ECON201 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/28/2024	Solid lecturer. She was pretty nice and flexible and gave our class bonus points if at least 75% filled out the end-of-semester survey. Midterms were difficult but they could've been easier if I just studied more and practiced. Go to review sessions if you aren't sure of something, they were pretty helpful. I Studied a lot for the final and did pretty well because of that. I think it was also just easier than the midterms. Also, she drops your lower midterm grade which was really nice.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/25/2024	Kind of slacked off half way through the semester and while it isn difficult, you can definitely get an A in this class. Just take initiative to go to office hours or weekly review session or even ask questions in class. Lectures are kinda boring and you for sure have to attend them to pass.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/20/2024	Professor Sarna is very experienced and knows what he's talking about, but his lectures are very boring and not engaging. Much of the time, he will explain class content through many confusing anecdotes. I honestly learned the content better from reading and taking notes on the textbook. But, he did a nice job preparing us for exams with review sessions and mock exams. The exams aren't too difficult, but they are a big portion of your grade. Overall, this class is not difficult but professor doesn't teach the content well.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/19/2024	Lectures are horrible you won’t be able to pay attention. But he gives a lot of test prep and curves all tests, plus they aren’t super difficult never anything unexpected
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/17/2024	Professor Gandhi was a average lecturer. She would upload the slides and her notes on canvas, so attendance wasn't mandatory. Homework was very simple typically given 2-3 attempts per assignment. However, the midterms were very difficult, one of the averages being a D. I felt that most students were unprepared for the exams and her grading structure was very hard to understand. Gandhi didn't use weights to calculate our grades instead she did it out of point value, but it was very unorganized as she would drop assignments and then add extra credit. Overall, I think the class was made out to be more difficult than it should've been as Professor Gandhi would often breeze through the information and not further elaborate. Definitely a class where it's on you to put in the extra hours outside of class to really understand the concepts.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/11/2024	Lectures are insanely boring but gives a ton of test prep and if you are confused and have specific questions he can be very helpful. Just hard to focus in class. And his canvas is so unorganized any resources he puts in there are basically useless.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting an A- Anonymous 04/24/2024	Lectures are hard to pay attention to but generally all the content for the exam is there if you have the patience to listen. My one complaint is that there's not enough practice material to study for the midterms.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting a W Anonymous 04/22/2024	Gandhi is an alright lecturer. She explains concepts; however, her slides don't have much information. Along with that, she handwrites "notes" but they aren't very helpful if you don't attend the lecture. I was sick with the flu, and she was very strict about makeup exams. In her syllabus, she says that she prefers that students don't makeup exams, which is a bit odd. Otherwise, the class has one homework assignment a week with 3 attempts. It was a lower workload compared to ECON200 with Scandizzo. I withdrawed from the class because I felt that her grading was unfair on exams. She is a definitely a harsh grader and takes off a lot of points if you make a small error.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A edenw29 12/21/2023	Such a good professor. His lectures were pretty interesting and not too complicated. His homework grades were based on completion. The best part about the class was that the exams were extremely similar to the practice exams and you get to bring a formula sheet that you can put whatever you want on. As long as you make a good cheat sheet and do some of the practice exams you have more than enough materials to do well in the course.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/13/2023	Exams are really fair and have cheat sheets he makes for you, homeworks are graded for completion. Not a fan of Shea, he's not very interesting to listen to lecture. He also covers some weird topics of macroeconomics that other professors don't cover, but nothing is that difficult. Just lots of math and real world stuff. You don't ever have to go to class to pass it for this one, so if you have to take it, don't stress. Also, would appreciate if he left his political opinions out of lectures, entirely irrelevant to his particular content.
Alexander Cross ECON201 Anonymous 10/02/2023	I just wanted to give a shoutout to Xander. Even though he only does office hours and not discussions, he's been a total lifesaver for me in this course. Whenever I'm feeling lost with the course material, he's there to help me out. What I really appreciate is how professional and respectful he is. It can be intimidating asking for help sometimes, but he makes it so easy. No judgment, just pure support. Overall, Xander has been a big part of my success in this course, and I couldn't be happier with his help.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 09/30/2023	He's a nice professor but his lectures are absolutely terrible. He would take at least 3 class periods to get through two topics and the lectures would just not be engaging enough. The exams are a huge part of the grade and there isn't enough hws and other grades to balance things out. TAs and him would not allow for the posting of the slides before the class or even after and would be posted a while after the specific lecture which was annoying and again not helpful to understanding the material while it was taught.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2023	Good Lecturer, but it felt like there was a lack of resources and practice for exams (I think she hasn't taught it for a long time). There was weekly homework and 4 Application Based Activities that you could knock out in at most 30 minutes each. The power points are good, however, there was definitely a lack of examples for some concepts. The saving grace was that she gave extra credit on one midterm, and curved the next one.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/19/2023	Professor Gandhi is a great and in my opinion, is a great lecturer. The only negative thing is that she will test you on things she just mention one time. She is very specific when it comes to her exams and the practice exams are so much easier than the final. But if you really listen in class and go over everything you learned and go to her office hours for help you should be able to end up with a B+ and above. This semester she curved the exams a lot even by 10 percent.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/17/2023	Lectures seem to drag on forever, quite literally. She seems to read the powerpoint and then go on her own monologue for about a minute about whatever is on the slides. Powerpoints are available after classes, but they aren't helpful on their own so attendance is basically mandatory if you want to learn anything. Homework is easy, 2 attempts per problem, and then 2 attempts to do the whole thing over again. Exams are weird, whoever's grading between her or the TAs seem to be pretty against giving partial credit even though it said we could receive it by showing some work. Recommend watching Jacob Clifford as a supplement to her weird lectures.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/15/2023	The Econ department in general isn't that great here, and this is just another example. Lectures were not engaging at all, you pretty much learn all the material on your own. Also he doesn't assign a lot of work, so grades are heavily relied on exams. However, with such a heavy weight on exams, multiple practice exams would be expected. However, he gives you half of a practice test. Avoid Professor Sarna if you value going to class and understanding the material.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/14/2023	This felt like one of the most unorganized classes I have ever taken, especially during exams. I think she is a good lecturer and allows students the opportunity to take decent notes, but she doesn't post her completed notes, so if you miss a lecture, good luck catching up. The practice exams are okay but she constantly posted incorrect answer keys which makes studying extremely confusing. For our first practice exam, she never even provided an answer key, instead, she had a TA go over the answers the day before our exam. The GSS review sessions seemed extremely unorganized and very hard to follow. Basically, if you want to succeed in this class, make sure to go to every lecture and take thorough notes.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/04/2023	I'll echo what many people have said about Dr. Sarna - he is a wonderful person and this is nothing personal with him at all. He simply isn't a great professor. His lectures are unengaging and went a bit too fast for my liking. He tries to teach the concepts of macroeconomics but does not do a good job with it - while his anecdotes/examples can be funny, they can also be irrelevant and make concepts actually harder to understand. I find that he tiptoes around the true definitions/rules of macroeconomics that could be made much more simple. I would definitely recommend taking another professor if possible or even completing economics at another institution because I know that UMD doesn't have great reviews for a lot of undergrad economic courses/professors.
Alka Gandhi ECON201 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/04/2023	I just want to say, I second this comment "Her lectures are rather good, goes over everything with great detail. However, her grading is nonsensically rigid, to the point where you seem to lose the point of the assignment in the first place. Instead of grading for an understanding of the content she seems to grade on arbitrary standards, which aren’t necessarily made clear prior." I guess I can understand where the good posts about her are coming from but after being in this class for an entire semester I can attest that it requires extensive studying for every assignment. For example, for the quizzes, you will be expected to remember very specific details about 10+ extremely long readings and 5+ extremely vague PowerPoint. If you don't go to every class and take detailed notes there is a high chance, you will fail and even if you do that there is still a pretty good shot you will get a C or D considering the amount of studying that goes into taking her exams and quizzes. That being said even if you do all the studying and feel prepared for her exams or quizzes you'll still prob get a bad grade. I swear every time I study so hard and walk out thinking I did so well just to get my test or quiz back to find out that I did not do well, at all, simply because she graded looking for very specific details. Love the professor as a lecturer but as a grader, she is so frustrating.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A- reginafalangy 04/26/2023	Dr. Sarna gives very long winded explanations and makes everything appear more complicated than it is. I was way more successful in this class when I had to thoroughly teach myself all of the concepts and not even look at class notes. Learning it myself made everything more simple than his explanations! Exams weren't too difficult if you understood the material but it took a lot of effort outside of class.
Cesar Vasquez Chacon ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 02/17/2023	Teaches well
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a C Anonymous 01/04/2023	He is an incredibly smart and nice man. But his skills as a professor are lacking, especially with the content of the lectures lining up with the textbook and the test materials. Exam reviews were not helpful in any manner and were hard for students to stay focused and engaged in lectures, so a ton of people opted out. I am retaking this course currently and the content I am receiving in this lecture/ textbook is worlds different from what was given in Sarna's lecture. Again, great man, but bad teaching style/ set up.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Anonymous 12/21/2022	Just not good at teaching. His practice exams are super short and have little representation of the actual exams.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 notImportant10303 12/15/2022	horrible teacher. So slow, quiet, monotone, and boring. He rambles on about random topics not related to class like goldy locks (not kidding). I have not been to a single class since early October (it is finals week now). I teach myself everything from the textbook. I am expecting an A-. It is not too difficult of a course but requires so much outside effort because Pr. Sarna is so bad. Avoid him at all costs if you can!
