Roark is a great prof but hold on for dear life cause if you get lost in this class it's very hard to catch up.

Chris is without a doubt the most intelligent person I have ever met, every time I spoke to him it felt like I was being injected with knowledge. Content wasn't too bad, studied for a couple hours before the tests and managed to get an A. Definitely an easy A if you go to class.

Roark is simply the man. He always pulled up to class in the dopest fits and made every lecture exciting. I honestly don't get all of the negativity on this page, the class isn't that bad and C-Breezy (yes we are on a nickname basis) is always there to answer questions outside of class.

Dr. Roark is great! Lectures fast-paced (don't take notes on slides b/c they're posted). Office hours essential to understand PS content. Exams are a time crunch. Most intimidating aspect was complicated notation and derivatives he threw at us initially, but we were his first group at UNC and he had a misconception of our calculus fundamentals.

Just show up and you'll be fine. Can't imagine anyone getting below an B+ in this class. One of the easiest courses taught in Econ/UNC in general

I took 425 with him and Roark is one of the better Econ professors I've had at UNC. His lectures are long and often not too engaging so it is easy to tune him out but the structure of the class is fair and the content is interesting. His exams are fair and the homework takes a really long time and are tough but really prepare you for the exam.

I've never had a professor so accessible while at UNC so points for that!! I wont bs this is a really hard class lol but it could be a lot harder...dr Roark does a great job at simplifying concepts during lectures and is always ready to answer questions/listen to feedback to adapt how he's teaching the concept. Don't be scared to take the class

Roark is a very nice guy and has been one of the most accessible professors outside of class I've ever had. The material is tough, but if you attend every lecture and take notes on what he says instead of copying the slides it's not that bad. Homeworks are tough but you can collaborate and he answers questions on campuswire. Gives curves on exams.

This class by no means easy. Our first exam was given a 15-point curve this semester, but the second exam was given a 4-point curve because of how the C. Breezy likes to curve the mean of the exams (or sometimes the median) to a 75. The grading scale makes the class passable, but the exams are tough, and the homeworks collaboration.

Chris is the man. The content is hard and sometimes I blame him for making it overcomplicated, but overall hes such a genuinely good guy with a great sense of humor. I'll miss his presence in the classroom. Also he makes up for the difficulty of the class with a great curve so I have no complaints.

Chris genuinely cares about us and he's the most accessible prof I've had so far at UNC. His personality makes even macro bearable to learn He's a really good prof but the material is still pretty hard you have to spend a fair amount of time out of class to get a good understanding My one complaint is the exams are DAMN hard. Very painful. Very.

just took the final and oh my god. Last semester reviews were right that the final will kill you. His personality is the only reason I'm giving him a nice review because that final was not very nice.

Roark is a good professor and a very reasonable person. He uses Campuswire extensively and will answer messages and questions very quickly online, which is helpful when completing the (very difficult) homeworks or studying for the exams. The lectures can move fast, but you can always ask clarifying questions later.

Professor Roark is a very nice and funny guy who has the bad fortune of teaching a very difficult class. Though I feel that he occasionally struggled to explain concepts in class, he is accessible outside of class and easy to ask for help. Above all, I feel that he wants his students to succeed.

You can tell that Chris genuinely cares about the success of his students and I haven't felt this seen by a professor before but I really WISH he would change his multiple choice rule. Some MC questions have multiple answers but you can't get half credit if you get one right and one wrong and it is so absurd

Genuinely the best econ prof. I've ever had, I cannot write a review that does him justice. He's insanely nice, funny, and accessible, and is the first prof. I've had that has actually made sense regarding the material. 8 problem sets (2 lowest are dropped), 2 midterms, and a final. I would literally take every class with him if I could!

Great guy, one of my favorite professors in the econ department. The content in 425 is interesting although sometimes lectures can get boring and seem overcomplicated. Really straight forward grader though, and the work load is super manageable. Only downside is how long it takes for things to be graded. Overall loved Roark though, nicest guy.

The course itself has difficult concepts but as a professor, he is really great and understanding. He always wants to make sure we understand the material which is nice. His HW was harder than the exams.

Excellent professor, knowledgeable and caring. The class is simply the hardest I have ever taken. Roark does his best to bring the material to the students. He is funny and wants to cut everyone a break, but at the end of the day it is still Intermediate Macro.

This classes' topics build on each other throughout the semester. If you get lost in the first units then the remainder will be more difficult to grasp. Roark cares about seeing you succeed, the class is just difficult for most people. Make sure that if you don't understand something that you take the time to get help or figure it out.

