Richard Balestrino - Fashion Institute of Technology

Professor: Richard Balestrino

Department: Communication

College: Fashion Institute of Technology

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Organized. He gave what he expects for the semester and textbook was online. He rewords his exams, yet half of the content was online. Manageable class although he does not give extra credit

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: AC171
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

This was one of the easiest online classes ever. There are 4 modules that each consist of a paper, a discussion board, and a test. All of the instructions are clear and I never used the textbook for anything. Take this instead of the in person class!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: AC171
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I was so scared to take Professor Balestrino after the reviews on here. But honestly he ended up being one of my favorite professors at FIT. Yes the work was definitely more challenging than other classes at the school. But I learned a lot and he has so much experience. Just listen for what he wants in the assignment and youll do well and get an A

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I highly do not recommend this professor! I took him online and he posted ONE announcement at the beginning of the semester, then does not post any other announcements (not even for due dates etc) He is UNCLEAR on assignments, tough grader, and never tells me WHAT I did wrong. He is lazy and is not active online, yet expects us to always be.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: AC171
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Hes ok, but its really hard to get a good grade. Essays are pretty fun and I got good grades however midterms were extremely hard!!!!! You have to choose 6 out of 9 questions to write about in the midterm, no multiple choice! You need to read the textbook and have insanely good memory to pass the midterms. Good luck if you take him

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lecture heavy, unfortunately lectures do not reflect how difficult the 2 quizzes and midterm and final were. YOU MUST READ THE TEXTBOOK. Prof Balestrino has a sarcastic and dry sense of humor so just be aware of that. His lectures are not super engaging. Overall a pretty mediocre professor.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's an ok professor- nothing special. A lot of lectures that seem to turn into rants which sometime can make you feel like your time is being wasted. He can be funny, and he is very knowledgeable about the industry.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: AC171
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Makes his classes hard for no reason. The two tests of the semester are 6-7 essays on material that he barely touches on in class. He wants your essays to be super specific but he or the textbook NEVER went into that much detail. Reading the textbook is almost useless, as he does not follow along with it. No powerpoints, just scribbles on the board

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Balestrino was a very tough teacher. The course material is tough to begin with and he did not make it any easier. He liked to call people out during class and it put everyone on edge. The entire class was very uncomfortable for me. I would not recommend taking this course if you want a decent grade.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He definitley knows what he is talking about but for myself, I found this material tricky and hard to understand. He gives no homework besides 2 papers and one of the 2 papers was extra credit. Thankful for the extra credit since the tests are very hard. His entire class is a long lecture and he just reviews powerpoint that are then put online.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

If you take notes and pay attention during class you should do well. There are several quizzes, papers, and tests as well as a midterm and final. This is a class that you really have to pay attention in; the tests not only see if you know the vocabulary but test your ability to apply the terminology in situations.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Tbh all he does is tell you to get the WSJ and he is not liberal so don't talk about Bernie Sanders. He makes fun of millennials every chance he gets.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I didn't get much out of his class. He refuses to utilize technology and mocks millennials daily. He also uses class time to preach his political viewpoints. Not a big fan of the guy. There were 2 quizzes, 2 exams, and 2 papers. Fairly easy, but not an enriching class.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: AC171
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He's a pretty nice guy! Super sarcastic, but if you just play along you will be fine. Assigned a lot of papers, but got all A's. Take him for sure!

Rating # 15

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

didn't expect him to be so rude when I asked about assignments and grading. get on his good side or forget about it

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He assigned a few long papers, probably because it was an online class. If you email him, he gets back to you promptly. All his electronic communication to the class was very clear and easy to understand. His PowerPoints did not match up with the textbook at times, since his PowerPoints were based off of an older textbook edition.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Overall very knowledgable and tries his best to keep class interesting within boring extensive lectures. Learned a lot but taking good notes is really important to pass. Tests can have long paragraph questions. Easy 1st part of semester and left all projects, assignments and consecutive quizzes and tests for the end.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: AC171
• 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:

Great professor. He is very knowledgeable. I took him twice AC111 and AC 171. Make sure you attend class and read in the book the concepts that he talks in the class. Tests are no easy, usually long but he will let you know in advance what he will test you on. He is very FAIR.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: AC111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

As an FMM major I took this advertising class but hadn't expect the class that hard. All the papers and exams were extremely hard for no reason. He is very knowledgable but if you want to get an easy A don't choose him.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Very pompous and boring lectures. I dont think the people I had this class with helped but if he were more willing to spark convos and seemed warmer the class would have gone smoother. Tests are hard for no reason and as tough as his paper grading is, I do have to say that he's one of the only profs at FIT that I consider college level education.