Great guy, always available to help, great lecturer.

Very Clear and Articulate during lecture. Makes class somewhat interesting. Exams are pretty easy as well.

Very good professor. He was very clear and available. His exams weren't easy but definately not the hardest I've ever had. He was very knowledgeable of the material and sometimes spoke quickly but always slowed down if asked to.

Great Notes, talks fast, but good easy to talk to.

Steve is the best professor I've ever had! He is also nice to look at :)

Professor Rick is very enthusiastic and knowledgable on the subject: he is a senior economist at CUNA. His real world examples make the class very easy to follow.

clear lecturer, but thats it, prof isn't his real job, he doesn't even write the exams and they DO NOT reflect what's emphasized in class, very frustrating

Very easy tests. He talks fast, but all of his lectures are on powerpoint. He doesn't try to trick you. Definitely worth your time for four credits.

Lectures are fast, but clear. The tests and assignments are pretty straightforward. Not a bad class, but at times dull. The easiness factor evens things out

exams are hard bt the curve helps a lot.. HOT and NICE

I highly recommend taking ECON 330 with Steve. He explains well, but has the habit of going too fast. But, he is willing to explain the materials again after the lecture if you were to approach him. Exams are relatively easy if you study and do plenty revisions of past papers. He also gives out 10 extra credit point in each of the three exams.

Steve's awesome, one of the more enjoyable professors I've had. Very helpful if you ask him.

Rick is the man! I really like how he lectured on the assigned readings, and he doesn't try to trick you on the exams. Overall, much better than my 101 prof.

Very good lecturer. Exams are very fair. I am sad because i got a 'BC' in his class. I guess it isnt that easy if you are taking 17 credits and dont read much, but def. a good choice professor.

Definately better then Kelly. Not a bad class at all. I never went to lecture and got a B. Exams aren't horrible, no final in the class. He's really smart and his lectures are interesting, hard to get ahold of tho and get help from.

Alright.. this guy is a great lecturer. I almost never left class with a question lingering in my mind. But the curve in this class is ridiculous. An 80% is somehow the lowest BC possible. And on the final you could only get 1 question wrong for the A. 1 out 50!!! If you have to take the class.. take it with Rick.

Good professor -- interesting lectures, easy homeworks. But, exams are screwy. Midterm 1 was easy as pie, but the curve was murder. One question wrong an the entire thing is an AB. Midterm 2 was really tough. Curve still painful. WATCH OUT FOR THE EXAMS.

Easier tests than Kelly's, but the curve is tougher. I also wish he knew how to focues a projector, since half of the time he leaves it to auto-focus, which doesn't do anything, and by the end of lecture, I can't see straight.

Good powerpoints that came straight from book. very easy exams, but tricky. watch out for the special topics.. the questions on the exams are very specific.

very helpful prof, lectures organized and clear, but can get boring if you have already done the readings as the slides are taken right from the book. hw crazy easy, ta was horrible, exams tough- very specific questions can make you do bad if you dont know enough of the right things. overall good course.

Easy to understand, uses powerpoint and sends them out before every lecture. Well organized, grades on a curve that seemed generous.

good professor but the tests sucked; the questions were okay but the curve could screw you over

The class was pretty interesting. Book is an easy read. His lectures were sometimes more complicated than they needed to be. You can tell that teaching is just his side job. The tests are pretty rough, but they're curved. Overall, pretty decent instructor.

exams were tough! there were a lot of specific questions from the reading, but the curve was decent. homework every week kinda sucked but it was usually pretty easy. overall good professor!

Tests are challenging, but mostly because of the time pressure. The curve is very generous, however. He emails class notes before lecture, so you can follow along easily. Read the book. He likes to put book material on the exams. Also, do the practice questions/exams. They help lots!

Good professor but the difficulty level of the exams were unexpected! He must have read his rating on ratemyprofessor and switched things up in response. Not a bad class but don't let the ease rating fool you....things have changed!

I really liked this class. Lectures don't completely pertain to the exams, but he is definitly a talented speaker who knows what he's talking about, so it's definitely worth going every once in awhile. But, it definitely requires reading the book thoroughly!! The tests are definitely tricky as well, but as long as you study a lot, you'll be okay!

