her accent is hard to understand sometimes and class is seriously SO BORING. unless you like drawing tons of supply & demand curves, dont waste your time coming to class. you'll probably be fine going to recitation only and reading the book a little bit. tests are really easy. homework is graded on correctness but you can work in groups.

Very nice teacher, extremely helpful, and willing to meet with you even when it isn't her office hours. The class wasn't terribly interesting but that isn't her fault, it was the subject matter and the text. The text, "Essential Foundations of Economics 3rd ed" by Bade and Parkin is absolutely the worst textbook I have ever had (full of errors).

Very sweet and calm lady. Her lectures a summary of the chapter readings but in order to do well on the exams, read the chapters and UNDERSTAND the homework problems because theyre just like the open-ended sections. the study guide also really helped b/c of the practice quizzes for each chapater. TA sandra is really helpful too.

i took intro to econ with her such an amazing professor uses the chalk board provides complete outline on courseweb and her assignments are straight forward, i took intro to micro because she was teaching, has russain accent ...from ukraine... but its managable

Good teacher and this class is incredibly easy. And shes really hot.

Had Maks for microecon--only attended class a couple times. Just read the couple chapters the day before the test and you're guaranteed a B. Pretty easy and not-involved class.

Was a little hard to understand, but overall a good teacher. Even though it was a huge class, she asked questions and tried to relate problems to the entire class. Homework was all online and you could do it up to three times.

Professor Maksymenko is great! She is so good and she only started teaching! I would imagine how great her classes will be in a few years! The class is huge, that's why it's hard for her to make everything perfect all the time... But she is making her best! Take her class. Please, do not graduate until you took her class please....

She's not a bad teacher but she talks extremely slowly and has a heavy accent. On the bright side, she is pretty hot. The class is easy, don't bother going to recitation or buying the book.

She was a fabulous teacher with good clear lectures. She's tries to make dry material interesting, and gives clear prep for the test.

I found the class very straight-forward, The teacher presents a clear lecture and focuses on test material. The teacher preps you well for the test.

Although I thought econ was dry, this course totally turned me on to the subject. The lecture and tests were clear, the prof provides a comlete reviews for the tests.

The prof is extremely pleasant. The test was straight out of the lecture + text. She has a good sense of humor for such a boring subject.

She presents the basic material very well with good examples. TAs and prof help a lot w/prepping for the test. All test material is straight out of the book.

I enjoyed the class / tests easy but you have to study

The class confirms that Economics is one great big Bore Fest, I thought my brain would explode from boredom. However the material is tolerable if you pay close attention to the lectures.

I found Intro to Econ very refreshing. The teacher gives a solid, interesting lecture that makes you think. Because of this class I am considering majoring in Econ.

very interesting subject by a good teacher

She is hot but not as much as some people say. Sometimes hard to understand but for the most part I can understand her. HW is an automatic 100 percent and the tests are pretty easy.

Svitlana is a very good prof who knows her stuff. Her accent makes it sometimes hard to understand her so sit toward the front if you're having difficulty. The book is only really needed for some homework assignments. Attend her lectures and take good notes. She does a good job of giving you a list of test topics before each exam.

The course was very straightforward with everything coming straight out of the textbook. Attending lecture is important because similar calculations/graphing will show up on the test. Homework problems and extra problems online prepare you very well for the tests. Do not bomb any of the tests because the three tests make up most of your grade.

Do the homework and focus on the review for the tests.

The class is pretty interesting and the tests were resonable

If you follow the book and lecture closely + do the homework it's an easy course. If you fall behind it gets tricky.

Make sure you keep up this the material for each test with homework/lecture and do lots of problems/graphs. She gives a good review for each test.

You need to know graph and math and focus on the homework. I reviewed all the material and graphs before class. Do the homework in group to save time.

International Econ was quite good, it brought together a lot of important concepts. The Prof is well-organized

Pretty easy class if you keep up with the work. Tests are quite fair as well.

if you read the book this class with her should be easy. she puts notes online. electronic chapter hws that we got 3 tries on each. so u could repeat them to get a better grade. tests were open notes online. i believe the online part was a coincidence of her having to travel. so dont count on that but everything was multiple choice.

She is very educated about what she teaches. However, her accent make be tricky sometimes. She is the easiest of the other intro to econ profs. Highly recommend her.

The class is easy. I went to the lectures, read the book, and did the homework and the class was a breeze. Pretty easy A.

Overall an interesting professor and a fairly easy class. Her exams are all multiple choice, a lot of which are straight from the homework. Read the chapters and skim over the notes and you'll do well

She is a tough grader. She teaches a lot at one time. The material is hard but if you go to every class, you'l understand what the material is about. highly suggest keeping up with the readings BEFORE that class period.

