middCourses
with Paul Sommers4 months ago

Sommers really old and really single. His inner loneliness protrudes through the way he teaches the course given that he can be mean and rude to students he does not like. There are constant (3) problems sets due per week along with an additional Lab assignment. Then he gives out extra credit HW but unless you get a 100% on it, the HW will not help your grade. If your an athlete (although debatable) or know sommers' favorite students then he will treat you well. If not, then good luck. ECON stats is incredibly boring and barely even touches economics. Take this class as a last resort

Sommers really old and really single. His inner loneliness protrudes through the way he teaches the course given that he can be mean and rude to students he does not like. There are constant (3) problems sets due per week along with an additional Lab assignment. Then he gives out extra credit HW but unless you get a 100% on it, the H …Read more

Fast-PacedLots of HomeworkTough Grading
5hrs / week Some difficulty Average value Would not take again
with Akhil Rao10 months ago

The other reviews pretty much make this clear, but Rao is 100% THE professor to take for stats. He teaches with a kind-of-flipped classroom style (recorded videos lecture, then in-person lectures that go deeper and clarify concepts). Also, he is very available for questions in office hours and on Slack. His grading policy made this class much lower stress than it could have been: all assignments could only increase our grade, not detract from it, and most were graded just for effort/completion. There were a lot of assignments, as expected, but I think this was the best stats experience that I could have had. His millennial references and personal anecdotes made this class fun too. Overall, the content was manageable and Rao was very accommodating and passionate about the material. (Lastly, pro tip: go to class! He gives out a lot of extra credit points just for showing up)

The other reviews pretty much make this clear, but Rao is 100% THE professor to take for stats. He teaches with a kind-of-flipped classroom style (recorded videos lecture, then in-person lectures that go deeper and clarify concepts). Also, he is very available for questions in office hours and on Slack. His grading policy made this …Read more

Lots of HomeworkEasy Grading
3hrs / week Some difficulty High value Would take again
with Amanda Gregg7 months ago

Gregg is awesome. She knows the material well and is very passionate about the subject. Her in-class examples are funny and down-to-earth, which really helps students to understand the concepts. It prepares you really well if you intend to take Regression afterwards. She also hands out very clear instructions of her expectations or how to study for her class. She also cares about each student.

Gregg is awesome. She knows the material well and is very passionate about the subject. Her in-class examples are funny and down-to-earth, which really helps students to understand the concepts. It prepares you really well if you intend to take Regression afterwards. She also hands out very clear instructions of her expectations or h …Read more

Project-HeavyFair GradingDifficult Exams
3hrs / week Average difficulty Very high value Would take again
with Paul Sommers5 months ago

For a required class this was very enjoyable and Sommers is an awesome prof. Some may say he is a slow teacher but I believe it was more of a chill and relaxed setting. He was very accommodating, allowing us to come to the other section of lecture or lab when we miss and letting us turn in assignments late. I find the examples he uses to be very helpful in understanding the material and interesting and able to connect them to my life. We also had take home exams that were beneficial for testing our knowledge. I feel prepared for regression and believe he did a better job with out sections than the other prof Gregg.

For a required class this was very enjoyable and Sommers is an awesome prof. Some may say he is a slow teacher but I believe it was more of a chill and relaxed setting. He was very accommodating, allowing us to come to the other section of lecture or lab when we miss and letting us turn in assignments late. I find the examples he us …Read more

Lots of HomeworkFair GradingEasy Exams
4hrs / week Low difficulty High value Would take again
with Paul Sommers5 months ago

Great class. Although this class is theory-based, it is not text-book-heavy. Prof. Sommers used various interesting examples in real life(NFL game, Olympics game, GDP, credit card, etc) to make the content really intriguing. Really enjoy having his class and listening to some of his stories sometimes. There is homework after each class, but the amount is definitely acceptable and doable unless you study less than one hour per day. Lab is useful, should take this before R. Exam is ok- fair grading with bonus.

Great class. Although this class is theory-based, it is not text-book-heavy. Prof. Sommers used various interesting examples in real life(NFL game, Olympics game, GDP, credit card, etc) to make the content really intriguing. Really enjoy having his class and listening to some of his stories sometimes. There is homework after each cla …Read more

Chill and RelaxedFair Grading
4hrs / week Some difficulty Very high value Would take again
with Paul Sommers2 months ago

The class has a lot of homework, but it's pretty easy but just time consuming. Exams are take home which was nice. Professor Sommers is a great person, good professor, but does assign a lot of work. But we are encouraged to work with other people in the class

Fast-PacedLots of HomeworkFair Grading
6hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would take again
with Amanda Gregg5 months ago

Professor Gregg is my favorite professor I've had at Middlebury. She is incredibly upbeat and excited to teach the material and to help her students understand it. The homeworks asked questions that are directly covered in class, so as long as you attend class, there should be no reason this class gets to be overwhelming.

Fast-PacedFair GradingLots of Homework
4hrs / week Average difficulty High value Would take again
with Paul Sommers4 months ago

I love Sommers! He is quite old so makes A LOT of dad jokes but he makes the material fun and it's really not a difficult course. There are three problem sets per week and a lab assignment which can be a lot but you're allowed to work on them in groups so I have found that helpful (TA hours help a ton too). Tests are light work and open note so as long as you pay attention and use your resources they're totally fine. Great class, great prof, and fun for a major requirement.

