Reviews for ECON330

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Thomas Drechsel ECON330 Expecting an A- pierogi 12/20/2023	Drechsel is pretty great. Very nice guy, on the younger side and does not seem jaded like many other professors. He really cares about the subject, which makes paying attention easier. I can't say I find the topics super interesting myself, but I do feel like I learned a decent amount thanks to his passion for the class. There were 8 homeworks, all ~20 questions, mostly multiple choice (we got 2 tries). Mid-term and final were 1 hour each, online, open-note.
Manuel Molina Soto ECON330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/28/2023	Mr. Molina went out of his way to help me during this course. He was very quick in responding to all my emails. This helped me grasp concepts much faster during this accelerated course. He would also ask the class what he could do to help us all understand. Truly a great professor. Thank you, Mr. Molina!
Martina Copelman ECON330 Anonymous 12/19/2022	So she's alright. The class has a lot of information that you have to understand. Attending the lectures are helpful bc she gave extra context and examples that helps with understanding. But I wouldn't say 100% necessary. I could teach myself the material using slides and the textbook; however, she grades attendance using in class questions. Going to office hours is helpful. A lot of people say she's rude but I didn't experience/notice that. It's more like she's not super careful about hurting student's feelings and laughs about things a lot. BUTTTTT during the exams, she and the TAs would literally talk and giggle and it was so distracting and inconsiderate. During the final, she was literally watching a football match, reacting out loud and constantly laughing with the TAs. All the exams are MC but are incredibly tricky even when you study a lot. The average for the first exam was a D and the second was a C. I'd say overall she's definitely not terrible and the class is doable if you study a lot.
Martina Copelman ECON330 Expecting a B- Anonymous 11/09/2022	Her slides are very confusing and have paragraphs pasted on them, and the home work and practice exams are not relevant to the actual exams. Be ready to read the book cover to cover and do independent studying on google if you want a good grade.
Thomas Drechsel ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2022	Drechsel is a reasonable and kind professor. This class has weekly, multiple-choice homework assignment (40% of your grade), a midterm exam (20% of your grade), and a non-cumulative final (40% of your grade). The exams are online, open-note, and 60 minutes long. There are two lectures each week and he said attendance is optional because he only covers content that is in the textbook. However, it is important to read the textbook and go to class. In class, he covers content from the chapter that is most important. I would recommend reading and taking notes on the chapter covered BEFORE coming to class. The questions on the midterm exam were VERY similar to the math problems in the homework. I would recommend creating a formula sheet and knowing how to do every math-related problem on the previous homework assignments. The midterm had a low average, so it was curved and he made changes to the final. Before the final, he told us exactly what we needed to know. Focus on the graphs and understand the shifts and you will do well. Again, it's very helpful to go through the previous homework assignments. If he is teaching this class, take it!! Don't wait a semester and get stuck with Copelman.
Thomas Drechsel ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/17/2022	Make sure to actually show up to the lectures and listen to the information he is telling you. If you just do the HWs and never show up to lecture the exams are going to be extremely difficult for you. Lectures can be boring but if you commit to them it shouldn't be that hard to get an A.
Thomas Drechsel ECON330 Anonymous 04/27/2022	ECON330 homework is pretty easy. It makes up 40 percent of your final grade so you can easily get your grade to a point you won't fail(not to mention Dreschel drops the lowest homework & you have 2-4 attempts depending on the question). The Midterm(which makes up 20%) isn't anything like the homework. It is much more challenging and nearly impossible under the time constraints. Due to a lot of complaints from students, the professor had to boost everyone's grade by some points. I have yet to see how the final(which makes up 40%) will be. Overall though, Dreschel is a pretty nice guy that's really knowledgeable of what he is teaching. This was his first time at UMD so I'll cut him some slack. He makes the class structure quite organized so I appreciate that. He makes all his slides available online and it's fairly easy to catch up if you fall behind in the class. Just be sure to read the textbook. The only reason I'm not giving him 5 stars is because he is not necessarily outstanding or spectacular- he is simply above average.
Thomas Drechsel ECON330 Anonymous 03/16/2022	330 homework is extremely easy. 330 exams are insanely hard.
Martina Copelman ECON330 Anonymous 08/02/2021	The class is fairly hard but the professor is pretty good. Definitely not a class you can skip regularly or sleep through.
