<p>I haven’t found those kind of sites reliable at all because there’s no way to determine if those who post negative stuff are really students or former students of that particular school. Students from a rival school can always post negative stuff by pretending to be a student of the school. Yes, this happens! :(</p>
<p>Also, students who are responsible for their own negative experiences are not going to “own it” on such sites. Instead they will blame their school. Students also tend to use the words “a lot” for many things even if whatever they’re talking about is an infrequent occurrence. And, since many students have only attended one college, they will often complain about things that are common nearly all schools. </p>
<p>I also am very careful when I read rate my professors . com. If there are a lot of posts about a teacher, then it’s easier to discern if a student’s negative post is genuine or was the result of a lazy student who didn’t do the work. If there are just a few posts about a teacher and the reviews are mixed, it’s hard to tell.</p>