Aldo Vacs - Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY

Professor: Aldo Vacs

Department: Political Science

College: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: GO001
• 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:

He is the most intelligent guy I've met. He is like a living encyclopedia. However, he does talk alot. His preferred mode of teaching is lecture. In 300 level classes he incorporates more discussions though. He is always available for help. Very nice & funny. Definitely recommend his Latin America classes to anyone.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: GO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

I would avoid him at all costs for an intro level. He is clearly knowledgable and helpful, but I imagine that matters when you are in more advanced classes with him. For the intro level, he simply lectures and there is no space for class discussion. It's unbelievably boring and he managed to turn off a very engaged, interested student in politics.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: GO228
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

if you want someone to teach you the subject, dont take this class. he knows his stuff but its impossible to learn in his endless lectures.the only hard part is the midterm and final when you want to kill yourself. he asks for way too much info for the length of the papers leaving you lost as to what is important.really nice guy, nota great teacher

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: GOV103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Easiest class I've taken at Skidmore. Has a heavy accent but you get used to it after a while. Puts all notes ahead of time on board so not too much additional note taking needed. Not getting an A in this class means you're not that bright.

Rating # 5

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

=)

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: TX202
• 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:

If you ever want to take a class on Latin America or international relations, Vacs is your professor. People will complain he's boring and lectures for too long but Vacs knows his subject like the back of his hand and has been to nearly every Latin American country and has worked for the U.N. He does have an accent because English is his second or third language but you'll be able to fully understand him by the fourth class. Vacs sympathizes with his students and can be a great guy if you get to know him outside of class. I had problems writing the term paper for his class so he found articles and photocopied them for me.

Rating # 7

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

I'm sick of people whining about his accent. They are ethnocentric barbie dolls that can't think outside their ipods. You just have to listen, attentively, and by the third class there is no problem understanding him. Prof. Vacs is a little slow to get papers back, but he's really helpful and I learned a lot. Don't plagiarize: he'll catch you

Rating # 8

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Extremely nice, extremely helpful. Difficult to understand at times, has a bad habit of talking incessently for the entire class and thereby quashing any kind of discussion possibilities. Class was fairly easy.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: GO309
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

words like greatest teacher of all time get thrown around a lot, but in aldo vacs case, it is totally deserved. take him if you're ready to sit at the feet of the master.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: VARIOUSGOVT
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

The good news is that I caught up on a lot of sleep when I actually went to the class. I think I understood about 3 words the man said during the course of a semester. He sort of had a bad habit of slipping back and forth between English and Spanish, and as anyone who read my rating for Rangil can gather, that didn't work well for me.

Rating # 11

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Great teacher

Rating # 12

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Professor Vacs is EXTREMELY friendly and a very easy grader. However, I've taken two courses with (received A's) and learned absolutely nothing. Sitting in his class is painfully boring, and his exams (although easy to BS on) have very little to do with anything covered in class.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: GO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

He once spent a full 55 minute class period exploring the concept that you can't judge a democracy without defining the word democracy. He would be worth taking for the unintentional comedy even if he wasn't so easy.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: GO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Really good guy, extremely easy grader, but a talker for sure, rambles quite a bit. Knows a lot, but kind of unclear.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: GO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 16

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

He knows everything about Latin America. But he can't teach.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: GO103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Vacs is extremely boring. I have class at 10:10 in the morning which isn't really that early for me and I find myself wanting to fall asleep all the time in his class. He rambles and does not teach and if you ask a question his answers are not that clear. He knows a lot just can't teach

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: VARIOUS
• 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:

You can get away with a lot in this class if you know your stuff. He's smart, talks a bit too much, but gives fairly easy assignments and is flexible. Great guy.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: GO229
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He knows his stuff.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: GO209
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Knows all u need to know