I really like steve. I took 330 just because he was teaching it. He knows his stuff. The thing to remember is the tests are straight from the book. You could skip every lecture and read the chapters and you will get an a. He is a very good speaker and although many things he says are not tested, it is information that will benefit you in the future

Steve is a very clear lecturer. Almost all of the exam questions are material from the book, not lectures. Lectures are worth going to if you like econ because he ties in current events.

I hate economics, and had a hard time in 101; however, Prof Rick was amazing. His lectures are lear, he does examples of problems in class, and if you still don't get it- the t.a.s and the book are really helpful. If you have to take econ 102, take it with Rick!

The lectures are really nice and straightforward. He posts the notes online but he adds some extra ones most of the time, so you should go. He takes the information right from the book and he uses a lot of examples. He is a really good professor, however the exams are hard and since the class is so competitive, it's hard to get an A.

I loved economics 102 with Rick. He applied everything we learned to the real world, which was very cool. His lectures make sense and he uses lots of clear graphs, which is sigh of relief in econ. Just be warned-the exams are more theory than he discusses, but it's all in the book, so no worries, take 102 with Rick!

my favorite UW teacher so far, he knows what he talks about and makes it clear, he's a classy guy too i might add, only bad part is tests are easy so the curve is steep. Bottom line is you can't go wrong with him.

Steve is a nice guy, a good speaker and knowledgeable. Tests are pretty easy, though the curve is extremely tight, you can only get 2-3 wrong out of 25 to get an A on the midterms usually. Reading the book is a must, as many test questions come from the book. Homework is 10% of grade and easy, two midterms are 25%, and 50 question final is 40%

Great class. READ THE BOOK! Try to go to class, but don't worry about missing too much. The TA's sucked so discussion section isn't very important. Memomorize practice exams!

Easy AB, Hard class to get an A on. the curve for the final 96-100 A. That is only 2 wrong on a 50 question final. Hes a great teacher and is really good @ explaining things. Take econ 102 with him and not Drozd or anyone else.

Rick's a pretty good prof. He keeps the class interesting with lots of current events, which I enjoyed. Reading & understanding the textbook is absolutely essential. The curve is pretty hard so there's not much room for error or guessing on tests. Overall, was a very good class.

Interesting and engaging lecturer. Study old tests if you want to do well in the class. Homework is irrelevant and silly. Overall, I highly recommend this class and teacher IFF you are interested in the material.

Lectures are pretty interesting, especially if you're interested in Econ. He talks a lot about the current economy. However, lectures don't help a lot with the exams. It's all on the book, so you definitely need to read chapters, maybe more than once. Curve is pretty tough. You can only get a few off to get an A. Not a lot of work otherwise.

Very detailed exams

For econ, this class was actually bearable...lectures focus mainly on current events which keeps the class interesting. Textbook is only used for homework and exams. Final exam was tough and covered subjects that weren't taught in detail. Overall, a good professor!

Lectures focused on current economy, while exams focused on book/theory. Lectures not that helpful, but very interesting. Exams were hard, calculators prohibited. Curve was very challenging. Hard to get an A. Take advantage of Business Learning Center's free tutoring program in Grainger Hall

great teacher

Steve Rick is a great professor. Lectures on Money & Banking were extremely interesting. Exams were fair, but you need to study. Discussions can be helpful.

Rick is a very clear and concise lecturer although his lectures are not 100% relevant to the exams. Since the exams are 40 multiple choice you really need to go by the book in order to get an A.

Steve Rick is a great econ prof! His lectures are clear and engaging. Tests are multiple choice and pretty easy. Do the practice exams posted online because some of the questions are the same. Homework due weekly, but easy and you will get full credit just for doing it. Take this class, especially if you are an econ or business major!

Keep up with readings and lectures, otherwise drop.

Steve Rick is the man! His lectures are very clear and his exams are straight from the book. Also, he uses alot of questions from old exams just with different wording or numbers so don't be fooled by Rick's Tricks ;) I highly recommend this class, I got an A by going to lecture, reading the chapters and doing old exams.

Lecture is very optional since he simply relates text material to current events. For exams, study the textbook and past exams and you should be in good shape. Even though lectures aren't exactly useful for the exam, I found myself wanting to go because it's cool to learn real world stuff.

