2.3
Quality3.6
Difficulty29%
Would Retake97
Reviews29%
Would Retake
97
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
13
3
13
2
20
1
41
What Students Say
“She has great lecture slides, that are available on mycourses, so taking notes was never necessary”
ECON160 - 5.0 rating“Not a bad professor to have”
ECON160 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.57 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON160
2.4
(90)Econ483C
2.0
(1)ECON160C1
1.3
(6)Difficulty by Course
Econ483C
5.0
ECON160C1
3.7
ECON160
3.6
Reviews (97)
She's terrible in lecture and barely teaches anything that you're going to be tested on. READ TEXTBOOK and you'll get 100's on weekly homework assignments. Attendance doesn't matter and the tests are based off of textbook readings not lecture material. She teaches about graphs but tests are on micro principles and definitions-- she's also rude.
Her lectures can be confusing at times, but if you take the step to spend a little extra time reviewing, it all clicks into place. If you do the homework sets, it helps you comprehend lectures a lot better. Overall, she is very intelligent and she is well versed in the content. Not a bad professor to have.
Lots of Extra Credits.
I think she's a very nice person overall and very lenient in terms of problem set grading, but it's not hard to get a 100 on them. However, she does this "extra credit" thing in class that's not actually extra credit. You're basically forced to do the extra credit to get an A, which was 97.5, 110 this semester. Very unfair.
The problem sets are easy 100s. Go to her office hours--she is much better one-on-one than in class. Attending discussion will also help you. Her tests seemed fair except for the final. You need to understand the concepts and apply them; the free responses can be brand new kinds of questions. The extra credit added nearly 10% onto my grade.
She just reads off the slides, doesn't really do a good job of explaining the material. Going to discussion and reading the book helped a lot. The only reason to actually go to class is for the "extra credit" problems she gives -- however, these problems weren't really for extra credit, as the final curving factored in the extra 10%.
Lectures were confusing, class was a little disorganized, but the textbook really helped if you compared it with the powerpoints she provides. Two tests and a final, they were pretty difficult (I studied for hours and still got an 80) but if you do the homework and extra credit in class (go to lectures!!) you can manage to get an A.
Favorite class of the semester. Prof. Tonguc is really nice along with knowledgable. She has great lecture slides, that are available on mycourses, so taking notes was never necessary. The workload isn't bad at all, we only had one on-line HW each week. Discussion also really helped. If you put in the effort, getting an A is very doable.
Mrs. Tonguc did a pretty good job last fall, especially for someone who was teaching for their first semester. Her office hours are helpful. She's shy and may be sarcastic, but she's truly caring. All her lectures are in her slides. Accidentally defined regular in-class activities as extra credit, affecting grades of those who didn't do them.
Beware of the "extra credit" problems she gives. There were problems given as extra credit but these problems weren't really for extra credit, as the final curving factored in what was supposed to be extra credit.
Professor Tonguc makes material easy to understand and genuinely cares to see her students succeed. Attendance is not mandatory but she explains lecture slides very clearly in class and gives extra credit for attendance.
Shes a solid choice. Shes a good explainer and posts an old exam online. Also shes ridiculously hot
She is very clear and precise. Go to class, skim the textbook, do the homeworks, study for the tests and you'll do fine. Her tests are sometimes tricky so read the multiple choice questions really really carefully.
"Extra credit" in-class questions count towards final grade curving so try not to skip. Lectures were simple to follow and well-structured, powerpoints are posted online. Practice questions from pearson learning lab helped a lot. I thought the class was pretty straightforward, and it wasn't too hard to do well.
Her accent makes her a little hard to understand, tests may include topics not covered in class, there are graded problem sets and in-class questions online
Her tests are so so tricky and it is so easy to fail when you know the information.
3 tests, weekly online hw with multiple attempts given, in class questions that can be done from your room. All the slides are posted which she reads directly off of. However, be ware of the tests which are much harder then class. It is easy to get 100% on the hws and understand the class but then fail the tests. There is a slight curve at the end.
