ECON 3110

Easily my favorite class of the semester — Engers does a really great job organizing the material (and all the slides are uploaded) and presenting it in class, and since the class size is pretty small there's plenty of opportunities to ask questions during lecture if you don't get anything. I almost never did any of the assigned textbooks readings but was still fine from just studying the lecture slides + my notes. The class name "Mathematical" might sound scary when compared to the more standard 3010, but from my experience comparing workloads with a friend who took 3010 at the same time, there isn't too much of a difference in terms of the actual mathematical difficulty of the assigned homework problems. You only really need basic understanding of derivatives anyways — the entire class revolves around optimizing functions, so there's basically zero integration needed. It sometimes helps if you know Lagrangians, but everything can be done by simply maximizing functions in the normal way. I think what makes the class "mathematical" is that we probably spent more time in lecture going over the math that derives the various economic concepts — stuff like demand curves, etc. If you're not into that this class might not be for you, but I think it really helps with understanding the underlying reasoning of *why* you're doing what you're doing.
The exams are quite tricky, especially compared to 3010, but Engers curves the class quite generously. I scored around a B average percentage between the midterm/final and I ended up with an A in the class.

Maxim is so awesome as an Econ Professor! Yes this is a hard course but his course design makes everything so clear and easy to follow. Taking this course is definitely my best decision at UVA(however beware if you really have difficulty in calculus). The class is much smaller than 301 which makes it easier to discuss and ask questions whenever you have trouble to follow along, and your classmates are all very smart people. Strongly recommend!!

Engers is so wonderful- if you enjoy math and plan to continue with econ especially, I highly recommend pushing yourself and taking this course. It is more about understanding the concepts (math and econ) behind what you're doing than about memorizing random stuff (which I really enjoyed), and his lectures are so so interesting, and very clear. Office hours with the TA are a must to really reinforce the concepts, and also, office hours with Engers are enjoyable.

Definitely one of the best professors I had so far. Class at first might be intimidating, but bear with it and you will learn so much. Professor Engers is a great at explaining the concepts and he keeps the pace reasonably fast so that you are forced to pay attention in class. Homework given by Dan (the TA) is tough and takes a lot of hours at first (hw seems to get easier as the course goes along tho). Be sure that you're comfortable with Calc 3 level math, although I don't think we used that much math in class. He posts all of his lecture slides that are very detailed so no note taking required (just sit and pay attention). I definitely will miss this class next semester.

Prof. Engers is one of the best professors I've had at UVA. The course is mathematically and generally challenging, but I think the entire class is worth it. The homework and the midterm are both difficult, but the curve at the end is generous.

Extremely difficult and extremely rewarding. You will learn a lot and make terrible grades. However, there is an extremely generous curve at the end, so don't worry about your grade; everyone basically makes it out with A/B. You'll have to invest a fair amount of time into the problem sets. Midterm/Final are designed to have a few near-impossible problems, but if you try your best and write something down, your final grade ends up okay. I averaged 80's/90's on the problem sets, got a near-average score on the midterm, and probably did terribly on the final, but ended up okay. I highly recommend this course for the amount of economics knowledge that you'll learn, and Engers is a great professor. Very good experience.

I went into this class having taken only through calc 2 in high school. It was initially quite a bit of catch up, Going into this class already knowing partial derivatives, la grangians, etc., will be very beneficial. That being said, it's an extremely rewarding class that teaches and requires a high level of thought. My suggestion for approaching this course is to establish a regular group to work on the problem sets together. You'll get much better grades on them and will come away understanding everything much better. Ultimately, because everyone who takes this would have gotten an A in 3010, it's curved much more generously than almost any other course in the econ department.

This class is definitely what you make of it in terms of time and effort, and I think the curve really does help a lot and allows you to worry less about your grade and more about learning. Once you learn how you best study for this class, it becomes more manageable and less difficult than it seems at first. The textbook is a really good one, but the lectures make up the core of the class and you really only need the textbook to supplement concepts you have trouble understanding (and the appendices are very helpful for problem sets!) - so while you really should pay attention to every lecture, that + homeworks essentially make up the whole of the class other than the exams. Plus, Maxim is very knowledgable and has a good sense of humor, so they go by fast. It's a really good class to take if you're interested in economics and is really good preparation for any other class in the field - a great first look into the real world of economics for sure!

I have so many mixed feelings on this course. It moves incredibly fast and the problem sets can get very difficult. Only take this class if you have a lot of time to devote to it. However, Varian (the textbook) is helpful and to the point and you will learn so much from this class. The midterm is easier than the problem sets are. The final is really hard but overall the class is curved. This class is extremely challenging, but you will get out of it what you put into it. Only take it if you are really committed but Engers is great- lectures are long and fast but interesting. Also don't be too freaked out by the readiness test, I got a 15 on it and ended up with an A in the class.

Lectures w/ slides, and homework online. Make sure you read the book and look over the slides before the class or else you will be lost. I wouldn't recommend this class because it moves VERY fast. Like 3 chapters per lecture.

However it was a challenging class, but the tests were fair, and the curve is pretty good. I failed the midterm, but got a B- in the class.

Best econ class I have taken here so far!! The slides are really helpful and he is a great teacher if you are willing to make effort (i.e. be prepared for class).

Homework is online, tests are very difficult, and you're expected to have reviewed the material he's going to lecture on beforehand because his lectures move so fast. I would say that if you want to be challenged, take this class but be prepared for a lot of work. p.s. always go to the discussion section even though it's not required.

