2.4
Quality4.5
Difficulty17%
Would Retake98
Reviews17%
Would Retake
98
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
12
3
9
2
20
1
40
What Students Say
“If you aren't going to work, don't bother”
COMP110 - 3.0 rating“He was more focused on scratching his beard rather than teaching the class,”
N06 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
73%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.20 avg changeRatings by Course
LITR
5.0
(1)COMPII
5.0
(1)COMP111
5.0
(2)LITR232
4.3
(4)ENG111
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENGLISHCOMP1
5.0
COMP
5.0
ENG110
5.0
ENGCOMP
5.0
LITR210
5.0
Reviews (98)
Horrible teacher
Very helpful professor. Always available to students during office hours. Challenging.
very difficult teacher but very funny
horriable teacher , my enitre class had one passing grade by the end of the semester
it's simple do not take this guy! His papers suck and his grading system is horrible.
This guy is the best...I love his stories... he is to easy, I had straight A's
Why waste the money
if you think you're a good writer, than take him. otherwise you will fail.
No Comments
DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER! HE WILL GIVE BACK YOUR PAPER 3 TIMES BEFORE HE GIVES YOU A GRADE. HE WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL.
No Comments
Seriously, do not take him. He is very set in his ways, and if you write something he does not care for, you get a D. I do not know why the college allows him to exsist.
He is fun but grades tough. He'll make you laugh but make sure you pay attention in class and take notes, they are helpful when writing his essays.
This guy is the worst. Im an English major and let me tell you...he made me want to switch. You can not get past a C. Run away from this class.
No Comments
he is very strict! i was a foriegn student and this was my first english class. he made me feel worhtless and dumb. he gives back papers so many times that u lose interest in writing. take his class only if u have no other alternative.
John has passion for the literature, an understanding that's demonstrated in his lectures, he doesn't dumb down his expectations of the students because this is community college. If you desire to learn and don't just expect a brease through course, John will teach you. Recommended.
He is a tough grader so beware, but this comes in handy if you have other writing classes to take because after taking his class everything els is childs play. Take him if you want to challenge yourself because he does just that. He is understanding if you honestly try hard,but he's no pushover!!
to critical
He is definitly a tough grader. He does know his stuff though. He is usually helpful with questions and his class discussions are very in depth. He is a better teacher than some at larger colleges and universities.
very good teacher. he will pass you if he thinks you will pass Comp110. dont be late or he'll kill you and dont slack off cause you'll fail. very few people pass but you'll appreciate his teaching cause it'll follow you far
this man got me into writing and borderline saved my life.
No Comments
Dude's awesome. Very intellectual and quite random at times. Cool class.
He is extremely unorganized and has no sense of time frame. He is also late to class everyday. Only take this class if you intend to fail and only get C's or D's on papers!!! P.S. the only thing cool about the class is that he tells jokes
This guy is very tough! Only take his class if you are a great english student who can write outstanding critical essays. If your not great with English or are only decent, then you probably wont get any higher then a C. I dont like this guy personally, he is late everyday about 5 mins. But if your late 3 minutes, he gets pissed off. Hippocrite!
Excellent professor. Yes, he's challenging, but he'll prepare you for a 4-year university and beyond. Very intelligent and funny!
he will hand you your paper back so many times that youll just take the f hes going to end up giving you anyway hell hand your paper back 7 times and still give you a D or C he sucks, hes ignorant to you unless your a great writer.. aviod his class at all cost
No Comments
Hands back papers about 60346096 times before he will grade it..This class will frustrate the hell out of you. Don't be late to his class, laugh at his jokes, and try to be agreeable because he'll like you better.
This teacher makes you hand papers in a thousand times before he grades it. Don't be late to his class but he's always late. He gave me a D+ so I waisted $400 on the class and have to take it again and I'm a good student. His classes are full of useless information and theres a lot of useless homework. Worst teacher ever, don't take him.
This class was frustrating, and not in a good way. Handing back blank assignments with no comments is no way to teach. He was very full of himself.
This guy is very tough. Impossible A unless you can write really really well. I have a a 3.7 GPA, put a lot of work into the class and only got a C+. This guy isnt a all out horrible teacher though. He is willing to help you if you ask for it and he will give you ideas. But he really doesnt give you any tips on how to write the papers :(
Yeah, he hands papers back, but he just wants the students to prepare the papers right. PAY ATTENTION TO THE DIRECTIONS and you'll do ok. He's a tough grader but will get you ready for any otyher English classses you will ever take. Teaches like this is a 4 year school, which is good since that's where most of us will transfer.
