Castolo, Lester Joseph

Ateneo de Manila · 86 comments

3.2

based on 86 comments

positive 24
neutral 47
mixed 6
negative 9

Clarity3.3

Helpfulness4.3

Grading fairness2.5

Workload2.6

Would retake3.2

negative

masungit, medj mataas standards, i dreaded his class, and if u do take him make sure to find good groupmates 🤡🤡

negative

extremely unprofessional. acts like an entitled teenager. was so obviously a loser in hs and college so now id his time to get revenge and power trip. everyone here saying hes passive aggressive, hes just AGGRESSIVE. he is by far the worst professor i have ever had. hates his students. bad at teaching. bad at giving instructions. nonsensical comments. absolute dogshit prof with the only redeeming quality is that u occasionally get 1-2 weeks of no classes for project production, but even then u have no clue what you are doing cos his instructions dont make sense and his consultations are just him cutting you off when asking questions to judge you. it was nice not to have to see his face thomore

positive

he was ok naman! grades fairly, requirements were not so heavy. we just had a lot of material to go over (but not all were readings, some were just short articles, kdrama episodes, or movies). his quizzes are really objective so you have to make sure to note all the important details like character names n specific things in the texts, but overall the class was quite enjoyable. hard A, very B+ able tho!

neutral

if you're weak at heart do not get him. he will literally look at you like you're a cockroach if you say something he does not think is right

neutral

Anonymous member 107 Anyone but him HAHAHA no idea about Soriano lang pero sa kaniya ka na lang

negative

ThoughtfulFlower3256 Yep, I took him for ENE and holy shit I had to book back-to-back therapy sessions just to cope with his attitude. Imagine this, we made our presentation about a specific thinker/framework from the reading (and hid lectures) and he got MAD because he "didn't even teach that" despite them being mentioned in a lot of the resources he gave. Second worst professor in the department next only to S*. Speaking even as a SOH student, a lot of what he teaches are just plain bastardizations of important cultural theories such as in cultural marxism and deconstruction/poststructuralist thought. Not worth the tuition at all, run away.more

positive1 reaction

ThoughtfulFlower3256 also, he does not have high standards, cos the content and things he creates are really bad. he just wants everything to be in his exact POV, if he even slightly disagrees either way your topic or execution, he will make fun of you and get other people to whisper about you mid presentation. and no matter how hard you try to defend yourself, even when u prove him wrong, mantataray lang siya.more

neutral

Anonymous member 423 is it okay if i speak a little filipino during enlit or is he strict w that?

neutral

Anonymous member 731 Hi! He didn’t mind at all when we spoke Filipino in class, and he also spoke quite a bit of it during lectures. As long as your interpretations make sense, you’ll be fine. He was also a Fili prof before kasi.more

positive1 reaction

Anonymous member agreed! he thinks of himself as super socially aware and thought provoking and free thinker, when he just repeats basic talking points and is the most closed minded person ever. he does not listen to other perspectives at ALL and gets mad if you even try to justify your position thats even just slightly different from his (very surface level) perspectivemore

neutral

not for the faint of heart for a lot of people but he's ayt if you want a challenge and actually improve in reading and writing. be warned it's almost a tradition to have your class be sermoned tho LOLmore

neutral

Napakamakata kung tutuosin *sir ritumban's laugh

positive1 reaction

Easy to make sipsip to HAHAHAHA

neutral1 reaction

Christiana Tiu HWJDKEKDKW STOP!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩

neutral

Gap Estrella did you also discover na bawal yung sched natin kay maam alona 🤠

negative

if you want to graduate with your sanity intact do not, i repeat, do NOT take him 😭 heavy workload (1 quiz every session with nitpicky questions, papers due every week, aside from the major papers you have to write on top of that for midterms and finals), favoritism (which is excusable sometimes if the prof isn't too obvious ab it but he will pick favorites and you WILL know), and his general teaching style is just so unwelcoming and masungit. if you want a challenge, then he might be worth considering, but otherwise spare yourself the stress and pick another profmore

mixed

honestly lol the prev comments r correct he has his favorites and u should def just try to be friendly w him even if he is being a real meanie na to u (it's not the best advice but ended up getting an A by being nice to him and attending all bonus pts)more

neutral

Anonymous member 737 honestly what did u learn in his class 😭 he never explained the narrative concepts, his analyses of the texts were surface level, and his feedback on outputs was often nitpicks and not actually constructive 😭 if anything, all i learned was how to pander to a bitchy profmore

negative

Anonymous member 970 and his favorites are always korean students, hot guys, and especially hot korean guys but u didnt hear that from me lmfaoo

negative

Anonymous member 970 also his grading system is crazy. you have to do backflips to get even a B+ in his class nope qpi destroyer

neutral

Anonymous member 733 hi! how many people in a group normally?

