Over the course of my college years, I have used RateMyProfessors.com fairly often and without hesitation. As a college student, it should be a priority to pick out the professors that best fit a student’s needs or interests. Scheduling time was an exciting time for me, as I was able to harness all of my research and pick out classes carefully, paying great attention to the professor.
There is little doubt that Rate My Professors is a useful resource. In fact, I would highly encourage all college students to use the website!
However, I have experienced two big issues with the site that new users or current users should make a note of, if they haven’t already.
First, you should know that you will find the extremes. Whether it be an extreme like or an extreme dislike, you will have to filter through the extremes to get to the fair (but critical) reviews. Just like any other review site, students are likely only motivated to post on the website when their review is of an extreme, so keep that in mind as you surf around and research potential professors.
Also, not all reviews on the website are real reviews. While I don’t want to turn the issue into a big conspiracy theory, you can’t rely on every single review as coming from a student who actually took a course from the professor. In some cases, professors can review themselves to boost ratings or increase course interest.
During my time at Wake Forest University, I heard of a professor who logged onto another professor rating website to inflate the rating and consequently, increase class interest. A lot of students got in real trouble grade-wise after they learned that these reviews were all created by the professor. A bit underhanded if you ask me, but it’s an example to note for sure.
Do you research potential professors using RateMyProfessors.com? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
