Choosing Classes Based Off the Professor If you’re new to college (and haven’t figured this out during your previous years of education), your teacher can mean the difference between an excellent course and a horrendous one. While in a perfect world, the curriculum would be taught the same no matter what professor you have, that’s just not the case on planet Earth. Many students have had the unfortunate experience of signing up for a class because they heard it was great, only to find out after the add/drop deadline that they have a difficult professor. So should you base your class selection on the professor? Keep reading to hear our verdict.
Be Practical The first thing you should keep in mind when choosing your classes is your major. While the professor does tend to make a big difference in how much you learn during the course and enjoy attending lectures, it also needs to be said that there are certain classes that you need to take. Sometimes required classes are only taught by subpar professors and in these cases you just have to bite the bullet and get it over with. However, you can occasionally find yourself in a situation where you want to take a class, but you’re worried about the professor based on what your peers have said. At the end of it all, it’s your decision, but don’t let a possibly irrational fear of a professor prevent you from taking a course that (while not required) will help you learn more about your chosen field.
Be Proactive Excluding the essential and important classes that are an integral part of your learning, the fact of the matter is that your choice of professor can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy your semester. It’s generally a good idea to talk to friends and use websites like RateMyProfessor.com in order establish which professors you want to have in your schedule. Make a point of asking around and doing some research on which professors are the best.
Read Between the Lines The important part about talking to your peers or looking up professors online is to take the reviews with a grain of salt. You might find some scathing reviews about a prospective professor, but if each reviews makes comments about how the professor in question made them work too hard, you might be simply reading the words of a couple of slackers. Conversely, some professors receive higher ratings online because their classes are easy. While this might be desirable in a general
education class, you might not want a super lax professor if the class he or she is teaching is important to your major. That forensic accounting class might seem tough, but the truth is that with the right professor, you may actually enjoy it. Be smart about the classes and professors you choose, and you’ll find you will enjoy college a lot more. Photo credit: cobrasoft, knox_x