Kind and caring professor. Encourages coming to office hours. Not too difficult if you don't fall behind.

Zara is my fav econ prof at Vandy. Unlike others, she's friendly, open, funny, and very considerate. she keeps lectures lively and fun with her corny but endearing humor. she's very available to talk and cares about her students' learning. she also has a very generous grading policy if you show improvement over the semester. great econ jokes too.

I honestly don't understand the bad reviews for this professor. She is one of the kindest I've had in my four years at Vanderbilt. She was always willing to push back due dates and exam dates upon student requests. She was a good instructor and made the difficult content much easier to digest. She gives you everything you need to succeed and more.

Econometrics is a difficult course. Zara understood the material and met outside of class time whenever I needed clarification on the course materials. Future students should understand that most of the class did not attend lectures. The people I know who went to class agree that she is a good professor (I doubt that they would give her below a 3).

Sarah is good for students who learn. Trust me, most of us taking her class loved her. Sure she has some problems sometimes but it is common for other professors too I've taken at Vandy. Her homework are useful and she gave good feedback. she is very enthusiastic too and she cares about her students. She is much better than a 2.

Amazing professor that really cares about each one of her students. However, if you do not put in the effort to do well don't expect to be given an A at the end of the semester. The class itself is very difficult with lots of material covered, and studying outside of class is a must, but Zara and the TA's are super helpful if you ask.

Zara is so nice, and you can tell feedback has been acted upon. HW graded easy, tests are weighted heavily but are also not graded super hard. Seems like the TAs grade a lot and they're fair. Lectures are hard to follow, but slides and textbook are great (most test Qs very similar to HW or book). Gets a undeserved bad rap.

Sahakyan is a very kind lady with a good sense of humor. The lectures aren't the best, but everything graded in the class is very fair and not unreasonably difficult. The content itself isn't super easy, but with a reasonable amount of time put in it's not bad. Attendance isn't mandatory and she also records lectures which is really nice.

She is a way better professor than these reviews make it seem. Honestly, she is a good professor. The material is just hard. Lectures are okay, but, if you attend and REALLY pay attention, they are not bad and she gives you hints on what will be on the test. She is very understanding, respectful, and knowledgeable. 100% would take again.

Sahakyan is underrated. Attend lectures and you will do more than fine in the class! She tells you what is on the exam as she goes through lecture. The exams are very similar to the homework, and often have a lot of theoretical and short answer questions with a mix of math, but she gives you necessary equations. Go to class and I get the textbook!

Professor Sahakyan is a very caring professor who genuinely wants her students to succeed. Her lectures are fun and engaging, and her office hours are very helpful. If you are willing to put in the work necessary to learn the material, this class is rewarding and quite fascinating.

Sahakyan is much better than these reviews make her seem. She is funny, and you can tell she cares about her students. The course is tough, and her lectures can be confusing at times, but if you go back and review the slides and read the textbook to clarify, you'll be fine. Make sure to study for tests, they can be tricky if you don't devote time.

it is a hard class and she knows that - so she tries to make it manageable and understandable. she knows people are afraid so she has the TA's grade in favor of the students. easy A on the homeworks and the exams are usually a B average. i had no clue how to use python before the class and im fine now. i would take it with her again

Professor Sahakyan is the most accommodating professor I've had at Vanderbilt. She is always willing to extend due dates, records lectures for later viewing, and provides study guides for exams. The lectures are not incredibly engaging, but she tries her best and genuinely attempts to give every student the best chance to succeed.

Professor Sahakyan takes material that is relatively dry - risk, and economic decisions under risk - and makes it interesting and understandable through clear lectures, practice problems, and ample support outside of class. Explanations of concepts are clear, lectures are engaging, and she teaches with a good sense of humor and positive attitude!

Lectures/slides, practice q's, and hw answers are posted on bspace, and tests are very similar to the hw. Class is curved. If you spend more than 5-10 mins a week reviewing material and figure out the hw instead of getting answers from somewhere else, getting a good grade is not hard. I didn't get a good grade, but I also didn't go to class.

Econometrics is tough, but Sahakyan is an incredibly competent professor. The class has structure. You are tested on what you are taught (which can be a lot a times, but is fair). I feel like I've learned, retained, and will retain so much more of the content than I did in intermediate micro or macro. People hate on her because they are lazy

Other reviews are honestly out of pocket and make me question my fellow students' intelligence. The class was manageable, and Zara was super accommodating. If you try on the homework you will know what's on exams. She mentioned caring about RMP, so I think some students have decided to be bullies. In reality, this was pretty laid back.

I do not know why there are so many negative reviews. Yes, the material is difficult but that is not her fault. The majority of kids do not even show up to class and then do terrible on the tests. Her tests are similar to the HW and overall I think she did a good job teaching the course.

Econometrics is definitely difficult, but if you actually review the slides and turn in all the homeworks, then the class is doable. Zaruhi also cares about her students and curves.

Zara is caring and teaches classes with humor. Idk why comments are saying she's awful - exams are similar to hw q but most of students did not go to her class this semester. Someone got a low score in 2nd exam is because they just pasted hw solutions and did not actually solve the problem themselves, and she DID GIVE CURVE on final overall grade.

