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- Ioannis Kospentaris
- ECON 11
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Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
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Ioannis is very helpful, though his problem sets are fairly tough and require hours and hours of collaboration with your classmates to solve them. However, he goes over them in his office hours and is great with answering questions. Even though the tests are tough, his curve is generous and it is easy to end up with a good grade in his class. Selling the textbook, contact **********.
I would highly recommend taking Econ 11 over the Summer with Ioannis. He is a graduate student getting his masters in economics and overall has a passion for what he teaches so lectures are not terrible to go to. I got a 50% on the midterm and a 99% on the final and ended up alright in the class. He either makes the midterm and final both worth 50% or you can do midterm 30% and final 70%. A tough course overall but it will definitely be easier if you take it over the summer with him.
I would like to preface my comments by saying that I went into this class having taken multi-variable calculus, so I wasn't caught off guard in that respect.
I had heard that Econ 11 was math-intensive, and that the first week or so was dedicated to learning partial derivatives and similar topics. This was true, but I didn't realize quite how involved the math was. For the majority of the course, it felt more like I was learning theoretical math than microeconomics. Luckily I already knew the math required, but still the material had a surprising emphasis on the theoretical aspects of the various economic theorems.
There were only 3 problem sets, none of which were mandatory, but were necessary for doing well on the exams. However, no solutions were provided. So, if neither you nor your friends could figure out the solutions, then you had to go to office hours -- which were scheduled during the day, when most of us had work (because it was summer). I was late to work twice for office hours, and both times it was a waste of time. He holds his hours in the Alper Room, which was by no means large enough for all students. Then, he answers students' questions one at a time, but usually responds in a way that only that person and a few people in the immediate vicinity can hear the explanation. I would not be surprised if he answered the same questions several times over the course of his hours, but I wasn't always able to get close enough to hear him.
I didn't enjoy this class, and thought the material/delivery was boring, but what was even worse was discovering that other professors structure this course very differently. While our exams were 2 hours and 4 questions, one of which consisted entirely of proofs, other professors give exams that are part multiple choice, part short answer. The other exams also seem to be more economically relevant as well, whereas our exams would not be out of place in a maths class.
The only redeeming quality of this course was the available extra credit. It is possible to gain up to 5 extra points for participation. However, his lectures are not very conducive to asking questions, and it is hard to get close enough to him to ask questions during office hours. This is also difficult for people who are shy/have work and cannot stay to ask individual questions. I did not gain any extra credit this way. Instead, I got it in the exams. On the midterm, I got 58/80 (58/87 w/ ec) and on the final I got 80/80 (88/100 w/ ec). Because your total grade is 50% midterm / 50% final or 30% midterm / 70% final depending on which one results in a higher grade, I ended the class with an A-.
So yes, it is possible to do ok in this class. If you can, take advantage of the extra credit. Make sure to know all the proofs he goes over in class/office hours, and any he mentions doing on your own. Also do your best to solve each question in the problem sets, as one of them is sure to turn up on the exam. If you can't figure it out yourself, find a group of people to work with. The book does have some proofs/examples in it, but it is by no means enough. I suggest avoiding this professor.
Ioannis is very helpful, though his problem sets are fairly tough and require hours and hours of collaboration with your classmates to solve them. However, he goes over them in his office hours and is great with answering questions. Even though the tests are tough, his curve is generous and it is easy to end up with a good grade in his class. Selling the textbook, contact **********.
I would highly recommend taking Econ 11 over the Summer with Ioannis. He is a graduate student getting his masters in economics and overall has a passion for what he teaches so lectures are not terrible to go to. I got a 50% on the midterm and a 99% on the final and ended up alright in the class. He either makes the midterm and final both worth 50% or you can do midterm 30% and final 70%. A tough course overall but it will definitely be easier if you take it over the summer with him.
I would like to preface my comments by saying that I went into this class having taken multi-variable calculus, so I wasn't caught off guard in that respect.
I had heard that Econ 11 was math-intensive, and that the first week or so was dedicated to learning partial derivatives and similar topics. This was true, but I didn't realize quite how involved the math was. For the majority of the course, it felt more like I was learning theoretical math than microeconomics. Luckily I already knew the math required, but still the material had a surprising emphasis on the theoretical aspects of the various economic theorems.
There were only 3 problem sets, none of which were mandatory, but were necessary for doing well on the exams. However, no solutions were provided. So, if neither you nor your friends could figure out the solutions, then you had to go to office hours -- which were scheduled during the day, when most of us had work (because it was summer). I was late to work twice for office hours, and both times it was a waste of time. He holds his hours in the Alper Room, which was by no means large enough for all students. Then, he answers students' questions one at a time, but usually responds in a way that only that person and a few people in the immediate vicinity can hear the explanation. I would not be surprised if he answered the same questions several times over the course of his hours, but I wasn't always able to get close enough to hear him.
I didn't enjoy this class, and thought the material/delivery was boring, but what was even worse was discovering that other professors structure this course very differently. While our exams were 2 hours and 4 questions, one of which consisted entirely of proofs, other professors give exams that are part multiple choice, part short answer. The other exams also seem to be more economically relevant as well, whereas our exams would not be out of place in a maths class.
The only redeeming quality of this course was the available extra credit. It is possible to gain up to 5 extra points for participation. However, his lectures are not very conducive to asking questions, and it is hard to get close enough to him to ask questions during office hours. This is also difficult for people who are shy/have work and cannot stay to ask individual questions. I did not gain any extra credit this way. Instead, I got it in the exams. On the midterm, I got 58/80 (58/87 w/ ec) and on the final I got 80/80 (88/100 w/ ec). Because your total grade is 50% midterm / 50% final or 30% midterm / 70% final depending on which one results in a higher grade, I ended the class with an A-.
So yes, it is possible to do ok in this class. If you can, take advantage of the extra credit. Make sure to know all the proofs he goes over in class/office hours, and any he mentions doing on your own. Also do your best to solve each question in the problem sets, as one of them is sure to turn up on the exam. If you can't figure it out yourself, find a group of people to work with. The book does have some proofs/examples in it, but it is by no means enough. I suggest avoiding this professor.
Based on 4 Users
TOP TAGS
- Tolerates Tardiness (2)
- Useful Textbooks (2)
- Appropriately Priced Materials (2)
- Tough Tests (2)
- Participation Matters (2)