Martina Copelman ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 03/21/2021	Clearly very knowledgeable and experienced, but struggles with the online format and fails to understand why students don’t immediately grasp concepts. Students teaching one another (such as myself) have contributed much more to finer details on topics than her short video quizzes and homework assignments. Far from the worst professor I’ve ever had, but if you don’t have any prior interest or experience in banking or finance, you may find yourself treading water.
Martina Copelman ECON330 Anonymous 02/18/2021	Do NOT take her. She is extremely disrespectful of her students and has extremely high expectations with zero preparation for them. In a forced-online environment, she does not give us any chances to succeed at all and holds zero accountability in terms of admitting her own mistakes.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2019	TBH if you can't pass this class with flying colors, you should never ever go into higher level finance. I barely went to class and his slides are detailed enough that acing this class is easy. Genuinely some of the questions some kids asked made me cringe, like just remember ECON 201
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/08/2018	My biggest problem with Neri is that he does not use his own PowerPoint slides, and it becomes obvious when he doesn't understand what a slide says. He does not prepare you for exams well but if you study hard you still can do well. I generally like my econ classes, but hated his. Still possible to get a decent grade.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/26/2018	He's an interesting guy. He cracks jokes a lot, but the material is no joke. Lots of formulas and vocabulary, but all interesting stuff if you like learning about bonds/Federal Reserve/central banking. The test averages were low (in the 60's), but he made up for it by adjusting the final grades. A 85 was an A, a 75 a B, and so forth. Not a lot of daily homework, just some online quizzes and a weekly worksheet. He does random attendance checks for bonus points, so make sure to go to class if you take him.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/29/2017	Great Professor, Provided everything you need in the powerpoints. Would recommend!
John Neri ECON330 Anonymous 12/18/2016	I get that an Econ class is never easy but this guy clearly is still teaching because he has tenure. He rudely tells you he won't reply to your emails about grades once he posts the curve at the end of the semester because you can do your own arithmetic. If you're on a borderline he will still ignore your email. His tests were part multiple choice and the math was show your work. He gives out random extra credit points for attendance on days when no one shows up.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/20/2015	He just posted the curve and it was a shit curve. He curved my B- to a B+, which sounds like a lot but wait until I tell you the averages for our exams. The first exam average was around a 64%, the second exam average was around a 71%, and the final exam average was around a 61% (and the final is worth 35% of your grade). The problem sets he gives are the only other grades for the course, so make sure you do a good job on them. Also, make sure you attend class because he gives extra credit for going to class. I had him for macroeconomics and got an A, but this class is just hard. The main advice I would give to students is to go to class and actually pay attention and write down notes on what he says. A lot of times he says some weird fact or thing that will be on the exam. Good luck in this course.
John Neri ECON330 Anonymous 01/23/2015	Because the previous reviews are good, I am taking this class. his teaching style is straight forward, and you can get all information he taught. Sometimes, you might feel that the class is boring. All assignments are easy if you go to lectures. However, the problem will be caused from each exam. The average score of the first exam is about 60 out of 100. 40 multiple choices, and 4 short answer and essay questions. About 75 percent of multiple choice questions are okay if you review the book and power point. For left questions, he put the question one time he mentioned during the lecture. After the exam, one student asked him about the question, he just said that he mentioned in previous lecture. Yes, it is true, he mentioned one time in the class... For essay questions, he wants specific answer he expects. Otherwise, you will lose a lot of points from an essay question. Don't get me wrong. His lecture is fine, and you will understand what he teaches you, and all HW are so straightforward. Well, some people might think that I do not study not that hard. Here is what I did for the class. I attended all class sessions and write down information that I think is important, and I met TA twice per a week to catch up what I don't understand and more information I will learn from next lecture. Every weekend, I preview for next two chapters, and review from the class, and meet TA. For the same semester, I was taking BMGT 340, which is Finance. The two classes covered really similar material, but ECON 330 is a little bit in depth material. Oh, by the way, there is no curve at all, if you fail one of the three exam, Let's say 60s. Getting 100 percent from all HW and left exam and final, and also extra credit (which is 3 times attendance depending on the professor's mind) then you will get A-. (Except the exam, you need to get all 100 percent) If you major in ECON, it would be okay. Otherwise, I recommend you to record or write all what he said during each lecture.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a D Anonymous 07/13/2014	tough tough course only take it if you are prepared to give it your all. I was not and did not do well. He knows his stuff but he work is hard and he is not not sympathetic to student problems. In fact he lets his TA's do almost all the work and they can be just as tough as he is. If you take the course focus..and good luck.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/29/2014	Probably one of the most overhyped courses in Maryland, but that's because people think they don't need to show up to class, and end up doing terribly. I actually found this course to be very accessible, and Prof. Neri is a great lecturer, who explains everything very well, and actually knows what he is teaching (the best one I ever had among all my econ classes). Even though attendance is not required, I found it helpful to go to class, just to hear the material explained, and to get the random extra credit opportunities he gives (usually in days that a lot of people don't show up, to reward the people who actually showed up; this semester he did it 3 times). More about the course, there are 6 problems sets, which are not hard if you attend class, two midterms, and a cumulative final (which are not overly difficult, since he covers everything in class). Prof. Neri is really helpful, and always willing to help, during office hours and even after class. He also offered a bit of a curve at the end of the semester, which usually varies from semester to semester. Take him, you won't regret it!
