ECON 2010

Some people love the subject of economics, and some people hate it- a lot of that seems to correlate how comfortable you are with math and thinking about curves and graphs. Nonetheless, Elzinga is the sweetest guy, and his lectures are surprisingly hilarious. Some people are bothered that he covers real-world applications more than the concepts themselves, but I found his lectures fascinating, and don't be fooled into only studying the text and discussion notes- he likes to pull obscure-ish lecture points for test questions. Overall, I loved the class, and it made me decide to major in econ.

LOVED this class. Some people say that it's overrated, but I would strongly disagree. Elzinga's lectures are fantastic, and he understands that economics is not a world of its own, but a discipline that constantly interacts with each other subject, and he keeps that in mind when he teaches. A lot of people find his tests difficult or tricky, but I think that with a bit of preparation they aren't that bad; as long as you understand the concepts, you should succeed in this class.

It's really important to read the textbook, because the lectures are more summaries than actual introduction of material. That being said, you can expect to see a test question on a term mentioned once in class and not in the book. The tests are reasonable, but challenging. They can be hard to study for, given that (in my experience) we learned mostly theory and concepts and the tests were almost all application. Be careful in picking your TA, because that makes a big difference. Mine was being a TA for the first time, and it showed. I haven't taken the final yet, but I find studying for it to be difficult, because of the change from short answer tests to a multiple choice final.

Took this class as a Pre-comm second year at the same time as accounting after taking Macro last spring. Although Elzinga doesn't put notes online and the textbook isn't as readable as Macro, the class as a whole was still worthwhile. I would DEFINITELY recommend taking it with Elzinga rather than a TA, especially if you're pre-comm or econ!

Take the opportunity to go to his office hours! I didn't have any questions, I just went in and introduced myself, and he gave me some good career/class advice. Not to mention the cookies & brownies for all the students waiting. Despite teaching over 1000 students a semester, Elzinga makes an effort to get to know his students on a personal level, and he really cares about your success and well-being. He even invites his students who will be on grounds over Thanksgiving break to have dinner at his home.

ECON 2010 with Elzinga is something every UVA student should experience! Some people say it's easier with a TA, but that is not always the case, but if you take it with Elzinga you'll be prepared for further comm/econ coursework. It's easier if you take Macro first, but the class has no homework (unless your TA gives you some), 2 short answer midterms and one dutch-knockout final (If you get a higher grade on the final than your grade in the class, the final exam grade become your grade). If you read/study the chapters each week, go to every lecture, and take good notes, you should get an A-/A!

Elzinga is a very good, if somewhat rehearsed, lecturer. He's probably one of the most knowledgeable people in the entire field of economics. The main problem I had was that, since it is such a large class, it's sometimes hard to hear everything he says, and he doesn't have any sort of online notes or powerpoints or anything. Tests require a bit of studying, but the final was definitely manageable.

This was an average class. It was not even in the ballpark of living up to its rave reviews. Elzinga himself didn't really live up to his reviews in my opinion either. He's a nice guy, but this class was really boring, and I didn't get much out of it. It is also not that easy to get an A unless you do the work, so don't take the class if you're looking for easy As

There isn't much work besides reading, but exams are tough.

Some commentary:
If you don't already like econ or otherwise are not a pre-comm student, you may find that this class does not live up to the hype. I appreciated being taught by such an esteemed professor, but at the same time as an e-schooler I often wished I was taking it with a TA or taking an easier class to fill an HSS credit. I made the mistake this semester of stacking this class with (several) core classes in my major and it cost me.

If you have the option of taking this class with Elzinga or with a TA, please do yourself a favor and take it with Professor Elzinga. While he has been teaching this class for longer than most of us have been alive, it does seem versed and a little monotonous at time, but overall I would not trade my ECON 2010 experience for any other professor. He is an absolute doll, and his lecture can be surprisingly funny, but dry at other times. The tests are pretty hard, especially the final, which completely sank my grade. But overall the class is fair, and worth taking. He applies Economics to so many real world scenarios and I don't regret taking it with him!

I took this class as a second year so I had heard a lot about how wonderful Elzinga is before I took it. While Elzinga is clearly a very intelligent and knowledgeable man, I do not think he is a good lecturer, at least for my type of learning. Unless you have a great TA or background ECON knowledge, it is difficult to do well. I got an A- in the class and I owe it completely to my amazing TA (Alicia Baik - take it with her if you can!). Elzinga spents about 20 minutes of the class teaching and the other 30 telling stories. Most students find it entertaining but I would personally rather have had a professor who spends the whole time going through the material carefully. Attendance is pretty much necessary not just for the clicker questions but he sometimes asks questions on tests from things he randomly mentions in class. I would reccomend trying really hard for the first two midterms and not relying on the final exam because the curve is much bigger for the whole grade together.

Elzinga is great...just do the readings and use your TA when you don't understand something.