I liked that the course was pretty straight forward. The only difficulty is that there is just so much content. This class was pretty much asynchronous since the discussion sections were optional. Mills explained things well, but wasn't very present throughout the course.
I have to preface by saying I took 3010 online during COVID. For some reason, Mills changed the format from 2 midterms to 1 and increased the worth of the final to 60% of the grade. So breakdown: Homework (10%), Midterm (30%), and Final (60%). Mills is okay as a professor but sometimes focuses on proving theories using mathematical equations in lecture (which will never be on the exam, so skip them if the lectures are still recorded). The exams, which are the bulk portion of the grade, are half multiple choice and half short answer (it's possible to get partial on the SA). The best way to study for the exams is to just spend hours memorizing how to do the online exercises and hw problems. I recommend double-checking the hw answers with the TA before turning the hw in, because it's basically free points. The difficulty of this course is the sheer amount of material and the weight of the cumulative final. This definitely a class where you need to ask if you don't understand, because things build, and if you don't know the basics it's really going to hurt on the final. Lastly, in my semester the curve was around 10 points. (Ex: 79 was a B+) #tCF2020
Don't let the first exam destroy your self-confidence, hang in there. I did horrible on the first exam and pretty good on the second two exams. I think the material got a little easier after the first exam. The best part about this class is that all of the exams are non-cumulative. Study the problem sets, online exercises, and powerpoints before every exam and you'll be fine. Textbook didn't personally help me that much. This class is more about math than concepts like the intro econ classes so beware. A lot of people stop showing up to lecture, but just go. You're gonna need all the help you can get. Overall, I'd recommend this course with this professor.
If you're worried about econ 3010 like I was just know that Mills is going to be your best option. This is the most straightforward course I have taken in a long time. Mills knows exactly how this course runs and other people aren't lying when they say he literally gives you everything you need to do well on the exams. I'm a transfer student who in no way considers himself especially intelligent because I'm really not but I put in the work every week for this course and followed what Mills gave us and I ended up with an A+. As someone who did well, I can assure any UVA student, whether they came from a community college like I did or came in from high school, that an A in this class is relatively easy to achieve if you want it. The most important thing you can do is be the leader of your problem set group and do everything it takes to get full credit on the sets every week. Literally act like the problem sets are your entire grade because when it comes down to it they are. If you know every problem front to back before the tests you are guaranteed to do well. I have terrible test anxiety but I still managed 100's on the last two tests and it all came down to understanding the problem sets. The questions on the tests are practically the same. Always attempt the problem sets before your discussion section and put aside at least 3-4 hours every week to just sit down and do whatever it takes to find the answer before going to discussion. You are more than likely to figure out most of the problems on your own if you went to lecture and just think about them for a few hours. Once you go through them on your own, getting help from the TA's during discussion is 1000 times more helpful and you will actually understand what they explain to you. Also, if you do what it takes to finish the problem sets before discussion, the TA's will know you're on the right track and will basically give you the answers which guarantees you a solid homework grade. This class is only easy if you go to every lecture and actually listen; it's also torturous at times but if you continually go to lectures the material will add onto each other and you will find yourself understanding concepts before Mills explains them which makes everything a lot more bearable. And if you don't understand a concept you can go to the book which is pretty helpful at times but the lecture and problem sets are all you really need to do well. I stopped studying from the book before test two and I did better on that than test one. You don't have to be smart to get an A in this class, you just have to memorize the steps for each problem that he assigns. I also went to every single lecture and discussion though so that prolly helped a lot. Just put in the work you hoser and you'll be fine.
I'll start off by saying I don't think ECON 3010 is this horrible beast a lot of people make it out to be. The class can be pretty daunting at the beginning, but I found the material to be a lot easier as we got further into the semester. Mills is a good professor and a really nice guy, albeit his lectures can be very dry at times. Make sure you understand the homework and practice problems he posts. Exams are extremely fair and graded fairly leniently. I would highly suggest reading the textbook before class as well, as it really helped my understanding of the concepts behind the math. It is true that Mills sometimes uses complex equations in his slides, but these are used more to show how a curve or concept is derived, and you'll never actually have to use overly-complex formulas. The most complicated math you'll be doing for this course is partial derivatives and the occasional integral. For that reason, I'm not sure why Calc 2 was a prerequisite requirement for this course. If you were able to make it past MATH 1220 or higher at UVA, you'll be fine. Overall, not too difficult of a class if you put in some time and effort into understanding the concepts.
Don't get me wrong, this course is miserable, (It's still ECON 3010) but Mills is probably the best option if you have a choice of professors. Yes, you're still going to spend 3 hours/week at a minimum laboring over maddeningly unfamiliar homework problems (6 hours/week if you have bad luck with your randomly assigned homework group). Yes, you're still going to have to sit through two incredibly dry lectures per week, only to review your notes over the weekend and think "what do these equations even mean?" Yes, there will still be times in this class when the utter futility of it all makes you want to just give up, and times when you feel like your mind has at last, entered the void. But that's just the nature of ECON 3010 at UVA. Luckily in Mills class, those homework sets are deliberately un-pledged, and students are openly encouraged to use "any available resources " to find answers. (He also attends discussion sections every week to answer questions in person, which is incredibly helpful.) The lectures are supplemented with numerous online exercises that basically mirror exam problems. And Mills is unique in that he allows students to bring one page of notes into the exams, which are incredibly fair (and curved) by the way. All in all, I really don't think I could have gotten an A in any other ECON 3010 class except for Mills' section. The class may push you to the limits of your emotional stamina, but in the end, if you put in the work, you will be rewarded. Regardless of whether that makes this a "good class," it's hard to argue that this isn't a "fair class."
Prof. Mills runs a very smooth course. Exams incredibly fair, he even attends discussions to help with homework problem solving. Not much official feedback on homework or exams, but solving the homework (take the time to meet with your assigned group, after doing most of the homework yourself and actually work through the problems for understanding, tedious at times but tremendously helpful) and going through his posted online exercises will prepare you very well for the exams. 1 page of notes allowed for each exam is a lifesaver too. One of the most fair and representative final exams I've taken.
Not an easy class at all, but Mills makes it pretty bearable with how he runs it. He is very straightforward about his expectations and what he wants you to know. His problem sets and online exercises are often very similar to test questions, so definitely redo all of them before the exam to get a sense of what you may see. Mills himself can be boring at times but you can tell he's very knowledgable and enthusiastic about the subject. You'll definitely want to go to lecture to see the examples he goes through, just try not to doze off like I did sometimes so you don't get lost--he goes through a lot of material every time. Based on some of the horror stories I've heard about 3010 with other professors, I definitely recommend taking it will Mills to limit the stress.
This class is hard but Mills is good. He is very kind. His lectures are often dull but the examples in lecture, along with his online exercises and homework sets make up the tests. This makes the tests very fair and doable if you put in the work to understand his examples.
Of all ECON 3010 options, take Mills. His balance between theory and math is good and if you keep up with readings, you're fine. Just a heads up: Do all practice online exercises, group hw exercises and try to get your hands on old exams and you'll do great!
