Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Top of the board1.ECON 9902962.LAWS 8856973.PRTO 3300984.BSLW 2299975.PHIL 4932986.LAWS 8308987.SCWK 9960998.EESC 99011009.MUSP 16609610.UGMG 10109811.UNCP 55119712.SCWK 883197

Positions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted.

Class record · LAWS · LAW

LAWS 8667

Legal Practice Externship · 2 instructors on record · 51 sections

What the course score is made of
91BC evaluations51 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026
—Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
—RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of
66thMore challenging than 66% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
93BC — “Intellectually Challenging”51 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of
95thMore work than 95% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
95BC — “Workload”51 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

TBD

The board

2 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 2

Scores are real averages. The order also accounts for how many records back each one — the count is under every score — so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallenge
1Dorothy CommonsLaw9710 records96th79th
2Patricia GouldLaw9041 records95th64th

How this board is orderedPositions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted. The comparison here is the class itself: a thin record is read against how this class was rated overall, not against the university.

Every instructor with an evaluation record for this class is on this board — it is not a top ten, and nothing is hidden behind a “show more”. Overall is the instructor's blended score for THIS class only, and its one contributing source is Boston College's evaluations for the sections in the row's record count — nothing on this board is an average across the other things they teach. Workload and Challenge are RANKS against every class we hold, not scores: BC's questions all sit near the top of the 1-5 scale, so a raw number would put almost every row in the high eighties and tell you nothing. Challenge is BC's “intellectually challenging” item, which students answer positively about courses that stretched them — it is not a measure of difficulty or grading. Neither column is ever marked better or worse.

The line

All 13 items · means across 51 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9132nd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9133rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9032nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9129th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9251st pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9250th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9672nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9578th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9040th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9148th pctl
Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings
WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.
9595th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9366th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9675th pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

51 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Dorothy CommonsSpring 202601———
Dorothy CommonsSpring 20260210010080
Dorothy CommonsSpring 2026039685100
Dorothy CommonsSpring 2026049591100
Dorothy CommonsSpring 2026059393100
Dorothy CommonsSpring 20260610091100
Dorothy CommonsSpring 202607———
Dorothy CommonsSpring 2026089389—
Dorothy CommonsSpring 202609———
Dorothy CommonsSpring 202610100100100
Patricia GouldSpring 202502—10060
Patricia GouldSpring 2025039396100
Patricia GouldSpring 20250498100100
Patricia GouldSpring 20250510096100
Patricia GouldSpring 20250660100100
Patricia GouldSpring 202507100100—
Patricia GouldFall 20240310073100
Patricia GouldFall 2024049089100
Patricia GouldFall 2024059391100
Patricia GouldFall 2024068080100
Patricia GouldSpring 20240210073—
Patricia GouldSpring 202403100100100
Patricia GouldSpring 2024049097100
Patricia GouldSpring 202405100100100
Patricia GouldSpring 2024069798100

Showing the first 25.

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.