Pinto, Sari  

I hated this teacher she was a complete bitch. she told us that the English book was wrong and that, her way was right. overall I had some major issues with her I did not care for her at all. she gave us lots of stupied busy work to fill time that was basicaly piontless. she went over what nouns were and made the whole class feel like idiots, but when it came to writng papers her standards were so high that very few people passed them. when I say few I mean it only about 3-5 people would pass a paper.

Sari Pinto is a great teacher. She knows her english and she helped me to be a lot better writer. The workload isnt too bad. She gives great coments on papers!! Take her, highly recommended

Sari is an incredible teacher. Overall, you write three papers out of class and two in-class essays. Though she is a tough grader, it makes you work harder to receive the grade you want to get and it improves your writing in the process. You also have the opportunity to revise one of your papers for a higher grade. Don't be discouraged if you get a D on the first essay-most of the class does! Read the comments on your paper and go to her office hours!! Sari is more than willing to help in any way she can. Have her read your essay BEFORE you turn it in so that she can give some good pointers on what areas need revision. Some of the lecture topics might be a bit difficult to sit through (punctuation rules can be a bit boring), but she's quite a character-her quirky sense of humor makes the class more interesting. Homework is minimal, just the essays and some light reading. Take her class if you have the opportunity!

Nothing against her or anything, but this was a very hard class for general english. She had unachievable standards. She told us in the beginning of the class that we would not be able to get an A. Honestly, who says that!? Way to boost our confidence teach! She is willing to help, but you will still be lucky to get a C in the class. On one in class essay we had, one A was given out between her two classes, and most everyone else got a C or lower. If you must take this class I would suggest taking it credit/no credit, at least then it won't drag down your GPA like it did mine!

This was a beneficial class. Sari does have high expectations for her essays--but who shouldn't? (Besides there weren't that many). She gets to know all of her students and has a crazy sense of humor.

Sari Pinto was by far the worst teacher I've had at Cal Poly. She was the most anal grader on the essays and doesn't give A's unless it's exatly her style. The homework load wasn't too bad, but she created 3 horrible essay topics and then graded them even worse. She also doesn't make an attempt to help people out with their mistakes. Do not take this teacher!!!!!Thank you Sari Pinto for ruining my English experience!!!!

If you must take this class, I suggest taking it with a different teacher. Sari Pinto has unrealistically high expectations for her students, and rarely gives out A's in her classes. She is a nice lady with a crazy sense of humor, but she was totally against students doing well in her class. There are 3 essays to write, but she grades them extremely hard. You are also required to read a separate novel which is unlike any other English 134 class. She is willing to help you, but even after you have met with her and gone over your essays, you still won't get the grade you want. If possible, take a different teacher.

well, what to say about her. As you have probably read the rest of the ratings you have found ot that she is the worst possible teacher to get at cal poly. She seemed like the nicest person to me and was always happy, but when it comes down to teaching and grading then just forget it. I always got A's throughout my english career, english teachers always loved my essays, but she gives me a big fat D. I signed up for Mark Roberts and I suggest anybody to take him for any english class possible, actually any teacher is better than her, but Mark Roberts would be on top.

Pinto's class involves a lot of reading, but you only have to write three essays. She has a reputation for being a hard grader, but if you are a decent writer you shouldn't have much trouble getting a decent grade: just make sure you follow her guidelines. Also, she lets you edit and resubmit your first or second essay in order to raise your grade. Her midterm and final are in class essays and there are quizes on some of the readings and on vocab.

Sari Pinto is a great teacher, despite what many say. At first, I was quite intimidated by her because she is a hard grader. On my first essay, I got a C. When I simply followed the directions she gave and her comments on my paper, I got A's on the second two essays, and A's on the test. She is a hard grader, but I came out of that class feeling like I had learned the writing skills I will need for the rest of college, and that is a good feeling.

