2.5
Quality4.2
Difficulty30%
Would Retake100
Reviews30%
Would Retake
100
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
18
4
16
3
10
2
18
1
38
What Students Say
“Collins is the worst professor I've ever had”
ENG134 - 1.0 rating“I have never gotten anything lower than an A- on a paper”
ENG101 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
88%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.03 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG236
5.0
(3)HON206WI
4.5
(2)ENG124
4.0
(1)ENGLISH101
4.0
(1)HON315
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
ENG132
5.0
ENG234
5.0
142WI
5.0
134
4.5
ENG142WI
4.5
Reviews (100)
This class is rediuclously boring and hard. She goes on and on about nothing.. on an exam we had to read 3-4 long stories then she actually had 14 quotes asking who said what and who were they talking to. She only gave us 2 days to read 100 pages of Shakesphere! You'd be better off sleeping.
She was a good prof. i think. She seemed very interested in the subject, you should really take it if you like reading older novels. A good amount of reading but she really helped explain things you didn't understand during class. Easy quizes and moderate exams.
I rarely went to class and read most of the assignments right before if I did. She was interesting, helpful and pretty laid back. As long as you put in a little effort it's not hard to get an A. I didn't know or care about the subject but loved it at the end of the semester.
class is kind of dull, but she is super nice and cute. pretty sure she was a teen actor in the 80's. haha. if you like reading don't take the class, it'll make you frustrated. the material is classic and boring.
The class is fairly simple. There is reading to do before every class, but it usually is not excessive. She gives a schedule with the syllabus so you know exactly when and what you need to be doing. Take notes, anything she writes on the board is usually on the exams. It is very interesting if you're interested in literature.
Really boring class. She lectures the entire hour but if you take good notes, she takes all her test questions from what she talks about in class. She has random quizzes over the assigned readings a lot so i wouldn't skip class much.
Difficult to understand the material but the greatest professor i've had so far.. she's so passionate about what she does and really works to make the material more interesting for her students. she gets to know every single one of her students and is one of the reasons i want to go into teaching. take any class you can with her!
She is a gorgeous teacher and she knows what she's talking about. Take advantage re-writing your papers at the end of the semester...it'll really help your grade.
Overall it's a pretty fun class. She is super helpful, I went to her office hours for help multiple times and she cleared up any questions I had. You do have to read a lot, but even if you just use sparknotes you will be fine. The papers are super easy in this class too. The exams are a little hard, you will need to study for them. Pay attention!
She is extremely helpful and as long as you go to her office hours and get help on your papers you will do fine. Do the readings and journals she assigns you will have quizzes and she grades journals. The first time around she might give you a bad grade but if you meet with her and redo it you should do good. DON'T SKIP!
This woman is stubborn. She will destroy your life and not even care. The class is too easy because she wastes time teaching the same thing over and over. She can be snappy. She doesn't mess around. Overall she is heartless. She will drive you crazy in stress. Do what she says or else you are doomed for survival. Good Luck.
Good professor. Tough, but fair. You'll learn if you let yourself. Very attractive, it's too bad she's married.
Very tough at grading papers. Helpful though if you go into her office hours. Go to class and complete the work. Interesting teacher and fun.
Extremely tough grader. Can be very disrespectful at times. She is a good teacher and she cares about what she does, but she is very picky about assignment expectations. The textbooks aren't very helpful and she doesn't structure her class to make passing even easier. I received an A in all of my previous English classes, but I barely scraped by.
She changes topics of papers every year but we had 3 papers. You spend weeks on one so by the final draft it should be perfect. She once met me at a coffee shop to help me fix my final draft. Don't come to class late or without your draft the day it's due. She can sometimes be harsh but she knows her stuff.
Very disrespectful prof, She talked down to us like we were kindergarten students that had no knowledge of writing. Very stingy about paper extensions and really doesn't like to be bothered. I would have been very discouraged if this was one of my first classes @ cmu. She studied 1920's english writing and should stick to that AVOID AT ALL COSTS !!
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROF!!!! She doesn't care about you or your opinions. She is very opinionated and if you say something in a paper she doesn't agree with she will mark you down. I have done amazing in every english class I've ever taken but I hardly passed her class. Shes horrible, seriously don't take her.
Very good professor. She is a decently tough grader, but she knows her stuff and she is willing to put in time to help improve your writing skills. Never skip class, and always come prepared. DO THE READING. Overall, excellent professor.