There is always a question that is 10X harder than anything she gives in class and is worth a lot of points. She really doesnt care if the whole class is failing. The class is not that bad she just doesnt care if almost the entire class is not understanding the concept or she did not cover it as yet.
DO NOT TAKE! She will put you to sleep with dry, boring lectures and the homework will not coincide with the lectures. Terrible at explaining things. Tough to understand. Just poor all around.
Very hard class, and not very good at explaining things. Tests are difficult, opposed to somewhat easy review sheets. Too much material in too short of a time. Tests make up a HEAVY percentage of your grade. Optional lectures, but in-class clicker questions count. Lots of hw (problem sets). Makes econ confusing, and very stressful. :(
very boring lectures and she doesn't explain concepts clearly. easy enough to understand by the homeworks and just reading the slides. tests are very similar to practice tests and not too bad if you study.
Absolutely horrendous teacher. She will give out practice tests but do not rely on them because they are usually not good representations of what is going to be on the test. On the final, she worded the short response question so poorly that almost all the students did not understand it and she provided different answers to the same questions.
Micro with Ozlem is an easy class. She posts all her lecture slides online and uses online questions for participation. In theory, you could stay in your room and read her slides instead of going to class because the online questions are included in her slide notes, but I recommend going to class. Tests were fair and based on what we learned.
The practice tests she gives do not align with what shows up on the actual test. The wording of her exam questions is confusing. Like the short response question on her final exam confused most students.
This is absolutely the worst professor in the Econ Department. Haun Li isn't any better but you will experience a nightmare at the end of the course. She honestly doesn't care about her students at all. Be ready to teach yourself a lot...
Theres only two tests and a final and then clicker questions and graded hw assignments. The tests are kinda hard and everyone does pretty bad but the curve at the end is really helpful. She moves fast but its a good class.
Avoid if possible.
Prof Tonguc is very organized and knowledgable about microeconomics, but her class is not easy. She covered about 5 additional chapters in the last two weeks of class while other ECON 160 professors stopped and reviewed material. Her tests were very challenging, but she curves the class at the end of the semester.
Professor Tonguc is very knowledgeable about economics, she fails to correct herself and admit fault. Lectures aren't very clear so expect to do a lot of self learning.
Ozlem knows a lot about econ but her lectures are so incredibly boring. Practices test aren't super similar to actual tests and the final is cumulative.
Professor Tonguc is a great person, but an awful professor. She is very knowledgeable about economics but she is not good at explaining concepts and her lectures are not engaging. Her practice tests do not reflect what the actual tests are like and her wording on the tests are very confusing. Homeworks are easy and should be a grade boost.
Curves the class, so if you do well enough should be an easy A. Lectures do get a little boring, but have to go to answer clicker questions. She wasn't always great at explaining things, but the slides are all online so you can review them easily. Not the worse situation to be in econ with her. HW's are easy and should boost your grade.
Writing my first review specifically because I believe Prof. Tonguc deserves more credit than she is getting. Students are given plenty of materials to help prep for exams and while the homework / readings can be tedious they are very helpful. Prof. Tonguc absolutely cares about the success of her students. Do sit in the front of the lecture.
Doesnt really care about her students, kind of condescending and exams are much harder than the practice
Rude and condescending to students. What a joke
Confusing instructor who does not know the material well. Told us her main job is to do research not teach well.
shes a terrible teacher and is kinda lost
Love her. Plenty of time and material to prep for exams which are not difficult. Can be a little blunt when students are wrong, but is overall a very sweet woman. Very little content to memorize, more about critical thinking. Fierce!
People undermine Professor Tonguc but she is not bad as it seems. Although, the lectures can be very underwhelming and can be very unengaging, the information is not difficult if you just go to class. She can be blunt at times as well but is nice women outside of class and is definitely willing to help if you need help.
