Alvarez, Roelia V. teaches at Ateneo de Manila University. Across 15 comments from students, they hold a rating of 4.4 out of 5. Of those comments, 11 read positive, 1 read mixed, 1 read neutral and 2 read negative. They are listed for 5 sections this term.
Alvarez, Roelia V.
Ateneo de Manila University · 15 comments
What students said
positive 11
neutral 1
mixed 1
negative 2
Alvarez, Roelia V.4.4
Background
Leans worth takingCareer · CoursesShowHide
Leans worth takingread from published reviews and public records · low confidence
Take Alvarez if you want a Japanese language instructor whose only named student reports are about generous final marks (curve / rounding despite a no-rounding syllabus line). Do not treat this as a teaching-style verdict: nobody in the bundle described lectures, workload, or exams. Sample is two unique writeups, so this is lean_take rather than take.
Suits
students taking JPN 11–14 who care about a possible upward curve on the final letter
students continuing from one JPN level to the next with the same instructor
Look elsewhere if
students who need a documented teaching-style or workload picture before enrolling
Japanese language (Japanese language and culture)
Career
instructor, Ateneo de Manila University · Japanese Studies Program · current
Recent courses
JPN 11
JPN 12
JPN 13
JPN 14
Alvarez, Roelia V. | Ateneo de Manila
Comments
Others(1)(2)
Top comments
Anonymous
Great Nihongo intersession, solid basics
positive
CourseJPN 12
Retake?Yes
I had a great Nihongo experience! I took her intersession class. By the end of the course, I had a really solid grasp of basic nihongo and was considering taking JPN 12.
-She didn't expect us to have completely memorized hiragana and katana right away. It took, I think, 1-2 weeks for us to finish.
-After every session, she gave out a section of Genki I (the prescribed textbook) as homework. She expected the class to have answered the homework on the following meeting and called some students to write their answers on the board.
-Other homework included writing a self introduction, a daily routine etc. completely in Nihongo. She gave a range for the expected number of sentences. By near the end of the course, she expected us to use the kanji that she taught.
-Her slides had a bunch of drills, and the class answered these drills through a recitation that cycled through everyone in the class.
-From time to time, she called some students to play out a sample dialogue.
-Her quizzes ranged from easier or as hard as Genki I exercises, and she gave about 1-2 per module (I think).
-Her exams were a bit more challenging compared to Genki exercises. Expect some questions to exploit some tricky grammar concepts such as correct usages of particles and verb conjugations. I think if you have successfully done the book exercises, you will have no problem in the exams.
-She gave a lot of opportunities for bonus points and she routinely gave homework for one to earn them. She also likes games and asked the class to form groups to play. One can add 1-5 points to exam scores depending on their performance.
-We finished around 20 kanji. I recommend using the Anki app for this. I strongly recommend memorizing all her example vocabulary for each Kanji because she will ask them in the exams. Memorizing all the vocabulary will also help you memorize the different pronunciations for each Kanji character.
-Finally, we submitted Kana Art for our final output! https://kanakomphil.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-japanese-studies-program-of-ateneo.htmlmore
Rapid Bison
PLEASE RUN, expect to self-study almost every day
CourseJPN 11
Retake?No
WorkloadHeavy
Hello I took her for the first semester of FLC. (JPN 11)PLEASE RUN! (Not kidding haha!)I saw past reviews giving her good reviews and took it (and because of my time schedule). The first session was very lighthearted, then suddenly it became very heavy. I know FLC is usually fast-faced, but during the session’s she usually just gives us the words or the sentences and does not even explain them. So please expect to self-study almost every day, and if you miss a session, there is a lot to keep up with. For the workload, we are usually given a homework assignment to do; sometimes it’s very easy but a lot. We did two writing assignments (one about someone you like & what you do typically in a day.) Many quizzes, and two long tests (please always review a head and write everything she says. She likes to add new words in the tests). Experience: She tends to be passive-aggressive most of the time and expects us to understand what she is teaching immediately. For my class, she tends to ghost us, literally expect a reply within 5 days or none at all! And for online class sessions, she ends the call immediately, so you can always expect that it’s hard to consult. I would not take her again honestly; in my own time, I loved learning the language, but because of her, I almost hated it.If you are planning to take her, please learn Hiragana and Katakana, and also try to learn numbers, days of the weeks, days of the months, etc. (Those who got A & B usually study a lot, so it’s commendable if you survived her class!)more
Anonymous
PLEASE RUN! (Not kidding)
CourseJPN 11
Retake?No
WorkloadHeavy
Hello I took her for the first semester of FLC. (JPN 11)
PLEASE RUN! (Not kidding haha!)
I saw past reviews giving her good reviews and took it (and because of my time schedule). The first session was very lighthearted, then suddenly it became very heavy. I know FLC is usually fast-faced, but during the session’s she usually just gives us the words or the sentences and does not even explain them. So please expect to self-study almost every day, and if you miss a session, there is a lot to keep up with.
For the workload, we are usually given a homework assignment to do; sometimes it’s very easy but a lot. We did two writing assignments (one about someone you like & what you do typically in a day.) Many quizzes, and two long tests (please always review a head and write everything she says. She likes to add new words in the tests).
Experience:
She tends to be passive-aggressive most of the time and expects us to understand what she is teaching immediately. For my class, she tends to ghost us, literally expect a reply within 5 days or none at all! And for online class sessions, she ends the call immediately, so you can always expect that it’s hard to consult. I would not take her again honestly; in my own time, I loved learning the language, but because of her, I almost hated it.
