J Mohan Rao - University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Professor: J Mohan Rao

Department: Economics

College: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ECON203
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This is supposedly the hardest econ class at the school. While Rao is not the best he is far better than the other professor, Katzner. Lots of pop quizzes, and confusing lectures. Exams poorly worded and barely relate to lecture material. Fairly unstructured.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ECON203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The problem sets for this class have nothing to do with the lecture material. They are also worded in a weird and confusing way, so you can't even figure it out from the textbook. There are 5 pop quizzes to make you go to class without having an attendance grade. Rao expects you to know how to draw graphs but never does this once himself

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ECON203
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

As a person I find Professor Rao to be charming and intelligent. However, I was not pleased with the way he ran his class, specifically the quizzes and problem sets. Neither of them was relevant to the lecture material or the book, which was never even used. The class was more challenging than the material itself would have suggested.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Rao would get very off topic in class. He goes on 20 minute rants that were completely unrelated to the topic at hand, and his slides have little to no information. Exam is impossible with questions worded strangely, and study guide was not helpful/had no answer key. TA never showed up to class. Don't recommend taking this class with him.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PPA601
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Prof. Rao is lovely! He includes his own (political) anecdotes throughout class. This can be a funny, relevant rant, but often distracts from the material we're learning. All in all, a lot of love for Prof. Rao.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: 103H
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I would highly recommend that you avoid him. He is very unclear about what we are supposed to be doing. In lectures, he reads off the slides, but goes on incredibly long and boring tangents. He has absolutely no grading criteria, he just "puts all the grades in a blender at the end of the semester", he said. The lectures last an eternity.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ECON103
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Ugh. His lectures go on and on and apparently, multiple choice is equal to fill in the blank in his mind.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Mohan is perhaps the best professor I've had through three years at UMass. He is the reason I decided to minor in Econ. He is an amazing lecturer who cares so much more about getting you to know and understand the material than trying to trick you or lower your grade. Not a walk in the park, but an amazing class that you can ace with some effort.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ECON103H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He's hilarious and really funny to listen to but he teaches the material at a pretty high level and not in an interesting or innovative way. You'll do fine in the class if you attend and study but it's hard to get the A.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Mohan is the man! Great class, 3 quizzes, 2 exams and a final paper. All in all, easy A!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: 103H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This class is dull and horrible. In a class of 25 he never learned even one of his students names. The only tests are a midterm and a final which are impossibly hard and leaves everyone praying for a curve.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Rao is a great guy who wants to save the world through the hearts and minds of its college population. He makes sure to fully explain everything in lecture that will appear on the tests, and covers his subject very well. As a rabid leftist myself, I appreciated his Marxist rants, and the tangents he would soar off on kept the class alive. Recommend

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

J Rao is an awesome prof. Very limited on graphs and more theoretical/conceptual based approaches to economic development. 2 tests, one paper, 3 pop quizzes- so it's easy to mess up. Goes on tangents too frequently but that's what makes his class interesting. GO TO CLASS AND TAKE NOTES- it helps.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Rao is a great guy. His course was not extremely difficult and it really helped me tie together a lot of different economic concepts. He's very personable and his tests actually reflect what he teaches in class. Take ECON 366 with him - you won't regret it.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Two exams, one 15 page paper and three quizzes. Class is low on graphs functions and more on simple development concepts. I liked Rao, but the class is tough to get through; lengthy tangents in a three hour class can try patience. Take this if: you're liberal, interested in the subject matter and own a laptop you can bring to class. You'll need it.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ECON103H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very funny, and so nice. If you're struggling, just talk to him and he'll do whatever he can to help. I was lost in his class, but I was one of a small minority. He likes to tell stories to get his point across, but they come off as completely irrelevant and strange. Highly recommended if you know the calculus.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

class is two exams one paper. the exams are scaled generously if you attend class and the review sessions an A is easy to get

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This course is very interesting and Mohan after digresses to give us his own point of view on matters. Follows the textbook, curves generously, but sometimes lecture can be long and the term paper is not very fun. Fair grader, but not an easy A, difficult exams. Go to Mohan's office hours, he is a brilliant and nice man

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ECON203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Works straight from the text book. Difficult exams but he curves them pretty well. Kinda boring lectures in a really warm room right after lunch may have made me more suseptible to fall asleep in the class. probably wouldnt take again- and im an econ major.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ECON366
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Thinks his job is to use the classroom as a place to sound off about his political ideology to a captive audience. Class has less to do with economics and more with his political ideals. Very atute to political correctness.