2.5
Quality4.0
Difficulty7%
Would Retake118
Reviews7%
Would Retake
118
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
14
3
21
2
20
1
41
What Students Say
“10/10 don't recommend her”
ECON100 - 1.0 rating“she is irrational and honestly border line c-word”
ECON331 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
89%
Textbook Required
90%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.22 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON201MACRO
5.0
(1)ECON321
5.0
(1)ECONECON
5.0
(1)ECONMONE
5.0
(1)MBUS539
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
331
5.0
300S
5.0
ECON
5.0
ECON403
5.0
ECON312
5.0
Reviews (118)
Very good teacher who helps students and has fair tests. Would recommend for anyone taking it for a goal requirement
she is a psycho, and treats students like babies. avoid her if at all possible
Notice the other ratings are from principles kids - totally different in harder classes. Total **** for 300, nice and helpful in 331 (she like the environment?) -- basically a pain in the ass at best.
I hate econ, it makes me want to quit school. And Prof. Ray doesn't help any. She gives random reading & knowledge quizes basically every class, way before we've had time to really absorb the information. Only take if you like studying econ every second.
Says shes there to help but gets an attitude with me whenever I ask something outside class.
I think Prof Ray is really smart and all...but she does demand alot out of students for an intro course. She does this whole "Aplia" thing only, it demands alot of time... but her tests arnt that bad. You gotta go to class, she gives quizes ALL
No Comments
this woman may in fact be the devil. she is an adjunct who thinks she is underpaid and underappreciated. she is worthless and cares nothing about the students. and on top makes you subscribe to a ridiculous website testing site.
I learned a lot!
Very mean and unhelpful to students. Will yell at oyu without much provocation and will get upset if you ask her for help or have any type of questions for that matter.
Bipolar when it comes to mood swings. One class she's awesome, the next she's like the Devil. Material is difficult and *APLIA* doesn't make it much easier, however its an easy A if you take time every week to get her help. Exams are hellacious as well
Oh my god, she assigns way too much work. Daily quizzes or in class assignments in addition to a buttload of online work. I don't think she realizes we have other classes. Her lectures are very clear and understandable, and she is very willing to help.
Horrible! Way to much work for an intro class, APLIA sucks..Goes way to fast...if you have never taken economics you will be lost
No Comments
She knows her stuff, but has no desire to teach it to students. She demands respect without giving it to her students. The class could have been really good, she made it harder than it needed to be, and very unpleasant as well.
Awful. Do not take this class. Spends most of the time lecturing on her accomplishments than actual material. Write and discuss assignments were a waste of time. Oh, and she can't wait to talk down to you during office hours.
2 words.... psycho lady... if u are late a lot, do not take this class... graded assignments EVERY class, and if u walk in 1 minute late, u get a zero on them
The most subjective course ever, class average for final exam was failing. It could have been an awesome course with better presentation and explanation.
She was the pits! What a condescending, intolerable, self-absorbed woman! I can't believe I had to pay tuition to be subjected to her ill behavior. There was more emphasis on her accomplishments than on the ECON. RUN!!!
She is liberal and so is her material. She tries not to be biased, but if you have another opinion she blows you off. Lots of assignments make for fair grades though.
mean and strict
Knows her stuff, but for a class that is supposedly envi. focused, the tests dont reflect the lecture. If she teaches this again, study intro econ notes for each test! The book didnt help much unless you really understood all the econ stuff the first time around.
No Comments
Strict but fair. Very willing to help outside of class. Lots of aplia and class assignments, but can help boost your grade. Very clear about material and explaining the book.
Incredibly strict, its a good thing that I can always get there early because if you're late she'll bite you're head off. She doesn't accept late assignments either, but her material is easy.
terrible
No Comments
She's helpful, but not easy. She's also a terror in the classroom. You can't even leave to go to the bathroom and come back 'cause she thinks you're disturbing the class. And she pretends to cover up her liberal agenda when she really doesn't. It slips sometimes. But moreso in the Macro class.
