AP Macroeconomics Reviews

Great class to prepare you for the exam!

Posted by Enni Li on 07/07/2023

Everything you need to ace the AP Exam

Posted by Jonah Chan on 05/09/2023

Did you feel this class prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes. We had constant games and quizzes to make sure that we understood the material well, and we also had plenty of FRQ practices. The games and reviews all add "points" to the grade (this class uses points instead of a percentage grade, which can be confusing at times because it's slightly difficult to gauge how I'm doing, but I feel like it was a great motivation because it makes it seem more like a game than a class) Taking the AP, I felt like I confidently understood all the concepts.

How many hours per day did you put into this class?

I think about an hour a day on average would suffice. Sometimes I would put in a few more for games or other assignments, but it wasn't too time consuming. The main thing is that the games require a lot of cooperation, so if you live in a non-Eastern-time timezone, you may have to change your sleep schedule (if you're really competitive like I was).

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really liked the Great Economist Essays that we had to do for the first part of the class. They allow you to explore economic ideas of your choosing more in depth, and it's also a chance to get published on different websites. Many people in our class (including myself) had our writings published on EnterStageRight.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I definitely met some very interesting people in this class! In general, they were really friendly. We had a chat group for the class, and we would help each other on difficult concepts, ap exam tips, etc.

What sort of student would do well in this class?

I feel like anybody who would be willing to commit time and effort would do well. This course fully covers everything you need to get 100% on the AP exam, although the textbook may be a little confusing at times (but that's why we have youtube and khan academy). Dr. Richman is also very willing to have Zoom calls to clarify anything that doesn't make sense.

Excellent AP Macroeconomics course!

Posted by Jessica Liu on 05/09/2023

Did you feel this class prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, very well. From the beginning of the course, we had daily multiple choice practice questions, and the second half of the course was dedicated almost completely to free response preparation, so I was quite familiar with the exam content and format by the time the AP exam rolled around in May. We did multiple AP-style free response questions every week, which were scored promptly with detailed feedback. Dr. Richman also provided several sets of full multiple choice exams. This year was the first year in which the AP exam included new monetary policy strategies and graphs to model an economy with ample reserves. Dr. Richman adapted his course to provide resources and instruction to explain this new content, and even though it had never appeared on the exam before, I felt well-prepared to answer the ample reserves questions I encountered on the AP exam.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into this class?

I spent approximately 4-6 hours a week on this course, depending on which economics simulation game we were currently playing and whether or not we had an essay due that week. I would say that the workload for this class is on the lighter end relative to other courses I've taken at Pennsylvania Homeschoolers. Since the syllabus is very well-organized and consistent from week to week, it is easy to estimate how long assignments will take and work ahead if needed. 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I found that the practice FRQs we completed in the second half of the courses were especially useful for AP exam preparation. Each week focused on a specific topic or concept. For example, we would complete and submit the first FRQ on Wednesday. Dr. Richman would grade all the submissions on Thursday and hold an interactive live discussion to review that topic and any related graphs. Then on Friday, we would complete a different FRQ on the same topic but with slight variations or a subtle twist. Toward the end of the course, we also had the opportunity to revise our responses and earn any points missed on the initial submission. This iterative process helped me understand and internalize the key concepts in the course so that I could quickly identify how to approach each FRQ and recognize potential traps on the actual AP exam. 

I also enjoyed the economics simulation games we played. These games helped me gain a deeper and more practical understanding of the concepts I read about in the textbook, and it was also a lot of fun to get to know my classmates better with some friendly competition (and occasional commiseration). 

Did this class enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely. I had little to no interest in economics before taking this course. To be frank, I initially decided to take it mostly because I needed an economics credit to graduate high school and I hoped to earn some college credit so I wouldn't have to take economics in college. This course pushed me outside my comfort zone in many ways, but even though it was challenging and frustrating at times, it was also incredibly fun and rewarding. I also appreciated that this course illuminates the real-world applications of economics, and it's so fun to be able to recognize economics concepts in the news. I'm majoring in computer science, but since I enjoyed this course so much, now I'm thinking about adding an economics minor!

It would be a mistake to not take this class...

Posted by Nicholas Langkamp on 08/06/2022 6

I am usually a bad standardized test taker. However, Dr. Richman's class prepared me so well for the AP exam that I scored a 5. I hardly realized how much I learned because Dr. Richman made this class very fun.

Assignments like games and responding to essays were really enjoyable and engaging, but the most helpful assignments were the short answer questions. Dr. Richman provided great explanations in the answers to these questions, and he pointed out what things we needed to know for the actual AP test. This class is very interactive, which incentivized me to spend extra time on it. 

I would generally spend 45 minutes to 2 hours doing work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in this class. Work on Tuesdays and Fridays would sometimes take me up to 3 or 4 hours to complete because I am a slow reader and essay-writer. Workloads are very predictable as the same types of assignments are typically given on the same day of the week. You are able to work ahead if that workload does not fit your schedule on certain days.

I had already had substantial exposure to economic theories and ideas prior to taking this class. This class expanded my horizons and really taught me the more scientific and analytical aspects of economics (such as supply and demand or the Phillips curve). This class gives people (even those unfamiliar with the topic) a good understanding of economics as a whole. Essay assignments allow students to explore facets of economics that particularly interest them. I would definitely recommend that you take up Dr. Richman's suggestion to watch Milton Friedman's PBS TV series Free to Choose before class. This is not necessary to achieve excellence in the class, but it would give you a good background picture to keep in mind as you read the textbook. I truly believe anyone who takes this course will develop a deep fondness of economics.

If you are deciding whether or not you should take this class, I would advise that you sign up for it without hesitation (assuming you are a hard working student). It will definitely prepare you for the AP exam, and you will have a blast taking this class. It would be a mistake if you do not take this class. 

Great AP Macro Course - Amazing Exam Prep and Very Beginner-Friendly!

Posted by Margaret Draper on 06/22/2022

To start off, I would say almost any student can take this class, as long as you're willing to put in the necessary time and work. You will have to read a lot of material during the first semester, which I found a bit challenging to keep up with at times, because I'm a somewhat slow reader. You will also have to write persuasive economic essays every once in a while, but Dr. Richman will make sure you can take on those tasks. The course material does start right at the beginning, so it's very easy to jump into it if you have little or no experience with the subject! I found that to be especially helpful when I started the class. Other than that, you mainly just have to be able to keep up with assignments on time (there is a bit of slack regarding midnight deadlines for students in other timezones.) Overall, Dr. Richman is an amazing teacher and was very helpful in commenting on my assignments as well as granting occasional extensions - thank you, Dr. Richman!!

Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics class prepared me extremely well to take the AP exam. I would have been terrified to take the exam if I didn't feel like he prepared me so well to succeed. I had very little uncertainty about questions on the exam (even the short-answer questions), and it was because of Dr. Richman's help and all the assignments he used to help us learn every topic that might be on the exam. 

I probably put around 1.5 to 2 hours of work per day into the class during the fall semester, sometimes more or less depending on how much reading was involved in each assignment. The spring semester required a lot less time, despite it being the time leading up to the exam, because many of the assignments were short-answer practice essays.

Some of the best assignments in this class (in my opinion) were the games we played. They were fun but also included a lot of helpful exam-prep knowledge! Personally, my favorite assignments were the Current Event essays we wrote during the fall semester. I loved researching current economic events and bringing them together in an essay that was surprisingly fun to write.

This course unquestionably enhanced my interest in the subject of economics. I had almost no experience in the field when I signed up for the class, so it seemed intimidating at first, but it's really not. Not to mention, Dr. Richman is a great teacher and was very helpful in familiarizing me with macroeconomics as a whole.

One part about this class that I loved (and about other classes through PA Homeschoolers) was the communication between students. It was really nice to be able to discuss assignments and topics with classmates on the website, and also to be placed in smaller groups to play the economics games. The game teams really helped me get to know some of my classmates better, which I wouldn't have been able to do through the website. 

Excellent Preparation for the AP Exam

Posted by Sofia Ferrer on 05/24/2022

I think this is the AP class for which I have felt most prepared for the AP exam. Usually, as AP exams approach, I cram the two weeks before and go to extreme measures to study for my APs, but AP Macro was an exception—I didn't even really need to refresh my knowledge on the content much because the course had been preparing us for the exam throughout the entire year! I think the daily quiz questions were one of the most useful tools for exam preparation. These are fun, fast questions that mimic actual AP exam questions, and you have access to them every day. They offer explanations, and you can do as many as you want, and you get points when you get them right that build up towards your final grade. Thus, from day one we were practicing exam-style questions, and naturally, when the exam day came, I felt that I knew what I was doing! To add on to that, Dr. Richman provides several actual AP exam multiple-choice practices as well as one full actual AP exam under timed exam conditions that he grades himself. 

I also found that the resources we used to learn the content were really useful and provided clear explanations. The lectures reinforced the content in the textbook, which really firmed up the knowledge. 

I would say that the workload in this course was on the lighter end. I spent about 1 hour a day on the course, and it's also relatively easy to get ahead if you want to do that. On top of that, the course is super organized, so I always knew what was due for the day by basing it off of the provided class schedule. The assignments weren't too bad to get through—they consisted of either textbook reading and questions that go along with it, a video with some questions about it, a lecture, an essay, etc. Also, the games were really fun, and I enjoyed getting to know my classmates better through them!

Other than excellent exam prep, great organization, and fun assignments, this class has certainly given me knowledge that I will be applying as I go on in my life. I now feel that things I hear in the news and economics podcasts and articles actually make sense! I feel that I can be a better U.S. citizen and think critically about the economy and current issues now that it all makes sense. 

 

Brilliant Class!

Posted by Sophie Schenkel on 05/23/2021

Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics class is fabulous! I felt very well prepared for the AP exam. I spent 7-10 hours a week on this course and although it was hard work, it most definitely paid off. I knew only basic economics before I started this class, but now I can actually recognize economic concepts in my day-to-day life and even in other class subjects! Because of Dr. Richman's class, I'm even more interested in studying Economics in College.

Another appealing aspect of this class is how interactive it is! I communicated with classmates on a daily basis on the class website. My favorite assignments were the Burger Game where you act like an actual business that has to deal with scarcity and competition, the foreign exchange game (extremely helpful for understanding foreign exchange questions on the AP Exam), and RMCQs. But above all, one thing that really helped me feel prepared for the exam was the practice FRQs we did. 

You will love this class and feel utmost prepared for the exam!

I highly recommend this class

Posted by Zeke Godbold on 05/21/2021

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Absolutely! I knew all of the concepts that I saw on the exam, and though I wish I had spent more time studying, I never thought that I didn't understand a term or concept.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

It would really depend on the game we were doing at the time, and whether or not we had an essay. When we had FRQ's they didn't take me very long, so the workload decreased later in the year. None of the daily assignments took very long, though the R&T chapters took me longer than any other daily assignment. The games also affected the time spent. The Guns/Butter game required the greatest amount of work along with the economic warfare game. The Investment game and Burger game were both simple and easy so they required minimal time output. I would generally expect 6-8 hours per week of work as the bare minimum.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

My favorite assignment, (of sorts), was the Guns/Butter game. However, the most useful assignments were unquestionably the FRQ's we take in the latter part of the year. I didn't feel like I really understood the concepts until I had to apply them, and applying them on paper helped me make the connections in my mind. I will say, all of the games were useful, and though the Guns/Butter was my favorite, the others were useful as well. I did poorly in the economic warfare game, but it really helped me understand exchange rates. The Burger game taught me about supply and demand, (much to my chagrin in the second run). And the investment game helped me understand the money supply and how governments function, though it was necessarily simplified.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

This is the best class I have ever taken. I came into this wanting to learn about economics and not really expecting to particularly enjoy the class. However, the entire class was useful and engaging, and I'm now weighing economics as a possible study topic in college. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

The only major interaction I had with other students was in the Guns/Butter game. Both my teammates helped me understand the game and, by extension, opportunity costs and trade. Being able to talk over the moves with someone else and have them point out flaws in my thinking was really important and useful. Aside from that, I didn't really interact with my classmates.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Any student who is willing to work every day will do fine in this course. I never had an assignment that I couldn't do, and I was far from the most diligent worker. I would recommend this course to everyone. After taking this class I'm firmly in the camp that everyone should have a basic economics class in high school to be functional people in their adult lives. Obviously, they have to be willing to work, but the requirements for this class are not very extensive especially compared to other AP's. 

