Easy but learn nothing teacher or Hard but learn a ton?

<p>There are two teachers who teach a science course at my school. One teacher is reputed to be ridiculously easy, giving out As to over half the class, but on the flip side, you won't really learn too much in the class. The other teacher is the complete opposite, ridiculously hard, low average grade in the class (typically around the upper 60s), exam grades ranging from 12 to 94 out of 100, but on a flip-side you will learn so much in her class that she will teach you the subject to a ridiculous depth that she'll literally transform you into an very good thinker and an elite at that subject.</p>

<p>Which would you go for?</p>

<p>I’d go for the easy professor because I don’t care about and don’t see any value to my learning science. </p>

<p>It depends on how much the individual cares about the subject. If it’s something you don’t care about and are taking just to fill some requirement then just go for the easy professor. If the subject is something you are interested in learning then it’s worth taking the professor which will teach you better. It might take more effort to get a good grade in those classes but (provided you are interested in the subject) you will be more inclined to try harder and in the end you know something.</p>

<p>I agree with Vladenschlutte. If it’s some class that you’re taking for a GE, then take the easy professor. If it’s a class you are interested in or if it’s a class for your major, I’d recommend taking the harder professor. It’ll be better for you in the long run, and it’s better to learn the material now than to struggle through it later when professors will assume you have already mastered it.</p>

<p>Also, the grades in the class don’t seem that unreasonable. Many science classes will have very low grades because students aren’t prepared for the exam for whatever reason but that’s not necessarily representative of all the students or the difficulty of the exam. I’ve had a class where a handful of students had scores in the single digits on an exam that was actually really easy (half of the problems were exactly the same as the homework problems). It happens. The fact that there are also very high scores suggests that students are capable of doing very well on the exams, so it’s not necessarily the exams or the professor that is unreasonable. An average in the 60s is pretty typical for a lot of science classes, and as long as it curved, it shouldn’t really hurt you as long as you learn the material and are prepared for the exams.</p>

<p>If it were me, I’d take the harder professor. But I also majored in the sciences. If you’re not interested in the subject, then take the easy professor and focus more on the classes you are interested in.</p>

<p>I’ve stuck to it like the above poster has. A Gen Ed I would take a professor that’s easy so you can have a GPA booster in case you have rough grades. For the major classes I would take a professor that’s hard to challenge yourself. It is what you are basing your career off so that knowledge will never fail you.</p>

<p>Take the easy professor. If you’re really concerned about your growth in the subject then sit in on some of the other professor’s lectures and/or do their homework.</p>

<p>It depends on the subject. If it’s something you’re truly really completely passionate about and will matter when you graduate, then go for the hard one. Otherwise, choose the easy one. I think even when you’re passionate about something, the easy prof is a better option. You can always read the textbook on your own if you want to learn more stuff.</p>

<p>I agree with the above comments. It really depends on what the class means to you. If your a music major, and you have to take chemistry to fill a physical science requirement, go for the easy one. Having a rigorous understanding of chemistry isn’t really that crucial for your intended career path. If you’re a science major though, you need, and should want the more rigorous teaching of the subject.</p>

<p>I’m a physics major, and I want the more rigorous instruction in all of my science classes. For my English and humanities classes though, I asked around and found out who the easier teachers were. It’s not that the classes weren’t important or beneficial, but I didn’t need to get as much out of those classes because they weren’t directly relevant to my major.</p>