2.7
Quality4.0
Difficulty23%
Would Retake82
Reviews23%
Would Retake
82
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
82 total ratings5
15
4
14
3
12
2
17
1
23
What Students Say
“5 more (if you're lucky)”
ENG101 - 2.0 rating“I would not recommend this professor”
ENG203 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
95%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.34 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGLISH102
5.0
(1)ENGLISH101
4.0
(1)ENG101
3.1
(35)ENG100
3.0
(1)ENG102
2.8
(26)Difficulty by Course
ENG203
4.8
ENGLISH
4.7
ENG102V01
4.7
ENG102
4.2
ENG100
4.0
Reviews (81)
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Very great teacher, speaks clearly and help students really well! Highly Recommanded.
OMG where do I start, on the 1st day he told a mother that she couldn't keep her cell on and if the school was trying to call her about her boys then she shouldnt be in class to begin with. He was rude and not helpful at all.
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Great teacher! Daily reading assignments along with several papers due throughout the semester, but as long as you make an attempt to complete all the assignments, you'll pass with flying colors. He lets you revise all the essays as many times as you want... THERE IS NO FINAL. He can be condescending at times.. but i'm not looking to be his friend.
Very clear, helpful, and meticulous, allows students to revise any essay that wouldn't normally get a good grade, has students do very little work in class, and will greatly help you improve your writing skills. Highly reccomended.
He's a cool guy. He may be a bit tight at first, but he'll loosen up if you're a good class. The best part is the fact that you can revise any essay however many times you want. I've had 2 other ENG101 teachers, and he is by far the best. Lots of good discussion. Pay attention to the topics and you'll see a common theme. Very cool.
Lots of daily work. Essays are not easy to write. You can revise essays as much times u want. He is helpful. Daily work is a pain, and dont expect a good grade on it until u do exactly what he wants.
He was a very good teacher. Like others have said we have very good discussions. His marks are fair and he's very clear on how you can achieve a better mark, and lets you revise as long as you want. It's a very straightforward class and not uncomfortably challenging.
very boring class..how are papers asking for our opinions wrong?
Not a hard class. 3 essays 3 test and a lot of reading responses. good teacher.
English is my favorite subject, and I despise his class. Boring, condescending and unhelpful. Only saving grace is that you get to revise your papers, because you will NOT get a good grade on the first version. I got a perfect grade in 101 & have NEVER gotten below a B in English, but will be happy just to pull a C out of this one.
this guy is boring... teachers who rely on premade powerpoint presentations are unimpressive and lackluster. very condescending and uninterested in any student's real life issues. He forgets 90% of MTC students are working adults with lives, not 18 year old kids riding on mommy and daddy's dime without responsibilities.
The only comment I have is much what the others say, very dry, dull, a reall snoozer if you will not enough creativity to keep the working class engaged. as another student commented most of us work we are not riding on mommy and daddy
I got a D with him and now I pass this class with an A (with another teacher ofcourse). He made me tired of ENG and even hate ENG class
I am well past depending on parents for anything. You get what you put into this class. And what you put in, this professor matches in time and attention. If you want to just get by, take another class but if you want to take a class taught by someone who believes its important to be a professional, take him. You'll be glad you did.
Teaches a 102 course as though it is ENGLISH H195A (HONORS COURSE)at University of California - Berkeley. DON'T PAY FOR THIS GUYS CLASS. THERE ARE TOO MANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE.
Almost impossible. This professor teaches ENG 102 as though it is a masters or higher level course. Very serious about attendence. Treats students with indifference. Will retake ENG 102 with another professor because I know I could get a better grade with more realistic expectations.
Failed this guys class because he treats people like its an honor class. Way too hard. English 101 did not prepare me for this class in any way. Too many assignments to have to do. No leniency on late work or absences. Don't take this class if you are looking for someone easy. Now I will have to take one or two more english classes.
He graded another teacher twice and gave them a C. He is lost, as he never remembers things he states, papers that he graded previously. He is not clear & changes his mind. The class assignment averages on RR1 & Essays show that he does not do an average job explaining assignments, because student's grades are a direct correlation on his intruction
Class is incredibly difficult. I never had problems with English until his class. He treats it as an honors class at an university and assigns too many assignments at once. He also acts as if he does not care about the students, and is very strict with attendance and late work. I would not recommend his class to anyone.