I hate you, Ozlem Tonguc.
Ozlem can't teach. Involves alot of self studying. If you are good at this its not hard to get a B or A , Questions on quizzes( 3, 10 mcq quizzes) and midterms are pretty straight forward. If you get a 100 or 90 on the first quiz DONT take others because missed quizzes are redistributed to taken quizzes. Quizzes get harder. ~3 points extra credit
She knows econ but is genuinely so bad at teaching it. Lectures were not engaging and she just flipped through slides for over an hour. She does not explain concepts clearly and never gave straightforward answers to questions. Pretty rude and condescending to students. Take this class with a different prof
One of the worst professors in the Econ department. Flips through slides, cannot explain concepts clearly and talks down to you.
lecture assignments used for attendance. ez hw every week. free textbook but the readings get long. really easy a/a+ as long as u read and understand the textbook. reassigns the weight of a test/quiz to a diff test/quiz if u miss one (i only took 1 quiz bc i got a 100 on the first one). 70ish for final, 94 on midterm, got an A after extracredit
Took 160 with her. One of the worst econ profs I had. Boring lectures and tough exams. Only the three incomprehensible Chinese profs apparently are worse than Tonguc.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND! This class was a mess. I had trouble with my TA due to his irresponsibility and unorganized Discussions. This class made my whole semester VERY stressful
Tonguc can't teach. Nobody liked her. You will do a lot of self-studying. Questions on quizzes(3, 10 mcq quizzes) and midterms are straightforward. If you get more than 90 on the first quiz don't take others because missed quizzes are redistributed to taken quizzes. And they get only harder. ~3 points extra credit
she's chill when it comes to grading our problem sets. But here's the thing - she's got this "extra credit" thing in class that's not really extra credit. You gotta do it to get an A, which is a 97.5, but the semester I took it it was 110. not fair, you know? Like, it's not extra credit if it's basically a requirement for A. just my two cents.
this class was way more confusing than it needed to be. Lots of homework that are hard to keep track of but the answers are typically online. lectures are absolutely useless, the prof cannot give a direct answer. don't even ask her to clear the material up, she'll make it harder to understand. do not take this class if you want to learn.
listen in class and do the assignments as directed and things will be easy
avoid at all costs. awful
The lectures are mandatory but not for the information (because it is posted onto brightspace), but because there are constant individual and group activities in class that are graded for participation and completion at the end off the year. The review midterm and final do not reflect the actual tests.
What a disappointing course! And it was all because of the instructor. Needlessly confusing exams and she is so rude when you ask her questions. Avoid at all costs
If the form has 0, I'd choose 0 instead of 1. Never give anyone a bad comment in my life. This prof will be the first professor I want to give such a low rate.
AVOID!!! She was terrible and didn't grade anything until the day grades were due.
Terrible professor. She doesn't mean to be, but she is extremely condescending and clearly has a sense of superiority when talking to you. Lectures are completely useless in learning the material but you have to go to get participation points. She makes concepts way more difficult than they need to be. If you can avoid her I would suggest you do.
Honestly, this prof is a hard pass. She's kinda condescending, even if she doesn't mean to be. Her lectures don't help with the material, but you gotta go for those participation points. She turns simple stuff into a big deal. If you can, dodge her class and take it with whoever else teaches it unless it is a grad student who can't speak english
Class isnt that bad. Lecs r review of tb and overgloss easy concepts. Read tb and use TA or utube if stuck but dont ask prof. Is clear when lecturing tho. Tests had some hard and conf qus even if u study but theres a curve. Make sure to attach jamboard work & not just # cuz she checks. TA rly needs a smartboard next sem cuz we couldnt see.
