Northeastern students rely on Rate My Professors despite its emotional bias
The anonymous platform offers useful data but often reflects student frustration rather than objective teaching quality.
By Giulia Donovan ·
Northeastern University students increasingly depend on the website Rate My Professors to select their courses, despite the platform’s tendency to display skewed and emotional reviews. The site allows current and prospective students to evaluate instructors on a five-point scale for difficulty and quality. While the tool provides immediate insights into class expectations, many entries reflect personal grievances rather than an honest assessment of teaching methods.
The structure of the site encourages asymmetrical feedback. Students who enjoy a course typically communicate their appreciation directly to the professor via email or in person. Those with negative experiences, however, often prefer the anonymity of an online review. Jade Wiggins, a second-year journalism and political science major, notes that this dynamic turns the platform into a space for venting. Wiggins argues that the site functions less as a factual database and more as a therapy outlet for disappointed students.
Specific examples illustrate the lack of nuance in many ratings. Wiggins cites reviews that contain only the phrase, "Bad. Just bad." Such entries offer little guidance to incoming students. A professor who is knowledgeable and approachable may still receive low scores if a specific student is dissatisfied with their final grade. The reviewer’s frustration with the outcome can overshadow the actual quality of the instruction.
Research and student experience identify two primary traits that define a good professor: knowledge and approachability. Students want instructors who understand the material and can explain it clearly. They also value accessibility, such as responsive emails and open office hours. Many professors possess these qualities but still accumulate negative reviews due to unrelated issues. The platform often captures the student’s reaction to the course load rather than the professor’s teaching style.
The reviews provide practical information that official course descriptions omit. Incoming students can determine if a class is homework-heavy or if the professor is reachable outside of scheduled hours. These details help distinguish one instructor from another. However, students must separate the reviewer’s perspective from the professor’s actual performance. A single rating reflects one individual’s experience, which may not match the experience of the next student. Some classes feel overwhelming because they are advanced or because the student did not complete the required work.
Northeastern offers an alternative through its internal survey system called TRACE. At the end of each semester, students fill out anonymous surveys that use a similar five-point scale. The TRACE questions focus on student reflection, course structure, and instructor effectiveness. Professors receive direct feedback from these surveys, which can inform changes to their teaching techniques. Past TRACE evaluations are available to students through the Student Hub.
The TRACE system differs from Rate My Professors in one key way: professors read the surveys directly. This awareness often leads students to use less harsh language than they would on a public website. The direct connection between the feedback and the instructor encourages a more measured tone. Students who still use the external platform should weigh the reviews with caution. The lack of a filter on the public site means emotional reactions often dominate the data.
Students fill out TRACE evaluations for extra credit at the end of the semester. Wiggins advises that those writing these reviews should consider the future students who will read them. The goal is to help upcoming classes make informed choices. Reviews shaped by temporary frustration may mislead those students. Careful research and cautious writing are necessary to ensure that the feedback serves as a helpful guide rather than a personal complaint.
The selection of a professor should rely on more than one person’s emotional state. Incoming students need to look beyond the surface of a single rating. The combination of internal surveys and external reviews provides a fuller picture. Neither source is perfect, but both offer data points that help students build a schedule. The challenge lies in interpreting that data objectively.