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/03/2013	In order to get an A: go to class (for random extra credits), take notes on what the professor says (not the power point),and go to review sessions before exams. Tip: there are about 6 homework assignments. They are pretty hard so visit the TA's. Don't forget that only UNDERGRADUATE TA's will help you. Graduate TA's are NOT helpful.
John Neri ECON330 crevill 05/13/2013	I really like Dr. Neri. I think he is a great lecturer and he really understands what he's teaching. The class itself is very difficult. Some people say you don't have to go to lecture and do ok, but I think going was beneficial, just to hear the material explained. He also gives sporadic attendance quizzes, which are 5 points each, so that is definitely a bonus.
John Neri ECON330 Anonymous 12/23/2012	ECON330 was my second showdown with Neri. Once again, this dude was hard. Not much to be gained from the lectures, except that he gave extra credit randomly through the semester for those who showed up. I don't really know what to say because you are pretty much forced to take the class with him. Go to his office hours if you have questions because he's actually really nice about helping.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/23/2012	ECON305 REVIEW (Spring 2010): The objective of this course is to dive a little deeper into the models that were introduced in ECON201. Thankfully, you don't need to remember any of ECON201 to do well. Neri teaches this course from the bottom up, and makes it so simple that even a fourth grader could understand it. More often than not, the book will confuse you, so don't read it (don't even buy it, it's useless). Just go to class and write down everything Neri says and writes; that's all you need to know for exams. Class consists of 6 quizzes (drop the lowest 2), 6 homeworks (simple if you go to lecture), 2 midterms, and a cumulative final. Exams are basic and straightforward. Consist of multiple choice questions (about 30% of the exam) that test surface-level understanding (i.e. they're simple), and 2-3 short-answer questions that typically involve a lot of graphs (about 70% of the exam). These graphs are based on the models that Neri drills into your head during lecture, and the graph questions on the exams are always something he has explicitly done in lecture before (or a very slight variation of it that is still easy). In short, this class COULD be difficult if A. you don't go and simply rely on the book, or B. if Neri made hard exams, or C. if Neri was not a good lecturer. Go to class and don't rely on the confusing textbook (take care of A), which will immediately take care of B since you will have seen every question on the exam before in lecture. C is not the case. Just as I said in the ECON330 review below, great professor. Great class. Highly recommended. ECON330 REVIEW (Fall 2009): Easily one of the most overhyped courses in the university. Despite the reviews, ECON330 is a very accessible course for all students. The material you learn is very far-reaching and wide in terms of practical application. You learn important things that you will actually want to learn and remember far after the course is done. John Neri is very personable and an excellent professor. He presents all of his material in a very down-to-earth way that just about anyone can understand. Complaints you see about him arise because people skip class or don't pay attention, both of which is the students' faults to begin with. If you go to class, take good notes, and skim the book if you don't understand any concepts, you will be fine. Assignments consist of 5 problem sets (all very easy if you attend lecture), 2 midterms, and a cumulative final exam. He gives 5 points of extra credit at least 2 times throughout the semester (in fall 09, he did it 3 times) on days when not a lot of people show up, to reward those who DID show up. To study for exams, get a good grasp of ALL the material he presented in lecture. Study a few days in advance, because there is quite a bit of material on each exam. Great professor. Great class. Highly recommended.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A sukhenkoy1990 05/25/2012	Professor Neri is a very solid lecturer. If you attend his classes and read the book, you should have absolutely no problem receiving an A in his class. His exams are based very much on what he teaches in class, and his teaching style is very straight-forward and easy to understand. He offers at least 10 points extra credit throughout the semester for attendance points, so be sure to try to attend every class if you can. Moreover, people with an 85% or higher get an A in his class, so the curve is very generous as well (taking into account the extra credit opportunities). I thought that his exams were a good deal easier than those seen in BMGT340.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2012	Neri is a genuinely nice guy and i personally think he's a fair grader. the exams are really difficult, the averages are around 65% but he gives at least 3 extra credit opportunities (2 for attendance and 1 for an optional assignment). the problem sets are pretty easy and they take 15% of your grade.