neutral

Anonymous member 733 how does he do his quizzes?

neutral

Anonymous member 843 hi! how many people in a group normally?

neutral

Anonymous member 695 hi! how many people in a group normally?

neutral

Anonymous member 901 hi! how many people in a group normally?

neutral1 reaction

Anonymous member 901 also if he offers opportunities for incentives, grab them agad. In our case he added them to our quiz scores

neutral

Anonymous member 146 there were 3 of us lang that time

positive

as someone who has known sir andy since my senior high days, i can’t say anything about his teaching style or grading style but i can guarantee that he is one of the most approachable people you will ever meet. i’m very comfortable sharing my unfiltered thoughts with him despite knowing he’s a professor because he’s always willing to listen. i also have yet to hear any complaints about him from friends who take classes under him, so i think that’s a good sign! he’s also very passionate about the performing arts, so if you’d like to get closer to him, i’d say that’s your opening :pmore

positive

really nice and knows how to connect with his students!! he’s a recent grad so he still remembers what it’s like to be us. his class is almost… too easy at times imo, as in the assessments are just personal reflection papers with not much application of class content? that could be a pro or con depending on what you’re looking for but overall i’d recommend him!more

neutral

Beyonce Acidera hii update yes he grades high!

neutral

Sophie Ti hi! does he grade high? HEHE

neutral

oh another downside: he... hasn't graded anything yet 😭 i feel like he's the type to grade high but bc of this i can't tell

neutral1 reaction

Maria Victoria Te 96.1 hell yea

neutral

Any updates for this prof? :(

neutral

Hi! I was wondering if any of her former students would be able to share materials she usually uses for advance studying for her class 😊 thank you in advance

positive1 reaction

hi ange!!! 🤪 haha took her during intersession and she was really nice and considerate! we had quizzes, reports, a group presentation, midterms, and finals. all reqs were manageable as long as you pay attention in class. she’s a journalist also so she really knows her stuff hehemore

neutral1 reaction

Enzo Villacorta I didn’t take her during intersession 😞 but I still would naman! Hehe

positive1 reaction

thank you!! would you recommend her for intersession? :o

neutral

OMG THANKS DARRELL I JUS SAW THIS!!

neutral1 reaction

Felicia Ramos THE ABSOLUTE BEST!! ULTRA COMPASSIONATE SHE DESERVES THE WORLD

positive1 reaction

Felicia Ramos YES!! literally the kindest & most reasonable workload too!!

neutral1 reaction

Felicia Ramos canvas says 96 na lang siya ngayon idek what happened HAHAHAHA

mixed

so sungit… did not enjoy his class 👎🏼 I had him 2 yrs ago in intersession so might be diff now. I dont remember much na basta the answers to the quizzes had to be the exact word lol That said my friend had him too and she loved him. iirc they bonded over kdrama 😹more

mixedENLIT 12

tldr not worth it took him for enlit 12 to be fair he has insanely good attention to detail when it comes to the readings. but he expects the same, even more from students -- quizzes every day within the first 10 minutes of class about literally the most nitpicky parts of the readings you wouldn't even care about or notice. close reading analyses due almost every session. every paper is out of 7 lang and he takes a point out of it for every interpretation that's not the exact same as his. his workload was so heavy, tied with his unreachable standards -- so it was a frustrating experience because he expected us to read his mind and know EXACTLY what he wanted. and if you recited anything else in class he would give you a disgusted face in front of everyone. okay sana yung workload and difficulty if he was nice to us and understanding -- if he showed us patience and guided us to where he wanted us to be, instead we were met with an attitude. he has a policy wherein if you are late twice to his class he will tell you to withdraw. idk if this is just for his 8AM class or if it also applies to his other classes but i found it very inconsiderate considering we took him during the peak of ateneo traffic. having two lates = drop his subject was wilddd 🤯 so don't even dream of efficiently using your cuts kasi late pa lang ipapawithdraw ka na his general attitude in the classroom was super masungit and so inconducive to learning. maybe it depends though kasi some reviews say he's nice naman but for me and a good majority of my classmates this was not the case smart and clearly loves literature but imo anon you're better off with other enlit profsmore

