Robert Schwab | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Robert Schwab ECON414 Anonymous 12/24/2021	His lectures do not correlate with his problem sets. It is impossible to get 100% on the problem sets; either you get 5/6 and get an 83% for the homework section or 6/6 which adds on extra credit so you end up with 120% for the problem sets. While this could be nice if you get them all done, he is very strict with deadlines and how much work you show for the problems (so one missed problem set could make a difference of 6% in your final grade). His exams were extremely difficult as well but he provided a large curve to make up for the fact that the averages on the exams were in the 60s. However, he did provide previous exams and quizzes for practice. If you can take game theory with a different professor instead, do that.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/11/2018	ECON200 is inevitably boring, but Schwab at least tries to make it engaging. He's a decent lecturer and reasonably funny, but his habit of calling out people who try to leave early gets old and annoying fast. Exams are very fair and are similar to the past exams he puts up on ELMS. All in all, ECON200 is a fairly easy class, and I would recommend taking it with Schwab.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/22/2017	Love Schwab, he has a dry-sense of humor. There were definitely times I found myself dozing off in his class however because of the tone. But he does do a great job at answering questions.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Anonymous 04/16/2016	While his voice might be boring, it is the only class that I haven't missed (and it's not just because of the clicker points). I look forward to this class every time I go because he is so straightforward. He does not want to trick you. He is no nonsense, no frills, but he does attempt to be funny. This is an easy class, and he doesn't try to make it anything but that. This is a class you can just sit back and listen to. The concepts are so easy to understand that I use this class as a time to relax. I would recommend him to anyone. There are very regular homeworks, but doing them just helps reinforce basic concepts (and boost you grade).
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A- histerp 03/27/2016	I'm currently in Schwab's ECON200 blended learning course and I find it bearable. I'm not very interested in economics, but he gets that a lot of the class is forced to take it and tries to be funny. A few things worth knowing is that you have clicker questions every lecture class, discussion is kinda useless and I seldom go, Schwab does not like people leaving early at all, and he put up past exams on Elms to study from, which I used. There's a lot of resources made available to help you. If you can take it with Schwab, I recommend it.
Robert Schwab ECON200 hello1234hi 05/13/2014	DO NOT TAKE ECON UNLESS YOU HAVE TO. ECONOMICS IS A BITCH. Also, THE most boring processor EVER. Unfortunately going to lecture is a must because of clicker questions, making this class almost unbearable, especially since he posts his power point slides online anyway. I couldn't tell you what he said in a single lecture, i sat in the back and did work that actually mattered. He's a nice guy, but his teaching methods are extremely ineffective. Listening to him longer than 5 solid minutes WILL put you to sleep on the spot.
Robert Schwab ECON200 erika_14 05/16/2013	Schwab is a dork and hes personable but.. SOOO BORING!!!! you won't pay much attention in lecture unless you sit in the front, so if you want to pay attention, sit in the front row. There is a lot of work that comes with this class and it definately boosted my grade in the end so make sure you complete the online work. The exams are fair - I am not an econ person so to me they were kind of hard. This semester, an 85% was an A and 75% B. There is a lot of help provided so if you need help like I did, seek it!
Robert Schwab ECON200 Anonymous 05/05/2013	Bob Schawb was a good professor. He's got a great sense of humor and it makes class much more bearable. Classes are important to go to because of the clicker questions, which make up a small, but very easy, part of your final grade. Classes are boring, but if you can read the books and do all the Aplia problems, you should be fine. Tests were sort of challenging, but he eventually caved and decided to curve our final grade so that an 85 would be an A-. Definitely a good class, Prof. Schwab is a great guy and while very boring at times, paying attention is never really 100% necessary.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B Anonymous 06/08/2012	i enjoyed most of his lectures. he was a good professor and really nice in office hours. do good on the exams. the final is more difficult than i thought it would be, but he ended up curving. i don't know much about other econ200 professor but if you try hard, you will do good in this class.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/18/2012	Prof. Schwab is HILARIOUS! He's this dry-humored, sarcastic old man. Sort of like your grandpa on coffee. I took the Blended Learning section, new this semester. The grade was based on clicker questions, simulations (game-like things you do on APLIA wherever you want instead of coming in for discussion), problem sets, pre-lecture quizzes and 3 tests. It was really cool being able to roll out of bed Friday morning and just logging into APLIA to do the simulations instead of having to trek to Tydings for a discussion section. That being said, though, there were a lot of electronic issues in the beginning of the semester that I imagine should be fixed if they do the Blended Learning section again. He sets a very generous curve for the class, and both he and the TAs were extremely welcoming/helpful. They invited students to come talk to them or post questions on the discussion board, which the TAs monitored regularly so that they are answered at least by midnight the same day. Tests were fair; no trick questions in general. But like I said, if he noticed a problem with some of the questions, he set a generous curve. Going to lectures were worth it, especially paired with the pre-lecture videos you have to watch online before class (about 10-15 min. each, so not that long). I only had to read the book to clarify some concepts for myself, but if you do all three there's no reason you will do badly in the class.