Scheduling may be the most stressful time for students at the College.
The internet site PickAProf.com tries to limit student frustration when choosing professors.
Thanks to the Student Government Association (SGA), students at the College can now log on to facilitate the scheduling process.
Free to join the Web site allows students to view the profile of any professor who is a member.
Records and Registration sends each professor's evaluations to the PickAProf service provider, and PickAProf does the rest.
Students can view what percentage of A's and B's the professor gives out, and the percentage of people who dropped the class.
"If the product can help the student match his or her learning style with a professor's teaching style it is something that works for everybody," Frank Cooper, director of Records and Registration, said.
"Goals of these products should be to supply valuable information so students can make an intelligent decision."
Each professor's profile comes with student reviews, similar to VirtualRatings.com. PickAProf is different in that it tries to reduce libelous remarks about professors.
PickAProf is regulated by their company, which reviews student submissions and deletes ones full of tactless remarks.
This allows for a non-biased review.
In addition to all the professor information, the Web site also allows students to purchase books online and provides them a section to view a sample schedule.
This site allows professors to interact as well.
A professor can sign up and post course descriptions, personal biographies, office hours, contact information and a sample syllabus for students to view.
All professor participation is voluntary.
"I subscribed to it so I could get positive or negative
feedback as a professor," William Johnson, assistant dean for Student Affairs in the business department, said.
"When a student knows what to expect from a course they are less likely to drop the course," Lauren LeBano, SGA vice president of Academic Affairs, said.
"It will benefit the students and the professors more because it is much more objective. It will eliminate the possibility of slander that often happened on Virtual Ratings," LeBano added.
Some students are attracted to PickAProf's features.
"Virtual Ratings (has) misled me in the past," Charles Rouse, sophomore finance major, said.
"I have one class this semester where the professor was supposed to give no work and gives tons."
Kaitlin Severini, sophomore secondary education English major, finds the percentage of people who drop the class helpful.
According to LeBano, in order for the site to serve it's purpose, people have to sign up.
"The more people that sign up, the more ratings that will be available and the more beneficial it will be," LeBano said.
As of Oct. 2, 164 students had signed up for PickAProf, and had written 116 reviews.
To sign up go to PickAProf.com or SGA's home page at tcnj.edu/~sga/ and click on the link to the right.
