2.4
Quality4.4
Difficulty53%
Would Retake130
Reviews53%
Would Retake
130
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
16
4
18
3
19
2
36
1
41
What Students Say
“Definitely the worst economics professor I had in university”
ECON311 - 1.0 rating“A mediocre Professor at best”
ECON311 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
73%
Textbook Required
63%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.05 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON301311
5.0
(1)E301
5.0
(1)ECON484
5.0
(1)ECON393
4.5
(2)ECON402
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
201
5.0
401
5.0
ECON402
5.0
ECON300ANDUP
5.0
BEGINTOGRAD
5.0
Reviews (130)
WARNING!!! DO NOT take a class with this prof!!! Unfair marking scheme!!!
No Comments
Get's a bad wrap, but is actually an insightful, challenging, and good prof.
No Comments
This guys can't teach. Don't even bother attending lectures
His lecture is pretty good. His note is not bad either.Just too mean on mark.
smart guy - style is very academic, too bad prereqs not taught in same style
Interesting and insightful lectures, but gave a brutally unfair final exam.
madly unfair final which was 100% of our mark
He's too smart to teach undergrad -- just can't think to our level.
cant teach.
Wouldn't be so bad if the final wasn't a trick 2 make u fail
DONT TAKE A COURSE WITH HIM - YOU WILL FAIL
I like the guy, he's fair but expects a lot from students.
aviod all his classes at all costs. You will get destroyed by him
Good stories. If you can handle failing all term, he'll mercy pass you.
Drop it before it's too late
Just read the course notes. Attending lectures won't help at all.
Too bad he teaches courses that he expects students have already taken. Some people did not take 301 before taking 331, don't assume anything Busch.
No Comments
TRUST ME - If you go on to grad school you will be very happy you took Econ 401 with him. He is teaching you the stuff you need to know.
Avoid him, he will bring ur avg down!!
Our section's average was 20% lower than the other 401 section.
Don't enroll in the class - you'll probably fail. Although attending lectures are informative and useful.
No Comments
No Comments
there's only one thing to say...why is this guy still a professsor?! let him do research, I am sure he's good at it, but keep him away from the students, no teaching skills, likes to fail people and takes pride in it...do not take this class!!!!!!!!!!
My favourite course this term. Reasonably tough exam but he bells it up, so who cares? As a bonus the class seems to be so dumb that you get a good mark on the curve by default.
Pretty tough tests, boring lectures that are unclear and very tough on marking.
don't take this class, ITS HORRRIBLLLEE. He is a nice person but he DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO TEACH
No Comments
HE AINT GOOD! DROP HIM NOW IF U GOT HIM!
got some nice jokes once in a while, but other times lecture is boring as hell, though quite informative. he makes econ very mathie, so if you're not a mathie, don't take his class.
hard mid terms, easy final. -- curved up marks in the end by 7%+ -- fairly easy money for a course
he is hard... but did you study!? he is a good professor... he is funny and smart... exspecially his beer jokes... lol
If you are complaining about how hard it is, it might be true. But if you are complaining about himself, I would say you are an idiot. This guy is smart, fair and enthusiastic. Well, I should admit that he is extremely hard on you if you don't study.
He is hot! But hard to pass if you don't study.
Great Prof! Talks to his students as if we actually are capable human beings; however some students want to be spoon fed and do not like him. He is hard, but a good bell.
he seems like a nice person but demands too much from students. i don't recommend taking his courses.
His lectures I admit were very interesting but his exams REALLY HARD! STUDY ALOT AND USE STUDY GUIDE TO TEXT. Not very helpful although he makes himself available to help. Funny but unfortunately very arrogant, chauvinistic and egotistical.
hard!
If you want to pass, don't bother taking his courses. You can forget about it. Protect your transcript and find some other way around him. Do not, i repeat do not, go through him.