I think Sari tries come off as a difficult teacher, but the class was so much easier than I thought it would be. Don't be intimidated by the way she describes the course in the beginning of the term. You only have to do three essays [ where you'll do fine if you follow the description of what she wants ], read one book [ which is easy and pretty enjoyable ], and the midterms and finals are just timed writes. I reccomend her for 134... that is, unless you skip class often. You're only allowed two absences for the entire term.

I would recommend taking Sari for English 134. Sari is a hard grader but if you go into her office hours before you turn an essay in, she will tell you exactly what needs correcting. She teaches you a lot about engilsh and once you figure out what she expects, the class is simple.

Sari is a wonderful and pleasant person. I really liked her as a teacher and I would strongly recommend taking her class. For one, it was a really easy class. Just keep up with your weekly readings (which is quite minimal) and you'll seriously do fine. You don't even have to take notes in her class because none of that stuff shows up on any tests. She gives weekly pop quizzes on the reading which are fairly simple. Then you have two in-class essays, and three home essays. Her topics are for the most part easy. The trick is following her format in exactly the way she wants it. The only part about Sari is that she is quite the harsh grader on essays. I would suggest paying attention in class when she discusses the essays and seriously following her directions and grade sheet to a pinpoint. The great thing is that she even allows you to redo an essay for resubmittal for full credit. Sari gives you so many chances in her class that you seriously have to try to get a grade below a C. Her vocab quizzes are so easy too. I had minimal stress in her class and am glad that I had her as a teacher in the end.

I think the grading was fair. I'm happy with my grade because my english skills suck. She made all the material clear and simple to understand. She lets you revise an essay so that helps. She generally keeps the class active by lettings us do group work and she doesn't lecture too much. I think she's a great teacher, even if she is a hard grader. If you want to learn take her class, but if you want an easy A then you might want to look for someone else.

Mrs. Pinto is an awesome teacher! She forces you to think critically, prepare your essays intuitively and prepares you for the english or literary classes to follow. Her grading may seem harsh by many but she always gives her students truthful critiques and pushes you to do well in her class. If friday falls into your schedule with her, she opens up the day with a joke and loves to listen to her students. I have always been good in english in HS, but this class has made me an even stronger essay writer and literary speaker. Take her as a teacher if you can!

this teacher grades harder than shit! But in the end you do learn how to write essays. Classes are fun and be sure to get on her good side. Even though you will probably fail the first essay, you are allowed to rewrite it. Not the class to get an easy A in but a B is not hard with minimal work.

Contrary to what a lot of other people have said about Sari, I REALLY liked her. First off, let me tell you that I AM NOT an English type person. English has always been my worst subject by far. After saying that, this class was pretty darn easy. She really enjoys teaching you, and does so in a good manor. She was very helpful at office hours and very understanding of everything. Take Sari, shes awesome!

Pretty nice lady that is very understanding and always willing to help. You definately have to work hard if you want to get a good grade. If you look for an A this is not the teacher to go with. The only problem with her is she grades essays extremely hard. Other than that shes good.

One of the most friendly teachers I have ever had. She always starts class on a good note, generally asking how people are and maybe adds a joke. She makes the class bareable. Only 1 book and a couple of short stories all quite interesting. I loved the class because I didn't have to stress and there was never much homework. The quizzes that she gave were cake did not really need to study just read. The only difficult in this class was Sari grades essays very hard. She pushes her students to become better writers rather than hand out A's just because the essay makes sense. Go to her office hours every chance you have. It was never awkward and she gave very good advice. She has definitely helped me become a better writer and I hope you take her.

Pinto grades VERY tough. Everything in class is fairly easy except for the essays. Those are the main things is class and her grading sclae is very difficult for those. If you do multiple drafts and conference with her you should do well, just don't procrastinate the essays.

Class is enjoyable. Sari is extremely friendly and easy to talk to. The quizzes she gives are jokes. Essays are not! Go to her office hours for each essay, otherwise look forward to seeing a big fat D on your paper with no point value because basically you did not follow her instructions. The actual class require minimal effort.

