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.

Instructor record · Philosophy · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026

Michael Frost

Philosophy · 15 evaluation records across 4 classes

On each class's board
PHIL 10919th of 39 instructorsPHIL 10904th of 30 instructorsTHEO 109010th of 33 instructorsTHEO 10916th of 41 instructors
What the overall is made of
95BC evaluations15 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026
98RateMyProfessors8 ratings · weight ×2.0 · 89% would take again
—Student reviewsno reviews — 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
94thMore challenging than 94% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
96BC — “Intellectually Challenging”15 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. RateMyProfessors separately rates this instructor 70 out of 100 for difficulty — that IS a difficulty measure, but it is about the person across everything they teach, not about any one class, so it is shown here rather than folded into the number above.

What the workload rank is made of
64thMore work than 64% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
58BC — “Workload”15 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.

Ratings from outside BC

Not evaluation data

Collected from RateMyProfessors, not from Boston College: 8 ratings, 89% would take again, difficulty 70 out of 100. Difficulty is not a quality signal in either direction — a harder course is not a worse one.

Anyone can post there — no @bc.edu check and no enrolment check — so it is weighted alongside the evaluation data, never above it.

The line

All 13 items · means across 15 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9790th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9037th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9577th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9786th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9792nd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9690th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9476th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9378th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9791st pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9790th 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.
5864th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9694th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9897th 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

4 classes · 15 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.

PHIL 1091 Perspectives on Western Culture II/Perspectives IIOvr95Chal74thWork43rd
On this class's board9th of 39 instructors

6 sections on record · course itself rated 94 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 1091.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202631979240
Spring 202531969860
Spring 202325949160
Spring 202326959240
Spring 202213959560
Spring 202245959560
All 13 items for PHIL 1091
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9882nd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9028th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9562nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9663rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9782nd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9678th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9463rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9153rd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9573rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9677th 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.
5343rd pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9474th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9885th 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.

PHIL 1090 Perspectives on Western Culture I/Perspectives IOvr95Chal90thWork81st
On this class's board4th of 30 instructors

3 sections on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 1090.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202531928860
Fall 202225958960
Fall 202113989580
All 13 items for PHIL 1090
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9672nd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8817th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9456th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9666th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9783rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9574th 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.
9259th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9887th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9784th 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.
6781st pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9890th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9990th 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.

THEO 1090 Perspectives on Western Culture I/Perspectives IOvr94Chal89thWork78th
On this class's board10th of 33 instructors

3 sections on record · course itself rated 94 out of 100. See the full board for THEO 1090.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202431949660
Fall 202432949660
Fall 2023319489—
All 13 items for THEO 1090
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9670th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9028th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9346th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9773rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9679th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9677th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9139th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9471st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9886th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9674th 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.
6078th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9789th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9991st 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.

THEO 1091 Perspectives on Western Culture II/Perspectives IIOvr97Chal79thWork78th
On this class's board6th of 41 instructors

3 sections on record · course itself rated 94 out of 100. See the full board for THEO 1091.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202431989760
Spring 202325979160
Spring 2023269695—
All 13 items for THEO 1091
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.
9453rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9885th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9985th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9889th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9889th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9566th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9580th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9990th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9887th 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.
6078th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9579th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9784th 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.