I love Sommers! He is quite old so makes A LOT of dad jokes but he makes the material fun and it's really not a difficult course. There are three problem sets per week and a lab assignment which can be a lot but you're allowed to work on them in groups so I have found that helpful (TA hours help a ton too). Tests are light work and o …Read more

Lots of HomeworkFair GradingEasy Exams
5hrs / week Low difficulty High value Would take again
with Amanda Gregg5 months ago

Gregg is one of the best Professors I've had at Midd. She is very passionate about the course material and she makes the lectures engaging. There's a pset every week and a lab assignment as well. Exams are very similar to the material you see in class. The class is super organized and easy to follow.

Chill and RelaxedFair GradingLots of Homework
3hrs / week Average difficulty Very high value Would take again
with Paul Sommers5 months ago

Sommers is a well-organized teachers. His lectures have not differed from his start date back in 1983. Every class you'll receive a problem set that takes on average an hour to do. Each week also comes with a Stata Lab but he gives the majority of the answers during the lab session. He teaches the material well and will prepare you for regression. (Expect corny jokes with him)

Lots of HomeworkFair GradingEasy Exams
4hrs / week Low difficulty High value Would take again
with Akhil Rao11 months ago

Rao is a great guy and is really enthusiastic about what he's teaching. There are a lot of assignments each week that can add up if you get behind, but the grading is really easy and he's super accommodating for late days and you can really turn things in whenever. Getting an A is a lot of work but not very difficult. I'd definitely recommend Rao! He's a chiller for sure.

Lots of HomeworkEasy Grading
5hrs / week Average difficulty High value Would take again
with Amanda Gregg5 months ago

Gregg is one of the best Professors I've had at Midd. She is very passionate about the course material and she makes the lectures engaging. There's a pset every week and a lab assignment as well, two papers and two midterms. Exams are very similar to the material you see in class. The class is super organized and easy to follow.

Chill and RelaxedEasy GradingEasy Exams
2hrs / week Very low difficulty Low value Would take again
with Paul Sommers5 months ago

Prof. Sommer's lectures are decently entertaining, and although his handwriting is not great, he does explain things decently well. Important to note that his office hours are plentiful and VERY helpful; he for all intents and purposes gives you the answers on homework as he walks you through it. Also: I never spent the $350 on the textbook and I was fine lol

Fast-PacedFair GradingEasy Exams
4hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would take again
with Amanda Gregg5 months ago

Professor Gregg is very enthusiastic about this class and she explains concepts very well. The problem sets are also great practice and sufficiently challenging, but not too difficult. Her exams are also sufficiently challenging but only cover what was discussed, no surprises. I definitely recommend taking her for statistics.

Chill and RelaxedFair GradingEasy Exams
2hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would take again
with Paul Sommers11 months ago

Do not take sommers! He is a nice guy, but he assigns way too much homework. On top of that, his STATA lab assignments are super long and don't have much real-world application. Stats is important to a bunch of different majors, but take this with a different prof if possible!

Lots of HomeworkFair Grading
7hrs / week Extremely difficulty Average value Would not take again
with Paul Sommers5 months ago

Sommers is a great guy but cannot effectively teach econ stats. He assigns homework every single class, so you are always playing catch-up, and he makes the take-at-home tests extremely difficult - 10% of the class failed. I would try to take this course with a different professor if possible.

Fast-PacedLots of HomeworkTough Grading
5hrs / week Very difficulty Low value Would not take again
with Paul Sommers11 months ago

This class is horrible. There's so much homework and all of it is graded, and Sommers does not teach very clearly so it's difficult to do well on the homework without extensive help from the TA. Sommers also seems to not want his class to succeed – today he realized that everyone got a certain question on the homework wrong, so instead of going over it again, he just told us it would be on the final exam. This course is very frustrating and although the material is probably useful, you won't understand it unless you take it with another professor.

This class is horrible. There's so much homework and all of it is graded, and Sommers does not teach very clearly so it's difficult to do well on the homework without extensive help from the TA. Sommers also seems to not want his class to succeed – today he realized that everyone got a certain question on the homework wrong, so inste …Read more

Lots of Homework
8hrs / week Some difficulty Low value Would not take again
with Paul Sommers11 months ago

For anyone wanting to take Econ stats in the future… do not take with Sommers! He is planning on making exams (which were take home this semester) in person next semester. There are also 4 homework’s per week which graded closely for accuracy. The amount of homework and the way it’s graded does nothing to help you learn the content but instead just incentivizes getting answers from other sources in order to keep a decent grade in the class.

For anyone wanting to take Econ stats in the future… do not take with Sommers! He is planning on making exams (which were take home this semester) in person next semester. There are also 4 homework’s per week which graded closely for accuracy. The amount of homework and the way it’s graded does nothing to help you learn the content b …Read more

Lots of HomeworkTough Grading
5hrs / week Average difficulty Low value Would not take again
with Paul Sommers11 months ago

Paul Sommers is a cool guy, and I am able to follow along on his lectures fairly well, but he assigns way too much homework. The STATA labs are even worse as they take so long to do. Midway through the semester, Sommers cranked up the difficulty on the homework and the second midterm since people were doing too well. I would highly recommend taking this class with a different professor.