Tracy could care less about your grade, your opinion, or your life for that matter. In her mind she is always right. She will leave nasty comments in your journal assignments and papers. She complains about how much money she doesn't make and she has no grasp of the term "respect". DO NOT TAKE HER COURSE.
Tracy could care less about your grade, your opinion, or your life for that matter. In her mind she is always right. She will leave nasty comments in your journal assignments and papers. She has no grasp of the term "respect". DO NOT TAKE HER COURSE.
She is not one of the best teachers that I have had. She is very sarcastic and rude. She does not post grades on Blackboard at all. She says you have to do them yourself. She does not give you back helpful criticism and wont make an effort to actually grade your papers. Comes off like she doesn't care about grade or papers,or students improvement.
She is not very helpful. She definitely does not care about your grade and is very opinionated. She posts no grades on blackboard, not even your final! Very rude and sarcastic and is possibly the worst grader i've had. DO NOT TAKE!!!!!
Honestly one of the worst professors at CMU. She is rude, doesn't care about opinions especially if they don't agree with her own. Her teaching style can be useful at times but the information you go over in class hardly ever counts for anything. Also she will make you write a paper and then after explain everything you did wrong. No encouragement.
DO NOT TAKE unless you want to constantly feel discouraged. Nothing you write is good enough for her, and she is impossible to please unless your answer matches up to exactly what she thinks. Hardest grader I've ever had, and I definitely struggled to pass this class. She makes you feel stupid and does not care about your grade at all.
Explains the paperassignment AFTER you've completed it and gotten a grade on it. I could complain about this professor for days, probably one of the worst at CMU and I do not suggest taking her class
All through high school I impressed my English teachers with my writing. Got all as. I even took college courses in high school and impressed those teachers. Yet in this class I got very low bs or cs on my papers. She can make you feel stupid and discouraged. I can't remember a time I felt so discouraged and embarrassed of my skills. DO NOT TAKE.
I made an account just to talk about how terrible this professor is. She is the worst human being I have ever encountered, she has no interest in helping you and needs to get off her high horse. She doesn't care about you or your grade at all. Don't take this class with her. She's doesn't even want to help you even when you outwardly see help.
She is a tough grader but I learned more in her class than any other english class I have taken. She has you write only 4 big papers and gives you a lot of time to get them done. She takes attendance and has a policy that if you miss more than 4 classes you will fail her class so you have to show up.
I loved Dr. Collins. Don't get me wrong, the reading & homework along with attendance are all essential to passing. But, she makes sure you understand every aspect of her lectures and is always available in her office. Yes, she grades tough, but I learned so much about writing through her great feedback. More than 4 absences is an automatic failure
Dr. Collins is a really nice person. Teaching wise, she is not so nice. She explains assignments after you've turned them in. She is also a really tough grader and gives a lot of pop quizzes that are really specific to the reading. I would only recommend her if you don't have any options left.
She is extremely rude and her assignments are so unclear. I am a straight A student and will barely get a C. Don't bother asking for help, she just makes you feel stupid for it. Don't take this class.
This was probably one of the worst professors I have ever had at CMU. Yes, I learned a lot in her class, but she is very rude when you need help on assignments. She will take assignments off of blackboard the night before so if you procrastinate a lot, I wouldn't dare do it in this class. Gives no time to get long papers done.
Worst professor I have EVER had. In high school I was told that I was one of the best writers my teachers have ever seen. Never gotten above a 75 on her papers. No rubrics, no explanation. When you ask, she degrades you and makes you feel like an idiot. Her tests are extremely specific. Doesn't put any grades on BB. DO NOT take her. Ever.
Overall a rude, condescending environment in her classroom. She a brilliant woman, but a terrible instructor. She Never gives rubrics for essays, and her grading is entirely based on her opinion of you. If you take this with her, be prepared to either get on her good side, or work your tail off to catch up her favorite students. Terrible.
Dr. Collins has made my writing thee absolute best it has ever been. Be ready to put time into her assignments. She is tough, but I can't tell you how good it feels to impress her and get a good grade in that class. She will show you that hard work does pay off. Don't take her unless you're willing to put some serious time into her class though.
