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With a sprawling, sun soaked campus and prominent athletics department, it’s no wonder that UCLA is ranked as having the highest enrollment in the state of California roughly 112,000 applications come in per year. Scholars, prospective and current, don’t just come for the west coast lifestyle (tip: breezy day trips to the beach do tend to make homework a little easier). The public university boasts five undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools and four health sciences schools. If it has to be said, then so be it: that’s a lot of programs! That’s also a lot of faculty. We looked at Rate my Professors to determine the professors you should pass on, and the ones you shouldn’t pass up.
Below Average
- Suzanne Wertheim: The study of anthropology is expansive, exciting, and even a little intimidating; it seems like there are always informational tidbits floating around about some research study or another. The problem with this professor is that she loves to quickly pass over these morsels of knowledge, and then they suddenly comprise an exam how’s that for putting your GPA in an Egyptian sarcophagus? Beyond being insufficiently prepared, students cite lectures as being just a jumble of notes without the guidance of a PowerPoint. Points off for attendance and too dense readings outside of class have budding anthropologists ready to pack up their field kit.
- Delroy Baugh: Not every great chemist is adept at teaching the subject, and this scatterbrained professor proves it with his tangent filled lectures that feature advanced material well beyond the scope of underclassmen. If the classroom experience isn’t getting the job done, at least you have the textbook right? Wrong. Baugh uses equally frustrating supplementary material, and many say that teaching assistants or tutors are the only hope when it comes to receiving a passable grade.
- Michael Curry: You might need a map when it comes time to finding any sense of enthusiasm in this professor’s geography courses. Students claim that he renders the subject dry and vague in a monotone that’s guaranteed to have you snoring in the corner. What’s worse, the heavily weighted exams are intensely hard and grades are generally posted at the very last minute, which isn’t promising for the organized scholar who likes to stay updated on his or her progress. Many say that he gives the impression of someone who doesn’t like interacting with people very much a distant, jaded and unfair instructor.
Exceptional
- Teo Ruiz: History classes have long been associated with snooze worthy lectures, but this professor puts an end to that stereotype with his passionate approach to exploring the past. One student went so far to say that his way with words more storytelling and less recitation from slides drove them to tears. While attendance isn’t mandatory for his courses, most pupils agree that you’ll kick yourself for missing them. Heartbreaking at times and humorous at others, Ruiz connects the important moments from yesteryear with the modern world. He gets bonus points for preparing scholars for midterms and finals in advance.
- David Ravetch: Numbers. Numbers. Numbers. Accounting majors employ analytical thinking every day, so they know a thing or two about how important clarity is. This favorite professor is applauded by those in the department for his comical personality and clarity when teaching difficult concepts. In fact, long graduated pupils claim that they still use material that he taught them in the present day now that’s a good return on investment! It’s true that Ravetch’s lessons aren’t the easiest, but he’s more than willing to help you succeed with his expert sense of patience. Accessible office hours? Those help, too.
- Vanessa Luke: With “dorky but fabulous” as a tagline, how could you not instantly love this intelligent communications professor who bolsters all of her psychological techniques with plenty of research evidence for concise lectures. Her open minded attitude helps students form their own opinions about class, race, sexuality and culture in general. Ever busy, her courses do require a certain level of independence from students. We have a feeling that this is exactly what someone who promotes the idea of freethinking and self reliance would want. The phrase “life changing” has been tossed around more than a few times in relation to her courses.
Ryan James is a ’13 alumnus of Ohio University’s College of Arts & Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in writing and media. He currently works as a copywriter for a Fortune 500 e-commerce corporation based in Columbus, OH.