Reviews of professor Andrew Balthrop

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
Super easy and fun class. All his assignments are straight from the lectures, which he posts online, and he tells the class what the questions will be on the test. Seriously it's impossible to not pass the class unless you don't show up. I'm surprised he has bad ratings, just don't be a lazy student and you'll have a good time.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
His lectures are very confusing and it is easy to get lost. He is primarily a researcher, not a teacher. I do not recommend skipping class even though it is a minimal part of your grade. My SI saved my grade. Many people would go to SI, but not class. Changes test date last minute, but won't send an email about it. Poor communication skills.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Professor Balthrop was alright. His lectures are very confusing, and it makes it difficult to clearly grasp the content. I relied on my SI a lot. He will rarely reply to your emails. If you are able to take another professor for Macro Econ I highly recommend it. He does give a lot of extra credit, but that is the only plus to the class.

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Professor Balthrop is an extremely intelligent guy, but not the best professor. Gradebook was never updated, lectures were all over the place, and exams were difficult. Never responded to my emails. Attendance is taken randomly, and if you do not go to class, you will not succeed.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
Such an easy going professor. As long as you're not a lazy student, you'll get an easy A.

Rating: 3.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
My biggest takeaway from Professor Balthrop was that he was teaching below his expertise and seemed to struggle doing so. I was fine because I read every day, but most students that didn't struggled because his lectures could get boring. His tests were not hard if you used the study guide, never felt like I saw a question that was not covered.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
He's a solid professor. Makes tests and assignments super straightforward and is such an easy grader. You just have to show up to class and you'll get an A.

Rating: 2.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Worst teacher that I've had. When he's teaching, he confuses himself a lot and makes it confusing for everyone else to understand what he's teaching. He adds in a lot of examples that have nothing to do with anything and makes a confusing topic 100x more confusing. Would not recommend taking his class.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Dr. Balthrop is hands down the worst teacher I have had at the U of A. His lectures are extremely confusing and not at all appropriate for an entry level class. He would also change the syllabus and test dates so his class was always a guessing game. DO NOT take him if you want a decent grade. The rest of my class agrees.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 2.0/5
If you're a student really anxious about receiving grades, then he's not for you. But if you're a student who wants to learn about a subject he's teaching, he's definitely for you. Such an easy A if you show up to class and take notes. He does not deserve some of these bad ratings.