Worst prof I have ever had. She is just a mean person as well. She knows ecomonics but is seriously unable to convey the material. This women is terrible, avoid her at all cost! Thanks for nothing Prof Ray!
Ray is the worst prof I have ever had. She is like the Wicked Witch of the West. She locks students out of the class when they are late. Very unhelpful. No personality. She does not teach and is very unclear in class. The Aplia assignments take hours and hours to complete and you will learn nothing.
Prof. Ray is intimidating, yes, but if you put in the effort then the class will be a lot of fun. Very fair in grading and is very willing to help out with aplia assignments. Don't look at the past ratings if you are serious about Econ and willing to put in the time; I think she is great professor!
Had her for two classes and she was terrible in both. Academically, she's average, but as far as helping students out and clarifying material, she's sub-par. Take her if you have to or are into sadism. Anyone else should really stay away from her.
after two years at UMW, this is the worst professor i ever had. constantly states she has a very poor memory, or is it just a desire to be as unhelpful as possible? complains about students going to the bathroom while doing nothing helpful herself, strict and unfair, what a nightmare
Prof. Ray is in love with Aplia (which happens to be a MASSIVE pain in the butt). She tests on things she doesn't really talk about in class and overemphasises irrelevant material. If you are you looking for a pass/fail class, this may be for you! Beware!
Hard class, but she is a very good teacher. She gets a bad wrap for being strict, she actually is very nice, she just expects you to be in class on time and not sleep. The online experiments are awsome-you do not even have to get out of bed to go to class on certain days. Aplia sucks but it helps
Classes are very hard. She is not helpful at all out of class. Don't ask her anything that is written anywhere because she will not tell you but tell you that its in the syllabus (like test dates)
Professor Ray is very clear on what is required for this class. Aplia is very helpful to make sure you are on task. Professor Ray also is available and willing to help those that are interested. Her class has a very professional setting ( no interuptions). She is prompt and expects the same out of the class. Excellent teacher! Enjoyed the class.
RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!! HORRIBLE CLASS>>>SHE DOESNT TEACH! Aplia takes forever and tests on stuff she never mentions in class!! Its the class from hell!!! by far the worst prof at umw!
Be in class and pay attention. Dont waste her time by going and not being serious. Aplia is annoying but it really ends up helping you. Do all assigned work. She doesnt take any excuses but is willing to help if you ask for it.
She teaches well but her exams are not really on what she teaches in class. Aplia is horrible. It is a lot of work for a class that I dont care about/ have to take for my major.
Unneccesarily bitter, she must really hate her job
Ill-suited for this position. Took her classes from 92-96. Avoid her if you can. Bitter, confusing, and grades low.
Not friendly and very unapproachable.
No Comments
Cold and bitter. Doesn't care about her students at all. She won't even answer your questions. If you leave class to go to the bathroom she will take away participation points (honestly). She boasts and brags about herself instead of teaching.
I've officially named her the Anti-Christ. She's the rudest & most bitter teacher I've ever met. She's IMPOSSIBLE to talk to and dont bother asking questions cuz she WILL embarass u and make u look stupid. The course itself is great and she does present the info effectively but if u are able to take someone else then do urself a favor and STAY AWAY
Clear enough, but isn't approachable and won't answer questions. Avoid her, if you can. There are much better econ professors.
very large class. class is boring. pop quizzes. exam reviews are not helpful. aplia is a waste of time but can be a grade booster. not an approachable professor.
Not very clear with her lectures, not flexible at all.
No criteria for grading or information that you will be held accountable for. Basically only attends class to tell the class presenters the presenters that they were wrong.
I love Ray's classes. She doesn't put up with student ****, which is so refreshing. She does not cut breaks for missed due dates, tardiness and sloppy mistakes. She's smart, funny and has a ton of experience. She can be intimidating in large intro classes, but she's still a far better prof than her ratings show.
Never take Prof. Ray.
Prof Ray isn't actually a professor. She is just around to make you feel bad about yourself. The real prof in one of her classes is you - you will teach yourself econ if you take her. DO NOT DO IT! If your options are take Ray or drop out of school, give yourself a few moments to think things over.
