We’ve all been there. That one professor that you just can’t stand. The professor who received an F on rate my professor and who lives up to the name. You dread going to their lectures and you’re counting the days the days till you turn in the final and never have to see them again.
When you finally manage to survive their class, you walk around campus warning the baby underclassmen to not follow in your footsteps. Just the mention of their name causes a “back when I was in Biology 218” to erupt from your mouth. Not all bad professors are the same, but they do tend to share some characteristics that make them the worst.
1. Starting class two minutes early
Just because you teach the class doesn’t mean you decide when it starts. It’s 8:00 am. I already don’t want to be here. Just because you’re a morning person doesn’t mean I am.
2. Ending class late
I have ten minutes to sprint from one class to the next. It’s just rude to me and the next professor that I have to make me late because you can’t manage your time.
3. Refusing to curve even though the class average was a 57%
Please don’t ruin my GPA simply because you felt like making a test that was obviously way too hard for everyone.
4. Blaming a low-class average on students
If the entire class is failing maybe it’s not just them being lazy?
5. When it’s obvious they don’t want to be there
At least pretend you’re not just here because of the part of my tuition money that goes toward funding your research.
6. Ignoring extenuating circumstances
Students are people too. Sometimes we have family emergencies. Sometimes life happens to us too. Don’t pretend like it doesn’t.
7. Acting like their class is the only one students are taking
Your class is four credits. Don’t pretend like you know that it’s the hardest four credits I’m taking.
8. Refusing to round a borderline grade
Some classes are part of a larger sequence and that means that you actually have to teach me things that I need to know for the next class.
10. TA’s who think their god
Chances are that TA is a year older than half the students there. Your magical BA doesn’t make you a god or give you the right to be mean.
