accurate!

catzy5 · Jan 6, 2007

Have many of you used this website to check out/rate your professors?
A couple of semesters ago, someone told me about the site and I have found the ratings to be very helpful in selecting professors.
Have you found the ratings to be pretty accurate of past professors?
RateMyProfessors.com - Professor Reviews and Ratings

I always check out this site I have found it to be very accurate and have read reviews for the past 3 years on there, I also post my reviews of teachers I have had. Unfortuantely for me though I don't get to use it to pick my professors I just use it to get a feel for who they are. I have to choose my classes on times I have available.