If you're interested in econ as a major this is a good class to take. It has good clarity, just read the notes and go to class, and you will do well.

It's an easy class, the multiple choice tests are straight out of the book + review lectures. It gives a good foundation for perspective econ/business majors

Very organized prof with good sense of humor, tests are easy but make sure you understand the homework and attend the review

Let me be honest, I'm in love with her, as a prof. of course. She is friendly, knowledgeable and available. She does have an accent but is easy to understand, just sit in the front. She does a great job of teaching basic material w/o being overly difficult.I also take her for international econ and she does well there also. I highly rec. her.

I love her. Even if you don't do well, you can't hate her. She curves the tests (at least for my class) and she's extremely nice. I'd take the class again if I could.

Very nice professor. Straight forward with topics. grading is 25% HW, 25% per test 1&2, and 25% final which is NOT comprehensive. Lecture is worth going to, but not required. Gives optional prac test before each test which mimics exact problems. HW is online and 100% guaranteed if you do it. Grading scale for class is awesome too, 75-87=B i think..

Class is easy in terms of subject matter. Professor has understandable but unignorable accent; other than that explains the concepts well and is good with noting what will be on the tests. Recommended.

Took her for my graduate level class in economics for public affairs. Exams were mostly straight forward and the HW was easy. You should do fine if you read the textbook and attend the lecture.

Easy class that gets the concepts across; lessons are to the point. No complaints.

Very solid professor who made economics interesting. I loved her puzzles and enjoyed all her classes. She is clear what to expect on a test. Grades fair. Class required a reasonable amount of work, but all homework assignments are easy A (on-line with multiple attempts). Highly recommend!

i love her!! Think she is the best microecon teacher from what I hear from other students with different teachers. Tests were easy, she was extremely nice during office hours. Always responds quickly to emails, which is a plus. Funny and cute. :)

She's really nice and easy on the eyes. Very clear about what she expects on the exams and homework assignments are pretty easy. Definitely a great prof. The only down side is the lectures could get really boring. Within five minutes I'd be drifting off. But you prob could get away with just skipping lectures altogether

Very good teacher, lectures are very helpful to go to. Take her for microecon

Once you get used to the language, everything is very clear and she will answer any questions. Tests are extremely easy.

Take her if you want an easy A. There are some EXACT repeat questions on her real exams from her practice exams. Plus homework is equivalent of one exam and you can do it over and over again online. You won't learn much about microecon, and recitation is completely stupid, but if you need a GPA booster this is for you.

I enjoyed Dr Maks class.She is a great professor and explains material well. Offers detailed reviews of exams. 2nd exam was hard but Myeconlab homeworks are easy 100%. Learned a lot more in her class than in all my high school Econ classes. Will definitely recommend her.

Svitlana is nice and explains concepts pretty well. Micro, however, was a joke. I went to class max 10 times the whole semester, never bought the text book, studied for a few hours before each test and got an A. If you are decently smart, this class is a very easy A.

Svitlana is a very nice person. She gives a great exam preps review and is always willing to help better understand material during her office hours. Homeworks are on-line and are pretty useful, too. 2/3 of a course is on trade, 1/3 is on finance. I learned a lot in her class, and it was no stress. Recommend her as a professor, and her courses.

Take this class if you want an easy A. Dr. Maks explains concepts well, and gives reviews prior to exams.Homework assignments (all MCQs) and study guide were helpful.

Very good class. I had Econ in high school, but finally understood it with Dr.Maks. She explains well and is helpful during her office hours. Three tests, the 2nd was the hardest. Online homework assignments were easy 100%. TAKE IT!

She is a nice woman. Her tests are alright and I mostly studied the night before. I went to all of the lectures, but had a rough time paying attention because they were boring. Anyway I ended up with a B, got 100 on the HW and an 86, 77. and 78 on the exams. She is not as easy as people say.

Tests were very easy. Just do the online study plan and you'll be golden. Lecture really wasn't helpful if you did the online study plan, but it doesn't hurt to go obviously. Easy 25% of class just doing the homework assignments. Take her if you want to do well in intro to micro!

Nice lady, but has an accent, though I could understand her just fine. Replied to emails promptly, clarified subjects taught in class and did examples, homework is online and super easy (will boost your grade) tests are fair. Recommended professor

Only half way through the semester and I had to write a review. She's the best hands down. She's clear, telling you what to expect on the exam and if you do the homework you will have no issues. One of the nicest, most genuine professors that I've met at Pitt so far. If you're taking Micro, Maksymenko is a must

Recommend her as a Micro professor: she is clear what to expect and what is important in the course. The course was well-organized and she did good job presenting material (BTW, I went to similar lecture by another professor with a friend- Dr Maks was much better) Homework assignments were easy A's, midterms were OK. Attend recitations !

