Review:
Professor Downes is a nice guy who is understanding, very concerned with each student's progress, and -from what I've heard from his advisees- a great econ advisor... but that doesn't mean he teaches well.

Downes' EC13 is the most excruciatingly boring econ class I've ever taken at Tufts. His lectures were dry and filled with poorly explained formulas, few of which were ever necessary to know, even for exams. He made the concepts incredibly difficult to pick up on (forget fully understanding them) and none of this helped at all in motivating students to get up for the class, which was at the unearthly time of 8:30am. He was also incredibly inarticulate (though I heard he wasn't that bad back when EC13 wasn't a huge lecture course). And while he set up a plan for what would be discussed each class, he almost always ended class late and had to try and catch up the next day. As a result, the last topics in the syllabus were rushed; and even better, they made up the majority of the final.

Professor Downes is one of the most caring professors at Tufts... he just doesn't teach that well.

Workload:
Problem sets every week, and annoyingly, often overlapping and on topics first taught the days the p-sets were due.

2 midterms and a final (cheat sheets allowed).

review a class you took with Thomas Downes - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Downes is a nice guy who is understanding, very concerned with each student's progress, and -from what I've heard from his advisees- a great econ advisor... but that doesn't mean he teaches well.

Downes' EC13 is the most excruciatingly boring econ class I've ever taken at Tufts. His lectures were dry and filled with poorly explained formulas, few of which were ever necessary to know, even for exams. He made the concepts incredibly difficult to pick up on (forget fully understanding them) and none of this helped at all in motivating students to get up for the class, which was at the unearthly time of 8:30am. He was also incredibly inarticulate (though I heard he wasn't that bad back when EC13 wasn't a huge lecture course). And while he set up a plan for what would be discussed each class, he almost always ended class late and had to try and catch up the next day. As a result, the last topics in the syllabus were rushed; and even better, they made up the majority of the final.

Professor Downes is one of the most caring professors at Tufts... he just doesn't teach that well.

Workload:
Problem sets every week, and annoyingly, often overlapping and on topics first taught the days the p-sets were due.

2 midterms and a final (cheat sheets allowed).

review a class you took with Thomas Downes - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Felipe Martin is an excellent professor. His lecturers are well-organized and relevant because he teaches almost exactly according to the textbook. Some people say his class is especially challenging because it's mathy, but upon reading the text a little, one might notice that that is unfortunately the nature of EC 13, and has little to do with the way Prof. Martin teaches.

Workload:
Workload is a bit more difficult than say, EC 5. Read or even skim the book...do some chapter-end problems, and go to his office hours, which are helpful. Prof. Martin does like math, but I think skimming the book might help you discriminate which concepts are most important (so that you can save yourself from being bogged down by less relevant mathy things). Exams are challenging but do get curved reasonably I think.

review a class you took with Felipe Martin - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
The first good econ professor I've had at Tufts. Shimshack is truly an awesome professor. He cares greatly about his students grasp on the subject. He does this through challenging tests and extremely thorough lectures. What an enjoyable time for such a boring subject matter. I would recommend not missing Shimshack.

Workload:
You don't have to read the book because he covers everything in lecture. There are 7 problem sets and you can drop your lowest grade. Two midterms and a final. If you keep up with the problem sets this class shouldn't be a problem. He provides ample test preparation material, so use it.

review a class you took with Jay Shimshack - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Shimshack is a nice man who is enthusiastic about statistics, but his enthusiasm often gets away from him, and he forgets that not everyone taking this course is a math buff and/or an econ major. As a lecture course, it is often difficult to learn the material, however, Shimshack is willing to take questions and wants to make sure everyone understands the material.

Workload:
His tests are hard. He enjoys putting difficult problems on the exams, but often these questions are testing your math critical thinking skills rather than the material covered in class. Not a ridiculously hard class, but often frustrating.

review a class you took with Jay Shimshack - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Absolutely awesome. ShimSHAQ knows how to teach this course. Going to his class is the best way to learn because he will cover everything that is in the book. You need to do problems on your own but if you have his notes they should not pose to hard of a problem.