 

Overall, I think that everyone should take this class. I have never had more fun with school, and what I gained from the class makes it the most useful class I have ever taken. Any student can take this class depending on their work ethic and motivation, and I would highly recommend this class to younger students especially. One assignment that I forgot to mention was the class led by Octavio Garcia about the economic situation in Venezuela. Hearing firsthand about socialism further ingrained it in my mind as poor economic thinking, and it was useful to ask questions of someone who had firsthand experience with Venezuela.

 

This was a fantastic class, and I hope that everyone who takes it enjoys it as much as I did.

Exceptional Class with a caveat

Posted by Zach Schmidt on 05/12/2021

First off, I just want to say that this is an exceptional class, and I both learned more and had more fun in it than in almost any other class I've taken. With that being said, be aware that active classwork ends in late January. Quite a few of my classmates ended up taking AP Microeconomics as well during the Spring semester to fill the gap.  

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes. With active class ending in late January, almost the entire Spring semester was spent in review. We did a lot of review to the point that I feel the amount of time we spent in review was almost excessive. 

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

During the active portion of the class, I was spending anywhere from 5-10 hours a week and sometimes more on coursework. The amount of time I spent dropped significantly later in the year as we moved into review. 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The four games the class plays throughout the year are one of the most creative ways I've seen to teach a subject. The four games, usually played in two, two-week rounds throughout the year, are based on students fulfilling certain roles in economic scenarios. For instance, in the burger game, some students act as wholesalers while the rest play as burger stands selling either meat or veggie burgers. Over the course of the game, each student has various decisions and negotiations to make in order to expand their business. Eventually, shortages begin to occur and many go out of business. The underlying economic concept is that of supply and demand. 

 

A great macroeconomics course

Posted by Cooper Ackerly on 05/10/2021

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! I just finished the exam, and I felt well-prepared. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I probably spent about an hour a day on the course during the first semester -- daily work took between 20ish minutes and an hour and a half -- and then put in about an hour a week during the second semester to review the material. (I used the 5 to a 5 review book in the last few weeks, which I also recommend.)

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I particularly enjoyed the essays we wrote at the beginning of the semester about economics-related, well, anything, for which Dr. Richman encouraged us to choose interesting topics and write about them in an engaging manner. I also found the essays and RMCQs (Random Multiple Choice Questions, modeled on past exam MCQs) to be very valuable when it came to solidifying my knowledge of and reviewing the material. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes. I enjoyed interacting with other students during the games (particularly the ones where we worked together in teams) and through reading and responding to other students' essays. 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I think that any student would enjoy this course! The material isn't difficult, the games are enjoyable, the essays are loads of fun, and the concepts learned are both interesting and relevant.

 

 

Great course!

Posted by Emily Kamphuis on 05/02/2021

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! I am taking the exam next week, and feel very prepared. We did practice exams, MCQ tests, 2 FRQ's every week and lots of random questions and study buddy questions. I felt that it really did a great job of preparing me for the exam. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

For the first semester, I spent about 1 1/2 hours a day on the course. Then, in the second semester, I spent about 2 hours a week reviewing. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I think that the FRQ assignments were really good, as they helped prepare me for the actual exam. I also really enjoyed the simulation games; they were so much fun!

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

For sure! I had never really known anything about economics before, and had thought it was just a boring subject. But, I found it fascinating!

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, I did. From study buddy questions to discussion threads, I really enjoyed interacting with the other students. I also really enjoyed the games, where I got to interact and play with the other students. 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I think that any student who is interested in how societies work would enjoy and do well in this course. Yes, I would recommend it! It is hard work, but Dr. Richman provides so many support materials, that you will be well prepared if you study well!

Great Macro Course - Felt Very Prepared

Posted by Juliana Castillo on 07/06/2020

This was a wonderful, no-nonsense AP Macro course. The workload was balanced very well, so that we didn't do an inordinate amount of work throughout the semester (I probably spent 5 hours, occasionally more, per week) but still felt very prepared by the time we got to the exam. There were no "fluff" assignments - everything was directly targeted to the exam and a greater understanding of macro. Dr. Richman is excellent at indicating exactly what knowledge we need to understand macroeconomics and succeed on the AP exam so that we don't waste any time on less pertinent areas. 

As someone who learns through doing, I really benefited from the course format. There were several essays that really helped me internalize the concepts in the class, as well as multiple-choice problems for extra practice. The course grading is heavily participation-oriented, so incoming students should be prepared to log in every day to get in practice and prep. 

In terms of the material itself, I found this course to be one of the less challenging compared to other AP courses I've taken on PAH (10). The concepts were all very intuitive for me and I find the exam FRQs nearly as difficult as some other courses. This would be a great beginner course for someone who doesn't have much experience with APs, or a great course to take alongside other APs from PAH. As long as you're willing to put in good effort consistently throughout the year, you'll be confident in your knowledge and ability by the time the AP exam rolls around. 

My favorite class this year!!

Posted by Ilinca Drondoe on 06/06/2020

I can say, without an ounce of doubt, that AP Macroeconomics was my favorite class this year! Dr. Richman was an amazing teacher and he created a curriculum with the perfect balance between learning new content, preparing for the exam, applying economics to real life situations, and getting to know classmates through games and simulations! I really enjoyed the structure of the class and had a lot of fun throughout it. Additionally, Dr. Richman was available almost every day for office hours where we could ask him any questions we had. 

I felt very prepared for the exam, especially given that we began doing exam practice quite early. Dr. Richman incorporated review into the classwork, and there were also facets of the course website that helped me solidify my exam knowledge, such as the Random MCQ page and the forum on which we could post/answer economics questions from other students. On average, I put around 8-12 hours per week into the course, logging in to the website each weekday for homework and extra practice. The pace and distribution of the homework worked very well for me, but for any students who have certain days of the week occupied entirely (such as with a co-op) it's important to know that the homework is sectioned so that assignments have to be done every weekday. 

This course definitely enhanced my interest in/understanding of economics! One of my favorite type of assignment were the essays on current events, during which I was able to analyze aspects of the news or international affairs through an economics lens. I enjoyed delving into Brexit, Venezuela's economic crisis, Japan's "Abenomics," Nigeria's currency and exchange rates, and the effectiveness of the carbon tax during some of my class essays! I hope to study international relations in the future, so gaining knowledge of how economics ties into global affairs through AP Macro was an invaluable experience. 

Another great aspect of this class was the community! As students, we were able to interact on the course www board and post study buddy questions for each other. We also worked together in teams for the economics games, and had a pretty lively group chat! It was fun to get to know other homeschooled students from around the world.

I would recommend this course to other students without hesitation! You will learn so much and have fun while doing it. 

A Phenomenal class with a phenomenal teacher

Posted by Steven Trettel on 05/27/2020

I found this course to be one of the most challenging yet rewarding courses I've ever taken. The average week, I put in about 8 hours of work into this class. Between reading the textbook, working on assignments, and responding to people's essays the amount of time I spent on this class varied from 8 to 10 hours, but it usually stayed at the 8 hour mark. I really enjoyed everything about this class, but I think my favorite assignments were the analytical essays from the first half of the course. Back then, I didn't know as much about economics so trying to piece what I knew into a coherent argument was very rewarding. Dr. Richman even provides a link to a website which will publish certain essays written in this class. This course gave me an extreme interest in the subject of macroeconomics! I understand the basics enough to form my own views over economic policy and engage in thoughtful informed discussions with people who disagree with me. I found that Dr. Richman's method of teaching encouraged interaction and community building between the different students in this class. Bonus points are given out for making rebuttals on other people's essays and respectful debates are encouraged! I found my time working with some of the other students in the different economics games very enjoyable! By the end of the class, I felt that I had a firm understanding of all the economic concepts covered and felt decently prepared for the exam. The fact that everything was on line this year threw me off, but I still felt ready. I would recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn about economics. Some advice, however, take lots of notes so you can review them at the end of class, make sure you understand and internalize the different equations and multipliers taught, and finally, be ready to disagree with people. You will not come out of this class knowing "which side of economics is right" but you will be given enough information to come to your own conclusions. However, Dr. Richman offers up a very unbiased stance on all economic issues, making sure both sides get equal focus. Because of this, a student taking this class must be ready to come to different conclusions than other students and debate with them respectfully. That's part of the fun! Overall, this was a very worthwhile class and one that will influence my life for a long time.

Course Review for Macroeconomics

Posted by Spencer Min on 05/25/2020

This course was definitely one of my favorites in high school. You learn a ton in this course, and I definitely recommend taking it. The games are super fun as well!

I spent probably 45 minutes a day/5 times a week in this class. I didn't think that the course load was too heavy. 

I highly recommend this course! 

Excellent Course

Posted by Jacob Zampino on 05/23/2020

AP Macroeconomics with Dr. Richman was a great experience. I already had an interest in economics, but this course expanded my exposure, and Dr. Richman made our study fascinating and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the economic games we played. Despite the exam changes due to Covid-19, I felt fairly prepared for the AP exam. I felt extremely prepared for the full unofficial AP exam we took(which was a typical exam, not the updated online format). Dr. Richman was always quick to communicate, answer questions, grade assignments, etc. His extensive knowledge and experience became more and more apparent as the year progressed. I'm so grateful to have been able to learn from Dr. Richman and I can say with full confidence that this course will serve me well as I continue my education. While this course required a significant time commitment, I would highly recommend it to students who are motivated and want to truly understand Macroeconomics. 

Fun class!

Posted by Rachel Shey on 05/23/2020

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Absolutely!  Although I did not take the exam due to the way my university counts credits, I felt that I could definitely take on the exam with the review materials Dr. Richman provided.  

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I would say about 10-11 hrs a week.  This class generally took me way longer than I anticipated because of the daily Random MCQs and the Study Buddy Qs, as well as the daily game rounds.  It was one of the most time-intensive courses I've taken, asides from AP World History (with Mrs. Smith, in 2017-18).  

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I LOVED the games.  They were so fun, and even though I didn't always win, it was really educational and entertaining to work my brain around the rules and how the game worked and the winning strategies.  

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely, I now see macroeconomics in the news everywhere. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Discussion with classmates was not a huge part of this class, but I enjoyed interacting with classmates in the games and commenting on each other's essays.  Shoutout to Camilla F and Christina R!  

I can see the the group aspect of the games can be frustrating if your teammates are not cooperative/communicative, but I was fortunate to have really motivated, conscientious teammates in all of the group oriented games.  

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Motivated students who enjoy writing and history will do well in this course! If you're someone who loves playing games, you will really enjoy this class.   

 

This course will greatly increase your human capital.

Posted by Nate K on 05/22/2020

I felt mostly prepared for the exam. I had the basics down quite well, but Macroeconomics has very many details to learn. That said, the course will prepare you if you read all the material assigned and participate in the simulation games. The simulation games were by far my favorite part of the class - particularly the Economic Warfare game. These simulations were particularly valuable because I got to see the macroeconomic consequences of my actions in the simulation. It really cemented the material in my mind.
I put about seven hours of work a week into the course. Looking back, my appreciation for economics has grown tremendously as a result of spending that much time figuring out the details of economic thought.
Communication with other students was integral to successful simulation game play. That was quite interesting. With the business game, for example, you have to buy or sale burgers to other classmates. That required a great deal of communcation. 
Any self-motivated student would do well in this course. Just read all the material and have good study habits and you'll be fine! I definitely would recommend this course to other students!

Excellent Class

Posted by Zak Stevenson on 05/20/2019

Before I took this class, I thought economics was supposed to be a boring subject, and I certainly wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between macroeconomics and microeconomics. I didn't expect this to be such an interesting class! Dr. Richman laid out a very good course and made learning all those terms and graphs relatively easy and fun.

My favorite assignments in this class had to be the games and the essays about economics in the news. The most helpful assignments were the essays from past AP exams; they really helped me prepare for the AP exam. The workload is manageable; the days with textbook reading took me around two to three hours to complete (depending on the chapter's length) and I spent between and hour and an hour and a half on most other days.

This class gave me a newfound appreciation for macroeconomics, and I find myself talking about why the government or the Federal Reserve should/shouldn't do something rather frequently. Dr. Richman thoroughly covered everything on the AP exam, so there were no surprises. Dr. Richman is also an excellent teacher and is extremely quick to issue grades and answer questions. If you want to learn about how the economy works or just something interesting to learn about, I'd say this is a good course for you.