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/16/2012	ECON330 (Grade: C) Holy crap. The hardest course I've ever taken at Maryland, by far. WAY harder than 201. Go to every lecture, because he gives occasional extra credit attendance checks and those can make or break your grades. The homework is sporadic in this class and very easy, but the exams are incredibly difficult. They ask very specific, detailed questions and the final exam is absolutely the worst. Not only is it cumulative, it's also even more detailed and specific than the other two exams. Neri presents the material much like he does for ECON201, he was pretty good at it but you'll probably want to read the book too. There's definitely a lot of good stuff to be learned in this class, but be prepared to put in a LOT of effort if you want to get a B or A. ========= ECON201 (Grade: A-)I loved Dr. Neri's class. He teaches the material very well, and he's very enthusiastic about it. Admittedly there were a few times where I spaced out but I guess that's to be expected in these kinds of lectures. He was always happy to answer students' questions. The exams for the class are pretty fair in my opinion, as long as you do the reading or go to class. Homework is done online, you get two shots at each assignment and it uses the higher score so there's generally no excuse to not do well. GO TO LECTURE as well because he occasionally gives out extra credit for attending. It can make a big difference in your final grade.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/18/2012	Really nice guy. Just go to class, read the chapters, do the homework and you will probably get an A. I went to about 40% of the classes and got a B. It helps to have taken BMGT340 or any course that discusses the time value of money
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/07/2012	This guy was great and his classes were fun to attend. He taught all of the material well, posted all lectures online, and really made it fun to learn about econ by using things like vids on youtube to help teach harder topics. Granted, this is an econ class so it was somewhat tough. But, for those business majors who have to take an upper level econ, would you rather continue to talk about micro/macro theories that don't really mean anything or would you rather learn how the federal banking system works, how bonds work, and what the business section of the news is actually saying? If you care about business and earning money, this class can actually help with knowing how and when to invest in the bonds market as well as knowing what moves the fed is going to make so that you can know how to plan your investments.That and a lot of the topics overlap with what's taught in BMGT340 so take this first and have fun with it, then go and pass through finance already knowing the material. Seriously a class that you can actually go and use to profit off of while still in college, so why not have fun with econ instead of boring yourself with more theories?
John Neri ECON330 faceboy 01/02/2012	Not as bad as others make it sound. Prof Neri is a great guy and tries his best to make class interesting. There is a lot of material and exams can be difficult. Follow the slides posted online as a study guide along with the book and you should be fine. Attendance is not mandatory but he does give extra credit attendance a couple time through the semester. I got a B but could have gotten an A if I didn't bombed the first exam because I didn't study correctly. His curve was decent, 74% got you a B and 85% got you an A.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a B+ Siema101 12/24/2011	The professor is a nice guys, he is pretty energetic and upbeat. He cares about how students do by giving out some extra credit rarely and he does curve at the end of the semester, but you won't know by how much. However, with that being said, he is really not all that great at teaching concepts and you will not learn everything you need from him for the homeworks and even test problems. I am not an econ or business major and used this class as an upper level core. I attended all classes, and it helped somewhat, but you really need to read and study on your own to get a good grade. Contrary to what some people said, the curve is not the same each semester. I had an 82.5% before the curve, and ended up getting a B+, so the curve really was not enough considering I put in a moderate amount of work and I am a mostly A student. Unless you like econ, math, or finance, I highly recommend to avoid this class.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A shayman91 12/22/2011	I don't get why there are so many negative reviews for Dr. Neri. He is a very jolly professor and knows monetary and macroeconomics very well and explains terms in a way we can understand. Of course, to understand the concepts you actually have to attend class and pay attention(sometimes he gives extra credit for attendance). To do well on his challenging exams the key is to study his posted slides and use the book to clarify things that don't make sense, if you do that you should get a solid B+ or A.
