What is Rate My Professor? And why do people use it?
Rate My Professor (RMP) is a free online site where students can anonymously rate and write reviews of their professors for anyone to see. With the reviews submitted, RMP assigns a rating of 1-5 to a professor. What started as a mere opinion or review website that students use has unexpectedly become a religious practice when it comes to class registration for students. Students can compare each professor from a certain class to decide which one they would prefer to take. This website has allowed students to gain a small insight into what they’re getting into with each class and ensure that they and their professor are a good fit. Essentially, RMP has become the Yelp for professors and the classes that they teach.
Now, to say these ratings are completely 100% accurate would be an overstatement. With everything in life, everyone has their own experiences and their own opinions. Often, those who write reviews are those very passionate about their opinion. This could very well impact bias if one were to fail a class with a professor, leading them to leave a negative review. With that being said, it’s up to you to decide what you think of the class, how well you’ll be able to perform, and how compatible this professor and class are with you.
What makes a professor a friend, or a foe?
Professors are well aware of their expectations when it comes to their classes, just as students are aware of the type of learner they are. When it comes to who is a friend and who is a foe, that is left in the hands of the professors. This segment will allow professors to categorize themselves for students based on their teaching styles, lectures, exam processes, and even grading. But you may be asking yourself, why would a professor consider themselves a foe? In an educational space, it’s important to know the role that professors could play in your day-to-day life, and how they expect to be treated. Giving professors an opportunity to categorize themselves and explain why they consider themselves a friend or a foe is more of a respect thing. This way, both sides should know and expect what they are getting themselves into.
To get down to the nitty-gritty, a friend is a professor who is, well, your friend! Of course, there aren’t low expectations, but this professor would give you second chances, provide extra learning opportunities, or possibly even extra credit. Like all professors, this one wants you to succeed, but they allow mistakes, allow all students to catch up, give more than just one chance to have a good grade, and are always in your corner. Now, a foe, on the other hand, is different. A foe expects the most from students, knows that they are capable of excelling in their class, and pushes their students to do so. But to say one is a foe is not by any means saying they are your enemy in this case. Simply, they are different from a friend, knowing that they have their respective roles in your life as you have in theirs. And again, these characteristics that were named, or the way a professor categorizes themself, are not the end-all be-all to their class; it is up for the students to decide.
What is supposed to come out of this is aid in students’ class in professor picking, understanding the professor’s teaching style, but also get to know their professor aside from the classroom, and help professors as they openly discuss what they expect out of students, which often isn’t possible until one has already been enrolled in the class. Remember, professors have worked very hard in their own lives to earn their respected title of ‘professor’ or ‘doctor’, so why not give them that respect from the get-go?
What’s to come of this segment?
To break it down, professors at MC will be interviewed, if given the opportunity and permission. This segment will give a spotlight on MC professors on how they want to be viewed, promoting their courses and themselves. The way it will work is I will first get to know these professors on a more personal level, talking about their interests, what they do in their pastime, and their hobbies, or at home life if they feel comfortable sharing. After getting to know them better, I’ll ask them about the classroom, how they conduct their classes, the courses, the expectations and homework, the types of assignments and exams given out, and anything they’d like to mention about their teaching style. Lastly, they’ll be able to opt in or out of the RMP segment, where they will react to their overall rate and some of the comments people have posted in their ratings. This is not to degrade or hate on professors in any way, as hatred will never be tolerated. Everything that is shared or asked will be approved by The Advocate team as well as the professor in order to keep a respectful and positive environment.
Now, who will be the first to claim their titles? If you want a professor to be interviewed, or are a professor interested in an interview, comment or email me at [email protected].