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/10/2011	I thought this class was relatively easy. You have to do about 6 aplia homework problems and take 3 tests and a final. The tests are not hard and he covers all the material. Schwab is not a bad professor but the lectures are pretty pointless. The final is terrible! I had an A in the class until the final. He swears the final is cumulative except all of it seems to be on game theory.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/30/2010	I thought this class was extremely easy. You can either read the book, go to class, or listen to his recorded lectures, but you certainly don't need to do all three unless you want to really reinforce the material. As mentioned below, you don't need to attend discussion sections either. The final did seem to be harder than the other tests, but overall I thought all the tests were pretty straightforward. To study for the tests and to see what he wanted you to know most, I just reviewed the powerpoint slides and the aplia homeworks, and that basically gave me the best idea of how to study. If you struggle with interpreting graphs, then the class may take some work. But if not, it's pretty simple and isn't too time consuming.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/27/2010	Professor Schwab is a very straight forward teacher but this is NOT an easy A class. You really must study hard for the exams and genuinely understand the material in order to get an A on them and our final was much more difficult than either of the exams. The one nice thing is that you really do not need to go to your discussion section since they do not take attendance and just go over the problem sets (which you can do on your own as a study method and the answer keys are online). Another good thing actually was that Schwab is really nice about using his own time the night before the exam to hold a Q+A session. It's a fair course but really put in a fair amount of effort to get an A.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B+ naxxm 12/18/2010	Avoid this professor. There is no mercy. First two exams were EASY. He posts recorded lectures, so you don't have to go to class. Discussion is not required. You will be graded only by exams and homework, which is really easy. You can just go take the exams. But don't never ever expect the same difficulty for the final exam. Compared to previous 2 exams, it was really hard. You have to train yourself for deeper insights to do the final exam, and first 2 exams wouldn't make you ready for it. I got As in first 2 exams, and C+ in the final exam. I needed 0.4 points (which is somewhere around 0.0x%) for an A, but he won't do anything for it, nor the TAs can do anything. If all you need is decent grade, I recommand this course. But never expect any rounding up; reaching to the next grade so close would not give you what you expected.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B Itzahckret 12/10/2010	Even though I am getting a B, this class was really easy. I never went to lecture because Schwab puts everything online, by everything I mean even the recordings of him talking are online. Also, you do not need to go to discussion because the answers to the problem sets are also online. Just look over the past exams and know key terms and you will get B's on the exams. The homework is really easy, they are online and only take about one hour, and there is only 6 the entire semester.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A adinas 12/07/2010	Proffesor Schwab is a good teacher. He explains the material well and shows how the material relates to real life situations. He also has a good sense of humor. He puts his power points and old tests online which is helpful. If you miss a class, it is realtively easy to make up the material; however, if you want to get the highest grades possible, I advise going to class.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/04/2010	Bob Schwab is a very entertaining teacher. His class is not very difficult if you go to class. The Discussions are worthless if you go to class. My TA barely spoke English, but it didn't matter cause Schwab is that good of a teacher. Take him if you can.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/07/2010	BOB SCHWAB! He's pretty funny and a great guy, but he can be a little dry in lectures. The key to his class is to actually do the work expected of you (ie. read the book!) As long as you keep up with the textbook and his lecture notes, it's easy to do well in this class. Many of the TAs are very knowledgeable (and if you get a bad TA, they're really nice about letting you switch sections due to a "scheduling conflict.") I really enjoyed his class and found the information interesting and challenging, but never daunting. I recommend Schwab if you're a motivated student, but if you plan on skipping lecture and coasting through the class, you may want a different professor.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A Anonymous 02/21/2010	ECON200 is just boring and Schwab doesn't help much. His slides are completely white with some poorly drawn graphs. Every time I went to class I fell asleep and I never went to discussion (my TA was completely useless). Homework is given maybe one every two weeks or so, and generally you don't have to work very hard in the class. With the first exam I did pretty poorly, low C, but luckily almost every test has a 10point curve. The rest of the exams I did very well, the trick to this class is to read the book and take notes from there. It is alot to read and it is very boring but that is what it took for me to get an A. I'm sure I could have gotten an A much more easily if I could stay awake in class (it wasn't even an early class) but the material and the way it was presented was just way too boring. To summarize ECON200 isn't hard as long as you put in the effort. Schwab isn't a bad professor, he grades fairly and is knowledgeable with the subject. His lectures are just bland and boring.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A Anonymous 02/04/2010	Schwab is by far my favorite teacher ever in college. Not only did he make ECON200 as interesting as possible, despite it being a boring course, he legitimately cared about the students doing well. His lectures were very simple and easy to understand, so if you actually show up/ pay attention it should be no problem to do well in this class. The exams were very fair, with the problems being provided ahead of time. If you study, read the book, come to class, and practice the discussion problems this class should be very easy.