This man is the worst teacher you can have for english. he assisted too much work that is due at the beginning.And the class is very boring. if you are good at english take him. but if you are not good at English do not take this man. WORST TEACHER EVER!!!!!!!!!
he is a good teacher. he does require his students to attend class and listen. but overall this a fairly easy class to take
He's a good teacher, but he grades to harshly I wouldn't suggest you take him if your not willing to do the work. He lets you revised everything as well
Mr. Cortese was my favorite professor of the semester. He makes his assignments crystal clear and posts all content online. He provides the opportunity to revise all graded work, and provides helpful feedback. The topics he chooses are interesting. Be prepared to write and discuss in class. Mr. Cortese was a great professor.. I recommend his class!
im currently taking him , i like his class overall because you can revise your papers for a better grade. he teaches like it is a honors class and its not. the topics were interesting he grades strict but his instructions are clear but he is average not to harf but not to easy either. just stay focused and turn in assignments on time no exceptions
I would not take him. He treats the class like a graduate level course (not a basic entrance course) Although he allows unlimited revisions on assignments turned in on time, nothing ever seems to be good enough for his standards so expect your revised grade to be 1 or 1.5 more (if you're lucky)
I'm not even finish with his class but he is so thorough and I love that.
I loved his class. He did make you work for the grade but if you just showed him you were interested and worked hard he would give you some slack. Also he grades his works cited pages very harsh.
He is a pretty cool easy going guy. Will help you if you need it but you need to turn work in on time. He does not baby the class through things he teaches it like a college class honestly should be taught. Be advised though he will grade the hell out of your essays so even though he allows for revisions do the best that you can.
Look. This guy grades like this is a high level English class. His instructions are unclear and confusing. Very strict rules and regulations about his expectations. his assignments aren't difficult at all, he just grades them EXTREMELY tough, disheartening students who worked hard on their papers. DO NOT TAKE HIM! Do not! DONT DO IT
Not clear at all. He is long winded, enjoys his own voice. Take another Eng class with any teacher but him.
My first time going back to school after over 25 yrs. This was not the English that I remembered from high school! Mr. Cortese was very informative and direct with what he expected. Follow his instructions and pay attention in class and it won't be as hard as you think. I would take his class again.
I guess taking IB English courses in high school really prepared me for this class, but I didn't think it was that difficult. However, I didn't make a 100 on any MA's, but my grades ranged between B's and C's. The SWA's are super mega easy! Like, just do your work and don't think about it as HW, think about it as any opportunity to express yourself
Easy class, but I HATE, absolutely HATE his little chuckle!
He is not awful.. But he isn't great. Do your work on time! He grades HARSHLY and I'm only in ENG 101. He allows you to redo work only because he knows he grades HARSHLY. I wouldn't suggest taking this class, RUN. For this to be a low level English to help you get in the swing of things, he sure does a great job at making it hard.
He talks A LOT, but trust me he is worth taking! He allows you to revise all papers as long as you turn them in on time. He is willing to work with students to make sure they are where they need to be and gives really good feedback on papers. He is a tough grader, but like I said you can revise them and he tells you what needs to be revised.
All of his assignments were hard. All of my grades were mostly C's throughout the semester. My last to English courses were B's. All of his assignments were unclear. He's boring. He would let you leave exactly until the class end. His class go by real slow. I would not have him as your English instructor.
Great teacher
Very thorough
Class is so boring. He will talk until the exact time class is over. We had like 30 minutes of class left when he was finished with his lecture and he made us just sit there and read over our essays. He takes off points for the smallest mistakes. Would not recommend.
He's a very harsh grader, but allows you to revise all of the assignments so long as you turn them on time. He's very thorough in lectures and you will definitely learn. He's willing to help and answer any questions you may have. He's tough and you have to earn your grade, but if you're awful at writing papers I wouldn't recommend.