positive

i personally enjoyed his class pero he's definitely not an easy A 😓 i enjoyed his class though! I feel like I learned a lot (but never got it right in his quizzes LOL)more

mixed

honestly not as bad as u would think given the reviews above... he does have an attitude but honestly u wont find it directed at you as long as u mind ur own business and dont ask weird questions LMAO just agree with whatever he says even if hes wrong idk his instructions can be super lacking and u find urself not knowing what to do but just follow the rubrics grading wise, he grades weirdly high for how he be acting w giving feedback LOL like for the last task i thought we'd get really low for sure but no one got lower than 42/50 even after the "mean" comments. tldr: manageable and grades make sense (he does NOT want you to fail) u just have to go thru a lil verbal humiliation and thats fine yk lil humbling experience for life (maybe)more

positive

he was ok. personally found his teaching method quite effective and he can be very entertaining but yes mataas talaga standards niya. you really need to allocate time to study for his subject, especially for quizzes but he announces it in advance naman since during my time he did not give quizzes every session. his quizzes are kinda high school type na identification and need exact words tas first name + last name yung ppl. he also gives good feedback both when u consult before submission and after when he returns the graded work. i got a b+ without reciting the whole semester. i just made sure to bawi sa written outputs and group works. regarding attendance, i took him last sem lang and wasnt strict about it naman. i maxed my 6 cuts lmao.more

mixed

tldr not worth ittook him for enlit 12to be fair he has insanely good attention to detail when it comes to the readings. but he expects the same, even more from students -- quizzes every day within the first 10 minutes of class about literally the most nitpicky parts of the readings you wouldn't even care about or notice. close reading analyses due almost every session. every paper is out of 7 lang and he takes a point out of it for every interpretation that's not the exact same as his. his workload was so heavy, tied with his unreachable standards -- so it was a frustrating experience because he expected us to read his mind and know EXACTLY what he wanted. and if you recited anything else in class he would give you a disgusted face in front of everyone.okay sana yung workload and difficulty if he was nice to us and understanding -- if he showed us patience and guided us to where he wanted us to be, instead we were met with an attitude.he has a policy wherein if you are late twice to his class he will tell you to withdraw. idk if this is just for his 8AM class or if it also applies to his other classes but i found it very inconsiderate considering we took him during the peak of ateneo traffic. having two lates = drop his subject was wilddd so don't even dream of efficiently using your cuts kasi late pa lang ipapawithdraw ka na his general attitude in the classroom was super masungit and so inconducive to learning. maybe it depends though kasi some reviews say he's nice naman but for me and a good majority of my classmates this was not the casesmart and clearly loves literature but imo anon you're better off with other enlit profsmore

positive

Sir was my ENE 13.06i prof back in 2022. Natrauma ako and medyo nabudol sa profs to pick HAHAHAHA pero I think if you’re good with writing(critical reflections and essays in general) goods ka naman siguro with him. Super critical siya sa papers and sa final output so consult with him if you can. I enjoyed his class at first since maganda readings niya and topics. Very engaging ung class niya and magaling naman siya magturo. Pero super strict siya, halos walang extensions and we had to read an entire book for the first reading. Just get on his good side sa una palang kung ayaw mong gisahin ka throughout the semester. Others would probably vouch his class but I would not personally take him again.more

positiveENLIT 12

He's not very well-liked among my Enlit 12 classmates from last year but I personally enjoyed Sir's classes. I'd say the requirements (Close Reading Assignments + Midterm/Final Papers) were fair but I still struggled bc he's quite meticulous and he really expects you to think outside of the box. I'm pretty grade conscious but, as fake as it may sound, I still ended up not caring too much bc I found the class fulfilling. It might just be that his choice of literature suits my taste but if you do want to challenge yourself a bit (do it), I recommend him. There was a session where barely half of the class attended (early morning) and it's still one of the most interesting discussions I've had in college so far. Apparently it can be more engaging with fewer people in the class 🤷‍♀️ He even gave us plus points for showing up. General tip, try to recite every meeting and share your insights. But make sure you actually read bc he can smell bs or if mema ka lang. Just get him to remember you bc I think that's how I got a B+ despite having only had a perfect score once or twice LMAOmore

