When I’m looking at classes I’m registered for, or potential classes I want to take, I always jump straight to RateMyProfessors to see what I’m dealing with. How hard is the class going to be? What do people think of the professor? Are they going to grade me harshly? Is the work-load horrific?
While the reviews usually don’t personally sway me in my decision on whether or not to take a class, others may not be able to say the same. Many students take classes specifically because they’ve heard the course is an “easy 4.0”. If a course has multiple professors, students might try to take it with the one they’ve heard is the “best”. We’re constantly trying to maximize our gains, and RatemyProfessors is one resource we use to help us do so.
It’s great to use RateMyProfessors to have an idea of what you might be dealing with, but don’t believe in it wholeheartedly. Don’t use it as an excuse to not take a class! What someone struggled with may be something that you breeze through. In addition, if you already come into the class with a preconceived notion that the class is brutal and everyone hates it, chances are you won’t achieve your full potential in the course. For example, in high school, I entered a few classes telling myself that I wouldn’t get A’s in them. Since I set my expectations lower, I ended up not getting A’s—just like I said. I often wonder, had I maintained a different mindset, if the results would be different. Perhaps if I told myself I could get an A in the class, I might have approached it differently.
It’s also important to look at the reviews in question. Often, reviews are extreme. It’s either they absolutely adore the professor/course, or they abhor it and write a nasty review. It’s more likely that the professor is completely normal, and there are some outliers of people who loved/hated them so much they needed to write a review as an outlet for their emotion. After all, if you felt mediocre about a professor/course, you probably won’t feel the need to go tell everyone.
A personal experience I had helped me realize this. The professor for a class I needed to take had horrible reviews. The reviews stated that their work load was impossible, their grading scale was ridiculous, and they were an inconsistent lecturer. I came into the class already scared and anxious that I would fail. Instead, my experience was much different than the reviews I let consume my mind. While there was a lot of work in the class, I found that it was helpful—not complaint-worthy. The lectures were completely fine, and I ended up acing the class. Meanwhile, in a class where the reviews said the exams were easy, I actually found them a bit difficult.
I can’t tell you to not use RateMyProfessors, because I probably won’t stop reading it either. However, remember to take everything you read on there—and the internet—with a grain of salt. For one, you don’t know who the review was written by. Secondly, the reviews may be an extreme case someone had with a professor. Thus, it is an unfair representation of the professor, especially considering they are not able to stand up for themselves in that situation. Finally, it’s crucial to remember that other’s experiences are not yours. Just because someone struggled in a course doesn’t mean you will! Vice versa, if someone found a course easy, it does not mean you will too. We all have different strengths and thus we each face challenges differently!
So, the next time you see a horrible review on RateMyProfessors, take it with a grain of salt.