John Shea ECON201 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/22/2022	Go to lecture and you can't do worse then a B-. Exams are like 15-20 m/c and a couple short answers, but the practice exams and TA review sessions make them not that bad. Also a big curve. Buddy of mine got a C with like under a 50% in the course.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A- Anonymous 07/25/2022	No one ever went to his lectures. Very boring and gives no information in class. He repeats the book content but more vaguely during class. His test info sessions are useless as well. Few exams throughout and they were all in-person, multiple-choice tests on paper. Much more difficult than the content he talks about. I would definitely recommend really understanding the macro econ concepts before taking the exam. They're not that difficult tbh just a bit confusing. The class was very boring though. Only read the book content. No assignments except for an occasional online bookwork that was graded for correction.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a C Anonymous 06/23/2022	DON'T TAKE SARNA. Just don't. He isn't a great teacher for this class - his lectures are quite boring and he also doesn't really prepare us well for the exams. The mock exams also don't help.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/25/2022	Only reason I don't give him 5 stars is because the lectures are on the dry side. That being said, he really sets you up for success and clearly explains relevant concepts. Make sure to study practice exams and you will do well.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/22/2022	Really great professor. His knowledge and passion for Econ is clear in the way he gives his lectures. The material is pretty dry most of the time, but easy to learn. Grading is also super fair, we had problem sets every week graded for completion and two midterms + a final. You get to make a double-sided formula sheet for both midterms and two double sided formula sheets for the final. There are also discussion boards on ELMS for all of the chapters where you can post questions for him to answer, which is super helpful for the exams. The curve at the end of class is also very, very generous. Highly recommend taking Prof. Shea!
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/20/2022	Dr. Shea is a super nice professor and sets you up for success. The content can be challenging but the tests were very fair and there is a generous curve. Entire grade is based off of two midterms, a final, and weekly problem sets graded for completion. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because the lectures were pretty dry. Take ECON201 with him!!!
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Anonymous 05/17/2022	Dont take Sarna, Shea seems to be the better option. Sarna gives boring, monotonous lectures. He really does not seem to care. Mock exams and review materials are half baked and don't reflect whats on the exam what so ever. He's probably tenured so I doubt he really cares at all.
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 05/16/2022	The best. Take him.
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 05/16/2022	I love Professor Shea! He’s incredibly caring, knowledgeable, and thorough. Nothing on exams should be a surprise because they’re worded exactly like the practice exams and problem sets. I thought the exams were very reasonable and reflected the course. Plus there’s a great curve. You can tell he loves what he teaches and he’s brilliant. One of the best at UMD. TAKE HIM!
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 05/15/2022	Made a class I was really nervous to take genuinely engaging and informative. I felt like I actually learned a LOT. Tests are more than fair. Really glad I took this class with Prof. Shea!
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/28/2022	While there is very little homework and readings assigned, lectures are very unhelpful and exams can be tricky with wording and graphs. I found that not attending class and understanding the textbook well was what allowed me to get by, but I would recommend taking another professor if you actually want to learn the material.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/27/2022	Really boring lectures. Very slow moving class. I had to teach myself everything, but if you put in the work you can get a decent grade.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/12/2022	Everyone's reviews are very bipolar, either saying he is very engaging or very boring, and that he is both a bad and good lecturer. I took his class this semester, and have friends who also took his class. Here are my thoughts, coupled with theirs as well: (1) Sarna can be EITHER boring or engaging, depending on your attention span and willingness to focus. (2) He gives EVERYTHING needed for exams and your success (anyone who says otherwise just didn't use the resources presented to them). To address (1), if you have a short attention span, you'll have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. For me, I thoroughly enjoyed his lectures, and thought he was quite engaging. He has a slight (Indian) accent – which doesn't inhibit his ability to lecture!! – but his tone is soft and rather monotonous, so it is easy to lose focus espeeeeeciiially if you use a computer for notes. While I indeed liked his lectures, I also cannot count the amount of times I got sidetracked playing tetris. Side-note: he isn't monotone in a way that suggests he's not passionate about his course (the reality is the opposite), and he makes subtle jokes here and there. *My biggest suggestion is if you get distracted easily,* take notes on a notebook and don't worry about making them look pretty. Sarna gives EVERYTHING you need on his powerpoints, which are all linked in Canvas; but he doesn't link the drawings and figures he puts alongside the powerpoints, which can be helpful for review (hence why notebooks are also good, since you can scribble the figures down). As for (2), do not underestimate the class content. I took this class as a gen ed, and came in thinking I wouldn't have to ever review content. This was absolutely wrong, and I was surprised & disheartened at my first exam score. Understand the big-picture concepts, and memorize the equations. As with what the other reviews said, his exam review materials aren't great. His mock exams don't reflect the real exam at all, but I was lucky to have helpful TA's who made a mock exam that I believe will help me on the upcoming 2nd exam. Again, his EXAM REVIEW materials suck. NOT the powerpoints, which you can easily use as review material. Try to attend class IRL, and not over Zoom (which he gives an option for at the same hour). If you attend his lectures over Zoom, you can't ask questions since he mutes the students and doesn't look at the chat since he's in-tune with the IRL classroom. Overall, a good class. 7 homework assignments (the lowest 2 are dropped), 2 midterms, and a final. Lightly study, and don't be afraid to ask Sarna for help. Good luck!
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 04/11/2022	The most kind, funny, intelligent, thorough, and knowledgeable professor. I feel so lucky to have been taught by him. He can explain math, history very well as it relates to economics.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/09/2022	Professor Shea is the most caring, knowledgeable, and passionate professor. He is always willing to reexplain concepts and his tests are very fair and reflect the material and weekly problem sets. Nothing should be a surprise. If you do the work and keep up, you should not have trouble getting at least a B. If you get the opportunity to take Professor Shea, DO IT.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 03/25/2022	He gives boring, sleep inducing lectures that do very little in preparing you for the exams. I am a straight A student that came up short in his class because of his lack of effort. He did little to help us prepare for exams, giving s a half baked mock exam that reflected NONE of the themes of the actual exam! I have only ever had ONE bad teacher before in my scholastic career, Naveen Sarna has increased that number to 2! Avoid him!
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A- Anonymous 03/25/2022	literally 8 assignment the entire semester, lectures are slow and then when he finally puts information on the board to takes notes of, he clicks by it too quick to take notes. He poorly prepares students for the exams and overall just doesnt give students enough content to review. I BEG YOU PLEASE DONT TAKE SARNA! YOU WILL REGRET IT.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Anonymous 03/24/2022	Excellent professor. Economics is not exactly my main area of interest, but Sarna's lectures were engaging, and he did a great job explaining things in a relatable and understandable manner. The only criticism I can think of is that he had trouble understanding students' questions, but he always did his best to answer them.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/18/2022	I loved having professor Shea. I think he presents the information in maybe not the most intriguing way but I dont think it can much more interesting with this content, he tries to integrate some real life implications. He is the most fair teacher ive had and just an all around good person. I would 100% take a class with him again. I have really bad testing anxiety and school anxiety and with this course I always felt like i was in control of my grade.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/29/2021	Such a good professor, only a few assignments per semester, and the exams are very fair. Lectures can be a little boring, but overall a great professor! Take him
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/20/2021	Prof Shea teaches pretty traditionally in the sense that this class is extremely lecture heavy. If you're not a good note taker or struggle to pay attention during long lectures, you might struggle in his class. Every week there were two 1 hour 15 min classes where he lectures from a long PowerPoint presentation that's posted on ELMS (he would often go overtime too so be mindful of that) and then a problem set that was graded on completion due at the end of the week. Lectures can be pretty dry and monotonous at times but Shea is very thorough and clear at explaining the material. The textbook was free and optional but I never read it and honestly you don't need to read it to understand the material. Just make sure that you're good at taking quick notes during lecture (pretty much anything he says in lecture, including historical background and examples are fair game for exams) and you know how to do every problem on the HW and you'll do fine. Tests are not too difficult as long as you study and he grades them on a curve. If you pay attention and take good notes during lecture, this class is not difficult to get an A in.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/19/2021	Awesome professor! I took it online, and the exams were open-note, but even if they weren't this would be a really well-taught and fair class. He's a little quick so you won't have a lot of down time during the lectures but if you write fast you can keep up. (I'm usually a slow writer but I realized pretty quickly with this class it's either sloppy notes or missing a lot of stuff). The lectures are really info-heavy though, so get ready to start learning on the FIRST DAY and for a 75-minute information dump every class. Some say the exams are tough but I personally thought they accurately reflected the rigor of the class, and the curve is more than generous. He covers everything you need in class, the weekly problem sets are graded on effort (but are really helpful anyway) and the review sessions and practice exams are spot-on. If you pay attention, take notes, and do the practice exams, an A is totally doable. The textbook is free but not mandatory. I personally never read a word of it and still pulled an A on the exams. Professor Shea is a really solid choice for this class. He explains everything clearly and thoroughly and prepares you well for the exams. I also found the material interesting because it's so easy to apply it to the real world, and it's nice to understand how these things work (unemployment, inflation, business cycles, etc). Definitely take Professor Shea, you won't regret it!
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/28/2021	Most of what I learned in this class was reading off the slides and being 3-4 slides ahead from live lectures because I couldn't write the notes at the same speed Dr. Shea taught. But the small instances I would stop taking notes and listen to Shea explain concepts, he seemed pretty thorough and I found the topics interesting but I don't know how interesting it would be people that don't care for econ (I also took econ in high school). I never read the textbook, and his tests are only based on slides, but I would recommend writing at least a couple slides before lecture so that you can listen rather than scramble to write notes. Personally, I felt his test curves and grading were pretty generous, and an A is definitely not out of reach.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/12/2021	You can tell Shea is very knowledgeable and his lectures are filled with information. I didn't think the exams weren't that bad just make sure you attend all of his lectures and do the practice exams. I honestly learned a lot in the class and I definitely recommend him. There's a generous curve and the homeworks are easy As so you have to do well on the exams.
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 12/19/2020	Shea really knows what he is talking about. I strongly suggest going to class, you'll learn more that way and have a better understanding of the material you need to know. He has a generous curve but his exams are extremely difficult. There were a few issues this semester when it came to testing because of covid and him not having a set format for tests. I never understood why his tests were THAT difficult, made me feel like I never actually learned anything.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/16/2020	Kind've a GOAT, makes a lot of jokes about food. Hard to pay attention in class though, ended up using the textbook
John Shea ECON201 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/10/2019	Does a good job for a class as boring as Macroeconomics. Lectures aren't mandatory but still go because what he says is helpful for the notes. Homeworks are easy for effort but class is graded mostly on exams and they can be tough. Overall good guy to take for macroeconomics.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 09/06/2018	Easy material in general, I knocked a star off because his lectures can be rather dry, and you have to sit in the front of the class to understand his graphs. With that said he's funny and gives interesting analogies related to real life economics. The material isn't difficult, and he doesn't complicate the material making it a relatively easy class.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting a D+ Anonymous 05/22/2018	SO BORING. It is honestly impossible to pay attention in this class. When I was able to pay attention he was a good teacher but just brutal for a long lecture. You're signing up to teach yourself the course.
