Carney Curve

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

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.

Instructor record · Music · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026

Linda Papatopoli

Adjunct Instructor, Piano | Director, Piano Ensemble · Music · 8 evaluation records across 1 class

On this class's board
What the overall is made of
98BC evaluations8 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026
Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

Sources are averaged by how much we trust each one and by how many records sit behind it, so a handful of reviews nudges the number rather than replacing it.

What the challenge rank is made of
77thMore challenging than 77% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
92BC — “Intellectually Challenging”8 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question — 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
28thMore work than 28% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
43BC — “Workload”8 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload 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.

The line

All 13 items · means across 8 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9894th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9894th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9894th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9893rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9687th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9691st pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9478th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9694th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9895th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9896th 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.
4328th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9277th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9692nd 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.

Class by class

1 class · 8 sections

How each position is worked outPositions 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.

MUSP 1842 The Boston College Piano EnsembleOvr98Chal60thWork26th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

8 sections on record · course itself rated 96 out of 100. See the full board for MUSP 1842.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 2026019910040
Fall 2025011009640
Spring 202501989840
Fall 202401999640
Spring 202401999940
Fall 2023019999
Spring 202201989340
Fall 202101958860
All 13 items for MUSP 1842
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9886th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9885th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9884th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9882nd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9677th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9680th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9462nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9681st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9889th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9888th 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.
4326th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9260th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9678th 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.

How to read this pageScores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Almost every class scores high on that scale (the median is about 90), so challenge and workload are shown as a rank against every instructor we hold rather than as a score; the raw figure is in the breakdown above. Neither describes quality, and neither is ever marked better or worse anywhere on this site. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero. The position printed against each class is this instructor's place on that class's own board, computed from the same records the board itself is built from.