Steve is a great prof for those of us who are required to take econ but have no desire to. The lectures were easy to follow and the exams are multiple choice. Reviewing past exams helped in preparation for the midterms. There was also weekly online homework, but nothing too difficult.

Prof Rick is the best professor I've had at UW Madison! He makes economics interesting, and his lectures are engaging. I also had Kelly, and she was so boring I could not sit through the lectures. I highly recommend that anyone take Steve Rick's classes, because he is BY FAR the best there is!!

he loves economics. Sometimes he can be boring, but if you go to his lectures and then do the online homework, you will really understand the material. Except the math part, that you might have to get a tutor or ta for.

A business man before a professor. That being said, he knows the material well. Lecture feels like a presentation. Current events can be a little annoying, memorizing statistics for exams. Other than that, exams were manageable and I enjoyed this class.

Lectures focus on economic indicators, which just show a graph and that we are getting out of a recession.Tests detail oriented questions from these indicators, usually a number that he mentions once.Other professors should have an easier class than his, but Rick was at least easy to listen to.Wouldn't recommend him if you have the choice

Steve Rick is a boss. Lecture is relatively interesting, mainly focusing on the current economy. Exams are tough, but fair and very manageable. Discussion is pretty worthless, go to the BLC if anything. I would recommend Rick over other professors.

I dont know what the other kids were talking about, this class is NOT easy. I got an 85 on an exam and it was a BC! Steve is a cool enough guy, but the lectures are not helpful on the test and the curve makes it impossible to get a good grade.

I just wanna tell a truth: I used to hate econ. I took this class just because I had to. but Steve is so good that there were some moments I felt like I wanna major in econ.

His lectures about the current issues are interesting, and you may not want to miss them. If you want to just get a good grade, then don't go to the lecture and memorize all the past exams since 2008.

Very interesting, dynamic lecturer. Spends a lot of time on current economics, which is interesting, but tests focus more on theory, which is learned from the book and discussion. Makes economics interesting, but need to read textbook, attend section, and study practice exams for a good grade.

Steve Rick is a great guy; lectures are insightful, though not very useful for exams. Memorize past exams and you'll pretty much get at least a B. Great class overall!

Fairly good class. However, lecture is not what to expect for the tests. Go to discussion, that is where you will learn what you need for all exams. Book is super important to use also.

Very good professor, though lecture has nothing to do with exams, its interesting. For exams memorize the previous ones and you will be good.

I really enjoyed this class. If you aren't going to major in Economics and would sacrifice interest for easiness, take 102 with Kelly. If you are genuinely interested, though, I strongly recommend taking it with Ricks. He always starts out class explaining something happening in the economy today and his lectures are interesting. Tests are ok.

Very interesting class. Does a great job teaching you the material and how it relates to the real life economy and is very accommodating to questions or problems. Doesn't cover exam material very in depth in lecture but as long as you read the book and go to discussion exams are very simple

you dont have to go but he is one of the better econ professors at madison so you should just to listen. if you know anything you wont get less than a B and if you put in a couple extra hours of studying you will get an AB/A.

If you are a macroeconomics nerd you will like this class. That being said, attending lectures isn't necessary to succeed in this class, but reading the textbook and attending discussion sections are. His tests aren't easy and the curve isn't either, but as long as you study a good amount you can still do well.

The lectures dont have to do with tests too much. Good if you are really interested in current state of economy. Learned a lot and tests are fair. Final was probably the hardest out of all of them. Curve is not so generous either.

He is a really great guy and very knowledgable. Lectures are pretty pointless except for the issue of the day. He throws some curveballs on tests but overall he is pretty fair.

Steve does not uses book. lectures do not really reflect exam materials, which come from past exams that are uploaded. Even if you did went to lectures, you might get a lower grade than others who thoroughly studied past exams. Curve is questionable, does not respond to emails. The course itself is good, but instructor is not as much.

You'll mostly learn by reading the book and attending discussion. Rick is a good lecturer, but he mostly just repeats what was in the reading. Mostly, but not entirely - he'll still throw in a number of random "gotcha!" questions from lecture (and not in the book) that seemed unimportant at the time, making it difficult to get an A. Expect an AB.

