For the first-years, transfers, and the rest of us who will be finalizing course registration in the early fall, here’s a quick guide to smart course decision-making.

While we may not always have the flexibility to pick and choose every course we take, limited by what works with our schedules, major requirements, etc., when given the opportunity, how much time do you spend really making sure that a course is right—or as good as it can be—for you? How do you vet a professor, or do you at all? Do you throw caution to the wind and dive in blind, not really caring about who teaches the class and what’s on the syllabus? If this last year taught me anything, it’s that good instruction can mean the difference between engaging and treating class as a podcast, so you might as well take the time to choose classes and professors that are right for you.

But how do you know? Well, here are a few tips on gathering information on an instructor/course so that you can make the most informed decisions possible.

  1. Vergil

Remember those course evaluations you did after a reminder continuously appeared on your Courseworks dashboard, threatening to reduce your grades if not completed or something like that? Along with being incredibly helpful and informative to departments, the data from the previous semester’s evaluations is posted on Vergil when you search for a course, providing you with some insight into the course that otherwise would be impossible to find. How heavy was the course workload? How many hours did students devote to this course in a given week? All this data is on Vergil for you to use.

How to find previous semester evaluations on Vergil:

  1. First, search up the course you are looking for.
  1. Then, go to the “Evaluations” tab or button under that course.
  1. Evaluations for the previous semester(s) will appear, available for you to download and view.
  1. CULPA

CULPA, the Columbia Underground Listing of Professor Ability, is a site personally near and dear to my heart. A Columbia tradition and an excellent example of learning wisdom from students past, CULPA has historically been the go-to Columbia-specific course and professor review site. However, as of today (August 13, 2021), the site is down (temporarily…I’m praying to the Barnumbia gods). (But don’t fret! In the meantime here is an archive of all Culpa Reviews through August 2021, and here is another CULPA backup website)

How to use CULPA:

  1. First, search up the professor you are looking for. Read through the past reviews to get a better sense of their type of instruction, workload, and overall how students liked the course.
  2. Once you have looked at the specifics of that professor and that course, look more broadly at all the courses they teach. This will give you an even better understanding of how they are received by the student body. Even if the material is different, what are the consistencies in their instruction and how they engage with students? Are they helpful during office hours? Do they have a terrible, monotone lecturing voice that will put you to sleep? These are all important factors to know when choosing a course.
  3. When the normal CULPA site is back up and running, look to see if the professor has a “nugget” next to their name. Gold, silver, and bronze nuggets indicate professors who have the most positive reviews on the site, and are a helpful sign that you have found a good professor!
  1. General Search
    • Columbia/Barnard Department Websites
      • Looking up a professor on a department-specific website will provide you with some basic information on what they teach and what they research. While this may appear to be a broader search, this extra step of research can ultimately provide more specificity on what class will be about. If it’s a philosophy of art class, does the professor specialize in a specific type of art? If it’s an international relations class, does the professor have expertise in a specific region or time period? This can be particularly helpful with First-Year Writing and LitHum, where the general theme might be the same but the specifics are dependent on the professor. These things count!
      • On a more personal level, learning more about what the professor studies outside of teaching can be helpful beyond just a single course. Maybe you have similar interests that you want to talk about during office hours, going beyond the scope of the course. Maybe they can provide guidance on what to take next based on that information. These are things you wouldn’t learn about if you’re just diligently taking notes during lecture.
    • General Internet Search
      • What else does the internet say about them? Something beyond a CULPA review? Have they worked with someone interesting that you’d like to know more about? The more context the better.

  1. Word of Mouth
    • Ask your friends, enemies, and others about their experiences, and then ask them to put their reviews on CULPA.

Let’s say none of this applies to you. Let’s say your major has you on a set track and choice isn’t really factored in. Learning more about your professor can still help you identify what you may find interesting about the course, how to (mentally) prepare, and more, even if that’s just providing some context in advance.

Now go forth, do your research, and best of luck with registration!

Logos via Bwog Staff