Between our furious Banner browsing and taxing marathon schedules, it’s easy to forget that there’s another side to shopping period. Professors, like us, are faced with a frustrating beginning to their semesters as students flood their aisles and inboxes. We have our ways of coping with the chaos, and so do they. Any experienced shopper will have noticed that Brown’s professors gravitate towards a few different strategies to deal with the pressures of shopping period. We’ve compiled three common ones here. You’d be hard-pressed to find a student who hasn’t run into one of these characters during their Brown career.

The Intimidator:

“Are you registered? Get out of my class.”

Many college professors seem to have lost their fuzzy exteriors around year six of graduate school, but this shopping period classic kicks up the cynicism a few decibel levels during shopping period. If you’re not registered, sitting in the aisle, or missing a textbook by day two, the prof doesn’t want you there. And he’s not afraid to let you know. He revels in cutting his waitlist until only the fittest have survived. If you want to take his class, keep in mind that it’s just an act. Chances are he’ll lighten up a bit once people stop emailing him for overrides. 

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The Princeton Review released a new guidebook on April 3 entitled The Best 300 Professors. The Princeton Review creates books for high school students, ranking colleges based on different criteria from best campus food to happiest students (a list we occasionally top).

In its most recent book, The Princeton Review collaborated with RateMyProfessors.com, students and administrators from colleges across the nation. According to GoLocalProv, Brown is the only school in Rhode Island to have any professors mentioned in the book. With five professors on the list, Brown is one of the best represented colleges. So, as pre-registeration for next fall approaches, consider enrolling in a class with one of these professors, whose areas of specialty and Fall ’12 course offerings are listed below…

• Barrett Hazeltine, engineering (ENGN9)
• Joseph Pucci, classics (The Idea of Self, Fortunatus)
• Stephanie Ravillon, French (Fren30, Fren60)
• Robert Serrano, economics (Microeconomics I)
• Daniel Stupar, studio art (unlisted for Fall ’12)

And, if you’re a second semester senior and haven’t had the chance to take a class with any of these professors, at least make your way to Professor Hazeltine’s office in Barus & Holley, introduce yourself, and receive a legendary handshake.

Why are French academics saying au revoir to the Sorbonne?

Rumblings within the French academic system are nothing new. Ditto prominent French intellectuals coming to the United States to teach.

But as a recent New York Times article discussed, academics now make up a disproportionate amount of French migrants to the United States, leaving France worrying about “brain drain.” Apparently shocked that anyone would ever want to leave a land known for valuing its intellectuals (not to mention the food), the NYT’s Room for Debate has helpfully surveyed scholars on both sides of the Atlantic, asking them about possible causes for the trend. Unsurprisingly, most point to money: American universities simply pay better (where do you think all that tuition goes, anyway?)

Still, the whole section is worth a read for some interesting musings about academic life in both countries, even if we’re still confused about what the author of French Women Don’t Get Fat is supposed to contribute to the discussion. Maybe she brought the champagne?