He was a great T.A. and helped me out a lot even on his own time.

This was his first class as a professor. He still has much to learn but will make a great professor. FUNNY guy, a student disagreed with his use of humor in lecture so he kinda toned it down. I disagree with the complaining student! Very Helpful

Really nice/funny guy-- knows how to teach students. Almost too nice at times--an inappropriate student ranted his (incorrect) opinion of Meininger's teaching style in front of the whole class, and Aaron changed his lectures as a result. I hope he teaches again before I graduate!

He's the greatest teacher I have ever met. His humor makes the class interesting!

Aaron's a great professor with a sense of humor. He makes the subject pretty enjoyable and is super clear about what he expects from students. He encourages you to think for yourself and use your critical thinking skills, which is not something all professors even care about. Take his class.

Aaron's teaching passion. If u despise joy, effort, & critical thinking u will not love his class. If all u want is blindly memorizing $h1t for tests u r killing education! Go away! Nobody likes u! There were some disappointing lectures where he sassily tried a more traditionallifeless teaching style. He's helpful in office hrs go talk 2 him

Inspirational! Aaron is a man who is really smart. His 113 class was well taught and there were a lot of questions he asked that made you think. He always answered questions and had no issue going over something a few more times. He has a lot of examples that make difficult ideas more down to earth. BONUS: always in his office go see him with ?'s

Very inspirational professor. Motivates you to earn your grades, class was worth taking.

Super funny dude, totally enthusiastic about the subject and kept the students very engaged. His lectures were entertaining enough to actually go to. Overall a great teacher, super relatable guy.

I took Aaron for econ 113. Hes the coolest teacher ive had at ucsc thus far. I actually enjoyed going to this class because he kept everyone engaged with his jokes. Learned useful things like stata. Great class great professor.

Aaron is one of the best teachers I've had at UCSC. His lectures are immersive and interesting as he applies economics to real life situations. He really wants all his students to do well, so if you go to office hours he will help you a lot. Tests are easy, just study the study guides and do the online homework.

HE IS VERY CLEAR ON WHAT IS GOING TO BE ON THE TESTS. RECOMMEND YOU REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE HINTS AND THE EXAMPLES HE GIVES IN CLASS. ALSO PAY ATTENTION TO THE STUFF HE REPEATS(CLUE)! OVERALL GREAT PROFESSOR FOR 113 EVEN IF HE SAYS IT IS HARD IT ACTUALLY IS NOT EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD STATS IN A WHILE BECAUSE HE REVIEWS EVERYTHING

Aaron is an amazing teacher. He is the first professor I have felt I bonded with. I attended class almost everyday and went to office hours for additional help. He is a really good professor but also someone who I just enjoyed talking to about life and career paths etc. I am looking forward to taking classes with him again. I highly recommend him!!

On the first day of class he tells you this is a really hard class, but it is not so bad. The second midterm was rough, but the final was pretty easy. Overall he is a funny and laid back professor. I would recommend taking him

Real funny guy. He may be one of those actually really depressed types that uses humor to cull the pain, but it made for some interesting class sessions. Made accommodations to make class passable (if you show progress in your test scores he'll drop the previous score if you showed improvement on the following exam) Buy him a beer.

my favorite UCSC professor, So fun and easy to talk to basically hands out the answers to tests and not too much of a course load he was perfect

This guy is freaking awesome! I HIGHLY encourage everyone to take his class! And not only for 113 (Econometrics), for 100B (Intermediate Econ) he's also great! He's basically a super knowledgable bro/comedian. Go to lectures because he makes them fun and you will laugh every day. Not too much homework, a reasonable amount. Makes the class fun!

I've had Aaron many times. He's my favorite professor ever. Such a genuine and smart guy. I love how engaging his lectures are, and his class is super straight forward. You put in the work, you will get a good grade. Also, he has great taste in music!

Aaron is dope. Really funny guy, he is clear and his class is not difficult. If you really want to learn this subject, he provides all of the information that is needed via lectures and slides and it is your duty to come to his lectures and read the textbook and he leaves it at that. Very easy teacher to listen to.