Students taking her Micro econ are grading here a little bit harshly, Micro Econ is almost the same with any professor and it's not quite fair to grade her on that (due to the department wide requirements). In Econ500 however, she is great! She is very very nice, tests are straightforward, and is more than willing to help whenever possible

Sweet lady.I learned a lot in her Corp Finance class- financial ratios, valuation,stocks,bonds and other useful stuff. She followed syllabus, and was clear about the material on tests. Gave easy extra credit if you attend her evening class, but many skipped. Get ready to read the text -her lectures were not enough to do online assignments.

Svitlana is an adorable and sweet professor. For each test she literally tells you the exact concepts of each question on the test. The powerpoints are pretty boring and I fell asleep a couple times (mostly because it was in Bellefield) but I think she explains things very clearly and if you do the homework and try to understand you'll be fine

Nice lady & wants you to do well. Rigor is more than fair - most people find this class to be an easy A. Quick turn around time on gradesemails, and always willing to help. Attendance isn't mandatory, but it helps & sometime she gives extra credit problems during lecture. Course is more micro-intensive. Final grade 25% online HW, 75% 3 exams

Svitlana is such a sweetheart and really tries to make things as clear as possible for her students. I didn't find it necessary to attend office hours, but based on her demeanor in class I would assume that she would be very helpful and kind. The homework is a huge grade booster, as you get unlimited attempts, and the final isn't cumulative.

One of the easiest classes I've taken at Pitt. Lecture attendance is unnecessary, her Powerpoint's are straight out of the book. Though she does give extra credit in class. Read the book, do the H/W, show up for midterms. As long as you understand anything about Econ, this is an easy A.

Her lectures are very clear, and the homework is an easy 100%. You need to study hard for the tests, as they are very few questions so getting one wrong affects your grade a lot. But, an A is definitely attainable.

Nice woman who seems genuinely concerned about her teaching, but her exams can be difficult. Her exams are "curved" but doesn't change your score significantly. Final isn't cumulative. Her lectures can be long as she rambles a lot. The homework is an easy A as well as recitation. You have to work for your grade. It's not an easy A class.

Learned a lot of useful stuff in this class. Homework assignments were online, easy A, and accounted for 25% of course grade. Dr Maks was clear about what to expect on exams but 2nd test was hard. Extra credit which I earned by attending the class saved me. Would recommend if you plan a business career.

Good class. Useful material. Grading: 3 exams and monthly on-line assignments. Svitlana explained the hardest concepts in class well. Her practice problems helped me to understand material better and to earn extra points. Do not skip if you want an A.

Great professor. Clear and well-organized. She definitely cares about the students. Easy assignments and exams. Recommend.

Nice woman. Genuinely cares about the students. Prepared the class well for exams by offering an overview and practice tests prior to each exam. Her assignments were pretty easy as well, online with 3 attempts. Attending lectures helped me with extra credit. Recommend her for an easy Econ elective.

She is an awesome professor because you'll learn a lot from her. She won't tell you the answer during in-class quizzes but will encourage you to find it out yourself. She just wants to make sure that you learn. She's also very nice in providing reviews prior to exams. Enthusiastic about her job and caring about the students. Recommend 100%.

Easy tests come straight out of the practice tests and lecture slides. Sometimes blind sides you with one or two questions that weren't covered in class. 3 easy online assignments are the only homework outside of studying & you get 3 attempts to complete. No textbook needed. If looking for easy econ &/or gen ed class, this is perfect for you.

If you take a question from the hw & type it in google with "jufiles" next to it, you will find study guides for each chapter. Most homework and exam questions come from here. Pay attention in class, study the study guides, guaranteed A.

Awesome professor! Very professional yet friendly and caring. Clear grading rules. Enjoyed her class in the summer. Easy A.

Super sweet, intelligent lady but just lectures the entire class. Rarely gives examples but will then gives pop quizzes that are only like 8 minutes long and expect us to know how to do everything. Five 20 problem homework sets for each of the 3 units, so don't wait until the last minute to complete them because they take forever.

This class is not challenging at all. Grade consists of tests, homework, and 5% for pop-quizzes. Tests are multiple-choice and questions come from the homework and practice-test book. Homework is easy and you can easily find the answers online, so it doesn't take too long. Pop-quizzes are usually rough but only a small part of your grade overall.

Easy and interesting class. Three tests, three blocks of assignments and pop quizzes. I learned a lot in this class. Would recommend Dr Maks as a professor.

