4.2
Quality3.4
Difficulty61%
Would Retake118
Reviews61%
Would Retake
118
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
78
4
14
3
12
2
9
1
5
What Students Say
“Really awesome teacher, you can tell he loves his job & cares about his students”
ENGL122 - 5.0 rating“I also am surprised that he is recieving all of these good reviews”
ENGL122 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
8%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGL201
5.0
(2)122LITAN
5.0
(1)HUMLIT
5.0
(1)ENGL101
5.0
(1)HNRSENG
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
LITANAL
5.0
ENGL401
5.0
ENGL343
5.0
ENGL
4.5
GRADENG
4.0
Reviews (118)
Hot teacher, who teaches stupid material
No Comments
Hot guy who is into poetry and teaches well you will not beable to fall asleep he is so interesting
nice guy...but hard work! crazy man!
extremely nice and interesting. material is a bit strange, but he is really good at what he does, he is a bit of a hottie too.
One of the best teachers I ever had. He really is able to get you involved creatively in the process of writing compositions-- and the way in which he does it is odd-- but effective.
He is a very interesting professor. Very helpful and would do anything acedemically to enhance the student. Good looking as well. :) Material is an acquired taste, but very interesting. A must take!
I LOVE MIKE SELL!! He is the hottest thing i haveever seen, and the fact that he is super intelligent makes him even more hot. I would marry that man. His class was kind of hard but really a great class. I think he is one of the best teachers I've had.
Mike Sell is HOT!!! He made it worth getting up for class each morning, no matter how early it was. He was an amazing teacher ;) even though he's married and has twins :/
No Comments
The clearest, most articulate, yet humble, professor i've yet had. With a mystical bent, yet realistic, with sliver of hope in his heart despite the deep understanding of a deeply troubled world. Returns a bit of the ol' wonder to the classroom and life.
mike sell sucks. i left class every day almost crying from boredom and hatred. he's an idiot! anyone who thinks he's hot needs psychiatric help.
DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN. he is used to teaching grad courses. if you enjoy reading out of a book thats 2000 pages long, with pages as thin as the bible, that talks about stuff such as formalism. take him. he is a big **** also-loves talking about sex.
Hot as hell. Hard as hell. I like him being my advisor so i can just look at him without having to do the work
definitely makes you think, a lot of reading. will clarify & help you to understand whats going on. it's tough, but absolutely worth the experience!!!
Excellent prof who gives you many chances, alot of reading, and makes you think about things you'd never thought about before
Sell will make you learn. He makes english interesting at a very different level. He expects you to come to class ready to learn, if you dont, just dont come. He was the only professor that learned any english information off.
Sell is a good person who teaches through experience and really does try to encourage his students to learn. This class was pretty hard and taking it made me realize that a career in english isn't something i should pursue. I didn't enjoy the class.
extremely interesting.... a lot of work....if you are a shy person don't take him, he might scare you off....if you do the work you will be rewarded...
He's hot alright, but ridicu-pretentious. If your in the market for intellectual pork-slapping, make your bid.
Mike Sell is so hot!! I hate english, but it he made it worth going. He can be a little pretentious, but he's a really good professor. You have to do the work to get the grade, but its all pretty easy. I would definitely take him again
Mike Sell is an AWESOME professor. If you're willing to do the work (there's a lot), you'll be fine. This class was intellectually stimulating plus he's really hot which adds as a bonus.
Dr. Sell is very smart. He breaks down lit. theory so that it is easier to understand what the heck we do with literature. Very interesting. Hard, but worth the time.
Mike Sell was the best professor I have had to date. The way he teaches makes you want to learn. Lit theroy is a joy with Dr. Sell. The fact that he's hot as hell doesn't hurt either.
Dr. Sell is one of, if not the best teacher I ever had. The class is very difficult, but if you show up and pay attention (which is hard not to do in his class), you will do fine. There is a lot of work involved, but they aren't that bad.
No Comments
Real cool dude. Performances in the Oak Grove are a little scary, but teaches you so much about yourself. Probably the most enriching class I've taken. I would definitely recommend him. Some say he might be pretentious, but what college prof isn't?
He helped me a great deal and put up with my stuff. He spent a lot of time trying to help me and he did. He taught me a new way to look at my world... He's a good guy, but I had a hard time dealing with the snobs in my class..uhhh.
No Comments
his class is really hard, but he really takes a lot of time to explain stuff to you. He actually spoon feeds the things he wants in the papers and he is accessable whenever you might need him. He is also very nice and talking to him is comfortable.
This class can be a real doozer but if you take it with Mike and do your work it can be interesting and rewarding. Good grades are not hard to come by with him and he will be your eye candy for an entire semester!