John Neri ECON201 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/09/2016	I recommend this course! Though I took macroeconomics in high school, I got a 2 on the AP exam and learned almost nothing throughout the year. So, I was a little worried coming into college and taking this class. I did well above the average on both midterms (averages were 72% and 69%). He does not curve individual tests but curves at the end of the semester. Personally I think macro is pretty boring so I don't pay that much attention in lecture, but I don't mind going. He often has technical difficulties, poor man. But lectures aren't painful. He's also a totally nice guy. It's clear that he loves economics, and I think it's important for a professor to be passionate about their subject. Without paying attention in lectures, I am projected to get a B+. Honestly, you just have to study before the exam and you should be fine. You have one homework assignment once a week, and it usually takes about an hour to do. Easy workload, medium-difficulty tests, and a nice guy. Study and you'll be fine!
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/05/2016	Professor Sarna is by far the best teacher I have had at The University of Maryland, he does an excellent job making sometimes challenging concepts about ECON easy to understand, he goes over concepts multiple times and draws out tons of examples. Further, he is very responsive to students needs, for example he made us a mock exam and the TA's gave it too us in class for each exam and that was insanely helpful and was similar to the questions on the regular exam. In addition he has review sessions in class. The only thing I would recommend is that you sit in the front because he writes on the board a lot and is hard to see in the big lecture hall. You cannot rely on the power points in order to get an A because the on board examples is where you do a lot of learning. Excellent teacher, take him not Neri!
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/29/2015	Made the class very easy to understand. One of the best professors I've had so far. He is very knowledgeable in economics. Explains concepts simply and makes sure students understand the fundamentals. Exams were fair
John Neri ECON201 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/22/2015	Professor Neri is a horrible professor. If you HAVE to sign up for his class because of a scheduling conflict then I suggest you CHANGE YOUR SCHEDULE because you will not do well in his class. He teaches off of PowerPoints and then gives extremely difficult exams. The average on his Final (spring 2015) was a 65%. Please listen to my advice and stay away from John Neri. He will make you upset and the 4 credits will kill your GPA.
Naveen Sarna ECON201 Expecting an A TerpLegacy 02/13/2015	Just got my grade for the class and wanted to write a review for Professor Sarna because he definitely deserves one. Economics is my major so I'm very into the material. Lectures were enjoyable for me. Professor Sarna knows his stuff. He teaches in a manner that forces you to understand the models and apply them when tested. He doesn't want his students to memorize and then just regurgitate the material come exam time. And his teaching style reflects that. He is VERY approachable and very nice. He really wants his students to understand the material and do well in his classes. I didn't go to a single discussion and found that reading the chapters in the book prior to lectures was very beneficial. Midterms and the final averaged B/B- for the class. Final grade was curved by 3%. Fairly easy class though it will require some diligence as it is a 4 credit class. Bottom line if you have to take ECON201 take it with Professor Sarna. He is an excellent professor. Update: I took his ECON317 policies class. He has to be one of the best econ professors I've had. He has lots of real world experience and he brings that knowledge into the classroom. Great lecturer, great class. The class does require considerable effort though if you want an A.
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 12/17/2014	If you have to take this class, take it with Shea! You can tell that he is very intellectual and really knows what he is talking about which is so important. His exams are straight from his lectures, which are full of information. It can be tough, but the best advice I can give is to audio record the lectures and listen to them later. What is the best about Professor Shea is that when it comes down to it, he's a really understanding guy. If you need extra assistance, he will do anything to help you. If you are sick or have something that interferes with deadlines for legitimate reason, he will be understanding completely. He also curves really well. Getting an A in this class is totally doable.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/08/2014	Overall, ECON201 is not such a boring topic. It's pretty interesting. But Shea takes a fairly good topic and makes it probably the most boring class you'll take at Maryland. That's not to say he doesn't know what he's talking about. When you do find yourself paying attention, you'll see he knows his stuff. It's actually very impressive. However, the way he goes about presenting the information you need to know is abysmal and dry. He really doesn't go by the textbook at all (I haven't opened it once all year and my final is next week.) Having said that, it means you have to go to class and take really good notes because the exams do come straight from what he writes down, which is a plus I guess. Although, none of the in-class notes are electronic (no powerpoints, nothing on ELMS besides practice exams or problem set answers), so when you inevitably tune him out, you're going to fall behind. He will only write on the chalkboard, which can be brutal when you can't read the handwriting/tune out for a few minutes and fall behind. As for the class, he's solid as a grader, and this is why I gave him a 3 star rating. Two exams, a final, and problem sets. The problem sets are very easy to get full points on, which translates to 15% of your final grade. The exams, while they can be tough, are very similar to his old exams and are curved, which is really nice. If you can bear to pay attention twice a week for an hour and fifteen minutes, it shouldn't be too bad and you can do very well. But that can be very, very difficult to do.
John Neri ECON201 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/17/2013	I'm sorry but people need to post updated reviews on here. John Neri is a upper level Econ professor that taught an INTRO class. This class was seriously like death. The slides were basically from the book but a little spiced up and the lecture was a snore. He is a very nice man but seriously shouldn't be teaching 201. I went into his office for help a few times and didn't explain things any differently. If your like me and all you have to do is read the book to understand the concept that's fine but be aware that it will not prepare for the exam! There were a few people in the class (clearly Econ majors) that were doing the most and clearly inflated the average. Sadly if there were more up to date reviews on here I would have taken Sarna. Sadly I will have to take him for my upper level Econ class and I am dreading it. His tests are just way to tricky. Please save yourself the trouble and take Sarna don't be a fool because your GPA will pay.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 09/23/2012	Great professor. Extremely intellectual, very obvious that he legitimately earned his graduate degree(s). Do not buy the book, he will write down everything you need to know in class on the board. This in mind, go to lecture since lecture notes are your only source of information (or at least get them from someone else). Must know not only main ideas and key points, but also details and specific facts. The economic history he goes over in class is not just for fun; he puts many questions on exams about it. The only way to succeed in this class is to read over your lecture notes and know them front to back because the exam questions are way too detail-oriented for a "general concept" understanding. If you have questions that your friends cannot answer, email him or go to office hours (don't do office hours the week before the exam, since his office is packed with people and he gets extremely peevish, like any normal person would).
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A john doe 05/17/2012	DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR! ECON201 is not a terrible class but do not take it with Shea... take it with Sarna! He never ends the class on time and his tests are so hard. Class ends at 315 but on a good day youll get out at 316. He started teaching us the first day of class!!!! He sucks get Sarna!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Meh 01/22/2012	Overall opinion: that man knows his stuff by heart. I respect him for being able to lecture and write on the chalkboard for an hour and 15 min straight. (He will go until the very last minute, and sometimes will go over.)Be ready for solidly and furiously writing for the entire class. He tends to be redundant in his lectures (A good thing, because he likes to emphasize important points). He goes over points in a somewhat logical manner and tries to tie them in to current events. He'll even crack the occasional joke or two. Tips to do really well: 1) Sometimes his notes on the board aren't very organized. I would take the time to rewrite, or type (which I did) your notes. 2) Do not simply memorize, but understand the logic behind it. He usually explains the logic verbally, so try to listen as you're writing. I was never a verbal learner, so I kind of found it difficult to follow him when he talked. This is more important for the new material he teaches for the final. 3) Highlight/mark up important dates. There are always 2-3 questions on the exams that ask for those dates. It hurts if you miss those, since each exam is 30 questions. (Final is 40) 4) Do all your homework. Don't be lazy. It's an easy 100% because it's graded for effort. And they help you study for the exams. He does drop the lowest score out of all of them. 5)The format of his practice exams are very similar to the actual midterms. The questions aren't, because his lectures slightly differ from year to year. But it's a great study tool, because you can see what concepts are behind each question. 6)Don't rely on the curve too much. But by god, I love the curves for this class. He does it by aiming for his target distribution of grades. Note: I don't think students can fail this class... unless they put in 0 effort. Effort will be rewarded accordingly. Easy to pull off a B, and an A is definitely not out of reach. If you have a curved/projected B after both midterms, do well on the final, and that A can be reached.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/08/2012	Shea is by far one of the best professors I have had on campus. His lectures are very thorough and he is willing to go over any material a student is confused on whether it be in lecture or during his office hours. He also relates the material to today's economy so you have a better understanding of whats going on. His exams are difficult, but if you study for them you will be fine. My best suggestion is to learn the concepts and processes instead of just memorizing formulas. Shea designs his tests to make sure you know the entire process instead of just definitions. I'd also write down any dates he writes on the board because those show up on the exams. I managed to get a 29/30 on the first exam, a 26/30 on the second, a 34/40 on the final and a 15/15 on the problem sets (graded on completion). This totaled to a 90.58 which curved to an A+. I think the cut off for an A was an 81. This class is definitely easy to pass if you put the effort into it.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 12/21/2011	This class is pretty terrible. The material is very basic and not very challenging, however Shea cannot teach and/or explain macroeconomics for his life. He teaches to his students as if they already know the material/definitions and does not help them acquire a proper understanding. He applies a very broad advisory curve to the midterms and then does not necessarily follow through with this scale. Shea does nothing to help out his students. There is no reason for such a steep advisory curve in a basic economics class. Additionally, do not buy the book as it is very expensive and does not assist you in the course (you will use it) . Try to avoid ECON201 with Shea at all costs, as taking the course with any other professor would result in a better understanding of the topic. By the way, he let's you out of class 3 minutes late every lecture. Enjoy
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2011	Shea is one of the best lecturers at the University. He does right a lot each lecture, but he is very thorough. The textbook is not needed at all to get an A in the course. The course is also curved significantly.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting a B Natalie Spencer 12/07/2011	This class is not too bad if you go to class and take notes. It is really easy to get a B since he curves every exam. There is homework due once a week which is written. It is not too hard but you are graded for completion not correctness so thats a nice boost. Exams are very similar to the practice exams which he posts.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/02/2011	Great Professor. Very knowledgeable, and explains concepts thoroughly. This is a challenging course, but completely worth it. Pay attention in lecture, study lecture notes, problem sets, and past exams and you'll be fine. You will learn a lot of valuable material because Professor Shea is the man.