Amazing professor. He posts material online, but doesn't just read off of his slides. He uses great analogies to explain difficult concepts. Exams are 50 MC questions and are very similar to past exams (which he provides a lot of). Study past exams and go to lecture and no reason you shouldn't get an A in this class

He is a decent professor. He really focuses the current events of the economy in his lectures, which are a small portion of the exam. Most of the book material is taught in discussion - a must go. He teaches the material clearly, but not all of it is relevant. Not a bad choice for 102, a fairly easy class.

Great class, Great Teacher. Very easy to understand in lecture. Keeps you up early in the morning. Study for midterms and final.

Great professor! Uses real life examples to illustrate his concepts. I wouldn't say this class was an easy A by any stretch, but if you ace the two midterms, you should be comfortable in the finals. That being said, you should still consult the textbook due to the brevity of his powerpoint slides. Good luck!

The discussion sections are a must but his lectures are actually very interesting and he is very passionate. Its a pretty easy class as long as you read the textbook and go to discussion.

He's really good about applying what we learn to what is happening the today's economy

Lectures were really interesting and applicable to current events. However, most of the exam material comes from the textbook which he only brushes over in lectures. Discussions were only useful to turn in homework. Great class overall though and I learned a lot.

I had Steven for Econ 102. He was very good at lecturing in "econ lingo" and then clarifying it in more conversational terms as well. He has an excellent pace of lecture and is a good speaker.

He's a good lecturer who really knows his stuff about econ but the lectures get long and boring. The class is just 3 exams and weekly homework. The exams get progressively harder but are graded on a curve, where less than 10% of people get an A. So you have to work for it but it was an interesting class.

RICK IS AWESOME! Pro tip for taking any of Rick's classes: he tests about 30% on lecture material and 70% on the textbook. He won't cover the textbook in lecture much at all. However, he gives out old exams before each midterm/final and that's SUPER helpful. Going to lecture is necessary because he usually asks a few q's about current events

Lecture was useless, except for the "blue box" info which you can easily get from someone in discussion. HW assignments are very useful for understanding the concepts, but account for very little of your grade. Read the text and, most importantly, go over his old exams. There were a ton of repeated questions I answered correctly simply from memory.

Lectures go by pretty fast, so if you don't attend them MAKE SURE you're keeping up with the book or else midterm studying can be pretty rough. Steve is a super respectable guy who knows what he's talking about, but he does have another job as an economist which seems to be his main priority. Tests are on the harder side but definitely fair.

Professor Rick most definitely knows what he is talking about, no question about that. That being said, the tests are extremely book based so you will need to read. They are not too difficult though. There will be a question here or there that came from the lecture but overall missing lecture is no big deal.

Loved him. Probably one of my favorite professors at UW. VERY interesting and smart man. Knows how to teach the material and his real life experience in the field really helps. Genuinely learnt a great deal and enjoyed going to lectures. Tests not hard at all if you actually study. Hope I can take another class with him.

Personally, I loved Steve. My friend and I would always crack up at his quirkiness, but aside from that he relied too much on the textbook to teach his class. Apart from his "blue box", not much else of his lectures matter for his test. Discussion sections and reading are key for mastering concepts.

I really enjoyed the class, it was pretty interesting and I learned a lot. You definitely don't have to go to all of the lectures, but he does include a few questions from it on every exam. I thought the lectures were pretty boring but made myself go. Study the practice tests he sends out, very similar to the actual exam/actually uses same question

Professor Rick was a good guy, lectures were interesting but most of the things he talked about did not appear on exams. Exams were significantly easier than Micro exams, 50 MTC questions that are pretty easy if you have a general understanding of the content.. Exams are worth 90% of the total grade. I really liked Steve and would take him again.

professor Rick is without a doubt an expert in his field, and his lectures mainly focus on explaining contemporary economic issues rather than concepts of Macroeconomy. I really like the way how he combines practical knowledge with dull concepts and his lectures are very vivid. Though 90% of the grade are exams, still he is a fantastic professor.

Steve can truly gives you many useful tools to apply in real time economy and he is such a cool guy! Go to his lectures and you won't regret it!

Rick was great, really knows his way around the banking system. His lectures were well done and abundant with examples. The tests are worth way too much of the grade however and curved so an average on them is a BC. Study previous year exams and be sure to read the book.

