Fall 2009 Class Reviews

<p>I decided to get a thread going listing the classes I don't recommend other students take and I am hoping other people can contribute, so feel free to post...</p>

<p>Philosophy 301 - I took this class with Nick Mantegani because I had no choice (the classes I wanted were full by the time I got to register). Nick is a cool professor who is more then willing to help you out, however, the downside to this class are the midterms. You have four midterms, all essay based, which are graded by TAs who grade very tough and take off a ton of points for little mistakes. I don't recommend this class because it takes up a lot of time and unless if your good at memorzing things...STAY AWAY!</p>

<p>Astronomy 301 - I too this class with Dr. Edward Robinson thinking that since its a science class for "non-science majors" it should be okay if I put in the time and effort. NOT SO! The tests in the class are killer and there is a ton of material that is covered in a short span of time and it is heavy on physics, chemistry, and a little bit of math. The other professors such as Scalo are just as bad but there midterms tend to be slightly easier then Robinsons.</p>

<p>Microeconomics - I took this with Dr. Daniel Hamermesh and the class started off okay but then it quickly went downhill. People will tell you to take him because he is "funny"...DON'T! He has very dry humor and he likes to rick people on quizzes with questions that make no economic sense. He only has two midterms and a final which are tough and are supposedly created by the TAs. To make things worse, most of the TAs don't speak English and are hard to get a hold.</p>

<p>So, this is my list and hopefully other people will post there opinions....</p>

<p>Good thing I am not planning to take any of those classes.
Is Economics a requirement to get a degree even if I am not majoring in that?
I was supposed to take AP Macro but my schedule had some conflicts and I was stuck with taking Regular Economics (<em>barf</em>). Plus, I think Economics is totally boring and I don’t wanna waste any money taking that class in college.
I want to major in Bio with Dean’s Scholars Honors Program. Are the Bio classes for Bio majors good-quality? Are non-major classes crappy as I have been hearing? I want the quality of the classes I take to be worth my money.</p>

<p>Here’s the degree checklist for a BA in biology:
<a href=“http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/bsac/PDF/9font%2008-10/9ba%20bio%2008-10%202.pdf[/url]”>http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/bsac/PDF/9font%2008-10/9ba%20bio%2008-10%202.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And here’s the degree checklist for the Dean’s Scholar biology major:
<a href=“http://cns.utexas.edu/images/stories/BIOLOGY_Degree_Plan_08-10.doc[/url]”>http://cns.utexas.edu/images/stories/BIOLOGY_Degree_Plan_08-10.doc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Neither of them say that you are required to take economics.</p>

<p>Non-major classes tend to be crappy but some are easy to make an A in as long as you put forth the effort.</p>

<p>I don’t recommend Microeconomics by Wiseman. The lecture material isn’t difficult and the quizzes aren’t difficult, but the exams are totally RANDOM. He refuses to answer any questions about the exam, including how many questions it contains or even the format. He’s very secretive about his exams. He also gives you a “review” but rather than focus your studying, it completely distracts you because not only is it extremely difficult and causes you to panic, but NOTHING from the reviews ever shows up on the exams! His exams are all short answer and are the most random and ridiculous questions ever. You don’t even learn half the stuff he puts on his tests. The tests turn out to be like 7 questions long and are each weighted heavily and the TAs barely give you partial credit. This class is ridiculous, thank goodness i’ll be done soon (with a C probably).</p>

<p>omg okay so then dont take micro with Wiseman or Hamermesh who do we take it with?</p>

<p>Funny that some on other threads are complaining about how easy all the scantron tests are, yet some are complaining on this one about the difficulty of the short answer and essay tests.</p>

<p>I know my son would love to have a scantron test at this point. Between the case studies, the papers, tests and finals he has in the next two weeks, having to choose between A,B,C, or D would be a relief!</p>

<p>Good luck to everybody over the next couple of weeks!!</p>

<p>(just a hint - my son took microeconomics during the summer at HCC - did wonders for his UT gpa ;))</p>

<p>I agree, Microeconomics (I took 304K before dropping it after about 2 months) with Dr. Hammermesh is not recommended unless you already have some background with economics or calculus. The problem I had with the class was that he related a lot of it to calculus, which I have never taken, and I was unable to understand any of it. The class is very fast paced, and due to budget cuts my class size started at around 600. I would not suggest this class unless you already have a background with economics, or need it as a requirement.</p>

<p>For ECO 304L, I have Sadler and I would recommend him. His tests are straightforward, no tricks. They are scantron and he will drop the lowest test score and the lowest quiz as well. The final is optional if you are satisfied with the other test scores. He is very accessible in office hours and after class. I do not recommend Norman. He is crazy. </p>

<p>If you need credit for ECO 304K, you can take it online at ACC with Croxdale. That is how I did it. I ended up with like a 103 average for the semester by only putting in about 90 minutes a week.</p>

<p>Thats excellent to hear Fiyero since i’m signed up take ECO 304L with Sadler. </p>

<p>cocoaluna, you can take it with Hickenbottom. I believe he is more straightfoward but economics at UT is just one of those classes most people struggle with I think.</p>

<p>I’m taking Eco 304k with Hickenbottom this semester and it isn’t too bad. His tests are really straightforward because he posts an exam information sheet that lays out which sections on the test are gonna cover what chapters and then he gives problem numbers from the book and from his past exams for you to study. The types of questions are pretty much exactly like the homework and past exams. Also, there is 2 free response sections having 2 questions each but you only have to do 2 questions total so if your weak on a chapter,etc you can just pick the other question.</p>

<p>athenos, you’re really making me regret my decision even more! lol.</p>

<p>I was torn between Hickenbottom and Wiseman. I liked that Hickenbottom had a straightfoward style, but I also read that Wiseman gave a lot of “freebie points” in the form of class experiments so thats why I chose him. Well guess what, he never once gave us bonus points and there was only 1 experiment that didn’t count towards anything.</p>

<p>wiseman it is!thanks:)</p>

<p>Don’t take Wiseman if you can help it! His class is interesting and easy, as are the quizzes, but the tests are awful and you will most likely regret it unless you are just amazing at economics.</p>

<p>opps i meant Hickenbottom***</p>

<p>Hickenbottom is a great micro teacher. He simply gets up there and lectures, and he makes the material relevant. I have not even read the book, since his lectures basically do it. The tests and homework are straightforward. I am definitely getting an A this semester.</p>

<p>I’ve heard good things about Giovanni (I’m not sure how its spelled) if you guys need to take Micro.</p>

<p>Hey, since most freshman will be taking (or thinking about taking) most of these classes, I decided to bring the thread back. </p>

<p>The options for 304K right now are:
Hamermesh
Hickenbottom
Bronars
Wiseman
Sibley</p>

<p>Any recommendations?</p>

<p>^ I recommended Wiseman to another person on this board. Hammermesh is horrible and I’ve heard bad things about Hickenbottom. Wiseman might be hard (no micro class is easy) but he gives out the most As.</p>

<p>Lol community college micro was easy :D</p>