AP Macroeconomics

Posted by Forest Yang on 05/20/2019

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I felt the class really prepared me for the AP exam. There wasn't anything on the exam that wasnt covered in class, although I did forget some of the material. So for anyone who takes this class, make sure to review before the exam cause I didnt and that was kinda a mistake.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I probably put in about an hour or so each day so about five hours a week or so on the course material. There are games however that can take up more time if you want to be more involved in them which I would encourage because they're a lot of fun. 

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

This course definitely has enhanced my interest in economics. I've come to realize economics isnt necessarily a super complex and math filled course. Its really more of learning genral principles and ways of thinking that can be applied even in daily life and used when reading the news.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

My mom was able to find a cheap second hand copy of the textbook so that was nice and worked out well for me. However, I also did use the online copy since that was more convenient to reference when I was working on short answer questions. 

My Class Review

Posted by Ryan Myers on 06/01/2018

This class prepared me very well for the AP exam. It covered all of the content that I needed to know for the exam. From September to February, I put in about ninety minuntes a day of work. During the second half, I worked about thirty minutes a day. My favorite assignments were the essays toward the beginning of the year where you looked at real world events and explained it from an economist's perspective. For example, I wrote a paper about the increase in GPU prices and why that occurred. I would recommend this course to all other students because of how important it is to have at least a basic understanding of economic principals. 

An Absolute Blast

Posted by Justin Peterson on 05/28/2018

Before I go off about how much I anjoyed this class, I'll answer the more objective questions.

I feel like the class did a very good job at preparing you for the test. The class mostly ends after the first sememster (since a lot of people also take Micro Economics), so you need to make sure you do some reviewing, but the class lays down an expremely good foundation. When taking the tests, I saw nothing that I hadn't seen before in the class, and the practice essays made me familiar with how to answer the FRQ questions.

I put, on average, maybe 1-2 hours a day in. On some days, such as monday, the assignments would often relatively short, but other days I would have to work more.

I can't really pick out a favorite part of this course.

This class definitely enhanced my interests. I'd learned very little about economics before this, and it was very interesting. It's intersting because you can never memorize ever situation that could be presented to you (when real world examples are used, of course there's a near limitless amount of scenarios they could present), so you really just need to understand the concepts.

Communication with other students was a large part of this class. If you have a question, you can post it on the WWW board, and you often get more than enough clarification. The games make communication very important, and are very enjoyable as well. The Studdy Buddy Question are also a blast. SBQs are questions that students can write to help other students review. This year, there were a large amount of jokes that were made in the SBQs, since you can go off on large tangents, or present strange situations, so long as you tie in an economics question. I had a TON of fun with this. It was often the highlight of my school day, and I always looked forward to writing my SBQ for the day (you can post one each school day).

I think a student who enjoys interacting with other students would enjoy this class. I would highly recommend this class.

I used an online version of the textbook for the vast majority of the time. I had a paper copy, since my sister also took this class and she got a paper copy, but usually it was easier to just use the online version.

I think the part I enjoyed the most about this class was all the interaction with other students you did. Lot's of inside jokes were made, and the SBQs were so fun, it can hardly be considered school. There was a large amount of jokes that were made, and I really cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this class.

Also, if any prospetive students reading this take this class, I have on last thing to say: If you hear anything about Elmo, do not question it. That was a result of a joke that got taken very, very far (by yours truly). It's probably beest to not question it.

AP Macroeconomics Review

Posted by Nathan D'Silva on 05/23/2018

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I definitely feel that the course prepared me for the exam. Going in, I was very confident about my answers and I had extra time at the end to review and correct some obvious mistakes. I had all of the key concepts nailed down and was ready for anything (economics-related) that they threw at me.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Generally, I spent WAY too much time on this course: about 15-17 hours a week. I couldn't help myself because it was so fun and interesting. The assignments took a while, about 5 hours a week, but the games and study-buddy questions were amazing. While your experience may vary, our study-buddy questions (where we post economic questions for our classmates to try) quickly devolved from exam-like questions to questions about Dora, Elmo, and in my case my cat; but throughout all of them were hidden economic concepts that you needed to know to get the correct (and occasionally unintuitive) answer. It was tons of fun.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The games. The four different games were great. I (with a background in computer coding) immediately saw that they were not so much games of skill, as puzzles. In each one I tried to solve the puzzle of how exactly the game worked by making spreadsheets, formulas, and calculations to figure out what the optimal strategy was. By the end of it I understood not only how things reacted to changes in the economy, but also why. It was a terrific experience.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Very much so! Before this course, the extent of my knowledge of economics was "Maybe it has something to do with money?", now I can follow trends in the real world! If you hear that tariffs are being imposed on Asian countries, how will that affect your chances of being hired, or how much interest you'll earn on your savings deposit? I sure didn't know before this course, and now it's amazing as my own predictions come true!

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

From the very first game, you needed to find someone to sell you burgers. Who's selling them? Your classmates! From this initial seed we all began to know each other better, and we connected through the class discussion boards, chat room, and even Google Hangouts!

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I would definitely recommend this course to not only people who are interested in economics, but even just to people who are curious about how the world works. If you're willing to put in some effort, this is definitely a good option for an AP course.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I mostly used the online copy of the textbook, and i worked really well for me. Aside from saving a small portion of a tree, it was also easier to find key terms by searching for them.

 

This was an amazing course, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an inquisitive mind and is willing to work har

Class Review

Posted by Fara Ling on 05/23/2018

Take this class! AP Macro is one of the most fascinating (and also one of my favorite) classes I've taken in high school! The material is absolutely relevant to the workings of the government/country's economy and current news about budgets, trade, job opportunities, economic growth, and much more. This course is a good fit if you're willing to work hard, put effort into interactive assignments, and are interested in economics or analyzing current events. 

I felt more than prepared for the AP exam – although you'll get plenty of FRQ and MCQ practice in class, I also completed at least 1 FRQ from the CollegeBoard a week and some additional MCQs from Barrons' review book before the exam. 

Did this course enhance my interest in macroeconomics? Undoubtedly. The games and essays are engaging and interactive, which I loved. This class is highly discussive and interactive; be prepared to put in that effort to engage with your classmates if you want to keep your grades up. Also, actively participating in responding to classmates' essays and coordinating game moves with your teammates is a sure way to get the most out of the course :). To students who prefer minimal interaction, this class might not be a good fit because the games (and to a lesser extent responding to essays) do take up a fair amount of time. SAQs, RMCQs, and SBQs may seem repetitive at first, but honestly, that really helped the concepts stick in my mind. Personally, though, I especially liked the first semester's essay (current events, great/poor economists) assignments and the team games. Overall, it's an excellently crafted course. 

We had exceptional TAs as well – they were always available if we had questions. 

I spent about 8-10 hours a week on this course. I used the online copy of the RT textbook (Kindle version, to be precise). The Kindle version allowed me to annotate and highlight portions of text and bookmark pages, which I find to be next best to reading a printed copy.

Rigorous and engaging class!

Posted by Sebastian Anastasi on 05/22/2018

This course was great on so many levels!

I definitely felt well prepared for the AP exam. The multiple choice questions went smoothly and I knew everything I needed to do on the free response questions. 

The fact that we went over text, video lectures, and short "digestible" youtube videos, made it so that if you didn't understand the concept during the one of those three, you were bound to get it in one of the others. 

The regular multiple choice question practice and free response questions that we did for practice prepared me for exactly what I would need to do on the exam. 

And of course, I would be remiss not to state how enjoyable the class has been! Through the "Current Event" economics essays we wrote, we got to experience economics in a very real world and exciting form. And through the economics games, we further explored the concepts we were learning in class in a competitive and interesting activity. 

At the end of the course, not only did I feel prepared for the exam, my interest in the field of economics was sparked. It is something I will certainly consider majoring in at college.  

Many thanks to Dr. Richman! 

Superb class!

Posted by Nina on 05/16/2018

This class prepared me incredibly well for the AP exam. This was the only course where I didn't really feel the need to study, (not that I recommend this course in general) because I was confident in the material and felt that I really understood what I needed to know. The review Dr. Richman provided as part of the course was enough.

I probably spent five hours a week on the reading (I used the online textbook, a decision I didn't mind most of the time. It would have been nice to be able to carry the textbook around, though), lecture, and basic assignments (a bit more when we started doing two essays a week), and then my time on the games varied. I'm competitive enough that I was spending another couple hours a week on the games. (For the Business game, it was an extra hour a day for two weeks as a wholesaler, much, much less as a retailer). 

The essays from previous AP exams were probably the most valuable assignment in terms of preparing me for the AP exam. My favorite part of the course, however, was the games. :) 

This course did enhance my interest in Macroeconomics, or economics in general. I wanted to take AP Macro because I was fascinated with behavioral economics, and this course provided me with a lovely understanding of the terms and concepts in the books I was reading, as well as a more thorough economics education overall.

I'd highly recommend this course to anyone, including those who aren't super interested in economics. The games make it fun and are an excellent way to learn the concepts that make up a hefty portion of the AP exam. :)

If you want to get a 5, take this class!

Posted by Raleigh Loughman on 07/15/2017

1. Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! I felt EXTREMELY well prepared for the AP Macroeconomics Exam (I scored a 5 on both Macro and Micro)! The material is drilled into your brain from day 1. There was not any topic on the AP test that we had not covered in this class. 

2. How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I put in around 10-15 hours of work per week for this class! 

3. Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I found the essays very valuable! After Thanksgiving, you start writing essays that are very similar to the FRQ's on the real exam! Writing these essays helped me out a TON! On the actual exam, I found that I had enough time to add graphs to my responses even if the question did not ask for them! 

7. Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the paper copy of the textbook, and I took notes in the margins! 

Overall, this is one of the best classes that I have ever taken! I highly, highly reccomend it if you want to score well on the AP Macro Exam!

 

 

Class Review 2016-2017

Posted by Charlie Hunt on 07/06/2017

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Definitely. I recieved a 5 on the exam. The course was very thorough and there was nothing on the exam that we didn't cover in the class. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

About 12 or 13 hours for a normal week.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? 

I really loved all the economics games. They helped me understand and apply economics to more "real world" situations. 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes! At the beginning of the course I was on the fence about majoring in economics; by the end, I was certain economics was the right major for me. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I had a great time playing economic games, chatting about current world events, and reading over each others papers with my classmates. Even though this is an online course, the communication with my classmates was still very valuable.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I would certainly recommend this class to other students. Everyone should know a little bit of economics! There's a good deal of writing involved—in the first semester an essay every other week— and lots of textbook work. However, we also played loads of economic games and had fun watching TT lectures. 

• Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

 I used a paper copy. Getting the paper copy was just a lot easier for me since I don't always was access to a cumputer.

 

Excellent Economics Class!

Posted by Paige Cohen on 05/14/2017

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, Dr. Richman provided many excellent resources -- textbook reading, videos, lectures, essays -- all of which were great preparation for the actual AP exam.  As with all AP classes, it is important to take special time at the end of the year to study on your own, outside of regular assignments.  I probably should have spent more time studying than I did (oops!), but I'm confident that, thanks to Dr. Richman, I will receive a solid score. 

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put about 5 hours into the course per week. 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? 

I found the essay assignments from past years' exams to be extremely helpful.  The FRQ section of the actual exam seemed very familiar after writing these essays in class. 

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Not really.  I don't think I will be continuing my study of economics in college, but this class did give me a profound appreciation for how economic principles affect the world.  

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? 

I enjoyed working in teams with other students on the course games (scroll down to some of the other reviews to learn more about these).  Beyond this, I didn't interact very much with the other students, but many other students in the class were active on the class discussion board.  There always seemed to be a lively conversation going on on some part of the class website. 

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

To succeed in this course, a student really just needs the diligence to stay on top of class assignments.  Dr. Richman has a very clear course plan and as long as a student does the daily work on time, he or she will do well.  The material is pretty accessible, and Dr. Richman is always available to answer questions. 

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the paper copy of the textbook and thought it was a great resource.  All of the basic economic concepts were explained in clear terms.  

AP Macro Review

Posted by Catherine Garton on 05/12/2017

Overall, this was an excellent class, and I would recommend it to anyone considering taking macroeconomics.

 

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, definitely. By the AP exam comes around, you will be ready for everything. The way the class is set up, you will be doing multiple choice questions every day (so they become second nature), and free response questions twice a week. The exam will feel extremely familiar when you get there!