She gives so much homework hidden as a 'pre-lecture activity'. Its quizzes on brightspace with unlimited attempts but with the constant workload without a solid date, its easy to accidentally miss A LOT. Boring lectures and every class had required in-class activities and group work.
this professor piles on so much homework, acting like it's just a "pre-lecture activity." And don't even get me started on those quizzes on Brightspace. Yeah, you can take 'em as many times as you want, but with the never-ending stream of work and no solid due dates, it's hella easy to accidentally miss a ton of 'em. mind-numbing lectures. Ugh!
Absolutely terrible prof. Awful is the sum of the experience in every capacity. Take everybody's word for it- a self-teaching class. makes students feel dumb for not understanding/needing help on topics. Just take it with someone else, if you can. Terrible teacher and from talking to other profs, she doesn't seem to be much of a researcher, either
The worst econ160 option in bing. The semester I took it with her, the other 160 courses were all full and on waitlist but I got in this one and now I know why it wasn't a full course. Terrible lecturer
She is nice but terrible lecturer. Take 160 with anyone else but her.
Didn't think there could be a more disinteresting class then this one. Nice professor and manageable workload, but failed to get any points across effectively. If you are looking to have a sizeable portion of your time wasted, this is the class to take. My favorite part was when it was over. Not engaging but not a hard class.
Very lecture-heavy heavy, cannot miss class because of timed class assignments that correlate to the slide she is on. Syllabus is super clear, just a hard class. Other econ professors are a lot more fair then she is though
Ozlem assigns each chapter as "homework" and expects you to teach it to yourself. She is so condescending and will embarrass anyone who gets an answer wrong. Attendance is basically mandatory due to the in-class activities. Her lectures are incredibly boring and she is the most awkward person. I dreaded this class, don't take it with her.
Professor is a bad lecturer, which defeats the purpose of a lecture heavy class. Every other ECON 160 offers review and non-cumulative finals, while her last 2 discussion periods consisted of a pointless group project that was just busy work, with no review. Makes the class and content/tests more complicated than it has to be, would not recommend.
She can be nice during OH but lectures are dull and uninviting. When I took it her section was the only one open with the other two filled with a waiting list. Most students did not like the class
I felt like I taught myself the material. She is not the best teacher and it was a pretty lecture-heavy class but the lectures did not provide a lot of additional understanding of the material. Not a super hard class just need to put in work to get a good grade
She was nice, but her lectures were quite confusing. Sadly i don't think that her quizzes helped properly prepare me for the midterm or final. Lots of homework and in class assignments.
The quizzes were awful. She was helpful in office hours, but lectures were long, boring, and made no sense. Just keep up with the constant PLAs and you will be okay.
She's kinda dull and the lectures are pretty boring, but as long as you follow along in class and have the pre lecture slides open to follow along during it then you should be fun. Textbook is helpful, slides are helpful. Midterm is slightly harder than any material in class but it's not bad. I'd probably avoid this professor but you'll be fine
Bad lecturer, test heavy. Be aware of the pop quiz. But she will let students know at the beginning of the lecture. Test really hard, and students don't like her. The first midterm has terrible mean score. You can choose to drop the first midterm, but!!!! your final weight will be increase to 45% of your total grade.
The people doing reviews here are LAZY! She is very fair but gives a good amount of work which only helps you succeed in the class. Her problem sets are fair, her lectures are funny, and she is a caring woman who wants the class to do well. RECOMMEND!
Great compared to other micro professors. Very good grade scale and her exams are only 40% of your grade. Show up to class, do the daily assignments, and study a bit before the exam and you should get an A-
Dull lectures not a great course. Avoid
Great prof! She really helped me learn Micro from a base level and was relatively easy. Keep up to date with homeworks and you should do good.
If u want the worst prof in the dept u came to the right place. Doesn't engage well, condescending, moody. She might be better at research than teaching but from what I hear from senior profs prolly not strong there either. Nice lady tho
anyone know why there are 90 seats open in her section but none in the other three?
Professor Tonguc was honestly one of my favorites. She drops quite a few assignments (in class and homework) so you won't fall behind if you miss a few classes or homeworks. Classes are mostly akin to the textbook she has assigned so if you can take notes on that and understand the material you're golden. Overall very nice professor!
