<p>How hard is it to get an A/A+ in Econ 1 with Delong?? Especially if I've already gotten 5's on micro and macro econ. I could skip the class through credit but my brother told me it's best to take it over again. I'm an incoming freshman trying to double major in econ/business</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know if Delong grades differently or harder than the other professors? Would it be better to wait for a different professor in another semester?</p>
<p>I considered taking econ 1 with delong but he has never taught this course before so i was iffy and decided to take ugba 10 instead (which i was planning to put off until spring of freshman year). I heard Train usually teaches fall and I wanted to take it with Train but here comes Delong…</p>
<p>I took a look at DeLong’s grading scale vs the ‘regular’ professors’ grading scales and DeLong seems to be a bit more lenient. He has less weight on the final exam (usually a good thing) and also gives out a few percent of extra credit (always a good thing). But I don’t know how hard his tests are compared to the other professors’.</p>
<p>He’s a new Econ 1 teacher. He teaches upper div usually. Refer to:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/926084-econ-1-brad-delong.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/926084-econ-1-brad-delong.html</a></p>
<p>where I get told.</p>
<p>Yeah I read everything there is to read about DeLong… on ratemyprofessor and courserank and any college confidential threads about him. His ratings aren’t so good, especially compared to teachers who normally teach Econ 1.</p>
<p>And he noted on his website that Econ 1 wouldn’t have an especially high curve… Also, a few people have said not to take Econ 1 as a first semester freshman. Still not sure what to do</p>
<p>Ahhh why won’t they tell us who’s teaching the class next spring?! I’d probably rather take the class with Olney or Train…</p>
<p>It will probably be way better than Olney. Train is the staple favorite of course.</p>
<p>I would prefer Train for sure… but what’s wrong with Olney? She’s got great ratings too. She can’t be worse than DeLong, right?</p>
<p>Eh, Olney is a mixed bag. She is way too political usually (during a lecture in 2009 regarding the economic collapse, she dismissed conservative criticism of federal economic regulation being a factor in the collapse as “Republican talking points”).</p>
<p>Hi, regarding Olney, I just took her this past Spring (Spring 10), and it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made. Olney lectures amazingly and I didn’t just learn about academic economics, but the real-world applications of it. No doubt it was hard, and I had to study, but the difficulty didn’t come close to the much tougher classes at Cal (chem, bio, physics). I ended up with an A, and whenever I read the economist or Krugman’s blog over at NYT, I get much more out of it.</p>
<p>Btw, to those who says she has a difficult curve–“25
& 30 % A’s, between 35 & 40% B’s, and the rest are C, D, F, P, and NP.” That’s directly off of one of the e-mails she sent us at the end of the year.</p>
<p>So yeah, basically if you can take it with Olney, take it with Olney. You’ll get the grade you deserve and learn a lot. If not, take the class with Delong because I read his blog and he seems like an amazing guy not to mentioned an accomplished economist.</p>
<p>Should I take Olney this fall as an incoming freshmen in CoE with P/NP?</p>
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<p>Olney isn’t teaching Econ 1 this fall, which is the problem. Unless you’re talking about some other class…</p>
<p>So honestly guys, do you think I should stick with DeLong or wait another semester or two for a different professor? I know he’s an accomplished economist… but his ratings aren’t very good as a teacher. </p>
<p>Also, he’s never taught Econ 1 before and I’m a bit uncomfortable being a guinea pig. It would be nice to know what his curve is going to look like beforehand.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman as well, and I really wanted to take Econ 1, but I’m waiting into spring for more options for teachers…xD While DeLong might be an accomplished economist, the ratings do turn me away…and people always say a accomplished researcher doesn’t always mean a good lecturer…besides, since he’s used to teaching upper division, I’m worried that he might be just as hard (if not a little easier) in Econ 1…</p>
<p>He also has summer homework to do, if you prefer entirely resting during your summer :)</p>
<p>What’s the fun in resting the entire summer? You had summer readings for most of your honors/AP English classes anyways. This is Berkeley people.</p>
<p>Btw, there’s only one lecturer per semester for Econ 1 (correct me if I’m wrong) so I’m not sure why you think there will be more choices later on.</p>
<p>Just take it now, no point in wasting a semester. Econ 1 is just a weeder/overview class and the tests/curves are basically the same no matter who the teacher is. Professors matter more for specific classes like Econ 100A/B which you will take after Econ 1.</p>
<p>I had Train for Econ 1 and Olney for 100B. Liked them both, but definitely learned more from Olney (and got a higher grade). She is a really great lecturer and you learn a lot. She is definitely biased towards the liberal/democratic perspective, but most people have no problem with that.</p>
<p>@Helloall: According to Courserank, there have been multiple teachers last spring/fall (5+) And not everyone takes english AP. And yes, I do know this is Berkeley (whether you’re being condescending, I don’t know, but I do apologize in advance, if this isn’t meant to be seen as negative). </p>
<p>However, some of us are burnt out from senior year, and frankly, I would like to rest before I start school. And this is actually my first summer I get a break since ever, because the last four years have been summer school, community college,and SAT classes. Edit: And yes, other people probably do this too, but I can only take so much without a break.</p>
<p>I don’t think Berkeley has enough money to have five professors teach the same course. I believe those were names of the GSIs that taught sections. (and again, I could be wrong).</p>
<p>And no, my comment was not meant to be condescending. I’m just pointing out that students are held to higher standard/expectations once they arrive on campus.</p>
<p>Um if you’re thinking about majoring in Econ, you should be taking Econ 1 right away. If you wait, you won’t be able to start on any other Econ classes till soph year. And you should use the class to figure out if you really even like Econ or if you can even do well in Berkeley level economics.</p>
<p>Also totalcaprice, you will get very sick of breaks in about one month.</p>
<p>Hm, it’s more logical that they’re just names of GSIs. I guess I’d prefer another instructor. </p>
<p>ahahah, then my apologies again for the misunderstanding. The fact that Berkeley is #1 and the discussion at CalSO are what makes me a little intimidated/excited for school to start.</p>
<p>@flutterfly: I’m taking Econ 1/UGBA 10 in the spring (bad idea? if I add Econ 1 for fall…I’ll be taking two exams in one day 1/2 hour away from each other…) and no worries, I still have a huge stack of books to read (sad thing is, I never read Freakonomics or Tuesdays with Morrie),though ironic and perhaps hypocritical that I’m reluctant to read for summer homework…</p>
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<p>Thanks for the info flutterfly. So, I’m planning on double majoring in econ and business, would you still recommend that I take econ 1 right away? </p>
<p>Also, is econ 1 even necessary? Because technically I already have credit for the class from 5s in AP macro and micro econ. But my brother said it might help me if I just retake the class.</p>
<p>How prepared do you feel? It’s all a matter of personal preference really. If you think you can survive without retaking it (its also a weeders class btw, so it might pull your GPA down), I would avoid it.</p>