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

It depends how long it takes you to read a full chapter of the economics textbook. That was the most time-consuming aspect of the class for me, and you kind of have to complete it in one day (Tuesday, the due date). This was the only part of the class that I didn't enjoy, because it forced me to do all the reading in a single day, and Tuesday was already my busiest day of the week. Plus, I don't learn as well from a textbook as I do from a lecturing teacher. BUT it worked out fine in the end, as soon as I figured out how to be efficient in my reading. For the most part, aside from Tuesday, I only had to spend about an hour per day on this class, and you get weekends off.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The econ games are a lot of fun!! I think they were my favorite part. I also found some of the current events essays to be valuable. My one tip: really do your homework when it comes to the Economic Warfare game. It will teach you everything you need to know about FOREX, which comes up a lot on the exam.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely. I didn't really know what economics entailed before starting this class, but now I have a real appreciation for the huge role it plays in our lives.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the online version we were provided, but I wished I had a hard copy. I hate reading on the computer (it hurts my eyes after a while), and I find it more distracting. Plus, if I was ever out of the house and didn't have internet, I couldn't reach my textbook! I would recommend either buying a hard copy of the textbook (if it's available) or downloading the file as a PDF so that you can access it on your computer whenever you need it.

 

Like I said before, this was an excellent class, and it will prepare you really well for the AP exam. I recommend it!

Great class!!

Posted by Grace Pawelczyk on 05/11/2017

This is a great class!! I highly recommend it for any student. I came into the class with nearly no economic knowledge, but I have learned so much. With the economic games, practice MCQs, SAQs, and FRQs, Dr. Richman's class prepares you very well for the AP Macroeconomics exam. Dr. Richman is a great teacher!!

Review Of AP Macro 2016-2017

Posted by Wyatt Eichholz on 05/10/2017

Overall, this was a great class! I learned a lot about economics, enjoyed the material and games, and was even asked by friends taking other AP Macro courses for study help!

Economics and public policy had been issues that have always interested me, but before I took this class I didn't have a very good knowledge of how everthing in the economic world fit together. For example, in order to compete in Extemporaneous Speaking through NCFCA, I got a subscription to the Economist. The problem was that whenever they would actually talk about the relationship between things like GDP, inflation, interest rates, bonds, currency, and trade, I would read blankly without much idea of how they actually fit together.

Fortunately, those just happen to be topics covered in AP Macroeconomics! AP Macro truly provides the framework and context needed to understand the majority of economic-related issues in the news.

Now, trying to learn how all of the major economic forces in the world today work is no slight undertaking, and the course work reflects that! This is class is not tought like a live or virtual classroom, where everyone logs on and watches live lectures. The majority of the raw content is tought through recorded lectures, reading assignments, and short answer questions. To solidify the material there are bi-weekly essays in the beginning of the term, and twice-a-week free response assignments near the end of the year. That can seem like a lot, but that is not where it ends.

The most engaging part of this course is the games! The games give the students a chance to experience the economic concepts first hand by putting them at the helm. Often, that entails installing them as dictators of their own country and giving them power to control certain variables of the economy. The program does the rest and calculates the results of your moves, telling you whether your investments paid off and your economy is now the wealthiest, or if your country had been raided, your capital had been destroyed, and your people had rioted. The games last for two week segments, and are usually played twice, so you have a chance to get the feel of things.

The material combined with the games does take a significant amount of time, however. Expect to spend at least an hour and a half a day reading the text and planning your moves. 

With regards to the actual exam, I felt very prepared. I came out of the class with a firm grasp of how the key aspects of the economy function, and how to articulate the relationships between them. Over the course of the class, you get extensive practice answering free response questions, taking multiple choice quizes, and drawing graphs.

Overall, I would highly recommend this course to anyone who has ever read the news and asked any of the following questions:

"Why is communism bad?"

"When demand goes up, supply goes down, right?"

"What if a country could only produce guns and butter?"

"Why is literally everthing made in China?"

"What's the big deal about Brexit? There was already a Grexit, wasn't there?"

Or questions like this:

"What does tight monetary policy mean?"

"If inflation is bad, why do countries set inflationary targets? Isn't inflation caused by just printing money?"

"What does the interest rate really do?"

"How does the dollar get weaker and stronger?"

(I can't be the only one who has asked these, can I? Oh.)

 

Well, even if you haven't asked those questions, this class is still a must. It is crucial that as an individual who buys stuff, does work, and in general participates in the economy, you understand what is really going on. It is important that you learn what actions a govenrment might take, and how those would affect you. And most importantly, it is important that you learn what it feels like to haggle for the cheapest veggie burgers out there so that you can become: THE BURGER KING.

I learned a LOT

Posted by Caroline W on 05/10/2017

I came in with almost no economic knowledge and I learned SO much. I felt prepared today however when it came to essays there was a lot of terminologies I didn't recognize which created a challenge. During the semester when the class I spent about 1 1/2 to 2 hours on the work. During the second semester, I spent usually 30 minutes on reviewing. The random MCQs were SUPER helpful as were the SBQs. It made me really know the material in order to make the SBQ. The course definitely got me more interested in economics and I will probably take a class or two at college.

To be successful you have to take the class seriously.  It's not an easy class or a quick class, but it is very valuable. It is VERY hard to catch up if you are behind so I would say the person has to be willing to make every effort to stay on top of the work...but it is a good prep for college! I used the online copy of the textbook and it worked very well!

I would definitely recommend this class!

 

AP MACRO!!!

Posted by Stephen Wolf on 05/10/2017

AP Macroeconomics with Dr. Richman is one of my favorite classes I have ever taken.  Instead of being just another class, Macro with Dr. Richman was a really cool way to learn economics and have fun while doing so.  I genuinely enjoyed waking up every morning with the thought of getting to start on the day's homework for Macro.  

AP Macro definitely prepared me for the AP Exam.  Nearly every week in the fall I put in about 15-16 hours of work for this class even though I didn't need to because, again, I really enjoyed it.  Dr. Richman's fun approach coupled with the TT lectures, RT readings, and economics games really helped me not just to learn macroeconomics, but also to understand it.  

In my opinion, this is a course that will peak the interests of most high school students who want to take economics.  This is why I think that any student who is willing to put in even just the minimum amount of time on this class will find themselves going above and beyond their own expectations and will do really well in the course.  On the other hand, those who are not willing to even try to succeed in the course will probably not enjoy it like I have.  

Overall, it was an excellent course that kept me engaged and craving more economics (which is why after it was over in January, I started Microeconomics with Mr. Burns, another class I would highly recommend).  

Awesome Class!!

Posted by Andrew Joyner on 05/30/2016

1. Yes I felt very prepared for the AP exam. There was not anything on the test that I felt like we had not covered in class.

2. I generally put about an hour a day depending on the assignment, the essay days took longer.

3. I really enjoyed the essay assignments. They were a way to creatively show off what we had learned so far. AND OF COURSE THE GAMES WERE AWESOME TOO!!

4. Yes. Coming into this course, I knew virtually nothing about economics. Afterwards, I am considering a major in economics.

5. Yes. Getting to discuss the topics we were studying with the classmates was a very enriching experience.

6. I would definitely recommend this class. Dr. Richman is a great (and fun) teacher! To do well in this class you have to be self-motivated!!

7. I used the online textbook and there were no problems at all.

Please, do yourself a favor and take this class.

Posted by Corinne Ebner on 05/23/2016

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

The class definitely gave me all the tools I needed to succeed on the exam - we did tons of practice FRQs after Thanksgiving, plus three full MCQ sections, and the whole-class chat right before the test was extremely helpful. I was very confident heading into the exam room, and none of the questions really gave me any trouble.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Usually I didn't spend more than an hour and a half a day on this class, maybe an hour or two longer when there was a long essay due. The longest I ever spent in a week was probably nine or ten hours, give or take.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

Obviously, the economics games were amazing and very informative. I think the investment game was probably my favorite; it was also really helpful in understanding the effect of interest rates and other factors on investment. Other than that, I'd have to say the research essays were extremely interesting and even (dare I say it?) fun, particularly the one where we had to suggest economic reforms for various countries facing difficulties.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely. The resources we used and the projects we completed were very intriguing to me, and even though I hardly knew anything about economics before I took this class, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the subject, so much so that I'm now considering minoring or even majoring in economics when I go to college.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I certainly learned so much from my fellow classmates, and there were plenty of opportunities for interaction and discussion. I particularly appreciated the requirement of commenting on other peoples' essays, which gave the students an opportunity to share their views on both the essays and their topics and resulted in several good discussions and plenty of constructive criticism. Also, even though I didn't post that often on the WWW Board, I made a point of always getting on and looking through what others had posted about the issues under discussion. And of course, who wouldn't enjoy haggling with burger wholesalers during the business game? ;)

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Honestly, I think everyone who has a desire to learn about something that really matters to everyone, or is interested in government and/or global connections, or just wants to understand newspaper headlines should take this class. Seriously, this stuff is relevant to pretty much everything, and it's extremely important to understand what actually goes on with the economy. But you won't get very far if you don't have a will to learn - some of it's difficult, and you need to want to understand and apply what you read in the textbook.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the online textbook only, and I think that was a good choice for me. I liked being able to search the page for the topic I was looking for, and I also loved that you could download it to your computer if you knew you weren't going to have internet access.

AP Macroeconomics

Posted by Isaiah Garner on 05/22/2016

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

For the most part, yes. The only thing I didn't feel prepared for was a free response question about the short-run and long-run Philips Curve. I know we learned about the Philips Curve, but it didn't feel like we spent very much time on it.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I usually spent between 8-10 hours a week. 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I love all of the games. In particular, the economic warfare game helped a lot. I had trouble understanding how foreign exchange markets worked and how appreciation and depreciation of currency affected the economy. The game did an excellent job helping me understand.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes. Most of the students were very intelligent and discussed their point of view well.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I think someone who has a natural curiosity for how the different countries of the world interact with each other would do well. I would highly recommend this course to anyone I think would enjoy it.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the online copy, which worked well. I  copied and pasted it into a Word Document so I could keep track of where I was better. Overall, I thought the textbook was excellent.

Economics!

Posted by Jackson Min on 05/17/2016

This was a really interesting course. I felt that it prepared me fairly well for the exam and was a lot of fun. I spent around 1-2 hours a day on this class and the work wasn't overly difficult – though it did help me learn the subject. I would recommend that if you take this class you do remember to refresh your memory a few times during the second half of the year (where there aren't many assignments scheduled. During the first half, definitely do a lot of random MCQs – that really helped lock the concepts down! Overall, I enjoyed the course and would recommend it to a wide variety of students!

Awesome Class!

Posted by Natalie on 05/17/2016

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, absolutely. I felt confident going into the exam, and I don't know how I could have been better prepared.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I would say I spent about an hour a day on average on this class. When we had an essay due I would spend a little more time, but that would be the average.

Are there any paricularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

Literally any of the economics games - probably the burger game if I had to pick one. It's one thing to learn the terms and graphs in a textbook, it's another thing to be able to directly apply that knowledge in a hands-on and fun way. I probably learned more from those games than from any other assignment in the class.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? 

Definitely. I came in not knowing a whole lot about the field of economics, and, coming out, I'm thinking of pursuing a minor in economics.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, I'd say so. Every so often we'd be teamed up with other students for the econ. games, and it was cool to have people to strategize with.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students?

Any student who is willing to work hard and apply his or herself would do well in this class. I would abolutely recommend this course to other students - even those who don't think they would like economics! It's such an important and valuable subject, and I think anyone could benefit from learning more about it. 

Great Class

Posted by Anthony Borgese on 05/16/2016

The class did a great job of giving me an in-depth understanding of the material.  Dr. Richman was great at making sure the students succeeded.  I would highly reccomend this class.

Thomas Borgese Review

Posted by Thomas Borgese on 05/14/2016

I thought that the course was well-organized and rigorous. The material was challenging and left me well prepared for the AP exam. The games were fun but still taught me important lessons about economics. Overall I enjoyed the course and would highly recommend it to other students. 