I recommend finding a different professor. I am a good student, and she even told me that I'm a good writer, but I'm still not doing well in her class. She doesn't use Blackboard, and grades excessively hard. If you ask her a question in class, she will respond with another question instead of answering you. Interesting woman, not a good professor.
Dr. Collins is not a terrible professor, she just wants you to give more effort than most, which is expected for a college student. She does give great tips to improve writing. However, she can be blunt and a hard grader. Expect to read a lot, as it is an English course. Just do your homework, show up to class and put in hard work & you'll do fine.
Tracy is a very smart person. She grades papers very hard, but she only does it to make you think harder and work for your grade. This class has taught me so much which in reality is why we are all her, to learn. Simply do the work and get through it. Even if you fail a paper or two you will still likely pass the class. Fire Up Chips!
I have never had such a condescending woman in my life. She was very vague on directions and then when everyone made the same mistake she would say she was disappointed and we should've known that. You couldn't have your own opinion in your own papers they had to be hers, good luck on figuring out what they even are.
Comes off as a nice person, but overall is extremely rude and makes you feel dumb in class. Do not bother asking any questions because there will be no answers, only the response of "Well what do you think?" and more confusion. I have always been confident in my my writing but after taking her class, I no longer have this confidence. DO NOT TAKE!
I'm all for working to get a good grade, but she's very unclear about what she wants out of your papers and assignments until AFTER they have been turned in. But, the worst part about this class was her attitude. I felt she was very unapproachable and sometimes says blatantly mean things. I got an A but worked my butt off and hated it.
Don't take.
This class will be difficult. Before this course, I had never gotten below an A in an English class. I studied daily, read all of the required readings and dedicated a ton of time to each assignment, yet I did not get an A. If you are looking for an easy A, do not take! But if you are willing to put in the work, you will learn a lot.
Very tough grader, she had one opinion and it was her own. If she didn't like your writing your grades showed it. No help.
You've got to risk it to get the biscuit. She is tough, and it can be very disheartening; however that makes every victory worthwhile. The key to her class is participation. Make her notice you. Participate your own ideas, don't expect her to give you the answers. This is college people, rise to the occasion. They're not all easily impressed.
She is a very hard grader.
I strongly recommend not taking Dr. Collins. Her opinion is right and everything else is wrong. The hardest grader I have ever had and will ever have. This class is a GPA killer, and I will never take a class with this professor again.
This woman is so discouraging, I wanted to transfer. She is very close-minded and grades harshly on topics she teaches poorly. I withdrew from her class faster than the Detroit Lions disappoint us every year.
She is the sole reason that I will NEVER take another English class at CMU again. I've always been good at English and I struggled so hard. She was not helpful and was so discouraging. Avoid her at all costs.
Lots of little writing assignments for homework and is a tough grader. Gives ok feedback on assignments but not great. She is helpful at office hours. Some instructions for assignments are vague and unclear. Overall this class did not turn out to be the way I expected it to be. Final exam was extremely difficult and review didn't help.
Be prepared to work hard in this class. As a student that has always gotten A's I really had to try. DO NOT BE AFRAID to go into her office hours for help. Almost every paper I went in more than once. That being said, my writing did improve. If you're not willing to work hard and get frustrated easily I would not take her. Definitely manageable.
Know the material well and the vocab and you will do well on the test. Don't wait till hast minute to write your paper otherwise, she will rip you apart. Final, paper is worth more than all the other papers you write.
If you get this professor for ENG 201 H, which you may or may not have that option. Unless you are a Journalism major and care about how to write news related things, don't take this class. Do everything you can to get another professor.
Every assignment was announced verbally so there were no formal outlines on what was expected from each paper. I tried to cater my papers to her beliefs and opinions so that maybe I'd get a decent grade. The only good thing is that we got a chance to redo our papers. This was way too hard for gen-ed competency course. My confidence is shattered.
She's tough, but she gives you lots of opportunities to do well. I improved a lot in this class. Revisions are very important. If you're taking a class with Dr. Collins don't be heartbroken if you don't get what you want on the first attempt at a paper. She's very willing to help; take advantage of office hours.
She's very hard. I am majoring in English and haven't had any problem with writing papers, but failed almost every paper in her class. Every time I went into her office hours she was rude and told me I wasn't trying hard enough when her class was consuming my life. She's making me rethink wanting to pursue English teaching.