John Neri ECON201 Expecting an A motariq1991 12/24/2010	This class is definetely less challenging than micro economics but it still involves the same amount of analyzing graphs. But, this class should be taken after ECON200. It will make a lot more sense then. Professor Neri is definetely one of the better professors at UMD. He cracks some really funny jokes at people and himself during the lecture which almost always facilitates in learning the material. This class starts out really easy and the first exam should be an easy mid B or an A. After that, the class becomes difficult exponentially. My best advice to other students is to read the chapter before and after the lecture it was taught in. It will help a lot especially while doing homework. I felt that homework was way more challenging than the exams itself because he sometimes introduced concepts which he felt that we would magically know just by taking this class. And also because the wording was too damn confusing. A little secret that he doesn't tell his students. MORE THAN HALF OF THE PROBLEMS IN HIS EXAMS ARE DIRECTLY FROM THE HOMEWORK PROBLEMS IN MY ECON LAB. They are literally the best way to study for the exams. I realized this days before the final exam and used the homework problems as the main studying tool. I ended up getting more than 10 percentage points above the class average. But, you should still read the book, not skim it. The class consisted of 2 midterms (40 questions each), a final exam (55 questions) and the quiz sets on my econ lab (homework) which he drops the lowest 3. He also gave out 5 bonus points twice during semester to reward the students who came and stayed all the way though in his lectures. These bonus points might not seem a lot considering the class was out of 430 points. But they really do help. I ended up getting exactly 90.3% just because of the bonus points. If it weren't for them, I would end up getting somewhere around 87-88% And he curves in the end only if the overall class performance was not as good as he hoped for. Take this class with Neri. You will learn a lot!!
John Neri ECON201 thewit691 12/20/2010	Really upbeat cool guy. Gives a weekly MyEconLab quiz, but he only counts your top 9 out of like 12. Exams were tough. 10 extra credit points if you went to class and stayed til the end a couple times.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 10/20/2010	This was a great professer. Only a midterm and a final and 10 homework problem sets.they are easy Exams were difficult.your grade was basically decided by 60 questions for the year. Although i have learned more in this class than any other class at md. He is a true professional
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2010	This class is not fun. Shea starts his lecture and does not stop talking until the minute the class is over. He writes everything on the board, which is helpful. However, it is nearly impossible to follow what he is saying while scrambling to copy what he writes down. I wrote four to five pages of notes every lecture. You must attend class to get notes because he does not test you on what is in the book. The problem sets helped a lot in the midterm and the final, so study those! However, I felt that he just gave us the problems and expected us to know how to do them (when it was clear that we did not.) The midterm and the final are really, really hard exams. The best way to prepare for these is to go over your problem sets and the questions from his practice exams. Thankfully, there is a HUGE curve at the end. I ended with an 81% and got an A, so I'm happy. Don't buy the book - its unnecessary and a waste of money unless you know that you will not be able to come to a lot of classes. I really wouldn't advise skipping lectures because it is so easy to fall behind!
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2010	An amazing professor! I wasn't fond of Econ 200, but Professor Shea made this class very very enjoyable. He has a great sense of humor, writes very clear notes, and provides very good detailed explanations of key concepts during class, so you are never confused. It's unbelievable the amount of information I gained by the end. He is also very nice, and willing to help students out with any of their concerns throughout the semester. The tests are tricky. They are all multiple choice, and about half the test consists of questions that are on the challenging side. However, the curve is pretty generous, so if you go to class, take good notes and pay attention to everything he says (memorizing the dates and Presidents is super important), and get a full grade on your homework, you have a very high chance of getting an A. When I took the class, a 79 got you an A.
John Neri ECON201 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/18/2010	He was a decent professor. He knows what he's doing, and he's not the typical dry econ lecturer. He draws a lot of real-world comparisons and shows examples, he occasionally cracks a joke (although they're not drop dead funny I appreciate his effort), the homeworks and the tests are reasonable. What you have to keep in mind is the subject matter. He is a decent professor, but by no means good enough to make econ enjoyable. It is dry and boring, and I ended up skipping most of the lectures (bad idea, since he occasionally gives pop quizzes to reward those in attendance). I couldn't pay attention, and ended up reading the textbook the day before the tests instead. The tests are reasonable if you understand the concepts though, and he doesn't spring anything on you just to be mean. Summary: He's a good professor, but to make econ anything other than dry and miserable, you need to be a really great professor. Go to class, read the book, do the homeworks, and make sure you know the concepts.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/25/2009	One of the best professor I've had! Shea's really adept at instilling the materials in his students. He stresses and rewords key points over and over again and breaks things down into digestible parts. I always come out of lecture fully understanding every single concept covered in lecture! No need to buy the textbook. Study from his notes and sit in the front row, as the chalkboard could be hard to read from the back. There're a dozen problem sets (we had 9, each comprises 3-6 problems. They're graded for effort.) In addition, there're two mid-terms and one final. Just remember to review the old mid-terms and finals and you'll be all set. Bottom line: A great great professor! Just take good notes and try to follow closely in class, and you're almost guaranteed an A!
John Neri ECON201 Expecting an A+ jkTERP123 12/20/2009	I don't understand the negative reviews for this professor because to me , he was a really great teacher. While I did this class as a Business school prequisite he made economics so interesting and applicable that I will try to take more econ classes as electives, especially if he is teaching it. Just go to class, study the powerpoints, and rely on knowing the formulas and you are fine. His exams are very fair yet still a bit challenging, he gives 3 attendance quizzes a semester, and he is lenient on the MyEconLab Grades. Just go to lecture and skip the discussion because all you do is go over the MyEconLabs.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/15/2009	the stuff you learn in this class is actually applicable to real life. very good teacher, i definetly recommend shea if you have to take econ201, tests are tricky but really not that bad. literally memorizing ahttp://www.ourumd.com/books/ll of his notes is the key to an A.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/02/2009	Prof Shea is extremely impressive. He can teach an entire lecture by looking at notes at most twice. Make sure you take notes because everything from the test comes from the notes, making it no need to buy the book. Granted this is basic macro and something hard to make interesting but he manages to make it less painful. Mixes in history that you must know for the tests. Tests are difficult but the curve works things out (~80% is an A).
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 05/27/2009	This guy is one of the BEST professors at UMD. I can honestly say he inspired me to really pursue economics, something I was only mildly interested in before having him as a professor. He explains things SO well in layman terms, covers the material in just the right amount of detail: in other words, not too detailed but not too general either. He lectures purely from his head and writes everything on the board while speaking it, making the class and the information so easy to follow. He is super organized, super clear, and it is apparent that he understands economics like the back of his hand. You don't need to buy the textbook. Just go to EVERY class (you CANNOT miss one), pay attention! (a lot of people would come to class and read the Diamondback or play computer games on their laptops), and actually THINK about what he's saying while you're writing it down (in other words, don't just mindlessly take notes). Shea makes the class really interesting by applying what we're learning to current events, and occasionaly he'll crack a surprisingly funny joke. I just hope that I get to take another econ class with him later on.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/21/2009	In my opinion, ECON sucks. It's hard and it takes me awhile to understand concepts. BUT, I have to admit Shea made me understand better. In lectures, I actually understood what he was teaching. The class is based on notes so you have to go to lectures but you don't have to buy a textbook. Shea's tests are hard so you should study. You should also complete the problem sets they will help your grade at the end of the semester. Overall hard class, but HUGE curve at the end. I definitely recommend Shea if you have the chance and need this requirement.
John Neri ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/18/2008	I had an A the entire semester. I just took the final exam and it was one of the hardest I've ever taken. It was much harder than any exam he gave during the year. Watch out for this final.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/22/2008	Shea is an awesome teacher. He could go a whole lecture without looking at his notes. He is also very interesting and very helpful with questions. You will have to write a lot, but it is worth it. Also, there is no powerpoint so you have to go to class. It is not smart to just copy someone else's notes as it is much easier to learn by going to class. Discussion is only if you need extra help. Tests are hard, but there is a curve. If you are an ECON major, definitely take his class. If not, still take his class.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A fruitchaat 07/22/2008	He knows his stuff, but unfortunately he writes all his notes on the chalkboard so you have to go to lecture. Don't buy the book, it's useless. He doesn't use Aplia, instead he has easy homework assignments that are graded for effort. The tests are really hard so you have to study. Especially the random history questions.
John Shea ECON201 Expecting an A konthelion 06/05/2008	This professor writes an entire lecture on the chalkboard without using his notes. That's pretty darn impressive. By the way, don't skip class because the material on the exams are base on notes and they are not posted online. Do not be intimidated by this class. There is a lenient grade curve. The final grade was 80% for an A. Do not over analyze the notes, just grasp the main concept i.e. AS/AD graphs, Keynesian model, classical model. There will be a substantial amount of memorization of formulas. The key is to use mnemonic devices or break big formulas into smaller formulas. Oh yeah, the discussions are pointless and are just reiterations of the week's material. You might as well take the time yourself to review the notes. Don't go unless you want to collect homework assignments.
John Shea ECON201 Miss. Ma 03/28/2008	He is a great lecturer with very thorough notes. I walk out of his class completely understanding what he lectured about. BUT... when I look at his exams, its like I've never gone to class. SO SO HARD. Thankfully his homeworks are based on completion and you can even do it during class, and sometimes he would go over some problems of the homework while we are doing the homework b/c its due at the end of the class. Also, the curve is good. As a student that took intermediate Macro, this is a good beginner macro course. The history that he spends a min on is actually necessary. At first, I didnt see the point, but now I get that we had to know it.
John Neri ECON201 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/08/2008	He is nice and funny. You really need to read the book to understand the material and to succeed on the exam. I would recommend going to every class because sometimes he puts questions on the test from things that he talked about in class. One thing that really helped me was printing out the power points and taking on them while he went over them in class. Also he gives out extra credit quizzes in class. The extra credit is so crucial to your grade especially after the final which is so hard.
John Shea ECON201 Anonymous 11/17/2007	I liked Shea because there was no aplia... there we're handed in problem sets that were relatively easy and were graded very leniently. Econ is going to suck no matter who you have so I guess Shea is okay. Dont bother with the book. You will need to go to class or get notes if you miss class. And the curve is pretty sweet.
John Shea ECON201 ronbon 11/16/2007	I had Prof. Shea for Econ201 and he was one of the best teachers I've ever had. He is very smart and clear in presenting the material. You must attend the (huge) lecture because the material on the test comes straight from Prof. Shea's lectures. He never required that we read from the textbook but I found it useful as a supplement sometimes; if you're trying to save money, you can get by without it probably. He made a lot of connections between theory and historical anecdote (as well as current politics/economics), which made the material much more interesting. Highly recommended for econ majors.
John Shea ECON201 jge1023 10/23/2007	Hard to learn material. Does not use the book at all (don't bother buying it). Exams are based on class notes only, which he writes on the chalkboard and are not available online. Uses long drawn out examples that don't seem relevant to the material. Focuses alot on history and dates. Overall not that hard though because of a huge curve at the end of the semester but I didnt learn anything.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
08/28/2024