AP Macroeconomics Course Review

Posted by Devin Quinn on 05/13/2016

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? Absolutely! My confidence grew as the course progressed, and by exam time I felt like I could ace the exam blindfolded. I didn't come across anything on the exam that I was unfamiliar with or was not covered in the course, so I absolutely have to give this course high marks for preparing me.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? My classwork hours varied depending on what assignments were coming up, especially since I was taking another AP course. On average, my schedule was probably 1-2 hours per weekday. After Thanksgiving, that rose to roughly 2 hours per day. The workload was always challenging but manageable.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? Ah, the business games. So fun, and also valuable in illustrating important concepts. In the description of the rules for every game, Dr. Richman always made sure to explain how the particulars of each game related to what we'd been learning. Did I mention that these games were fun? Not "this assignment isn't that bad" fun, but "hey, this is really fun" fun.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? Absolutely. Now I voluntarily seek out economic headlines or developments and consider them through the lens of what I've learned. I'm probably not going into an economics-related field, but the foundation I've learned will certainly help me throughout my life.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? Yep, extremely so. It felt like one big studying family, basically. I might go so far to say that interacting with the other students was the best part of the course.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? Diligent, self-motivated, inquisitive students will excel in this course. To anybody who has at least two of those qualities, I would absolutely recommend this course. Not particularly interested in economics? Doesn't matter. Take this course, you will be.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out? I used only the online textbook, and it worked perfectly. Unless you have technological issues, I don't think it's necessary at all to acquire the paper version, since the online version is, of course, completely free and easily accessible.

 

 

 

Awesome Macroeconomics class!!!

Posted by Davis D Cousar on 05/13/2016

Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics class was a really great experience. I would highly recommend it to any student who wants to learn about politics, international relations, or just economics in general. You really get a great intro into the world of foreign exchange, fiscal and monetary policy, and political economy. The course helped me to finally understand all of the articles in the wall street journal and economist that I used to think shared more resemblance to a foreign language than english! I guess what I am trying to say is that this course does far more than just prepare you for the AP exam (though it does that too!). It makes you a better citizen by teaching you what to look for in candidates economic plans, and it will inspire you to want to learn more about the world economy!

The course is difficult (I spent about 2 hours a day on assignments), and it requires discipline, but if you put your mind to it, then you can easily succeed in the course. I would definitely recommend reading the chapter assignments 2 or 3 times each. This took a lot of time durng the year, but I was really glad that I had done it when the AP exam came around. 

As far as being prepared for the AP exam, I was more confident walking into the AP Macro test than I have ever been for any other exam except maybe one other (I have taken 7). Dr. Richman taught us so well that the AP exam really felt easy in a sense. He provided us with so much practice that I wasn't surprised with anything on the exam. I should warn, though, that the course work ends in February, so students do need to be disciplined in continuing to review up until the exam in May. This isn't too hard, though, and it only really requires one hour a day. 

My favorite assignment was definitely when we had to write an essay advising any government how to increase their economic growth. I chose Turkey and felt that President Ergodan should have appointed me to the Turkish cabinet after I was done. It was also really fun to read some of my fellow student's essays about economic growth prescriptions in countries such as Iran, China, Russia, etc. It was almost as if our class could have become the economic ministers of countries around the globe. 

I used the online version of the textbook and really enjoyed it. If you are thinking about this course, then by all means sign up! It has been integral to by growth as a student, and has really spurred my interest in the world's globalized economy. 

Excellent Class

Posted by Eliot Cha on 05/09/2016

Dr. Richman is one of the best teachers I ever had the pleasure to work with. He does an excellent job teaching his students through fun and interactive games. He makes every effort to ensure participation by emailing and reminding his students of upcoming tests and homework.

Terrific Class

Posted by Madison Gibson on 05/09/2016

     First of all, if you are like me and nervous about taking an AP class in a subject that you may know nothing about, this class may be for you. Dr Richman has organized a meticulous, intriguing, comprehensible and progressive AP Macroeconomics course, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Through captivating games, interesting lectures, memorizing graphs, in-depth conversations with other students and essays, this class will help you both understand and appreciate the sometimes complicated subject of Macroeconomics.

     While this course may be fascinating, it is also difficult. On average, I spent about 2 hours a day either watching lectures, taking notes and completing the subsequent quizzes (which were fairly straightforward, and you are usually allowed to refer to your notes during them) or writing the assigned essays/drawing the assigned graphs. The beginning of the year may seem overwhelming, but I recommend reviewing Dr. Richman's provided syllabus and writing what assignments are due when on a personal calendar. There are also several daily requirements such as answering multiple choice questions to earn points, posting thoughts about other people's essays and responding to comments on your own essay, making game moves and writing observations of Macroeconomic occurrences in current affairs on a class WWW Board that you may want to write on a calendar to remind yourself about. Because of all the quizzes and lectures, I recommend beginning this class a week before Dr. Richman's official start. That way, when quizzes become difficult or maybe you run out of time in your school day, you'll have some flexibility before things are officially due. I began a week early, and I probably wouldn't have done as well in this class if I hadn't. 

      And be forewarned, this class definitely becomes more challenging after Christmas break around February. During some months of this class, you will be required to write two essays, watch/read two lectures and take their respective quizzes, make game moves/strategies and still maintain all the daily questions/posts every week. But, after about April, everything will calm down and you'll be glad you worked through the hard period of this class. If you begin to struggle in this class, Dr. Richman is pretty responsive to questions in the chat room or on the WWW board. Also, other students will most likely help you understand a concept if you write your questions on the WWW Board. Overall, I really enjoyed this class, and I feel very prepared for my upcoming AP test.

   

One of the Best Classes of my Life

Posted by Ryan Petersen on 06/16/2015

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics course more then prepared myself as well as my classmates for the AP exam. Throughout this course, he pushed us to open our minds to the different viewpoints in Economics and write objective essay for or against different viewpoints while using thorough terminology. On a weekly basis, we were writing 1-2 essays that were prompts from past AP exams to prepare ourselves for the questions that we would face on our exam. All in All, Dr. Richman's course was a phenominal experience not just to learn the world of economics, but to learn better understand how it communicates with the rest of the world and can bring people together.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

AP Macroeconomics is not for the faint of heart. It is a entry-level college course so the course work associated is of that standard. I spent 1-3 hours on average everyday either reading the amazing textbook, writing essays, posting or discussing questions to the whiteboard, or studying for the AP exam. Weekly, I would say 15 hours was the average I spent on everything in an average week. Some weeks are more than some depending on test weeks.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

Take full advantage of those FRQ Essays! They were the most useful when studying for the AP exams. Half the battle of the exam is being able to talk about and demonstrate a knowledge of the terms and concepts that you learned. If you can master this, then you will do just fine on the multiple-choice section of the exam.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

I walked into this course not wanting to be an Economist and walked out still not wanting to be an Economist. I know this seems a little anti-climatic, but it is for a good reason. Economics is not all about how shifts or changes in Aggregate Demand affect the Long-Run Aggregate Supply or Short-Run Aggregate Supply nor how interest rates can change Investment Demand or the Securities and Exchange Market. Even though it accounts for a large chunk, you also learn about individual business structures and strategies. I will be using all the concepts and terminology I learned in Dr. Richman's class to persue a dual degree in Healthcare Management and Genetic Biology. So, in a sense, yes, this course did enhance my interest in Healthcare Management.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

The absolute best place to learn is where you are brainstorming different ideas with fellow students. All the conversations and experiences I had with my fellow classmates made the course that much more interesting. From hearing different economic viewpoints on healthcare and foreign policy to debating the differences between Classical and Keynesian Economics, all the students involved taught me more than any textbook could.

What sort of student would do well in this course?

A student who is self-motivated and able to learn a whole new concept in an excellerated amount of time. Even though it will seem like you can't handle the amount of coursework and that the concepts are too overwhelming, just know that you can do it and there is always YouTube and Khan Academy.

Great class!!

Posted by Sarah Hempton on 05/29/2015

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?
•      I felt extremely prepared for the AP exam.  The MCQ's were a breeze after taking this class, and I just kept thinking back to the economics games!  Really great material presented in an interesting format.
• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?
•      I probably put in about 2 hours per day.  However, for large assignments, I usually spent much more time!
• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?
•      The economics games really helped me to integrate my knowledge!!  They really helped me to REMEMBER the material, not just learn it.
• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?
•      I didn't really care about economics before, but I definitely feel more interested in the subject.

Overall, Dr. Richman is an excellent teacher and I really enjoyed this class.  I felt very prepared for the AP exam.

Great class!

Posted by Haley Harrison on 05/26/2015

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

This course well-prepared me for the exam. Dr. Richman had so many resources and different ways for us to learn, and while it was a challenging course, it was rewarding. Macroecon became my favorite subject during my senior year. The week before the test, Dr. Richman gave overviews of what we needed to know, and all of the information was so appreciated because I was in pre-test freakout mode. Once I was in the testing room, I felt as if I were in my element, because I knew the material and how to present it.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put 4-5 hours per week; it depended on whether or not we had essays and how well I understood the week's material.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The essays and the graph assignments were invaluable. While I dislike writing in general, the essays really prepared me, and the graph assignments helped me to remember the graphs and draw them in my head when I needed to answer questions about them.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Very much so. I started this class with a rudimentary understanding of economics that I learned while watching econ videos from Hillsdale College's online resources. Now I am intend to study economics in college this year.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I do not usually interact online with people, so I didn't utilize the online interaction much. There were a few occasions, however, when communication with my classmates cleared up some confusion on my part of either econ concepts or class assignments.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

A student who is ready to work will excel in this class. Dr. Richman is an excellent teacher, and a student will learn if he or she works at it. I got behind in class work in December due to a family tragedy, but Dr. Richman worked with me, and I was able to catch up and still do well.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the online copy. There were times when I wished that I had a paper copy so I could bookmark it or underline concepts, but the online copy allowed me to search for key terms, so I recommend the online copy.

Any last tips?

Dr. Richman will probably have you watch ACDC Econ with Jacob Clifford (YouTube videos). He has playlists of units of Macro, and I recommend watching all of the videos. Also, do whatever Dr. Richman recommends to do before class starts, like the online Hillsdale College Econ 101 videos.

You will succeed in this class!

A Great Class!

Posted by C Peterson on 05/25/2015

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? - Yes, absolutely. I did use a couple of different outside resources during the second half of the year to cement everything I'd learned, but Dr. Richman's class created a great foundation in the material, and all I really had to do was take a step back to understand the big picture, and work on a few weak spots

 

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? - During the first half of the year, I put in maybe an hour and a half a day on average, depending on what that day's assignment was and how much work I needed to put in for the game. It's very manageable. During the second half I spent much less, maybe half an hour a weekday reviewing study material to solidify what I'd already learned.

 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? - I especially appreciated the daily multiple choice questions, the second-semester essays (which were released FRQs from previous years), and the YouTube videos Dr. Richman had us watch and answer questions about. There were only a few videos integrated into the class, but during the second half of the year I actually wound up using almost all of the Macro videos on that YouTube channel (ACDCLeadership) to study.

 

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? - Yes, definitely. I didn't even know what economics was before taking this class! I don't want to major in it or anything, but I'm definitely a lot more interested in how the economy works than I was before taking Macro. I'm considering adding AP Microeconomics to my class list next year, just because I want to learn the "second half" of economics!

 

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? - Yes. This is definitely the most interactive class I've ever taken, and it was really neat. I made a couple of friends during the games, two of which I'm still in contact with and one of whom I got to meet in person at the AP party. It was also very interesting reading through the debates about current issues such as minimum wage, Russian currency depreciation, sending workers to treat ebola, etc. There were a lot of different opinions both from economic and from human welfare standpoints, and it was neat to read about so many sides of the same issues.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? - Yes, I would definitely recommend this class! It's great for not only students interested in economics, but for anyone looking for a good social studies class. It's a great class for newer AP students who are afraid of the workload, because it stops altogether during the second half of the year, but also for older students taking multiple AP classes because it doesn't monopolize your school hours.

Anyone can do well in this class if they put their mind to it. The main issue is that you have to actually do the work, most of which is due on a day-to-day basis. If you do it, and you actually pay attention while you read the text, then you'll be golden. And if you need help, Dr. Richman and his TAs are always ready to dive in and keep going until you understand a concept.

 

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I mainly used the physical copy of the book for reading and studying, but I sometimes did word searches in the online textbook when I was answering short answer questions and couldn't find the answer to a question. This worked really well for me because I retain a lot more of what I read when I am holding a physical book.

Excellent Macroeconomics Quiz

Posted by cullen E Godbold on 05/21/2015

I believe that this course prepared me very well for the AP test. I have already recommended this course to one of my younger brothers.

