Matthew Allen

2-4 hrs/week

Taking this class with Allen was suupperr chill. she gave us a lot of busy work by you could turn it in whenever you wanted and could get full points, and could bs your way through it. most importantly- you could revise papers if you didn't like your grade which was amazing (she was also a pretty easy grader so I never had to revise anything and honestly I wrote a lot of bs) + final paper isn't the monster that other classes have bc she just let us add onto a paper that we already wrote to get to the 10 pages- easy A

12/2/2024

Coming in 2nd semester, I didnt think much of CW & skimmed over leftover options to choose this. I quickly came to discover that the workload of this class is abhorrent. A paper worth of writing every class. Currently 3rd semester as a double in major in McKelvey and this might be the highest workload I've had from an individual class. nnJust don't

10/31/2024

4-6 hrs/week

Allen is a great professor, and this was a great class. There is a lot of homework through VHL, but it isn’t terrible. Very interesting class not too hard

5/21/2024

Madame Allen was an ok professor. She's very sweet and caring, and she's one of the best French professors I've had in the WU French department (although the others suck). She assigns a lot of busy work, she's very unclear about project guidelines, and she's overall very disorganized (especially with Canvas).

5/16/2024

CW P&P is heavy in workload, so be prepared for three 500 word assignments a week in addition to the standard essays in the CW curriculum. The professor is heavily left-leaning politically (even by WashU standards) and does not leave a lot of room for opposing viewpoints. Otherwise, she allows unlimited regrades making the class manageable.

4/30/2024

Straightforward with what she wants in a paper. Lots of work, but almost always participation for discussion posts. Going to class will help with writing paper in discussions. Not a very good writer and I learned a lot about writing and my struggle did not show up in my grade. Will read over your paper and give you feedback before submitting.

1/11/2024

Prof. Allen is one of the kindest and caring professors you will have during college. Though I won't be continuing french I enjoyed her class. Coming to class on time is a MUST and there's a lot of homework & some rather tough grading. Nonetheless if you p/f the class or don't care much for your grade you will have a lot of fun and meet new people.

12/13/2023

More difficult for me to take her College Writing class coming from a school where I didn't do much writing. Very organized professor and readily gives feedback. Helped me become a better paper writer.

12/10/2023

Madame Allen is the sweetest professor you are ever gonna meet. She cares about her students and loves having conversations and helping us understand the language better. Her class can be difficult just because it is very fast, but she tries her best to help anyone falling behind.

12/8/2023

Good lecturer who understands how to teach a good intro-level course. Only a few assignments. Didn't appreciate how half the classes were TA-led about readings that only a few students interacted with. Seemed like students who put in lots of effort received similar outcomes to students who skipped lectures, showed up late, and put in minimal effort

12/6/2023

The class material is interesting & helpful, but Prof. Allen can get very unorganized which makes things harder. She also can be a bit condescending and rude when grading/giving feedback, which ruins the class experience. The class is definitely worth taking if you want to study French, but go for a different professor if you have the option.

10/8/2023

Professor Allen was amazing for college writing. There were assignments due every class but she was very clear with the directions and what she wanted. Same goes for papers just listen to what she has to say during workshop, you will definitely get an A. Also, if you participate she will like you. I ended with a 96% and loved her.

5/18/2023

Fairly easy grader and lax with deadlines, but the workload is heavy and participating in discussions is pretty much required for a decent grade

5/15/2023

Dr Allen is an interesting person and teaches in a very personal way. She feels passionate about random vocabulary use and ranted about using the word "utilize" is stupid. besides that I loved the readings we did and learned a lot from our discussions. She is a little tunnel-visioned and only wants her way which is hard for essay writing.

4/3/2023

In class discussion felt difficult at times as she would argue most ideas shared by students, however, her writing advice was genuinely helpful and helped me grow as a writer.

2/21/2023

Professor Allen was sweet and caring, but a bit disorganized during lectures. Most learning came from online assignments, with class time primarily consisting of review and group activities. She spoke in rapid French for most of her instructions/lectures, leading to some misunderstandings. Overall, the class was manageable but not my favorite.

12/28/2022

Dr. Allen is great! Her course is a little disorganized but overall interesting. She is a tough grader but will work with you and give good feedback.

12/13/2022

To sum up the other reviews, she has a very liberal point of view, if you don't like that then you probably won't like her. She is pretty blunt and won't always agree with you. I thought she was amazing. Discussions had so much depth and she really helps us succeed in all our essays. LOVED her and this class, and was actually excited to show up!!

12/8/2022

I would recommend taking Allen one of the best professors I've had at Washu. She's willing to go above for those who put in effort.

12/6/2022

A great professor for College Writing Program! The lectures and individual meetings are inspirational. You can easily get a good grade if you participate in class and do a few required reading and writing. To succeed in essays, simply listen carefully to her advice on individual meetings and follow them.

11/19/2022

Allen is fairly biased and can be argumentative, but is willing to see your side of the story if you can back it up. I thought her grading critiques were ridiculous and nit-picky at times, but won't ever outright fail you on an assignment. Lots of reading and discussion posts. Has a dry sense of humor that either hits or misses. Decent professor.

5/23/2022

Professor Allen is pretty unapologetically biased. It comes out in everything she teaches. If you want a good grade, you should write/say what she believes. She sighs and gets upset if she doesn't like what you said and she gave the international students a hard time with their grammar and writing styles. She's extremely critical and blunt.

4/18/2022

The course is heavily based on readings, discussions, and papers. The readings include a wide range of topics, closely related to contemporary issues. Dr. Allen gives really detailed and inspirational feedback on papers and really widened my understanding of many topics. Very nice professor and person.

4/1/2021

I had Dr. Allen for CWP: Place & Perspective. The class was always discussing the readings. Readings are generally short, interesting, and about a wide variety of topics. Assignments are very fair and build on each other. Lots of opportunities for feedback/growth. Dr. Allen is anti- everything, so be prepared to have your beliefs challenged.

3/4/2020

She is literally the most caring and passionate professor I've met so far in WashU. The class is work-heavy but if you really work your ass off, you will get a A. She gives a lot of extra credit work which definitely helped me to get an A. I would love to meet her again in higher level FR classes. She made learning FR interesting and I loved it.

5/8/2018

Madame Allen is by far the best professor I've had at WashU. I told her I was *thinking* about being a French minor, and without any hesitation she created a schedule of all the classes I would have to take throughout college in order to achieve that. She's so caring and sweet- I would love to have her again.

3/13/2018

Professor Allen was amazing! She is so hilarious, kind, caring, and really a wonderful teacher. She was always available for help outside of class and gives opportunities for extra credit! She has made me love French and has helped me learn so much in just one semester! I highly recommend taking a class with her!

12/9/2016

So nice, I loved her, she got me really interested in french

12/30/2006

really nice, def. take a class with her

10/26/2005