Steve Rick is the man, though his lectures are dull if you don't care about the subject matter. He cares a lot about what his students are able to take to the real world. Final was not cumulative but it is worth 40% of your grade

Steve Rick is the coolest dude at UW-Madison. He knows a LOT about economics and it shows. MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THE LECTURES! Although they are at 8am, you just gotta drink some coffee and somehow show up; it actually helps. Read the book, and use the practice exams on Cengage.

Steve knows a lot about econ. He is an excellent public speaker as well and lectures are interesting if you're awake early. His lectures merely graze the textbook content but are real world useful. Read the textbook and if you don't understand something, go to discussion. Tests are all textbook and super easy. Fair class, people complain too much

If you are interested in macroeconomics, the Fed, the 2009 crisis or the current COVID-19 crisis, or banking you will enjoy this class. He provides a lot of historical and current day backdrop, and it makes the complex banking system understandable. Go to lecture as he has an 'issue of the day' each class that will show up on the test. Very smart.

Steve is extremely knowledgeable with the banking system and economics in general. The course material is interesting. It can be tricky but the exams are surface level questions from the book. Exams r 80% from book and 20% lecture. I'd recommend going to lecture cuz he has a couple questions on tests that you will only know if you go. Great class

This class was suprisingly very enjoyable especially being online. The lectures were pre recorded and there was homework weekly and three exams all together. Overall this class is very doable and in my opinion much easier and more enjoyable than Econ 101! The professor made the lectures interesting and the test were fairly straight forward!

The class consists of four main grades: Homework (Worth 10%), Two midterms (Each worth 25%), and a Final (Worth 10%). What he talks about in the lectures does not relate to the book. The only thing from his lectures that show up on exams is his "Blue Boxes". The exams are straightforward, all multiple choice, no trick questions.

Professor Rick is passionate about teaching economics. My class was at 8am but he was always ready to teach. He's pretty good at explaining what he lectures and going into detail about data on graphs. There's the usual weekly homework but it's not too hard (you use cengage). Overall, Professor Rick is a great guy who seems like he loves his job.

You must go to his lectures otherwise you will miss key concepts. He is really passionate about economics which is seen in his lectures. The tests were all multiple choice scantron but other then that I have no complaints!

I think I went to maybe two lectures and got an AB. Once I realized his lectures were not beneficial, I was gone. Seriously just read the textbook, and you're good. For each exam, he pulls questions from the textbook test bank and pulls questions from the practice exam to put on the exams. Exams are 50 mp questions. Didn't go to a discussion once.

Fantastic lecturer. Steven Rick has the rare quality of being both a teacher and a full-time professional Economist which makes him a fountain of knowledge. You can learn as much or as little from him as you want. Real lovers of economics will flurish and those looking for an easy credit will learn nothing. As is the rest of life, its on you.

I am extremely confident that the students leaving him a bad review simply don't care enough about economics to try to understand it. Steve teaches some pretty basic level classes so they are full of people taking the class because they have to with no desire to learn about it. If you expect to learn everything without effort, econ is not for you.

Professor Rick is a very cool guy, and you can tell he knows Econ well. Overall this class is not hard at all. The exams only consist of surface-level multiple choice questions. You do need to BOTH read the book and go to lecture, as some of the material from lecture isn't covered in the book and vice versa. Prof doesn't respond to email.

Class is curved and mainly graded on the exams but they are not cumulative exams.

I took econ 330 during covid. I heard his class is hard now. But he is smart and great professor

March 18, 2025. Steven Rick sets a personal record of saying the word massive 10 times in his 8am Econ 102 lecture. An absolute gamechanger. A masterclass performance. Not only this, but he says the word boom 4 times. This will be remembered for years to come. His buddy the crane guy would be so proud.

Ask him real world questions he is happy to give his thoughts. Very nice guy!

Steve Rick will not be available before or after lecture. You probably can't reach him on email. The one thing he does is lecture very well. Exams are incredibly fair, and are on topic. But if you're used to high school teachers guiding you through class, buckle up. Make sure to do the practice exams he gives out, lots of repeated questions.

Rick made Econ 102 lectures really interesting and taught it using real-world economic news. Lectures weren't graded for attendance, but he had a few questions on each exam that were specifically answered on "blue box" slides during lecture (you'd know when these came up). He posts lecture slides and explains class material very well.