Dr. Richman's Macroeconomics class

Posted by Donald Quinn IV on 05/19/2015

This course totally prepared me for the AP Exam. There are so many things Dr. Richman does to prepare you, from grading the real FRQs that you take(very helpful), to giving us very interesting essay topics throughout the year, and of course the famously fun and educational games(best part of the class). There are just so many opportunities and resources available in this class, and if you take advantage of them you can always at least know what the question on the AP exam is talking about, and almost always much more. 

I probably put in about 1-2 hours per day, but it usually went up to 4 when we were playing one of the addictively fun games, or I wanted to do some extra review. 

The games, as I'm sure everyone else is saying, were my favorite part of the course. Dr. Richman's knowledge of economics(and computer programming) really shined through, and the games were so fun and lifelike, you almost didn't realize you were learning AP material. 

I came into this course with only a basic understanding of supply and demand, but I found this material very interesting. I think Macroeconomics can help anybody who wants to be an informed voter and be able to understand what is happening with the economy. 

I communicated a lot with my classmates, especially with my teammates during the games as we talked strategy. If you had a question about that weeks material there was always someone willing to help you, and many parts of the course encouraged collaboration, like the Study Buddy questions. We also engaged in many lively political and economic debates(politics and economics go hand-in-hand), and even though I usually had a viewpoint differant from the majority of my classmates I never felt that our discussions got out of control; we were always very respectful and I can honestly say I learned from their arguments.

I did use the online textbook, mainly because it was free but also because it was easier to use when I was already studying on the computer. 

I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn business or finance, or who justs wants to be informed about what is happening in the economy, something I think everybody could use. This course does cover some complicated material, but if you work hard Dr. Richman's teaching will all but ensure a good or even great score on the AP exam. I took four AP exams this year, and this was the one I felt the most prepared for. And of course, even if you don't want to learn about business or how the economy works you should just take this course for the cool games!

Dr. Richamn's AP Macro is the BEST!

Posted by Summer Jefferson on 05/18/2015

I felt SO prepared for the AP exam, which is the best feeling in the world for a high school student! Dr. Richman has this class planned out to a 'T' so you learn everything you need to know for AP Macro -- from the graphs, to terminology, to getting all the points on FRQ's. Even after the class ended, he monitored the board ,and before the exam, I was able to call him and discuss questions I had one-on-one with him, which was especially useful for going over missed questions on the final.

I probably spent about 7 hours a week and maybe a little less time before Thanksgiving and before the post-Thanksgiving essays (FRQ's). Those FRQ's were invaluable. They really make sure that you know the different topics. I also liked the Short Answer Questions for the lectures and textbook readings because they make sure that you pay attention to important ideas. The youtube videos about the different topics and thier graphs were also useful. That's one thing that makes this class great is that you get videos, an audio lecture, and reading. Also, there are a lot of ways to earn extra credit like random mulitple choice questions where you get points for answering MCQ on topics you have studied thus far; study buddy questions, where a student posts a MCQ and another student responds (you both get points); and using vocab in essays and getting perfect scores on the post Thanksgiving FRQ essays.

I am definately more interested in Economics now! The other day I was in a cafe, picked up the Atlanta Journal Constitution and read an entire section on interest rates and economic growth with no problem! :) Everything I had learned in the class came in handy!

I think if the student does their work, tries hard, asks questions when they need to, and continues to review after the course ends in February, they can do well in the course and on the AP exam.

I used the paper copy of the text book because I like to highlight and underline important/ difficult to uunderstand things, so I can review them later, either before the midterm, final, or AP exam. I also find it a nice break to read from a paper textbook when you spend a lot of time at the computer for online classes and other assignments. It rests your eyes :)

I loved this course!

Posted by Caroline Kimbro on 05/18/2015

I didn't have a lot of knowledge about economics going into this course, but I truly enjoyed the class and learned a lot over the course of the year! I used the online copy of the textbook, which worked excellently for me. As many who took this course will say, the games that Mr. Richman has created are SO much fun and prepare you well for the AP exam (in a fun and engaging way). Regardless of the score I receive on the exam, I have gained so much from this course- a better understanding of the way economies work, a bigger picture of the world, a greater love of learning, and a new respect for economists! I would take this course all over again if I could and encourage every highschool student to take it: this class is useful and engaging, whether you plan to study something economics-related in the future or not!

AP Macroeconomics

Posted by Kathryn S on 05/16/2015

I really enjoyed this course, especially the games we played. I found the games really helped me understand basic economic concepts, and I also liked interacting with other students while playing the games. I felt this course prepared me very well for the AP exam. We practiced many FRQ's and had 3 full previously released MC tests to study from. This course was sometimes time consuming because of the games, and I would sometimes spend upward of ten hours a week working. It would be possible to spend less time on the games and still do well in the course, though, and I did spend less time on games during weeks I was very busy. If not spending a lot of time playing the games, I think five to six hours a week of work is a reasonable estimate.

Very efficient way to increase human capital

Posted by Noelle Chow on 05/15/2015

AP Macroeconomics taught my Dr. Richman is a great class. The online chapters, lectures, quizzes, study-budy questions, random MCQs, and many essays prepared me well for the exam. I especially enjoyed the essays in the beginning of the year that required us to observe current economic events. I had to be very proactive and spent a fair amount of time Google-ing the terms, but I eventually got into the rhythm of the class. I recommend finding a classmate to study with. When the games started, I found having a friend in Macro was really helpful to learn the material. I'm definitely more interested in Economics now. All in all, I really enjoyed the experience!

An Excellent Class

Posted by Genevieve Frank on 05/15/2015

Dr. Richman's class is challenging, but extremely educational! Right from the first day, be prepared to work very hard, but rest assured that if you complete all of the assignments and extra credit, you will be well-prepared for the exam and have a firm grasp of economics. The games are very helpful in forcing you to use the concepts in mock situations to see how each aspect of economics affects the others. All in all, a great class! I highly recommend it.

Great Class!

Posted by Dennis Fisher on 05/15/2015

This was by far the best AP class I have taken. Not only did our teacher, Dr. Richman, provide us with all the information needed come test day, but he never overloads you with work, and, on top of that, the class experienced is enhanced through the ecnomic games we play in class. My favorite assignemnts would have to be the current events essays where you are given the challenge of tying together economic concepts with current world events. This was a fantastic course, and Dr. Richman has caught my attention with economics so much that I plan to continue to study it in college. Any student who is willing to work will sucseed and have a great time in this class.

Posted by Daniel Hibshman on 05/15/2015

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? In my opinion this is the most important question to ask about an AP Class, and I think on that basis Dr. Richman did an excellent job. By the end of the year we were constantly practicing old essay prompts and had taken a number of multiple choice practice exams as well. When our final came around, I hadn't studied macro for months yet I still easily got a five because of how well the information was drilled into my head.

AP Macro w/Dr. Richman

Posted by Dominic Roberts II on 05/14/2015

I felt that the course did not prepare me for the AP exam as well as I would have liked.  With quizzes on the video lectures, youtube videos, and textbook readings all being open-book, I did not retain the material like I would have if there would have been actual tests/quizzes that required studying and memorization.  I was also a bit dissatisfied the the points-based grading system.  I feel that this system was not only unecessarily confusing at times, but ineffective at motivating me to work hard at keeping my grade up.

For positive aspects, I did enjoy most of the economics games which were carefully planned out and well-organized.  They were engaging and promoted interaction with other classmates.  All in all though, I feel that the course could be improved by requiring closed-book exams/quizzes and closed-book practice FRQs to promote better retention of the material.  I also think a restructuring of the grading system that would emphasize success in closed-book quizzes and exams rather than offering numerous opportunites to earn a good grade through "bonus" activities would be an improvement.

My Favorite AP this year

Posted by Daniel Longenecker on 02/18/2015

AP Macroeconomics has been a blast for me this year. Even though I usually prefer math/science to essay-based courses, Dr. Richman imparted his love of economics to me and to all his students. Dr. Richman has impressively created several economics games that helped me to remember economic principles from experience.

Dr. Richman also fostered an active discussion board where the students (and Dr. Richman) debated and discussed current events and economics. We grappled with tough questions "What should the US do about Social Security" and "What should we do about the poor, and how can welfare be improved?"

I feel very prepared for the AP exam from this class and on my practice exams have scored well above the cutoff mark for a "5", the highest score. Dr. Richman did all that seemed humanly possible to help us learn economics.

I think that a student could do well in the class by putting in one and a half hours a day (for the 1 semester that this course runs). I personally spent around three hours a day because I had so much fun with the class.

I think that all students can do well in in this class, if they are willing to work hard and get the requrired assignments done. As I mentioned earlier, I am a math/science guy who still found great interest in this course. Have fun!

Review of Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics class

Posted by Daniel on 06/12/2014

Macroeconomics was a decent class. The "games" were especially valuable--they allowed you to practice the textbook information.

The class did a good job of preparing me for the AP exam, with two caveats: 1) the class ends in April, so you need to be disciplined enough to keep reviewing between then and the AP exam, and 2) Dr. Richman tests some economics concepts that are not covered on the current exam (they are still good to learn though!). This can make review confusing if you're not careful.

The student who would do well in this course is one who is willing to work consistently. The class's grading system emphasizes daily practice and will punish procrastination! If you think you can be consistent, this course is recommended.

Awesome Course!

Posted by Tim Seida on 05/29/2014

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! The textbook reading, video/audio lectures, and YouTube videos that Dr. Richman assigns provide all the economics knowledge necessary to do well on the AP exam. The free-response essays and multiple choice questions that we did throughout the year helped me to be comfortable with both the content and the material of the exam.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The best part of Dr. Richman's course is the games. His computer economic simulation games let you play the role of, for example, a retailer in a competitive burger industry. You get to apply the economic concepts that you are learning about, which helps you internalize those concepts faster than only learning about them from the traditional methods of acquiring information (textbook, lectures, etc.). Overall, the games are fun, provide a great opportunity to make friends with your classmates, and bring the economic concepts that you are learning about to life.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes! I was interested in economics before this year, but Dr. Richman's class has sparked that interest.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Dr. Richman's class was very interactive, and my communications with other students were one of my favorite parts of the class. I had the chance to regularly interact with my classmates through the games, study groups, and economic discussions on the class message board.

Would you recommend this course to other students?

I would wholeheartedly recommend this course to any student who wants to gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of macroeconomics, do well on the AP exam, and have fun!

An Awesome Class

Posted by Lucien Formichella on 05/26/2014

I had a great time in this course. I felt so prepared for the AP exam, mostly because Dr. Richman strikes a balance between giving you enough time to study for the exam on your own and giving you work to help prepare, (I spent about 6-8 hours a week). The best part of the course was the econ games. They were incredibly time consuming, but also amazingly helpful to learning and reinforcing concepts. Whenever I would encounter a question I didn't know I would go back and think of one of the games to help come to a decision. The games helped me interact with my classmates and get to know them better. Some of my classmates and I also formed study groups, which were really beneficial. A student who is willing to work hard will do well in this class, even if they don't have any understanding of economics. Dr. Richman does such a great job, and is so organized that as long as you work at it you will be able to learn. I used a paper copy of the text for the most part. I just liked being able to hold it. My interest in macroeconomics has grown a lot. I feel as if I can be a part of more economics related conversations now than before, which is a really nice thing to know. An awesome class. Totally worth it. 

Dr. Richman AP Macroeconomics Class Review

Posted by Trevor Dacus on 05/19/2014

Dr. Richman does an incredible job teaching macroeconomics. I was so well prepared for the AP Macroeconomics exam, I finished the multiple choice questions with 20 minutes to spare. All the other students I took the exam with seemed to have no idea what to do for the writing section, but because we wrote so much in the fall, the essays were easy. Dr. Richman teaches so well, any student willing to put in the effort will leave his class with a thorough understanding of macroeconomics. 

Great class!

Posted by John Baert on 05/19/2014

This is a great class. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, this course is very well designed and it will fully prepare you for the exam.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put in 6-8 hours a week and occasionally 10 hours.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really enjoyed the essays in this class. The essays help boost MCQ scores as well as essay familiarity.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Absolutely! This course made me more receptive of economic concepts and even interests me on a collegiate level.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, there is a lot of communication in this class and a lot of interaction. It enhances the course with a constant supply of fun and challenging topics.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I highly recommend this course to people wishing to take two or more AP's in a given year. This class does not demand a ton of hours per week and goes well with another AP class.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the paper copy of the text book which was very favorable especially when it came to studying and reviewing graphs.