If you come to class, she will give you extra credits and will go through what she taught previously. The exam contents should be fairly straightforward after completing all assignments and going through her slides. Good course and nice professor overall.

Yeah the class is brutal but everything you need is on her slides. People decided class was not worth it and paid the price... hard to feel sorry for them. Tests are difficult but nothing impossible, contrary to popular belief. She is a super kind and caring teacher. You have to adapt to her teaching style. Ppl need to stop with their entitlement.

I think it's overall a difficult class but the materials are super interesting and you can really learn a lot from this class - about how the insurance works and how to calculate the risk aversion. Professor Zaruhi is really chill and nice and is willing to move the exam dates and give extra credits.

Great class in general and it wasn't hard to get a good grade if you go to classes.

Nothing on the tests was beyond what she taught. Maybe I got lucky but she did curve grades at the end and mine was boosted up a whole letter grade

Solid class. The material was hard but her lectures made it possible.

I just don't get all the negative comments here. Zara is one of the best you can get for Econometrics at Vanderbilt

Manageable workload. Not an easy A but totally possible with the curves

She was very flexible with HW deadlines and the tests were very much like the homework questions

Avoid if you can't do high school math

Easy A

I just loved this class

Note: 90% of the 1-star reviews you see on her profile are probably from entitled students who do not come to class and have made very little effort. Dr. Sahakyan already warned at the very beginning of the semester that attending class can be the difference between making or breaking this class.

Hard stuff but overall way better than 2350. Very helpful PowerPoint. Exam questions are the same as HW. Just don't take 2350, take this.

Attendance mandatory, she lets you out late frequently. Really not that hard if you pay attention in class, but she talks fast so it can be hard to stay on top of it. Definitely takes some studying but the material itself is fairly straightforward.

Taking notes in class is not helpful but her powerpoint slides are extremely helpful. Know them backwards and forwards if you expect to do well on tests. Don't expect to do well if you didn't prepare for the entire weekend leading into the exam. Do your homework in latex...she gives you a free 2 points on your final grade and it's pretty easy.

I think she get's a little misunderstood in these reviews. The content is difficult and she is a little scatter-brained but if you try to understand and do the problem sets, an A is easily attainable (especially because she tells you exactly what is going to be on it before hand). Basic calc skills needed. She's super helpful during office hours.

Strong professor. Insurance economics not everyone's cup of tea but Dr. Sahakyan is an expert in the field and wants students to succeed. Exams difficult but if you go to class you know what to expect, which is more than can be said of other econ electives here

Idk what the hate is all about. She is a quirky chiller. Favourite econ prof by far. Walk into class, she has music playing. If you dont wanna go to class, just tell her beforehand and she will give a full participation grade. Mid to Easy exams. Easy hws, some of which are AI based. Might be dismissive sometimes but she really does care.

Lecture style is tough to adjust to since she jumps around (spend extra time reviewing PPTs), but she highlights what is important. Homework assignments are VERY useful for practicing programming. Exams, while time consuming, fairly assess the material and aren't arbitrary. She quite fairly calls out students for talking amongst themselves.

I think Prof. Sahakyan gets a bad rep because she teaches a generally pretty hard class. But she's a good professor! Her lectures are helpful, and honestly, if you go through the slides thoroughly, you should be OK for exams. TAs are helpful for homework, and they're graded very leniently, anyway. Didn't really read the textbook and was fine.

I honestly don't know why prof Sahakyan is rated so low. Her explanations of the concepts are very intuitive and her slides are super helpful. I didn't really study that much for this class or read the textbook and did well. Most people don't pay attention in class so maybe that's why they struggled.

Zara is a very sweet professor. Lectures are not organized, but the material is all there. HWs are tricky with python but you get over the learning curve, they get much easier. Tests were not that tricky, just read through the slides well with a study partner. Lots of extra credit which makes buffer for A. Zara is still probably best metrics prof.

Zaruhi might be one of the most charismatic and caring professors I have ever taken, and she gives you clear guidance on how to do well in her class. With manageable homeworks, plenty of study material, and super accessible for office hours, she gives you all the tools to do well in her class. By far the best professor for Econometrics.

low ratings for Prof Sahakyan's econometrics are so sensationalized. harder than other econ classes, but still straightforward. She's very personable and wants students to succeed, and she is very clear in lectures about what concepts will be on exams (like literally the exact proof). Pay attention, go to office hours if needed, you'll do great

She is clear and organized. Although I was struggling with the HW, getting a good grade was not hard. I felt that I learned a lot.

Prof Sahakyan is fashionable and sweet and likes to bake sourdough bread. The first day of class was a bit scary when she warned that you needed to have gotten A's in the prerequisite classes and be very good at calculus, but really all that insurance economics boiled down to was optimization. Tests followed homework closely and didn't need prep.

Tests are quite easy and honestly overprepared for them. I believe that this class is honestly more straightforward than people make it out to be, but lectures are definitely something.