Alma Aguilar - Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA

Professor: Alma Aguilar

Department: Political Science

College: Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PS103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Lectures seemed pretty sterile, and didn't really allow for interaction. Most days she'd just stand up front and speak at us for the 90 minutes. Not bad, but not engaging. Re-writes are a must for essays, but she puts more emphasis on length than content.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: POLI101
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She's very nice but you will be doing a lot of work for her class. She breaks up the class with 3 different books. The first half of the semester is chapter reading with quizzes. The second half is from a different book and you have to turn in written responses. START THESE EARLY. She gives out a fair amount of extra credit.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: POLSCI101
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very professional and nice person in general. Yes, she makes you work for your grade, but as long as you read and do the at-home quizzes you'll be fine. LOTS of opportunity for extra credit, so take advantage!! I also like that she always reminds us of upcoming assignments & due dates. I really enjoyed her class in general.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PS104
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Aguilar i s very organized. Shes starts class on time and makes announcements at the beginning of class. Very knowledgeable, a nice lady and keeps her office hours. Take her class.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PS101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Class is organized with the Baradat/Phillips book in the first 4 weeks and the Amer Govt and California books in second 4 weeks. No essay.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PS101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Directions for assignments were clear. Helpful reminders kept me on track. I had health issues during the class and the prof worked with me. Nice person.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PS104
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Go to class and follow directions. She is very helpful and cares about students.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PS101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This was an 8 week class with 8 modules. Buy the textbooks right away and do the 20 textbook outcomes for the American Government section of the class because they are worth lots of points. Responds to questions right away.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PS102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I took this class because I needed the social science credit. Might be different if it's your major. She was pretty intense during the first half of class, but seemed to mellow out. Only way to get an A on your papers was to visit her office hours. Unfortunately, my schedule wouldn't allow it. Kind of unfair in my opinion.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PS102
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Attend class, take lecture notes and keep up with with readings and you will pass the class. Extra credit is available. She allows revisions and provides feedback on the only 2 page essay along with a revision checklist to keep you on track. Several on line quizzes.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PS1020304
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

She has a great attitude and always welcomes everyone in the class, shes very lenient on attendance, lets you use library books, class lectures, class notes and videos shown for the homework which is literally 2 essays and 1 easy final. She also offers extra credit but its not needed. She only gives out As in class & will not let you fail.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PS103
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Learn a lot. I liked that students got to choose the articles for the final exam instead of the professor assigning the articles. Allows revisions on essay papers.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PS102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This was my first PS class, so when she gave me back my paper covered in red I welcomed the feedback. But when I made the changes, she still sent back covered in red. If her grading is dependent upon her mood of the day, then it's not objective. Moreover, it isn't reliable.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PS104
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

We weren't allowed to use notes or books on our exams. We only had two, and both times the questions seemed unnecessarily specific, like when you were in high school and those very specific questions were put into exams to make sure you did the readings. So instead of a general understanding of the material, we were needled for the specifics.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: POLI101
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Most lectures are based on the assigned reading from the textbooks, so if you are caught up you will pass the class. Tests are worth the most points in the class, it is important to do very well on them the first time. However, she offers an extra credit test that can replace one of the lower test scores. Tests are open book and open notes. Easy!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PS103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Aguilar makes you work for your grade the same way your alarm clock makes you work for your sleep. It's just a daily inconvenience, and you'll be happier the day you no longer have to hear it.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PS104
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

She is brilliant, educated, and tough. It is an honor to be taught by her. But GET READY TO WORK FOR YOUR GRADE! 1 midterm, 1 term paper, and 1 final. May or may not allow you to revise. FOLLOW HER INSTRUCTIONS AND SYLLABUS. Visit a tutor and HER OFFICE HOURS. Ask questions, if you're a true PS Major you will respect her craft for the field.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PS102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The one exam we had did not have very intuitive questions. You basically would have had to memorize the entire text to get anywhere a decent grade. From my experience, she never consistently followed MLA formatting. What was right in one essay would be wrong in another.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PS101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

We had 60 minutes for a 100 question test. The physical 101 class had it worse: 200 questions in 120 minutes. Why? Why indeed.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PS104
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If Aguilar was "CLEAR" in her instructions no student would have to perform, at a minimum, three re-writes. If she was an easy/good professor, she wouldn't have to float students with extra credit. If you doubt me on this, ask yourself why her review page is restricted.