Favorite class this year

Posted by David Sampsell on 05/19/2014

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes.  I won't have my AP grade for a while yet, but I feel that the course did a very good job of preparing me for the exam.  Dr. Richman seemed to have a lot of experience concerning what material would be covered on the test, and had us study those areas.  I definitely felt this to be true when sitting down to take the actual AP.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I put in an average of 1 to 1.5 hours of work per day on this course.  When I read the reviews for this class last year before deciding to take it, other people reported similar times, and that seemed like a lot to me, but it is definitely necessary if you want to complete all the assigned work.  The one thing that I will say is that the class doesn't have any mentionable quantity of work due after February, so while you work hard at the beginning, it gets easier. 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really liked the burger game (a game where you are either a burger vendor or supplier).  I think it's the first economics game that you will play during the year.  It illustrated the concept of supply and demand really well.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yeah, definitely.  I had taken a half credit course in economics before, so I had a general idea of what the subject was about and a few of the basic concepts, but this course definitely delves into some of the more interesting stuff.  If it's a subject you're interested in, you'll definitely enjoy the course.  If not, you'll still probably like it okay.

Did you find your communications with students to be interesting or valuable?

Not particularly.  I also ended up in the section of students that did not plan on attending the class party, which may have been a contributing factor.  I think I was actually the only one in my class who lived in PA.  Anyway, I think that if people thought they were going to see each other at the end of the year, it might have encouraged more communication.  I also don't like talking to people over the internet, which probably didn't help things either.

What sort of student would do well in this course?  Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

If you are naturally studious person with all your ducks in a row, then you are probably going to do pretty well in any course that you take, this one included.  I am not really one of those people.  I generally tend to do better in subjects that I find interesting.  I definitely found this subject interesting, and the class is set up so that if you find it interesting then the learning process is pretty natural.  So I would recommend this class to a) studious people and b) students with a particular interest in economics. 

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both?  How did that work out?

I used the online version of the textbook.  It was nice because I could download the .PDFs for each chapter, and pull that up on my computer screen anytime I wanted.  I could also use the search function of Adobe Reader to find references to specific topics.  At the end of the year, I put all the .PDFs on my mom's Nook tablet to review.  The only thing I didn't like about the online textbook is that it kind of separated all the chapters from one another.  There wasn't much description in the file names, so if I couldn't remember where a particular topic was covered, I had to hunt through a bunch of files until I found it.  In this respect, the book might have been better.

Excellent Class!

Posted by Michaela Miller on 05/17/2014

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP Exam?

Absolutely! I took quite a few AP tests this year that I didn't feel my classes prepaired me for; however, I felt totally prepaired both before and during the AP Macroeconomics exam. There weren't any topics that we hadn't covered either in the Multiple-Choice section or the Free-Response section, and though I haven't received my score yet, I don't think I could have been more ready.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

At the beginning of the class I was probably spending about seven to ten hours per week on all of the class work (which includes reading the textbook, listening to lectures, playing games, and answering questions about these things as well as writing essays every other week). This was pretty constant until about February or March when it went down to about four or five hours because there were fewer assignments.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuabe?

All of our assignments were valuable, but I think my favorite were probably the games. These could be a little bit intimidating in the beginning because the instructions were often long and there were many different things you could do each day within your move. However, after I got used to them not only were they LOTS of fun but they also really helped me learn macroeconomic concepts. I actually played out a simple game senario in my head during the AP Exam to help me answer some of the questions!

Did the course enhance your interest in th subject?

Somewhat. My passions are science and dance related, and I haven't found very many things outside of these realms that are truly interesting to me. That being said, I throughly enjoyed learning the material in this class and found what I learned interesting. I most likely won't be taking any classes related to this material in college, but I am not at all sorry that I took this class and I was never bored learning macroeconomic concepts.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes! Whenever I had questions my fellow classmates were always very eager to help. Also, some of the games we played required that we have partners, and I loved working with other students for these as we wee able to compare ideas and strategies.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

 I would definitely recommend this class to other students! As long as you are willing to work hard, ask questions, and review the material you will do fine. Though younger students would be able to quite well, I think this class is especially good for older students because of the need to meet with others for some of the games.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the paper copy, and that workd quite well for me. I know from experiences in other classes that it is very difficult for me to learn for online texts, so the paper option was the best for me.

Fantastic class!

Posted by Anna Mitchell on 05/16/2014

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? 

Yes, I felt extremely prepared for the exam! I was very confident about my performance on both the multiple-choice and free response sections. I hardly did any extra preparation for the test. Throughout the year, we practiced by writing essays from past free response questions (which Dr. Richman graded with detailed comments using the exam scoring guide) and answering multiple choice questions. The games also helped me learn the concepts. 

How many hours per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Usually about 1-1.5 hours a day. During several of the games, I put in much more time, probably about 2-2.5 hours. 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? 

I especially liked the games. They were a fantastic way to learn economics and have fun at the same time! The Economic Warfare Game especially helped me master the complicated foreign exchange market.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, definitely! I was already seriously considering majoring in economics in college, and this course has only strengthened my interest in the subject. Dr. Richman was nearly always on Google Chat to answer questions and discuss economics. He, his father, and son do research on trade and taxes.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes! All my classmates were friendly, helpful, funny, and smart. I enjoyed working in teams in some of the games. Several of my classmates and I formed a study group outside of class that met all year. We also met to study for the AP Microeconomics exam after AP Macro finished.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Anyone interested in learning more about economics, whether they are looking for another AP to round out their schedule or are considering it as a college major. This class has been one of my favorite high school classes, and I would (and will) recommend it to any serious students! 

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the paper copy. While I know that some of my classmates really liked the textbook, I wasn't a huge fan - I thought it was a little too wordy and the print edition was hard to read. ;-) I learned more by watching the lectures and researching and writing essays. (However, we only did textbook reading one day a week, so this is a small complaint. The rest of the course was fantastic!) 

Great class even for someone with not so much of an economics brain :P

Posted by Priya Stepp on 06/26/2013

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I felt quite prepared for the exam, though I was much more nervous for this AP than for my others…however, this was mainly because the curve for Econ is more severe than that of many other APs. Dr. Richman did a great job preparing us, especially in second semester when we'd write essays patterned after Econ FRQs about twice a week, and toward the end of the semester when he made three released MCQ tests available. Our final exam itself was another entire released exam, and it was given about a month before the real AP test, so based on our Final results we could better direct our final studying. Dr. Richman did a great job making learning the topics interesting and fun with plenty of games that helped us apply what we learned. However, there weren't regular tests; there were open-book quizzes, but no actual "exams" for most of the year. I had an insanely crazy junior year between a crammed school schedule and family circumstances, and coupled with the structure of the course, I would occasionally fall behind in my work first semester. I got caught up, but it did hurt me in the second semester when I didn't understand topics as well as I should have because I had spent less time on the assignments I was behind on. So just keep yourself accountable and keep on track and you'll be awesome. :)

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Ususally I spent between an hour and a half and two hours a day on Econ, but of course in April and May I dedicated a lot more time – usually about 4-5 hours a day – to review.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The games - from the famous Burger Game to the economic warfare game - helped me apply some of the topics we were learning, and they also helped me get to know some of my classmates on a more personal level. In lots of MCQs on both the daily questions and the real AP exam, I would literally think back to one of the situations in which I had been placed in the games. They really did solidify what we learned, and once we got past the intital "oh my gosh we're all so confused" stage we had so much participating, and of course loved reading some very funny "press releases" :P

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yup, it did...coming into the class I knew pitifully little about economics, but I'm much more educated now. ;) It's no secret that I definitely did find out that economics as a major or minor in college isn't for me, but I learned a lot nonetheless.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

To an extent. It wasn't very interactive in general, at least for me, but I know that many times the interactive level depends on what you're used to, which friends you have in class, how much "extra" time you have outside of school, etc. For me, almost all the interaction I had with my classmates occurred in the class games…mostly with my teammates. But of course, some of my other APs have been AP Lit and AP Lang with Mrs. Inspektor and APUSH with Mrs. Richman, all of which are extremely interactive, so perhaps I feel I was more "alone" in this class because I'm used to crazily-awesomely-interactive classes :P

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard)?

I'd recommend AP Economics to anyone who, yes, is willing to work hard and also can keep up with studying in-depthly (yeah, I just made up a word…psshhh, of COURSE I'm an AP student…) despite not having tests. I let myself get behind in thoroughly understanding the material in first semester, but I learned haha and didn't do so at all in second semester. AP Econ is a great course…take it! The worst that could happen is you find you like the class but don't click with the subject…like me. Even though, I'll admit, economics did drive me to the breaking point sometimes, it was purely that I don't exactly have an economics-minded brain – the class itself was amazing, which I suppose is another testament to this class ;) 

An Excellent Course in Economics

Posted by Philip Bonneville on 05/25/2013

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Definitely!  Even though I was unable to attend Dr. Richman's whole-class chat in which he shared some tips for completing the free response questions (due to an ill-timed internet outage), I felt that the class prepared me extremely well for the exam.  By the time the class ended, I had written responses to 18 free response questions and also found myself very well prepared for the College Board's multiple choice questions.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally spent 4-6 hours per week on actual economics coursework although, during some of the games, I chose to devote a few additional hours each week to strategizing.  Overall, I found the demands of the course very reasonable.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I found the games quite valuable in conceptualizing economics concepts – and they were an extremely enjoyable way of doing so.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, it very much enhanced my interest in economics.  Although my primary academic focus is still in mathematics, this course has led me to consider minoring in economics or even making it a second major.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, my communications with other students were quite valuable.  With the interaction associated with all the games, this course had by far the most student-to-student interaction of any online class I have taken.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I would definitely recommend this course as I consider it one of the very best of the eight PA Homeschoolers AP courses I have completed.  Throughout the class I got the impression that Dr. Richman has his teaching down to a science – giving students an optimal educational experience with the least possible opportunity cost.  (If you don't know what opportunity cost is, you should take the course to find out!)

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the paper copy of the textbook (as I generally prefer to be able to read a text when away from the computer) and had no significant problems with it.  The only inconvenience was that it was printed in black-and-white so some of the graphs were difficult to read, but this did not serve as a real obstacle since I was always able to deduce which curves were which.

AP Macroeconomcis-- An essential course for understanding current events

Posted by Blake Baer on 05/20/2013

Q) Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

A) Yes. Walking into the exam room, I felt really confident that I knew the material. This course did a terrific job of providing many practice tests and daily exercises to help me learn new material and expose topics that I didn't know. This class not only prepared me for the exam, but also taught me many real-world applications through its various fun games and essays. There were a couple topics on the exam that this course didn't cover, but that is always to be expected with AP exams.

Q) How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

A) Naturally it depended on the week, but on average, I probably put about 5-8 hours a week into it. Closer to the exam, I would put maybe twice that much into studying econ.

Q) Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

A) The various games that Dr. Richman programmed were incredibly helpful to highlight various economic principles in a really fun and interesting setting. Its one thing to read about economic theories and such, but another thing entirely to operate your own virtual burger business in a competative environment! The essays that were assigned to us in the first and later parts of the year were really helpful to learning more about famous economists, and different economic theories. 

Q) Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

A) Yes, it most certainly did. I didn't have a clue what economics was going into this course (except perhaps knowing something about supply and demand), but the more that I learned in this course, the more that economics really interested me. 

Q) Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

A) Absolutely. The social aspect of this class is a huge part of it. In some of the games, we are paired up with other classmates to form a team, and we get to know each other through these teams. It is really fun to work with other classmates and the sharing of knowledge benefits because of it. Also, the competative environment that this class breeds is brilliant for encouraging students to excel.

 

Q) What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

A) Any time of student can thrive in this class. It takes a good bit of discipline to get your game moves and essays in on time, but it is an excellent preparation for a college level class. If they are willing to work hard, they will get so much out of this class!

Q) Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

A) I used both, for the most part. I don't like reading off of a computer screen too much, so I bought the actual textbook. But I did use the online textbook for quick "ctrl + F" searches. Both of them combined was a perfect combination for me, allowing me to take my book to places as well as quickly search for and confirm different topics while writing essays on the computer.