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/12/2010	If you are taking this class as a core requirement,I advise you to not. Econ is a tough subject, so it is not worth taking if you do not plan to use it within your major.It is your best option to just choose another class that fulfills that core. With that said, if you must take econ 200, do not take it with Scwab. Clement, who taught econ200 the same time as schwab gave out much easier exams and homework problems. Schwab's exams consisted of multiple choice and problem sets whereas Clement only have a multiple choice. With problem sets, if you get the first part of the problem wrong, you will get the rest wrong. Overall, this was my toughest class for my first semester, and the last two and a half weeks i spent in the library. With hard work you can receive a passing grade, it is just whether you put forth the effort in schwab's class. If you take econ200 with schwab, make sure you know how to teach yourself and read the book. Lectures are boring, but he is extremely knowledgable in econ. Nice guy, tough class, but you learn a lot.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B arm519 01/04/2010	I have to admit, I did not put in the work necessary to succeed in the class. Econ has never really clicked for me in high school or this past semester, so I ought to have worked harder. I definitely coasted and got a B. Dr. Schwab, though humorous and well-meaning, is quite a boring lecturer. I sometimes found myself waking up 20 minutes after putting my head down for a tiny rest. His powerpoints are drab and not very informative - this is where the book comes in. Read it, outline it - I didn't! Also, go to discussion, even if you skip lecture. The discussions go over problem sets that are almost identical to exam problems. An average class for a subject that is not very engaging for me. Schwab is obviously very, very knowledgeable, but not a stellar professor. Perhaps those who like economics more would disagree.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/04/2010	Dr. Schwab is a really fair professor. His class truly is NOT DIFFICULT AT ALL if you put in the work. I was most successful learning from the book. I did very poorly on the first test because I didn't study enough, but I got a 97 on the second test and an A on the final because I read the book carefully. The problems sets for discussion EXACTLY mirror the free response on the test. Low scores on the test indicate that you haven't been putting in the work (as I hadn't been in the beginning of the year). I didn't make the A by 3.65 points (.01%) and Dr. Schwab couldn't do anything about it, but with consistent effort, you can easily get a good grade in his class.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/23/2009	This class was miserable. I usually always goes to class but he put me alsleep and I gave up half way through the semester. I knew this would happen as he made a comment early in the year that at the end of the semester about 50 people out of the 200 in the lecture hall attend???? TA's are just ok, make sure you get a good one. I failed both tests and the final, but got a 100% on the MyEconLab and got a C.
Robert Schwab ECON200 stealingsheep 12/08/2009	He tries to make lecture funny, but it is difficult to pay attention. Most of the multiple choice on the exams can go 50/50 and usually its not a great outcome since the MC are about 3 points apiece. However, the problem sets do help. Discussion does not, but he does post the answers to the discussion sets online, and the exam long answers are almost identical. Hard to pay attention, but really he makes it as good as it gets.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/07/2009	Professor Schwab is an entertaining, funny man. He made the entire room chuckle at least once per class. However, he often goes off on pointless tangents and most of his lectures don't really teach anything. The exams aren't hard, but the most people do terrible-the averages are around 60 or 70. He does scale, but its frustrating working hard and doing poorly, especially when every other class has much higher averages. That being said, the TAs can be really helpful (Alam is the best!) and the problem sets are exactly like the ones on the exams. He's not the best, but don't sweat it if you have to take his class, you'll at least get a few laughs.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/06/2009	Professor Schwab is such a good professor. His class consisted of 2 exams and a final and 6 online homework assignments (unlimited attempts, so easy 100). He is funny and tries to make class interesting. His exams are very fair if you pay attention, study a little and go to discussion. The averages for the exams were pretty low (like 67 on the last one), but really, they were fair. He's a great professor. Take it with him if you can
Robert Schwab ECON200 Expecting an A umdcupcakes 12/03/2009	LOVED this class. Bob Schwab is one of the best teachers I have ever had. His exams consisted of multiple choice (which were pretty tough) and problems. In discussion, we got almost identical problem sets, so the exams aren't hard. If you got to lecture and discussion and take notes on the powerpoints, you'll do fine. I outlined the chapters also, which helped too. Honestly, there is no reason for people to be getting D's and F's on exams. All of the info in Schwab's powerpoints are clear and he's always willing to answer questions.
Robert Schwab ECON200 Anonymous 11/26/2009	THIS MAN IS AWESOME! He actually wants his students to do well. The test are pretty fair. Nothing too difficult if you study his lecture slides. Take good notes on the slides during the lecture, that always helped. And go to discussion!! The discussion problems are VERY VERY similar to the ones on the test. I know that some students aren't doing well, but if you put in the time and effort, it shouldn't be too bad. Just study the problems, his slides, and read the book chapters like once. Plus Schwab sometimes tells hilarious corny jokes in class, so its interesting! haha