John Shea ECON330 Expecting a B soonstar 12/15/2011	This is one of the easier ECON classes, to me. Pro Shea is SO thorough (to the point of redundancy) in his notes, it is impossible not to do well if you just study what he rights. Also, he plans his lectures in a very linear way, so I personally think that it's easy to understand what he's talking about. That being said, I took like 6+ pages of notes every class, which was 2.5 hours once a week. So he really goes HAM when it comes to writing on the board. If you miss one class, you are screwed. I mean, you can get the notes from other people, but you wont actually be there when he explains what he's writing. The tests are heavily weighted but they are curved. I believe my 74 on the first exam was turned into a B+, so that was good. I haven't taken the final yet but I expect to get a B in this class because of his advisory curves. To be honest, this class is easier to excel in than ECON200 or 201. The material is more about concepts than arithmetic, and only a portion of the class focused on those dreaded supply/demand curves.
John Neri ECON330 Anonymous 09/25/2011	Just take note that all the people who give Neri bad reviews were probably the students in the class who don't understand that sometimes you have to actually STUDY to get an A. What a shocker. Neri is a cool guy, he makes corny jokes, he knows econ like the back of his hand, and he always has technical difficulties (poor guy). He is more than willing to help you out if you're having some trouble and if you're respectful. Don't come whining to him and expect to be received warmly. Go to lectures, pay attention, read the book, you'll be fine.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a B Luminaire 03/10/2011	I asked him a question after class. He told me to ask the TAs about it. I talked to the TAs, and he told me to send him and e-mail. I sent him an e-mail, and he responded that this was the type of question to ask Professor Neri. Aside from that, this was the most extreme class I have taken on campus. Extreme, by it is extremely easy to get a B by doing nothing, and extremely difficult to get an A. Neri curved a D+ to a B. He curved a C to a B. He curved a B+ to a B+. My friend got a D and ended up with a B. I got a B and also ended up with a B. All in all, the grade distribution is a normal curve around a C. Watch out for the free response on all his exams, and his cumulative final. If you Neri at 8am, good luck. Problem sets were graded randomly and a few extra credit points barely made any impact
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a b gbunz 01/25/2011	This class was quite challenging for me at first, but tings got better. Neri is a good guy. He usually isn't in a hurry so feel free to ask questions while in class. Also, going to his office hours with reasonable questions could help. In terms of studying for this class, focus on the slides and notes taken in class. Had i known this earlier, i would have gotten an A in the class. His exams come directly from the slides so be careful not to skim over minute details. Also, don't just cram the slides but try to understand what is really going on. Again, he is more than willing to help if you go to office hours. One more thing...the extra credit really helps so try to get the points by being in class and staying till the end. Ohhhh, and the problem sets, consult the T.A's when in doubt! I missed 10 points all together on the problem sets, the difference between the B i got and the A i wanted. Good luck!
