Chris Surro
Department of Economics
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3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 67 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.2 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.6 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
17.0%
14.2%
11.4%
8.5%
5.7%
2.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

15.4%
12.8%
10.3%
7.7%
5.1%
2.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (59)

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Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: N/A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 14, 2022

:( this class makes me sad :(

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B-
July 13, 2020

the exams were so much more difficult in comparison to the problem sets. he speaks clearly, but his actual teaching can differ in quality. i think it mainly depends on preparedness. this class was super stressful because the exams were unpredictable, and there wasn't a straightforward connection to the problems done in lecture/homework. he is nice and genuinely tries to help students, but this class was just so frustrating.

Helpful?

3 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: B+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 10, 2022

I realized after this class what an amazing professor Surro truly was. His exams were difficult, especially the midterm, but that is what is expected of Econ 11. I studied a lot for this class but was only able to get a B+. His final seemed much easier than the midterm and the average was slightly higher. Definitely take him. He teaches a neat and helpful manner.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: B+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 25, 2020

prof clearly cares a lot about the wellbeing and understanding of students, i think the use of campuswire in particular was an excellent tool for engagement. couldn't attend TA sessions because of time differences so i have no idea how helpful they are. i will say that it is so unfortunate that the exams, while open notes, are much harder than the problem set questions that were assigned. that made exams unpredictable and confusing for me and others!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: C+
Dec. 13, 2022

Both this class and Surro are extremely mathy. This class is a struggle for English types of people. Furthermore, this class IS NOT for people who like to play catch up -- DO NOT fall behind in this class, you will be seriously pay the price. Trust me, I tried (really fucking hard too) and my grade reflects how it panned out. I just want to elaborate on this a bit so people planning on taking this class don't follow my same mistake -->
I never understood the homeworks because I was always a little bit behind in the content, and that lead to a recurring issue. As I was trying to understand the last week's material, the homework for the current week would be due, and I would have to ask a friend for the answers. It absolutely sucked, and I really wish I wouldn't have, but because everything was so mathy with little written explanation, rewatching the lectures was entirely unhelpful to me. Surro is not at fault for this vicious cycle, though. I just r e a l l y wish it wasn't all math with little conceptual explanation.
I do believe he is a great professor FOR MATH ORIENTED PEOPLE (I can't stress this enough). If you aren't the slickest with math, and prefer to play catch up, just be wary this won't work for you here and you might struggle.
However, I did do wayyyy better in ECON101!! So, if you're more English oriented, this class might whoop your ass -- but, the next rendition of microeconomic theory will be easier for you!!! Best of luck!!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: B
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
June 22, 2022

I didn't think this class was as difficult as the other reviews led me to believe it would be, but you definitely need to stay on top of things in this class because I didn't and my grade suffered for it. I also recommend doing all of the practice questions and problem sets because they both help boost your grade and give you good practice. Prof. Surro is clear and effective when it comes to explaining concepts, but either I just find the subject boring or he's not very interesting because I would frequently zone out during lecture and would even leave early sometimes because I was just so bored. He posted a lot of material on Canvas (typed overview, written notes, practice problems and worked out solutions) which is really helpful for studying. He mentions that the second half of the class is slightly harder but draws on concepts that you learn in the first half, which I agree with. I did really well on the midterm but barely studied for the final and ended up doing poorly on that. Overall, I think this class is very doable if you take it seriously and do your due diligence. It has, however, made me completely lose interest in Econ and switch out of the major.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 23, 2020

I really, really like Prof. Surro. I cannot say enough great things about him. For this class, your TA is extremely important. I had Andrew Hess, and if you can get him, he is amazing. Both Andrew and Prof. Surro are extremely straightforward when explaining content. The class is also graded very easily. There is a lot of opportunity for extra credit. Quizzes and problem sets are based on completion. With that being said, the midterm and final are a big chunk of your grade and are a lot harder than the quizzes and problem sets. Prof. Surro wants you to understand the concepts, not just regurgitate formulas and definitions. What worked for me was watching all of the lectures and going to discussion, most people did not go at all. The lectures are also all typed up in separate notes from the handwritten notes he uploads. Even though the tests are difficult, all of the information is given to you (also open notes). If you use all of the material given and do A LOT of practice problems, this class is manageable.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: N/A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 9, 2020

I was expecting this class to be much harder than it was, HOWEVER you really need to put in the work to do well. Professor Surro is pretty clear in his lectures, however they aren't super engaging and the examples that he does in lecture are much easier than what you will be tested on. The problem sets and quizzes are optional, but DO THEM because they are only graded on participation and they actually help your grade a lot. Also, he never mentions this in class, but be active on campuswire because you get points for that too. Respond to people's questions and ask questions on there if you have any because you get points for that. This class was pretty difficult, but you can do well if you really understand the concepts and are able to apply them to more difficult questions.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B-
Feb. 10, 2020

Surro's lectures are worth attending if you want an overview, but I didn't find attending them necessary since he posts the notes on ccle. The workload wasn't too bad but he has a tendency to water-down the lecture material, as the problem set questions are much easier than the ones you will encounter on the midterm and final exams. With that said, it's definitely important to understand the concepts at a deep level. The final consisted of 10 short and 3 long frqs (no multiple choice), and his exams are extremely long and tedious, favoring students with better computation skills. As a heads up, the class is curved based on the econ department policy, so you will be competing to earn a good grade.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: C
Jan. 31, 2020

Midterm and final are insane. And TAs are useless because they assume you know all the materials. You'd better to read the books and pay attention to classes otherwise exams will destroy your GPA.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: N/A
March 14, 2022

:( this class makes me sad :(

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B-
July 13, 2020

the exams were so much more difficult in comparison to the problem sets. he speaks clearly, but his actual teaching can differ in quality. i think it mainly depends on preparedness. this class was super stressful because the exams were unpredictable, and there wasn't a straightforward connection to the problems done in lecture/homework. he is nice and genuinely tries to help students, but this class was just so frustrating.

