[FYSB BC1270] The Americas

Linn Mehta is a great professor. She knows so much about her field and all the readings that she is always happy to clarify or help get the discussion started. Also she is extremely helpful in improving writing skills. I was lucky enough to have her for both semesters of my first year and my writing improved immensely. I started out as someone who would write about something boring and safe just to make sure it made sense and by the end of the year I could write about much more complicated topics with more confidence and clarity. I would highly recommend this class and Professor Mehta. She is such a nice person, always willing to meet with you to go over drafts or simply to talk about ideas. At the end of the semester, she invites you to her apartment for Indian food which is also very fun. If you have the chance, definitely take this class! It's full of interesting reading, discussion, and writing.

I have her for first year english: The Americas. If you are debating taking this class and manage to know whether or not she is your professor: run away as fast as possible.

Never before have I ever been so uninspired by my teacher. She assigns a VERY heavy reading/work load. This wouldn't be so bad if the classes didn't move at glacial speed. This causes everyone to be so unmotivated that when she actually does try to make up for lost time, no one is prepared. She is also very poor at seeing the subjective side of English as a subject. While she may be very good at forcing you to make a direct connection between the reading and your points, her interpretation almost always in the only interpretation.
She is very knowledgeable, but that is her tragic flaw. She tries to do too much, all the time. She'll bring in 20 page essays and add it to our 100-300 page reading assignments for the next class. She also tries to bring in other type of media, movies and computer presentations, which I admit are nice. However, I feel like often these come to the expense of the class. I find myself often lost in the reading, without any explanation. Even when I go to her office, I usually leave feeling no more reassured. I even asked a student who had her last semester if she had any tips for me. She told me that even after she went through the entire course, she has absolutely no idea what Estreich wants from her students. She is always disorganized which reflects in the class.

I loved this class and I loved Prof. Mehta. She helped my writing skills so much. I know that for some people in my class she demanded quite a few drafts, which I can understand can be annoying, but it's only because she wants your writing to improve and she wants to give you a good grade. For me, she was always open to me sending her as many drafts as I wanted and she really helped me clarify my writing. After each rough draft she would always write detailed notes and critiques as well as engaging in a 10-15 min long meeting, where instead of speeding through it and looking at her watch like most professors, she acted as if she could give you as much time as necessary to really help improve your writing.

With the class being only 16 girls, she molded herself into more of a member of the discussion than an overseeing professor. When we (as a class) were really getting into the nitty, gritty analytical parts of the literature she was always helpful with her thoughts and helped to move the conversation along. That being said, there was some amazing girls in my class who honestly made the course that awesome. Being a lover of analyzing lit myself, there were quite a few of us in this class so we didn't really need much guidance when it came to discussion. Mehta didn't even really lead the discussion (which I appreciated), she prompted us with a few questions or thoughts but other than that my class was pretty self-sufficient.

I know a lot of people hate their seminars and whatever, but I was so lucky. This class was amazing. On the last day of class, everyone was saying how this was the way people imagine college classes: deep, interesting, expanding and engaging.

I love love LOVE this woman! She knows everything about the subject matter, genuinely cares about her students, and rewards those students who show her how much of an effort they are making. There are not enough nice things I can say about this professor. The class was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I would take it again if given the opportunity. I only wish I were an English major to be able to take more classes with her. At the end of the term she invited my class to her apartment to have an Indian lunch. She's just so great. Take classes with this professor! I can't fathom what anyone WOULDN'T love about her.

Professor Mehta may seem too timid to direct a class at a first glance - but don't be fooled, she is an incredibly strong and knowledgeable professor. Once she begins to lecture on the course material, her reserved demeanor disappears, and you realize she houses a vast expanse of knowledge on everything literature-related. She comes to her lectures very well prepared, equipped with all sorts of hand-outs to complement the material being read. Her lectures are interesting, not just for the literature chosen, but also because of her own enthusiasm and engagement with the material.

In addition to her intelletual prowess, she is a very sweet and caring person. She will meet with her students whenever needed at whatever time. She is very kind with her criticism and honors differences in personal style. She makes sure she gets to know her students as individuals outside of the class setting, and is willing to serve as a mentor for any questions you bring to her.

BOTTOM LINE: The course material is interesting and thoroughly taught. My writing style also improved under her gentle, guiding hand. Despite having the class at the early hour of 9 a.m., I always looked forward to it because Professor Mehta made the small seminar room a warm, comfortable, homey environment for her students.

Writing in college is difficult. Few teachers have Prof. Mehta's patience and skill. This woman taught me how to WRITE. She really really cares about her students and allows rewrites. She meets with everyone after each paper and sometimes its annoying but trust me ull appreciate her. She is such a sweet woman and really facilitates discussion in her class. I would love to have another english prof like her.