Never EVER take this class with Ray. Worst experience yet. I hope she looks at this stuff so maybe, just maybe she'll change her horrible "teaching" habbits. If you go to her for help, she'll talk to you... but it won't matter cuz her tests are impossible. The homework is graded online, and that's hard and unreliable. DO NOT TAKE HER
Prof. Ray's tests are very hard, and a lot of material on it is on stuff she never goes over. She relies too much on the online quizzes and stuff. I'd try to go with Rycroft if I were you.
Good professor. Aplia online stuff counts for 25% of grade and is fairly easy, and tests are all mainly multiple choice. I went to about half of the classes and still got a B. If you need help, see her during office hours.
Dr. Ray is not as bad as everyone makes her out to be. It's much better to take her for environmental or urban and regional because those are the areas that she specializes in. She is a very nice person and is more than willing to help as long as you are willing to put in the effort.
Don't know what you all are talking about: 201 was super-easy. One of the scariest teachers in the world, though. Rather than be a minute late, I actually skipped the class once just to avoid her scariness
While i agree that Prof Ray isn't as bad as some ppl make her out to be... i also agree that she's scary. she literally locked this one girl out of the classroom bc she had to get a tissue.. and don't EVER be late to class. She presents the material well but most of the time if you ask a question she says "go look at your syllabus".
this class would be so easy as most of the work is online, but she is a complete ****. her class is all about her, very conceited and will try to make a bad example out of you. don't take if you actually want to learn. by the way not intimidated... she tries to be mean though
I literally hate this woman with all of my heart and soul. Unless you are the student in the class she likes, she will berate and belittle you until you would rather skip her class than attend.
I took her for Econ303, 321,354,491. She is really hard but tells you what she expects in the beginning of the semester.
Worst teacher I have ever had. Very mean. Jokes are terrible. Does not help you when you are in need. Grades strictly and uses Aplia alot.
You need to work hard but you will learn econ if you take this class.
I LOVE her class. SHe doesn't take s**t from students. If you do the work you will learn alot
Good class
Dr. Ray helped me get into grad school and her undergrad classes prepared me for advanced study. She is an EXCELLENT instructor for the serious student!
I enjoyed this class - lerned a lot.
loved the class.
I love this class!
I really thought this class brought together my two majors-env. sci. and economics in a way that would help me when I get a job.
I really enjoyed Dr. Ray's class. She used examples and experiments that made the class interesting. The assignments were challenging but they made the exams seem easy.
I really enjoyed this class. Challenging and interesting. She really tries to help students learn.
Excellent course that requires graduate level thinking about decision analysis.
Don't get stuck in traffic as you loose "points" for being late. If she wasn't there, you would learn just as much as you did when she was.....if you can take another instructor DO IT! You won't find out what your grades are until the course is almost over... difficult to improve if you don't know how you are doing!
I have to agree with the previous poster. The sylabus was only two pages long. No one knew what you had going into the final weeks until the end of week 6 and the course is only 8 weeks long. The lack of knowing where you stand makes it difficult to understand where you stand in the class and change course.
If you have to take this professor, proceed with CAUTION! The sylabus is 2 unclear pages. Grading criteria is unclear! You do not recieve any feedback on your homework or your standing in the class until the course is 75% over. After you have your standings, you cannot ask her questions. She made that perfectly clear in her blackboard postings
Students who had problems didn't want to do any work. I learned so much in this class! Great preparation for my career.
This is a no-frills, No BS instructor who will provide you with material for you to learn. If you want to be spoon fed and get taught the test, try someone else. If you want to learn something, this is the instructor for you. Excellent professor
Steer clear of this professor! She changes her syllabus without telling you. She loses your work so when you receive a bad grade, she isn't able to back it up. She doesn't know the subject material. Do NOT take this professor for Quantitave Business Methods. You won't learn anything from her.
This was the only class I have had that really challenged me. I heard a group of students talkingabout trashing Dr. Ray on this site because they didn't get easy A's. If you want to work and really learn econ, take this class!
