Rate My Professors ranked BYU as No. 14 on its Top University List for the 2012–2013 school year. BYU was given a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Universities are given their ranking based on ten different categories: reputation, location, opportunity, library, campus, Internet access, food, clubs, social life and happiness. BYU ranked 4.8 in library, campus and happiness. The lowest ranking, a 4.1, was given to food.
According to Katie Clark, a sophomore from Mesa, Ariz., studying business management, Rate My Professors gives students a “real” view into what colleges are like.
“I go to RateMyProfessors.com before I sign up for a class,” Clark said. “Some ratings are a little dramatic, but I trust that most people are giving their actual opinion. The questions (for the ratings) are good too, not the basic questions we get in the ratings that the school gives us.”
School rankings are based partially on professor ratings and campus ratings. According to a press release from Rate My Professors, they weigh professor ratings and campus ratings equally (50 percent each), which means top schools score high in academics as well as campus life.
For BYU, there are 594 student ratings and comments on the site.
“You don’t just get a good education at BYU, you get a wonderful environment, a lot of good people and a great emphasis on a well-rounded education, including a spiritual education,” one review said.
Topping the highest rated university list are Duke University, Vanderbilt University, Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin.
“I think this is great publicity for BYU,” Clark said. “It feels pretty cool to be ranked up there with the big schools like Duke and Stanford. It makes me really feel like I’m going to an amazing college.”
BYU student ratings, sent out by the school, are a little different than those put out by Rate My Professors. BYU ratings don’t focus on easiness but rather on teaching style.
“In the BYU student ratings, students rate the specific classes they are taking and the specific professors who teach those classes,” said Todd Hollingshead, information manager for University Communications.
Some students rely more on university-sponsored ratings than ratings on Rate My Professors.
“I’ve used Rate My Professor all throughout college,” said Brandon Beck, BYUSA president. “But when it comes to reliability, I’d rely on the scientific survey put out by the school.”
