Bella Ginzbursky-Blum - College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Professor: Bella Ginzbursky-Blum

Department: Languages

College: College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: RUS101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Bella is amazing. Everyone in class has learned an insane amount of Russian, even after just one semester. Bella's lessons are clear and easy to follow, and her quizzes and exams are very fair. There is a lot of homework, but that is to expect from a language class if you're really hoping to learn.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: RUS101
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

My first Russian class with Bella has been amazing. She is a very thorough teacher and grades the tests fairly. Make sure to come to class prepared every day and learn! She also has a dog, if that helps!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: RUSN202
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Finishing my fourth and last semester with Bella--she's taken us from learning the alphabet in 101 to speaking conversationally in 202. I'm not always happy with absolutely everything, but she is SUCH a good teacher and SUCH a good person. She also has a GREAT dog, if that matters to you. Hw every night; lots of dialogues, quizzes, tough tests.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: RUS201
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I received a very low B in Russian 102. After the final, I sat down with Bella in her office hours, very clearly upset. She sat me down, told me she knows I can achieve, and helped me plan my study habits for Russian for the next year. She not only offered to but requested I come to her office hours after exams to review mistakes. Bella cares.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: RUS101
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

It's not an easy class at all. There's a lot of homework, assessments, and dialogues. However, if you genuinely want to learn the language, you'll enjoy the class. Bella is a really great professor, but she does stick to the textbook a bit too much.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: RUS101
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Bella is a cool person, and she loves to see her students succeed. There are lots of resources on campus in case you're not doing too well, but in class she is always open for questions. Her lessons are usually good, although there can be some that don't make entirely too much sense. Also, there is homework every day. Good luck!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: RUS101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She is a super organized, great teacher. She can answer all your questions and explains the language so that it makes sense and you actually remember things. You're only allowed three or four absences, and there is homework every day. Also a quiz or test almost every week.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: RUSN201AND202
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Bella is my mother away from home.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: RUSN150W
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

7 Response Papers, 3 Major Papers, 1 Final paper. Nice teacher, but very tough grader, and expect to have your papers torn apart. If you're looking for a freshman seminar with writing, look elsewhere and save yourself the pain.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Probably last Russian class, but not because it wasn't good

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

First off, Russian is by no means an easy language. However, Bella knows what she's talking about and makes here expectations crystal clear. Listen to her. Go to class (it's mandatory). Do the work, and study. The class is fast-paced, but you will learn the language. She also extremely helpful if you go to her outside of class

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101AND102
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Bella is an amazing professor. Others have said before that she waits for an answer when she asks a question in class, and that scares them. That's true, but she's only doing so to challenge you. Bella is extremely enthusiastic about her profession and she does it WELL! If you're interested in taking Russian, go for Bella, she's the best!

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: RUSN250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Russian Myths and Legends is a great class! Lots of reading, but it is fascinating. Quizzes are easy as long as you have done the reading. No papers to write, but a midterm and a final. Bella is very helpful and knows a TON about the subject matter as well as contemporary Russian life and culture. Highly recommend this class!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

At first, I found Professor Ginzbursky-Blum slightly frightening based on her appearance as a soviet-style task-master. Though I am not very good at russian nor one of her favorite students, I still feel that she is very kind and will respect any effort. No matter how badly incomplete or late homework is, it's impossible to get less than 3 out of 5

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: RUSN102
• 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:

Excellent class with an excellent professor! There is a lot to learn and a lot of material covered on the quizzes and tests, but if you study on your own you'll be fine. Bella tells a lot of interesting linguistic and cultural tidbits that make me feel like I am not just learning the language in a vacuum.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101
• 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:

let me start off by saying russian sucks a fat ****, you have it every single day with homework every day as well, which took me anywhere from 30min-60min maybe even longer, and on top of all the work you do it is a hard language, now to bella, scary russian, asks ? in class and waits for answer when no1 knows/cares, and did i mention she scares me

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Bella is amazing. She's a great lecturer who really wants her students to do well. As with any language, you should expect to put in a considerable amount of time into studying on your own. Tests are moderately hard, but completely doable. Homework and Attendance are a must if you want to keep up with the class. Great class with an amazing Prof.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Bella is amazing! Russian 101 is a great class. It starts off extremely easy but it gets difficult around the midterm. Bella expects a lot from her students, but if you put in the effort you will get a good grade. She is very funny and tells many stories about Soviet-Era Russia and present day Russian culture.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: RUSN101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Awesome teacher. She teaches you not only the language, but also the culture. Everything about her is optimistic. As long as you put in the work, you'll get a good grade. This class has totally reinforced my love for the language.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: RUS101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I work as a Russian translator today, and it all started with Bella! While I was certainly motivated to learn, it was her crystal clear explanations that gave me the foundation to build on. She always used to say "Don't translate what you want to say from English. Say it how it ought to be said in Russian." That's still my mantra, and it works!