Take a subject I love by a horrible professor, or mildly interested in by an amazing professor? Forum

[lawyersHATEhim]

I really want to practice law internationally. Not necessarily international law but something more global. I'm considering 2 electives: BA and Int'l relations. The BA professor is praised by all. The IR proff is universally despised and guaranteed median pwn. Don't have grades yet. At a T25 w/ $$$. Not sure if all that is relevant but yea. Taking advice.

[AZ123]

I would go with the good professor. In my experience, having an awesome professor can make horrible subjects enjoyable, while a horrible professor can make interesting subjects miserable.

[RaceJudicata]

I would go with the good professor. In my experience, having an awesome professor can make horrible subjects enjoyable, while a horrible professor can make interesting subjects miserable.

Agreed. Won't remember much from the class after a few months anyway.. but will remember a good prof (if that's worth anything)

[lavarman84]

Take the good professor.

[mjb447]

Take the good prof. The contents of classes you take in law school generally aren't that relevant to your long term career goals (some exceptions apply), and it sounds like you might have a better shot at a good grade from the interesting prof.

[anonanonny]

I'd definitely go for the class you're mildly interested in by an amazing professor. Great professors make classes enjoyable even if the subject is dry. I remember my Civ Pro professor was hilarious and made the subject (which I find terribly boring) enjoyable.
Good luck!

[SFSpartan]

When in doubt, always go with the good prof. A good prof can make a boring topic interesting, and a horrible prof can do exactly the opposite.

[bacillusanthracis]

Just for the hell of it, I'll go against what everyone else is saying.

Take the subject even though the professor sucks. I have a somewhat similar situation, but this particular asshat is the only one that teaches the course, so I have to do it. Other students hate this guy, but I figure, hey, there's a book, so I'll teach myself, which is the way law school works for me anyway. I totally would have been just fine on a complete home study schedule. But that's me.

And is it any different from taking a bar-tested course where only one crappy professor teaches it (or where you find yourself having to take a crappy professor because you have no choice)?

Finally, I'd heard bad things from other students about my con law professor; he was too old, he didn't give enough instructions, he went on and on, etc. But I thought he was great. I think it was his sense of humor that most other students didn't get, but the guy was hilarious. Whatever.

Good luck.

[arroznueve]

All else equal, I'd go with the good professor, but the post above makes an important point: the feedback of other students on which professors are good is not always going to be the opinion you have. I've taken many professors who were recommended by classmates, and I did not enjoy their style, or found them difficult to learn from. I've also been the only person in a room of 75 enjoying a lecture from other professors. So, be careful—is this a "good professor" because you have personal experience with them, or because some 3L told you they liked the class?

Finally, all else is never equal. Same number of credit hours? Take more credits earlier and never worry about it later. Do they meet at the same time and on the same days? That can be a big influence, too. To be honest, it's a dumb consideration, but some people also look at it whether they have friends taking a particular class. Or less dumb, class size—are they both large classes? Is one smaller? Do you learn better in a certain environment?