If you are a really lazy person and don't do all your work or don't turn it in on time then this class is not for you. He gives a LOT of writing assignments. 90% of the time we don't really do much in class but listen to him talk about the writing assignment. I literally day dreamed almost everyday in that class. If you do your work you'll be fine.
Mr. Cortese is a very good teacher. He is very thorough, and keeps us engaged. Though, yes, he does assign a lot of work, it honestly is worth it. I would recommend Cortese as an English teacher. Though, yes, the class will have you quite busy, and it will take a great deal of effort to achieve an A, in the long run, it will be worth it.
Literally, the worse English class that I have taken. The class could be so much more simpler he just makes it difficult. Lecture HEAVY! Homework and reading heavy. If you take this class and procrastinate do NOT take this class. I read rate my professor and still tried it any way. And I totally regret it! He will lecture until the last minute!
Hardest English class ive ever taken and most effort ive ever put into a class and still barely passed it. Way too much reading for homework, and lectures were the most boring hour and half of my life. Really don't learn much in lectures, he grades the assignments WAY to hard. Would suggest trying to find diff professor for course, if not GOODLUCK
Extremely difficult professor. The amount of work you have is insane and the most boring lectures that doesn't provide any useful info. only good thing is he allows corrections but don't expect many points back especially in the major writing assignments.
horrible teacher
You can't be boring and difficult!! He gives boring lectures the entire class period. He expects eye contact the entire lecture otherwise you'll receive a poor participation grade meaning no computers or phones out and no conversing and socializing. He takes off points for the smallest things when it comes to grading assignments.
Extremely long and boring lectures. Goes out of his way to use every single minute of class even if it requires us just sitting there. Takes off points on papers for every little thing. Struggled more in this class more than other classes.
he is a very tough grader with assignments due each class and does not give very good feedback. you are going to have to put a lot of time and effort into this class good luck
Be ready to write because you will have 1-2 papers assigned each week. You must pay attention in class so that you can know how to effectively complete your assignments, Cortese's lectures are to help complete assignments. YOU WILL WORK! As long as you follow the rubric when writing your papers you will make good grades
Professor Cortese is a solid Professor who cares about his students. There is a lot of papers, most of them being on the shorter side with only 4 major projects. One of the major projects is an annotated bibliography, making it very easy. This is not the class to take if youre looking for an easy A. This class will make you a better writer.
Hes a very laid back professor that just wants you to pay attention and understand the lecture. His grading is very brutal and some things shouldnt be graded the way it is (in my opinion).
An overall good pre-req teacher. Dont make him mad but hes a pretty nice guy and grades fairly.
What you need to know: He is a great professor, covers EVERYTHING you need to know in class. Paying attention will matter a lot because he does random peer-reviews for papers which he talks about in class, they count as SWA grades but aren't listed directly, they're part of discussions. He is also a tough grader so you have to stay in top of work.
The way he grades so harshly on some students is unfair, if you want to past don't choose this class.
Save yourself and dont take his class. Takes about three weeks to grade your assignments and when he does its way to harsh.
This class was a waste of time. All he does is ramble on about nothing. Takes him forever to grade your paper. And when he finally grades it, you have no time to revise it. He's rude. I would have been okay with all of this if I actually learned something from this class instead of all I got from this was a migraine.
Mr.Cortese is an outstanding professor, however, he is extremely hard on grading. If you want to get an A in the class, you MUST submit all assignments and revise all major assignments. Doesn't give many points on revisions but it is defiantly essential. If you are not good at English, DO NOT take this class. His lectures are good and informative.
Mr. Cortese is a great professor. His lectures always have everything you need to get the most out of this course. There are 1-2 essays to complete each week: Professor Cortese gives good, in-depth feedback on each paper. He grades pretty harshly on major assignments, though. If you're not proficient in English, maybe pick an easier course :)
I would not recommend this professor. I dropped this class the first week. He is very arrogant and rude. He treats this class as an honor class which it's not. I usually like to take English courses but not this one. He even makes the discussion boards difficult for no reason. Get another processor if you can because this is not the one.
Takes grading extremely serious even for an 101 course. He also takes months to grade papers and when they are graded they are harshly graded in a very condescending and arrogant way. I would advise you not to take this professor save yourselves before it is too late.
