Patricia McGirr - University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Professor: Patricia McGirr

Department: Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning

College: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: SUSTCOMM140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Very nice person and is good at explaining things in class. She's always open to questions and encourages students to ask whatever they need to. The lectures can feel long, but the class is very manageable and a relatively easy A.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: SUSTCOMM140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Took this class as an AT gen-ed and it is the most boring class I've ever taken. Lectures are extremely boring and although she puts the slides online they barely have anything but pictures so you need to take notes. She cares a lot about paying attention and often calls out students which is very uncomfortable. Online quizzes are timed and hard.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: SUSTCOMM140
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

She is a really nice professor who cares about her students. This class is a good gen-ed. The class is really well organized. The content isn't the most exciting, but it's nice to know and the class is easy.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENVDE140
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Literally the most boring class ever. Taken as a gen ed because there are only 6 1-page papers and 5 moodle quizzes, she drops the lowest grade for each. Overall pretty easy, extremely boring and useless material.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: SUSTCOMM140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

McGirr is an awesome professor. Her lectures aren't the most engaging, but the work is easy. The papers are one page long. You get to go to several parks in the pioneer valley that are accessible through the PVTA. It is the easiest class I am taking this semester. She has office hours and is always responding to emails. The online quizzes are easy.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENRDES140
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Boring

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENVIRO140
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Do not take this class. Worst class ever. I took it as a gened and it was so bad. The grade consists of papers and online quizzes. The quizzes are so hard because they are timed and the questions do not relate to anything you learn in the class. Lectures are boring. Papers are graded so hard that you barely get above a C for the overall average.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENVIRDES140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This class is easy to pass if you attend lectures and take notes. The online quizzes are a breeze, and she only counts the best 4 out of 5. There are one page papers that you have to travel off campus for, which can get a bit frustrating, but just go with people from class and it feels less horrible.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENVIRDES140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Horrible class, horrible person. Forces you to work with random people for in class assignments that are a huge waste of time. Have to go off campus for most of the papers and quizzes are confusing and difficult. TA grades way to harsh for a gened. I found all of the information taught in the class completely useless.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENVRD140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This was a horrible class. The TA grades papers very harshly and the quizzes are made to trick you. I do not recommend this class. I was shocked that a 100 level 3 credit class had so much work, useless work at that.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENVDS140
• 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:

You go off campus for half the papers, but the locations are on the PVTA route. The OLQ's are easy if you have good notes and the in-class quizzes are simple. Lectures are sometimes boring and she posts only the images of her slides (no written lecture notes). The Movie seminar class is also awesome (and easy) so you should sign up for that.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENVDE140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Expect to take more notes in this one gened than you ever had. Expect the notes to be practically meaningless, extremely detailed, and contradicting. The class does provide a new angle to the way look and think about things - but can be painful to sit through some days. The 6 one page papers are difficult to write in a way that the TA likes.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENDES140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

you have to go to class. if you dont, you will lose points for attendance and you wont get the notes. make sure you write down everything and PAY ATTENTION. I never read the readings because i took such great notes. The papers are a pain but not much work. you should send them into the ta to get them to give you feedback. not a bad class

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENVENVD
• 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:

Her lectures are full of information and also funny. Show up to class, write notes like mad, and skim the readings. You'll do fine. She gives pop quizzes to ensure attendance, and her exams are essay format (and rigorous). She gives you the questions beforehand, you just have to prepare your answers. Bonus: she has a great sense of humor!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENVIR104
• 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:

She not only has you run around the area from northampton to hadley to write the 6 essay but then has ridiculous standards for grading them. She has no sympathy for those who fall behind and trust me you will this subject is so uninteresting. I've never seen a 100 level gen-ed this bad.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENVIR140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This was a bit much for a 100 level gen ed. she assigns 6 short papers the thing that sucks about these is that she has you running around to museums and other place out side of class to write them. Kind of a pain in the ass.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENVIR12
• 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:

Really nice, class gets sometimes boring, but she is one of the few prof that actually seems to care that you get a good grade and the study guide you can depend on for midterms and finals. This is for landscape/arch history class . I don't mind this class at all

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENDES140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Rather brash, sorta like the wicked witch from wizard of oz. Class is a GenEd but not recommended because its got to be the dumbest topic of all time.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENVDE140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Good and easy AT gen ed class. There are 6 one page papers, 5 easy quizzes(lowest score gets dropped), and in class work. Therefore attendance is mandatory.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENVDS140
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

lectures arent bad at all, quizes are straightforward study guides given beforehand, if you know everything on that you're guarenteed an A. 6 quizzes, lowest dropped. random in class writing assignments for attendance. six 1 page papers i suggest passing them into your TA early to get feedback, they can grade tough at times. easy class overall.