Solid lecturer. She was pretty nice and flexible and gave our class bonus points if at least 75% filled out the end-of-semester survey. Midterms were difficult but they could've been easier if I just studied more and practiced. Go to review sessions if you aren't sure of something, they were pretty helpful. I Studied a lot for the final and did pretty well because of that. I think it was also just easier than the midterms. Also, she drops your lower midterm grade which was really nice.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/25/2024

Kind of slacked off half way through the semester and while it isn difficult, you can definitely get an A in this class. Just take initiative to go to office hours or weekly review session or even ask questions in class. Lectures are kinda boring and you for sure have to attend them to pass.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/20/2024

Professor Sarna is very experienced and knows what he's talking about, but his lectures are very boring and not engaging. Much of the time, he will explain class content through many confusing anecdotes. I honestly learned the content better from reading and taking notes on the textbook. But, he did a nice job preparing us for exams with review sessions and mock exams. The exams aren't too difficult, but they are a big portion of your grade. Overall, this class is not difficult but professor doesn't teach the content well.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/19/2024

Lectures are horrible you won’t be able to pay attention. But he gives a lot of test prep and curves all tests, plus they aren’t super difficult never anything unexpected

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/17/2024

Professor Gandhi was a average lecturer. She would upload the slides and her notes on canvas, so attendance wasn't mandatory. Homework was very simple typically given 2-3 attempts per assignment. However, the midterms were very difficult, one of the averages being a D. I felt that most students were unprepared for the exams and her grading structure was very hard to understand. Gandhi didn't use weights to calculate our grades instead she did it out of point value, but it was very unorganized as she would drop assignments and then add extra credit. Overall, I think the class was made out to be more difficult than it should've been as Professor Gandhi would often breeze through the information and not further elaborate. Definitely a class where it's on you to put in the extra hours outside of class to really understand the concepts.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/11/2024

Lectures are insanely boring but gives a ton of test prep and if you are confused and have specific questions he can be very helpful. Just hard to focus in class. And his canvas is so unorganized any resources he puts in there are basically useless.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
04/24/2024

Lectures are hard to pay attention to but generally all the content for the exam is there if you have the patience to listen. My one complaint is that there's not enough practice material to study for the midterms.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting a W
Anonymous
04/22/2024

Gandhi is an alright lecturer. She explains concepts; however, her slides don't have much information. Along with that, she handwrites "notes" but they aren't very helpful if you don't attend the lecture. I was sick with the flu, and she was very strict about makeup exams. In her syllabus, she says that she prefers that students don't makeup exams, which is a bit odd. Otherwise, the class has one homework assignment a week with 3 attempts. It was a lower workload compared to ECON200 with Scandizzo. I withdrawed from the class because I felt that her grading was unfair on exams. She is a definitely a harsh grader and takes off a lot of points if you make a small error.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
edenw29
12/21/2023

Such a good professor. His lectures were pretty interesting and not too complicated. His homework grades were based on completion. The best part about the class was that the exams were extremely similar to the practice exams and you get to bring a formula sheet that you can put whatever you want on. As long as you make a good cheat sheet and do some of the practice exams you have more than enough materials to do well in the course.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/13/2023

Exams are really fair and have cheat sheets he makes for you, homeworks are graded for completion. Not a fan of Shea, he's not very interesting to listen to lecture. He also covers some weird topics of macroeconomics that other professors don't cover, but nothing is that difficult. Just lots of math and real world stuff. You don't ever have to go to class to pass it for this one, so if you have to take it, don't stress. Also, would appreciate if he left his political opinions out of lectures, entirely irrelevant to his particular content.

Alexander Cross
ECON201

Anonymous
10/02/2023

I just wanted to give a shoutout to Xander. Even though he only does office hours and not discussions, he's been a total lifesaver for me in this course. Whenever I'm feeling lost with the course material, he's there to help me out. What I really appreciate is how professional and respectful he is. It can be intimidating asking for help sometimes, but he makes it so easy. No judgment, just pure support. Overall, Xander has been a big part of my success in this course, and I couldn't be happier with his help.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
09/30/2023

He's a nice professor but his lectures are absolutely terrible. He would take at least 3 class periods to get through two topics and the lectures would just not be engaging enough. The exams are a huge part of the grade and there isn't enough hws and other grades to balance things out. TAs and him would not allow for the posting of the slides before the class or even after and would be posted a while after the specific lecture which was annoying and again not helpful to understanding the material while it was taught.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/23/2023

Good Lecturer, but it felt like there was a lack of resources and practice for exams (I think she hasn't taught it for a long time). There was weekly homework and 4 Application Based Activities that you could knock out in at most 30 minutes each. The power points are good, however, there was definitely a lack of examples for some concepts. The saving grace was that she gave extra credit on one midterm, and curved the next one.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/19/2023

Professor Gandhi is a great and in my opinion, is a great lecturer. The only negative thing is that she will test you on things she just mention one time. She is very specific when it comes to her exams and the practice exams are so much easier than the final. But if you really listen in class and go over everything you learned and go to her office hours for help you should be able to end up with a B+ and above. This semester she curved the exams a lot even by 10 percent.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
05/17/2023

Lectures seem to drag on forever, quite literally. She seems to read the powerpoint and then go on her own monologue for about a minute about whatever is on the slides. Powerpoints are available after classes, but they aren't helpful on their own so attendance is basically mandatory if you want to learn anything. Homework is easy, 2 attempts per problem, and then 2 attempts to do the whole thing over again. Exams are weird, whoever's grading between her or the TAs seem to be pretty against giving partial credit even though it said we could receive it by showing some work. Recommend watching Jacob Clifford as a supplement to her weird lectures.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a C
Anonymous
05/15/2023

The Econ department in general isn't that great here, and this is just another example. Lectures were not engaging at all, you pretty much learn all the material on your own. Also he doesn't assign a lot of work, so grades are heavily relied on exams. However, with such a heavy weight on exams, multiple practice exams would be expected. However, he gives you half of a practice test. Avoid Professor Sarna if you value going to class and understanding the material.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/14/2023

This felt like one of the most unorganized classes I have ever taken, especially during exams. I think she is a good lecturer and allows students the opportunity to take decent notes, but she doesn't post her completed notes, so if you miss a lecture, good luck catching up. The practice exams are okay but she constantly posted incorrect answer keys which makes studying extremely confusing. For our first practice exam, she never even provided an answer key, instead, she had a TA go over the answers the day before our exam. The GSS review sessions seemed extremely unorganized and very hard to follow. Basically, if you want to succeed in this class, make sure to go to every lecture and take thorough notes.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/04/2023

I'll echo what many people have said about Dr. Sarna - he is a wonderful person and this is nothing personal with him at all. He simply isn't a great professor. His lectures are unengaging and went a bit too fast for my liking. He tries to teach the concepts of macroeconomics but does not do a good job with it - while his anecdotes/examples can be funny, they can also be irrelevant and make concepts actually harder to understand. I find that he tiptoes around the true definitions/rules of macroeconomics that could be made much more simple. I would definitely recommend taking another professor if possible or even completing economics at another institution because I know that UMD doesn't have great reviews for a lot of undergrad economic courses/professors.

Alka Gandhi
ECON201

Expecting a C
Anonymous
05/04/2023

I just want to say, I second this comment "Her lectures are rather good, goes over everything with great detail. However, her grading is nonsensically rigid, to the point where you seem to lose the point of the assignment in the first place. Instead of grading for an understanding of the content she seems to grade on arbitrary standards, which aren’t necessarily made clear prior." I guess I can understand where the good posts about her are coming from but after being in this class for an entire semester I can attest that it requires extensive studying for every assignment. For example, for the quizzes, you will be expected to remember very specific details about 10+ extremely long readings and 5+ extremely vague PowerPoint. If you don't go to every class and take detailed notes there is a high chance, you will fail and even if you do that there is still a pretty good shot you will get a C or D considering the amount of studying that goes into taking her exams and quizzes. That being said even if you do all the studying and feel prepared for her exams or quizzes you'll still prob get a bad grade. I swear every time I study so hard and walk out thinking I did so well just to get my test or quiz back to find out that I did not do well, at all, simply because she graded looking for very specific details. Love the professor as a lecturer but as a grader, she is so frustrating.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A-
reginafalangy
04/26/2023

Dr. Sarna gives very long winded explanations and makes everything appear more complicated than it is. I was way more successful in this class when I had to thoroughly teach myself all of the concepts and not even look at class notes. Learning it myself made everything more simple than his explanations! Exams weren't too difficult if you understood the material but it took a lot of effort outside of class.

Cesar Vasquez Chacon
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
02/17/2023

Teaches well

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a C
Anonymous
01/04/2023

He is an incredibly smart and nice man. But his skills as a professor are lacking, especially with the content of the lectures lining up with the textbook and the test materials. Exam reviews were not helpful in any manner and were hard for students to stay focused and engaged in lectures, so a ton of people opted out. I am retaking this course currently and the content I am receiving in this lecture/ textbook is worlds different from what was given in Sarna's lecture. Again, great man, but bad teaching style/ set up.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Anonymous
12/21/2022

Just not good at teaching. His practice exams are super short and have little representation of the actual exams.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

notImportant10303
12/15/2022

horrible teacher. So slow, quiet, monotone, and boring. He rambles on about random topics not related to class like goldy locks (not kidding). I have not been to a single class since early October (it is finals week now). I teach myself everything from the textbook. I am expecting an A-. It is not too difficult of a course but requires so much outside effort because Pr. Sarna is so bad. Avoid him at all costs if you can!

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting a B
Anonymous
11/22/2022

Go to lecture and you can't do worse then a B-. Exams are like 15-20 m/c and a couple short answers, but the practice exams and TA review sessions make them not that bad. Also a big curve. Buddy of mine got a C with like under a 50% in the course.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
07/25/2022

No one ever went to his lectures. Very boring and gives no information in class. He repeats the book content but more vaguely during class. His test info sessions are useless as well. Few exams throughout and they were all in-person, multiple-choice tests on paper. Much more difficult than the content he talks about. I would definitely recommend really understanding the macro econ concepts before taking the exam. They're not that difficult tbh just a bit confusing. The class was very boring though. Only read the book content. No assignments except for an occasional online bookwork that was graded for correction.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a C
Anonymous
06/23/2022

DON'T TAKE SARNA. Just don't. He isn't a great teacher for this class - his lectures are quite boring and he also doesn't really prepare us well for the exams. The mock exams also don't help.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/25/2022

Only reason I don't give him 5 stars is because the lectures are on the dry side. That being said, he really sets you up for success and clearly explains relevant concepts. Make sure to study practice exams and you will do well.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/22/2022

Really great professor. His knowledge and passion for Econ is clear in the way he gives his lectures. The material is pretty dry most of the time, but easy to learn. Grading is also super fair, we had problem sets every week graded for completion and two midterms + a final. You get to make a double-sided formula sheet for both midterms and two double sided formula sheets for the final. There are also discussion boards on ELMS for all of the chapters where you can post questions for him to answer, which is super helpful for the exams. The curve at the end of class is also very, very generous. Highly recommend taking Prof. Shea!