Please do yourself a favorite NEVER TAKE HIS COURSE! This course has no textbook or lecture notes, basically all you get is equations that he put on the board during lecture NOTHING ELSE! Unless you want to fail, or else AVOID HIM! He likes to see his student suffer...
Yes, this was a difficult course, but Dr. Busch was an excellent teacher and I learned a lot. Good for him for daring to challenge his students.
this guy is a****, AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Yeah his exams are INSANE and he is a real dick during office hours and he loves to see people suffer, but I have learned a lot from his course. His lectures are mind blowing and he is just an amazing teacher. If you are serious about econ - Busch is the man!
Class average of 32% on the midterm. Enough said.
hard prof, but fair tough, he raised the avg from 50s to 70s overall in the end
this mofo. he doesn't live up to a PHd, b/c Western Ont. hands out PhDs like rotten gizzards. Also, dude has the worst course notes and funny thing is, he's so proud of it. busch, listen up u &*&%...if u want respect as a professor, redo ur college certificate @seneca and don't blame us, we are UW
WORST TEACHER I HAD, No Notes and then he expects you to know 500 pages for exam, loves to see you suffer. Failing chances are very high.
Doesn't return calls or emails. Writes really hard exams and wont say if he bellcurved them or what the avg is. I fell asleep in every lec. Watch out if hes your prof.
People seem to think his tests are really hard, but if you study, go to class, and read the book, they really aren't too unreasonable. His lectures aren't the most exciting but he makes good jokes and keeps enough interest. He seems kind of lazy about making up exams but overall he is a good prof.
Busch is insanely intelligent - but what good is that if you end up failing his course? He spends the whole lecture just talking without much writing on the board.
Intelligent prof. However, requirements are a lot different than the other econ profs.
Busch is very demanding, but he is without question the best economics prof. I have ever had at UW. If you make sure you keep up with the readings and if you ask him to clarify he WILL. When I took this course, 99% of students never asked and then later complained how hard it was. KNOW the material from econ 201 and you will do fine.
If you're not an economics major then dont take economics with this guy. Busch knows everything about economics, but he also knows how to cook up a low class average. Take ECON 101 with someone else. Trust!...The other people who commented arent lying, you WONT get a good grade.
worst prof i have ever had. also has a german accent- even more helpful.
I though he was very good. And yet due to his attitude and demandness I can understand people who complain. Busch knows his material REALLY well and can answer almost any question on the subject. As for marking, I found him to be fair, - with 100% final as option, how can I say otherwise? As with many others, it helps to go to office hours.
His courses are hard and he expects alot from his students, but he is fair and you will get a decent mark if you put in some effort. (I bet that all those negative comments came from students who didn't put enough work in to the course). If you are considering Graduate School there is no better way to prepare. He is brilliant and an excellent prof.
terrible. doesn't care for students - i think he's just a prof to research.
Prof is very demanding and gives hard assignments, but if you do all the work and ask questions you will do just fine. Busch is a very good speaker and his lectures are interesting and entertaining. It seems final was belled in response to bad midterm.
Easily my worst professor, and that's saying a lot after 3 years in the economics department. Rude and obnoxious to many students, he really doesn't care what happens in his classes. It's very obvious he doesn't prepare at all before teaching a class, as he gets lost teaching the material.
I hate this guy, plain and simple...German ****.
he should be fired, he doesn't care about the students at all.
This guy is a complete scatter brain. Had him for Econ 701. He just randomly lectures, his notes are not connected and he's completely absent minded.I distinctly got the impression he sizes people up and if he thinks you're stupid, no matter how hard you try, you'll do badly. Stay away. The Econ grad program is going down in reputation by him!
I went to this guy's office for help and he told me that there was a good chance I would fail the course. If you know the material already, you should be fine, otherwise, don't expect his notes to help.