Good for first semester to learn how to write, but after that it just becomes frustrating. He is really a guy that is going to help you in semesters and years to come. I recommend him, but don't take his class and expect anything over a C+.
Terrible teacher. Talks the whole time regarding everyting except the subject. Demands a lot. The perfect paper is not good enough for him. Whatever you do, you still have a low grade. I got a better grade in comp. 111, even though I studied the same. And my writing was still the same. Be prepared to struggle!!!!
DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE IF YOUR LIFE DPENDS ON IT. I have never been so dissatisfied with a writing course in my life. Consider your options and choose wisely.
Worst teacher ever. Im surised to hear he is still teaching at BCCC. Wow. Im now in Temple, a REAL university, and have never recieved lower then an A on a paper, yet he gave me straight Cs. He is a hippy...agree with his ideas or he will dismiss you.
good teacher. Some what of a jerk occassionally, but I like the way he teaches. Its ALOT of work, but he does give back essays with his comments to make them better, which is awesome. Make sure you keep up with all the work, he doesnt check it, but he eventually checks all of it. Not a good tecaher for a lazy person.
Awsome teacher, great discussion leader, one of top 2 best professors i have ever had, most think he is a hard teacher, but he expects you to work, and as long as you read, participate, attend class and apply yourself you will do well! If ur a slacker, or want a professor who will let you sleep or have an easy 3 credits, dont take John!
I did keep up with the workd, readings, etc and still recieved bad grades. I also noticed he is extremely cruel and hard on the "rich" kids. Perhaps he was picked on growing up for looking like a troll? I don't know nor do I care. Terrible terrible teacher...I won't even refer to him as a professor because he doesn't deserve that respect. Run!
Worse teacher I had ever came across and should not be teaching!!! I took the same class with prof. Shakely and got a B and now im in comp 111 and have an A average. DONT TAKE HIM YOU WILL FAIL!!!
i hate going to the class, boring, lot of work, extremly picky, confusing, and i do well in composition.
TERRIBLE TEACHER! It's either his way or the highway with opinions, even though he asks for them. If he disagrees with your view he'll fail you in an instant even if your paper was good. I had tutoring center look over my paper, with them saying it was good, and he still FAILED IT! HE'S EGO MANIACAL!
WORST TEACHER EVER!! DO NOT TAKE HIM! you will not get an A. His grading is ridiculous and he's not fair at all. If you walk in class one minute late he flips out yet he does it constantly. I do not suggest taking him. He ruined my GPA. I can't stand him!!
John is a nice guy, but as a teacher he is AWFUL. If you would like to pass COMP110 I highly recommend that you do not take this teacher. Hes terrible!!!!
If you want to take the required comp classes to get them over and done with, do not take John Strauss' class. If you want an easy A, again, do not take John's class. But if you want to learn how to write an essay, then I highly recomment him.
The worst teacher i have ever had, he ruined any intrest in writing!! He cant teach he should probably get his priorities in check and consider a new carreer because he cant teach al all, Dont take him ever!!! Waste of money!!!
i think strauss deserves a chili pepper, 'cause you guys are mean.
Im not saying im a straight a student. Regardless i've always been an acceptional writer. Im not going to sit here and bash the guy like most of you but i will completly agree. The man shouldnt be teaching and BCCC needs to realize how many people hate him. IT Has nothing to do with the work and everything to with how horrble he is Grading/teaching
do not take this class if you want a grade higher than a C. he sends you to the tutoring center 24/7, you get your papers back 94 times before he grades them and then you get a D or if your lucky a C. if you put your all into a paper it's still a C. his grading system is horrible & unfair. rarely will a student pass his class with a B or higher.
This guy is terrible. He always would arrive a few minutes late and before he got in the class everyone was talking about how much they hated him.
DONT ever take this teacher he is horrible. will ruin writing for you and will give you back your papers 10000000 times making rude and demeaning comments on them. He will give you a D+ on a paper that he knows you need a C on to pass and will make you feel horrible about it.
I'm sure he understands why his rating is so low. He's extremely thorough, and nearly impossible to impress. His class is difficult. If you want to actually learn something, take him at least once. I don't know about multiple classes with this guy though. My GPA would suffer.
yes, he is a hard grader, but his knowledge of literature is amazing. The class I had with him was an American lit class, and he led amazing discussions on the pieces we read, and really helped me analyze literature.
great teacher and a fair grader. lots of kids in my class were frustrated, but they were expecting A's to be handed to them. required a fair amount of intellect to get through his classes, but overall can provide a great experience.
he is a horrible teacher. he is not helpful at all. he is horrible. no one can really pass the class
He is a really bad teacher.. No one should ever take him.. He will not give you a chance at all.
