Current instructor

Sara Hotchkiss

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.63/5 from 27 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

ECOLOGY460 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
Good professor who explains things well, but the class is a lot. There's a semester-long group project, student-led discussions, and outdoor labs in any weather. The final is replaced with a big project with multiple parts, which can feel overwhelming. Not hard material, just a heavy workload.
Rate My Professors ↗
ECOLOGY460 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 1/5
Literally the slowest talking, most monotone speaker possibly ever. I literally could not sit through the lectures because I was so depressed by the time they were over. You can put recordings on 1.5 speed and they sound normal.
Rate My Professors ↗
BIO152 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 3/5
Prof. H is not a very good professor, but ecology is very easy, so easy that most will be ok even if they study themselves. PS: BIO152 is a disorganized class. You will be tricked by the credits, and the IP will force you to work beyond the time designated to 5 credits, messing up all your schedules. Labs are meaningless. Disappointed.
Rate My Professors ↗
BIO152 · course not matched
Quality 2/5Difficulty 4/5
cares about the material but has BAD lectures. she doesnt explain concepts well enough and doesnt give you time to write everything down either.
Rate My Professors ↗
BIO152 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 2/5
She's nice but I felt like her slides were less organized than the other 152 lecturers, maybe because her content is more conceptual
Rate My Professors ↗
BOT402 · course not matched
Quality 3/5Difficulty 3/5
Sara is super friendly and approachable, and extremely knowledgeable about trees on campus. Vey easy to make up points on quizzes. However, the class felt disorganized and she rarely set clear expectations for certain due dates, causing me to almost miss a few deadlines. The grading criteria for weekly tree quizzes was also extremely confusing.
Rate My Professors ↗

Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Sara Hotchkiss

BOTANY 299

Directed Study in Botany

1–3 credits

BOTANY 299 is a directed study course that introduces students to research questions and provides mentorship in a botany research environment.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).

Simon GilroyDavid Baum+13 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
BOTANY 499

Intermediate Directed Research

1–3 credits

BOTANY 499 is an intermediate directed research course where students explore botany research questions under faculty mentorship.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Simon GilroyDavid Baum+12 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
BOTANY 681

Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits

BOTANY 681 is a senior honors thesis course involving individual research arranged with a faculty member for Botany majors.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Simon GilroyDavid Baum+15 more

No recorded grade history

BOTANY 682

Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits

BOTANY 682 is a senior honors thesis course involving individual research arranged with a faculty member for Botany majors.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Simon GilroyDavid Baum+14 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
BOTANY 691

Senior Thesis

2–3 credits

BOTANY 691 is a senior thesis course focused on individual research conducted under faculty supervision.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Simon GilroyDavid Baum+14 more

No recorded grade history

BOTANY 692

Senior Thesis

2–3 credits

BOTANY 692 is a senior thesis course involving individual research arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=2 letter grades).

Simon GilroyDavid Baum+11 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
BOTANY 699

Directed Study

1–4 credits

BOTANY 699 is a directed study course where students explore botany research questions under faculty mentorship.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2015: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Fall 2015: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades); Spring 2016: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

Simon GilroyDavid Baum+14 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
BOTANY/F&WECOL 402

Dendrology: Woody Plant Identification and Ecology

3 credits

Dendrology course focusing on identification, ecology, and uses of woody plants native to Wisconsin through lab and field work.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.93 GPA, 92.6% A/AB (n=27 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.90 GPA, 91.7% A/AB (n=24 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.95 GPA, 96.4% A/AB (n=28 letter grades).

Sara Hotchkiss

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025
ENVIRST 990

Research

1–12 credits

ENVIRST 990 is an independent research and writing course fulfilling thesis or dissertation requirements.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Paul BlockLisa Naughton+49 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026BOTANY 299Directed Study in Botany
Fall 2026BOTANY 499Intermediate Directed Research
Fall 2026BOTANY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026BOTANY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026BOTANY 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026BOTANY 692Senior Thesis
Fall 2026BOTANY 699Directed Study
Fall 2026BOTANY 995Research-plant Ecology
Fall 2026BOTANY/F&WECOL 402Dendrology: Woody Plant Identification and Ecology
Fall 2026ENVIRST 990Research

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance 
{
  "instructor_uid": "instructor_cc64248635c2059468e91f40",
  "source": "enrollment",
  "source_instructor_id": "shotchkiss",
  "identity_basis": "netid",
  "identity_status": "source_identified",
  "name": "Sara Hotchkiss",
  "email": "SHOTCHKISS@WISC.EDU",
  "first_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
  "last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
  "ratings": {
    "review_count": 27,
    "quality": 2.63,
    "difficulty": 2.93,
    "quality_count": 27,
    "difficulty_count": 27,
    "profile_id": "rmp:1142648",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1142648",
    "match_basis": "exact_name",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:07:24.341651+00:00",
    "courses": {},
    "bayesian_quality": 3.068164163211317,
    "prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
    "prior_weight": 20
  },
  "current": true,
  "courses": [
    {
      "course_uid": "course_0865db9a6dddba410eaab5fb",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 499",
      "title": "INTERMEDIATE DIRECTED RESEARCH",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.833
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_60b16cd3510a89a9e4c7e1f5",
      "course_id": "ENVIRST 990",
      "title": "RESEARCH",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 12,
      "gpa": null
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_6f2f6d4b871950f40f47a4e1",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 699",
      "title": "DIRECTED STUDY",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 4,
      "gpa": 3.977
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_a29cafb7f99ced65daef120c",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 691",
      "title": "SENIOR THESIS",
      "credits_min": 2,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": null
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_bc76304e35cf35a13b216ed6",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 692",
      "title": "SENIOR THESIS",
      "credits_min": 2,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 4
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_d70715157381874be5a4f340",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 995",
      "title": "RESEARCH-PLANT ECOLOGY",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 12,
      "gpa": null
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_d80493688cb9434cb7f173e1",
      "course_id": "BOTANY/F&WECOL 402",
      "title": "DENDROLOGY: WOODY PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND ECOLOGY",
      "credits_min": 3,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.572
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_e22fe32a111fdf1a7bc392db",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 682",
      "title": "SENIOR HONORS THESIS",
      "credits_min": 3,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 4
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_e3b5f1921c90acec279b1247",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 299",
      "title": "DIRECTED STUDY IN BOTANY",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.917
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_fe1df643877efda42dc93503",
      "course_id": "BOTANY 681",
      "title": "SENIOR HONORS THESIS",
      "credits_min": 3,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": null
    }
  ],
  "revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "instructor_url": "/instructors/SARA_HOTCHKISS"
}