I thought this class was really interesting.
I enjoyed the class. I had heard a lot of complaining about it and was nervous at first, but it wasn't that hard and I enjoyed Dr. ray as a teacher.
She can give off an impatient vibe in class, but I was brave enough to visit her in her office hours many times and she wasn't that way at all. She is just very direct. Helpful. Wants you to learn econ, by putting in the effort.
I heard a lot of scary stuff about the class, and there is a lot of concepts to learn in an 8 week class, but Mrs. Rey does set the class up so that you can succeed. She can come off as somewhat condescending at times. Overall not as rough of an experience as you may have heard.
When it comes to grading, she is the worst professor I have ever had. However, when you go talk to her in person, she is very helpful. Just make sure when you take tests use words and definitions that she wants not what you want.It doesnt matter if you know the material, if it is not written the way she wants it, you get it wrong.
Ridiculous. 8 week class and we only had 3 in class sessions. Prepare to teach yourself.
She is friendly but does not seem approachable She used a separate online system that had textbook and a system that you needed for homework. Her lectures were long and not very helpful.
She comes off as sassy which at first i thought was funny, then after the first test and the average was a 50 she became very defensive and a total female dog to everyone. she is irrational and honestly border line c-word. she acts like everything is easy but she contradicts herself and grades only if you answer her way not the right answer.
This class was a semester long group project and she was supposed to be the adviser, but aside from the first and last day she was never around. When she did offer criticism, that was all she offered, no solutions, just non-constructive feedback. I would definitely recommend this course, but hopefully they let someone else teach it
I took this as a senior to learn more about Economics and it was a terrible class. She is rude, unhelpful, and a really tough grader. I would NOT recommend this class.
Awful. Do not take.
Prof. Ray's class was the worst experience I have had during my collegiate career. She showed little care for the achievement of her students, and was consistently rude, short-tempered, and unpleasant to meet with outside of class. Few professors, in my opinion, have ever behaved in such demeaning manner toward their students. DO NOT TAKE.
She is a tough grader and if you don't get something, don't go to her for explanation. She'll just explain it the same way as she did in class. For article assignments, good luck because if you get one part wrong don't even bother having her look at it. Shes the worst professor I've ever had.
The teacher was very straightforward and kind. She always made sure to check if anyone had questions and greatly encouraged participation. Her teaching was always detailed, energetic and step by step so everyone had the chance to follow along. She gave us the right materials to study and adaquetly prepared us for exams. A very positive professor!
The professor was not too bad at lecturing but was not very understanding of situations such as her policy of not accepting anything late and not counting you present due to tardiness. Her grading on the important things are harsh and unexpected for an intro class. She offered good help during office hours but still seemed almost rude at times.
she was super tough at grading and her class was just hard in general. i was thinking of studying econ coming in as a freshman, but after her class i never want to look at econ again. 10/10 don't recommend her
Im a pretty good student and I always aim for As and Bs but I absolutley failed the midterm and understood very little of what was going on. I had a C afterwards and thought if I did better from then on that I would be able to bring my grade up but it didnt happened. She gave me the same grades on my assignments no matter how much effort I put in
This class was the worst experience I've had in my undergraduate career. Ray was an impossible grader w/constantly changing grading standards, was rude, demeaning, and pompous. I am a good student and could not seem to do well, no matter how much effort I put forth- I ended up barely passing and it made my senior semester miserable. Do not take.
Dr. Ray's grading methods were questionable. You never really know how you did on a test because she would find irrelevant things to take points off for. Myself and other students disliked coming to class and it made for a really unnecessarily stressful semester. I would not recommend the class to anyone.
Dr. Ray is a pretty mediocre economics professor and a terrible environmental science professor. She assigns things on a whim and her grading is very harsh. She also doesn't teach economics or ES particularly well at all, 3 of our classes during this semester were us watching movies about outdated environmental crises. It was painful to sit through
On paper, ECON331 looks like a very intimidating class, however there are lots of smaller things to boost your grade. Dr. Ray at first seems terse and unapproachable, but she appreciates students who visit her outside of class for help. She is a tough grader, and there are only 2 exams. Read the textbook as you go!!!
