As students choose next semester's courses, they will once again have at their fingertips the advice of the Undergraduate Student Government's Student Course Guide, an online resource that is now a staple of the University's course selection process.
"I think that the Student Course Guide is an invaluable resource that helps students to choose their courses," Shoum Chakravarti '05, USG academics chair and editor of the SCG, said in an email. "Whether a student is looking for an elective fourth course, a distribution requirement or a departmental, the SCG can offer advice and information that will help a student to choose wisely."
The central aspect of the SCG is its student-written course reviews. Each semester, the SCG receives an average of 350 review submissions, according to Chakravarti. The SCG accepts two reviews per course on a first-come, first-served basis. The editor then chooses one official review for each course.
"I primarily look for information (about readings, assignments, instructors) and balance (fairness in discussing the course's strengths and weaknesses and discussing all the aspects of the course)," Chakravarti wrote. "It always helps if the review is also humorous or offers a specific insight that will help students to decide if they want to take the course (such as a comparison to another similar course)."
The SCG pays five to 10 dollars for each submission selected as an official review, depending on its quality. In order to encourage candor, reviews are strictly anonymous.
The SCG also allows students to submit shorter, more informal comments for a course in order to create "a more balanced forum" than a single review, according to the SCG website. Professors can also respond, Chakravarti said, "to address the faults they find in the reviews."
That is not to say faculty members only focus on the negative aspects. "Some professors really appreciate the reviews. I have heard professors on the first day of a class refer to the reviews, positive or negative, in discussing the merits of the class," Chakravarti said in an email.
The SCG also features lists of "cool courses" and "cool professors." Most recently, Professor John Fleming was asked for his top ten course recommendations. Other SCG services include a course scheduler and links to the USG Bookline, an electronic marketplace for used textbooks.
The SCG is based on course data provided by the Registrar's office. The guide first appeared 21 years ago, and it has been online since the fall 1997 issue. In that time, it has become an essential part of the University's course selection process: Chakravarti said at least three-fourths of the student body use the service.
Despite its advantages, Chakravarti cautions against relying exclusively on the SCG. "It's a useful tool when used in conjunction with other people's advice," he said. In addition to reading course reviews, it's also a good idea to "try out the course" during the first two weeks of classes, he added.
Chakravarti said reviews for next semester will be online soon, "once we get a sufficient number of reviews to be able to pick the best ones."
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