Image Credit: vancouverfilmschool

Dan Northern discusses the benefits of using RateMyProfessor in his article Why You Must Use Rate My Professors. I don’t disagree entirely. I’m here to offer a different perspective though. RateMyProfessors can be useful, but as a last caveat consider this:

• RateMyProfessor is like a lot of Internet communities—it lacks moderation, which can result in the production of lower quality information.
• RateMyProfessor users can participate and remain fairly anonymous. How do you know if the student rating a professor didn’t have a vendetta against a professor for bad grades? It could be for a number of reasons. Sure, you can consider certain ratings to be outliers but now you’re losing sight of objectivity—the reason why you’re supposedly on RateMyProfessor.

The ratings posted on RateMyProfessor can potentially lead to a poor decision. My solution: use local values to qualify your research.

• Phone a friend: students that have taken classes with the professor in question are ideal
• Peer reviews: people that have worked with the professor in the past
• Meet and greet: few things can top face time with a professor when making a decision like this
• Additionally, Google the professor: you can get a good idea as to what he/she has published and what image is attached to their name.

Remember, college is supposed to challenge your abilities and expand your horizons. I know students who frequent RateMyProfessors to search for an “easy A.” If a professor has a difficult rating don’t automatically write them off—you could be missing the opportunity of a lifetime.

I haven’t had too many positive interactions with RateMyProfessors. My advice would be to use this service at your own risk. Personally, I would rather enter a class with an open mind and decide for myself whether or not the professor suits my needs, learning experience, and personality.