Paul Sommers is a cool guy, and I am able to follow along on his lectures fairly well, but he assigns way too much homework. The STATA labs are even worse as they take so long to do. Midway through the semester, Sommers cranked up the difficulty on the homework and the second midterm since people were doing too well. I would highly r …Read more

Lots of HomeworkDifficult Exams
8hrs / week Some difficulty Above average value Would not take again
with Paul Sommers11 months ago

Professor Summers makes use of Stata, which is a frustrating software and less useful than knowing R. He also is unable to post assignments online, requiring students to write down the assignment that he writes on the board each class. There are four homework assignments a week, and although they are generally easy, doing them all is very time consuming.

Lots of HomeworkEasy ExamsFair Grading
3hrs / week Low difficulty Low value Would not take again
with Amanda Gregg3 months ago

Amanda Gregg was very effective in her teaching of the class material and very fair when it came to her midterm exams. If you redid the problem sets, and understood the material, there was no reason you couldn't do very well on the exam. Would recommend.

Lots of HomeworkFair GradingEasy Exams
4hrs / week Average difficulty Above average value Would take again
with Amanda Gregg4 months ago

Professor Gregg is the absolute best. Her exams and problems sets are very fair and based off of the material she covers in class. She is so enthusiastic and funny, and makes every effort to be available for questions. I would take every class she teaches.

Fair Grading
2hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would take again
with Amanda Gregg4 months ago

Professor Gregg is very smart and asks very smart questions. Both her labs and lectures were amazing - I actually still remember how to use STATA even a year after I took the class. I would love to have her again.

Chill and RelaxedFair GradingLots of Homework
4hrs / week Average difficulty Average value Would take again
with Paul Sommers5 months ago

Sommers lectures were pretty boring despite his attempts to make jokes the whole time. The class also has constant problem sets every week that are tedious but kinda necessary to turn in. You also have to submit them in class which forces you to go.

Fast-PacedLots of HomeworkFair Grading
2hrs / week Average difficulty Low value Would not take again
with Akhil Rao5 months ago

Everything is graded on whether or not you turned it in, but has a large workload and the lectures are boring. Don't really get taught how to code you essentially just watch. Feel like I could have done just as well without showing up to any classes

Slow-PacedLots of HomeworkUngrading
8hrs / week Some difficulty Low value Would take again
with Akhil Raolast year

I really enjoyed the class and got to learn so much. The professor is definitely one of the most wholesome people I have ever met. I got inspired a lot in his experience and expertise in the field. The class materials were really helpful and so were the professor's teaching. The workload was inevitably huge but minor stress in terms of grades as it was meant for you to explore and challenge your knowledge gained from class. I like the exam policy as it was super flexible and it for sure demonstrates your performance precisely.

I really enjoyed the class and got to learn so much. The professor is definitely one of the most wholesome people I have ever met. I got inspired a lot in his experience and expertise in the field. The class materials were really helpful and so were the professor's teaching. The workload was inevitably huge but minor stress in terms …Read more

Lots of HomeworkEasy GradingEasy Exams
12hrs / week Some difficulty High value Would take again
with Akhil Rao7 months ago

Akhil Rao is a very sweet man who really cares about what he's teaching, as well as how it is received by students. While I greatly enjoyed the lectures and labs, this class represented the largest workload I have ever had at Middlebury.

Fast-PacedLots of HomeworkDifficult Exams
7hrs / week Extremely difficulty Above average value Would not take again
with Amanda Gregg11 months ago

I thought that the class was fairly easy. Professor Gregg posts her notes online and as long as you do the homework and look at her notes, the exams are fairly easy. Out of my econ classes, this class was the most enjoyable.

Chill and RelaxedFair GradingEasy Exams
7hrs / week Low difficulty Above average value Would take again
with Paul Sommers10 months ago

Sommers is a great guy but a not-so-great professor. The constant homework assignments made it difficult to actually feel like I was applying what we were learning in class to the homework assignments. Tests were open-note, but instead of reviewing questions the entire class got wrong, he would say that these questions would be on the final exam.

Slow-PacedLots of Homework
5hrs / week Some difficulty Average value Would not take again
with Paul Sommers11 months ago

This course was interesting but required a lot of time to complete the lab assignments given every week and problem sets assigned each day. The exams were take-home exams but were challenging and required at least 5 hours. The professor sends out lecture notes before class so it is easy to follow along.

Lots of HomeworkFair GradingDifficult Exams
5hrs / week Some difficulty Average value Would not take again
with Akhil Raolast year

Prof Rao is a great teacher. I enjoyed his statistics class and he made me fall in love with statistics. I think it is fair to say he is fair in his evaluations and you just need to work for the grades you want.

Slow-PacedLots of HomeworkEasy Grading
6hrs / week Extremely low difficulty Extremely high value Would take again