As the semester draws to a close, college students have completed class registration — a tedious process that plays a pivotal role in the academic experience. When deciding on courses, seeking out the “right fit” often comes in the shape of a professor. No match is perfect, but learning about a prospective professor in a concise forum can make the pair more compatible.
Rate My Professors is a review-based website and mobile app that allows students to assign ratings and comments to professors and their respective courses. This feedback is reported to be posted by users who are currently or have previously taken a class with the instructor.
The website states that online reviews should be one of the many resources students use when making a decision that affects their academic future. The Torch spoke to St. John’s University students about their opinions on the website.
“I think that Rate My Professors accurately portrays teachers from a student’s point-of-view, which means a lot to me,” said sophomore and Psychology student Haley Nquyen.
Although reviews are anonymous, it’s implied that students who utilize the website put their trust in its user-generated feedback.
Freshman Marancia Hubberd was tasked with drafting a schedule for herself come the spring semester. However, this was unexpected for the incoming freshman with a built-in schedule.
“I used Rate My Professors to pick all of my professors for this semester,” she explained. “I find that students often leave very informative comments about a teacher and their teaching methods.”
For someone like Hubberd, student-teacher compatibility is imperative to academic achievement.
“Even if course material for a particular class is the same, professors who try to engage with their students, invite them to ask questions or go to them with extra credit opportunities can make or break student performance. So far, reviews have helped me find these professors.”
It has been noted that in speed dating, it often doesn’t take long to determine whether you’re “attracted” to someone or not.
In a matter of minutes, students can decide whether they wish to sign up with a prospective instructor or steer clear of them entirely with the backing of a surplus of reviews.
Bianca Foresta is a junior majoring in Health and Human Services. She uses Rate My Professors as many of her classmates do, but considers the subjectivity of the feedback.
“I almost always look up professors before I sign up for a class, but I have noticed that people sometimes will make a review based on one bad grade, which I feel is pretty misleading,” expressed Foresta.
Senior and Early Childhood Education student Matt Anderson has reevaluated his perspective of the site and what it reveals about a student’s classroom experience as he advanced in his college years.
“Early in my college career, I utilized Rate My Professors because I felt like it provided an accurate representation of how the teacher was within the classroom in terms of workload and difficulty,” said Anderson.
“I now feel like these reviews often don’t talk about if the teacher is challenging you within the classroom, instead, reviews and ratings are purely grade-based,” he concluded.
Overall, mixed emotions emerge from students regarding review-based websites such as Rate My Professors.
Since navigating the “perfect match” doesn’t come easily for most, learning about a prospective professor in any forum may increase the chances of student-professor compatibility, just as it can for a pair that engages in speed dating. No matter the style of matchmaking, the relationship outcome will depend on the people.