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/11/2018

ECON200 is inevitably boring, but Schwab at least tries to make it engaging. He's a decent lecturer and reasonably funny, but his habit of calling out people who try to leave early gets old and annoying fast. Exams are very fair and are similar to the past exams he puts up on ELMS. All in all, ECON200 is a fairly easy class, and I would recommend taking it with Schwab.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/22/2017

Love Schwab, he has a dry-sense of humor. There were definitely times I found myself dozing off in his class however because of the tone. But he does do a great job at answering questions.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Anonymous
04/16/2016

While his voice might be boring, it is the only class that I haven't missed (and it's not just because of the clicker points). I look forward to this class every time I go because he is so straightforward. He does not want to trick you. He is no nonsense, no frills, but he does attempt to be funny. This is an easy class, and he doesn't try to make it anything but that. This is a class you can just sit back and listen to. The concepts are so easy to understand that I use this class as a time to relax. I would recommend him to anyone. There are very regular homeworks, but doing them just helps reinforce basic concepts (and boost you grade).

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A-
histerp
03/27/2016

I'm currently in Schwab's ECON200 blended learning course and I find it bearable. I'm not very interested in economics, but he gets that a lot of the class is forced to take it and tries to be funny. A few things worth knowing is that you have clicker questions every lecture class, discussion is kinda useless and I seldom go, Schwab does not like people leaving early at all, and he put up past exams on Elms to study from, which I used. There's a lot of resources made available to help you. If you can take it with Schwab, I recommend it.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

