Heather Preston - Appalachian State University,Boone, NC

Professor: Heather Preston

Department: Communication

College: Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• 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:

HP does not give any stats past the early 2000s. Thought she would be cool, but I feel like I learned nothing from her class. Have not heard any good things about her.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Yall are tripping. I took a COM 3300 course and I loved it with her! Probably my favorite class of all time. Attendance is important to her class but she didn't do test. She doesn't believe in that, come to class and do the assignments and pass the class. Simple as that.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Know how to cite sources in-text and in references and you'll do fine. Participate in class and you'll get a better grade. Learn how to understand what she's talking about and you'll do even better! This class will stress you out but do the best you can and all will be good.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: COM3010
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Avoid taking her if you can. I took Media Graphics with her and while she wasn't quite as bad as people made her seem, she is an insanely tough grader. In this class you're still learning, but she will tell you how bad your designs are (in front of the entire class).

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mass Media and Society was so boring with her. We read from the textbook every night and had papers with ridiculous rubrics. Had students she obvious disliked and she made sure they knew it. I was excited for the class but I wish I had taken it with anyone else.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: COM4318
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Semester-long, class-wide group project for PR Campaigns. My class had about 20 people in it and we were all graded as one group. When people slacked off or just didn't show up she wouldn't confirm that our individual grades wouldn't be affected because it's a group project. One of the last classes I took my senior year and it was horrible.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I had HP for two classes this past semester, my last semester of college. I was terrified. Turns out, she's incredibly intelligent and a great professor. I excelled in both of her classes. Participate, participate and PARTICIPATE MORE. She's a tougher grader, guys, but it's college. She doesn't hand out things that are not deserved.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: COM4318
• 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:

I have had HP for three classes now. It is her way or the highway. You should never try arguing your side against hers because she will always win. For Campaigns, she sat and watched us fail and gave the entire class a bad grade chalking it up to "experience" and saying "GPA doesn't matter." We were not set up for success at all in this course.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Preston wants people to participate and she's kind of a nerd but I recommend going to her and asking her to clarify a out assignments otherwise you'll probably nearly fail the first paper like everyone else in order to figure out how she grades (which is tough!). She's not real clear with directions and lectures are a bit scattered but not too bad.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

You have a paper or essay ever two or three weeks, but on the plus side you don't have to take any actual tests. She is a long-winded professor and takes up the whole 50 minutes with lectures. She is a good professor.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: COMM3300
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Not only is she irritating beyond all belief (plays extra loud music in the morning that you cannot drown out with headphones, I tried), but she's just not a good teacher. She's unclear with assignments, never grades anything, and it's generally unhelpful. She took an interesting subject and made it the worst class of my semester. Avoid this woman.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: 3300
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Her lectures are all over the place and she doesn't really tell you what she wants from assignments until she has already given you bad grades. Avoid this class and take a selected topic if at all possible. I have put in a lot of work and my GPA has taken a beating.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: 2618
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She's a nice lady, but I really struggled with the way she taught Photoshop and Ilustrator... she made it clear those weren't her favorite. There were no hand outs except when we had an in class assignment. If we messed up, she would often tell us to stop and write notes. Though we had none because we were too busy trying to follow her.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: COM33000
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Awful class. Lectures are scattered and she does not tell you what she expects from the class at the beginning of class. She is not an easy person to have a conversation with either. Find a different professor.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

This class was like a breath of fresh air. Nothing to memorize - nothing to "recall." Just lots of facts and "ways of the world." Sure, they're recited at warpspeed during lecture, but if you can't keep up, you shouldn't be in college. Great professor who asks you to think, not regurgitate. Speak up in class if you want bonus points.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• 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: Mandatory

Comment:

Magnificent professor who knows her stuff. Sometimes lectures are vague, but she encourages you to think outside of your comfort zone and embrace something new. THERE IS NO WAY TO "JUST SHOW UP" AND GET AN A IN THIS CLASS. You must participate and you must attempt to grow or reach outside the box in some way. She favors those who participate!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: COM1200
• Grade Received: D-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This professor is very difficult to follow and her lectures are scattered. I had this class at 8 am, very strict attendance policy points deducted starting the first time you miss. She has little to no notes and is a very strict grader, and being there are only TWO major assignments it is easy to mess up. I would recommend taking another teacher

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Probably the worst professor I have had to date. Talks way to fast and is almost impossible to follow while taking notes. Also, if your views do not perfectly match up with hers, if will reflect horribly in your grading. There were only two major grades and no time is given to submit drafts to make sure you get the grade you are looking for. Avoid!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: COM3300
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Avoid taking this class with Preston. Her lectures are so vague... she'll spend 15 minutes on a useless discussion and then fly through important notes that you will need to recall for her assignments. From someone who wishes they dropped this class, do not take this class.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: COM4318
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

PLEASE avoid Preston at all costs. I was warned but did not listen. Trust me. It's not worth it and your GPA will thank you if you do not take a class with her.