AI Rate Professor

Engineering

Melissa Hornstein

MATH · EGN1EGN3 · EGN6 · EGN1R · EGN1 · EGN4 · A · 15 lifetime ratings

AI rating
52/100
RMP rating
3.7/5
Take again
60%
Difficulty
3.2

The decision

Take her if you are self-driven and will use the resources; avoid if you need strong in-class teaching for hard engineering topics.

Best fit · Effort For RewardSelf-taught heavyLots of homeworkCares but hands-offMixed by course levelOrganized resources
  • Students say she provides resources but expects you to learn largely on your own.
  • Intro engineering can feel useful and manageable; harder EGN courses draw harsh criticism.
  • Workload is often heavy with weekly assignments, labs, and strict test deadlines.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

52/100

Intro sections can feel like an easy A, but many courses need steady work and some students land B or C grades.

Online students report manageable paths with retakes; in-person difficulty rises in advanced EGN courses.

Is the course easy?

Standard

45/100

Average difficulty sits around mid-level and comments call some courses challenging while intro stays easier.

Online difficulty is moderate-to-high; in-person ranges from easy intro to very hard EGN4 or MATH.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

35/100

Many reviews mark attendance mandatory and tags warn skip class and you will not pass.

Online reviews report non-mandatory attendance; in-person is often mandatory.

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

55/100

About 60% would take again, with strong praise for mentoring offset by avoid-this-teacher reviews.

Online reviews are positive; in-person opinions are polarized.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

48/100

Some drops, extra credit, and retakes help, but tough grader tags and mixed letter grades remain.

Format shift

and quiz retakes; in-person more often says tough grader.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Lots of homework, weekly assignment piles, and lab work appear across many reviews.

Format shift

Online 8-week terms feel especially assignment-heavy; in-person also reports lots of busywork.

Teaching experience

Average

55/100

Students split between wonderful mentor and half-effort teacher who expects self-learning.

Format shift

Online leans organized and cool; in-person has both glowing and scathing reviews.

Assessment method

Balanced

55/100

Heavy homework and labs combine with quizzes and tests that allow little late grace.

Format shift

Online emphasizes weekly assignments plus quizzes; in-person also stresses tests and labs.

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

13 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

In-person feedback splits between caring mentor praise and complaints about weak teaching, poor labs, and tough grading.

Main concern

Harder engineering courses may require learning mostly from YouTube and self-study.

What students said

“the way she teaches is largely by giving you the resources and you have to figure it out.”
EGN-1R
“Don't expect to learn much from the professor, instead expect to learn off youtube”
EGN1EGN3
“If you talk to her in person she will give you all the help you need.”
EGN6

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

Online reviews describe heavy weekly homework, organized slides and resources, grace on homework but , and retakeable quizzes.

Main concern

High assignment volume in short terms and no grace on tests.

What students said

“Even when she's assigns tons of homework, she gives u grace period to turn in your homework, she does not have grace period on tests.”
EGN1
“On average I'd say there were about 4-7 assignments due every week.”
EGN-1R

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are standard-to-strict, with limited flexibility and at least one report of no calculator or notes.

No grace on testsQuiz retakesClosed-style math tests

Assessment risk

Standard

48/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and one MATH case with no calculator or notes.

Multiple tests and finalNo calculator or notes reportedAttendance-linked passing
“Gives 4 test and a final she doesn't let u use calculator or notes”
MATH
“if you attend all of the labs and do most of the assignments you should get an A.”
EGN1

Online

Online reviews note no grace period on tests but quiz retakes and dropped low assignment scores.

No grace on testsQuiz retakesDropped lowest scores
“she does not have grace period on tests.”
EGN1
“being able to retake quizzes.”
EGN-1R

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“the way she teaches is largely by giving you the resources and you have to figure it out.”

Voice snapshots generated from 15 reviews (2 online, 13 in person), balancing praise for mentoring against self-study and workload complaints. Credibility rating: Medium.

📚 Self-Study Reality

40/100

“Don't expect to learn much from the professor, instead expect to learn off youtube”

❤️ Mentoring Strength

75/100

“If you talk to her in person she will give you all the help you need.”

📝 Workload Load

28/100

“On average I'd say there were about 4-7 assignments due every week.”

Theme 1

🧑‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • teaches this class with half effort
  • She provides tons of resources, you better make time for her class.
  • She explains things thoroughly and clearly and her teaching is amazing.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

  • I would say it is an easy A. Although thats kinda the point.
  • I wouldn't say it's an easy a, but if you attend all of the labs and do most of the assignments you should get an A.
  • One of the worst teachers Ive ever had....

Theme 3

🧰 About Workload

  • She gives a lot of busy but unnecessary work
  • Lots of homework
  • work hard and you'll succeed

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

15

Recent reviews read by the AI

15

Lifetime ratings

68/100

Evidence confidence

Fifteen reviews span many years with mixed tone and uneven detail, so confidence is moderate rather than high.

Inside 15 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 57
4 out of 52
3 out of 51
2 out of 54
1 out of 51

Course coverage

EGN16 reviews
EGN-1R2 reviews
EGN1EGN32 reviews
EGN62 reviews
A1 review
Show 2 more courses
EGN41 review
MATH1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

9 reported outcomes

A range

4

A+ 1 · A 2 · A- 1

B range

4

B 4

C range

0

No reported values

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

1

Not sure yet 1