Roark is a good professor, and he really does care about his students. Very reasonable grading policies and problem sets, but the class is really hard (especially if you have no experience with the stock market/finance industry). Great guy, difficult class.

Roark is a genuinely nice guy and cares a lot. I'll be honest though, his natural teaching abilities are pretty horrid. He has extreme difficulties explaining simple concepts, and most of the time comes off as condescending/sarcastic when he isn't even trying to. He makes this class more difficult than it needs to be but that's the whole department

Roark is the saving grace of UNCs econ department and one of few professor I look forward to taking again. He is good at explaining concepts although he can sometimes make things more complex than they need to be. He is extremely helpful and responsive via email/office hours/campus wire and genuinely wants students to do well. Also pretty funny.

He's a great professor who clearly knows his stuff. He's very funny, very accessible, and kind to everyone. The class is by no means easy, but he offers a generous curve. The workload is relatively light, but it is in your best interest to study throughout the semester.

He's a caring prof and explains things pretty clearly. The material can be challenging and confusing, but he's always willing to help. The exams can be difficult, and sometimes there are problems that feel unfairly difficult (i.e. we never did such difficult problems in homework), but if everyone does poorly, he curves, so don't stress.

For Econ 420 you should review the slides and all relevant practice problems (he gives past problem sets and exams for review prior to each test). Additionally the textbook is helpful if you are confused on a topic and need a more in depth explanation, however he does not completely follow the textbook and to excel in the course it is not required.

The second half of this semester is more difficult than the first half, but still doable. I unfortunately was sick for three weeks and fell behind in all my classes. There are plenty of practice resources. He tries his best to help you but the class is just too big for only one professor. The ULAs are your best resources.

Prof. Roark genuinely wants you to do good. He assigns weekly problem sets + there are 2 midterms and a final. You need a very holistic understanding of the material to do good on his exams. If you utilize practice questions, past papers and attend class, you'll do fine. He also answers every Campuswire question he gets, and curves generously.

Roark cares a lot about his students and has been restructuring his class to make it as fair and manageable as possible. His exams are hard and you will have to study a LOT, but if you have this expectation going into it, you will be okay. Definitely utilize campuswire and your ULA's. Don't fall behind and ask him questions, he wants to help.

Roark is a great guy and a great professor. 420 is hard, but it's clear that he really wants all of his students to succeed. He's super funny and accessible. Just make sure you study a lot for exams and do as many practice problems as you can. You don't really need the textbook because his powerpoints are pretty comprehensive.

Dr. Roark is a little scatterbrained and his lectures move quickly. Yet, he's a great person who cares about his teaching. Homeworks are difficult, yet the tests are relatively easy (he even admits that). He's accessible at office hours which helps. Just work in groups on assignments and he gives a lot of practice problems that help for exams.

So far best pf in econ department

Professor Roark is a solid professor who I think has gotten a lot better considering the reviews for him the past few semesters. He is a bit all over the place at times and his problem sets can be very tricky and graded a bit harshly. However he makes up for it with the midterms being a lot easier and straightforward (which he himself admits).

I've taken 3 courses with Roark (420, 425, 525/493) and he's a good professor. He gives engaging lectures, though sometimes confusing, and he's very personable. He designed a good curriculum for this class that reinforced concepts from 425 and built new skills, such as research and programming. Overall, this is an interesting and useful course.

I found this class to be comparable to 410, its a lot of material that econ majors need to know to succeed. Roark does his best to give lectures and problem sets designed to teach more than we will be tested on so we have the best chance of success. Roark is funny, engaging, and intelligent, I enjoyed his lectures, and found office hours useful.

Roark genuinely cares about his students and wants to see them succeed, he gives helpful and quick responses on Campuswire, all of his exam questions pull from concepts you will have seen on a real/practice problem set, which have useful answers and grading criteria. TA's also give helpful feedback for psets, go to office hours and ask questions!

Professor Roark is great. I was really struggling in this course and was failing for first 12 weeks, ended up finishing with a C+. Roark assured me that as long as I did my best, I would pass the class. Very nice professor who wants the best for his students!

Dr. Roark is my favorite professor in the econ department. He is super accessible outside of class, curves generously, and his exams reflect the in-class practice problems and homework sets. It is also clear he really cares about his students, and I found him to be generally pretty funny. He made class engaging and worthwhile.