Tracy Collins makes me want to not take an English class ever again. She is the worst prof I've ever had. She makes everything so difficult and I want to kms every time I walk into her class. She doesn't help at all even if she thinks she is and she criticises everything you do nothing is ever good enough for her.
Worst class I have taken she never explained things all the way. She grades really hard and writes all over your papers in chicken scratch. She expects you to figure out everything for yourself. All of the readings make no sense and it doesn't help that she never explains them. She seems to think its okay to email me on thanksgiving, not ok.
Dr. Collins is tough, but that's not a bad thing. She's make you work for your grade but it will benefit you in the end. As long as you show up to class, do your readings, and give your papers the best try that you can, you'll pass. Take advantage of her office hours!!! She's not the professor you want, but she's the professor you need.
Good luck. I have never gotten anything lower than an A- on a paper... ever. The first paper I wrote in this class got a B- and my grades continued to sink from there. Not only is she a tough grader, but it's nearly impossible to gain a decent grade unless you are a master of English. May the odds be ever in your favor if you chose to take her.
Although she helps make you a better writer it is a lot of work. Typically got As on papers but in her class I got Cs on almost everyone. She is very rude when coming to makeups. Makes you work extremely hard to barley receive a B.
Dr. Collins is the worst professor I've ever had. She is the rudest person I've met at CMU. Nothing is ever good enough for her and she talks to you like you're stupid if you ask her a question. She is unhelpful and demolishes your papers with no explanation, or just because she doesn't like it. Do not take her unless you want to be disheartened.
She had really low ratings but I promise this class is great. If you work hard and put in the effort, Dr. Collins will see that and help you out. There is a lot of writing but she will help you separate it all out so its not too bad. Very caring, I would recommend.
She was so rude and condescending the entire semester. I have never had a worse professor during my 4 years here. I always recommend new students NOT to take English with her. Makes students feel extremely stupid and she even accused me of plagiarism only by saying this work sounds too good to have come from you DO NOT TAKE
I really liked the class. It was quite a lot of work but I feel that I really improved some skills thanks to her feedback. Would take her class again in a heartbeat, I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of the content. The course was on Wuthering Heights and she was a guest lecturer at a German university.
Very tough grader but learned a lot.
Tracy is one of those English professors that wants you to regurgitate her ideas back to her. She required that you choose papers specific to your interests/ field but marks you down if she is unable to understand the material specific to said field. She is very intent that you have an specified audience other than her but grades otherwise.
She showed up to our dorm and conducted office hours in the lobby when we were all stuck in the building. Made you feel guilty for going to the caf and not stopping. Made us stay in class on a snow day when the building closed. Encourages you to write within your field/interests and then marks you down when she isn't educated enough on the topic.
Well, where do I start. As a person she is not too bad I suppose, but as a professor? Jesus Christ. Long story short, just find someone else. If you want specific details read the other comments they already have it covered
Very disrespectful when giving feedback, basically paying for someone to give you passive aggressive comments on papers and no actual help. Confusing set up of course calendar and unwilling to actually answer if you have a question on it. Coursework extremely heavy compared to other ENG 201 courses at CMU.
I know a lot of people don't like Dr. Collins, but I really appreciated her harsh grading on papers. She gives you enough feedback to know what to improve on and it improved my writing for everything after the class. You have to be ready to work and not get an A on every paper, but she will talk you through what you need to do to improve.
Literally the worst English professor ever. Forces you to write papers she would write herself and doesn't acknowledge that others have different writing styles. Grades way too hard and almost wants you to fail so it'll fuel her ego that she is an English professor that knows all. Do not take this teacher there are so many other options.
Nice enough as a person but can be kind of rude at times. Gives harsh and sarcastic feedback on papers. Tells you whats wrong but not how to fix it.
This professor had me crying trying to achieve her standards. I have always been good at english but this class was hard and she doesnt clearly discuss her criteria making her papers impossible to do well on.
The class has a LOT of homework and hard papers. However, she is very accessible outside of class and is more than happy to help look over your paper, talk about your grade, etc. She respects students who show that they care about being in class & learning.
I really enjoyed Dr. Collins class, yes I will admit there was a lot of work, but she always will tell you why you are doing that work. She doesn't assign work just because she likes to. I think she is a good teacher and she always offers help outside of the classroom. She is probably one of the best English teachers I had.
