He is really helpful. Tough grader but the way he teaches is amazing. He is very intelligent and always ready to help. Teaches through slides which can get boring in a big class.

Professor Switala was a great teacher and really knew his stuff. His knowledge of derivations amazed me and I would recommend him to anyone who really wants to understand Econ-Stats. The exams are tough because of the time crunch, but he allows for a cheat sheet. Overall, great class.

Although he made the tests hard, was, in my opinon, good, as it really distinguished between the people who worked hard and were smart from those who didn't work hard and such. (This is with the assumption that harder tests more score range) For reference, my raw score in the class was a 88%, but he curved it into an A+

Switala is a great professor. He is able to teach in a crystal clear way all the material and to apply it to the real world, making examples and informing the class about current economic information. Furthermore, his tests are not that difficult, and if you show up to class you'll probably get an A.

Very clear in explaining concepts. Always available outside class. Discussions in the class are very helpful. Relates every concept to the real world .

Amazing professor. If you're taking for class because you like Economics or plan on majoring in Economics then you'll love him. His tests are tough but if you work hard you can get an A. If you want to take the class for credit then choose another section. People complaining about how bad he is are just lazy students who never come to class.

Amazing Professor! very very clear with the explanations of the topics. I have taken 2 classes so far and taking the 3rd now, loved his way of teaching. Can't ask for a better economics professor.

This class was very challenging with him, but still, if you're taking EC303 instead of 203 you know what you're expecting. His lectures are maths based which is a good thing for an economist. He is funny and his lectures are interesting (if you care to follow) and detailed. The book wasn't really useful but he said it's the closest thing he found.

Both lecture and discussion attendance is not mandatory. He really knows his stuff and his lectures are very clear, but he does go quite fast. If you've never taken any econ class, I'd suggest that you prepare beforehand. Tests account for 80% of the grade, so get ready to study! He also applies informative contemporary issues to the course.

BE PREPARED FOR HARD WORK AND CHALLENGE WHEN YOU TAKE THIS CLASS. Really makes you learn a lot but not a good GPA booster in no ways. The class is heavily math-based. Also be prepared to learn about current world and put a lot of time into economics. He is sometimes hilarious depend on if there's someone can make him laugh(saw some non-smile review

Prof Switala is very good at applying econ to the real world and he is very clear in his lectures, but I would advise taking notes by hand as it is very easy to get distracted on a laptop in a large lecture hall and the material isn't so easily learned without listening to lecture. As long as you pay attention it is an easy class.

His tests are difficult, but, if you read and do your work. you should be fine. Attendance is not mandatory. I didn't go to a single class since the first one and I still managed to do well simply reading the book, reviewing his slides, and going over the hw.

Tough but great professor

I took his 202 before so I think I can do a fair comparison. To me, I think his teaching style improved a lot over the past few years as he is much more hilarious and welcoming for questions(he does allow questions before but not as openly stated).Very knowledgeable about what he does, really makes you work for your grade. Would take again.

It is a hard class, some students just not smart enough to pass the class. I walk away with a easy A. Inspirational professor, really care about education, great.

Lecture presentations generally distill the information from the textbook well which makes reading the textbook a supplement rather than necessity. Professor makes effort to provide context as to why macro has implications for students in our everyday lives. Tests can be challenging, Adaptive Test Prep through MindTap is an excellent study tool.

A lot of the higher level EC course reviews seem negative, but for EC102, he was, in my opinion, a great professor. Interesting lectures with cool anecdotes, very straight to the point, and humorous. Not an econ major but would definitely take a class with him again if I could. Also as a heads up theres no point in going to the discussions.

Really good professor who gives very interesting real life examples that help relate economics to the real world. Is a tough grader but great professor! Would definitely take again.

His lectures you honestly can sleep through, I just played on my phone during every lecture myself, however he is rather accessible after class for 15 minutes or so which I used to ask questions that would further clarify my understanding. His exams are easy, and don't require much effort to prepare (ie I got an A on the final without studying.)

Switala doesn't deserve the negative reputation, with 30ish students taking his 250 seat class. The material is dry, but he uses current news to make concepts clearer/interesting. There is not much hw required, and he has tons of office hours, even more around exams. Tests are MC and pretty fair, just read the book and actively listen in class

Not sure why Switala gets ragged on so much. People on here say he's mean/cold but he's not. He's just straight forward, his job isn't to coddle kids. He's passionate about econ and brings up real world examples to make the class more interesting. Tests aren't a breeze but just do the cengage tesp prep and practice exams and you'll do fine

The material was quite simple theoretically, but the exams were very difficult. Problem sets were easy. Exams often required additional reading in the textbook in order to perform at the bare minimum. Provides a very interesting perspective to the material, but exams were more than difficult. Course and exams were highly scaled.

- lectures the whole time. content can sometimes be dry, but he adds in real-world examples to make things more relevant - you can definitely tell that he has a passion for econ - can be funny during lecture - talks about his own economic views a bit - tests are difficult, make sure to review the slides and/or sample exams that he posts!

I took his EC202 class in the Summer. He explains the concepts really well and has very clear slides. Definitely do take his class if you have a passion for econ. Includes real life examples and tries to make a class less dry. Look at the problem sets, read the slide shows carefully before a test and you're good to go. No need to use the textbook.

