Unless you're willing to work almost all day, I would not take the class in the summer, because the pace is really fast. Ciliberto is a decent professor, but spends way too much time on solving simple math and not enough time on the intuition behind the concepts. As a class, the grading scheme and extra credit made it easy to get a good grade, but you have to have video on every zoom class to get extra credit, and he takes attendance and requires participation. Homeworks had basically nothing to do with lecture, so go to office hours, and read the book.

If you're trying to knock out the econ major prerequisites, taking 3010 during the summer with Ciliberto isn't a bad option. The class is only 4 weeks long, so it won't take up all of your summer. However, there are tests weekly, which can be quite stressful. Reading the book is important given the limited amount of lecture time there is, and it will give you a deeper understanding of some of the concepts. Doing the homework is also imperative, as the tests are basically the same problems with different numbers (for most questions). He will usually throw a question or two that seems impossible, but with the huge curve at the end of the class you can afford to miss/skip a question or two a test. The highest level of math you really need to know is partial derivatives, so if calculus isn't your thing then this is a plus. On the other side of things Ciliberto is very friendly and won't be upset if he asks you a question that you don't know the answer to. If you do the read the book, and redo the homework several times, you should be able to get a B+ or above.

This class was definitely tough. Don't take it if you don't have to. The summer Econ 3010 with ciliberto is structured like this: There is an exam each Friday, with each test being cumulative, and a final which can be taken on the final friday or saturday. The first test is worth 10%, 2nd 15%, 3rd 25%, ad final 40%, so tests make up 90% of your grade. HW and participation are worth 5% each and are easy 100s. The tests are very hard...each test average was in the 60s, but he takes the class average at the end of the class and rounds that up to a B, so as long as you stay on average with the class, you'll get at least at B. The calculus involved was just 1st derivatives and partial derivatives which was nice. He asks a few questions on the tests that aren't covered in class or the textbook but that require a understanding of the material beyond what is taught/read which kinda separates the B's from the A's in the class. Also, something that threw me off was that his tests are 90% multiple choice, with answer choices A-G, and answer choice G being "none of the above" on all these questions and there were at least 2-3 questions on each test that the answer was "none of the above" so don't be afraid to chose that. The first 3 midterms were 30 questions in an hour and half and the final was 50 questions in 2 hours. Timing is definitely important for the tests. Discussion sections are just going over the daily homework, which he gives you the answers to, and are not required. They are kinda helpful for some topics. Ciliberto is a nice guy and definitely enjoys economics and has a cool Italian accent.

Coming into ECON 3010, I was expecting the course to be really tough- and it definitely was! However, because it was difficult, I felt like I really learned a lot. What I really enjoyed about this course was that I learned actual applications of and mathematical explanations behind the theories presented in 201 and 202. This class is very mathematical, but the math is not too hard (not too much calculus), as long as you understand the concepts behind the math that you are doing; of course, you're going to see a lot of different scenarios in which the math is applied differently. Because there were so many different possible scenarios, there was a lot that could show up on the tests, so sometimes I saw things that I wasn't prepared for, which was stressful given the limited timing. Just remember that everyone's in the same boat, and as long as you've practiced and made a strong effort to understand the concepts you'll be okay. Professor Ciliberto will tell you to work with a group- listen to that advice! Once I started studying with someone else, my exams started going better because I had to explain the concepts to another person, allowing me to confirm that I actually understood. To prepare for his exams, understand the concepts, understand various applications of the concepts, practice the homework, and redo old test problems. Read if you can, but don't waste time on it (if you are unclear about what from the textbook you need to know, just ask him). He wants to make sure that you understood the mistakes that you made before, so he asks questions from the homework and tests you have already taken (focus on the ones a lot of people missed- and of course the ones you missed!). There is a HEALTHY curve in this class- I really thought I was going to get a horrible grade based upon my percentage but ended up with an A. You just want to make sure you know where you stand relative to the average. Professor Ciliberto is a really cool, funny, and personable guy who is clearly passionate about economics. While this class was tough, he made the subject matter interesting. Again: yes, the material is hard, but that's just the nature of the material; he is actually a really reasonable professor. He also really cares that students learn the material, and not just because it's his job, and he will gladly answer your questions (whether they are about the class or your future in economics). Overall, I really enjoyed this class and am really looking forward to pursuing the econ major. I recommend taking this class with Ciliberto!

