Great professor, super passionate about the subject, and gives interesting lectures. His class tends to be math heavy but you'll learn real econ skills in the end

Some people give Prof. Bester a bad rep but he's a good choice for Econometrics. Helpful lectures, cares about teaching, does his best with a tough subject, tests are resonable difficulty (though take-home ones are long) and very generous curve during COVID semester. Available in office hours, less so by email.

Prof. Bester is really passionate about what he teaches and he always does his best to make it useful for you. He makes himself extremely available to his students and the class is challenging but you get a lot out of it. An excellent choice for a class that's going to be difficult anyways.

Very tough class. But if you want to have a career in econ research/world bank, Bester will prepare you very well. He provides many resources to get help and does a good job using examples in class and the HW. He was also very lenient during COVID-19 (He gave no fails, everyone who tried at least got a B). Exams are tough despite being take home

TAKE HIM FOR ECON 101!! He knows what he is doing and clearly wants you to do well. It is indeed a hard class but he makes it easier due to how well he explains the concept and the math behind it too

metrics is one of the hardest econ classes but bester is the MAN he's super passionate and caring and lectures are usually surprisingly interesting. the weekly problem sets are pretty involved but good prep for exams. he's a great choice for metrics and was very flexible during the pandemic and helpful in office hours

Professor Bester is an amazing professor. He genuinely cares about his students and wants them to do well. He picked fantastic TAs as well. His class is quite difficult, but if you work hard you should get an A. Its also very math-heavy. He can definitely push you at times, but its worth it because he cares.

This course was really challenging in terms of the work load, but lectures were really interesting -- you can tell Professor Bester's passion for the subject. The TAs were really nice and helpful. I recommend attending recitation & office hours as much as possible, even if you think you understand the course material.

Prof. Bester is an amazing choice for micro. His class is math-heavy, but it really inspired me to think beyond what's just taught in books. He's passionate and really cares about his students. The TAs are extremely nice and helpful. One thing - he never responds through email, but the TAs do so just email them. Solid choice.

Professor Bester is a great choice if you're interested in majoring in econ! His lectures are very clear and he covers a lot of material. He assigns weekly problem sets as well as two midterms and a final exam. If you pay attention to lectures and ask questions, they shouldn't be too bad. It's clear Professor Bester has a passion for econ!

A great professor with lots of passion. His problem sets are really hard and you have to make much effort in solving them, but at the end of the day you will surely learn a lot about economics, especially its quantitative and analytical side.

While certainly a hard class, Professor Bester takes what certainly has the potential to be very boring material and makes it accessible and interesting. His class is very practical and data-focused, and you can tell he cares about making his students feel prepared.

Professor Bester is challenging but his teaching style is truly special. He is down to Earth, bringing real-life perspective into both lectures and office hours. Also, the TAs were very helpful and did a great job reinforcing topics. Take Bester if you have the chance

Econ 122 is a hard class no matter what, but Bester cares a lot about teaching quantitative skills that are relevant and useful. He makes lectures interesting and is very fair with problem sets and exams. Don't skip class and go to recitation and you will be fine. Overall probably the best choice for a pretty tough class

Problem sets were graded off completion which was nice, but it made it difficult to know how well you were actually grasping the content. Exams were difficult but fair. Bester is super nice and a great choice for metrics!

I'd say Professor Bester is the top choice for ECON 122. He is very knowledgeable about the topics covered, and he really teaches the stuff you need in real-world data analysis and problem solving. He can be a little too proud of Georgetown's academic quality, but in his class you will get the best ECON teaching Georgetown has to offer.

Metrics is generally a hard class, but Bester is the best choice for it. The content will still be hard but he teaches it well. He wants his students to succeed and does go above and beyond to make sure his students are well equipped for exams. He rewards hard work and effort more than anything because he recognises the difficulty of metrics.

The best professor I have had at georgetown. TAKE HIM FOR INTERMEDIATE MICRO. Explains concepts very well, there are a ton of resources to help you, his lectures are very entretaining. The class itself is tough because of its content, but he makes it as understandable and clear as possible.

Great prof! Loved the class. 2 midterms (1 can be dropped) and a final! Problem sets graded for completion and can be done in groups. Always available to answer doubts. Accommodating- set up a make up midterm for those who got covid! Also he is absolutely hilarious and engaging! What he teaches is actually on the exam.

Bester structures his class super well and has probably the best, most thorough Canvas page of any professor I've taken. He is a nerd for teaching, so this naturally makes it easy to learn. However, the content is very dense, so it was a very hard course in general. Also, I agree with the person below me - sometimes overcomplicates the math.