hello1234hi
05/13/2014

DO NOT TAKE ECON UNLESS YOU HAVE TO. ECONOMICS IS A BITCH. Also, THE most boring processor EVER. Unfortunately going to lecture is a must because of clicker questions, making this class almost unbearable, especially since he posts his power point slides online anyway. I couldn't tell you what he said in a single lecture, i sat in the back and did work that actually mattered. He's a nice guy, but his teaching methods are extremely ineffective. Listening to him longer than 5 solid minutes WILL put you to sleep on the spot.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

erika_14
05/16/2013

Schwab is a dork and hes personable but.. SOOO BORING!!!! you won't pay much attention in lecture unless you sit in the front, so if you want to pay attention, sit in the front row. There is a lot of work that comes with this class and it definately boosted my grade in the end so make sure you complete the online work. The exams are fair - I am not an econ person so to me they were kind of hard. This semester, an 85% was an A and 75% B. There is a lot of help provided so if you need help like I did, seek it!

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Anonymous
05/05/2013

Bob Schawb was a good professor. He's got a great sense of humor and it makes class much more bearable. Classes are important to go to because of the clicker questions, which make up a small, but very easy, part of your final grade. Classes are boring, but if you can read the books and do all the Aplia problems, you should be fine. Tests were sort of challenging, but he eventually caved and decided to curve our final grade so that an 85 would be an A-. Definitely a good class, Prof. Schwab is a great guy and while very boring at times, paying attention is never really 100% necessary.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B
Anonymous
06/08/2012

i enjoyed most of his lectures. he was a good professor and really nice in office hours. do good on the exams. the final is more difficult than i thought it would be, but he ended up curving. i don't know much about other econ200 professor but if you try hard, you will do good in this class.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/18/2012

Prof. Schwab is HILARIOUS! He's this dry-humored, sarcastic old man. Sort of like your grandpa on coffee. I took the Blended Learning section, new this semester. The grade was based on clicker questions, simulations (game-like things you do on APLIA wherever you want instead of coming in for discussion), problem sets, pre-lecture quizzes and 3 tests. It was really cool being able to roll out of bed Friday morning and just logging into APLIA to do the simulations instead of having to trek to Tydings for a discussion section. That being said, though, there were a lot of electronic issues in the beginning of the semester that I imagine should be fixed if they do the Blended Learning section again. He sets a very generous curve for the class, and both he and the TAs were extremely welcoming/helpful. They invited students to come talk to them or post questions on the discussion board, which the TAs monitored regularly so that they are answered at least by midnight the same day. Tests were fair; no trick questions in general. But like I said, if he noticed a problem with some of the questions, he set a generous curve. Going to lectures were worth it, especially paired with the pre-lecture videos you have to watch online before class (about 10-15 min. each, so not that long). I only had to read the book to clarify some concepts for myself, but if you do all three there's no reason you will do badly in the class.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/10/2011

I thought this class was relatively easy. You have to do about 6 aplia homework problems and take 3 tests and a final. The tests are not hard and he covers all the material. Schwab is not a bad professor but the lectures are pretty pointless. The final is terrible! I had an A in the class until the final. He swears the final is cumulative except all of it seems to be on game theory.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/30/2010

I thought this class was extremely easy. You can either read the book, go to class, or listen to his recorded lectures, but you certainly don't need to do all three unless you want to really reinforce the material. As mentioned below, you don't need to attend discussion sections either. The final did seem to be harder than the other tests, but overall I thought all the tests were pretty straightforward. To study for the tests and to see what he wanted you to know most, I just reviewed the powerpoint slides and the aplia homeworks, and that basically gave me the best idea of how to study. If you struggle with interpreting graphs, then the class may take some work. But if not, it's pretty simple and isn't too time consuming.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/27/2010

Professor Schwab is a very straight forward teacher but this is NOT an easy A class. You really must study hard for the exams and genuinely understand the material in order to get an A on them and our final was much more difficult than either of the exams. The one nice thing is that you really do not need to go to your discussion section since they do not take attendance and just go over the problem sets (which you can do on your own as a study method and the answer keys are online). Another good thing actually was that Schwab is really nice about using his own time the night before the exam to hold a Q+A session. It's a fair course but really put in a fair amount of effort to get an A.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B+
naxxm
12/18/2010