I am a fan of Dr. Maks. I failed the 1st test -completely my fault. She worked with me during the semester and helped get B+ on the 2nd test, and A- on the final! She kept me interested in the material and challenged. Her lectures were well-organized. Pop-quizzes were tough but worth the challenge. Would take again

This course isn't too challenging if you read the book and pay a little bit of attention during class. Svitlana isn't the most interesting lecturer but she is a really nice person and a fair-minded grader. The class consists of three exams, chapter homework assignments, and pop-quizzes which account for 5% of your grade. Would definitely recommend!

Very nice, and the class is easy. She doesn't give too much homework. There are quizzes at the end of each class, but they aren't very difficult and you're allowed to work on them with other students.

Svitlana genuinely wants her students to succeed. She does daily pop quizzes at the end of class that you can use notes on, and thats how she takes attendance. Online homeworks with 3 tries each, three exams. As long as you utilize the PowerPoints youll be fine!

Dr. Maksymenko is an extremely caring professor. She clearly defines what is expected of you in class. Her tests aren't that difficult if you use the PowerPoints posted online. Be wary of the quizzes in the middle or end of each class period as the 5% can easily make (or break) your final grade.

Such a genuinely kind and positive person she's so sweet. Exams and homework aren't too bad if you take good notes, they're just super boring. Lectures can be slow, but that's because finance is not interesting, not due to her teaching. I certainly wouldn't call it an easy A but with a little bit of effort it's certainly a manageable A.

Svitlana is a great person and a professor. You can feel that she cares about your success in class. Clear lectures, with PowerPoints. Online homeworks with 3 attempts each, three exams, and low-stake pop quizzes. As long as you study the PowerPoints and complete weekly assignments, you will be fine! Highly recommend her class.

My fav class this semester. Even though the class is huge, Dr Maks does excellent job explaining econ concepts. 3 non-cumulative exams, and on-line homework assignments constitute the course grade. Highly recommend! Far beyond my nightmare in chemistry.

For an upper level, the material of this course isn't too challenging, but I recommend reading the lengthy textbook chapters to get an A since her MC exams ask some specific questions. Her lectures consist of organized slides with helpful examples, and most of the test questions are pretty straightforward as compared to HW. Overall a solid choice

Dr. Maks is a super nice professor who clearly has a passion for what she teaches. Even through a pandemic her lectures were still engaging and interesting. I loved the country group project and learned a lot about international issues! 3 tests reflected my expectations. Highly recommend!

In-class graded questions every lecture and 3 group projects. Overall she is a good lecturer, answers emails fast, and the material is very useful. Great class!

Superb, well-organized teacher. She gives very clear lectures and her exams are very fair.

Great professor for International Econ. Her lectures are well organized. power point slides make it easy to complete weekly homework. Homework is not too bad, with 3 attempts. Tests are doable. Attendance is mandatory because she grades the short quizzes that follow her lecture. Enjoyed the country group project. My country team was great!

Prof Make is very nice, knowledgeable, and understanding. She is very approachable during her office hours. Lectures are important not to miss, as she offers short low stake quizzes. Heavy on homework, however it is not too difficult. Tests are doable if you study. She knows international finance and trade well, and I truly enjoyed her class.

Dr. Maksymenko is very knowledgeable in the subject and is always kind if you ever reach out for help. Group activities/quizzes through Canvas (usually 1-2 per lecture, timed, only ~5% of grade) are embedded into the lesson, so you must pay attention. Studying was a bit difficult without a study guide, but overall, the exams weren't terrible!

Great professor. Explains well. I learned a lot in this course. Grade is made up of lecture activities, canvas homework, group projects and exams. Exams are HARD but TA holds study sessions. Lots of helpful info on the slides and in-class activities. one of the most useful courses I took at Pitt. Would recommend to everyone interested in finance.

Adequate introduction to the topic. I recommend taking intro econ courses beforehand since it builds on those fundamental concepts. Class materials and homeworks seem to be derived almost entirely from other sources, and answers are widely available online. Exams can be surprisingly difficult. Group projects are no big deal.

I like Dr. Maks' teaching style a lot. It is the second class I am taking with her. She is knowledgable and delivers the material well. Cares about the students and provides a lot of resources to succeed. The workload includes 12 homework assignments, 3 country group projects and 3 exams. Overall, she is very fair with grades. Would take again.

I liked Dr Maks class a lot. She is very knowledgeable on the subject. It was the first class that made me think beyond the box about foreign exchange, tariffs and other trade issues. You need a good grasp of micro in order to do well. Be ready to do weekly homeworks and group projects. Would definitely recommend this class if you want Econ.

I enjoyed Dr. Maks and her International Econ class. The course covered finance/exchange rates and trade topics. I studied from her slides. We were graded on 12 weekly HW assignments and 3 country group projects, completed in a team. 3 exams were doable +curved. Overall, easy B+.

i really enjoyed her class and i though she was a very fair professor