Switalas lectures were very straightforward and sometimes dull, usually being read directly from the slides. However, his commentary and unique perspective coming from East Germany make him quite the interesting character. Hes an outspoken conservative economist, which is quite the welcome change from what one would usually expect at BU.

I took Switala for both 102 and 202. For both classes, the key to success is paying careful attention to his lectures; Switala likes to make small comments about the material that end up on the midterms and finals. As long as you pay attention and review the annotated slides that he posts, you should be fine. Also, in 202, the textbook is not neede

Switala is not anything these complains are about, and if you complain about him, you either don't do the work, or you are just not an Econ guy and maybe you need to consider another major. He does his job right, and the workload is proper. Tests are the best I've seen that reflects the learning material. Take him! If you want to learn something.

Prof Switala is probably one the most knowledge person in the department and he is always eager to help students. Also, the class is not hard and it is one of the few econ classes in BU that you get to talk about real life and have discussions. Take this class!

Professor Switala is a great professor who really explains the lecture material and is more than ready to answer doubts and clarify them well. His grading criteria is a bit strict but excellent lecturer, one of the best at BU!

Prof. Switala teaches much faster than any other econ professor I've had, and I STRONGLY recommend taking really good notes while you're trying to keep up. He's very theoretical and will throw a lot of equations at you, but he also makes sure to explain the intuition for each new concept, and he seems to really enjoy answering questions in lecture.

Dr. Switala is very knowledgeable and his content is clear. However, the class progresses very fast so it is recommended you attend and work through the presentations. He sets a pset once every two weeks which is quite manageable but quite hard. He is also very understanding and helped me when I faced a personal issue.

This is my second class with him (ec202 fall 2020). Hes a smart professor that challenges students to think hard about the assumptions and impacts of the models he teaches. He applies current scenarios to famous models that allow students to view our economy through a clearer lens. Make sure everything he writes on the board is in your notes.

Very knowledgeable professor and slides have all the information you need for midterms. Lecture can get dry at times but he also does not make it mandatory as there are recordings. Grade is very dependent on midterms and final which are always MC questions that come from info on the slides.

This class was way more interesting than micro and switala makes it interesting by talking about current events. Sometimes the lectures get off topic but are not mandatory and the textbook used made it easy to get extra practice. If you study a little outside of class and follow along with general world econ you will do fine

Professor Switala is extremely knowledgable; I felt like the material in EC102 was too elementary for him personally so he weaved in a lot of complex ideas that we really didn't have to know/didn't have the capacity to understand since this is an intro course. But it was very interesting and I appreciated his perspective on policies & econ overall.

His class was information-dense and challenging, but I learned a lot. Grades are only based on hw/tests, meaning you are in charge of your own learning (teaches you a lot abt how to study for college). lectures r fast-paced and every piece of info he covers might show up on tests. Sounds scary but all you have to do is study the recordings

challenging and information-dense, but learned a lot abt how to study for college. every piece of info in lectures matters but he records them so just study them. he offers his views on current events which helps me connect econ theories and real world events. i don't always agree with his views but he also don't impose them on students

Professor Switala's lecture was extremely helpful. The problem sets and exams were not easy but he was clear and knowledgeable about each macroeconomic topic in class. His lecture notes were structured, clear and easy to follow too. Do attend lecture and ask questions!

Professor Switala makes EC 202 a challenging class. Extensive review of his slides and notes is required to do well in this class. Listening to his lectures also helps with understanding the material better. Generous curve.

It is not easy, but it is more than doable. Doing the textbook readings and problem sets will get you further than lecture content alone. People that say he wants you to fail are lying. He is not rude either. I wouldn't expect the lectures to be particularly interesting but that isn't Switala's fault.

Tough exams, but have class recordings. Just listen again to class recordings and most questions can be solved. If you study there's fair chance not to fail.

Best macroeconomic theory professor. Clear lecture. Clear lecture notes. Challenging problem sets. Challenging but fair exams. A rare professor that is able to efficiently teach the materials and getting students to understand theories without dumbing it down.

Hard to reach via email. Knowledgeable professor and teaches very well. If you put the work in you will succeed but you may not end with a high grade because of the curves.

Though prof. Too many people hate on him, he's tough because the material is hard. Make sure to know how to draw all the graphs-- this is like 80% of the exam. Literally draw exactly what he did in class and you will get full marks. Rewatch lectures, textbook useless. Exams ridiculously difficult but he grades fairly and curve was veryyyy generous!

Good professor, lectures can be boring but he explains topics well.

Amazing professor. Does really know about the ongoing economic affairs, and does convey them in digestible manner to undergraduate student. His lectures can be dry and soporific oftentimes, but if you appreciate the knowledge he presents and purely are interested on economics (especially monetary policies), Prof. Switala is one of the best.

He's awesome if you genuinely enjoy macro. He's got dry humor but you can tell he loves econ. This is the kind of class where you get what you put into it. Also, a bunch of midterm questions are literally verbatim to previous ones.

great lecturer, always bringing current news. pay attention and attend lecture. it is a bit of extra work but he makes it so you take away a lot from the class other than the grade. people who say he's hard are just not trying hard enough. if you don't understand something go to OH, he will help you. ask questions. hard tests but extremely fair.