Avoid this professor. There is no mercy. First two exams were EASY. He posts recorded lectures, so you don't have to go to class. Discussion is not required. You will be graded only by exams and homework, which is really easy. You can just go take the exams. But don't never ever expect the same difficulty for the final exam. Compared to previous 2 exams, it was really hard. You have to train yourself for deeper insights to do the final exam, and first 2 exams wouldn't make you ready for it. I got As in first 2 exams, and C+ in the final exam. I needed 0.4 points (which is somewhere around 0.0x%) for an A, but he won't do anything for it, nor the TAs can do anything. If all you need is decent grade, I recommand this course. But never expect any rounding up; reaching to the next grade so close would not give you what you expected.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B
Itzahckret
12/10/2010

Even though I am getting a B, this class was really easy. I never went to lecture because Schwab puts everything online, by everything I mean even the recordings of him talking are online. Also, you do not need to go to discussion because the answers to the problem sets are also online. Just look over the past exams and know key terms and you will get B's on the exams. The homework is really easy, they are online and only take about one hour, and there is only 6 the entire semester.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A
adinas
12/07/2010

Proffesor Schwab is a good teacher. He explains the material well and shows how the material relates to real life situations. He also has a good sense of humor. He puts his power points and old tests online which is helpful. If you miss a class, it is realtively easy to make up the material; however, if you want to get the highest grades possible, I advise going to class.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/04/2010

Bob Schwab is a very entertaining teacher. His class is not very difficult if you go to class. The Discussions are worthless if you go to class. My TA barely spoke English, but it didn't matter cause Schwab is that good of a teacher. Take him if you can.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/07/2010

BOB SCHWAB! He's pretty funny and a great guy, but he can be a little dry in lectures. The key to his class is to actually do the work expected of you (ie. read the book!) As long as you keep up with the textbook and his lecture notes, it's easy to do well in this class. Many of the TAs are very knowledgeable (and if you get a bad TA, they're really nice about letting you switch sections due to a "scheduling conflict.") I really enjoyed his class and found the information interesting and challenging, but never daunting. I recommend Schwab if you're a motivated student, but if you plan on skipping lecture and coasting through the class, you may want a different professor.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
02/21/2010

ECON200 is just boring and Schwab doesn't help much. His slides are completely white with some poorly drawn graphs. Every time I went to class I fell asleep and I never went to discussion (my TA was completely useless). Homework is given maybe one every two weeks or so, and generally you don't have to work very hard in the class. With the first exam I did pretty poorly, low C, but luckily almost every test has a 10point curve. The rest of the exams I did very well, the trick to this class is to read the book and take notes from there. It is alot to read and it is very boring but that is what it took for me to get an A. I'm sure I could have gotten an A much more easily if I could stay awake in class (it wasn't even an early class) but the material and the way it was presented was just way too boring. To summarize ECON200 isn't hard as long as you put in the effort. Schwab isn't a bad professor, he grades fairly and is knowledgeable with the subject. His lectures are just bland and boring.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A
Anonymous
02/04/2010

Schwab is by far my favorite teacher ever in college. Not only did he make ECON200 as interesting as possible, despite it being a boring course, he legitimately cared about the students doing well. His lectures were very simple and easy to understand, so if you actually show up/ pay attention it should be no problem to do well in this class. The exams were very fair, with the problems being provided ahead of time. If you study, read the book, come to class, and practice the discussion problems this class should be very easy.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B
Anonymous
01/12/2010

If you are taking this class as a core requirement,I advise you to not. Econ is a tough subject, so it is not worth taking if you do not plan to use it within your major.It is your best option to just choose another class that fulfills that core. With that said, if you must take econ 200, do not take it with Scwab. Clement, who taught econ200 the same time as schwab gave out much easier exams and homework problems. Schwab's exams consisted of multiple choice and problem sets whereas Clement only have a multiple choice. With problem sets, if you get the first part of the problem wrong, you will get the rest wrong. Overall, this was my toughest class for my first semester, and the last two and a half weeks i spent in the library. With hard work you can receive a passing grade, it is just whether you put forth the effort in schwab's class. If you take econ200 with schwab, make sure you know how to teach yourself and read the book. Lectures are boring, but he is extremely knowledgable in econ. Nice guy, tough class, but you learn a lot.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B
arm519
01/04/2010