This guy is the worst teacher ever he hands papers back a trilion times, doesn't ever grade them, tells you to go straight to the tutoring center instead of actually teaching! DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!!! I wish I had read these before I signed up he is terrible!!!! He is a nice guy but a terrible teacher and an unfair grader!
horrible! the semester is over in a month and he hasnt given me a grade on ANY! of my essays. i have written at least 9. not a single grade!
HORRIBLE! NOOOO dont take this class he is out to failllll everyonnneee!
just because he thinks he is the smartest guy ever because he went to Upenn; that means that not a single person deserves above a C in his class. His intellect and writing skills are the correct way to write, and no matter what you have been taught or read if he doesn't agree it is wrong. in other words the best professor ever.
How many classes have you taken that you had the opportunity to redo a paper till you had the best possible paper? How did you learn to walk or ride a bike- by doing it over and over! John will help & teach you! I was a 9th grade dropout with a GED when I took John?s class ? got a C. He was understanding & supportive! Great teacher!
i literally stopped showing up to class becuase i havent gotten one grade on any of my papers. he wants me to keep changing my papers to make them "better" but what i am handing in is my best work. this guy is horrible and i swear he is on coke.
John Strauss is single handedly the BEST composition teacher one could ask for. You will not pass his class if you do not work for it. However, if you pay attention, ask questions and do your best, you will learn so much more than you ever imagined. I came out of his class loving composition courses. Best teacher I have ever had. Thanks, John.
Just horrible. never graded my papers (though he usually left nothing but positive remarks on the final copies)until the end of the year when he asked me to resubmit every single one of them. everyone else ive seen from that class had nothing but c's d's & f's. most ppl stopped showing up. out of 25 only 9 finished the semester.
Really tough grader of final drafts, but is more than willing to work with you on it. He consistently shows up 3-7 minutes late EVERY DAY but complains when we start packing up at the end of class. His essays are quite difficult as the semester goes on. It's difficult to pass if you don't read the assigned readings. Wouldn't take again.
He is a teacher who is in a good mood, however his grading is very tough. i wouldn't recommend taking him if your papers are not A+'s
I still had my first paper and was still working on it half way through the semester. Although, I'm glad he gave me multiple chances to fix my mistakes, he wanted better work from me but it was already my best. I liked him as a person but if you have a tough time writing essays, be careful.
A lot of people treat community college like 13th grade, but Strauss expects students to actually care. I've read critical comments on here, and one person even wrote that he didn't know why he got a bad grade because he has always been an "acceptional" writer! His classes require a lot of work, so if you want an easy A don't bother.
You have to work VERY hard to get a decent grade in his class. He expects college-level writing, which unfortunately a lot of students at this school cannot do.
John was my professor for several classes while I attended BCCC. I can honestly say he is one of the best educators I have had the pleasure of knowing. No, he is not "easy"--and because of that unwavering dedication to his students and his subject area, you will emerge better prepared for your college career. And he's cool and funny, too.
I know I'm not an A or B writer, but he made me feel like I sucked at everything. A very tough grader, and I worked my ass off resubmitting every paper at least 5 times each just to get a D+ and take it all over again. He is a very smart dude but he just thinks he is a genius and everyone else is dumb. If you aren't going to work, don't bother
He was more focused on scratching his beard rather than teaching the class,
He was more focused on scratching his beard rather than teaching the class. He never fully explained what was expected from each of the papers. He graded too hard on what was assigned.
Very tough grader BUT if you put forth an effort and even just act like you are interested in making your essays better, he WILL help you.. a lot. I wasn't a huge fan at first, but by the end of the semester I loved him.. First and only Comp teacher that I've ever liked. Participate in class and ask questions & he'll love you!! & He's super nice :)
Outrageous how difficult this is, ask for clarity and help and get told to go to the tutoring center. Thought the teacher was there to help
Very rude, can get angry when you even go to the bathroom. Gives a lot of feedback but is very confusing and doesnt teach you how to fix the problems. Very very very tough grader
I went into that class very confident in my writing, and am now leaving feeling the complete opposite. He talks down to you, especially when you ask a question you "should've known the answer to". Gets angry very easily, make sure you go to the bathroom before class. Almost as if he doesn't want us to do well. Told me to go get tutoredfor xtrahelp
Do not take this class if you want to pass. So many people dropped out of his class and i should have been one of them. If you want a C or below this is the class for you!