I got kicked out of the MA program because of this man. He would not let me have another chance. I know a few others like myself. Sucks to be me I guess.
not good
Great prof. People that do bad in his course probably just don't understand economics anyways
His lectures seem to be taught on the fly. It is clear he doesn't prepare at all and gets confused when teaching. I completely got a random mark for my final mark. Not reccommended.
This man is not a nice prof. He does not care about his students, and seems a bit stuck up. Avoid at all costs.
Dark personality with no goodwill for students (at least most of them). Appears he can threaten students he will fail them. Seems autocratic in econ grad program. Seems to think he is nobel-prize stuff. What use being a PhD and a professor if one can't understand life? Anyways, if he can succeed, then he must be a source of confidence to everybody!
This guy makes me hate economics
Busch is horrible! He seems far more concerned with gratifying himself through making his students feel stupid than with actually teaching them. If you need a stronger math background for grad school, avoid ECON 311 at all costs; take a couple first year math courses instead. That way, you'll actually learn something.
Notes are random and disorganized. Busch will not prepare you for a serious study at grad school.
Watch out! This man is will try to fail you. Does not care about his students at all. I strongly suggest you stay away from him, or just don't go to class and read the text book instead.
In short, 60/200+ students attended his lectures. He went off topic, was politically incorrect(made referrence to certain cultures)Was extreamly discouraging "Econ majors are ex-math students who failed","Arts students are used to getting 90's b/c its so easy". He'd waste hours on irrelevant material that would never be tested. DONT TAKE his CLASS
spent 1hr talking about cars (Germany vs Canada-speed limits etc?!).NO EXAM REVIEW, NO LECTURE NOTES, NO COURSE SCHEDULE of what will be covered, DISORGANIZED!It's beyond me that ANYONE ever found this guy "great" it's evident by class attendance and the #of bad reviews that this prof's not good.Tests are generated by txtCD. Read txt/study guide!
I'm a senior undergrad; took econ as an elective with Busch- WORST PROF I've had in all of my undergrad. Only reason I understand this course is cause I taught myself THE WHOLE THING; text/study guide (might as well take Econ DEd @ least I'll get good study notes!)
Very tough prof. ECON211 is not a sufficient background for 311 unless you are a genius. The text was good and clear as were the expectations on the tests. But Busch is a very hard marker, the averages on the midterms were less 40%. Memorizing the definitions given in class is the key to a high mark in this course.
Read your textbook 2 days before the final exam, 1 day before the midterm, and you've got 80+ without attending class.
I am in my last 4B Hons Econ, a math background is essential in Economics and for that please take Cal1, Cal2 from the Math facutly...this gut is nuts!!! in one course he tries to cover everything, and if u ask him for help, he will make sure to insult you, and make u fell like u don't know anything, very arrogant, and cracks bad jokes in class
By far the worst prof of all time. Do not, I repeat Do NOT take his classes
Tries to fail students. Notes are disconnected, and he always insults people. Stay away if you value your career.
Give marks based whether he likes the student or not. Knows little metrial. Cold blooded. I had ECON601 with him. The course was a totle disaster. This guy killed my dream of economics. I wonder how he became the director of gradEcon.
I was among the top 3% in his 601 class with a prior rigrous math training. he thinks himself as the smartest one in math, the truth is he knows only what is sufficient to impress students, that is what he cares about. For those who believes he is smart, his last one was a 3-page publication 3 years ago, a junor math student can do better
acts like he went to Harvard!!!....needs to wake up from his illusion...very arrogant and thrives on feeling smart by making students feel stupid
This guy is a loser. thinks by putting people down he can be better. i wondered what is the point of attending his class when all he does is either talking none sense or writing the definitions the exact way in the textbook
you need to have a good memory to pass his course. he likes to ask definitions and proofs. focus on the ones that are complicated, memorize them well, then you should be all set. forget about understanding, just focus on memorizing the stuff well.
