Alan Soldofsky - San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Professor: Alan Soldofsky

Department: English

College: San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: 201C
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Reading what others write about Soldofsky makes me realize that my experience is standard. He is a disaster and he runs the MFA program, which suffers with his leadership. He is self-centered and childlike in his egoism. He also made us buy his book and then we never read it. it's criminal. He has singlehandedly soured me on SJSU.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENG1A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He has got to be the most easy going teacher I've ever encountered. Lectures are discussion on whatever topic is assigned, so the brain-storming part is already done for you, you just have to take the time to put the paper together. He grades fairly and his inputs are well thought out. I would take his class again in a heartbeat.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGL139
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

At times, his classes' can be a snoozefest; it happened to me a few times and I tried very hard not to let that happen. He really is a hit-or-miss professor and I can understand why others would rate him so low but that's because he's not really the right professor a class like English 71, but is for most of the upper division classes.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENGL71
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I took his course online. There were too many readings for a simple English class. When it comes to grading our writings, he is way too tough for a GE class. I have never gotten grades on papers like he has given me. He also made us buy HIS book that we NEVER used in his class.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENGL68
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I took this professor for an advanced Lit class...he is a difficult grader, grades like you are all graduate students. I also took professor Maio...he is the best English teacher @ SJSU!!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENGL71
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I took this class online and I started looking for a way out on the first day when I saw the syllabus and realized there was more work in this class than in my three upper division classes combined. I learned nothing and my grade suffered because he realized I didn't like him. Unfair grader and it took forever to get my grades back, almost 2 months

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENGL67
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Took online creative writing. Realized that you cannot learn to write fictions and short stories solely through an online teacher. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS ONLINE. You get to procrastinate.. sure, but it will end badly. A lot of writing and supposed commenting of other people's work. You learn nothing unless you're willing to teach yourself.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: BLA6
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is the reason I left the creative writing program there. This guy 1) doesn't know how to teach; 2) will waste your money on a program that's sub-par at best. If you found this post while researching MFA programs, here's some advice: don't waste your money.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL166
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Soldofsky too often gets an unfair, bad rap. I thought he was an excellent professor, who worked very hard at generating thoughtful discussions. While he might seem to be a hard grader, he points in a crazy amount of time to provide students with meaningful feedback on papers. I thoroughly enjoyed his class and would highly recommend him.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENGL166
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I'm really tired of the english teachers at SJSU. This guy namedrops constantly and rambles on about the personality of the authors (which doesn't have to do with what we're reading). To top it off, him and his T.A. are hard graders. I learned nothing in this class. STAY FAR AWAY.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENGL151
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Obviously he is very intelligent and challenges his students. However, I do believe most classes in general are a waste of time because knowing names, dates and meanings aren't going to give you a paying job. It was hard, time consuming and it seemed too confining, especially with my creative writing style.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENGL151
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

B is for the BS this class is O is for the obnoxious poetry he makes you read R is for how retarded you become after each class period E is for the Energy you waste sitting in his lass D is for the damnation of the creative writing program SJSU will soon suffer...B.O.R.E.D. that is what his class is to me

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENGL131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I think he was a great teacher! I just had him for my poetry class, and not only is it easy and fun, but he really knows what he is talking about. People who talk **** obviously have no idea what they are talking about! He has recruited alot of people for the new CW major at State, and everyone should thank him!!! ALAN...YOURE GREAT!!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENGL131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Constantly goes off on tangents but his class is not BS, you learn from him IF you pay attention.A lot of online work. He understands that life happens and allows you to attend class through a blogger if you talk to him. I am in the creative writing program as well and although I prefer McMillan, Soldofsky is not as bad as others like Harrison.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENGL151
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I am shocked at the comments made here. Yes, he name drops, but it's usually to provide valuable personal insight into that person's work, or out of admiration rather than self-glorification. I've never seen him oggle any girl nor seen him **** in class, and he's always helpful. That's not the Alan I know at all, and I'm IN the cw program.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGL201C
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I don't know what to say except that SJSU's MFA program will never serve students well as long as this man is in charge of it.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGL71
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Give me a break. this course is online and the workload seems more like grad school. Piles and piles of reading, with very little interaction. B- O- R - I - N - G. After this I won't ever take a class with this professor again.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENGL131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Yes, he is a rambler and goes off topic here and there, but if you want an easy and fun poetry class, this is the one to take.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: 131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENG131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He knows a lot about poetry...will give him that. He's engaging on any actual work we turned in, but his constant name dropping, the bragging about who he knows and rambling was so out of control 85% of our class period was wasted with endless ramblings. Also seems to be a bit of a male chauvinist, and it is SHOCKING that he is in charge of the MF