Sari is a really cool person who will help you if you need it though office hours, she grades her in class written essays fairly easy but the others are difficult..I liked her, the reader has some great story's in it and the book wasn't to bad. Take sari, she puts a lot of effort into teaching and you'll learn a lot, just don't expect an easy A

Very good teacher since she is very into office hours and actually takes one week to just visit one on one. The material is not easy and she pushes your mind to think of all literary elements. 3 essays 2 in class essays and Midterm inclass essay and a Final Inclass essay. I would recommend her to someone who enjoys literature with a passion.

pretty terrible. shes actually pretty nice, but she is a hard ass and is a nazi grader. but she got really sick and had to leave class all the time and we got the most baller teacher mr. blackwell as a sub

Shes a cool teacher but very intimidating. I dropped the class within a few days because I thought I was going to fail it. Seems like a very harsh grader

Any positive remark about Sari Pinto on this website was written by her. There is no way any student could possibly enjoy her. She is a sad excuse of a teacher. She is not credentialed at all. She is absolutely pathetic, and obviously grades your work based on how much she likes you. My writing has actually got worse this quarter. I have published several essays before in essay books for my school district and for independent writers, and she treats my work like I was a beginner, which I am not at all. I absolutely hated that. I guess she has to but I am not a beginner so it is the most annoying thing in the world

this was the worst teacher I have ever had in my life. WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT TAKE HER FOR 134. I have never worked so hard in my life for a class that was a joke. I had 3 different English teachers at Poly grade my essays and all of them gave the essays A's or B's. The highest grade that i got from her was a D+ because she did not like me as a person and she is a sexist teacher. Trying to write for Sari actually screwed up my essays which is quoted from another English Professor. Her course material is over twice as much as any other English teacher. I did not fail the class but had I not spent 10 hours+ on each essay I would have. If you want to work hard for no reason only get 1 essay rewrite and do double the work for a GE class, then you will love Sari Pinto.

This woman needs better therapy and better meds. She was a walking dark cloud, and worthless as a teacher. Put her on leave until she resolves her mental problems. What a drag.

Good teacher. Put a little time into your essay's and you will get an A or B. Go to her office if you can't figure it out. Cool essay topics.

This class lowers your GPA.....and your intelligence. The workload is more than other english classes and the way she grades them are pretty rediculous as well. goodluck

Whoever says that this professor is a Nazi grader or a hard a** just doesnt\' know how to write to a specific audience. Sari was funny and always willing to make extra effort to help out her students. She did grade very detailed at times but she truly does make her students better writers. I recommend her highly.

I thought Pinto was nice. If you took the time to go to office hours and tried on the essays, you can get a good grade. the workload was a bit much, but it wasn\'t too bad.

Sari Pinto is the bet teacher I\'ve had so far at Cal Poly. Going to class was actually enjoyable and Sari makes even the most mundane subjects fun. Even grammar exercises were made entertaining with outlandish and hilarious sample sentences. I also thought that the workload for this class was very fair and manageable. Every week there were some reading assignments, which we would later discuss in class. All of the readings were short and quite interesting, not hard to do at all. There were four main essays due for the class. While she grades final drafts more harshly than other teachers would, she makes up for this with the extensive help that she offers to students during office hours and appointments. I was able to sit down with her before each essay that was due to discuss my work, and she gave very solid and helpful advice that improved my grade. Don\'t take this class expecting an easy A, but definitely take it if you want to improve your writing and have fun.

Even though there were a lot more essays in this class compared to my friends, I thought Pinto was very helpful as long as you came to her for help. She seemed to really want to help us get better at writing. Also, her essays were curved, so it was nice. I would recommend Pinto if you want to work on your writing skills. She definitely helps improve your skill at making outlines and the thought process before making the actual essay.

Here is the thing. This class is honestly no more work than any other english class HOWEVER your grade will suffer because to put it bluntly sari pinto is a bitch. She is a bitter old lady who thinks that because she grades harder then most teachers it makes her smarter, which is obviously not the case. When I decided to take her class I saw all of her comments were negative but still went with it thinking how bad could she possibly be? she was that horrible the comments are true and I highly recommend dropping her class if your enrolled in it or else you will be miserable.

