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 · Business Law and Society · Fall 2021 – Fall 2025

Stephen Mendelsohn

Assistant Professor of the Practice · Business Law and Society · 26 evaluation records across 4 classes

On each class's board
PRTO 100011th of 11 instructorsPHIL 10707th of 65 instructorsPHIL 10715th of 71 instructorsPRTO 33006th of 6 instructors Provisional
What the overall is made of
90BC evaluations26 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Fall 2025
80RateMyProfessors4 ratings · weight ×2.0 · 75% 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
47thMore challenging than 47% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
88BC — “Intellectually Challenging”26 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 40 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
31stMore work than 31% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
44BC — “Workload”26 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: 4 ratings, 75% would take again, difficulty 40 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 26 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9467th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9573rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9365th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9460th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9371st pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9262nd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9154th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9061st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9155th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9157th 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.
4431st pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8847th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9483rd 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 · 26 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.

PRTO 1000 PorticoOvr86Chal34thWork39th
On this class's board11th of 11 instructors

13 sections on record · course itself rated 82 out of 100. See the full board for PRTO 1000.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202526867840
Fall 2025279079—
Fall 202528938940
Fall 202529868440
Fall 202530878060
Fall 202531838660
Spring 202501848040
Fall 202426848760
Fall 202427767460
Fall 202428757540
Fall 202429948660
Fall 202430898360

Showing the first 12.

All 13 items for PRTO 1000
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9136th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9450th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9138th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9233rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9150th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9038th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9141st pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9040th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8834th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8832nd 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.
5039th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8834th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9467th 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 1070 Philosophy of the Person IOvr93Chal19thWork25th
On this class's board7th of 65 instructors

6 sections on record · course itself rated 86 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 1070.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202402928140
Fall 2023358978—
Spring 202302918540
Fall 202235979040
Spring 202202938940
Fall 202135969340
All 13 items for PHIL 1070
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9778th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9562nd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9457th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9551st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9468th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9363rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8925th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9045th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9467th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9361st 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.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8419th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9254th 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 1071 Philosophy of the Person IIOvr95Chal44thWork25th
On this class's board5th of 71 instructors

6 sections on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 1071.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202435969240
Fall 2023029383—
Spring 202335938740
Fall 202202939040
Spring 202235989640
Fall 202102999740
All 13 items for PHIL 1071
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9778th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9883rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9777th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9773rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9677th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9677th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9248th 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.
9675th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9572nd 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.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9044th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9573rd 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.

PRTO 3300 Senior Seminar in Business EthicsOvr98Chal40thWork0th
On this class's board6th of 6 instructors Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 93 out of 100. See the full board for PRTO 3300.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202504989320
All 13 items for PRTO 3300
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9883rd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9884th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9883rd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9879th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9888th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9786th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9886th 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.
9885th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9885th 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.
200th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8940th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
100100th 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.