AI Rate Professor

History

Allen Siroky

HIS12 · HIST11 · HIST12 · HIS11 · 120 lifetime ratings

AI rating
40/100
RMP rating
3.2/5
Take again
50%
Difficulty
3.6

The decision

if you want rigorous writing feedback and , and a polarizing classroom style.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerTough graderEssay-heavy feedbackPolarizing teachingSelf-study requiredAttendance matters
  • some call him an excellent writing teacher, while many describe him as , and discouraging.
  • Getting an A is possible but usually requires early , and tolerance for harsh feedback.
  • The class is often graded by few high-stakes items such as , and a final.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

34/100

An A is possible, but students repeatedly say it requires early , and accepting very tough grading.

Online and , while in-person reviews add more warnings about attendance and high-stakes assignments.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

32/100

The course feels hard because students must read heavily, write at a high standard, follow dense history material, and often teach themselves outside lecture.

Online reviews mention difficult modules and long textbooks, while and self-study demands.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

18/100

Multiple in-person comments say attendance matters or is mandatory, and students warn that skipping class can hurt passing chances.

Attendance strictness is mainly supported by in-person reviews, while online .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

50/100

Students recommend him only for motivated , while many others strongly warn against taking him.

Online reviews are mixed but limited, and strong praise and severe warnings.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Harsh

18/100

, even though revisions and early feedback can help persistent students.

Format shift

Both formats mention tough grading, with or rude essay comments.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Students describe , and major assignments that require steady effort.

Format shift

Online reviews emphasize textbook and essay workload, while , and self-study.

Teaching experience

Average

48/100

He can be valuable for serious writers, but many students , and a .

Format shift

Online reviews focus on feedback and modules, while mentor and frustrating lecturer.

Assessment method

Balanced

65/100

Grades , and a final, with few high-stakes items in many sections.

Format shift

In-person reviews provide most assessment details, while and textbook-based modules.

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

45 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person reviews show a highly polarizing professor who can deeply improve strong, persistent students but frustrates many with and .

Main concern

Students often report rude , and grades based on a few major tasks.

What students said

“He is not an easy teacher to get a good grade but he is an AMAZING teacher if you want to improve your writing and .”
HIST11
“Attendance is mandatory, but if up to class it will be excused just be honest.”
HIS11
“Save yourself the headache and .”
HIS12

Remote format

Online

5 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online reviews are mixed, with some students valuing detailed feedback and and difficult modules.

Main concern

Tough grading and frustrating.

What students said

“ .”
HIST12
“The and follow.”
HIS12
“HE SUCCCKKKKEEEEDDD. !!!”
HIST11

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam evidence varies by section, with comments mentioning essay-based tests, notecards, a midterm, a final, and but .

Essay-Based TestsMidterm MentionedFinal MentionedNotecards AllowedTake-Home Essays Mentioned

Assessment risk

Varies

52/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person reviews mention essay-based tests, notecards, a , and , but do not clearly prove proctoring or closed-book rules.

Essay-Based TestsMidterm MentionedFinal MentionedNotecards AllowedTake-Home Essays Mentioned
“he gave us a paper with four questions (mid-term Q's and because we knew ahead of time what would be on the tests.”
HIS11
“He allows note cards for essay-based tests so its easier on the student.”
HIS12
“ !”
HIS12

Online

Online reviews do not clearly prove webcam, Lockdown Browser, open-book, take-home, midterm, final, or proctoring policies.

Policy Not Clearly Proven

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“He is not an easy teacher to get a good grade but he is an AMAZING teacher if you want to improve your writing and .”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and recommendation strength. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

48/100

“He is not an easy teacher to get a good grade but he is an AMAZING teacher if you want to improve your writing and .”

⚖️

18/100

“He is a which is really unprofessional for a professor to do and states that facts are wrong.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

50/100

“Take his class!!! ”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • His lectures are irrelevant he always gets off topic and never finishes his lectures, we basically have to teach ourselves in order to learn.
  • Great lectures. .
  • I think he's retired now, but he .

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • You basically have to read the whole textbook to pass.
  • He will absolutely .
  • If you don't turn in the work early, you will most likely fail bc of how hard he grades.

Theme 3

📝

  • He gives all the information you need in his modules and zoom lectures, which he records for ppl who can't attend live.
  • He gives you many opportunities to fix your work & you have to be willing to fix it.
  • When I would turn in and minimal guidance.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

120

Lifetime ratings

95/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across many years provide rich, consistent evidence of a polarizing but rigorous professor, with enough online and .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 535
4 out of 523
3 out of 524
2 out of 515
1 out of 523

Course coverage

HIS1219 reviews
HIS1114 reviews
HIST1211 reviews
HIST116 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

33 reported outcomes

A range

11

A+ 3 · A 5 · A- 3

B range

10

B+ 2 · B 8

C range

5

C+ 2 · C 3

D range

1

D 1

F

1

F 1

No letter grade reported

5

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Incomplete 1 · Not sure yet 1