Can't believe the rating is what it is. Prof Tonguc is different than most lecturers but is a nice and relaxed person who will teach you. If you don't go to class or self-study, you won't get bailed out but if you actually study you will get the most out of a smart professor. Also participate in class, it's worth it and she will help you if needed.
The class has a lot of outside work to do, but is the best for micro. Make sure you have a good TA to help you, I got lucky with mine. Overall not a bad class just be prepared to study and do work.
boring lectures that will put you to sleep. acts extremely condescending attitude with students.
I'm surprised by these reviews because I think she is a great professor, extremely understanding and has tons of room to gain points in her class. The weighting she has for her assignments favors the students as well. Although her lectures are a little boring, I still think she explains things clearly and gives you tons of resources for self study.
boring lectures, very hard to pay attention to them. Miderm was very difficult with no curve (mean of 65 for the class).
Pretty boring lectures that are hard to sit through. Lots of busy work that do not correlate with graded assignments like quizzes or tests. I think she misses the mark engaging students and preparing them conceptually instead of just memorizing how things work.
Lectures are pretty hard to sit through and engage with, but if you're there and you pay somewhat decent attention you'll do well. Gives students multiple options to choose how to weigh their grades in their favor. Overall pretty good and I'd take again
Did not explain concepts very well and midterm and final were pretty difficult. However, she gives a lot of extra credit and grades by a lot of things so you can still get a good grade. I learned most things from office hours and tutoring. Attendance mandatory due to group work in class.
Don't take with her, only reason I was doing fine the first few lectures was because I took macro in high school. She makes everything more complicated than it needs to be, and is very confusing. Goes off on random tangents sometimes. Attendance mandatory since there's in-class work and group work that she only shows on the board. Wish I dropped
Makes lectures more confusing than they need to be by getting into random hypotheticals. Will assign in-class assignments for homework when she takes too long to get through lectures. Purposely overcomplicates quiz/test questions. Can't miss class; you lose points if you miss class assignments. Would be better as a HS teacher. DO NOT TAKE.
I can assure you that you'll learn more from online econ videos. Its not like shes evil shes definitely a nice lady its just that she doesnt teach effectively. Being in this class felt like an uphill battle due to how boring the lectures were. The teachers assistants were somehow more effective at teaching
Not sure why the department keeps her. She got demoted to a lecturer after allegedly publishing zero papers. Her lectures are god awful and nobody among my peers liked her as a teacher. Why she is around is a big unexplained mystery
Lecture slides did not make sense. Gave a lot of quizzes and she wouldn't really tell you what to study. There is one midterm and there was no study guide.
Her tests and quizzes were almost impossible at times. On the midterm, 25% of the exam was stuff we did not go over (which she admitted and did nothing about). But if you can get past those though things, the homework is free 100's (take-home and multiple attempts), she gives good extra credit, she drops a lot of grades, and the final was free
I have waited until i received my grade to rate her. As someone who studied countless hours before the final, still got a 72 is absolutely beyond me. She over complicates every single topic and her teaching style is awful. I thought that the final was easy but apparently not according to my grade. She is very nice but not a good professor.
honestly speaking, her midterm was very hard and the final was easier. surprised to have gotten an A, she gives extra credit and the readings help a lot imo. she is understanding despite the class feeling harder than it should be.
Fun if you're interested in econ, otherwise... Discussion is extremely helpful to clear up confusion/get practice. Midterm was difficult, but prof is lenient with grading options (drop midterm for an extra quiz/greater weight on final). Attendance is mandatory through individual work that can only be accessed in class. 3 ec points offered.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
75%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.57 avg changeRatings by Course
ECON160
2.4
(90)Econ483C
2.0
(1)ECON160C1
1.3
(6)Difficulty by Course
Econ483C
5.0
ECON160C1
3.7
ECON160
3.6