Aaron is a pretty good professor. He explains things pretty well, but his lectures are heavy. He provides everything online which is super helpful. Homework is somewhat helpful, but it's overwhelming sometimes. Read his SLIDES. Take efficient notes from those & understand conceptually. Then apply those to the practice exams he gives you.

Really funny, great lecturer and easy to follow in-class if you pay attention. Cares about the material and he will help you if you're someone he knows comes to class/pays attention. Can go off topic sometimes

He is a very FUN GUY, but sometimes rambles on tangents, he is very clear on what is important and will be tested on. Does review in class, makes students participate, but not in an intimidating manner. Uses his style to bring this could-be-confusing upperdiv material down to an under stable level by all standards.

I like Aarons lectures. Its interesting and also informative. I think going to lectures can really help you get a good grade (sometimes he will say what is going to be on the test). His lectures are easy to understand as long as you pay attention. Econ 113 is not an easy class, but I think Aaron will be the best choice for this class.

Take Aaron for 113! It'll be worth it. He has a great personality and although the material is tough, he'll always be willing to help in office hours or after class.

You can tell that Aaron really loves economics. This history class was cool but I didn't really learn much that is applicable to real life. But the amount on the midterm and final is absurd. About 550 multiple choice questions and he is choosing 30 of them for the final and 3 out of 15 essays. Whats the point?! AMERICA HAS THE FASTEST WOODEN BOATS

Alright so I've had Aaron 3 times Aaron's an all around entertainer. He's a really witty guy and can be cynical about some things, but hes a good guy all around and will help His classes are relatively organized,sometimes it feels like his tests/review guides are a bit lax but hey it's whatever bc the material is FAIR Highly recommend 113 with him

I've been in his class for the past hour and I made this account to tell you all I have a new outlook on life. I will walk out of this class a different person from when I walked in. 10/10 would take again

Aaron's dope. He's like David Foster Wallace a bit. Like he sees the truth and is slowly killing himself because he sees it. Aaron man, it's okay! Lay off the monster energy drinks. Don't eat processed food. Students think you're cool you no need to dislike yourself! Anyway, he totally cares about his students and his subject. Highly recommended.

Meininger is a good guy and he makes economics entertaining and fun. His tests were challenging, but very fair. He's sympathetic of his students, but he sometimes comes across like he isn't. Overall, a good and interesting class. Definitely recommend!

Seems to get a bad rep with his attitude that can possibly be perceived as negative. He cares a lot and is very understanding, and does a great job making the information digestible. Zoom instruction has been hard on us all, so I do not count it against him. Can come off as unapproachable, although he is extremely helpful and generous.

Aaron is a great guy. The lectures were basically all skippable since they are textbook publisher slides. Your class grade is based on your GLO-BUS group's performance, so don't slack. The dept doesn't give a lot of leeway for profs with this course which is probably why the lectures were so dry. But Aaron is super personable and funny.

I don't know why people hate this guy. The class was fine, and if you go to the sections, you get an A on assignments pretty easily. I didn't study for the midterm or final, got 70% on both, and still managed a B+ in the class. Put in any amount of work and you'll be fine

I like him as a person but this class was hard to follow online. I am not sure the pre-recorded lecture format really worked for me but I liked that I could go to his drill sessions and give some questions answered, but honestly wish there was more clarity in the coding part

Professor Meininger is a really nice, smart, and funny professor. The homework assignments are really easy, the tests are similar to the homework. The class only required one paper which I enjoyed writing. Every morning he played a music video that was "economically relevant" which was fun too. Great Professor, really smart. Would take again.

I don't know why people think he is such a horrible careless professor. He is most definitely not and he is super entertaining when lecturing. I laughed and easily followed along. Super easy midterm and final. Paper was a little tough but the T.A gives great feedback on your drafts. Attend section/takes notes during section and you shall be fine.

