Content over professor

“That sounds like an interesting course, but who teaches it?” When I was signing up for classes at the beginning of the semester, I asked upperclassmen for recommendations. All of them, I noticed, recommended courses to me based on the professors rather than the courses themselves. One class in particular fell in line with many of my interests, but when the upperclassmen saw who was teaching the class, they said, “Oh, I wouldn’t take it. I heard bad things about the professor.” At first, I thought to myself that I would take the course anyway because it matched my interests. However, when the time came for my academic advising meeting, I ended up choosing a course that did not sound as interesting as the other, but that was taught by a professor who received good reviews on easyPCE, an evaluation website for University courses.

Now that I am halfway through the semester, I have mixed feelings about the decision I made. On the one hand, I really enjoy my professor’s teaching style, but on the other hand, I find myself struggling with every paper since I don’t find the topics interesting. This sometimes makes me wonder what I would be going through had I chosen the course in which I initially wanted to enroll. Would it be more interesting? Even though the professor did not have as good of a reputation as my current one does, would the topics discussed make the class more bearable?

The thought of having a professor who might not teach as well or who might be a harsh grader scares many students at the University from taking courses they find genuinely interesting. This is understandable, since taking a class in which the professor is unenthused or disorganized may seem useless. However, the content of such a class is placed at jeopardy, as students go through course listings, see one they think will stimulate their curiosity, but reject all thought of taking it once they see the name of the instructor.

This fear of bad professors instills a fear of academic exploration in students. As freshmen, my classmates and I do not know the reputations of many professors, which forces us to take courses based on subject matter. A friend taking a course that interested her despite the professor’s reputation ended up enjoying the course purely because of the content. Her passion for the subject transcended the poor reviews the professor received; she simply pushed herself to work harder in the class, which she did not mind because what she was learning was pertinent to her. This is the attitude we need to take, as Princeton students. Although it is important to ensure that a professor’s teaching style matches our learning capabilities, it is also important to take classes whose content calls out to us. A senior with whom I recently spoke brought up an important point to factor into our decision-making process when it comes to selecting courses.

“The content is much more important if you intend to put a fair amount of work into a class. Just thinking about it from a time perspective, you’ll be in lecture for two hours a week for most classes, but you’ll be dealing with the subject material for much longer in the form of readings, problems sets, essays, etc. Good professors make sitting in lecture a little nicer, but I’d take an interesting course with a bad professor over an uninteresting course with a great professor any day. Taking classes for content is especially important for underclassmen still trying to figure out what department major in.”

This is the attitude that we must take to maximize our potential as intellectuals. We must all take advantage of the richness of the education available to us. We must not let the fear of bad professors discourage us from enrolling in courses that entice our intellectual cravings.

Matthew Choi Taitano is a freshman fromYigo, Guam. He can be reached at mtaitano@princeton.edu.