Margaret included information that was not in our curriculum on exams. I asked her about it and she said she does it because econ majors take it as an easy elective and she wants to trip them up, disregarding the fact the class was mostly freshmen. Her grading style unclear and doesn't give back critics. Her work and readings are pointless.
Dr. Ray is extremely lecture heavy so coming to class is a must in order to fully understand the material. Tests are pretty straight forward if you put in the work and effort. Seems willing to help if you ask questions or need clarification.
Will always find ways to take off points. Multiple choice raw score will be a 95 but your free response will be a 20. My year the average on the final was a 58, highest was a 72. I heard group of students that year reached out to the administration but nothing was done. Keep making noise about the terrible test averages if you have to take her.
Because she had such a hard time in school, you should too. She would often bring up her awful experiences as a student and how despite knowing all the materials, her professors would grade her work harshly. Yet, she follows the same path as her professors. If you want to get a good grade in class, better not make a single mistake.
Worst teacher Ive ever had in my life. Refuses to change grades that were her mistake in the first place and will literally give you 0s on assignments for no reason. Do anything you can to avoid this psychotic lady. Youre welcome.
I watched the class averages on assignments go up and down dramatically over the semester with people hardly breaking over the 70s. Microeconomics is not a inherently difficult subject, I actually love economics and now am a officer in the Economics club, but the grading system was BRUTAL with the smallest mistakes leading to 0s and 5s.
Mid way through this class and warning those for the 2022 spring semester and beyond to avoid this professor at all costs. Specifically, her assignments are vague and will be graded v harshly. Her style of teaching is also very vague which is painfully evident in the way her questions are structured on assignments, quizzes, and tests. DO NOT TAKE
Christ agony she is ruthless, but not in a caring way. The last person who should be a teacher.
The hardest grader I have ever taken class with. If she doesnt like certain areas of your papers or assignments she will give you a 0 without any thought even though you completed the assignments. Will give no detailed feedback on past assignments when it comes to things you did wrong. Cant speak on her other courses but dont take her Econ302.
Not going to lie she scares me. But after meeting with her outside of class she is very willing to help. Attendance is mandatory and a quiz once a week. Not a hard class but she is a hard grader.
Most frustrating class and professor. Lectures were all based on reading and content assigned before class so there was no point in having a professor. Unclear and hard grader on papers, will not be understanding or helpful.
Honestly, absolute worst professor and hardest grader I've ever had. Read every 1 star review she has because their complaints mirror mine. Her first test average was a 78(not bad), the next 2 averages were 64 & 63. Multiple HW assignments had a class average of 3/10. If you want to take a class, understand it and still not pass it, she's for you.
Ok, listen up I took her microeconomics theory class. (very easy concepts) She teaches the class like a high school econ class. Her quizzes aren't bad. Her tests are awful, you can do all the homework, all the quizzes, read the book, and still not be prepared for the tests. All the averages were 66% and below except one. DO NOT TAKE.
The worst professor I have ever had. I signed up for another professor but for whatever reason they decided to giver her a job and I got put in her class. She is rude to her students and extremely condescending. I found errors in her quizzes and she didn't respond to my emails. One of the worst people I have met, A&M made a mistake hiring her.
Course content is completely unorganized and unclear. Going to class was essential at times and pointless at others. Material was not extremely difficult, but it was hard to follow due to incomplete power-points resulting in a need to self-teach at home from the book. If possible take a different professor.
Awful. Insists that you need to listen to her lectures, but her lectures consist of her rambling random information in a completely monotone voice. Almost insufferable to listen to her lectures. You basically just have to teach yourself everything and read the textbook on your own. Tests are hard, very wordy so make sure to study.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
89%
Textbook Required
90%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.22 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON201MACRO
5.0
(1)ECON321
5.0
(1)ECONECON
5.0
(1)ECONMONE
5.0
(1)MBUS539
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
331
5.0
300S
5.0
ECON
5.0
ECON403
5.0
ECON312
5.0