Workload:
Two midterms and a final. Seven problem sets. Obviously it is difficult material but his tests are straight forward and pose only one truly hard problem that you may have never seen.

review a class you took with Jay Shimshack - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Great class, material can be boring at times, but Shimshack did a good job of teaching material to a large lecture. Shimshack and 2 TAs very helpful and always available.

Workload:
Did not have to do reading because Shimshack did an excellent job of teaching. 7 problem sets altogether, 2 midterms, 1 final. Everything very straightforward and you were allowed to have a cheat sheet to write down all formulas and concepts you wanted.

review a class you took with Jay Shimshack - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Incredibly enthusiastic, funny, keeps everyone interested and he seems to love to teach. Responds to emails quick and is always happy to help even outside of office hours.

Workload:
N/A

review a class you took with Jay Shimshack - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
OK, if you are depressed or suicidal DO NOT take this class with Martin! He is so unbelievably boring! Always the same voice and tone. Very slow and puts you to sleep! The hardest is actually staying awake in the class! Tests are hard but you do get to bring a cheat sheet which is nice as you do not have to remember all the formulas! Problem sets are pretty straight forward. I would NOT ever take another class with this professor! I know that Ec 13 is a pre requisite for econ major but if you can take it with Thomas Downes who actually makes you believe that statistics is the most important subject in the world!

In summary HORRIBLE class and professor.

Workload:
5 problem sets, 3 tests and a final. You actually look forward to the test because you do not have to listen to professor Martin! What a relief!

review a class you took with Felipe Martin - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I took Professor Shimshack's stats class Fall '03, back before Stats became a huge lecture class. I'm not sure how he will be with a larger class, but I found Professor Shimshack to be jolly, cheerful, and always trying to make the class interesting. His presentation is clear and wants you to ask questions and is always willing to help.

Workload:
Assignments pretty straightforward, but he liked to put a few doozies on there. I think there were two exams and a final, also straightforward. A cheat sheet was allowed on tests. A problem set every couple weeks or so.

review a class you took with Jay Shimshack - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Professor Zabel isn't the best professor you'll have at Tufts, but he's better than most of these reviews indicate. His lectures are indeed fairly boring, but this is statistics we're talking about here. He's not incredibly clear, but if you consistently go to his office hours he will be rather helpful. His exams are pretty hard, but they're fair and they are curved.

Workload:
1 problem set per week. The biggest problem with the class was that the problem sets involved some fairly boring repetitive work with microsoft excel. There were 2 tests and a final. As mentioned above, the tests were challenging but fair and curved.

review a class you took with Jeffrey Zabel - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I'm usually too lazy to do things like this, but I had to take the opportunity to tell economics majors to avoid Prof. Zabel at all costs. He is the single worst teacher I've had... ever. Moreover, he lacks the compassion and overall genuity that most students look for in professors. Statistics can never be an enjoyable experience, but he makes it that much worse. He holds office hours, but the manner in which he answers your questions makes you never want to attend them. He often belittles you and encourages you to surrender. Bad news... stay away.

Workload:
Problem sets due every week, 2 tests and a final. Exams are extremely difficult.

review a class you took with Jeffrey Zabel - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
I took this class in the Fall of 2002--I can safely say it is one of the least enjoyable classes I've taken at Tufts. Professor Zabel has good notes--everything is on powerpoint and they are all posted online. Unfortunately, he does not teach and going to office hours is pointless. He was always dismissive. I always wonder what professors think when the average grade on a test is a failing one. I would say take Shimshack or Miller, but don't take this class.