I actually took the Honors English 145 even though I'm not an honors student. However, I LOVED Sari and did well in her class. She's a comic soemtimes and she does well presenting lecture material. Her assignments were not that difficult, but it helps if you have a strong english background. She is really sweet and the only way to bomb quizzes is if you don't read the material. READ THE ASSIGNMENTS!!! The workload is pretty minimal besides a few papers and reading almost every night. Everyone told me that she is a hard grader and I found that to be true. However, she really reads your paper (every sentence) and her comments are extremely helpful. Pay attention to these comments and take them into account for future essays. If she teaches any English class, take her!!!

Pinto sucks ass! This stupid old dyke expects you to read and reread her assignment page so that you can write down exactly what she likes to jack off to. I received two Ds on two very well written essays because she felt that they didn't coincide with what she wanted. Bullshit. She just didn't want to take the time to read them, so she writes them off as Ds. Fuck her! If you want to express your views in well written essays and have a teacher that grades them objectively to give you the grade you deserve - look elsewhere. The shocker will reak havoc on her soul in the afterlife as she is shocked over and over again with 2 in the goo and 1 in the poo.

To the people who wrote completely disrespectful and bitter remarks about Mrs. Pinto: Newsflash! It's not her fault you SUCK at writing and earned yourself a D. I found Pinto to be a challenge, but in a good way. Her lectures and class activities are really fun and interesting and relevant, and the subject matter is really useful. (You basically just learn how to argue effectively and how to point out errors in other people's arguments. Its kinda cool.) I worked my butt off in her class but it was worth every hour, every writer's cramp, and every trip to the library. Expect some out of class reading, a few CRUCIAL quizzes (these can make or break your grade), 3 essays and a FAT research paper, as well as some in-class essays. If you get Pinto, enjoy yourself and enjoy the challenge. She's a hilarious person, very available to help out, organized, and will help transform you into a better writer than when you entered her class. Good luck!

This teacher is explicitly prejudiced and incredibly unfair. If you are a good student, do not expect your hard work to pay off. She will not grade you based upon the quality of your work, but rather on whether or not she likes you. Do not take Pinto if you value your GPA, she will mess it up regardless of how hard you try.

I earned an A, Pinto gave me an A-. This is one of the most FRUSTRATING classes I have ever taken because despite putting in amazing effort and hours of hard work, I did not receive the grade I deserved. And yes, it did mess up my GPA. She hardly teaches anything. You just have to know how to write well. But she is UNFAIR and an extremely HARSH GRADER. The irony is that she even wrote on one of my essays, "this is an exemplary paper" and then gave it an A-. Pinto, you need to rethink what you are doing ... deliberately lowering students' grades to comply with the limited quota of A's you are alloted per quarter.

She is very personable and obviously very intelligent. What she often fails to do, whoever, is clarify why you got something wrong, which can be frustrating. I did what I thought was an equally good job on two papers, on one I got an A and on the other I got a C, which confused me. I'd recommend her if you're interested in learning and not too worried about your GPA.

I have not had a teacher that scared me more than Pinto did. She was nice, but after the first day of class 6 people had dropped because she's a very tough grader. In the packet you have to buy for the class it says what she wants in a paper. If you follow the requirements exactly then you should do fine. She tries not to make her classes too boring so there is usually some discussing things in small groups each day. Just make sure to do lots of rough drafts for papers (they really do help) and pay attention to what she's asking for.

Very unfair grader!

I was skeptical signing up for Prof Pinto's class at first due to all of these reviews, but I went for it anyway and am very glad I did. This was by far one of my most enjoyable English classes. Prof Pinto is very well educated and understanding. Yes the class is tough, but if you put in the effort and work and go into office hours you will do well and have a great time in her class.

I loved this class. Sari is very nice and understanding, she really makes an effort to work with her students to help them understand the material and do as well as possible in the class. She uses fun, new techniques to help students learn the concepts and gives a lot of helpful instructions and feedback on the essays.

Prof Pinto is a great teacher. I think if the students complaining about her below had spent their time actually listening to her lectures and learning the material rather than giving up, they could have really improved their writing skills with Pinto's lectures, like I did.