He is so awesome! He is always open to hearing students opinions and encourages them to express it in class. If you're wrong he never makes you feel stupid. He is hilarious too! It is not a hard class if you go, and do work, but he actually made me want to attend! One of my fav profs at IUP!
One of the best professors ever. I had the hugest crush on him when I took this class! Hottest man alive... dresses well... and extremely smart. Man is he sexy. Class was one of the best I ever took at IUP.
The kindest prof on campus if you're having a problem - hard to find a prof like that at a big state school. Great class discussions. I'd be interested in reading his writings on the avant-garde, because he's very well read and well spoken. Every student will like this class - take it!
This class was easy. He is really focused on the Avant Garde. He gives alot of help and the quizes are short and sweet!
He has to be one of the nicest teachers at IUP. Will do EVERYTHING he can to make his class interesting/help you out. He is absolutely BRILLIANT and generally cares for his students. He gives a lot of work, but it's for your benifit. Deffinitely take him if you can.
I would take him again for entertainment purposes alone. This man is a great teacher. Though he's pretty hard, I really enjoyed his class and he made me learn a lot. He's a very caring person who always has time for his students and is ALWAYS in a good mood. Take him if you can.
Awesome professor! He is always willing to help out. The class is a lot of work and a lot of your semester will be focused on your paper; however it all works out in the end. I learned so much on a simple topic I would have never of even given thought to. He's so attractive too!!
What are these people on?This guy needs to be teaching a history class.Hardly nothing to do with English,All Avant-Garde stuff.Get ready to participate like crazy cause he will call on you all the time.Plus he has a very bad staring problem.Honestly one of the worst teachers I have had so far!
Great prof, amazing attitude, and so focused on his students! Cares very much on how well you do, and he wants you to succeed! Cute too :)
He does everything in his power to make you a better writer. Treats all of his students like individuals and makes an effort to get to know his students. Works hard with everyone on their individual topics and is very knowlegable. He gives a lot of work, but it all has a purpose.
loves the sound of his own voice. wont shut-up the entire class. you only study one topic the entire semester and must write a 10 page paper on it. if you're looking for a challenge and a reason for frustration and annoyance, then mike sell's your guy.
Mike is an excellent english teacher. Only focuses on the avant-garde and you write a paper on it, but he helps you as much as you need it. Alot of work, but it is all for your benefit. Great teacher, very smart and very sexy! :)
I wish I could take him for more classes; he is a really great guy and extremely intelligent and helpful. Just take him! He's one of the few professors who actually cares about his students, and this is a lib studies class! GREAT CLASS!
He is such a wonderful, caring prof. He is by no means the teacher you want to take to get an easy A. You will have to work very hard for that, but if you're willing, then he is too and will help and encourage you every step of the way.
It amazes me to see all the good ratings. In all honesty, I absolutely dreaded this class thanks to Mike Sell. It should be renamed to Avant-garde 101 because that is the theme for the entire semester and paper. I would NEVER take him again. Worst class and worst prof I've ever had at IUP.
I was scared of Research Writing, but thanks to Sell I got an A. He really teaches you what you need to write well in college. Also you can fit almost any topic into his class theme, so you get to write about almost whatever you want. SO helpful outside class, great guy despite his pretentiousness.
No Comments
Take him if you want to learn. Do not take him if you want to just get by. It's that simple.
I took Mike Sell's English Class 4 years ago, and it almost soured me on college and academia in general. The man taught the whole friggin' english class based solely on Haiku... we had to write 5 page thesis papers on a single, 3 line gibberish Haiku... so you'll learn to BS. Also, he is the king of making you edit and revise- even for A papers!
He is an awesome professor...he loves what is teaching. If you apply yourself, you will get an A.
I never thought I'd say this, but I thank him for Mallarme, struct./deconstuct, mod/postmod, etc...in g. sch. I'm applying a lot of things that he introduced us to. He also showed me that he actually cares about his students and most importantly, our development as a person/pre-academic. He's got 'use value.' Take 'em and read the @*%$ing books!!!
I liked to go to class to look at his pretty blue eyes!For real though I was very intimidated at first, i took him my sophmore year and thought so this is what college is! he is so intellegent that he can't help talking about things we probably never heard of, but I've reiterated things I learned in his class and everyone thinks I'm brilliant. HOT!
Hot hot hot!! This man will make you want to go to class, not only b/c he is gorgous but b/c he makes class fun, interesting and he knows what seems to be everything. Mikes class made me a better and a smarter writer. If you get the chance take this man. I recomend him highly.
mike is a realyl cool guy. His class is all about the avant-garde, but within that you can write whatever you want. He can be a tough grader he's not all that bad. His attendance policy is strict. He will tell u a lot that there will be a quiz. We were told 8 times and only had 2 quizzes.