I have to admit, I did not put in the work necessary to succeed in the class. Econ has never really clicked for me in high school or this past semester, so I ought to have worked harder. I definitely coasted and got a B. Dr. Schwab, though humorous and well-meaning, is quite a boring lecturer. I sometimes found myself waking up 20 minutes after putting my head down for a tiny rest. His powerpoints are drab and not very informative - this is where the book comes in. Read it, outline it - I didn't! Also, go to discussion, even if you skip lecture. The discussions go over problem sets that are almost identical to exam problems. An average class for a subject that is not very engaging for me. Schwab is obviously very, very knowledgeable, but not a stellar professor. Perhaps those who like economics more would disagree.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
01/04/2010

Dr. Schwab is a really fair professor. His class truly is NOT DIFFICULT AT ALL if you put in the work. I was most successful learning from the book. I did very poorly on the first test because I didn't study enough, but I got a 97 on the second test and an A on the final because I read the book carefully. The problems sets for discussion EXACTLY mirror the free response on the test. Low scores on the test indicate that you haven't been putting in the work (as I hadn't been in the beginning of the year). I didn't make the A by 3.65 points (.01%) and Dr. Schwab couldn't do anything about it, but with consistent effort, you can easily get a good grade in his class.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/23/2009

This class was miserable. I usually always goes to class but he put me alsleep and I gave up half way through the semester. I knew this would happen as he made a comment early in the year that at the end of the semester about 50 people out of the 200 in the lecture hall attend???? TA's are just ok, make sure you get a good one. I failed both tests and the final, but got a 100% on the MyEconLab and got a C.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

stealingsheep
12/08/2009

He tries to make lecture funny, but it is difficult to pay attention. Most of the multiple choice on the exams can go 50/50 and usually its not a great outcome since the MC are about 3 points apiece. However, the problem sets do help. Discussion does not, but he does post the answers to the discussion sets online, and the exam long answers are almost identical. Hard to pay attention, but really he makes it as good as it gets.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/07/2009

Professor Schwab is an entertaining, funny man. He made the entire room chuckle at least once per class. However, he often goes off on pointless tangents and most of his lectures don't really teach anything. The exams aren't hard, but the most people do terrible-the averages are around 60 or 70. He does scale, but its frustrating working hard and doing poorly, especially when every other class has much higher averages. That being said, the TAs can be really helpful (Alam is the best!) and the problem sets are exactly like the ones on the exams. He's not the best, but don't sweat it if you have to take his class, you'll at least get a few laughs.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/06/2009

Professor Schwab is such a good professor. His class consisted of 2 exams and a final and 6 online homework assignments (unlimited attempts, so easy 100). He is funny and tries to make class interesting. His exams are very fair if you pay attention, study a little and go to discussion. The averages for the exams were pretty low (like 67 on the last one), but really, they were fair. He's a great professor. Take it with him if you can

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Expecting an A
umdcupcakes
12/03/2009

LOVED this class. Bob Schwab is one of the best teachers I have ever had. His exams consisted of multiple choice (which were pretty tough) and problems. In discussion, we got almost identical problem sets, so the exams aren't hard. If you got to lecture and discussion and take notes on the powerpoints, you'll do fine. I outlined the chapters also, which helped too. Honestly, there is no reason for people to be getting D's and F's on exams. All of the info in Schwab's powerpoints are clear and he's always willing to answer questions.

Robert Schwab
ECON200

Anonymous
11/26/2009

THIS MAN IS AWESOME! He actually wants his students to do well. The test are pretty fair. Nothing too difficult if you study his lecture slides. Take good notes on the slides during the lecture, that always helped. And go to discussion!! The discussion problems are VERY VERY similar to the ones on the test. I know that some students aren't doing well, but if you put in the time and effort, it shouldn't be too bad. Just study the problems, his slides, and read the book chapters like once. Plus Schwab sometimes tells hilarious corny jokes in class, so its interesting! haha