Pinto is certainly not an easy grader in any way. I loved the class, that being said, I am an English major so English classes are always fun for me. She is very straight forward and if you listen, she tells you everything you need for the midterms. She grades the essays pretty strictly, so I would think about writing the research paper and taking it to the writing center, or at least think twice about writing it the day before. The class is at times boring, but she makes it as exciting as a rhetoric class can be. I really enjoyed the creative project and she is so organized it is amazing. Do the readings, pay attention and try to participate and the class will go by smoothly and fast. And she is not an anyway a "bitch". She does have an air of superiority around her, but I do not for a second think its intentional and if you really try talking to her, she's a sweet old lady. And she can be randomly funny at times. Definitely my favorite teacher this quarter.

This class was a pain. Sari has good intentions, but she pretty much just assigns things; she doesn't actually teach that much. The first half of the quarter is a breeze. Literally no homework, and then BAM! The last 5 weeks are a blur of a billion assignments. Go to her office hours. She's somewhat helpful, but the real reward is in her grading. I'm pretty sure she's more lenient with the people who she knows tried. The research paper can really determine your grade. Work hard on the big assignments and you'll be fine.

Sari Pinto is really nice, friendly, a people person, very likeable. However, this all just leaves you unprepared for how harsh a grader she is. She gives you a prompt, and then tears you apart if the essay you write isn't exactly the one she has in her mind. I got marked down for organization of my paragraphs twice, once because it wasn't logical, and then after because it wasn't "analytically significant." None of the writing tutors know what she wants, none of the other teachers know what she wants, because she doesn't know what she wants. She grades based on how much she likes you. Her grading scale puts every portion of the final paper worth twice a test grade, so your outline, which has to be disgustingly perfect and is graded subjectively, is worth twice the points an objective test is worth. Choose a different teacher if you can, because you will not get a good grade in this class, and you will leave emotionally battered, depressed, and all around hurt.

Professor Pinto's class is engaging and pleasant to be in. She does not try to sugar coat anything and she has a great sense of humor. Professor Pinto likes to make sure that she is being fair and almost always asks students if they need clarification for anything. For the most part, she is a fair grader, but at times can seem like a strict one. For this reason, I would recommend having any papers reviewed/edited by an upperclassman English major. Overall, she is a great instructor, presenting the material quite clearly. The only downside is that the quizzes can be very specific so I would recommend thoroughly reading through the readings.

First off, Sari is a really great teacher and even better person. If you take this class seriously and try hard you'll probably get an A. She grades essays pretty hard and expects a lot of you but it's not impossible. There are reading quizzes but they're online and open book so it's not bad. You have to be at every class because she takes role which is a bummer. I wouldn't say it's for the faint of heart but it's definitely doable and she really is a super interesting person.

Generally the comments written prior to my posting are true. Sari is a very nice person, but is particular when it comes to grading. Generally the class is fairly easy and you should be able to get an A or B, because she ends up grading on a "curve" (not really a curve, but essentially she pushes up everyones grade by 3-5%). There are readings but most of them are not necessary to do well, because they are discussed in class and never mentioned again (with the exception of the "Mini Guide" reading - know that one like the back of your hand -), and her exams are straight forward, directly taken from lectures and concepts discussed in class. The real trouble comes with essay grading. She is very much so "by the book" and loves MLA more than any person I have ever met. If you get inventive with your essays and stray away from her explicit instructions then you will be marked down: severely. But if you keep to her S-E-E, 5 paragraph/concept style of writing, and are very careful with your MLA style/citations then you should do more than fine when all is said and done. Just make sure you do well on the smaller assignments that way you have a bit of wiggle room (points-wise) in case you don't do as well on your research paper. Overall I enjoyed taking Pinto and I did well in the class (A-, because of the aforementioned stylistic differences) and would probably take her again.

