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On their Web sites, colleges and universities sometimes make their dormitories seem too good to be true, and sometimes they are. Students get the opportunity to see where they are going to be living when they get to campus for orientation.
The same holds true for professors. Students have no way of knowing about a professor unless a friend or acquaintance has had them and can give a heads up on that professor.
There is nothing worse than having a project to do for a class and getting stuck with a teammate that doesn’t pull their own weight, and the others to do all the work.
The answers to these predicaments are as easy as heading to the Internet. Thanks to Michael Tasner, a graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., with a degree in entrepreneurship, students can now find out about dorm rooms and potential teammates online.
In the article, “New Web site lets college students rate their dorms,” Tasner stated, “I was in a ridiculous amount of groups with a lot of crappy group members.”
Tasner developed two Web sites, http://www.Ratemycollegedorm.com and http://www.Ratemyteammember.com. Both sites are free but to use them, an account must be opened before browsing can commence.
Not only can students rate dorm rooms, but now can rate classmates on how good of a teammate they are, as well. Bad mouthing a classmate is not allowed, no mud slinging or name-calling.
The purpose is to rate the student, any student, on how good that student works in a group. The rating system ranges between rating a frown face to a smiley face. And one final question is added. Would you share a six pack with the student?
Marie Bennet, a senior English major, said, “I don’t know if I could actually rate a classmate, but now that I think about it, I have had a couple shady group members once or twice. I ended up doing most of the work.”
It is a fun way to find out honestly about these things, as it is easier to tell the truth when facing a computer screen than face to face.
Another helpful and free site for the college student is www.Ratemyprofessor.com. Not only is it interesting reading, a student can find out about a certain professor before signing up for his or her class. After taking a class, the student can go to this site and rate the professor.
If a student is new to a department, or is taking a required class outside his department, this site can keep the student from being completely in the dark, concerning the professor.
The Web sites mentioned here are tools to help students share information, whether it be with an in-coming freshman or a senior looking forward to their final semester.
