Pros/Cons of RateMyProfessors.com

So maybe you’ve just gotten into GW early decision and are jumping the gun in planning your class schedule… believe me, we’ve all been there. I am one of those overeager people who looks at the schedule of classes the day it comes out! But when there are several options of the same class to choose from, how do you pick a professor?

A lot of people I have spoken to use RateMyProfessors.com in order to get a better idea of the professors that teach at GW and their grading styles. While this can be a good thing, it also can lead you to expect a certain attitude from a professor or slack off because everyone said it was an “easy A” when in reality, it won’t be for you. I’ve compiled a few pros and cons of this website, please comment on the bottom if you have had experiences with it!

PROS:

- You can find out if the class has a midterm and a final with no other work or if it is a lot of busy work (depending on your preference, that’s important!)

- Sometimes you can find tips as to how to improve papers, as some teachers may favor students who come to office hours

- It can give you information on which teacher has taught that class the longest by looking at the dates and classes they have taught, so you can avoid taking an introductory economics class from a professor who has only taught graduate classes in the past

CONS:

- You have no idea who the people writing about these teachers are.. they could be huge slackers or enormous overachievers, and not comparable to you!

- Usually people who post there are angry about their grade, or about an interaction they had with the teacher

- A lot of the information is useless.. (“Teacher X is sooo hot!!” or “This class sucks.”) Well, that was helpful.. not.

In my opinion, the cons outweigh the pros. Instead, I spend my time googling the professor to see their GW faculty page. I’m more interested in their background and their research/books written than I am in how boring or hard the class is. Personally, I wouldn’t trust the people who review the professors online and instead I would stick to talking to your friends, or if you’re going to be a freshman, emailing us bloggers!

Questions? marisaw@gwmail.gwu.edu

- Marisa