I did't understand anything from lectures, and I had to learn everything by myself from textbook. TAs are helpful and dedicated. I'm a tough guy but I almost cried after his course(learn stats by yourself is such a pain)... Take him if you are good at self studying...

By the way, his final is crazy, not because it's hard. it's open notes, textbooks and lecture slides, but you have to fit everything you brought on the tiny table of the lecture hall, including lecture notes, textbook, written notes, sanctrons,calculator, laptop, and two thick folds of exam paper...I kept dropping things from the tiny table in the exam, it made me so frustrated...

Do NOT listen to these reviews. I just had Econ 103 with Buchinsky, and he is one of the best professors in the department. He really cares about teaching, he goes through the material very slowly (frustatingly slow if you've already taken a stats class), and his tests are moderately challenging but fair. The homework can be difficult and contain stuff that he hasn't covered. This is my one complaint, but you can work on it with friends, so it's not too bad. Really, a rating of 3 is absurdly low. It's as if people have rated him low because they don't like the class, a class which can be difficult for students that aren't good at math and stats.

i know a lot of people think this guy is horrible but he really isnt that bad. Econ 103 is a boring subject that I am sure few people would enjoy, no matter who is teaching it. That being said Buchinsky is an extremely fair professor. The exams are open book and you would have to be really dumb not to get at least a B. I personally would recomend taking him.

This professor was horrible, I took may classes but this one was by far one the hardest ever and not only because the material is difficult, but because the lectures are completely useless, he just reads his proofs and never explains anything. I went to all TA sessions as did a lot of other people from the class because nobody could do his homework. I got a good grade but I studies more for this class than any other econ or mngmt class. Take him only if you have no choice at all.

Surprise to see so many negative comments about professor Buchinsky. I have different opinions. In fact, I like this professor and I think his lecture was great. He is very energetic and humorous in his class. He knows the subject - Econometric very well, and he has a passtion to pass his knowledge to students. I guess some students don't like him because they feel he is too demanding. This is sad, may be Buchinsky did overestimate the ability or the self-motivation of students here thus has a "too" high expectation on us. I am not a very smart person,I even don't speak good English, yet I got a good grade from this class. My tips is: study the on-line lecture notes before and after the class, go to different TAs' session.I had been to his office hour once, he was very nice and helpful. Furthermore,because the low curve of the class, you may thus able to get a higher grade than you expected.

This review is about econ 103 as much as it is about the prof. It is a seriously hard course. Everyone I know who has taken it (w/ other teachers as well) has told me the same. So whoever you get, it's going to be really hard. Unless you are required to take this course, DO NOT TAKE IT! If you think you might be interested in the subject, check out a book on it beforehand before you jump into it. That being said, Buchinsky is easily one of the worst professors I've ever had. I don't know why I went to all of his lectures, they were a complete waste of time, and they absolutely will not help you for the homework or the tests. He just goes on and on about mathematical proofs on how to derive the formulas, but doesn't show you how to use them, or how they are used. One time I went into his office hours for some extra help b/c I wasn't understanding ANYTHING in class. (Literally, nothing, they're that bad). But then he, in classic Buchinsky style, doesn't want to explain anything to me nor answer any of my questions. So basically there are no redeeming qualities about him. In the sad event that you do end up having to take econ 103, and even sadder, get stuck w/ Buchinsky, here's my advice. Forget the lectures (avoid as much contact w/ Buchinsky as you can, you'll only get more frustrated), go to a good discussion section (ask around, I really liked Kevin Caves, he would walk you through the problems and really cared if you got it or not), and pick up a book on econometrics from the library, that will help you on his open-book tests, the one he assigns is far too bulky to really get into and gain anything from. I somehow (miraculously) walked away w/ a B+ in the class, and I was thinking of going back to look at my final, but then I realized that I wouldn't even understand the problems that I got right. Bottom line: no one gains anything from this course and it's a shame that UCLA is starting to enforce this entirely useless course as a requirement.

Buchinsky, is BAD NEWS. DO NOT TAKE ANY OF HIS CLASSES. I will never again be taught by this man. He is not an effective teacher. He has no patience and makes students feel uncomfortable when asking questions; I have never seen this before. What he teaches in class does not at all reflect what you will need to know for exams. Homework is not bad, because of the TA's. However, the question you will see your homework will not be even close to what you will see on your exams. He grades hard. I'm a Computer Science major and some of my classes are hard, but I couldn't believe how hard it was to study for this class. I didn't do bad, but man thats because I had to work my tail off. Take it if you dare. Good luck.

very smart, very knowledgeble. the sad part is, he assumes his student to be just as smart as he is.

Buchinsky complicates econometrics that you walk out of the final even more confused and maybe even a little bit sadder. (ok, that was yesterday). Take 103 with another professor, if you want to understand anything. I'm very serious here. The guy's tough and he would constantly get angry at his students ("READ THE BOOK" he yelled.