Anyone who says Aaron is a bad professor is trippin' the class is so easy and his assignments are extremely manageable. Only thing that sucks is that his TA grades everything and he takes away points for the smallest things.

I don't understand why Aaron has negative reviews. He is a fantastic professor! The class was pretty easy (for me) and I enjoyed learning about the history of the American economy. Aaron is flexible, helpful, and provides straightforward grading criteria. 5/5 would recommend to take his classes!

I also don't understand why Aaron's rating is so low. If you put in a decent amount of effort, his class is 100% manageable. His lectures are engaging and fun, he doesn't take himself too seriously, and I think he is a fair grader. I absolutely recommend taking him for ECON 197.

Professor Meininger is the best professor I have ever had at a university. He's hilarious, caring, and passionate about his student's success. He can be a tough grader but leaves obvious criteria to follow. Just look at his grading rubrics and attend class; you'll be surprised by the many exciting things you learn from him.

Aron is a very good teacher. He is understanding and tries to make his lectures and inclass activities fun and engaging. He grades his papers with high expectations but gives good feedback (if you ask for it). Overall, I would completely recommend him as a professor but beware the course material itself is somewhat boring (think 11th grade history)

He's a very good professor and anyone who thinks otherwise either likes boring lectures or didn't put in work. He doesn't grade tough but he grades fair and I've had high school teachers who grade tougher than he does. Just do your work and this class is more than manageable.

If you prefer writing essays than taking tests take this ECON elective! The class is lecture-based and weekly active learning assignments are group/interactive based. The prof is entertaining, very flexible with due dates, and likes connecting the ECON U.S. history to current-day situations.

I can see why he wouldn't be everyone's favorite, but I'm a fan of his lecturing style. I will say it's too much busy work: a reading assignment and in-class assignment each week, 4 1000 word essays, a huge essay at the end of the class (but you can synthesize all your 4 previous essays into one big one), and a 10-20 minute presentation as well

The other reviews that are here are all wrong.

This is a capstone class that ends in a spoken presentation. You are not required to show up to class but you absolutely should if you care about your return on time. The professor makes it very down to earth and wants you to participate. Love bringing his lectures to more real world or recent events. Keep in mind its an econ class not poli sci.

Didn't think I would learn a lot from this class but was pleasantly surprised. Lectures are really informative and ties into real world examples. Papers can be tough but is to be expected since it is a capstone class.

Lecture Attendance is optional, but helpful due to in-class assignments with alternative assignments if you miss class. Lots of essays to write based off of theory and concepts learned throughout Lower-Div Economics course material. Great lecturer and does a good job connecting concepts to real-world events and examples.

Professor Meininger was a good lecturer with entertaining classes. Textbook and HW are online with everything being due at the end of the quarter. Midterm was an in-class essay. Final was a minimum 8-page paper connecting the major economic periods studied and the future. Random in-class learning assignments used as attendance.

I don't understand why people say he's rude. This is completely untrue. Those students are way too sensitive. Not only have I seen him going out of his way to help other students, but throughout the quarter, I have gone to him for help, and he was lenient and extremely kind. He's a fair grader and his lectures are some of the best I've encountered.

He pretty much lets us use any sources we want to write our essays (I can't say it because I don't want the light beam to get in trouble, but it rhymes with 'cat buy my teas'). It was honestly an easy class for me, and I didn't pay attention to the class material, but I got everything I needed while he was talking. He's hilarious to me.

Professor Aaron is honestly one of the best at UCSC. I took Econ 125 and 197 with him and learned so much. There's a lot of writing, but it actually helps you grow. Attendance isn't required, but active-learning days are super helpful. Plus, he's genuinely one of the funniest people I've ever met.

Very good professor with clear instructions and explanations

Amazing class, I learned so much. LOTS of reading and writing though but he is very clear on how he grades his essays and assignments. Three essays all 1k - 1.2k, theres no tests and two writings due every week. A 250 response on Wednesday, 450 reflection on friday, and mandatory debates on friday in class. Super fun class tho and would take again.