A place where students can find the cheapest prices for textbooks, plan their schedule, pick their classes based on reviews from other students and comprehensive grade summaries may seem like a fantasy, but pickaprof.com is trying to make it a reality.
“Because we have all of the services put together, it makes it a one-stop academic resource,” said Karen Bragg, the director of University Relations for the site.
The site was started by Chris Chilek and John Cunningham in April 2000. They now have 300 schools and over 1 million users. There is a Bakersfield College section, but it doesn’t appear to be frequented often by students.
One teacher who has been reviewed is art professor Marlene Tatsuno.
The reviews are sparse, but most classes have grade statistics. More student participation would help other students. “It would be a good reference,” said Dominic Muller, 23. “As long as it’s aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly, the site will do well; however, it may not be a good basis for where to go and choose professors.”
The site allows students to post reviews about classes and teachers. “We don’t just post reviews,” said Bragg. All submitted reviews are read and ranked before being posted on the site, according to Bragg. “The reviews can be negative as long as they’re informative,” she said.
A negative review that is not informative will not be posted, but the writer gets a chance to rewrite it. Not all of the reviews submitted are negative. In fact, according to Bragg, 75 percent of them are positive. The site allows students to see grade statistics for past semesters.
According to Bragg, showing what grade patterns are shows what the class is about. “It gives you a fuller picture of what to expect,” said Bragg.
If a student sees that he or she is taking two classes that fewer people make passing grades in, the student can decide to focus on one of those classes and take the other class when he or she can handle the course, according to Bragg.
Another benefit the site offers is the ability to compare prices on textbooks online.
By simply entering in an ISBN number, a student will be able to see five or six different prices from different Web sites and be able to pick the best one.
Despite all that the site offers, Muller says it would be best to take it all with a grain of salt.