The Nontraditional Student site of the day: The ProfEval site

Oh, this one is fun. Find out at ProfEval if a teacher is the best one, or not.

There used to be more of these sites, but now the ProfEval site is the latest one I used when going back to school some years ago.

This is a site where you can go and see what kind of professor or teacher is teaching the class you want to take. Of course, not all schools are here, but the one I went to is (Western Kentucky University).

I went to try this site out again, and found it is a little slower than I remember. However, it does still work.

I went to my State, then my School, and selected "English" which had a few different choices. If I were doing a BIG search, I'd try every variety of that term.

The most recent posting seemed to be 2013. Some went back to 2015.

I think sometimes students WILL put bad reviews on here if they got a bad grade (and deserved it) or simply had a personality clash. SO, sometimes a teacher will be OK. So keep that in mind.

I did enjoy looking around here. I would personally check before deciding between, say, two different teachers. It might help a lot. You can also find out (sometimes) when a teacher gives tests, etc. which can be handy too.

Comment if you have used the site, and how you like it too.

Thanks!

Betsyanne
 
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The Prof Eval website

...why ProfEval is a handy site.

I have listed this great resource before, but I want to tell new readers about it today too.

It is the the Prof Eval site. There used to be one called Pick a Prof too, but they are not as good.

Prof Eval lets you search for evaluations on teachers and professors for many different schools. You just list your area and school and zero on on classes you are thinking of taking. You will find reviews that will really help you if you have the choice and time to pick your classes.

Let me know if you find this site helpful. I know I did.

I just took the Pick a Prof site off my links area.

Also: I was reminded of another good site on comments. It is "Rate My Professors" at Ratemyprofessor.com. You get to say if your professor is hot by rating him or her with a Hot Tamale. Sounds fun!

-Betsyanne

Why Pick a Prof is no longer as good
by That College Kid

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How to make sure you are in the right class... 6 tips

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For next semester or when you go back to school:

Here are some pointers to make sure you are in the right class - - for nontraditional students AND others.

I know it is just October, but pretty soon some of my readers will be signing up for classes that start AFTER the holidays. Here are some hints for you to go over as you think about what you will take.

#1. Go over your pre-requisites and classes you must have before you can take the other classes you want. If you must make an appointment with someone at the school (like an advisor), make an appointment now. If you wait until very close to the time people are registering, it may be too late.
You may already be signed up, and have all the classes in the perfect order already. That's great if you have done that. You can skip down the list now. :)

#2. Make sure that you sign up for classes BEFORE your school's deadline. This may sound like a gimme, but if you are involved with tests and finals, it can be hard to keep up with these at the same time. Consult a school calendar or ask an advisor or the School Office about this. Write an entry in your calendar (a must-have) and also remind yourself with an online reminder service. There is one at Yahoo Calendar for free. You may also have one available through your email service.

#3.  Before you OK your classes online or in person, make sure that you will be able to walk or take the school's bus to each location in plenty of time to make it to all classes on time. It can bug some teachers to have you late for class each time. If you need to juggle class times, NOW is the time to do it, while spaces are still left, if any.

#4. Make sure all your paperwork has already been done for your school loans or payments. Again, waiting for this can really be a pain. Now is the time to head up any mistakes that may have been made in the office. (I have heard about this happening in the Nontrad Yahoo group... so the earlier you can check and make sure everything is done right, the better.) Sometimes you have to check on these kinds of things at least once a week if there is a problem.

#5.  Before starting next semester, make a schedule you can put in or on your main notebook OR on all of your class notebooks. This will help a lot, because you won't have to always look for your schedule - it will be with you all the time, and handy to see. Your schedule should have the time of the class, the room # of your class, your professor or instructor's name, and the class name there too.  You will thank me.

#6. Review what you will need for the rest of your time at school. What classes do you still need to take? You should have this written up in another location so you can always check it just in case. And you MAY want to start looking into classes for next Fall. Do you need to fill out another FAFSA form? Who is the best teacher for the class you need?

Now's the time to ask around and/or consult an online help page, like Rate My Professors or ProfEval (for college classes) or Rate My Teachers for other schools (high schools or other schools) to make sure you get an instructor that you will like. Or just ask somebody who may have taken your next class (for other schools).

Have another tip to add? Just add it at the end of this posting. Thanks!

-Betsyanne

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