William (Bill) Van Benschoten

HISTO1 · HIST101 · HISTORY12 · HIST2 · FDEFE8039 · HIS11 · HIST01 · HIS2 · HIS007 · HIST001 · HIST07 · HIS12 · HIST1315 · HISTORY020 · HIST1 · HIST11 · HIST007 · 62 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 34/100
RMP rating: 3.4/5
Take again: 41.94%
Difficulty: 3.6

The decision

Avoid unless you love heavy history writing and can hit strict deadlines; seek another section if you need a flexible GE.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerTough graderHeavy writing loadUnclear feedbackPolarizing lecturesNo late work

and harsh to many students, with mass comments instead of .
Workload is writing- and reading-heavy; late work is often refused entirely.
A dedicated minority praises deep lectures and real learning if you treat it like a major-level course.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

28/100

As are possible for strong writers who match his exact standards, but , and grades well below effort.

Online reviews show more failing and D/F outcomes; older In person notes sometimes call it an easy A with open notes.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

32/100

, and college-level writing expectations make the content feel major-intensity.

Both formats stress writing volume; Online amplifies confusion about criteria.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

45/100

; others say no, so policy depends on term and format.

Online and In person .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

38/100

Would-take-again sits near 42 percent: , while GE seekers strongly warn others off.

; In person is more split between inspiring and hostile experiences.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Harsh

22/100

; students cite unexplained zeros, mass LTC comments, and perfectionist essay standards.

Format shift

Harsh grading complaints are concentrated in recent Online reviews.

Workload

Heavy

22/100

Lots of reading, multi-page weekly writing, and a standard 3-unit GE.

Format shift

Online and In person both report essay floods; Online adds long written instructions.

Teaching experience

Average

48/100

Knowledgeable lectures impress some, but many others find him unclear, pretentious, rude, or unhelpful when grades are cut.

Format shift

In person has more praise for live lectures; Online skews strongly negative on communication.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

35/100

Weekly essays and occasional midterms or projects.

Format shift

Online is almost pure writing; some In person terms add open-note exams.

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

26 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

some call lectures inspiring and , while others cite yelling, off-topic stories, and heavy essays.

Main concern

Classroom climate and essay volume still turn off students who want a light GE.

What students said

“I would rather be publicly stoned 3000 yrs ago than take this class again.”
HIS11

“He actually TEACHES, shares knowledge through great lectures, and .”
HIS11

“He let us use our notes, focus question and vocabulary in the exam.”
HIS11

Remote format

Online

24 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

, and rigid late policies.

Main concern

high fail risk online.

What students said

“This . Does not give personal feedback.”
HIS007

“he told me he hopes I get better but I could not access any of late "policy".”
HIS11

“I received my first, and hopefully only, F grade in two years.”
HISTORY020

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

and paper standards are strict and writing-heavy, with little grace on deadlines or partial credit clarity.

Essay-heavy midterms and finalsOpen-note exams in some in-person termsWeekly written reviewsNo late work

Assessment risk

Strict

35/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

Some In person terms allow notes on exams or ; others still pile weekly essays and .

Open-note examsIn-class essaysFinal project instead of final exam

“He let us use our notes, focus question and vocabulary in the exam.”
HIS11

“ , but a .”
HIS2

Online

Online assessments emphasize long essay homework and ; several students report zeros without useful feedback.

Essay-style homeworkGeneralized feedback onlyNo late submissions

“gave me a 0/50 for ”
HIS11

“Midterm and Finals are essay 1600 words.”
HIST01

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Do yourself a favor and get a different professor.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (24 Online, 26 In person), contrasting tough grading pain points with minority lecture praise. Credibility rating: High.

⚠️

22/100

“I don't know how he grades something. I do all of my correct and still loose around 10 points.”

📝 Writing Overload

22/100

“Just typing and typing and typing and typing.”

🎓 Real Teaching For Some

48/100

“He actually TEACHES, shares knowledge through great lectures, and .”

👎 Low Recommendation

38/100

“Save yourself the time and .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Prof, Van is a true professor. He respects history and respects academia
he presents both sides
Instead told me about his grandkids and the "good old times"

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

Not a .
Easy A if you put in the effort.

Theme 3

📝

Lots of homework
He .
Late works are not accepted under any circumstances.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

84/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty polarized reviews across formats with and heavy-writing themes give strong confidence in the mixed verdict.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 528

4 out of 57

3 out of 59

2 out of 53

1 out of 515

Course coverage

HIS1113 reviews

HIS0077 reviews

HIST0015 reviews

HIST14 reviews

HIST013 reviews

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HISTORY0202 reviews

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HIS121 review

HIS21 review

HIST0071 review

HIST071 review

HIST13151 review

HISTO11 review

HISTORY121 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

29 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 4 · A 7 · A- 1

B range

B 5 · B- 3

C range

C+ 1 · C 1

D range

D 1

F

F 2

No letter grade reported

Incomplete 1 · Rather not say 3

William (Bill) Van Benschoten

Avoid unless you love heavy history writing and can hit strict deadlines; seek another section if you need a flexible GE.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Varies

Depends

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

⚠️ x x x

📝 Writing Overload

🎓 Real Teaching For Some

👎 Low Recommendation

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

📝 x x x x

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

⚠️

📝