One of the best professors I've ever had. Incredibly smart, funny, and easy to get along with. He'll push you to learn and become a better writer and thinker. Always available for extra help, and he really does care. Don't leave IUP without taking as many of his classes as possible.
I had Mike for English 202, and then later for English 401, and really enjoyed both classes. As a professor, Mike is tough--he expects a lot from his students, but it pays off in the end, as one becomes a much better writer as a result of taking his classes. I would highly recommend taking one of his classes, if you are an English major.
He keeps you up to speed with what's going on in the class. Very willing to help out during office hours. He uses a good bit of profanity.
Makes you buy 5 books and 1 dvd that you use once. A LOT of writing. Doesnt really teach about english ways of writing. He's more interested in psychology. ALL you learn about is psychoanalysis stuff. If you are not interested in psychology or surrealist things, then i would NOT recommend this class.
I loved this class. Mike is easy to pay attention to as he's so entertaining. He's open to any answer you have in discussions and won't make you feel like a moron. So helpful and understanding! A few quizzes, but they are simple and he tells you exactly what you'll need to know. You might average about 1 EASY paper a week. TAKE HIM!
I'm so surprised to see all these good evaluations for Mike, I actually really hated his classes and dredded going there he made me feel very uncomfortable!!!!
Awesome professor. There's a lot of work, and he'll push you out of your comfort zone, but it will make you a better reader and writer. He's really funny, and makes class interesting. I'll definitely take him again.
I also am surprised that he is recieving all of these good reviews....I felt very i uncomfortable in his class and dreaded going there...I wouldnt suggest him if you are a little shy to speak in class because he will continuously pick on you :(
It seems that no one of the reviewers took a class with Mike. He is my director, and I can't imagine my experience at iup without him. He has helped me to overcome many difficultuies. He is really great personally or as a professor. He is a big fan of drama, performance and theory. He has all a graduate student needs from his professor and director
Mike is a champion. He describes himself as a "collar popping fratboy" but he really is a great professor. People may find him uncomfortable because when you talk to him he always makes eye contact and gives you all his attention. Extremely helpful and interesting. I'd suggest him to everyone.
Mike is an excellent professor. I have had two classes with him and both were a pleasure. When I first began his class, I thought he was a bit of a weirdo yuppie with his popped color shirts and Jesus sandals. However, he really surprised me. He loves teaching and makes class interesting, but intense. He is very friendly and extremely helpful.
Mike is an awesome professor. His Intro. to English Studies class can be hard at times, but he pushes you to learn and think in new ways. I would definitely recommend him.
he has his students refer to him as mike which is really weird at first and curses a lot. all the girls think he is hot. hes really smart and a cool guy, helps you anytime you arent understanding the info. just come up with crazy interpretations and he'll love you. make sure you keep up with the readings for class discussions!
He's a very good teacher, knows how to keep his class involved and keeps your attention. his teaching method is helpful and he pushes you to do well. He's also funny and very nice with a lot of energy. Pop quizzes are easy if you study like you're suppose to
Dr. Sell is a nice guy, but I felt like his class should have been taught to middle-schoolers. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know, so it was difficult to stay awake. Only take this course if you need extra help with English. If you need a challenge, this course isn't it.
Hardest English class I've ever taken and my most favorite one. I had never been challenged constructively in English before this class. He is down to earth and genuinely interested in helping his students reach their goals. A+ professor!
He expects alot from you. The workload is huge. He is nice though and willing to help. This is a class that you have to be paying attention too. He calls on everyone randomly.
A challenge in the classroom, and gives a ton of work. Learned a lot. Not for the faint of heart, but worth taking a class with. He will SCHOOL you.
Dr. Sell is one of the best profs that I've ever had here at IUP. He's funny and extremely knowledgeable about a plethora of things (he's also extremely attractive and dresses well). Over all, I think that this class really helped me both as a writer and a student.
Mike Sell is undoubtedly the best professor I have ever had . I have never encountered one so invested in their students' success. You WILL have to put forth effort, and that includes showing up, but if you try, the class is not impossible. He's also amazingly hot, which in itself is another reason to show up for class. Would take again
Dr. Sell is the most spectacular professor I've had in my entire schooling career. He presents an attendance policy at the beginning of the semester, but if it's clear you know what you're doing, he won't hold you to it. Office hours and questions are very helpful, and he is a great resource and mentor.