You know you have a great Professor when you teach the two hardest courses in the Econ department and still have a 4.6 on RMP. Definitely a lot of homework and it's not an easy class, but he really gives you the tools you need to understand micro. Does not hide his political/economic beliefs (liberal-leaning). Best professor I've had at Georgetown.

Doesn't get better than Bester in the ECON department. He cares a lot, knows his stuff, and teaches it well. Weekly problem sets are tough but helpful in preparing for the 2 midterms (one take home) and final. At times, material was calc heavy and dense, but he explains pretty well. Plan to go to recitation and OH for pset questions. Gem of a prof.

Bester's passion is everything. Econometrics is hard no matter what, but Bester did a great in making tough concepts approachable. Homework can be hard but is really helpful in teaching you practical uses of the concepts. The tests are not easy, so prepare accordingly. Nonetheless, I'm glad I took this class despite the dent it put in my GPA lol.

Bester makes lectures entertaining and relevant while conveying concepts clearly. Does tend to go off on tangents - take a shot every time he mentions he taught at Chicago - but they're mostly interesting. Midterms are difficult (average for our final was a 62) but grading is relative and he does provide a lot of resources to prepare.

Professor Bester is great! He is very passionate about econometrics, and it is clear that he puts a lot of time and effort into making this class interesting for us. The problem sets are tricky, but they are graded for completion and really help make the information you learn in class stick.

Clearly very passionate, more than most of the dept. Lectures can get confusing, but psets and TAs help you understand material. Test questions are never unexpected, and one midterm is take home. Great way to get introduced to the statistical / data side of Econ. Way better than most 400 level classes that claim to help you learn econometrics.

Although Bester can come across as a little arrogant, he is truly the most passionate professor I have had at Georgetown. He comes to class everyday prepared to give interesting and insightful lectures. His focus on actually data made difficult material, both understandable and interesting. Overall, he is an amazing option for econometrics.

As Bester says, there is no cruise control for metrics meaning you *have* to dedicate hours to problem sets, relearning slides, and teaching yourself Stata. Would occasionally go on tangents meaning you had to self-learn the last few slides of lecture & the curve ended up being a 93+ for an A (rough for the Econ dept). Great choice overall though!

I understood more from Bester's econometrics class than any other econ class at Georgetown. He is a great teacher, but his arrogance sometimes impedes lecture accessibility. I would rather hear him explain the last 5 slides of notes every day than hear him go on tangents about his undergrad GPA. Doing well requires discipline, but it is possible.

Men lies, women lies but stats don't lie Dr Alan "Nahaz" Bester is definitely the coolest professor out there. Wish he return to dota2 casting though. We miss you here

Great professor. Econometrics is a lot of work, but the class is extremely organized and thorough. There aren't any surprises on exams. He also makes himself available during office hours which really are a must (along with recitations) if you want to get an A. Definitely try to put in extra time getting comfortable with Stata

I took Bester for Intro to Econometrics. Although the econometrics is notoriously difficult, I thought Bester did Ana amazing job making the content interesting + less confusing. The Tis were also really helpful. If you do the homework assignments (go to TA office hours they will help you), the exams will not be too difficult.

I am genuinely amazed by the amount I learned during this course. Bester was exceptional at delivering course content effectively. The material was well-organized,. Each lecture was designed for optimal understanding. Content was covered at the appropriate pace. Slides were clear and conveyed the key concepts with relevant and concise examples.

There are professors, and then there is Professor Bester. He is not just an instructor, but an academic trailblazer who will leave you with a 'robust' and intuitive understanding of basic econometrics. Choosing to take ECON522 was absolutely worth it.

Bester is a fantastic lecturer but the organization of the class is a bit lacking. The exams varied wildly in difficulty and did not seem to always represent what we learned in class/through problem sets. However, Bester does offer many office hours as do the TAs.

Bester's metrics class made me want to pursue a PhD in economics. Incredible professor.

Incredible professor, likely the best instructor in the economics department. I struggled immensely in statistics and he made me passionate about econometrics. Bester truly cares and wants to see you succeed.

Alan Bester makes the hardest Econ class at Georgetown actually accessible. That is no small feat- this guy rocks!! Attend every single office hour and TA session until you find what works for you. Midterms were very very hard but manageable, but the final was not difficult. He does everything straight from the slides- no textbook needed.

Has a 5 despite teaching the two hardest undergrad econ classes which should tell you something. Excellent at explaining the concepts and makes what is supposed to be a somewhat dull theory class interesting. Exams are hard but straightforward. If you do what he tells you to do (go to recitation/hours and do all problems available), you'll be fine.

