While attending college, you are bound to come across a few professors you'll wish you had avoided. If you are lucky, you may receive professors whom you love to rave about to your friends. In other cases, you may sit in class staring into space and asking yourself, “What did I do to deserve this?” Well, here are five types of professors to avoid during your college experience, if at all possible.
1. The old and grumpy professor.
Based on their appearance, they tend to remind you of your grandparents -- but please don't let their looks fool you. This type of professor tends to have an attitude or respond to your questions rudely. Additionally, they are not fans of technology! You will know because they say things like “the Facebook,” “the Twitter,” and “electronic gadgets.” Besides their "constantly-annoyed" mannerisms, they either have sketchy office hours or none at all, which can be a hassle if you ever have to meet with them.
2.The late professor.
You get to class and the professor isn’t there, so you begin to countdown the next ten minutes before you decide to leave. As you begin to gather your things, the professor walks through the door and you feel like you’ve just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. Unfortunately, this rollercoaster happens at least twice a week. Despite being at least ten minutes late, this professor will lecture like he/she has all of the time in the world. Once you begin to pack up for the end of class, the professor begins to act very dramatic and gets insulted that you have other places to be or most importantly, another class to get to in 10 minutes. Also, the one time you make it to class later than the professor, he/she is not hesitant to give you a side eye or make a remark, even when the professor has been late before as well.
3. The prerequisite professor.
This kind of professor usually teaches a class that is mandatory for everyone to take. The problem with these courses is that the subject means more to the professor than it does to the students. The professor will get a kick out of knowing that you have to take their class, even though it isn't related to your major at all. He/she expects you to know everything about the course, when in reality the class is not one of your priorities. At first, the professor may seem fun, but as the class goes on you realize that he/she is making things more difficult than what they should be. You will not be the only one in the class that begins to despise this professor. In fact, you’ll find it very easy to make fun of this professor with your peers, outside of class.
4. The "it’s not me, it’s you" professor.
This professor seems amazing the first week. You may think, “I just might enjoy this class.” But then you have your first test or assignment and things begin to go downhill from there. You’ve taken it upon yourself to study with other people and review class notes, but something still isn’t right. Then one day, you have a thought that your professor doesn’t have the best teaching skills. This professor makes it a habit to express his/her disappointment in the class's performance or how the class isn't trying hard enough. This scolding will happen after every test or assignment grade is given. During the rants, they love to remind you about the cost of tuition as if it’s supposed to make you take their class more seriously. For some reason, this professor can not fathom the idea that they could possibly be at fault.
5. The uncommunicative professor.
Everyone knows that communication is key, but not for this professor. They always seem to be in a rush and can't talk, or they seem uninterested in your concerns. They will not tell you that they made changes to the syllabus. Sometimes, they will even forget about an assignment but when he/she remembers a week or so later, you better have it with you in class at that moment. This professor will also misplace assignments that you have turned in and will ask you to resubmit it like its no big deal and that you shouldn’t be upset. He/she will also allow you to show up to class only to find out from a random office attendant that class has been cancelled, when the professor could have easily sent an email or posted something on Blackboard.
In order to avoid these types of professors, it is imperative to utilize your resources such as ratemyprofessor.com and asking students about professors before you register for their classes. If you come across any of the aforementioned professors, pray for your sanity, work on your patience, and always save a backup copy of your assignments.