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/20/2022

Dr. Shea is a super nice professor and sets you up for success. The content can be challenging but the tests were very fair and there is a generous curve. Entire grade is based off of two midterms, a final, and weekly problem sets graded for completion. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because the lectures were pretty dry. Take ECON201 with him!!!

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Anonymous
05/17/2022

Dont take Sarna, Shea seems to be the better option. Sarna gives boring, monotonous lectures. He really does not seem to care. Mock exams and review materials are half baked and don't reflect whats on the exam what so ever. He's probably tenured so I doubt he really cares at all.

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
05/16/2022

The best. Take him.

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
05/16/2022

I love Professor Shea! He’s incredibly caring, knowledgeable, and thorough. Nothing on exams should be a surprise because they’re worded exactly like the practice exams and problem sets. I thought the exams were very reasonable and reflected the course. Plus there’s a great curve. You can tell he loves what he teaches and he’s brilliant. One of the best at UMD. TAKE HIM!

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
05/15/2022

Made a class I was really nervous to take genuinely engaging and informative. I felt like I actually learned a LOT. Tests are more than fair. Really glad I took this class with Prof. Shea!

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/28/2022

While there is very little homework and readings assigned, lectures are very unhelpful and exams can be tricky with wording and graphs. I found that not attending class and understanding the textbook well was what allowed me to get by, but I would recommend taking another professor if you actually want to learn the material.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
04/27/2022

Really boring lectures. Very slow moving class. I had to teach myself everything, but if you put in the work you can get a decent grade.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
04/12/2022

Everyone's reviews are very bipolar, either saying he is very engaging or very boring, and that he is both a bad and good lecturer. I took his class this semester, and have friends who also took his class. Here are my thoughts, coupled with theirs as well: (1) Sarna can be EITHER boring or engaging, depending on your attention span and willingness to focus. (2) He gives EVERYTHING needed for exams and your success (anyone who says otherwise just didn't use the resources presented to them). To address (1), if you have a short attention span, you'll have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. For me, I thoroughly enjoyed his lectures, and thought he was quite engaging. He has a slight (Indian) accent – which doesn't inhibit his ability to lecture!! – but his tone is soft and rather monotonous, so it is easy to lose focus espeeeeeciiially if you use a computer for notes. While I indeed liked his lectures, I also cannot count the amount of times I got sidetracked playing tetris. Side-note: he isn't monotone in a way that suggests he's not passionate about his course (the reality is the opposite), and he makes subtle jokes here and there. ***My biggest suggestion is if you get distracted easily,*** take notes on a notebook and don't worry about making them look pretty. Sarna gives EVERYTHING you need on his powerpoints, which are all linked in Canvas; but he doesn't link the drawings and figures he puts alongside the powerpoints, which can be helpful for review (hence why notebooks are also good, since you can scribble the figures down). As for (2), do not underestimate the class content. I took this class as a gen ed, and came in thinking I wouldn't have to ever review content. This was absolutely wrong, and I was surprised & disheartened at my first exam score. Understand the big-picture concepts, and memorize the equations. As with what the other reviews said, his exam review materials aren't great. His mock exams don't reflect the real exam at all, but I was lucky to have helpful TA's who made a mock exam that I believe will help me on the upcoming 2nd exam. Again, his EXAM REVIEW materials suck. NOT the powerpoints, which you can easily use as review material. Try to attend class IRL, and not over Zoom (which he gives an option for at the same hour). If you attend his lectures over Zoom, you can't ask questions since he mutes the students and doesn't look at the chat since he's in-tune with the IRL classroom. Overall, a good class. 7 homework assignments (the lowest 2 are dropped), 2 midterms, and a final. Lightly study, and don't be afraid to ask Sarna for help. Good luck!

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
04/11/2022

The most kind, funny, intelligent, thorough, and knowledgeable professor. I feel so lucky to have been taught by him. He can explain math, history very well as it relates to economics.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/09/2022

Professor Shea is the most caring, knowledgeable, and passionate professor. He is always willing to reexplain concepts and his tests are very fair and reflect the material and weekly problem sets. Nothing should be a surprise. If you do the work and keep up, you should not have trouble getting at least a B. If you get the opportunity to take Professor Shea, DO IT.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
03/25/2022

He gives boring, sleep inducing lectures that do very little in preparing you for the exams. I am a straight A student that came up short in his class because of his lack of effort. He did little to help us prepare for exams, giving s a half baked mock exam that reflected NONE of the themes of the actual exam! I have only ever had ONE bad teacher before in my scholastic career, Naveen Sarna has increased that number to 2! Avoid him!

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
03/25/2022

literally 8 assignment the entire semester, lectures are slow and then when he finally puts information on the board to takes notes of, he clicks by it too quick to take notes. He poorly prepares students for the exams and overall just doesnt give students enough content to review. I BEG YOU PLEASE DONT TAKE SARNA! YOU WILL REGRET IT.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Anonymous
03/24/2022

Excellent professor. Economics is not exactly my main area of interest, but Sarna's lectures were engaging, and he did a great job explaining things in a relatable and understandable manner. The only criticism I can think of is that he had trouble understanding students' questions, but he always did his best to answer them.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/18/2022

I loved having professor Shea. I think he presents the information in maybe not the most intriguing way but I dont think it can much more interesting with this content, he tries to integrate some real life implications. He is the most fair teacher ive had and just an all around good person. I would 100% take a class with him again. I have really bad testing anxiety and school anxiety and with this course I always felt like i was in control of my grade.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/29/2021

Such a good professor, only a few assignments per semester, and the exams are very fair. Lectures can be a little boring, but overall a great professor! Take him

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/20/2021

Prof Shea teaches pretty traditionally in the sense that this class is extremely lecture heavy. If you're not a good note taker or struggle to pay attention during long lectures, you might struggle in his class. Every week there were two 1 hour 15 min classes where he lectures from a long PowerPoint presentation that's posted on ELMS (he would often go overtime too so be mindful of that) and then a problem set that was graded on completion due at the end of the week. Lectures can be pretty dry and monotonous at times but Shea is very thorough and clear at explaining the material. The textbook was free and optional but I never read it and honestly you don't need to read it to understand the material. Just make sure that you're good at taking quick notes during lecture (pretty much anything he says in lecture, including historical background and examples are fair game for exams) and you know how to do every problem on the HW and you'll do fine. Tests are not too difficult as long as you study and he grades them on a curve. If you pay attention and take good notes during lecture, this class is not difficult to get an A in.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/19/2021

Awesome professor! I took it online, and the exams were open-note, but even if they weren't this would be a really well-taught and fair class. He's a little quick so you won't have a lot of down time during the lectures but if you write fast you can keep up. (I'm usually a slow writer but I realized pretty quickly with this class it's either sloppy notes or missing a lot of stuff). The lectures are really info-heavy though, so get ready to start learning on the FIRST DAY and for a 75-minute information dump every class. Some say the exams are tough but I personally thought they accurately reflected the rigor of the class, and the curve is more than generous. He covers everything you need in class, the weekly problem sets are graded on effort (but are really helpful anyway) and the review sessions and practice exams are spot-on. If you pay attention, take notes, and do the practice exams, an A is totally doable. The textbook is free but not mandatory. I personally never read a word of it and still pulled an A on the exams. Professor Shea is a really solid choice for this class. He explains everything clearly and thoroughly and prepares you well for the exams. I also found the material interesting because it's so easy to apply it to the real world, and it's nice to understand how these things work (unemployment, inflation, business cycles, etc). Definitely take Professor Shea, you won't regret it!

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/28/2021

Most of what I learned in this class was reading off the slides and being 3-4 slides ahead from live lectures because I couldn't write the notes at the same speed Dr. Shea taught. But the small instances I would stop taking notes and listen to Shea explain concepts, he seemed pretty thorough and I found the topics interesting but I don't know how interesting it would be people that don't care for econ (I also took econ in high school). I never read the textbook, and his tests are only based on slides, but I would recommend writing at least a couple slides before lecture so that you can listen rather than scramble to write notes. Personally, I felt his test curves and grading were pretty generous, and an A is definitely not out of reach.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/12/2021

You can tell Shea is very knowledgeable and his lectures are filled with information. I didn't think the exams weren't that bad just make sure you attend all of his lectures and do the practice exams. I honestly learned a lot in the class and I definitely recommend him. There's a generous curve and the homeworks are easy As so you have to do well on the exams.

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
12/19/2020

Shea really knows what he is talking about. I strongly suggest going to class, you'll learn more that way and have a better understanding of the material you need to know. He has a generous curve but his exams are extremely difficult. There were a few issues this semester when it came to testing because of covid and him not having a set format for tests. I never understood why his tests were THAT difficult, made me feel like I never actually learned anything.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/16/2020

Kind've a GOAT, makes a lot of jokes about food. Hard to pay attention in class though, ended up using the textbook

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/10/2019

Does a good job for a class as boring as Macroeconomics. Lectures aren't mandatory but still go because what he says is helpful for the notes. Homeworks are easy for effort but class is graded mostly on exams and they can be tough. Overall good guy to take for macroeconomics.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
09/06/2018

Easy material in general, I knocked a star off because his lectures can be rather dry, and you have to sit in the front of the class to understand his graphs. With that said he's funny and gives interesting analogies related to real life economics. The material isn't difficult, and he doesn't complicate the material making it a relatively easy class.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting a D+
Anonymous
05/22/2018

SO BORING. It is honestly impossible to pay attention in this class. When I was able to pay attention he was a good teacher but just brutal for a long lecture. You're signing up to teach yourself the course.