This guy can't teach and is a complete moron. He talks about nonsense all the time and comes late to class with a sheet of paper as lecture notes which just includes definitions from the textbook. He has some major complexes with himself because he constantly puts students down to make himself feel better. And marks are based on if you like him o
I would think if a TV or radio station invites him to talk about the current crisis he would destroy the reputation of the university, if not the whole education system in Canada. He has his way to make weak students think of him as a smart guy, but normal person in the street can see how rediculous this guy is. his favourate answer is yes and no
I would never want to commit suicide by taking any class with him every again!
Sure, he has some problems. But, he is the only one, in the department, who knows what he is talking about.
The German twin to Mikko Packalen. Their attitude appears to be the same ...fail students at all costs.
Busch has one goal. To fail half the class, and he will be very happy if he does. Talks about math he has no hope of understanding and insults students. He'll be happy to fail you too. Stay away from him if you value your GPA!
11 publications in 16 years, and still an Associate. He should look at his own status in academia before insulting students. Hasn't even published anything in 5 years
Took his game theory course. He is one of the best professors in the department of economics. His teaching style is similar to pure mathematics courses, which is the definition-theorem-proof type, and his course requires strong background in mathematical analysis. Very interest lectures and very good mathematical jokes as well.
the best prof ever, a true genius
Stratefoward and simple. Bush is 1 smart men indeed. World class I tell you!
Stay away ..he will fail you! Not interested in helping students, only interested in failing them!
Smart guy. Easy tests. No homework. All the retards in his class are just stupid on their own. Don't listen to them. Very good prof!!!!!!
Easy course by him. He actually cares about the students if you go up to ask questions. Really smart too
Bush is an interesting person, even described as so by other profs. You will learn a lot about Germany in his class and should enjoy is cowboy dress style. In terms of economics he knows his stuff but struggles when sharing this with students. He is hard to understand and doesn't teach concepts well, which is key to ECON101. A good guy though.
Professor Busch is extremely professional in his teaching style. He is demanding, but always willing to help if a student shows interest in course content. His assignments are challenging but at the end of the day enable the student to understand the topics at hand. Excellent professor, witty sense of humor. His lectures are worthwhile.
Unless you think you are a genius, do not take his course.
I went into this class expecting so much worse. But he actually is a funny and quirky character. And he's passionate about what he's teaching, he's so interested in it. Sure his quizzes are near impossible,he clearly knows people think bad of him,and I can see that he's trying hard to improve.He tries hard to be helpful too. Don't expect the worst.
Used a free online textbook because he didnt want to make us pay. It was horrible, no information in it. No practice questions all semester. Blind midterms. No help whatsoever. Plus he can't teach. No powerpoint. I don't care how much econ he knows, he is a HORRIBLE instructor. He needs classes first. Almost ruined my life. He shouldn't be employed
He doesnt use examples of anything in class. So trying to interpret what you learned from class and translate it to assignment questions is ridiculously difficult. Definitely avoid taking his class unless you're really good at econ.
The worst prof I've ever had at Waterloo! Whenever you ask him a question he doesn't have an answer to, he would just ramble on about things not even related to the question and by the end you're sitting there thinking how he didn't even answer your question. Assignments are pretty tough and final exam will be tough. Avoid him at all cost!
A mediocre Professor at best. He repeats assignments from previous term and does not even bother to update the datesterm. Lectures are not helpful, as he writes definitions on board instead of giving examples - he does not know how to teach a math course. His attitude is not conducive for teaching.
He simply can't teach, it is very unfortunate that the university does not listen to student evaluations. I do not understand how a professor like this manages to keep his job. Definitely the worst economics professor I had in university.
Busch is the best for he can master his own lecture notes and explained well but not giving enough examples
Great Prof! Do your work and ask questions when needed, he will provide you with ample information. If you are lots go see him ASAP, economics builds on previous knowledge.. Make sure you know your stuff before blaming a prof.
