AI Rate Professor

Philosophy

Basil Smith

PHIL01 · PHIL1 · PHI01 · PHIL12 · PHIL15 · HUM1 · PHIL0112520 · PHIL1HNR · INTROPHIL · 164 lifetime ratings

AI rating
64/100
RMP rating
4.2/5
Take again
70.65%
Difficulty
2.7

The decision

Take Smith if and ; avoid if you need fast grades or a low-effort GE.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerReading-heavySlow graderDiscussion-drivenLenient essay gradingPolarizing
  • Strong philosophy discussions and interesting readings for students who engage.
  • Weekly essays and ; midterms and and lower weight.
  • Biggest pain , and strict attendance in some sections.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

66/100

Many report high grades with consistent reading and essays, but work volume and .

Online reviews emphasize generous but ; .

Is the course easy?

Standard

48/100

Content is intro-level philosophy but reading-heavy and discussion-dense, so intellectual effort is real.

; accelerated 8-week sections feel harder.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

32/100

and count participation as a large grade share.

In-person is stricter; some online sections are more flexible or async.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

68/100

Roughly seven in ; fans love the insight while and workload.

In-person enthusiasts are warmer; online critics .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

74/100

and , though AI flags and tough moments appear.

Format shift

Online students and late returns.

Workload

Heavy

32/100

heavy writing load for a GE.

Format shift

8-week online and .

Teaching experience

Good

72/100

Passionate, funny, insightful discussions for engaged students, undercut by disorganization and .

Format shift

; online structure is clearer but .

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

28/100

Grade is driven by weekly essays and participation, with and .

Format shift

Same essay-first pattern online and in person.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

28 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person classes are conversation-heavy and often fun for engaged students, but and the .

Main concern

, and occasional harsh interpersonal moments for some students.

What students said

“ !”
PHIL01
“Assigns a lot of reading, but well chosen clearly knows his stuff”
PHIL1HNR
“Can't access your grade throughout the term (N/A) until after the final. and mandatory”
PHIL1

Remote format

Online

22 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online sections are structured weekly essays plus MC exams; many call it doable if you read, but and .

Main concern

You may not know your grade until late, and some weeks feel .

What students said

“nothing . didn't even knew how I was doing on the essays at all even at the end of semester”
INTROPHIL
“Easy A, I thought. 8 writings total. One every other week. .”
PHIL15
“if you do the reading and follow directions, it is hard not to get an A.”
PHIL01

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are often multiple choice and secondary to essays; friendliness varies with section structure.

Multiple choice midterm/finalEssay-heavy courseStudy guides sometimes providedTimed writing

Assessment risk

Standard

58/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and ; some call exams hard despite study guides.

Multiple choice midterm/finalFinal essayParticipation grade
“7 essays each minimum 1000 words with a midterm and a final. The midterm and ”
INTROPHIL
“ . really hard. He does provide a study guide but honestly, good luck.”
PHIL01

Online

Online reviews describe multiple-choice midterms and finals plus timed short essays; .

Multiple choice examsTimed essaysWeekly short papers
“Everything is timed, so you write for an hour and you're done. .”
INTROPHIL
“The final and the and are a low weighted grade.”
INTROPHIL

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“ ; he is one of the most insightful teachers ever.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (22 online, 28 in and grading lag. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

72/100

“Bas loves engaging in conversation and could talk for hours because he is truly passionate about philosophy.”

📚 Workload Reality

32/100

“ .”

⏳

40/100

“He is one of the .”

👍 Recommendation Split

68/100

“if you care about philosophy, I've found that it isn't for most and thats okay.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • super funny, kinda neurotic (in a relatable way)
  • makes students feel safe while exploring controversial topics

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

  • Easy class if you read the readings
  • grades the however
  • Can't access your grade throughout the term

Theme 3

⚠️

  • Will accuse you of AI if you use spell check
  • little or and
  • and mandatory

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

164

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

50 reviews with mixed but , and polarizing teaching quality.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 5102
4 out of 526
3 out of 516
2 out of 58
1 out of 513

Course coverage

INTROPHIL15 reviews
PHIL115 reviews
PHIL017 reviews
PHIL1HNR4 reviews
PHIL153 reviews
Show 4 more courses
HUM12 reviews
PHI012 reviews
PHIL01125201 review
PHIL121 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

46 reported outcomes

A range

37

A+ 6 · A 29 · A- 2

B range

0

No reported values

C range

1

C+ 1

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

8

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Not sure yet 5