Students from many different schools rely on Rate My Professor to judge what classes they should be taking in the next semester. And in this time of preparation, the site is being used more than ever. But did you know, that the information presented is not exact fact? Did you know, that when students write their ratings they are writing…. Opinions?
New research has shown that when students contribute to Rate My Professor, they are not writing about their professors from a purely logistical standpoint, nor are they even acknowledging that they fail to meet this standard. This makes it nearly impossible for students to find information about potential professors, and in fact, makes it very easy to find misinformation.
What makes this new discovery interesting is that often contributing students and searching students turn out to be the same people. The students who write untrue ratings are the same students who then expect to find unbiased facts.
This has not been researched yet, but the prevailing theory is that students believe their own opinions to be fact, while acknowledging other student’s opinions as personal bias. For future reference, opinion is always biased, and fact is never opinion. Keeping this in mind during your preparations will help you avoid unnecessary struggles and stress, and also keep you from being a typical college hypocrite.