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/09/2016

I recommend this course! Though I took macroeconomics in high school, I got a 2 on the AP exam and learned almost nothing throughout the year. So, I was a little worried coming into college and taking this class. I did well above the average on both midterms (averages were 72% and 69%). He does not curve individual tests but curves at the end of the semester. Personally I think macro is pretty boring so I don't pay that much attention in lecture, but I don't mind going. He often has technical difficulties, poor man. But lectures aren't painful. He's also a totally nice guy. It's clear that he loves economics, and I think it's important for a professor to be passionate about their subject. Without paying attention in lectures, I am projected to get a B+. Honestly, you just have to study before the exam and you should be fine. You have one homework assignment once a week, and it usually takes about an hour to do. Easy workload, medium-difficulty tests, and a nice guy. Study and you'll be fine!

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/05/2016

Professor Sarna is by far the best teacher I have had at The University of Maryland, he does an excellent job making sometimes challenging concepts about ECON easy to understand, he goes over concepts multiple times and draws out tons of examples. Further, he is very responsive to students needs, for example he made us a mock exam and the TA's gave it too us in class for each exam and that was insanely helpful and was similar to the questions on the regular exam. In addition he has review sessions in class. The only thing I would recommend is that you sit in the front because he writes on the board a lot and is hard to see in the big lecture hall. You cannot rely on the power points in order to get an A because the on board examples is where you do a lot of learning. Excellent teacher, take him not Neri!

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
06/29/2015

Made the class very easy to understand. One of the best professors I've had so far. He is very knowledgeable in economics. Explains concepts simply and makes sure students understand the fundamentals. Exams were fair

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
05/22/2015

Professor Neri is a horrible professor. If you HAVE to sign up for his class because of a scheduling conflict then I suggest you CHANGE YOUR SCHEDULE because you will not do well in his class. He teaches off of PowerPoints and then gives extremely difficult exams. The average on his Final (spring 2015) was a 65%. Please listen to my advice and stay away from John Neri. He will make you upset and the 4 credits will kill your GPA.

Naveen Sarna
ECON201

Expecting an A
TerpLegacy
02/13/2015

Just got my grade for the class and wanted to write a review for Professor Sarna because he definitely deserves one. Economics is my major so I'm very into the material. Lectures were enjoyable for me. Professor Sarna knows his stuff. He teaches in a manner that forces you to understand the models and apply them when tested. He doesn't want his students to memorize and then just regurgitate the material come exam time. And his teaching style reflects that. He is VERY approachable and very nice. He really wants his students to understand the material and do well in his classes. I didn't go to a single discussion and found that reading the chapters in the book prior to lectures was very beneficial. Midterms and the final averaged B/B- for the class. Final grade was curved by 3%. Fairly easy class though it will require some diligence as it is a 4 credit class. Bottom line if you have to take ECON201 take it with Professor Sarna. He is an excellent professor. Update: I took his ECON317 policies class. He has to be one of the best econ professors I've had. He has lots of real world experience and he brings that knowledge into the classroom. Great lecturer, great class. The class does require considerable effort though if you want an A.

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
12/17/2014

If you have to take this class, take it with Shea! You can tell that he is very intellectual and really knows what he is talking about which is so important. His exams are straight from his lectures, which are full of information. It can be tough, but the best advice I can give is to audio record the lectures and listen to them later. What is the best about Professor Shea is that when it comes down to it, he's a really understanding guy. If you need extra assistance, he will do anything to help you. If you are sick or have something that interferes with deadlines for legitimate reason, he will be understanding completely. He also curves really well. Getting an A in this class is totally doable.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/08/2014

Overall, ECON201 is not such a boring topic. It's pretty interesting. But Shea takes a fairly good topic and makes it probably the most boring class you'll take at Maryland. That's not to say he doesn't know what he's talking about. When you do find yourself paying attention, you'll see he knows his stuff. It's actually very impressive. However, the way he goes about presenting the information you need to know is abysmal and dry. He really doesn't go by the textbook at all (I haven't opened it once all year and my final is next week.) Having said that, it means you have to go to class and take really good notes because the exams do come straight from what he writes down, which is a plus I guess. Although, none of the in-class notes are electronic (no powerpoints, nothing on ELMS besides practice exams or problem set answers), so when you inevitably tune him out, you're going to fall behind. He will only write on the chalkboard, which can be brutal when you can't read the handwriting/tune out for a few minutes and fall behind. As for the class, he's solid as a grader, and this is why I gave him a 3 star rating. Two exams, a final, and problem sets. The problem sets are very easy to get full points on, which translates to 15% of your final grade. The exams, while they can be tough, are very similar to his old exams and are curved, which is really nice. If you can bear to pay attention twice a week for an hour and fifteen minutes, it shouldn't be too bad and you can do very well. But that can be very, very difficult to do.

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
05/17/2013

I'm sorry but people need to post updated reviews on here. John Neri is a upper level Econ professor that taught an INTRO class. This class was seriously like death. The slides were basically from the book but a little spiced up and the lecture was a snore. He is a very nice man but seriously shouldn't be teaching 201. I went into his office for help a few times and didn't explain things any differently. If your like me and all you have to do is read the book to understand the concept that's fine but be aware that it will not prepare for the exam! There were a few people in the class (clearly Econ majors) that were doing the most and clearly inflated the average. Sadly if there were more up to date reviews on here I would have taken Sarna. Sadly I will have to take him for my upper level Econ class and I am dreading it. His tests are just way to tricky. Please save yourself the trouble and take Sarna don't be a fool because your GPA will pay.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
09/23/2012

Great professor. Extremely intellectual, very obvious that he legitimately earned his graduate degree(s). Do not buy the book, he will write down everything you need to know in class on the board. This in mind, go to lecture since lecture notes are your only source of information (or at least get them from someone else). Must know not only main ideas and key points, but also details and specific facts. The economic history he goes over in class is not just for fun; he puts many questions on exams about it. The only way to succeed in this class is to read over your lecture notes and know them front to back because the exam questions are way too detail-oriented for a "general concept" understanding. If you have questions that your friends cannot answer, email him or go to office hours (don't do office hours the week before the exam, since his office is packed with people and he gets extremely peevish, like any normal person would).

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
john doe
05/17/2012

DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR! ECON201 is not a terrible class but do not take it with Shea... take it with Sarna! He never ends the class on time and his tests are so hard. Class ends at 315 but on a good day youll get out at 316. He started teaching us the first day of class!!!! He sucks get Sarna!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Meh
01/22/2012

Overall opinion: that man knows his stuff by heart. I respect him for being able to lecture and write on the chalkboard for an hour and 15 min straight. (He will go until the very last minute, and sometimes will go over.)Be ready for solidly and furiously writing for the entire class. He tends to be redundant in his lectures (A good thing, because he likes to emphasize important points). He goes over points in a somewhat logical manner and tries to tie them in to current events. He'll even crack the occasional joke or two. Tips to do really well: 1) Sometimes his notes on the board aren't very organized. I would take the time to rewrite, or type (which I did) your notes. 2) Do not simply memorize, but understand the logic behind it. He usually explains the logic verbally, so try to listen as you're writing. I was never a verbal learner, so I kind of found it difficult to follow him when he talked. *This is more important for the new material he teaches for the final.* 3) Highlight/mark up important dates. There are always 2-3 questions on the exams that ask for those dates. It hurts if you miss those, since each exam is 30 questions. (Final is 40) 4) Do all your homework. Don't be lazy. It's an easy 100% because it's graded for effort. And they help you study for the exams. He does drop the lowest score out of all of them. 5)The format of his practice exams are very similar to the actual midterms. The questions aren't, because his lectures slightly differ from year to year. But it's a great study tool, because you can see what concepts are behind each question. 6)Don't rely on the curve too much. But by god, I love the curves for this class. He does it by aiming for his target distribution of grades. Note: I don't think students can fail this class... unless they put in 0 effort. Effort will be rewarded accordingly. Easy to pull off a B, and an A is definitely not out of reach. If you have a curved/projected B after both midterms, do well on the final, and that A can be reached.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/08/2012

Shea is by far one of the best professors I have had on campus. His lectures are very thorough and he is willing to go over any material a student is confused on whether it be in lecture or during his office hours. He also relates the material to today's economy so you have a better understanding of whats going on. His exams are difficult, but if you study for them you will be fine. My best suggestion is to learn the concepts and processes instead of just memorizing formulas. Shea designs his tests to make sure you know the entire process instead of just definitions. I'd also write down any dates he writes on the board because those show up on the exams. I managed to get a 29/30 on the first exam, a 26/30 on the second, a 34/40 on the final and a 15/15 on the problem sets (graded on completion). This totaled to a 90.58 which curved to an A+. I think the cut off for an A was an 81. This class is definitely easy to pass if you put the effort into it.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
12/21/2011

This class is pretty terrible. The material is very basic and not very challenging, however Shea cannot teach and/or explain macroeconomics for his life. He teaches to his students as if they already know the material/definitions and does not help them acquire a proper understanding. He applies a very broad advisory curve to the midterms and then does not necessarily follow through with this scale. Shea does nothing to help out his students. There is no reason for such a steep advisory curve in a basic economics class. Additionally, do not buy the book as it is very expensive and does not assist you in the course (you will use it) . Try to avoid ECON201 with Shea at all costs, as taking the course with any other professor would result in a better understanding of the topic. By the way, he let's you out of class 3 minutes late every lecture. Enjoy

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2011

Shea is one of the best lecturers at the University. He does right a lot each lecture, but he is very thorough. The textbook is not needed at all to get an A in the course. The course is also curved significantly.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting a B
Natalie Spencer
12/07/2011

This class is not too bad if you go to class and take notes. It is really easy to get a B since he curves every exam. There is homework due once a week which is written. It is not too hard but you are graded for completion not correctness so thats a nice boost. Exams are very similar to the practice exams which he posts.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/02/2011

Great Professor. Very knowledgeable, and explains concepts thoroughly. This is a challenging course, but completely worth it. Pay attention in lecture, study lecture notes, problem sets, and past exams and you'll be fine. You will learn a lot of valuable material because Professor Shea is the man.