Bester is on another level relative to other Econ professors at Georgetown; just simply more interesting/intelligent. It's a difficult course but grading is percentile based so your odds of getting an A in his class are no different than any other econ course. Textbook is not needed.

Bester gets a lot of hype, and he deserves a fair amount of it. He gives pretty great lectures, and the slides are amazing--full of information that's easy to understand if you take the time to go through them. He's a little strange and intimidating, but I've never learned so much in an econ class.

Textbook is very helpful if u put in the time to understand it (better than most other econ textbooks). I took Bester 8am and his energy is contagious (former Doha analyst). Attendance is optional but recommended and he also has all the lectures from the pandemic on yt… so… Do the hw (graded mostly on completion), check ur answers, and ull do fine

Best professor for intermediate micro - loved his anecdotes and case studies, and he lectures with such passion. Concepts get introduced very fast with little reinforcement, but you learn a lot. Knowledgeable, funny, and earnest - take Bester!

I have taken Intermediate Micro with Prof. Bester. Weekly problem sets are hard but exams are fair. Slides and review sessions are amazing, but Prof. Bester doesn't have too many OH after class.

Course content and weekly homework were tough, but Bester explains it well. Textbook not necessary, even if he says it is. Midterms and final are relatively straightforward if you make your cheat sheets well, and he never tries to trick you. Often yells passionately while lecturing (he's not mad, just loud). However, hard to reach outside of class.

Bester is an amazing professor. But 24 Fall is his first time to teach stats. His intention to include STATA is good and I think it helps students to establish a quantitative mindset. But he overcomplicated lots of concepts. Things shouldn't be that confusing. Also, sample exams are mismatched with the real exams which arent helpful.

Extremely engaging, intelligent, and funny professor who clearly cares about his students as well as the course content. Intermediate Micro is one of the most difficult classes at Georgetown, but Bester was by far the best choice. He'll be teaching Principles of Micro next semester, so for those taking that class, I would highly recommend him!

Your best bet for 2101. He has great lectures & is very fair on exams. He never tests on something that isn't mentioned in class, so though he doesn't always finish lecture slides, it doesn't hurt you. Go to office hours! He'll explain any problem to you. Weekly problem sets (again, go to OH). 2 midterms & final. Content is hard, teacher's not.

Lectures are primarily theoretical and conceptual, so redoing the problem sets is key to doing well on the exams. Very fair exam-wise (he even gives you shortcuts and hints in the exam questions themselves if he thinks they're decently difficult). Does not respond to emails, but see him in office hours if you need something explained.

Prof makes class very fun. Homework is easy, but exams are a bit difficult but he curves exam grades,

He often goes on tangents, but he explains the material in a way that it appears similar on the exams. The exams do have real-world elements but the numbers and concepts are simplified down to concepts we've studied. At one point he did say he wished he quit before he was forced to teach this class. I think he's doing a good job for his first time

Really does an amazing job of teaching econ to those who aren't a fan of it initially.

Bester is great. He's very smart and a good lecturer, given the difficulty of the material. Tests are hard, but hes funny and cares about his students (in higher level econ courses prolly not for intro micro).

sure the lectures are skippable, but show up and actually pay attention and intro micro is an easy a regardless of how much test prep material he gives out

Tbh don't know why people were rating this guy 6 weeks into the semester... Can't deny the rough beginning but he pulled it together and he clearly cared about our success even if he didn't really want to be teaching the class. I went to most lectures and he went on tangents a lot but the dude loves Econ and sometimes that all you can ask for.

He's an engaging lecturer and I love how he incorporates real-life examples that correspond to the economic topic covered. Some of the test questions were tricky but it was fairly easy to get an A. Pretty accessible if effort was made and he was quick with feedbacks. He made me enjoy econ more and I can't wait to take him for upper level econ

Super high energy and engaging lecturer, exams are super straightforward, great pick for micro.

Professor Bester makes me believe in nominative determinism; he's truly one of the Best(er) professors I've had the privilege of taking at Georgetown. He is passionate, intelligent, caring, and engaged. I've taken I-Micro and E-Stats with him and the tests reflect what's covered in the lectures, and learned a lot in both classes. Highly recommend!

Lectures were super fun, and I learned so many interesting things about real world data. You can tell Bester really loves what he's teaching. Test prep and assignments weren't posted on time, and tests were hard, to the point where you could enjoy and do poorly at the same time. Still best Stats option.