Carlota Babilon

I knew how difficult her class was but I took her anyways because I was applying to UC berkeley and I wanted to impress the admission people by taking her class. The strange thing is that she set different expectations to different students. I told her that I was spanish major then I could feel that she set her expectation towards me even higher. She expects her students to work hard but it is fair because she works hard too. In summer vacation, she makes handouts for the class. She always come to class on time unless she is really really sick. I got all test results right away. I once saw her at a BART station. She was sitting on the bench grading papers. She is dedicated to teaching. I had a lot of professors and I can tell you she is the hardworker. She spends her off time preparing for the class. She laugh at herself saying " I don't have life another than teaching". A very beautiful, intelligent, inspirational and modern person. I admire her as a person. She is my role model. I will take her again near future.

professor babilon is awesome! her class is hard. one of the hardest classes i've ever taken. i really learned. i learned about so much more than just spanish. i was inspired, pushed, frustrated, scared and she was there to help me along the way. i am very thankful that i took her class

This teacher gives a lot of homework, but Profesora Carlota Babilon has been so nice to me and our class. She makes sure to explain everything, and always makes sure everyone is up to date and leaves no one behind. She is a really good teacher. I can't wait to take spanish 2 next semester with her. If you don't understand spanish, take her, she uses body language and physical contact and examples and models so that you get it. And her "carlotaisms" as I call them or all the dittos that she hand makes so that we will get the point make the course exciting and very influencial.

This is the BEST teacher I have ever had! In January, I knew no spanish. In June, I went to Costa Rica and lived with a family, and had no trouble communicating in the present tense. Babilon gives her all, and she expects the same from her students. If you want to learn Spanish, and are able to find the time needed to learn a foreign language, she is THE BEST. She is also fair, and open to taking a lot of her own time if you need extra help, but you have to be proactive, this is NOT kindergarten, this is college.

Yes she is hard, but this is college, and she expects college work. Babilon is fair, honest and almost always available. I guarantee that if you works as hard in this class as she works to teach it, you will get an A. In my 16 years of school though 3 junior colleges and 1 UC I have never met a teacher who invests as much of themselves as she does. I learned more Spanish in that semester than in 2 years of high school Spanish in a predominantly Hispanic school. Don't take her if an easy A is your primary goal but if you are really interested in learning Spanish I'd highly recommend her.

Carlota works her students hard (2-4 hours a night of homework was not unusual) and she doesn't take sympathy with whiners (be shy, be scared, be quiet or demure, but don't whine). Rather, behave like you want to learn the language, take it seriously, and you'll get her respect (and THEN possibly the sympathy you so longed for before). I think, like most instructors, she likes to be around students who want to to learn what is being taught. She can be very funny, entertaining, and you will learn a lot through her stories. Languages are only learned through lots of repetition, there are NO shortcuts, especially not with her. You will definitely learn spanish. I took four semesters and came out fluent without even going out of the country.

No, she's not an easy teacher. No, you probably won't get an A. However, you will come out of the class with the ability to hold a conversation or write a letter in Spanish. She does grade rather strictly, and her exams usually seem too short and not broad enough. However, she knows how hard it is to learn a foreign language. She wants you to learn the language, so she makes you work hard. It's that simple. She actually cares about her students and loves teaching. She has a great, outgoing, and friendly personality. She has office hours every single day and frequently works one-on-one with her students when they need help.

She is wonderful, making class interesting with her huge knowladge (she fluently speaks 6 languages and who knows how many more she kinda knows, has traveled all over and is soo intelligent) She expects you to do you job, and I mean work...but she does it in a way that makes you really WANT to do it. I've taken 3 classes with her one after the other and If I could I'd take 'em all over again just to sit in and hear her lecture. she calls herself "la BruJa Babilon" the witch, and it's actually sort of true...she has a way of making you want to know more, and she'll get you in any one of her classes if she wants you. she's great!

Ms. Babilon is an excellent teacher. True, her standards aren't quite easy to meet, I guess. (there were times when I grumbled and secretly wished I hadn't taken the class, I admit) But they are not some kind of arbitrary devices to make you feel like failure. People benefit by pushing themselves and often ending up performing at a level that they didn't think they could. Besides, the high expectation isn't something she puts on the students alone. You can tell by her first-rated, thorough, interesting, sophisticated lectures, projects, homeworks that she puts milion hours of her time into the class herself to make a great class happen. She is very dedicated and hardworking teacher who is very qualified. She cares about the students a lot too. It shows in the method of her teaching, I like it because her expecting a lot out of you means she trusts in your intellectual capacity. It makes you want to do your best. It's the kind of support a professor can give that empowers you to be your own intellectual person and go out and achieve the level that you are capable of. So; as long as you do all your homeworks, do all your works, and do them well, you'll be fine in her class as well as learning a great deal of the language. Also some of the very interesting facts in the culture, history, "art" of Latin America that are relevnt. A fabulous class.

This teacher doesn't belong teaching first semester Spanish. She sets her level of expectation FAR too high, as is often the case with delusional perfectionists. She is completely unrealistic regarding novice Spanish speakers, instead setting her standards to be met only by those who already speak the language - yes, there were a small handful looking for an easy grade.

If you're concerned about the conservation of your GPA, rather than butchering it in the face of an unsatisfiable teacher, I'd recommend AGAINST using Ms. Babilon.