Workload:
Problem sets weekly, one dropped. I forget the number of tests.

review a class you took with Jeffrey Zabel - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
If there is one course at Tufts that will change your mind about majoring in a subject, it is Statistics for Economics. Granted, the course itself is one of the hardest offered in the Economics department. I, unfortunately, took the course with Professor Zabel, who made it all the more nerve-racking. His tests are incredibly difficult, but do not fret... he does curve test scores.
The majority of class time is spent going over notes that are readily available online. The manner in which they are explained makes it even more pointless to attend class. He does hold and attend office hours, and he can be mildly helpful. However, if you are lost in his class, don't expect much help. As one student recalled, Professor Zabel told him to beg on his knees for help.
So, if at all possible, avoid professors like Jeffrey Zabel. He can share a lot of interesting statistical information from his research, but he is truly one of the worst professors I've had at Tufts.

Workload:
Problem sets are due each week. The lowest one is dropped. Also, there are two midterms and one final. The midterms are ridiculous, but the final is fair.

review a class you took with Jeffrey Zabel - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
For a basic statistics course, Prof. Miller does what is necessary. While lectures are not what one would call wildly engaging, he draws students in with real data/examples and it is clear he cares about the material and that the class comprehends what is going on. You have to remember: it is just statistics -- kids aren't jumping up and down, arguing, and asking brilliant questions... but it is an alright course that gives you the tools you need.

Workload:
Problem sets (due almost every week) are not that bad -- and given that it is unlikely you would actually read a stats text, they are good practice. The tests are fairly straightforward, though some have trouble with them. Overall, those with a stronger math background will find the course much easier -- but, anyone who puts a little time into it will do alright.

review a class you took with Michael Miller - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
This class is crazy hard -- not because the material is terribly difficult, but because Prof. Martin does not explain it in an accessible manner. I felt like I might as well have bought a Books On Tape version of the textbook and gotten exactly the same knowledge from the class. An excellent teacher can add to the textbook's explanations, helping the students to actually understand, but Prof. Martin (like many other teachers in the department, to be fair) just followed the text.
Also, it was difficult to know what Prof. Martin expected us to learn, so if you are a person who stresses about grades, this class will give you heartburn. I remember the final as being so inscrutable that you could almost hear everybody's cold sweat dripping to the floor.
The final, like the midterms, took the basics for granted and made us go beyond what we learned in class, beyond what we practiced on the problem sets, and really apply what we learned and USE it. So, it was exciting, and definitely harder and DIFFERENT from other tests I've taken. Studying doesn't help much; just make a good formula sheet and come prepared to do some mental gymnastics.
If you don't naturally have a "math brain" then I recommend you take this class from someone other than Prof Martin if you can.

Workload:
Average workload for an econ class.

review a class you took with Felipe Martin - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Mike Miller is an okay teacher and the course is fairly straight forward if you pay attention. Generally it would help to have a background in math and Microsoft Excel for this course. Miller doesn't have a great teaching presence, and quite frankly he can be very boring. He does, however, try to incorporate real data for his examples, using such sources as wall street journal, and tufts daily, etc. I would recommend the other Stats professor Downes though, heard he was better.

Workload:
The book isn't the easiest to read. The problem sets are pretty hard, taking at least a few hours to finish. Problem sets are due every week. Tests are relatively difficult, generally students score 70 or lower.

review a class you took with Michael Miller - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
If you're an economics major, you have to take this class, so you may as well take it with Martin. He is clear, methodical, and highly organized in his presentation of the material.

Workload:
Students will find the tests very challenging and lengthy, but generally fair. Exams are open notes and open book so attending class and reading through the text on your own is Martin is available for help in office hours.

review a class you took with Felipe Martin - help your classmates make informed decisions!

Review:
Martin is pretty boring to be honest. The lectures are very dry for both courses (this and EC0012 - Intermediate Macroeconomics) and he does not draw interest. I learned less in these classes compared to others.

Workload:
Workload is manageable which is why I took a second class with Martin. You have about 5 problem sets per semester and probably 3 tests and a final. He lets you bring a double-sided cheat sheet to all tests and offers a bonus question on all tests. In my intermediate macro class he offered a retake because grades were low. So it's a tradeoff because it is easy to do well even if the experience isn't great.

review a class you took with Felipe Martin - help your classmates make informed decisions!