The site students use before applying for classes

When it is about that time again to apply for classes, students are always eager to get the professor that will make their semester the least frustrating. It is always good to know what to expect before you attend a class so you can avoid any issues. Rate my professor is a website to give students an idea of how professors are before applying for classes.

“I feel that it is a very useful tool that a lot of students should use. Maybe for a class that they may struggle in or be concerned with passing. Personally, I do not use the website, I kind of just go in blind and hope for the best,” said Larry Bonaparte, junior at Kean.

On the site you can review how difficult the professor is,the grade students received from the professor, if they would take them again and various comments on their experience. The site also provides students to rate their school as well.

get first hand information on professors from other students. The website launched in May 1999 and has about 800,000 monthly visitors while helping students learn who to avoid when applying for classes. There are over 19 million ratings, 1.7 million professors and over 7,500 schools on the site.

There are pros and cons when using the site. One con is there can be times when professors will get a negative review from a student who received a bad grade in the class and it could be because they did not do any of their work, showing resentment. It could also get some students to avoid taking certain classes due to the workload that students shared about the class.

The main issue is that it’s anonymous. Anyone can say anything for whatever reason. That can make people wary of using the site because is it really true?

Some pros include students getting an idea of the workload and what to expect from the professor. It can also help future students and give constructive criticism to professors

“I do use rate my professor. Honestly, Kean tries to play you at times so you gotta apply for the class first and wait to get the professor’s name. As soon as I get the professor I go to rate my professor to see if the professor is qualified or not qualified. I think it is accurate,” said Helen Jose, Senior and Public Relations major at Kean University.

Helen Jose, Senior at Kean
University. Photo Credit by Helen Jose.

A couple of professors at Kean University shared their opinions on the heavily used website as well.

Professor Evans also said that he does check his ratings on the website and thinks it is interesting to hear different perspectives. His ratings are positive so far and thinks perhaps his feelings will change when he gets not so positive reviews one day.

“It’s nice to have that perspective from the students and feedback that they may not give you in person. You can see what they really think,” Evans added.

Communications professor Charles-Barr prefers and values listening to students feedback when in conversation with them instead of using rate my professor.

“I kind of think it’s a reliable source. 50/50. I think it can be reliable but sometimes with students who did not get the grade they thought they deserved kind of use it as a weapon,” said Professor Charles-Barr, “It’s good and it’s bad. I do not check my rating for rate my professor. I do not want to see the students that I didn’t pass or give the grade they deserve say their opinion because I know exactly who they are.”