Rate your professor

It happens to freshmen a lot, sophomores and juniors quite often, and even seniors once and a while - it meaning getting stuck in a class with a horrible professor. Odds are most Weber State University students have been there before. It starts with the nerve-racking process of picking the classes necessary for the next semester. It's hard enough picking the classes, but then there are multiple sections of the same class, with different professors teaching the different sections. Which professors are good? Which are bad? Which are the types who rule the classroom with an iron fist? Which are the types who pick on students who don't want to participate or answer questions? Which are the types who listen to students? Which are the type who could care less about what a student has to say? These are just some of the questions associated with finding the right class, and professor. So what's a student to do? It would be kind of cool if students could interview prospective professors, and find out which one was right for them. The professors could come by your house, drop off a resume, give some references, have a brief interview, and go from there. After all, this is a big decision. This student-teacher relationship is going to last 16 weeks. Those 16 weeks can feel like an eternity sometimes. By the end of that period, students have spent so much time staring at lecturing professors, they know every physical anomaly, quirky outfit, and verbal and non-verbal tendency well enough to impersonate those professors on Saturday Night Live with pinpoint precision. So interviewing might not be an option. Viewing a resume is easier. But, getting references for the professor is pretty easy, and maybe the most telling. There are different routes to go with this, but a popular site to find out about what professors are like is pickaprof.com. On this national website, with more than 350 colleges and universities on its database, including WSU, students can view student reviews, ratings, and evaluations of professors, as well as a history of what grades that professor gives out each semester - very helpful information. Now, here's the thing to understand - and Pick-A-Prof makes this clear on its site - this site is not about angry rants, or personal attacks from students. It's also not a way to look for an easy A. It's a forum of ideas and information. Finding the right professor doesn't mean finding the professor who gives out easy A's. Finding the right professor means finding the one who has the personal and professional attributes to give a student the best possible education in that class. Finding out those attributes is what makes this service so valuable. Now the benefit from this service goes both ways. In order for students to get the most comprehensive look at a professor, that student needs to contribute themselves. So, the Golden Rule mentality is what makes this idea work best. It takes everyone being a user, and a contributor. So, get involved. Leave a legacy at WSU. Help future students find that great professor you did or avoid that horrible professor you didn't. It can make a huge difference.