Bill McCoy - University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Amherst, MA

Professor: Bill McCoy

Department: Geography

College: University of Massachusetts - Amherst, Amherst, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor McCoy is a very dry lecturer. Sometimes it's not always clear what will be on the test, although you can take the same test twice within the class period. The first exam counts as 75% of the exam grade and the second attempt counts as 25%. He gives surprise in class assignments that count toward your grade, so go to class.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Do not recommend as a gen-ed!!!! SOOOO boring and the tests are not that easy, even with the pyramid structure. Seems like a really nice guy, but it is painful sitting through 1 hr 15 min of him lecturing.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: GEOSCI100
• 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:

DONT TAKE THIS CLASS. I'm an English major and took it to satisfy Gen eds, but it's honestly painful to go to class and sit and actually pay attention. Classes are mandatory due to surprise assignments. These boost your grade though. Bill seems like a great guy, but beyond boring. Save yourself.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: GEOSCI100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prohibitively boring. Excruciatingly boring. Do not take this class unless you are very self-motivated and know how to/want to learn on your own. Nice guy, but that's irrelevant when not a soul absorbs an ounce of what he's saying. I frequently forget that I'm even taking this class to be honest. It is not a positive experience. Passable, but bad.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: GEOSCI100
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

To be successful in this class is you have to write down EVERYTHING he says. You don't need the book b/c he takes out the important stuff he goes over in class. Must go to every class b/c there's in class assignments that will bring down your grade if you miss a few. They're super easy though.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: GEOSCI100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's a nice guy, but he grades kind of unfairly. The first test is by yourself (which weighs 75%), and the second where you take it with other people is 25%. I'm horrible at test-taking, so it completely kills my grade... The little in-class assignments and writing assignments aren't bad. The lectures are dry though. Beware, I guess...

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: GEOSCI100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Bill is an awesome guy. So sweet and is genuinely interested in climate change. His class is vey boring but exams are pyramid style and very easy. You do not need to buy the book. You need to attend class because he ask pop quiz questions (1 paragraph) that are worth 5 pts each. I would highly recommend taking this class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• 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:

Very easy class. Only 4, 25 question MC tests. You take the test once on your own for 75% of the test grade then you take it with peers and can consult any resources you want, thats worth 25% of the test grade. Lecture is boring but you need to attend, there are 10 point questions given out. Had I attended I would have had an A. No need to read.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

So easy, compared to other PS gen-eds I'm sure. Only 4 tests of 25 mult choice questions each, with one being the final which isn't even cumulative. He wants us to succeed and while he can be rather dry in his teaching I still appreciate him as a professor.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

This class is a gen. ed. for me and it is so boring. He's really into the stuff he teaches but if you're not you'll be bored stiff.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Most boring teacher ever... it should have been an interesting class but because of him it was awful!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• 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:

This was a gen-ed for me, and I had zero interest in the material. But McCoy is an awesome guy and he wants to help students do really well in his class (he gave us 5 bonus points on exams just for putting name/id properly!) Only puts outlines, not entire notes, online so you gotta take really good notes for "exams" which are really short

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: GEOSCI340
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

There's no arguing the work sucks for 340, but Bill will walk you through any questions or problems, many times practically giving the answers away. I agree that he mumbles too much and rarely starts or finishes on time.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: GEO560
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I've taken two advanced classes from him, and even when it is a subject he is very interested in, he still mumbles, which kind of deadens the brain. It's too bad, because he has a lot of good stuff to say. The classes I've been in rarely started on time and never got out on time, but it's probably different for intro courses.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: H2OENVPLAN
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I don't know about now, but 15 years ago Bill was a hottie :)

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

insanely easy class. just go to the lectures to do the writing assignments, and for the exams, look over the questions he lists from the book, his lecture outlines on line, and the practice questions he hands out. it doesn't take much effort to get a good grade.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

this is the easiest class ever. i highly recommend everyone takes it. drawbacks - pretty boring and you have to go to class every day to take the daily quizzes

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: GEOSCI100
• 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:

I got an average of 75 on the exams and i didn't buy the book.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• 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:

Drains the fun out of geology... hope it's not genetic

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: GEO100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

hot girl TA! prof is always very helpful