Prof. Sell is one of the nicest professors at IUP. Class is never boring and there is always something going on. He is always willing to help with any problems or confusion you may have. On the downside he gives homework every class and they are pretty time consuming. His grading is also very harsh on writings as well.
Hardest English professor I have ever had. I didn't think he communicated as well as he could have; I was always confused, even when I asked questions. He is also super hard to get in touch with. Don't expect him to get assignments back to you on time, and don't bother e-mailing him.
I've had the privilege of having Dr. Sell as a professor for two of my courses at IUP and really hope to be able to take him again before I graduate. I came to college wanting to be challenged, and Dr. Sell made sure that happened. He is completely brilliant and I've left each of his courses feeling like I actually learned something useful.
I took a Special Topics course with Dr. Sell a few years ago. To this day, he remains one of my favorite professors and 281 is still one of my favorite classes. The class revolves around Video Games as Literature. You literally play and discuss video games and their literary quality. The topic alone is great, but Dr. Sell is also a gem. Recommend.
Really awesome teacher, you can tell he loves his job & cares about his students. His lectures are always interesting & he clearly shows when things are due and what is expected. Hell let you retake quizs & redo assignments if you missed class. Also, hes nice to look at.
Great professor. Easy to pay attention. Gives a lot of work but it's easy. Definitely recommend taking him for a good grade.
Dr. Sell is honestly such an amazing professor. He keeps lectures so light that time flies by and you don't even mind coming to class. A lot of his grading is done by the honor system instead of handing in papers, but he is such a nice and understanding guy you never want to lie about whether you did a paper. He is always willing to help you
Mike is truly THE man. First teacher to make an English class enjoyable for me. There is a lot of work but it is really easy and doesn't take entirely too long. One test. Very passionate about his teachings and overall a great prof. Implements video games, movies, and comics into his Human Literature class as well, so it is definitely more fun.
Mike is the professor you will never forget and you will want to always share what he taught you.
You are expected to analyze many works of literature but they aren't discussed for more than a couple days before working on something else without finishing what you just started. You are expected to attend mandatory events outside of class and major projects aren't brought up until the last minute. Class felt very unorganized and I dreaded going.
A really easy class if you stay on top of all of the work. There's one 3/4 exam and a few quizzes here and there, but you're warned about them in advance. Loved taking this class, especially because video games and movies were incorporated.
Mike is a great professor. His class is mostly based on the honor system, so if you do an assignment you just tell him you did it. As for exams, he gives out 2, a midterm which is take-home, and a final exam which you work on at home too. You need to go to class though or you won't pass the class. Participating is mandatory and he will call on you.
Mike was an awesome professor. He was straightforward with what his plans were, letting us know a week or two in advance what work was expected to be done, what to read, what thing to go to, etc. Wonderful sense of humor and a very compassionate, understanding teacher. It's best to have a sense of humor about yourself, as well.
My favorite professor, hands down. I am genuinely going to miss him when the semester ends.
One of my two favorite professors, took his video games and literature class and we analyzed all kinds of games and discussed a bit of everything. Super fun and wants you to succeed. Class is honor based so don't be afraid to admit if you didn't do the work, otherwise you'll be called on and flounder. Participation is big but easy enough. Loved him
He was ok as a professor. He keeps you updated each class on whats due for the next class. Long readings (essays and such) that you should know in detail before class. The class is doable but if your someone whos not a veteran video game player his grading is unfair.
cool professor, tough grader, hard to get in touch with. he is sometimes hilariously a jerk
Professor Sell is honestly one of the best professors I have ever had. Throughout the class time, he will get everybody involved, helping each individual to expand on their ideas and positively provoked them to do so. Fantastic professor overall, very much suggested that you take him at some point in your college career.
I would not recommend taking him and if you have other options take another professor because his class is absolutely awful and I dreaded every single class of his.
He was one of my favorite professors ever at IUP! My class mainly revolved around video games which were so fun and interesting. He definitely put in the work and made the class fun and interesting to attend. He's so nice and a great person to talk to in and out of class. I highly recommend Professor Sell!
Professor Sell has an amazing personality and makes every student feel welcomed. He never makes you feel dumb for giving input on a question. He likes to focus on video games which was interesting. Overall just play the games and do the notechecks and youll pass.
Legitimately one of the best professors at IUP. He truly cares about his students and wants them all to pas, but of course will make you put in the work for it as well. He used video games instead of a textbook when I took him in the Fall 2019 semester, which was really cool and made the class way more interesting.
As cool as Sell is from the outside, it is easy to say in this class that he is a pain. While this class was based on how you interpret Gender and Sexuality in Literature, he didn't want to hear what you had to say. He never has grades up and takes points off if he doesn't like your interpretation on papers.
