William Heffernan - John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Professor: William Heffernan

Department: TBD

College: John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CJBA120
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Heff is such a confusing professor. He's a lawyer and speaks as such, avoid if you can.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CJBA120
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He disrupts his own class by pinpointing and picking on other students. His lectures are repetitive and make no sense. Confuses a lot of students and does not provide any clarity within the subject. It makes me fall asleep and very harsh on many students.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CRJ710
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

CRJ 710 was a co-taught course. The other professor was aces in comparison. He is, by far, the strictest grader I've ever encountered. He requires three papers. Each no more than 300 words. He takes points for each grammatical error made. So be careful. His lectures are tangential, but he provides a printout of notes which is helpful.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CBJA120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Weird professor. Never fully explained how to do homework which was difficult to understand what needed to be done. Used big fancy words, kind of loses me in class. Kind of hard to take notes as he talks so much about different things. Hes an easy grader Ill give him that. Participate in class and youll be fine.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CRJ793
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

CRJ 793 is not a walk in the park. Prof. H is a lawyer and tends to explain things like such and not much as professor. You must work hard in order to pass the Comp Exam. Throughout the semester he gives you questions to help you practice for the Comp. I did extra work with a study group from the class and it payed off, we all passed!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CRJ710
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor William is a tuff cookie. He uses educated words and explains everything like a lawyer. Sometimes you will be confused, but you can catch up by doing all the mandatory readings. He assigns 3 papers and a final in class. He grades his papers based on the best paper in the class and uses that as a model to grade the other ones.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CRJ710
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's a very hard grader when it comes to his 300 word paper . like i said 300 WORD PAPER. thats all you have to do for his class. 3 papers 300 word each. no quiz. he makes you read a lot of court cases every week and you have to answer a few question but supposedly is not graded but he will deduct points is you don't submit it.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CRJ710
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Heffernan is weird, but great. Here is what you need to know to pass: when writing for Heffernan, keep it simple. And by simple, I mean SIMPLE. Do not try to show off with fancy ideas or long words. Say what you know, and keep your grammar usage impeccable. Also, speak up, but not too often. Sometimes he will pick on students who talk too much.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CRJ710
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Started taking his 710 class and ended up withdrawing. He was very strict and put a damper on the whole frad school experience. If you're thinking about starting the CRJ MA program, take AT LEAST a semester off. Do not go straight from undergrad to grad school--- trust me!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CJBA120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He really makes you think about the concept of justice. He makes you work for your grade and you can't hate him for it. Beware he may never remember your name but he likes to refer to his students by their last names. He assigns writing assignments but let's you know in advance. Funny and Fair. If you don't want to earn your grade don't take it.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CRJ793
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Very very hard professor but he does know a lot. Pay attention and do your best just don't expect to do well in the class. He teaches it like he is a lawyer not a teacher.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CRJ710
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Funny, but hes a really tough professor. You have to work for your grade. He's very knowledgeable but you need to earn your grade. When I say earn your grade, I mean that if you want a good grade, you must put in 110% effort. Not an easy professor but worth it to take if you want to learn things.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CJBA120
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Amazing professor! He is very well prepared for each class, and he (indirectly) demands his students to be prepared as well. He wants his students to develop their own point of view about justice, which is the whole purpose of the class. I found the writing workshops very useful, although embarrassing sometimes because you might be on the spot.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CJBA120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

annoying at ties. Goes off topic at times, don't know What he is talking about most of the time. Boring. Picks on students, don't like that. Incorporates god a lot in his lectures, I real really uncomfortable when he does this.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CJBA120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I was so scared to take his class in the beginning but he really is so cool! You have to participate and prove your points because he'll put you on the spot. His exams were hard only because you have to memorize a lot of terms. Other than that, he is a great professor! And funny!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CJBA120
• 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:

I am only a freshman, and i havent met most of my professors yet in my college career but he is a great teacher. He will help you with your essays and provides a clear understanding of the class. He is also very funny !!!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CONFOR
• 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:

The best professor ever! He demands excellence. Read the cases, do the briefs, and always be prepared. I took two of his classes and aced both. I am an excellent researcher because of him. Truly one of the finest professors. I took his classes in 1979 and 1980.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: LAW301
• 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:

The first day of class, I went home so afraid and wanted to drop it. A few classes later, I got to see how great of a professor he really is. He has helped me to become a better student, to analyze what I read, and to think before I speak. I would definitely recommend this professor to those who do not mind working hard. If you do mind, dont take.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: LAW301
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He is worth every penny you pay for tuition. By far, the best professor jjay has. He is clear as crystal. Excellent & fair grader! He listens & cares. Never had a professor like him at jjay. I wish he could teach how to teach to other law & pol "professors"

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: LAW401
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

May seem intimidating the first week or two, but he loosens up, especially when he sees the class actually knows the material. Very interesting, intense class. He grills you on any question he asks you, but just be honest if you're unsure. Do the HW to keep on track. The tests are simple if you've read the cases a few times and know them.