[Lorelei]

I've used ratemyprofessors.com since I started college last summer. It's helped me a lot. I don't necessarily look for high numbers, I just look for the characteristics of a prof that match my learning style.

For example, my calculus prof has a middling number on ratemyprofessors. Everything I read said: He's tough, he'd rather answer questions than lecture, he doesn't assign homework, he doesn't give extra credit, and he grades entirely based on exams. Every one of these things is true, and that is why I like this professor. Some people hate this teaching style and give him low ratings, while other people love this teaching style and give him high ratings.

While I agree that there is a lot of garbage to sift through, it's been very useful to me. Like Robin said, you have to use the relevant information to your benefit. Then take people's opinions with a grain of salt.