As a member of the Government of the Student Body cabinet, I have seen the steps Chris Deal has taken to bring Pick-A-Prof to Iowa State. I have also noticed that there are some common misconceptions about the program, and I would like to address these concerns.

1) Pick-A-Prof is a waste of students’ money: Pick-A-Prof actually costs nothing to ISU students or to the university itself. Pick-A-Prof is paid for, in total, through advertisements that are approved by GSB.

2) A similar service is already available to students at

ratemyprofessor.com: Unlike ratemyprofessor.com and similar sites, Pick-A-Prof offers much more than just student ratings and reviews of professors. At each institution where it is available, Pick-A-Prof creates a customized Web site. Some of the options offered to students through this Web site, in addition to ratings and reviews, include grade histories, a book-exchange forum and a schedule planner. Pick-A-Prof also encourages professor interaction by allowing professors to post bios, course syllabi, comments on students’ reviews and customized reviews.

3) Pick-A-Prof would create more apathy among students: The purpose of Pick-A-Prof is not to help students find the easiest teachers; it is instead to help students find the best professors here at Iowa State. We, as students, pay thousands of dollars each semester for an education, and we deserve to get the best education possible. Pick-A-Prof is a tool designed to help students get the most out of their education.

4) This would just be used as a way for students to vent: Of all the reviews Pick-A-Prof receives (each of which is reviewed before posting — another way Pick-A-Prof sets itself apart from regular online professor rating systems), approximately 75 percent rate the professor between average and excellent (three to five on a five-point scale).

Pick-A-Prof is a program available at 99 other institutions already, with another 20 expected to take it on before the semester ends. On average, within a year and a half of opening at a university, Pick-A-Prof will be used by more than 50 percent of students. Pick-A-Prof is a definite tool for students to enhance their education.

Jared Bartel

Sophomore

Mechanical Engineering