Students Rate Their Teachers

It's time to go head back to school, and a lot of you are probably wondering about your future instructors. Before the Internet, students relied on their friend's teacher recommendations before signing up for a class, but today's tech savvy generation turns to the Internet to research instructors before committing themselves to them for a full semester. With the help of few rating sites, students and parents can anonymously dish on former professors for the sake of others. Find out if your professor is listed on any of the sites below, and see how others rated them.

• RateMyProfessors.com: The site has been online since 1999, and currently has over 6.8 million student-generated ratings of over one million professors. College students rate their instructors in areas such as helpfulness, easiness, clarity, and even hotness.
  
• Grade My Professors: This is an invitation-only social network for college students. Once registered, students can grade their professors and leave comments.
  
• RateMyTeachers.com: Parents and students can rate K-12 teachers on things like helpfulness, clarity, easiness, and popularity.

Keep in mind these sites may not always be the most reliable sources, so before you drop your classes based on comments or ratings you find, I suggest you also consult with friends who took the course. Just a thought.