She did not like my topic from the start and had forced me to change halfway through on a paper worth 18% of the total class. She also gave many people different answers so there was no way anybody could ask eachother questions. For an entry level course it was worse than a mid level English course.
Collins is a very tough grader and very passive aggressive I find. Her grading often throws out the idea of common sense and context. Acts like the reader of our papers is brain dead and have to constantly remind them of what they are reading about. I was not fond of Collins
absolute beach.
Highly do not recommend. Grades extremely hard for absolutely no reason. Will give 2/10 on homework assignments that are opinion based. Take this class with literally any other professor. Her way or the highway and is also a very passive aggressive email-er.
Do not pick a class with her as the professor. She is a super tough grader, she's contradicting towards her students, and is super passive-aggressive in person and on email. She claims she is accessible outside of the classroom, which she is not. If you have a question, she will tell you to ask a peer or on blackboard. She will not answer anything.
Dr. Collins... where should I start? If you read this as an incoming freshman, please learn from me. This was the most challenging class I've ever taken. There will NEVER be a point during your time with Collins where you have nothing to do. Not fun when you write your 12-page paper (which takes 3 months). If I could type more, I would.
In the beginning of the semester, I had a lot of trouble figuring out what exactly Dr. Collins wanted to see in my work. I then got used to her teaching style and I realized she just rewards hard work. If you give this class your best effort, you'll do great!
Directions were unclear at times. This course was great at teaching me how to cite sources, but it was a lot - especially for a 100-level. I have taken 500-level courses that had less of a workload than this. I would recommend anyone looking at this take the course at your local community college instead.
This was the worst class I have ever taken. Instructions and due dates were not clear at all. Does not accept any late work whatsoever and is very rude to students.
She was a good professor. She does a pretty decent job of explaining expectations. She can come off a bit harsh at times, but she really wants her students to do well. In the beginning of the semester, it may seem like she is grading hard but you will get used to what she wants and is looking for. Ask for help or clarification if you need it.
Taking HON315 with Dr Collins was one of my favorite classes. She wants everyone to succeed in the class and with their mentees, and is there to help you. I've learned so many soft skills from this class
She just does not know how to teach younger people and had things due in different spots and if you choose wrong you out of luck
I loved going to her classes because she genuinely cares about her students. she does grade really tough if you dont put in the work you will fail. her lectures really help with your writing and readings but the homework amount is a lot. make sure if you have her to take advantage of her office hours.
Dr. Collins, To start
Dr. Collins is rude to her students and was very r
she is the literal worst and not a good person in general. Do not take any class with this professor unless you want to be disrespected, belittled, and or feel bad about yourself.
Everyone seems to dislike Dr. Collins, but once you get to know her and what she expects, the class really is not that hard.
I love Dr. Collins. She can be a tough grader but gives you multiple opportunities to improve your writing for a better score. There are many in-class activities that help you to write the papers as well. She is receptive to feedback and just wants to see her students learn.
The calendar is constantly being updated with assignments due less than 24 hours after being put on there. If there is an assignment given on Wednesday that is due on Friday, there will not be a place to turn it in until Friday at some random time so if you do anything early do not forget to turn it in. Can't email, must post on discussion board.
Dr. Collins wasn't horrible, but she wasn't great either. She is a tough grader but encourages you to attend office hours. She gave me good feedback on my papers but came off as almost rude when she left comments.
Professor Collins runs a tough class, but it's worth the effort. She provides great feedback to improve your writing. While demanding, she genuinely cares about student learning. unstuck AI was a big help for staying on top of the workload.
She is very rude and does not care about any circumstances you have going on in your life. She's very harsh in class and will call you out infront of everyone if she doesn't like something you're doing.
She was a very heavy on the homework. We had something due before class almost every class. The homework wasn't too hard, just busy work. She was a hard grader, but gave great feedback in my opinion. Attendance is absolutely necessary, it was taken for a grade and needed for the assignments you do. Nice teacher, and grades pretty fast.
Avoid this class is possible. While in theory it was manageable, I found it to be very time consuming and tedious. I enjoy her as a person but not as a professor.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
88%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.03 avg changeRatings by Course
ENG236
5.0
(3)HON206WI
4.5
(2)ENG124
4.0
(1)ENGLISH101
4.0
(1)HON315
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
ENG132
5.0
ENG234
5.0
142WI
5.0
134
4.5
ENG142WI
4.5