I took his ENG-299 class. The class is unorthodox compared to other English classes but not necessarily in a bad way. I did find Professor Cortese a harsh grader- especially for discussion posts. Get ready to write a ton of discussion posts and get C/B for all of them unless you're writing a whole essay. Start the final project as early as possible
This is the worst professor i have ever had. When he decides to grade the highest you will get is a C or lower. He is a harsh grader and is very rude to others as well as in his feedback on assignments. 100% learned nothing during the time i was in his class.
This class is the hardest class I have ever taken. Mr. Cortese grades EXTREMELY hard and gives 5-6 hours of homework a week. I never earned an A on papers that I spent hours editing and revising. While I did learn a few things, I would not suggest to take this professor if you are not good at English. I would drop this class before its too late.
Doesn't respond to emails. Harsh grading. Does not regard that most of these students have full time jobs and their time doesn't revolve around this class.
Number one, you will never get a hundred on anything, ever," Nothing is perfect." So you could follow the very lengthy instructions to a tee and never receive a hundred. Every grade is a writing assignment, good luck lol. Only good thing about how he grades is that if you turn something in on time, you can revise it until the last day of class.
I would never take this professor's class again. He is extremely difficult to please and grades harshly. The only easy A comes from discussion posts, but major and short writing assignments are nearly impossible to score well on. I wouldn't recommend him, especially if you're fresh out of high school or returning after a long break.
The teacher seems to care and gives good feedback, but he definitely doesn't forget things. Some of my peers are clearly using AI and he doesn't care- if that's a benefit or downside, that's for you to decide.
NEVER and I mean NEVER take this professor. Take an 8 am over taking his 11am class. Even if you follow the rubric step by step you will never get a 100. He told me he “didnt like” how I did an assignment and gave me a D on it. Extremely tough grader and boring lectures.
This professor is a tough grader. Even for an English 101 class. He also is very late with his grading , which is extremely hard as a student because we don't know our final
This class was crazy hard. He is a harsh grader with a lot of busy work for his classes. At the end of each section, there are exams. I do not recommend this class because it is harder than an English class should be. Take someone else!
Useless lectures mixed with hamfisted class participation all coming together in a shit soup of a class. This wouldn't be bad if it weren't for the essay due every class graded and nitpicked. He once gave me a B- on an obvious A because one of my page numbers were wrong. Overall waste of time avoid him if you can.
I had an 89. No curve. Short written assignment every week. Tough grader. Even tho I get an A most of the time, I somehow made a B. Never made lower than a B, so kinda frustrating how I land on an 89 and can't get 1 point to get an A. But if you're not good at writing, don't take it.
You literally have no time to finish tests as he wants a paragraph of more than 5 sentences for over 15 different things. You basically choose to lose points on not completing or chose to lose points on sub par work but it is complete. Loose loose situation for any students.
If your response doesn't align with his he takes off points purely just because you don't agree with him. was told to my face "well I wouldn't interpret that in that way so it doesn't make sense how you interpreted it" and was docked points to a C- on one of my essays which is ridiculous in it of itself.
Cortese is a TOUGH professor. The tests he gives are all essay questions, and you have limited time to finish so you have to decide between crap writing or actually finishing. He is a hard and subjective grader. That being said, he is very knowledgeable and passionate about his work. If writing isn't your strong suit DO NOT TAKE.
Tests are difficult, you have to chose quality of work or actually finishing the thing and he never gives anyone above an A- or a B+ because nobody can ever be right but him. Do not take him. I like reading and writing and he actually makes it miserable.
Puts out way too much homework, and then takes forever to give you a grade that can never be a 100 because nobody can be better than him.
Your hand will hurt. Guy is so disconnected from reality that he thinks it is easy to write a 3 page paper in an hour. Midlands do better.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
95%
Textbook Required
50%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.34 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGLISH102
5.0
(1)ENGLISH101
4.0
(1)ENG101
3.1
(35)ENG100
3.0
(1)ENG102
2.8
(26)Difficulty by Course
ENG203
4.8
ENGLISH
4.7
ENG102V01
4.7
ENG102
4.2
ENG100
4.0