“College is expensive and not going to class is an incredible waste of money.” Everyone has heard that, and students seem to be getting it more and more. This must continue in order for students and the University to continue to progress academically.
There is a lot more to school than just attending class. The person teaching the class has just as much to do with your learning as attending class does. There are many ways to find out more about your professors, and you do not have to wait until the class actually starts to do it.
One of the easiest and most frequently used ways is looking up the professor on ratemyprofessors.com. Many students do this, but they don’t always do it the right way – it is not all about the overall number rating or the “easiness” rating assigned to a professor.
Read and analyze reviews to get a better understanding of your professor’s teaching style. Do not be misled by poor numerical reviews. They can be low for numerous reasons, and not all of those necessarily indicate that they are a bad professor – students relate to professors differently. If you are interested in the class, you might have a very different view of the professor compared to if you were only taking the class to fulfill a requirement.
It is important to take these things into consideration and not be misled by a poor numerical rating. The good news is professors are beginning to care more about the reviews on Rate My Professors. Ph.D. students, who function as teaching and graduate assistants, are starting to list their ratings on their resumes.
Rate My Professors is a good tool but should not be the only one used when evaluating a professor. Some teachers do not have any information on the website, and many times they are Ph.D. students who are teaching some of their first classes.
All professors and Ph.D. students have profiles on the University of Alabama’s website. These provide useful information about professors that can go a long way. Another obvious thing to do to evaluate professors is to talk to your peers, advisors and other professors within your department.
Last, you can email the professor before the first day or even before you register for the class. Ask any questions you might have and figure out how the class is going to go. Getting an idea of what the class will be like can be extremely helpful, and the professor will like that you are taking initiative.
As you get older and take more classes, you figure out qualities you like and dislike about professors. Use the information out there to pick the professor who will make you most successful.
Jackson Poe is a senior majoring in accounting. His column runs bi-weekly on Thursday.
