Lisa Saunders - University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Professor: Lisa Saunders

Department: Economics

College: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: 144H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She is an absolutely horrible professor. I don't generally enjoy economics and I took this course because it will knock out 3 gen eds but it was NOT worth it. On tests she'll provide four essay topics and tell you one is mandatory and to choose two of the last three, then write on your exam "only write two". I dread every class.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I have dreaded the thought of graduation all four years, except during the entirety of this class. She is not only the worst professor I have had at UMass, but the absolute worst professor, speaker, coach or instructor in anyway shape or form that I have had the experience of attempting to learn from. If you know what is good for you, stay far away

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

5% off final grade for every missed class. Talks in circles when asked a question and doesn't answer it. Only knows a single way to discuss each topic so you will be considered wrong if you say something correctly but uniquely. PowerPoints contain photos of authors and more words than you can read in an hour. Refuses to use/grade graphs. STAY AWAY.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ECON144H
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

As a non-economics major, I found this class to be one of the most confusing and infuriating classes I have ever encountered at UMass. I once confused the terms 'wealth' and 'income,' and she gave me no credit for the essay section of a quiz. There is extra credit available, but she didn't accept my paper's thesis at first. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PPA605
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Worst class experience I've ever had. None of us were econ. majors but this was a req. Masters class at an intermediate econ. level. Lectures were scattered and unclear, she would not answer clarifying questions, and mocked students who answered incorrectly. I learned the concepts from online videos. Her grading is a mystery. Avoid at all costs!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

She is intelligent. " You cannot criticize what you do not know." was her motto. If you do not take social issues seriously and economics, then this class is not for you. And it is your loss. I loved this class.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• 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:

Doesn't care about teaching from an objective point of view. Her lectures are not only biased but extremely boring.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ECON144H
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

For this class it feels inevitable to fall short of Mrs. Saunders incredibly high standards. She fails to make her studies accessible to non high level economic students and has unclear lectures. If you understand the content BUT fail to find the right jargon and theory placement, you will not succeed. DO NOT take this class, an abysmal experience.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: 144H
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This class is honestly god awful and I highly recommend not taking it or any class with her as your professor. She is the hardest grader I've encountered at UMass and is an extremely unclear lecturer. This class should definitely not be considered a 100 level course by any means.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ECON144H
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

While the lectures were sometimes confusing, if you did the reading you could at least understand what's being graded. This class was intended for non-econ majors, but sometimes she'd get excited and talk about more advanced concepts or bring in what she was discussing in other classes. She's very nice and clearly cares about students learning.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Where do I even start? This professor is so knowledgable about the subject she teaches but is HORRIBLE at teaching it. Lectures are SUPER confusing/hard to follow, grading is unclear and way too harsh. She would give me a B+ on one assignment and an F on another. Students went on laptops & paid 0 attention to her bc she makes no sense. Just avoid.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ECON144H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I am a junior in the honors college with a 4.0 GPA and this class has completely ruined that. For a 100 level class, it's extremely difficult. The professor is unclear, unhelpful, and unfair. She makes students afraid to speak in class and has a complex about her race. I regret taking this class and would not recommend it to anyone.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Saunders was very unhelpful. Her grading was never clear. She bounced between having to answer theoretically and factually and never specified which she was looking for and graded as if we knew. She will shame you in front of the class for giving a wrong answer and discourages students from participating.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ECON144H
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I generally don't like to complain about courses I'm in. To be honest, most problems people have in school are their own fault. However, Dr. Saunders is easily the worst professor I've ever had. Grading criteria is incredibly subjective and unclear, lectures are mandatory and boring, and despite being called an economics class, you won't learn any.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• 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 Saunders is not the best professor but the subject is interesting and you don't really have to do any of the readings for class. There's very few graded assignments. She lets you use your laptop, notebook and textbook on both the midterm and final so its a fairly easy class. Only is rude if you're wasting time and not saying anything new.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: 144H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

She is very unclear with her lecturing, it is a 'stream of consciousness' type of lecturing.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ECON144H
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She is very unclear on what she wants from students, you have to self teach yourself and she is constantly trailing off and talking about irrelevant topics. She is by far the WORST professor I have ever had the displeasure of having. She always puts people down for wrong answers rather than trying to correct them. Overall Terrible Professor.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ECON348
• 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:

By leaps and bounds the absolute worst professor I've ever had the displeasure of taking a class with. RUDE, incredibly abrasive. Publicly shames incorrect answers and is incredibly confrontational. Leaves you with more questions than answers, mumbles when she speaks, and gets off topic. For the love of god DO. NOT. TAKE. A. CLASS. WITH. HER.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ECON
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dude!!Stop expecting that she will answer all questions. She will confuse you or sometimes she will just say"I read about that before, but I kinda forget it." Also, she will go against you or just tell u to stop if u are using different ways.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ECON144H
• 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:

The class seems smooth enough, but her expectations can be unclear. She seems to have difficulty in receiving anything but the technical jargon, which is fine until you spill into matters of social not merely economic implications. She isn't always clear and seems to work cyclically. I can find class more frustrating than difficult.