Tries to be specific for what he wants on our papers but ends up confusing us more.
He tries to be specific about the papers he gives us but just makes us more confused. We have 8 papers in the class and the lowest grade gets dropped. He gives us the opportunity and tools for help but doesn't understand that people have other classes. His demeanor is laid back but harsh within reason. Just too much reading for my taste.
John Strauss doesn't have anything online, grades aren't posted anywhere. He gives papers and says c is average. If you have all the requirements, it could only get you a c. Five weeks into class and the class only had one graded assignment which no one got over a 78. Gives decent feedback in handwriting that you can't even understand
We had one essay graded half way through the semester. It takes at least two weeks to get anything back and then you have to resubmit it and wait another two weeks to get your final grade.
One of the most disorganized people I have ever met. He loves to talk rather than teach, yet expects his students to understand everything about essays and write fantastic papers.
Literally the WOAT. He grades as if hes a Harvard teacher. Hes very sarcastic and calls people out to be funny but nobody laughs. Hes rude, disorganized, and overall the worst teacher Ive ever had. I learned nothing and was constantly overwhelmed by the back to back 6 page papers. Too tough of a grader for a FIRST LEVEL COMP CLASS. dont take.
Im writing this in the defense of John. He is a fantastic person and a great instructor. Most quarrels come from the papers. I should preface that I am an English major and have not had problems with my papers being marked poorly. The class we had was small and primarily discussion, so if that is your situation, you are in luck. Funny and kind guy
Never had a problem with writing until John. He tries to grade like a Harvard prof, even tries to correct stuff in the textbook... does not post grades or use canvas. tough grader, rude, inconsiderate and very unorganized it's actually disgusting. deff do not recommend
yeah never gotten a C in all my years of English. he kicks people out if you don't have things done. There were times where I just didn't show up cus I knew I was getting kicked out. Also grades suppper hard. my papers would b marked and covered in pen when I got them back even though I wrote the same ways in my previous English classes and got A'S
John is a tough grader on the essays but its because he genuinely wants to help you improve your writing. Hes a nice guy who simply gets frustrated when students dont do the assignments. Do the essays & readings, be prepared to discuss in class and youll do alright. His class is difficult, but if you want to improve your writing, take it.
The worst professor I have ever had in my life. He made me feel like I was worthless and should've even be in college. He would call me out with everything I did and try to be funny when no one would laugh (and I'm not the only one.) He is a horrible person and I have no good things to say about this man. Do not take! (Required to give one star)
I love writing and even for me this class was difficult. John is a nice guy and seems to care about improving student's writing, but he grades way too harshly and isn't very helpful. Even if you try your absolute hardest and turn everything in on time it's rare that you will get graded on anything higher than an 80%. Wouldn't recommend.
He sucks. If you have the chance to switch out- do it. Very hard marker, he scratches his beard wayyyy to much in class instead of actually teaching. He assigns really hard work and is very specific on what he is looking for.
Hes not organized. He confuses people with what he wants on a paper. He calls out people in front of others to be funny and its just not. Do not take this class with him choose someone else who cares. People have other classes and personal lives outside of school. Hes the worst professor I have ever had.
Professor Strauss is defly for a mature crowd. He makes you work hard to receive an acceptable grade. However, if you want to learn the craft of writing, he is your guy. You can NOT slack off in his class, & it's NOT an easy A course with him. Strauss's personality & character are excellent, and not rude. Looking for a easy A? dont take him
I've had this man for two days and have considered dropping the class, he calls and picks on students. He's very aggressive and gets angry If you don't unmute and answer within a second of him asking the question. He's pretentious and I can't wait to transfer to a teacher who actually cares.
I had him in 2017 and I enjoyed the lectures and thought his grading was very fair. The teachers I had in high school used to grade without helping you fix what was wrong, but John is extremely knowledgeable and educational. I used to ask him to proofread my rough drafts and he always gave me paragraphs in response that I could use to teach others.
I had this professor in 2016 and still have nightmares about the class 9 years later. He does not teach, he hands you a book and says figure it out. He gives an attitude and just wants to scratch his beard rather than teach. He says if you perfectly complete 100% of the tasks of an assignment, it is a 70% because that is average. He is a nut job.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
73%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.20 avg changeRatings by Course
LITR
5.0
(1)COMPII
5.0
(1)COMP111
5.0
(2)LITR232
4.3
(4)ENG111
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENGLISHCOMP1
5.0
COMP
5.0
ENG110
5.0
ENGCOMP
5.0
LITR210
5.0