Very kind professor, really patient when answering questions (even if the question is stupid). It might be due to the nature of econometrics, or due to her strong accent, she is not really good at explaining the contents, but she is so nice and caring. I feel like this class fits better into mathematical department, or at least should have some math prerequisites, so that students’ discrepancy in math would not be this large. Then the professor can focus on real “advanced” econometrics, rather than explaining mathematical concepts to some of students at the beginning of quarter repeatedly.

I wrote a review about ECON 143 a year ago. As a master's student in quantitative finance now, I feel compelled to rewrite my review.

Econometrics is such an important subject. Rigorous training in econometrics (through ECON103, 104, and possibly 143 for those who want to challenge themselves even further) is crucial in quantitative careers. Some careers I have in mind include quants, data analysts, researchers, etc.

Econometrics taught in our undergraduate courses deals with linear regression. They thoroughly discuss the fundamental assumptions of linear models, what these assumptions entail, and how to remedy them when they are violated. Working hard to explore these topics will sharpen your understanding of probability and statistics foundation, especially expectation and statistical distributions. After taking econ103 and econ104, you will know how to apply linear models cautiously and correctly. Econ 143 will elevate your understanding and derivation skills to another level. Now looking retrospectively, I cannot state enough how the knowledge I gained in these course series helped me succeed in both courses and interviews.

I sincerely recommend that students interested in sharpening their quantitative skills take this course. Professor Matzkin is probably the most authoritative person to teach econometrics, and taking this course with her is a privilege. Even though she may be going too fast and is a little bit unclear in the lectures, she is SUPER knowledgeable about the course material and knows econometrics inside out. Attend her office hours and try to learn more. I went to her office hour only once before the final when I took this course, and now I still feel regret about it. That afternoon was the most informative session I have ever had. She was super kind to me during the session and hearing her explain the connections between linear model assumptions is total satisfaction.

I hope she can be at UCLA forever.

Professor Matzkin is really nice, and I found this class to be very interesting. However, it's probably one of the most difficult Econ classes, and you shouldn't take it unless you're interested in econometrics/data science. Linear algebra is used more often to describe solutions, so some proficiency with matrices is necessary. The homework isn't too bad, but the exams are pretty difficult. Fortunately, she gave a very generous curve. In terms of content, most of the class is spent looking at what happens when the basic assumptions of linear regression fail and how to fix them. We later also discussed logit models.

You know what, Prof. Matzkin is such a sweet and caring lady. She is. Her curve is INSANELY generous because she knows econometrics is hard. So you don’t have to worry about this class tanking your GPA. In fact, you can take it as a GPA boost.
I cannot, however, bring myself to say that she’s a good professor. This was a really really awful class and I would not do it again. I took this class because I really enjoyed 103 and I wanted to learn more about using Stata. I was disappointed in the first class when she said our class was purely theoretical and that it was essentially an “applied math class.” But I stayed regardless. Tell me why we always had Stata problems on our homework tho?? In homework 1, it was fine because you could just use 103 knowledge to answer them but, after that, we literally started learning a bunch of new models, tests, concepts, etc. and we had to do them in Stata with absolutely zero direction from our professor. Doing the homework always took forever because of this (as you probably know, googling how to do something on stata is pretty difficult).
Her lectures are also extremely boring and just straight up difficult to follow. She uses slides (I’m strongly against slides in a math class. I think the board is best but anyway) and she always puts superfluous info on them so she ends up skipping a bunch of things and saying “only these things are important”. Okay so only put the important things on the slides then?? Following her classes are difficult and studying for exams are even harder because of this. There is so much unnecessary info on the slides. So. Much. She even usually posted a newer version where the “important” parts are highlighted. It was barely anything compared to the original slides. Crazy.
I really like econometrics but this class was just so disappointing for me. I don’t know if the A was worth it tbh. I do not recommend.

Teaching a stats/math heavy class out of the econ department can be difficult due the different backgrounds in math and stats people have when entering the class, so I can imagine it was very hard for Professor Matzkin to cater to all levels of students in the class. If you have completed some stats upper divs (especially the 100 series), the class is extremely simple, but for other people who had just completed the required math 31a/b and econ 103 the class is more difficult. Prof. Matzkin is very helpful if you need additional help or have questions though. Also, topics are a bit redundant from 103. Your spending half the quarter learning things covered in 103 but at a slightly more rigorous level, and you are required to do some proofs.

This is the least interesting class I've taken at UCLA. I took it because I'm an econ stats double major and it fulfills elective requirements for both. Whenever I went to lecture it was truly mind-numbingly boring. The professor seems solid, nothing against her personally. You end up being graded based on a few mini projects, and you should actually take those seriously and be diligent about them. I let something slip on the final project and got an A- because of it. There were no exams at all when I took the class, which was cool.

The assignments are super unclear and expectations are also very unclear. I agree with other reviews that it's probably due to the varying math abilities. This together made the class quite stressful but you get at least exposure to a bunch of econometrics that builds off OLS. I'm not sure I would take it again if I had the choice.

During Covid, there were no tests or quizzes. It's jut problem sets and research projects. In a poll in the groupme, about 60% of the class got As or A+s. 15% got A-s, 15% got B+s. The rest had a lower grade than that.

Selling the textbook (5th edition) for $15. Hmu @********** if interested!

Generally, Professors who excel at research do poorly at teaching.
Prof Matzkin mainly teaches graduate classes and directly brings those materials into this class for the first 3 weeks, though the rest weeks are analogous to Econ 104.
Strongly recommend taking Math 170E/Stats 100A and Econ 104 together with / before this class.

I have mixed feelings about Professor Matzkin.

On the one hand, she is not very engaging in her lectures and gives tough exams and heavy homework. ECON 143 is probably THE most stats-intensive course in the Economics Department and covers everything ECON 103 did not cover in the econometrics textbook. Be aware; ECON 143 is nothing like ECON 103 regarding difficulty and workload. In my own words, I would say ECON 143 is five times harder than ECON 103. So, if you care about learning and are not very strong in stats and math, avoid this class.

However, Professor Matzkin gives the most generous curve I have ever seen in Economics Department. She assigned about 60% A/A+/A-!! She knows this course is challenging, so she is extremely considerate and is always willing to help.

Overall, she is the kindest professor I have ever met at UCLA. Unfortunately, she may not be the best instructor I have ever met.