Busch is ok. I'd prefer if his assignments would actually help us with the midterm. His examples are kinda trivial but gives us much harder questions on the midterm. Average was like 35 for the first midterm. He's pretty good at explaining stuff though and is willing to help. Ride the curve fam
really rude and mean I don't know what make him so cold and pathetic when you send email to ask question(yes no question), he won't answer it except sarcasm
This course doesnt have a textbook you dont want to miss any class. His writing is fine but he only draws graph you have to write down what he says, Midterm is hard, average is around 45%, and he always test those special question. Marking is tough, if you write one sentence wrong even youve got the rough idea you will get zero! Let me pass pls
He asks a lot of detailed or specific questions on the midterm which makes them seem really hard,however many of them are directly from lecture notes. His exams are punishing to those who cram last second and don't fully understand course contents but rewarding to those who regularly attend class and take notes
He not to lie the worst ever professor I have ever seen in my life. He has exactly one goal to fail 2/3 of the class and he becomes high so bad. Discourages every single student, no hope, no mercy nothing. Please stay away from his course.
Good explanations, but sometimes aimed a bit above the level of the students. 80% of the exam questions are directly form lecture notes (no course notes so you need to show up). Averages on exam will be low (45) but he will curve in the end. Sometimes snarky but is very willing to help and often stayed 30 minutes after class to take questions.
Course material was well presented. Midterms were all based on knowledge discussed in lectures with some critical thinking applied. Final exam was based on midterm questions and lecture notes. It is best to ask clarifying questions to understand the concepts, was willing to help explain material during office hours and after class.
This course is pretty hard. The format of midterms and final are very different from other econ courses. You gotta work for it. To be fair a lot of the questions are explicitly discussed in class. Don't freak out when midterm class average is like 40. The trick is to do all assignments with effort and stay above average.
Mr. Busch is a great professor. As the chair of the department, he is aiming to let his students learn something. His office hour always has many students attended. If you feel difficult, go ask him. DO PUT EFFORT ON IT. After his 391, You will find 393 is easy
Worst professor ever. I admire those who think he's awesome, you guys are Econ genius. This person doesn't know how to teach, and his English grammar is awful, making it almost impossible to understand his notes. (I'm taking the course online, he gives no lecture). You are impossible to find anything in the exam from his notes.
He was annoying and stubborn. The only reason he's getting away with it is cuz he has tenure. He's also the head of the department. Many students have been pleading and begging that he provides video lectures and practice questions but the cries of the students fall on old deaf ears. I felt helpless in this course and so did others.
Horrible prof, please do not take his class ever.
As other comments said, you will find ECON 393 easy easy easy after taking 391 with Busch. His course notes can be a little confusing especially with typos and grammar mistakes, but his office hours are very helpful. Go to his office hours and ask questions if you don't understand something, he will explain concepts in great detail.
He does not care about his students. The only thing he cares about his students is how to make them fail! His grading scheme is literally the worst! He will mark on a scale of 3, if you complete the assignment you get a 66%. You will only get a 100 if everything is correct! He does not give part marks so you get a 66 or 100, a 34% difference!! AWAY
This dude is hands down the worst professor I have ever seen!! He does not care about his student, it's like he wants his students to fail! His quizzes are soooo hard, the averages are 40%!! His grading criteria is the most dumbest thing ever, you will only get 0, 33, 66, or 100%. There is no in between!! Please stay away!
I heard some things about him before taking his class so I was nervous, but he was honestly great. Lectures went a little off track sometimes but he always answered questions well. He was nice and explained his exams and what type of questions he would ask. He fully told us what half of the question were going to be on a midterm before hand.
GOATed prof.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
73%
Textbook Required
63%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.05 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON301311
5.0
(1)E301
5.0
(1)ECON484
5.0
(1)ECON393
4.5
(2)ECON402
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
201
5.0
401
5.0
ECON402
5.0
ECON300ANDUP
5.0
BEGINTOGRAD
5.0