Helene De aguilar

Professor Aguilar is my favorite professor I've ever had (granted I just finished freshman year and have only had 9 professors, so take that as you will). She is my favorite type of professor (the ones who scare you shitless so that you do well, but then let slip that they actually are nice people who do care about you). While she was very strict and demanding I learned a lot in that class and also managed to have a lot of fun (she has a lot of great stories that she tells anyone who is willing to listen). I would love to take another class with her (regardless of subject matter) before I graduate.

I am deeply indebted to Profesora Aguilar. Without her, I would never have been able to woo the Spanish hotties like I did while visiting Madrid this summer. For me, her grammatical worksheets translated into a Latina lovefest. I took Spanish Intermediate II with Profesora Aguilar, and I learned a ton. I recommend taking her class if you really care about learning the language, because she will teach you. If you're just satisfying the language requirement, find someone else. She has a very thorough understanding of Spanish, English, and apparently several other languages, and she had excellent explanations for all of my questions. She will repeat the key concepts until the class understands it, but don't expect her to be happy about repeating things if it takes you longer than it should. Do her assignments and you'll be fine. She likes to bring cultural elements into the class, which I thought made it much more interesting. She's very interesting to talk to, and it will help you to do so in her office hours.

Is Professor de Aguilar a demanding teacher? Yes. Is she also a brilliant one? Yes. There are TONS of CULPA reviews that bash this poor women. And those reviews are written by lazy people who did not do the reading or the homework and were somewhat surprised when she gave them bad grades. If you do the work, if you try, if you show up to class with questions and something to say, then she will reward you. Not only that but she will teach you more than just spanish. Class is never ever boring. If she's not telling you about her days as a professional singer, she's reciting poetry from memory. If you want to just finish your language requirement, then this professor is not the one for you. But if you want to be challenged, have some fun, and actually LEARN then definitely take this class.

I do not agree with all the negative reviews about Aguilar. Fine, if you want an easy A then go to a state school and don't take a challenging professor. However, if you want to improve your writing and learn a great deal then she's the professor for you. She was exceedingly knowledable about EVERYTHING. Her lectures were interesting because they often went wherever the students lead them. She is a very tough grader of your work, and it will not be uncommon to get a B or B- on some of your responses. However, at the end of the semester she seems to take a lot of other factors into consideration. I received pretty much straight B+'s on responses (a few A-'s and B's) and B on the midterm. However, I went to every class and finished with an A-. As for approachability, she is very friendly. I went to her office hours several times and she was always willing to discuss your work, and with most students would even up your grade 1/3 of a letter grade on an assignment if you went to see her.

Wonderful professor and person! Profa. Aguilar is very knowledgeable and down to earth about the theoretical pieces of spanish literature that we read in class. She goes over all of them in small class discussions that are open-ended. She is easy-going and very friendly. Even if you haven't done the reading you can still voice your opinion on the themes discussed.

This class is completely disorganized and the sylabus rarely provided any insight as to what we were actually supposed to read, write, watch, present. Yes, there is a lot of work and it's spread into many different categories and there are pop quizes on it, so you have to do it. Still, Professor Aguilar is one of those people that just knows everything and can quote anyone. She tells entertaining stories and sings! The reading material, when you actually know what to read, is very good, but the class produces a lot of stress and she is a hard grader.

A wonderful woman who is interested in the world around her. She brings diverse readings to class and challenges you to think and analyze them. An amazing knowlege of spanish (and english!) grammar and the history of the language, and can even explain why some of the more ridiculous grammar rules exist. It is true that she expects a high level of work, and has no patience if you continue making the same mistakes over and over again. The course is structured around whatever she feels the students need. Class will be a discussion of whatever topic seems interesting, and she will interrupt to explain grammar. There's a reading of some sort nearly every week and grammar sheets due most classes. She never collects the grammar, but goes over it in class. 5-6 writing assignments, 1-2 pages each, and 2-3 in class essays. Not a heavy load at all.

This woman is SO funny...she is constantly making jokes that she finds hysterical, and although they are not usually funny at all, the students end up laughing anyways. She is really sweet, and she will sing for you in class as a special treat. Sra. Aguilar has a great voice and loves music, so you will probably have many "music days." She is very serious about Spanish grammar so she will drill some rules into your head, and point out any error you make in an oral or on a worksheet. However, if you are nice to her and always wear a smile, you will do well. Her grading system seems to be based on how much she likes her class. You will definitely enjoy this one.

Professor Aguilar is brilliant; she is clearly an assiduous intellectual and there are times that I think she actually enjoys teaching. She could be an extraordinary professor, however, she is impatient, intolerant of mistakes, intimidating, and borderline verbally abusive. Disparaging comments were not uncommon throughout the course; she stops her feet, yells, and she even managed to make a girl cry in my class, as well. Profesora Aguilar could be an amazing professor if she would maintain her professionalism and watch her temper (which flared almost every single class period). Other than her regular temper tantrums, she's a great professor. In my opinion, though, belittling students with constant degrading comments is unacceptable and frankly, inexcusable. Good luck with getting feedback on graded essay assignments. Professor Aguilar's comments/corrections on papers were completely illegible. She is a thorough grader but unfortunately, corrections are worthless as you cannot understand what any of it means (and this is not for a terrible paper - I never got anything less than a B on any graded assignment). On the plus side - Professor Aguilar is terrifying and as a result, you work extremely hard to avoid her wrath. You DO learn a lot, but you'll have to decide if it's worth the many hours of therapy that you'll be needing once you finish the course.

This class is hard. Professor Aguilar is a wonderful woman, but while you are in her class you don't realize it. She is quick to get frustrated with the level of language skill of her students, and can be very intimidating in class. She also can make you feel really stupid when you get things wrong. This aside, she really wants to see her students succeed. Within the first few days of class she explains how she factors how hard students try into their grades. This is true. While the grades you get throughout the semester don't show it, your final grade will. Just make sure she knows you are putting in the effort. GO TO OFFICE HOURS. If you don't she will not let you live it down. Plus, going is actually really helpful - even if you don't go for anything specific. Professor de Aguilar is also crazy. Honestly. She sings in class (she's really good), and she tells hilarious stories and jokes, but she is also a little nuts. Personally, I enjoyed it. It made class interesting. Bottom line: she is a good, tough professor. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it.