Professor Engers is one of the smartest professors I have encountered...or maybe he just refuses to dumb the material for us. This class literally moves 3 times the pace as 301; the amount of topics covered is ridiculous. During class, it requires the whole 75 minutes to pay attention to everything on the slides and what he says, otherwise you will get lost very quickly. Strangely, the homework is from the book, which is nothing like his lectures or his tests. That being said, the homework turned out to be tedious and was not helpful at all. The people in my class turned out to be some of the smartest students I have ever met at UVa and the class average for the midterm was a 70. If you are debating between 301 and 311 then

Bottom Line: Take 301 if really care about getting an A. However, if you are really interested in microeconomics (perhaps graduate work), want to be challenged in every single class, and witness a brilliant mind at work, then take this class and fight for that B+ (curve at the end)

ECON 311 is a fantastic class, and Engers is a great professor. The tests are tough, but fair.

Hard class, but rewarding as well.

Professor Engers is the best professor at the Econ department at UVA. He will introduce you to the world of economics and economists see it. Take as much MATH as you can because Engers will extensively use mathematics; MATH 2310: Calculus III is highly recommended along with MATH 3310: Basic Real Analysis (this is not as important as calc 3, but is need if you want to understand the finer nuances of the proofs). A highly recommended class and professor.

Very boring class. Professor Enger is very knowleagble but his lectures are very boring and difficult to understand. The midterm and final are difficult and it takes a long time to study since during lectures most of the material is difficult to understand. The only reason i took this class was because of the curve.

Difficult class with difficult topics, but Engers ensures that everyone will get a B or higher. Little work most of the semester, except for the Midterm and Final, which are killers.

great alternative to intermediate micro, engers is hilarious.

Engers lectures at a pretty high level, and you have to pay close attention if you don't want to lose him. The HW sets are easy, but they don't really help with the tests. However, even if you do average on the midterm and final (around 60%), you'll get an A-, which is very generous.

Engers is very enthusiastic, very engaging and in depth when lecturing. The material in this course is very difficult and you learn a lot everyday but Engers does pretty well explaining the concepts in his lectures. I definitely recommend this course to any econ majors. If you are a math major, you will do very well in this course, for others it will be a little more difficult to do well.

Homework is completely independent of lecture. Tests aren't though. Pay attention and don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't get a difficult concept; chances are it will be on the test.

Pretty challenging class, but in the end he rewards you for how much work with a decent grade.

As it is obvious, the grade distribution is biased because the smart students self-segregate themselves into this harder course. 90% of the students in this course would probably get an A in ECON 301. But if you are right in the average of the class, A- is guaranteed. The difficulty of the course is not too high as long as you have solid backgrounds in micro economics and math. The tests are extremely difficult (in a tricky sense) and do not reflect the materials covered in homework. Homework average is probably about 90% compared to 60% test average. Prof. Engers is very knowledgeable and is well prepared but I find his lectures dry and he is hard to approach. TA is excellent and very helpful. Bottom line, I would recommend this course only if you are an A average student, would rather take mathematical version than the regular econ 301, and are looking for a challenge.

This class is by far a better alternative to 301. The grades are higher as long as you keep up with the work. If you plan to major in econ, this class prepares you very well for any class you will see down the line.

Engers is probably my favorite professor at UVA so far. He really knows how to teach and seems to enjoy his job. This class is hard and you heve to either be very smart, or be willing to to spend a lot of time working if you want an A. On the flip side, Engers gives very few low grades so it's herd to do badly.

kind of hard deciding between 311 and 301 because no one can directly compare the two. only take this if you really like math - although the math itself is pretty much differentiation, he explains a lot of the concepts via theoretical math proofs, which i didnt find helpful, applicable, interesting, or easy to understand (...left a lot of lectures having learned very little). the tests and weekly homework/book do not really correlate that much. a lot of really really smart people take this class, so even though the grade distribution is good, its like that for a reason.

One of the most amazing and enthusiastic professors I have ever had. If you want to really learn microeconomics, take this class.

Great Class, more work than 301, but a good grade distribution. It gets you into great shape for taking econometrics or game theory.

I?m glad I took this class. I guess it's a fair big harder than 301 (which is hard anyway?), but I don't know how anyone would know that. I hadn't taken calc since high school, and didn't do particularly well in it then, and I didn't have any trouble with the math. Engers is a really really smart and a good lecturer. The tests were very difficult but theres a huge curve.

Good class, you'll learn a lot. Material is really difficult but there is a generous curve at the end. Go to class, pay attention, do the reading if you do'nt understand the material and you'll be fine.

If you have a sound mathematical background and want to be in a competitive group of people interested in economics, this may be a very good class for you. Talk to Mr. Engers and take the aptitude test. Give it a shot. You will learn so much about microeconomics in this course and Mr. Engers is so interesting. Especially talk to him after class about your general interests in subject so of economics.

While the only mathematical knowledge that is strictly necessary to succeed in this class is Calc I ability to take basic derivatives, a knowledge of Calc III multivariate calculus will make you much more comfortable with Enger's lectures and some of the material. It is a difficult class, but if you devote time to it, it will be rewarding in terms of a greater bredth and depth of knowledge.

Prof. Engers is wonderful! Skip 301 and learn some real microeconomics; you'll be better off in upper-level electives. Engers makes you work, though, so be prepared. Tests can be very hard, but the curve isn't bad at all. This class is not really very mathematical either, despite the title; basic differential calculus is all you need. Highly recommended!

Rough, rough class, but I learned an immense amount of information! I preferred the mathematical foundation as opposed to the 301 conceptual focus. I would recommend this class if you have a strong math background and prefer math over concepts.

One of the more difficult economics classes, it is very difficult to do well on any of the exams, but effort is rewarded by a generous curve at the end of the course. Here you will learn what you need to know about microeconomics.