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Do you avoid badly rated professors?

I recently started researching professors in upcoming classes on websites like ratemyprofessor before committing to a class. Have you ever attempted to take a badly rated professor's class anyway because that was the only class that worked for you? If so how did it work out? Was it not as bad as you thought or just as bad as written online #college #professor ?

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Kim’s Answer

Gwen,
I don't put much stock in those ratings. Why? Because most people rate a professor low if he is too demanding. That's fine for the basics, but, if the course is in my major, I want them to be demanding! Based on your experience so far, the professors you've liked, and those you haven't, do the on-line ratings match up with your opinion? Do you have friends or fellow classmates whose opinion you might value more highly? Put it all together, and make your best guess. But, if a professor is rated boring, and it is a subject that is difficult for you, I'd be really careful with that!
Thank you comment icon Thank you! Gwen
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Ian’s Answer

I do read Professor reviews for more information on the course style, but I take every review with a grain of salt. If the Professor is highly rated over a number of years, I will try to get into one of their relating courses. But I do not strictly cross off a Professor because of a couple negative reviews claiming how difficult or tough they are. Most reviews are fabricated about one person's experience so do not pay too much attention to them. But they can be helpful to understanding a certain Professors style of teaching.
Thank you comment icon Thank you for your advice Gwen
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Paul’s Answer

When I was in grad school I relied heavily on the ratings and 9 times out of 10, they were spot on but you have to realize that there are a number of different things to take into consideration when looking at the ratings. For starters, who is providing the rating? Undergraduates or graduate students? The above comments are correct that some students don't want to put in the work so they rate a professor poorly. Also, do you see a trend? Has this professor consistently received high ratings then for one semester they were poor? There may have been certain issues that were going on during that time that are not explained in the comments of the raters. On the other hand, if you consistently see poor ratings over a number of years you should be concerned. Another thing to think about is the actual course. A math professor may teach a calculus course one way and an engineering course a different way. In other words, he or she may have different teaching styles depending upon the course or class (undergraduate vs. graduate). Last, the best way to get an honest opinion is to actually talk to individuals who've recently taken the professor. That way you have an opportunity to ask questions to get a better understanding of why they feel they way they do about a particular professor.
Thank you comment icon Thank you for your reply! Gwen
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