The papers have very vague descriptions, but he grades them super specifically. He also doesn't really seem willing to consider other interpretations of texts, even thought he's a straight, cis, white dude teaching a queer literature class to a bunch of queer students. He tries to be "cool" yet comes off as anything but.
Cares about students and is a professor that shows he cares about the subject he is teaching.
Another class where meetings are boring and useless and then you get assigned a paper and if you don't do well, it'll tank your grade. Every class is discussing the reading homework and it gets repetitive. His feedback on your assignments is rude and he's very picky. He's a nice person but his teaching style is ineffective, at least in this class.
Dr. Sell makes it impossible to please him and do well in his class. Taking English 101, I would expect him to give good criticism and be very helpful when necessary. He didn't answer my emails when I asked him questions, he had no mercy when grading, and you will receive no grades until the end of the semester. Ridiculous.
Dr. Sell is one of my favorite professors. The class is discussion heavy and he encourages everyone to get involved. When he calls on people he helps them out and never leaves you feeling embarrassed. He is somewhat of a tough grader on papers but he wants to get the best out of you and his critique is very helpful. Overall a great prof!
I can not say enough good things about Professor Sell, easily my favorite Prof thus far at IUP. Attendance is required, however the class is so enjoyable. Most classes are discussion based, and Prof Sell does an amazing job at guiding these so there is no pressure. He will always help you to better understand, you just gotta ask! 10/10 TAKE HIM!
I loved this class! This past semester he tried making the class based on Gaming, so it made it so much fun. No exams. We had 2 papers, an online game to make, and a tabletop game we had to design. For the final, you have to revise all the projects and submit them. There were short readings almost every class that we had to do a reading check for.
I learned more from this man than I did from any other professor. He's incredibly brilliant, kind, patient, encouraging, and an all around swell guy. His class is very tough but rewarding. His feedback on assignments are top notch. I'm surprised he's still teaching at IUP. This man needs an upgrade!!!
The best professor I've had for my entire college career so far.
He assigns readings based on what he wants to talk about, not to teach anything meaningful. There's anywhere from 1-3 readings a week, and each 'reading' is either a two-hour movie or a very long and mundane poem/essay. It feels like this is the only way he can talk about his hobby, which would be fine if I wasn't paying to learn real-world skills
This class was interesting and unique. However, I think his expectations are too high for a 200 level class. The selection of games is interesting, and in class discussion were at times very engaging and fun.
Professor Sell's class is no cakewalk, but if you're willing to put in the effort, it can be really rewarding. The video game-based curriculum is super engaging, and unstuck ai was a lifesaver for prepping. Just stay focused and you'll do great.
Very nice and passionate professor! Would not recommend taking if you just need an elective, the workload is heavy for a 100 level course, he grades very strictly, and is hard to reach outside of class.
Sell forces you to say "good afternoon" and if you don't, he will public humiliate you. He shuts down ideas and forces students to speak just to say their idea is stupid. He is a tough grader and most of the "correct" answers are his personal opinion. He just yaps the entire time. Countless assignments which he never grades. SOOOOO many quizzes.
Professor Sell is a very hard grader, you won't get full credit on quizzes if you don't answer the questions word for word. If the concept is the same, but not up to his par, you don't get credit.
So much pointless work that never gets turned in or graded. He will call on you and if your answer isn't the same as his, he calls you out and it's embarrassing. He is not lenient towards any student in his class when they have to miss for personal reasons. Do not recommend.
I had to miss Prof Sell's class for medical reasons, and even communicated that with him at the beginning of the semester. I always communicated and made up the work and quizzes in a timely manner. Within finals week he said I needed to do extra work outside of class. Not stated in the syllabus, never communicated w me when I missed. Unprofessional
Professor Sell brings a lot of personality to his class. He clearly enjoys what he teaches and if you're interested in video game discussion this is the class for you. The quizzes do require good memory with vocab but his exams are actually pretty easy if you're okay with writing. The "lectures" are mostly just discussion on the games you play.
Professor Sell is a nice guy but I did not love his class. You have 2 misses the entire semester before your grade gets affected. You will have homework to do every class. The class is also entirely based on games and gaming. He is extremely extroverted and will call you out infront of the entire class. Things also must be done his way.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
8%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGL201
5.0
(2)122LITAN
5.0
(1)HUMLIT
5.0
(1)ENGL101
5.0
(1)HNRSENG
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
LITANAL
5.0
ENGL401
5.0
ENGL343
5.0
ENGL
4.5
GRADENG
4.0