ECON 3010

ONE OF THE BEST PROFESSORS AT UVA, I could not believe how lucky I was to be able to take 3010 with this guy. I only took the class because all the other sections were filled up and it ended up working out great. The class is hard but that's because it's 3010. It was his first time teaching and he honestly did so well and constantly adapted to our needs over the course of the semester. The slides are really complex, too much for me, but he explains things very well in class and writes things out on the blackboard, so I highly recommend attending lectures (although there is no attendance). Exams are very similar to the problem sets, which albeit are tricky. Also get a good group for the psets, it would suck to work through this class alone. He mixes in some game theory examples in as well which was nice.

Unrelated to the class itself, but this guy might also be one of the most unintentionally funny professors I've ever had. Like if you go to lecture there's actually pretty good chance you'll laugh which can't be said for many classes. Also he's very understanding and gets what it's like to be a student which is just nice to have as you're struggling through a class like 3010. Our group did pretty bad on all the exams, but there's a hefty curve.

Again, highly recommend taking this or any other class with Po.

I took it because he was new, and albeit being awful at econ, I learned so much from him. He's kind, funny, and wants everyone to understand, but also have fun. He has games for points, collaboration sometimes, and we did like game theory ones, which were like gambling, pretty fun. Oh, and you can work in a group on the homeworks, they are collaborative.

He allowed a cheat sheet on the final, which was lit.

Po Lin is an excellent professor. The class is hard, but it'll likely be hard whatever 3010 you take, as another reviewer said. Professor Lin provides all his slides/class notes for you to reference later, but he actually teaches by writing on the blackboard in order to keep himself at a pace you can follow. The grading is split between 9 problem sets (lowest 1 drops) (20%), 3 non-cumulative tests (25% each), and a 5% classroom activities score for participating in class activities. The class activities are usually based on game theory experiments he wants you to engage in to learn a concept, and it's pretty simple and really just verifying you were there in some way (via a quick Canvas quiz, signing your name, etc.). There's no required textbook to read.

The problem sets take a really long time and are pretty difficult, but you're allowed to form groups of three with other people to work on them together, and there were office hours offered every day of the week if you needed help (from TAs + himself)- plus the problem set was pretty open to other resources you could use. They're really for learning and applying the lecture, and you usually have about a week from when it's released to when it's due. I recommend trying to find a group, because it does make the experience better. However, if you end up not liking the group you work with at first, you can feel free to move on and find another group or just do it yourself: you're not locked in with only them. Also, the discussion sections usually go over some of the problem set + more tips on the material and solving, so attending those is helpful.

The tests were difficult and largely pull from the problem set material (just very slightly simplified for testing), but he was really generous with curving the first one. Since the class did better on the second test, it wasn't curved as much, but it still helped. Supposedly he doesn't curve the last test since everyone did well in it last year, but the final grades haven't come out for that yet so I'm not sure yet how that will work out (he did say if something went very wrong he would curve though). But regardless he really wants you to succeed and will encourage you to ask for help or come to his office hours if you need it.

His class is apparently structured a bit differently from other 3010 classes (which I learned from talking to others) because he likes to spend time on the basics of game theory for the last few weeks of class, so there's less time spent on some of the other traditional microeconomic concepts. However, I found it very enjoyable and interesting, and game theory/behavioral economics seems to be where modern economics is heading more and more from what I've heard, so it's nice to get a general sense of it. Also his lecturing is really interesting and fun- he can be pretty funny sometimes, and he really has a passion for what he teaches. I recommend attending lecture as much as possible, not for just staying on top of things and learning but also because it can be pretty fun.

very understanding and nice guy, he wants his students to do well and is very approachable. His office hours werent the most helpful, but itll help you a bit. the content is pretty hard and requires a lot of studying if you want to do well, but thats true for every 3010 class. i recommend taking it with po since the exams are curved if the average is low and your lowest problem set will get dropped.

(Fall 2025)

If you have to take econ 3010, I highly recommend taking it with Po Lin. Intermediate micro is known for being a gpa killer/econ major killer, but with Po as my professor I never looked at the class that way.
Your grade is divided as such: 25% for three "non-cumulative" exams (econ is cumulative in itself, but for the most part each exam is pretty different), 20% homework problem sets which there are nine of (which you can do in groups, he drops the lowest grade too), and 5% in-class activities (purely attendance-based).

I'll say this: econ 3010 was the class I put the most effort in for the semester I took it. However, Po's class is great for a few reasons. First, there are nine homework problem sets you do throughout the semester, and they are a tad difficult. However, if you go to your discussion and TA office hours (especially Yen's), they walk you through the steps on how to do each problem and the answers. Not only are you getting good grades on your homework, you are learning how to do it in the process. Second, his tests are not ridiculously hard in my opinion. They are difficult, but from what I've seen from other professors for intermediate, Po's material is much more doable. Also, he curved the first two tests since the average was like 50 for both, and he also curved the final grade generously (60 = C+). Finally, his lectures in conjunction with the slide decks he posts are good for passive learning, and he gives previous exams as practice for the tests, and the questions on the tests are almost always nearly identical to at least one practice problem on a slide, problem set, or practice exam. I never understood how people didn't see this: you of course need to study the material and understand it, but if you also study the process of answering the question and know it cold, you guarantee a solid grade on the tests.

Intermediate micro sucks, but if you take it with Po, you have the best chances of doing well (or at least well enough not to fail).

Honestly great professor. He made the class much more fun and exciting, when it would otherwise be pretty slow and brutal. As for the class itself it is pretty difficult, but as a requirement for the Econ major, Po Lin is most likely the best professor to take for this class. Nice guy. I reccomend.

Po is a really cool professor, very funny (sometimes unintentionally) and definitely cares about students. Pretty helpful in office hours, although they do get crowded due to the difficulty of the content. The class in itself is hard, not necessarily because of anything Po does or doesn't do. Po is definitely pretty math heavy, maybe more so relative to other professors. Also, he spends the last third of the class doing game theory-related content, which is really interesting but also a little more above what other professors do. The class is naturally just going to be a hard class, but Po does a pretty good job of trying to work through it and help it make sense to you. The exams are fairly similar to the Problem Set homework assignments, but are pretty hard. Median scores typically hovered in the upper 50s to mid 60s, but he curved pretty nicely. All in all, if you have to take this class, Po is probably one of the best professors you could have it with.