Professor
Simon Board
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Most Helpful Review
Put it this way: I'm taking Econ 11 again with Michael Sproul and everything Sproul's teaching us in that class was virtually different than everything Board "taught" us. Board's a nice, funny guy and his accent will probably keep you glued to his lectures but I really couldn't understand anything in that class.
Put it this way: I'm taking Econ 11 again with Michael Sproul and everything Sproul's teaching us in that class was virtually different than everything Board "taught" us. Board's a nice, funny guy and his accent will probably keep you glued to his lectures but I really couldn't understand anything in that class.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2022 - Okay: this was the first quarter of this class, so I came in having no idea what to expect, but this has by far been my favorite class in the Econ department. Professor Board's lectures are interesting, informative, and funny, and the weekly lab lecture is always a guest speaker. The grading breakdown is 30% case study write-ups, 30% final paper, 30% final and 10% final presentation. The one-unit lab is separately graded, 50% attendance and 50% participation. Though this class was really informative and enjoyable, it's not a light load; 70% of the class is done in a group of 3 people completing weekly 3-page write-ups on HBS cases and one 6-page final project with a presentation to UCLA alumni (so pick your group wisely). However, the cases are really interesting to read and super manageable, and I feel like I learned actually useful info (plus it's nice that there's no midterm). Take this class.
Spring 2022 - Okay: this was the first quarter of this class, so I came in having no idea what to expect, but this has by far been my favorite class in the Econ department. Professor Board's lectures are interesting, informative, and funny, and the weekly lab lecture is always a guest speaker. The grading breakdown is 30% case study write-ups, 30% final paper, 30% final and 10% final presentation. The one-unit lab is separately graded, 50% attendance and 50% participation. Though this class was really informative and enjoyable, it's not a light load; 70% of the class is done in a group of 3 people completing weekly 3-page write-ups on HBS cases and one 6-page final project with a presentation to UCLA alumni (so pick your group wisely). However, the cases are really interesting to read and super manageable, and I feel like I learned actually useful info (plus it's nice that there's no midterm). Take this class.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2020 - This was hands-down the best Econ class I've ever taken at UCLA. The topics were interesting and actually related to the real world. There's some mathy stuff, but you don't have to do any real math, just understand the concepts. Professor Board and my TA (Jingyi Huang) were very good instructors as well. This is not an easy class, however. The workload was pretty substantial, as we had a Harvard Business School case to read and answer questions on every week (30% of your grade). There's also a written report (30%) you do on a tech company of your choosing, and a presentation (10%) to consultants due week 10. All of the above is done in a group, so make sure you pick a good one. The remaining 30% of your grade is the final exam, which is pretty similar to the weekly case write-ups. Definitely take this class if you're interested in technology, strategy, pursuing management consulting, or just like Econ professors with cool British accents.
Spring 2020 - This was hands-down the best Econ class I've ever taken at UCLA. The topics were interesting and actually related to the real world. There's some mathy stuff, but you don't have to do any real math, just understand the concepts. Professor Board and my TA (Jingyi Huang) were very good instructors as well. This is not an easy class, however. The workload was pretty substantial, as we had a Harvard Business School case to read and answer questions on every week (30% of your grade). There's also a written report (30%) you do on a tech company of your choosing, and a presentation (10%) to consultants due week 10. All of the above is done in a group, so make sure you pick a good one. The remaining 30% of your grade is the final exam, which is pretty similar to the weekly case write-ups. Definitely take this class if you're interested in technology, strategy, pursuing management consulting, or just like Econ professors with cool British accents.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2021 - Professor Board is one of, if not the best teachers I have had as an economics student. Not only is the class material extremely engaging, but he is willing to explore interesting topics in detail. He is approachable and often quite funny. I find that his class structure is very conducive to TRUE learning of the concepts, and also leaves you thinking about them well after class has ended. You will have to put some time in to understand some of the mathematical concepts, but it is well worth it given the applicability of the material to the real world. Overall, he is just a genuinely cool teacher and I would definitely recommend taking him if at all possible.
Winter 2021 - Professor Board is one of, if not the best teachers I have had as an economics student. Not only is the class material extremely engaging, but he is willing to explore interesting topics in detail. He is approachable and often quite funny. I find that his class structure is very conducive to TRUE learning of the concepts, and also leaves you thinking about them well after class has ended. You will have to put some time in to understand some of the mathematical concepts, but it is well worth it given the applicability of the material to the real world. Overall, he is just a genuinely cool teacher and I would definitely recommend taking him if at all possible.
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