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/22/2010	Don't listen to the bad reviews. (They are just from angry students who put no effort into the class and received a low grade.) Yes, his exams are tough, but the curve in the class is huge! An 80% is an A. If you can't get an 80% final average with 10 points of extra credit and easy problem sets, then you don't belong in college. Neri is an excellent teacher and will do whatever he can to help. I highly recommend him.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/19/2010	Just received my grade in the course (C). Neri is an awful professor. While he complains about students not attending class regularly, I made it to about 70% of classes but had an extremely difficult time learning anything from him. He DOES curve. It's tough to not get a C because all you needed was a 58% for it. However, getting above that is very tough - based on the grades, it looks like 30% of students received B's or better while 70% received C's or worse - that's an absolutely awful curve distribution.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2010	awesome class. Take this class if you want to be more well-rounded in terms of knowing what is going on in the news with respect to the economy. This class did take quite a lot of time and effort, but was definitely worth it in the end. Make sure to study at least a week in advance and to keep up with the material...otherwise there is no hope. Go through all of his slides and problem sets in detail(remember and understand everything). He does curve in the end, but the amount of the curve seems to vary by semester.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a C Anonymous 01/12/2010	Dr. Neri was not at all a good professor for ECON330! He needs to find another way to teach the class because he lectures straight from powerpoint slides, that are straight from the book - and it doesn't work. The class is offered at 8am in the fall, and it is extremely hard to absorb any type of information at that time, and Dr. Neri does not make it easier. The homeworks are given randomly throughout the semester and are out of 12 points, and does NOT help your overall grade. The homework should not even be considered as "give away points" because most students recieved 9-10 on them. The final is worth so much, its ridiculous. He gives attendance extra credit which is great. He does curve, I had a 62 and got a C. He has very strange manerisms, its almost too much to handle so early in the morning. I did learn from this class.. FROM READING THE BOOK. If you don't need this class as a requirement, save yourself the misery!
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/19/2009	Here's my opinion. Goes without saying that it should be taken with a grain of salt: While I wouldn't consider Econ330 to be a difficult class, it is very dense in subject material and requires that you remember a lot of things for the exams. Despite the previous reviews, I actually found Neri to be an okay professor, not the best but also not the diabolical creature students who wrote these reviews make him out to be. He gives out extra credit over the course of the semester, mostly 3 times. Also, he tends to give out the first one after the first exam. Second one sometime before the second exam and third one after the second exam. Not definite, but tends to.... Here's how I got an A: 1) Read every chapter and understood the major concepts 2) Went over the slides he uses in class before each exam 3) I skipped about 35% of classes but still got 2 of the 3 extra credit points 4) Completed every problem set. Read each chapter before completing it, it helps.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting a B spatni 12/17/2009	He is the 'hard way up' kinds guy. Will give you a really tough time during the semester but will "curve" in the end. YES he does curve. But don't bank on it. I didn't even know there was a curve until after the final. It helps a lot. If your a finance or economics guy, you will just LOVE the information the class provides (the text, his slides etc.) and the extra info. he provides (links etc.) I took a lot from this class in those terms and can use them in my other finance or economic endeavors. Overall, pretty good course and proff.... But you will have to WORK HARD for your grade.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A dm 06/18/2009	Neri absolutely loves making his students' lives, a living hell. really passionate about seeing us fail. the guy knows his stuff though, he conveys everything in a concise, 'to-the-point' manner and it really isn't that hard to follow - until you take his exams of course. he doesn't curve that much. START STUDYING A WEEK IN ADVANCE - you'll need it. make sure you know all his slides by heart. as mentioned earlier, he loves testing his students on stupid little details, so pay attention. i found him a rather obnoxious guy when I went and asked him if there was any way I could raise my grade in the class from a C- to an A; he told me flat out, "no". the TAs are a lot nicer; although they're not too fluent in English, at least they're helpful.ATTEND CLASS. as said earlier, you really would hate yourself for skipping and then missing out on a A or a B, or even a C by a few points.
John Neri ECON330 Anonymous 05/19/2009	Very animated teacher, very lively and humorous. Teaches off of power point slides, which are posted online. Take notes carefully and follow whatever he writes on the board, most likely it will be on an exam. Go to lecture all the time, he gives extra credit attendances at least 3 times out of the semester. Exams are on the tough side, lots of facts rather than theoretical bs that you can make up. Multiple choice though and he does give you some sample questions. Definitely have to put forth some work and take good notes. He does curve at the end.