negative

make sure to memorize all your notes word per word, and make sure you spell everything on your notes right He tends to minus a lot of points for one small mistake on your spelling He’ll dictate what you need to write on your notes so proof read them after the class if ever 🙂 Hope this helps! Good luck 🙂more

positive

Agree wt the other comms, just be nice to him and just show that u make an effort wt his class + don’t ever ask for an extension or synch or asynch class bc he’ll gisa u guys on why you’ll need it But overall if u got his vibe and rhythm u’re goodmore

neutral

If sablay ka sa quizzes, you can bawi in the group and paper requirements. Make sure to always double check the rubrics and as what anon 843 said, set consultations to know whether you’re on the right track. I thought I was gonna get a B-B+ because my quiz scores were so low pero my scores in the group works and final paper were able to pull it up to an A!more

neutral

Hi! Sir is very passionate, but that also comes with him being pretentious. His quizzes require a bunch of memorization, so make sure to hammer the terms of each reading/video down to a point. Get good groupmates too... Otherwise it's an okay class. -Hard B+. -Memorization heavy quizzes -Gives the grade you deserve for your effort (a bit harsh) -Will be snobby sometimes P.S. Don't ask for online classes, or trying to argue with him because once he's set on a thought, he won't go back...more

negative

Hi! i was in his class before last sem and one of the trickiest requirements were really the quizzes. I suggest when reading the readings take down notes of ANYTHING with a definition. He is very specific about them and if you put something otherwise or even has same meaning he will refer to what the reading exactly says. So be sure to know which definitions are for which and don’t mix them up! His quizzes are the typical identification high school way but he doesnt consider other answers so stick to what the reading EXACTLY says (i mean it hahaha). Also avoid forgetting about your blue book when you know you will have a quiz on that day! Stick to that only one until your last quiz for the course. I had a friend who had to buy 4 blue books because he forgot it was a quiz day hahaha sobrang hassle. When it comes to group work and writing essays, best to always consult with him to know you’re on the right track. Know what he wants out of your paper from the start and stick to that as much as possible. If you feel unsure, consult again amap. + Much easier too if you have found good groupmates. Also during classes he will ask the class what the reading is about / opinions about the reading so participate evenly to make him remember you which can boost you at least in participation. He is definitely B+ able so as long as you typically get 5 mistakes/points off ur scores in quizzes and other works. A - would be a challenge considering his standards but definitely possible if you get to perfect most of the quizzes and allow some space if ever you dont get the perfect score written/group works. P.S. DONT ARGUE WITH HIM. He has the correct answer and there is no turning back from there hahahamore

positive

Hello! Sir Andy is a new member of the IS faculty, but he was my G12 (SY 22–23) EAPP and 21CL teacher back in ASHS. He's a very kind, understanding, and approachable teacher, and has a lot of insights on the many aspects of literature (it was honestly a surprise for me to learn he is also interested in music). He's also the audio person for some of the theater productions in the univ. Although I can't say for certain though how he grades nowadays, but when I was his student, only a few in our class got high marks. I sincerely hope you take a shot at his class and enjoy it too!more

positive

She's a great prof! Super approachable and considerate. She's a journalist talaga so you'll gain a lot of practical insights from her, and lectures are pretty easy to understand naman. Workload was light imo, parang 1 paper lang ata every other week iirc? There are quizzes, seatworks, and grpworks in almost every meeting so don't cut. But generally, all reqs are very manageable as long as you listen well. Overall, super recommend hehe take her!more

positive1 reaction

Really enjoyed her class! She's a very well-known and experienced journalist so she gives a lot of insight based on her own experiences. Requirements are super light lang! She's a fair grader. Quizzes are random n hard tho but usually they're for bonus lang! If you work hard and take the class seriously, you'll do well :-)more

positive

hi ange!!! haha took her during intersession and she was really nice and considerate! we had quizzes, reports, a group presentation, midterms, and finals. all reqs were manageable as long as you pay attention in class. she’s a journalist also so she really knows her stuff hehemore

Castolo, Lester Joseph

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Teaching this term