Cynthia: I’d say that the general rule of thumb is to look at ratemyprofessor reviews. They’re usually pretty telling, but you never truly know. If you’re torn between professors, try to find someone who has taken the class and ask them who they recommend taking. I did this before my SPOP and ended up with the same math professor for this entire year.
Britanny: As mentioned, RateMyProfessor is a nice website to use, but it can be biased. I would suggest asking students who have taken the professor in the past because professors can change over time. I would say that classes are essentially dependent on your ability to adapt to the professor’s style, but you can still do well even if your professor doesn’t have the most organized teaching.
Jessica: I also used ratemyprofessor to choose professors. It's true that reviews can be biased, but at the very least they can be useful for getting a general idea of which professor is better if you’re choosing between a few.
Vy: For all my classes so far, most of the teachers are reasonable and emphasized a lot more on application, rather than memorization. This can be hard for some who are not used to applying what they’ve learned. Like everyone has said, check Ratemyprofessor! But use it with discretion because some teachers are not as bad as what the rating says, and vice versa, some teachers are not as good as the hype. It’s also wise to ask upperclassmen when choosing classes and teachers. PLUS, go to office hours, ask questions, and get to know your professors.
Michelle: Like everyone else said, ratemyprofessor is a great tool, and also asking students who have taken the class before as well. Generally, the reviews are accurate, and teachers have great reviews and have been amazing professors. However, in my fall quarter, I wasn’t aware of the tool, and took classes with professors that did not have a great review on ratemyprofessors, and I loved them as well. Most of the time, you have to look past accents, which unfortunately tends to be reasons why great professors get lower scores in my personal experience and opinion. I personally would try to get into classes with great professor ratings, however I don’t stress if I do not, because you can give you that opportunity to meet friends and use the TAs to your advantage to help you out if you have any questions or concerns.