Helpful?

3 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: B+
March 10, 2022

I realized after this class what an amazing professor Surro truly was. His exams were difficult, especially the midterm, but that is what is expected of Econ 11. I studied a lot for this class but was only able to get a B+. His final seemed much easier than the midterm and the average was slightly higher. Definitely take him. He teaches a neat and helpful manner.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: B+
Dec. 25, 2020

prof clearly cares a lot about the wellbeing and understanding of students, i think the use of campuswire in particular was an excellent tool for engagement. couldn't attend TA sessions because of time differences so i have no idea how helpful they are. i will say that it is so unfortunate that the exams, while open notes, are much harder than the problem set questions that were assigned. that made exams unpredictable and confusing for me and others!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: C+
Dec. 13, 2022

Both this class and Surro are extremely mathy. This class is a struggle for English types of people. Furthermore, this class IS NOT for people who like to play catch up -- DO NOT fall behind in this class, you will be seriously pay the price. Trust me, I tried (really fucking hard too) and my grade reflects how it panned out. I just want to elaborate on this a bit so people planning on taking this class don't follow my same mistake -->
I never understood the homeworks because I was always a little bit behind in the content, and that lead to a recurring issue. As I was trying to understand the last week's material, the homework for the current week would be due, and I would have to ask a friend for the answers. It absolutely sucked, and I really wish I wouldn't have, but because everything was so mathy with little written explanation, rewatching the lectures was entirely unhelpful to me. Surro is not at fault for this vicious cycle, though. I just r e a l l y wish it wasn't all math with little conceptual explanation.
I do believe he is a great professor FOR MATH ORIENTED PEOPLE (I can't stress this enough). If you aren't the slickest with math, and prefer to play catch up, just be wary this won't work for you here and you might struggle.
However, I did do wayyyy better in ECON101!! So, if you're more English oriented, this class might whoop your ass -- but, the next rendition of microeconomic theory will be easier for you!!! Best of luck!!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: B
June 22, 2022

I didn't think this class was as difficult as the other reviews led me to believe it would be, but you definitely need to stay on top of things in this class because I didn't and my grade suffered for it. I also recommend doing all of the practice questions and problem sets because they both help boost your grade and give you good practice. Prof. Surro is clear and effective when it comes to explaining concepts, but either I just find the subject boring or he's not very interesting because I would frequently zone out during lecture and would even leave early sometimes because I was just so bored. He posted a lot of material on Canvas (typed overview, written notes, practice problems and worked out solutions) which is really helpful for studying. He mentions that the second half of the class is slightly harder but draws on concepts that you learn in the first half, which I agree with. I did really well on the midterm but barely studied for the final and ended up doing poorly on that. Overall, I think this class is very doable if you take it seriously and do your due diligence. It has, however, made me completely lose interest in Econ and switch out of the major.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A+
Dec. 23, 2020

I really, really like Prof. Surro. I cannot say enough great things about him. For this class, your TA is extremely important. I had Andrew Hess, and if you can get him, he is amazing. Both Andrew and Prof. Surro are extremely straightforward when explaining content. The class is also graded very easily. There is a lot of opportunity for extra credit. Quizzes and problem sets are based on completion. With that being said, the midterm and final are a big chunk of your grade and are a lot harder than the quizzes and problem sets. Prof. Surro wants you to understand the concepts, not just regurgitate formulas and definitions. What worked for me was watching all of the lectures and going to discussion, most people did not go at all. The lectures are also all typed up in separate notes from the handwritten notes he uploads. Even though the tests are difficult, all of the information is given to you (also open notes). If you use all of the material given and do A LOT of practice problems, this class is manageable.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: N/A
Dec. 9, 2020

I was expecting this class to be much harder than it was, HOWEVER you really need to put in the work to do well. Professor Surro is pretty clear in his lectures, however they aren't super engaging and the examples that he does in lecture are much easier than what you will be tested on. The problem sets and quizzes are optional, but DO THEM because they are only graded on participation and they actually help your grade a lot. Also, he never mentions this in class, but be active on campuswire because you get points for that too. Respond to people's questions and ask questions on there if you have any because you get points for that. This class was pretty difficult, but you can do well if you really understand the concepts and are able to apply them to more difficult questions.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B-
Feb. 10, 2020

Surro's lectures are worth attending if you want an overview, but I didn't find attending them necessary since he posts the notes on ccle. The workload wasn't too bad but he has a tendency to water-down the lecture material, as the problem set questions are much easier than the ones you will encounter on the midterm and final exams. With that said, it's definitely important to understand the concepts at a deep level. The final consisted of 10 short and 3 long frqs (no multiple choice), and his exams are extremely long and tedious, favoring students with better computation skills. As a heads up, the class is curved based on the econ department policy, so you will be competing to earn a good grade.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: C
Jan. 31, 2020

Midterm and final are insane. And TAs are useless because they assume you know all the materials. You'd better to read the books and pay attention to classes otherwise exams will destroy your GPA.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 6
3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 67 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.2 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.6 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

There are no relevant tags for this professor yet.

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