Sari was a joy of a teacher. I had her class from 6-8pm and was always tired but her class didn't feel like a drag. It's definitely difficult to get an A but a B is totally achievable. Her office hours are sooo helpful and I highly recommend going. She even gave me multiple extensions on projects for asking about my progress during an office hour. She's a fair grader and her tests are a breeze. Sari comes highly recommended.

The previous comments below are accurate regarding Sari's class. The class itself--coupled with the fact that 90% of my class consisted of wide-eyed freshmen--made me feel like I was in middle school with all the trivial group work. I'd say the most useful thing I learned was where to correctly place commas and semicolons in sentences. Sari does care deeply about furthering her student's education and tries to "expand your horizons" with the research paper, among other things. That being said, she grades far too harshly, priding herself immensely on that fact. Write her a paper that isn't the exact one she would write and expect to earn no higher than an 80. Sari thinks that through such a policy she is elevating your writing to a standard that none of us puny earthlings would have attained had we not been graced by the 10-week rhetoric haven that is her class. Ms. Pinto draws and interjects her own opinions on your writing and makes sure you know you are wrong, hiding behind the ever-present guise of her superhuman powers of logical thought. Take any sort of creative liberties in your writing and the anus your mother gave you will cease to function, for she will carve a gaping hole in your backside as a result. Sari is smarter than you and will make sure you know it. Just know going in to take her cr/nc or you will find yourself working far past the point of diminishing returns, in regards to your grade.

After reading the reviews, I was worried about taking Engl 145 with Sari. However, she was AWESOME!! She does her best to keep lecture interesting. She is a fair grader. You just need to make sure to include everything she asks for. She grades fast too. I think I had all of my assignments inputted within a week of turning them in. She is also very helpful in office hours. Overall I had a great time taking Engl 145 with Sari.

Sari Pinto is a hard instructor, but presents material very well. If you go to class and put in effort, you can get a good grade. I put in so much work and spent time going to office hours for help and advice on upcoming papers. Even though the work load is kind of heavy, it was an informative class. The research paper is a lot of points so if you put in time intto the class, you should get good results. The midterms were multiple choice and short answer. If you want to learn and be challenged then take this class with Sari Pinto.

I absolutely loved Sari. She presented material very well, and all your assignments are very clear. The course was mainly made up of 1 analaytical essay, 1 research paper, 2 midterms, 1 annotated bibliography , an in-class essay for your final, and small miscellaneous quizzes and assignments. If you go to office hours and show that you want to improve your writing, Sari will definitely help and will notice that you are looking to improve and grade your essays pretty well. She can be very strict on grading if you slack off and aren't respectful to her, but like I said, if you go to office hours and just show a general interest in the class you'll get a good grade from her. She's a very nice person too, and overall I recommend taking her.

I read a lot of bad reviews for Pinto so I was scared to take her class, but honestly shes not that bad. She is a harsh grader, but not horribly so that you won't pass the class. She was pretty cool to me and I got an okay grade for putting very little effort into the class.

Pinto managed to teach the class more about writing without implying that everything we had been doing is wrong. She was good at filling in the gaps in our knowledge of writing that were glossed over in earlier classes. Since the class is advanced composition, you will have to write 3 large papers (3-5 pages) and 3 smaller papers (2-3 pages). Also fair warning: the last large paper is about some form of community service you perform and you are required to complete at least 6 hrs of it. Overall, I enjoyed the class even though I am not all that fond of writing.

I enjoyed 302 with Sari. Not only is she down-to-earth and fun to talk to in class, lecture content is fairly interesting, and you pick up some good writing habits throughout the quarter. The amount of work is average for an English class, and I never found it overwhelming. There's usually reading homework for each class (about thirty or forty-five minutes' worth), there are multiple choice quizzes every once in awhile (that aren't tough to ace), and you have a total of six papers to write (one that's two to three pages, three that are four to six pages, and two that are a page or two on whatever you want to talk about). Lastly, in preparation for the final paper, you have to perform six hours of community service. It can be a hassle to make that happen, but it goes by quickly, and it makes writing the paper really easy. If this class can fill one of your requirements, it's a fine choice: Sari is cool, and the work is fair.