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting an A
motariq1991
12/24/2010

This class is definetely less challenging than micro economics but it still involves the same amount of analyzing graphs. But, this class should be taken after ECON200. It will make a lot more sense then. Professor Neri is definetely one of the better professors at UMD. He cracks some really funny jokes at people and himself during the lecture which almost always facilitates in learning the material. This class starts out really easy and the first exam should be an easy mid B or an A. After that, the class becomes difficult exponentially. My best advice to other students is to read the chapter before and after the lecture it was taught in. It will help a lot especially while doing homework. I felt that homework was way more challenging than the exams itself because he sometimes introduced concepts which he felt that we would magically know just by taking this class. And also because the wording was too damn confusing. A little secret that he doesn't tell his students. MORE THAN HALF OF THE PROBLEMS IN HIS EXAMS ARE DIRECTLY FROM THE HOMEWORK PROBLEMS IN MY ECON LAB. They are literally the best way to study for the exams. I realized this days before the final exam and used the homework problems as the main studying tool. I ended up getting more than 10 percentage points above the class average. But, you should still read the book, not skim it. The class consisted of 2 midterms (40 questions each), a final exam (55 questions) and the quiz sets on my econ lab (homework) which he drops the lowest 3. He also gave out 5 bonus points twice during semester to reward the students who came and stayed all the way though in his lectures. These bonus points might not seem a lot considering the class was out of 430 points. But they really do help. I ended up getting exactly 90.3% just because of the bonus points. If it weren't for them, I would end up getting somewhere around 87-88% And he curves in the end only if the overall class performance was not as good as he hoped for. Take this class with Neri. You will learn a lot!!

John Neri
ECON201

thewit691
12/20/2010

Really upbeat cool guy. Gives a weekly MyEconLab quiz, but he only counts your top 9 out of like 12. Exams were tough. 10 extra credit points if you went to class and stayed til the end a couple times.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
10/20/2010

This was a great professer. Only a midterm and a final and 10 homework problem sets.they are easy Exams were difficult.your grade was basically decided by 60 questions for the year. Although i have learned more in this class than any other class at md. He is a true professional

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/23/2010

This class is not fun. Shea starts his lecture and does not stop talking until the minute the class is over. He writes everything on the board, which is helpful. However, it is nearly impossible to follow what he is saying while scrambling to copy what he writes down. I wrote four to five pages of notes every lecture. You must attend class to get notes because he does not test you on what is in the book. The problem sets helped a lot in the midterm and the final, so study those! However, I felt that he just gave us the problems and expected us to know how to do them (when it was clear that we did not.) The midterm and the final are really, really hard exams. The best way to prepare for these is to go over your problem sets and the questions from his practice exams. Thankfully, there is a HUGE curve at the end. I ended with an 81% and got an A, so I'm happy. Don't buy the book - its unnecessary and a waste of money unless you know that you will not be able to come to a lot of classes. I really wouldn't advise skipping lectures because it is so easy to fall behind!

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/23/2010

An amazing professor! I wasn't fond of Econ 200, but Professor Shea made this class very very enjoyable. He has a great sense of humor, writes very clear notes, and provides very good detailed explanations of key concepts during class, so you are never confused. It's unbelievable the amount of information I gained by the end. He is also very nice, and willing to help students out with any of their concerns throughout the semester. The tests are tricky. They are all multiple choice, and about half the test consists of questions that are on the challenging side. However, the curve is pretty generous, so if you go to class, take good notes and pay attention to everything he says (memorizing the dates and Presidents is super important), and get a full grade on your homework, you have a very high chance of getting an A. When I took the class, a 79 got you an A.

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting a B
Anonymous
01/18/2010

He was a decent professor. He knows what he's doing, and he's not the typical dry econ lecturer. He draws a lot of real-world comparisons and shows examples, he occasionally cracks a joke (although they're not drop dead funny I appreciate his effort), the homeworks and the tests are reasonable. What you have to keep in mind is the subject matter. He is a decent professor, but by no means good enough to make econ enjoyable. It is dry and boring, and I ended up skipping most of the lectures (bad idea, since he occasionally gives pop quizzes to reward those in attendance). I couldn't pay attention, and ended up reading the textbook the day before the tests instead. The tests are reasonable if you understand the concepts though, and he doesn't spring anything on you just to be mean. Summary: He's a good professor, but to make econ anything other than dry and miserable, you need to be a really great professor. Go to class, read the book, do the homeworks, and make sure you know the concepts.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/25/2009

One of the best professor I've had! Shea's really adept at instilling the materials in his students. He stresses and rewords key points over and over again and breaks things down into digestible parts. I always come out of lecture fully understanding every single concept covered in lecture! No need to buy the textbook. Study from his notes and sit in the front row, as the chalkboard could be hard to read from the back. There're a dozen problem sets (we had 9, each comprises 3-6 problems. They're graded for effort.) In addition, there're two mid-terms and one final. Just remember to review the old mid-terms and finals and you'll be all set. Bottom line: A great great professor! Just take good notes and try to follow closely in class, and you're almost guaranteed an A!

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting an A+
jkTERP123
12/20/2009

I don't understand the negative reviews for this professor because to me , he was a really great teacher. While I did this class as a Business school prequisite he made economics so interesting and applicable that I will try to take more econ classes as electives, especially if he is teaching it. Just go to class, study the powerpoints, and rely on knowing the formulas and you are fine. His exams are very fair yet still a bit challenging, he gives 3 attendance quizzes a semester, and he is lenient on the MyEconLab Grades. Just go to lecture and skip the discussion because all you do is go over the MyEconLabs.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
06/15/2009

the stuff you learn in this class is actually applicable to real life. very good teacher, i definetly recommend shea if you have to take econ201, tests are tricky but really not that bad. literally memorizing ahttp://www.ourumd.com/books/ll of his notes is the key to an A.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
06/02/2009

Prof Shea is extremely impressive. He can teach an entire lecture by looking at notes at most twice. Make sure you take notes because everything from the test comes from the notes, making it no need to buy the book. Granted this is basic macro and something hard to make interesting but he manages to make it less painful. Mixes in history that you must know for the tests. Tests are difficult but the curve works things out (~80% is an A).

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
05/27/2009

This guy is one of the BEST professors at UMD. I can honestly say he inspired me to really pursue economics, something I was only mildly interested in before having him as a professor. He explains things SO well in layman terms, covers the material in just the right amount of detail: in other words, not too detailed but not too general either. He lectures purely from his head and writes everything on the board while speaking it, making the class and the information so easy to follow. He is super organized, super clear, and it is apparent that he understands economics like the back of his hand. You don't need to buy the textbook. Just go to EVERY class (you CANNOT miss one), pay attention! (a lot of people would come to class and read the Diamondback or play computer games on their laptops), and actually THINK about what he's saying while you're writing it down (in other words, don't just mindlessly take notes). Shea makes the class really interesting by applying what we're learning to current events, and occasionaly he'll crack a surprisingly funny joke. I just hope that I get to take another econ class with him later on.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/21/2009

In my opinion, ECON sucks. It's hard and it takes me awhile to understand concepts. BUT, I have to admit Shea made me understand better. In lectures, I actually understood what he was teaching. The class is based on notes so you have to go to lectures but you don't have to buy a textbook. Shea's tests are hard so you should study. You should also complete the problem sets they will help your grade at the end of the semester. Overall hard class, but HUGE curve at the end. I definitely recommend Shea if you have the chance and need this requirement.

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/18/2008

I had an A the entire semester. I just took the final exam and it was one of the hardest I've ever taken. It was much harder than any exam he gave during the year. Watch out for this final.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/22/2008

Shea is an awesome teacher. He could go a whole lecture without looking at his notes. He is also very interesting and very helpful with questions. You will have to write a lot, but it is worth it. Also, there is no powerpoint so you have to go to class. It is not smart to just copy someone else's notes as it is much easier to learn by going to class. Discussion is only if you need extra help. Tests are hard, but there is a curve. If you are an ECON major, definitely take his class. If not, still take his class.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
fruitchaat
07/22/2008

He knows his stuff, but unfortunately he writes all his notes on the chalkboard so you have to go to lecture. Don't buy the book, it's useless. He doesn't use Aplia, instead he has easy homework assignments that are graded for effort. The tests are really hard so you have to study. Especially the random history questions.

John Shea
ECON201

Expecting an A
konthelion
06/05/2008

This professor writes an entire lecture on the chalkboard without using his notes. That's pretty darn impressive. By the way, don't skip class because the material on the exams are base on notes and they are not posted online. Do not be intimidated by this class. There is a lenient grade curve. The final grade was 80% for an A. Do not over analyze the notes, just grasp the main concept i.e. AS/AD graphs, Keynesian model, classical model. There will be a substantial amount of memorization of formulas. The key is to use mnemonic devices or break big formulas into smaller formulas. Oh yeah, the discussions are pointless and are just reiterations of the week's material. You might as well take the time yourself to review the notes. Don't go unless you want to collect homework assignments.

John Shea
ECON201

Miss. Ma
03/28/2008

He is a great lecturer with very thorough notes. I walk out of his class completely understanding what he lectured about. BUT... when I look at his exams, its like I've never gone to class. SO SO HARD. Thankfully his homeworks are based on completion and you can even do it during class, and sometimes he would go over some problems of the homework while we are doing the homework b/c its due at the end of the class. Also, the curve is good. As a student that took intermediate Macro, this is a good beginner macro course. The history that he spends a min on is actually necessary. At first, I didnt see the point, but now I get that we had to know it.

John Neri
ECON201

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
01/08/2008

He is nice and funny. You really need to read the book to understand the material and to succeed on the exam. I would recommend going to every class because sometimes he puts questions on the test from things that he talked about in class. One thing that really helped me was printing out the power points and taking on them while he went over them in class. Also he gives out extra credit quizzes in class. The extra credit is so crucial to your grade especially after the final which is so hard.

John Shea
ECON201

Anonymous
11/17/2007

I liked Shea because there was no aplia... there we're handed in problem sets that were relatively easy and were graded very leniently. Econ is going to suck no matter who you have so I guess Shea is okay. Dont bother with the book. You will need to go to class or get notes if you miss class. And the curve is pretty sweet.

John Shea
ECON201

ronbon
11/16/2007

I had Prof. Shea for Econ201 and he was one of the best teachers I've ever had. He is very smart and clear in presenting the material. You must attend the (huge) lecture because the material on the test comes straight from Prof. Shea's lectures. He never required that we read from the textbook but I found it useful as a supplement sometimes; if you're trying to save money, you can get by without it probably. He made a lot of connections between theory and historical anecdote (as well as current politics/economics), which made the material much more interesting. Highly recommended for econ majors.

John Shea
ECON201

jge1023
10/23/2007

Hard to learn material. Does not use the book at all (don't bother buying it). Exams are based on class notes only, which he writes on the chalkboard and are not available online. Uses long drawn out examples that don't seem relevant to the material. Focuses alot on history and dates. Overall not that hard though because of a huge curve at the end of the semester but I didnt learn anything.

Reviews for ECON201