If you are planning to take her, please learn Hiragana and Katakana, and also try to learn numbers, days of the weeks, days of the months, etc. (Those who got A & B usually study a lot, so it’s commendable if you survived her class!)more
All comments
Jolly Heron
Alvarez is a full time job but it pays off
positive
WorkloadHeavy
never ever cut her class, always always do your homework lalo na yung worksheets that she gives, bec this really helps you learn Japanese quickly. Also, practicing hiragana/katakana by writing them (parang Kinder) helps with the memorization. For the early worksheets, you can hand them in until you get a perfect score, or she'll give them back to you so. that you can correct them and get a higher score. Alvarez is a full time job but it pays off and you'll learn a lot and very quickly. I was able to retain most of what I learned naman from her.more
Daring Urchin
A-able with lots of effort, not a chill class
positive
CourseJPN 11
4.0 attainableYes
WorkloadHeavy
took her during intercession for jpn 11!!A-able with LOTS AND LOTS of effort (i cannot stress this enough). her classes were very interactive as everyone would take turns to recite + we would have hw every day.she gave feedback very quickly and wasn’t super impatient when we made mistakes?if you want a chill class, she is def not for you but i still learned a lot from her classmore
Icy Osprey
Alvarez does in fact curve
positive
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes
Alvarez does infact curve, my 91.5 became an A (though nakalagay sa syllabus niya na no rounding off)
1 replyHide replies
Mellow Panda
hello! Any tips to get an A on her class? I had no choice but to take her for intersession since that’s the only slot left 🥲
Anonymous
Gift from the heavens, B became B+
positive
CourseJPN 13
4.0 attainableYes
Hello, we had sensei for both JPN 13 & 14. From our experience, she does! I was B standing last sem but because she if a gift from the heavens, my grade became B+. I believe some of my classmates also experienced the same 🫶more
1 replyHide replies
Fancy Puffin
was it because of the bonus points? 😮😮
Swift Robin
Not beginner-friendly, heavy workload
positive
Retake?No
WorkloadHeavy
also took her during intersession; in short, not so beginner-friendly and she isn’t an approachable prof.
HEAVY workload. we got worksheets due the next day everyday, and she doesn’t grade them if you don’t submit in the session immediately after the last class. these take long to finish. in-class activities and recitation are a big part of your grade. i did well on assessments but max cut, and this is what can take you from an A to a B+ (my grade on canvas would go down by a LOT after every session i cut).
i know she paces depending on the class (had a friend take her this sem and they were stuck on earlier modules for longer), but, as others have mentioned, she is pretty passive-aggressive when it comes to people who are behind/visibly struggling (and even to people who do well in class but are unable to submit worksheets on time).
i most definitely DID learn, but i had to brute force her workload. this is a good class if you REALLY want to learn and need that extraextra pressure to put effort in, but for anyone else, there are much more pleasant profs to choose from.more
Lucky Zebra
Never again, fast-paced and heavy
positive
CourseJPN 11
Retake?No
4.0 attainableYes
WorkloadHeavy
was the beadle for her jpn 11 class in intersession, never again 😭
her class was very fast-paced, even more than usual because it was intersession. she was also pretty passive aggressive (like the other comment said) because she'd expect you to know some words in japanese already even though she didn't formally teach it.
the workload is heavy, there's a lot of assignments. she gave them back asap to us which is good but it's a lot.
you also have to be ready for recitation always, she will make you recite and she will really make sure na makuha mo before moving on to another person.
please brace yourself, kaya naman magka-A if you REALLY put in all your effort 😭 good luckmore
Kind Crane
Save yourself, heavy, fast-paced, not a chill FLC
mixed
Retake?No
WorkloadHeavy
Honestly, save yourself and don’t take her class.
Her classes are very fast paced. Workload is pretty heavy (she gives out 2-4 pages homework almost every meeting ++ seatwork before quizzes) Her class requires maximum effort! She also makes us recite consecutively so you really have to prepare yourselves with the PPTs/primers she gives out before attending her class.
Overall, we had 3 hws, 5 quizzes, 3 written exams, and 1 oral exam. If you really want to learn the language and is willing to dedicate most of your time studying it, I’d say go take Miss Alvarez. But if you’re just looking to finish your FLC and want a chill class, then her class is definitely not for you. In my class, i think 7 people withdrew 😭 which i wish i did this as well tbh
I’d say she’s really knowledgeable about the course and you’ll really learn from her. But her class is definitely not beginner-friendly and is not chill.
Personally, I will never take her again.more
Anonymous
A-able with lots of effort, not chill
positive
CourseJPN 11
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes
WorkloadHeavy
took her during intercession for jpn 11!!
A-able with LOTS AND LOTS of effort (i cannot stress this enough). her classes were very interactive as everyone would take turns to recite + we would have hw every day.
she gave feedback very quickly and wasn’t super impatient when we made mistakes?
if you want a chill class, she is def not for you 😭 but i still learned a lot from her class :Dmore
Fancy Zebra
Generous naman sa score sa final cultural project
positive
LeniencyYes
From my experience she doesn't. Pero she's generous naman sa score sa final cultural project.
Kind Dove
Very kind! Tests are easy
positive
WorkloadLight
Very kind! Tests are easy as they are 100-200 items!
Lucky Jay
Do the HW, you can correct until it's perfect
Never forget to do your hw, practice with flashcards, practice your handwriting !!! istg doodling random japanese words helps a lot with retention, and also always take advantage of the times she gives the hw back very early bec you can always correct your mistakes til u get a perfect scoremore
Anonymous
Considerate, well-paced, and not scary
positive
IIRC Her last time teaching in Ateneo was 2016 then she went to Japan to pursue additional studies. I was under her and she's very considerate and paces the lessons well enough. She makes lessons fun and easy to understand. She grades on how you work. There are quizzes, and homeworks. In my time, we had presentations. She's easy to talk to and definitely not scary.more