John Neri ECON330 Expecting an A pookie 12/22/2008	the professor: Neri is one of those few professors that make economics entertaining and bearable. He's animated at 8am and makes the content very easy to understand GIVEN THAT YOU GO TO LECTURE. If you sleep/doze off/ don't go then reading the slides to study will take longer but it is still feasible. the great thing about this class is that it is relevant to current events, he tries to start off each lecture with what has been happening in the news and how it relates to what we're learning. A trick to this class is to pay attention to these anecdotes, anything he says is fair game during the exams. the exams: The exams are NOT difficult if you know ALL the content on the powerpoint slides. Honestly, if you pay attention in lecture, reading over the slides is a breeze. the tricky part is just memorizing certain numbers like interest rates. The exams are 85% MC 15% written and a all MC final. there are a total of 2 midterms and a cumulative final. The written sections are giveaway points since most of the time they are math problems are there are only so many equations to choose from. Sometimes he may ask a "why" question, like why is this number this way or why does this answer make sense. Essentially, if you can do all the MC and support why you got the answer you did (aka not random guessing), you should be able to ace the written. When i went to collect my written part, the only part of the exams Neri let's you keep, i saw a lot of 0's and low points. Don't let yourself be one of them. There are 5 written problem sets that do not take much time. They are easy if you go to lecture, but you need to be careful not to make careless mistakes. If you have questions, go to Neri during his office hours, he is more than willing to help or even just shoot him an email for he responds quickly. The key for this class is to keep up. The textbook is only there if you don't understand why something in happening in the powerpoints but if you do go to class and manage to stay awake, then you will be able to take the course sans any assistance from the textbook. Study the slides, not the book. The only thing Neri will ever include on the exams NOT covered in the slides is the random anecdotes he talks about in the news or things he writes on the board. Know these small details well because he loves to test if students are paying attention. Since this class is usually offered fairly early (i had an 8 am), going to class can be an epic struggle. My advice: go? because you'll hate yourself for missing the generous 5 point attendance bonus points he randomly gives out a 2-3 times a semester. Finally, the curve is massive. But do not rely on it. Take the class as if there was no curve if you want to get an A, because he grades it so that most people end up right under the "A" mark and with a B+, etc. The curve during my semester was around 83% to get an A but that number could change depending on the exam averages. If you can average an 85% on all three exams you are fine. Anything lower could be risky. Also the first exam is the hardest, study every detail of the slides. Know why things are happening. UNDERSTAND and MEMORIZE. sometimes understanding concepts isn't enough and other times memorizing answers isn't enough either. you need both for this class. Although the grade curve looks daunting, it is possible to get an A in the class. Don't be discouraged! I learned a lot and Neri is a great professor.
John Neri ECON330 kristaoz 04/08/2008	The Good Definitely a funny guy. He tries to keep the class really light hearted - and he does give out extra credit. There's usually a pretty big curve too. The Bad The tests are pretty hard and don't really have anything to do with the slides and class.. most of the information comes from the books. The averages were pretty low and the homeworks are really annoying. Overall, great guy.. not so great class.
John Neri ECON330 Miss. Ma 03/28/2008	A Pain. The good thing about him is that he is talkative and cheery, and really knows what he lectures. But, you loose momentum and slowly stop going to class b/c you can only learn from the text. The bad thing was that his exams were hard, and you had to study masses of info to be able to pass his class. And there was a writing section on the exam!!! But of course, there was a curve, and it was big.
John Neri ECON330 terpfan29 11/03/2007	Strengths Dr. Neri is a decent teacher. He can be very boring at times, but I think he does the best with what he has to work with. Economic theory often tends to be a little dry. He is a very friendly and nice guy, and he wants students to do well, but he expects them to do something to earn their grades too. His tests can be tough, but they are manageable. Most of what you need to know comes straight out of the book...read it and you will be fine. Going to lecture helps to reinforce the material, plus you never know when it might help your grade in other ways. So it's definitely important to go to all lectures. Take it in the spring when it's offered at 9:30 as opposed to 8AM in the fall! Even 9:30 is early! Dr. Neri hates it when people don't show up to lecture, or especially when people leave early so he sometimes gives extra credit in lecture when a lot of people aren't there, and he won't mention it on the class website. The homeworks require some time but you only have to do them about once every 4-5 weeks. Dr. Neri does generally give a fairly generous curve on final grades to help students out. I think I finished with about an 80 average and wound up being 12 points away from an A- on a 400 point scale. Drawbacks Lectures can be boring. Tests can be hard. Often the average is in the 60s. Chances are that you will have to take this class if you are a Finance or Econ major so you won't have much choice in the matter, but Neri is a pretty decent teacher. I've heard there are much worse profs in the Econ dept.