Chris is a great guy, really cares about all his students and their success. Macro was very tough for me, not as easy to conceptualize as micro. I made a 42 on the first exam and finished with a B-. If you put in the work, you can easily make an A.

Roark is an awesome guy, hard to get close to him in a 200 person class, but he's super easy to talk to and is funny/down to earth. Tests aren't too difficult compared to content, averages were in the B range. ECON aid center is super helpful.

Get ready for Mr. Grumpy.-and by that the most entertaining and quirky professor you'll ever have. Can't believe this guy is so polarizing, his lectures are straight comedy.

Don't really get the other reviews. I sat on my phone pretty much every day and learned through the slides and homework. Wound up with mid 90s on just about everything. I thought he was entertaining and was able to communicate well. His slides and other resources (i.e. previous hws) were everything I needed. Generally don't do well in econ either.

I loved this class! Learned a lot and he really cares about students. Lenient with deadlines and just wanted us to participate. Not easy exams, but to be expected in upper level Econ.

Roark really cares about students engaging with and learning the material. He is very accessible and wants to help. The investment project is super fun and a grade booster. The tests are as to be expected, but if you can do the problem sets then you will be fine, utilize the practice sets. Don't get the textbook it wasn't necessary.

I think he gets way too much hate tbh. Had him for 420, and I think the content in that class is just not intuitive hence the ratings... but he was awesome for 425! Super active on CampusWire and made a 3:30 class bearable. While he does make a lot of /mistakes, he's pretty chill about correcting them and willing to help clarify anything confusing.

I loved this class and I love Chris, had him for 420 as well and that was much harder for me since it was a lot less intuitive. Graded by 6 homeworks (1dropped, 1 for completion), a midterm, final, and an easy prospectus project.

Really kind, cares about his job and his students. It is a hard class, as all econ classes at UNC are, but Roark does a great job being available for students and is always patient and respectful.

This class is not as difficult as people make it seem. It is a lot of work, but it is manageable, and tests are curved if people struggle.

Really hard class, but not impossible. Roark cares about his students, he can get frustrated when people are not understanding concepts, but this is fair since his office hours are usually pretty empty...if you are struggling go get help!!! The econ aid center almost always has someone to help with 420.

It is a difficult class, but Roark and the ULAs and TAs want to help you pass and do well. Just use the practice material, and you will do fine.

Ngl I think people give him 1 just because they screwed up their exams. Overall a nice and approachable guy with some humor. Helps are available on campuswire and Econ aid center.

I think some of these reviews, while containing valid criticisms, are a bit harsh. Yeah, he does make a decent amount of mistakes, but he's pretty flexible with deadlines and shifts them around to account for errors on his end. The curve is pretty generous as well, and I personally didn't find this course as taxing as 410. Also a personable dude.

He is a super personable professor. Really cares about student learning and wants us to succeed. The curve (already in the syllabus) is really generous. Its a hard class but the practice exams he gave were super similar to the actual exams, a lot of it is a matter of reasoning through a problem which was fun

Dr. Roark's lectures are a little messy and hard to follow and his multiple choice grading is frustrating. But macro is just not intuitive, and I think that's why 420 is so challenging. His curve is generous though, and he is accessible outside of class in office hours and on CampusWire. He answers questions well in class.

Professor Roark is the best! He really cares about his students' learning and success– don't be afraid of this class if you take it with him. It's also curved so much and he posts a lot of practice tests and past exams. Super funny.

Dr. Roark is a fun professor and an overall good guy. Highly recommend going to office hours regularly (Roark or TA/ULA) to discuss homework questions and exam review material, as 420 can be unintuitive sometimes. Class is curved generously so that the median is a B+. Biweekly assignments + textbook readings not required ⇒ relatively light workload

he does a good job of making a bad class ok. he wants everyone to succeed and came to our office hours despite being sick.

This guy is a total beast. Very generous with curves and willing to answer any question. Very available to students and honestly just an expert at macro. Don't know why I got on the final but very easy to do well if you put in some effort

Roark is an expert in this field and I enjoyed this more than 420! I'm in QFE so I'll be taking 525 with him next semester too. Exams are hard and there is only one midterm. He drops one problem set and the last one is graded for completion. Group investment project which is a grade booster but also annoying to deal with if you have bad groupmates.

I generally liked Roark. The structure of the class was logical, and content built so by the end I still remembered early stuff for the final. It's not a super easy class, but I preferred it to 410 and thought it was a little more intuitive. Lots of graphs, and some math like derivatives and iffy algebra. I did feel like it got harder throughout.