Okay, so I have mixed feelings about taking Econ 3010 with Professor Ciliberto. What I liked was that he was incredibly passionate about the subject and liked to teach. He gave plenty of examples in class of the topics we were learning and always asked us if we had any questions. However, he made so many mistakes in class. Sometimes it wasn't a big deal, but in my class he actually messed up an entire concept which confused me for a while. In regards to the tests, he made the first and second test somewhat difficult and the third test incredibly easy. The way exams work is that he pulls one homework problem and one learning by doing from the textbook and puts it on the test verbatim (this makes up around 5-6 questions out of 30). I realized this and then redid all the homeworks 2-3 times and got a higher score the third test. He also takes problems from previous tests. That's why I felt this class wasn't a test of econ knowledge but a test of tricks and strategy. If you "play the game" and do all the homeworks tons of times and try to study what you think he'll test, you'll do great. The reason I took the class with Ciliberto was because he uses minimal calculus in his class. The max he does is partial derivatives and basic derivatives. There are no integrals. If you aren't as much of a calculus person, then taking it with him is good because he uses a LOT more algebra. An added bonus, he posts all the homework answers a day before it's due so you have the chance to check your work and make sure you get all the points.

The downside is that he is soooo vague about grading. The entire semester he will say the test average will curve to a B but he won't say anything about the percentages or what standing anyone has. That being said, this class does have a good curve. I had a raw score of a 71 in the class and ended up with a B+. I think a 75 was an A- and an 80 was an A. In the end your grade will probably be fine which is a great reason to take Professor Ciliberto.

I hear a lot of people complain about taking 3010, but taking it with Ciliberto was a really good experience. I came away from it really feeling like I understood the subject, in large part due to how he structures his lectures and his Socratic method usage. I thought it was really cool he took the time to learn all of our names in class as well. Homework is doable and tests aren't too bad if you follow the lectures and homework. Textbook can be pretty helpful if you don't understand something as well. All in all, highly recommend taking 3010 with Federico if you can!

This course isn't too bad if you put in the work. Attendance is required and you should definitely go because the classes are very helpful. The professor gives countless examples in class which are very similar to the test questions. The homework in this class should be done because they also are extremely similar to the exam questions. The homework and reading are long though and require a lot of work and time. If you ever don't have time to do it, he does post the answers before, but you shouldn't get into the habit of copying them or looking at them till you are done with them because you won't do well on the tests otherwise. If you understand each question on the homework you will be fine on the tests, if not go to a TA, the professor, or a classmate until you get each one completely. The tests throws no curve balls just slight alterations to problems you already done. The attendance for the discussion section isn't mandatory but again recommend going at least the week before and after the test. 4 exams total. first-10%, second-15%, third-25%, fourth (the final)- 40%. All tests are cumulative and the final grade is curved

Ciliberto is a nice guy but I wasn't a fan of his method of teaching. He uses a socratic method in which he'll randomly call on students to answer questions and that actually stressed me out more than it helped. His curve at the end of the year was generous; an 81% was an A. It was a challenging class but not too difficult as long as you went to class and did the homework.

Not a terribly hard class if you put the time in. ECON 3010 feels like a math class - each major topic (consumer preferences, the production function, costs, market structures) involves a few key equations that are derived from applying logic and economic principles to some kind of abstract model. You learn how to relate these equations to each other and manipulate them to get the values you want. The vast majority of homework and exam problems will describe a situation (for example, a consumer with income = X, utility function = U, price of good 1 = A, price of good one = B) and ask you to solve for whatever variable (say, the quantities the consumer will purchase of good 1 and good 2) using algebra and some very basic calculus. Like in a math class, if you 1) know how to do all the different types of problems, and 2) understand the logic of why you solve the problems that way, you'll have no problem on tests. Don't listen to the below comments - Ciliberto isn't going to put anything on the test that you didn't learn from the homework. That said, he intentionally makes his midterms too long for the average student to finish in time, so if you aren't good at doing math quickly, I'd recommend finding ways to finish problems as quickly as possible.

Annoyingly, "participation" is 5% of your grade, and Ciliberto takes attendance each and every class by roll call. After your one free skip, each missed class is 1% off your final grade. Lecture basically consists of a stripped-down, bare-essentials version of the book. If I'd had a choice I probably wouldn't have gone as much. Ciliberto, though a nice guy, is also absent-minded at times and occasionally makes simple mistakes on the board, so don't be afraid to correct him.

All you really need to do when studying for exams is review the homeworks and make sure you understand them completely. There isn't much in the way of memorizing facts here. Do problems over and over until they become second nature. The final is cumulative, but at least this semester, it focused heavily on the newer topics that hadn't been tested on the midterms. The curve is generous.

Extremely difficult class. Ciliberto makes a lot of mistakes in class, so I had a hard time following what he was saying. You will catch him making at least 3 mistakes per class, which makes you even more confused in an already difficult class. He always tells you to not worry about your grade since there is a huge curve at the end, but having to go through 3 terribly difficult midterms and a final was painful. The exams definitely don't reflect what we learn in class or the homework, so be prepared. I ended up getting an okay grade in the class, but the stress was not worth it. I'd recommend taking it with another professor to save yourself.