Go For It

Posted by Mary Claire Birdsong on 05/19/2013

AP Preparation:
Excellent. Dr. Richman's assignments are thorough and efficient. There's no such thing as 'busy work' in this course - everything is designed to prepare you for the AP exam. I was able to study and learn effectively without putting in massive amounts of time - just short bursts every day.

The simulation games (designed by Dr. Richman himself) are also just plain fun, and add variety to the course!

The "Online" Element:
My past experiences with online courses have not been wonderful, but the PA Homeschoolers are in a different league. You won't be left to fend for yourself in this course. Dr. Richman is always available and encourages students to chat with him about any questions they may have. Additionally, the entire class of students are a great resource - we all communicate with each other and learn from one another. It is a "virtual" class but it feels very connected.

I also used the online textbook which worked out just fine for me.

My Recommendation:
I was often met with skeptical looks when explaining this course to friends and parents. They didn't quite understand what was so special about this course - and an online course at that. If you are considering taking this course, just go for it! You will enjoy it.

SO MUCH FUN!

Posted by Hannah Huynh on 05/17/2013

As a math/science inclined student, I initially was not particularly interested in this class.  But within the first week, I was addicted.  Dr. Richman incorporated games into the class to simulate economic principles, and I had an extreme amount of fun playing them.  By the end, I felt more than prepared for the AP exam.  I used the online textbook and it was great until I was kicked out of the free subsciption.  But it was nice that the class ended pretty early so there was plenty of time to review for the AP exam.  For homework, I generally put a little less than an hour a day, but I spent much more time on the games.  As all my classmates can attest to, I was very actively involved in all the games and their press releases so I chose to spend extra time in this class!  The games were definitely my favorite part of the class, and if you take the class, you'll understand exactly what I mean.  After the class, I felt like a much more knowledgable citizen!  I really enjoyed the communications in this class.  The wwwboard was pretty commonly used, but in playing the games, I frequently had to contact my classmates to make deals or trades, and through that, I felt like I developed really strong friendships.  Out of all the AP class I've taken (which is a lot of them:)), I feel that through this class I got to know my classmates the most.  This class is for any student with any interest.  This class was prefect for my senior year because it was a lighter work load and it was a bunch of fun.  I would recommend this class to any and every student!

An engaging class with an excellent teacher

Posted by Carson Jenkins on 05/17/2013

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Definitely. We covered all the material necessary to do well on the exam and sufficiently practiced important aspects such as graph drawing.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put around an hour and a half of work into the course each day.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I most enjoyed the economics games that we played throughout the year, as they were an opportunity to exercise the knowledged we learned in a creative way.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes. While the field of economics isn't something I would pursue professionally, I find the subject far more interesting than before.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, working with a partner during the economic games was rewarding and helped with learning the different economic concepts. We also held a class chat the week of the exam for group review.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students?

I didn't find AP Economics to be a very work heavy course; any student interested in the material will excel. I'd certainly recommend it.

Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used just the online copy of the textbook. I personally found this to be more convenient than using a paper copy, but different students will have different preferences.

Amazing class-- highly recommended!

Posted by Hannah Che on 05/17/2013

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Well, I just took my AP Macroeconomics exam yesterday, and I seriously don't think I've ever felt so well prepared for any other AP exam.  Dr. Richman covers the material so thoroughly and comprehensively over the course of the year that by the time the exam rolls around, if you've done every assignment and participated in the games, you should feel completely confident.  This class was also one of the few classes I took where I didn't have to consciously put many hours into reviewing the week before the exam because the important concepts had already been ingrained in my brain over the course of the whole year.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

The work load, while fairly heavy, is still very doable-- I generally put in about one to two hours every day.  I think how much time you spend on this class depends a lot on how much you want to put into it.  The games are ridiculously fun so sometimes you end spending a lot of time on those without being aware of it. At the beginning of the year, when I was one of the five wholesalers in the Burger Game, I put in nearly three hours a day communicating with retailers, checking the WWWBoard for sales offers, calculating my profits, etc..  Of course you don't have to spend that much time on the games, I think I got a little too involved haha.  But on average I spent around 5-7 hours every week on the course. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I think it's already obvious what was my favorite part of the course... We had five games over the course of the class, each one with two rounds of two weeks each.  All of the games were very helpful in solidifying economic concepts we'd studied, and it was especially fascinating for me to see how these concepts would apply in the real world and in the real-life markets and situations modeled in the games.  For three of the games we had to either partner or form a group with other classmates, so there was a lot of valuable interaction and team work involved.  My favorite part of the games was actually the blatantly propagandistic (and oftentimes hilarious) press releases that would frequently be posted-- an optional part of the game that some of us managed to exploit :P. 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely. I didn't know a thing about economics/current events before-- I wanted to take this class simply because I'd heard so many good things about it-- but throughout the year I really begin to develop an interest in and a love of economics. I will actually be continuing my study of economics in college this fall.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes! This was one of the more interactive courses I've taken, and even apart from the collaboration on the econ games, we would get helpful feedback from each other on our essays, and frequently discuss current event topics on the WWWboard.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

As I said before, I didn't know anything about economics when I came in, so previous knowledge isn't that important, but as long as you are willing to work hard and participate as much as you can, you should be able to do well in this class. 

 

• Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out?

I used the online copy, but if I took this course again I think I'd go for the paper copy instead. While it was nice to able to use the "search" function and use the online tools that came with the textbook, I think I'd still prefer using a paper version simply because I like the feel of an actual, solid book in my hands, and having the flexibility to study in places without internet access.

Great Class. Thanks Dr. Richman

Posted by Jonathan Hixson on 05/16/2013

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

       - Yes. I felt very prepared for the exam.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

       - I put in about 2 hours a day Monday through Friday. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

       - I especially enjoyed the current events essays at the beginning of the year. 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

       - The course did increase my interest in economics.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

       - I would, and if fact have, reccommended this class to other students. 

• Which did you use, the paper copy of the textbook or the online copy or both? How did that work out? 

         - Online copy. 

How to Get a 5 in Econ. while playing a board game

Posted by Michael Dinh on 06/07/2012

Let me just start by saying that I've never felt more prepared and confident for an AP test than when I took my macroecon exam.  What makes Dr. Richman's class so outstanding is that he integrates some of the most complex concepts into the simple games we play with each other, so that some of the most seemingly indecipherable jargon becomes second nature (while we're having lots of fun too!).  This class doesn't require an extensive amount of work, maybe about 5-7 hours a week, but it prepares you like no other.  In my practice tests and essays, I was repeatedly scoring perfect scores on my free responses (and I'm not one to spend a whole lot of grueling hours studying ecomics either).  

 

By far, the best part of the class were the games, which made the most complex and quintessential aspects of economics second nature, and the daily questions.  The daily questions probably took only about 5 minutes each day, but boy did they help.  Framed very similarly to how the actual exam presents its questions, these daily questions (which also give your points and raise your grade) made the test seem as if I was simply logging into the computer and stimulating a few braincells to do what I've been doing everyday for the entire year!  Truly, if you want to do very well in economics, have lots of fun, and be well-prepared for the test, you'll be missing out if you take any other course than Dr. Richman's.  

Highly recommend this course

Posted by John Kuhl on 05/31/2012

This was a great course, and I had a lot of fun. Now, I am more of a science/math guy, so when my parents signed me up for this, I wasn't too excited. However, as the year progressed, I learned so much about how this world runs from economic perspective. We read from a very easy-to-read textbook, and watched/listened to teachings from Timothy Taylor, an economics professor. The best part of the class was interacted with other people across the nation and sometimes across the globe. We could debate economical/political issues, ask questions that we may have, and get others' thoughts and opinions about current economic events. Another way we interacted was through the economic games. We competed against each other in retail/wholesale games, investment games, and other economic games. These weren't just fun, but they were also very helpful in learning economic processes. Sometimes we formed teams or alliances with other classmates, which added more fun and competition. This class was so helpful in teaching in a fun way and in a way that made sense. 

This class was a lot of work though. We were assigned at least one essay a week, and in the second semester, two essays a week. This class also required getting on the website everyday to either post answers to questions, answer Multiple Choice Questions, post a game move, or interact with other students on the Class WWW board. I spend at least 1-2 hours a day either on the website or doing homework for this class. 

The preparation for the AP Macroeconomics Exam was excellent. All of the second semester essays were AP exam essays. This helped me so much to understand the material and gave me exactly what I encountered on the actual AP exam. This class also had Multiple Choice Questions that you could answer everyday that were very similar to the AP exam's questions. I was very well-prepared for this test. Some questions on the test were exactly the same as some of the questions I answered here on the website. Dr. Richman really knows what he is doing, and he is always available to answer any questions you may have throughout the year. I highly recommend this course!!

AP Macroeconomics class review

Posted by Paige Balcom on 05/23/2012

I thought Dr. Richman's class prepared me very well for the AP exam. I learned a lot about economics and think I'll remember it for a while since Dr. Richman had us practice it so many times!

I would recommend this course to other students who want an intense economics class. I probably put in at least 8-10 hours a week, so students must be prepared to study hard. If you're looking for an easy high school economics credit, then you probably won't enjoy this class, but if you're thinking of majoring in economics or business, then this class is perfect for you! Dr. Richman is an expert in economics, so he covers a lot of material in depth. He's great at spending extra time with students and taking economics to "the next level" beyond the textbook.

Posted by Nicole Thompson on 05/20/2012

I think my macroeconomics exam went fairly well; I made friends, and the test itself was pretty easy.  I only took the macroeconomics exam, but all the other kids there also took the microeconomics exam.  Did I miss out?

Generally I worked about five hours a week on economics (1 on monday, tuesday, and thrusday, 2 on wednesday, and none on friday).  I think the material went alright.  The R&G chapters could be difficult to understand, I was very glad to have AIM available to chat to Dr. Richman. 

One reccomendation I would have for the class is to do more vocabulary work.  The AP test asked for something about the p-something preference curve... I had (have) no idea what that is. 

Altogether though I think the class went well.  I would reccomend this class to an independent learner.  I also feel it is best suitable for accellerated students.

A Class Every American Should Take

Posted by Daniel Thomas on 05/20/2012

The title isn't hyperbole. This is a class that concerns anyone who plans to vote in America. It is absolutely essential to understand the basics of GDP, supply and demand, fiscal and monetary policy, and the different schools of thought: Keynesians, Monetarists, Supply-siders, etc.

Dr. Richman goes through all of that and more in a brilliant course. We write two essays a week, do plenty of multiple choice questions, and participate in brilliant and interesting economics simulations. The "games" are the best part of the course. They are extremely interesting but oh so informative. They truly make the class come alive. That reflects directly on the brilliant teaching of Dr. Richman.

The course absolutely prepared me for the AP exam. With just 1 hour of work a day, doing exactly what Dr. Richman's ridiculously detailed syllabus told me, I got a 5 on the practice exam a month before the exam. The class was practically finished by March and we had plenty of time to prep. Being a VERY busy person (4 APs, 2 other online classes, Science Olympiad captain, honor society officer, national debater and speaker, tae kwon do artist, debate coach), I needed an intensive class that would not have any busy work and that would not be overwhelming. This fit the bill perfectly.

The kids in the class were mostly briliant although you'll always find a couple bull-headed guys who never change their extreme positions no matter what arguments you bring up. We still had some great conversations about economic events. After taking this course, you will lose respect for most political economic plans - you quickly realize how stupid they are.

I can't reccommend this course enough for everyone, including parents. ;)

Macroeconomics

Posted by Emily Morrison on 05/17/2012

Greetings, future econ students!  I must say that I enjoyed Macroecon with Dr. Richman very much.  It was my favorite class this year.  If you are reading class reviews, then surely you have already seen the section of the class description about all the fun economics games we get to play.  I am here to avow that all accounts of funness are true, and you'll get a real variety of gameplay with the different types of games.  My favorite was probably the International Trade Game (I think that's the right name?) when everyone forms teams and gets to battle each other out.

I felt very prepared and capable taking the AP Exam this morning.  I practiced with random multiple choice questions practically every day since the start of class (required before you can submit your daily game move) and practice test essays since Thanksgiving.  I feel confident that I scored a 5.  The assignments I foudn most valuable where those essays and MCQs.  Thiis course did indeed enhance my interest in the subject.  I am a senior, and at the beginning of the school year I was uncertain whether applying to business colleges would suit me.  Taking this course helped solidify my confidence in my decision to go to an all-business school for college.  Thanks!
--Emily Morrison, class of '12

Good Class

Posted by Caleb Vierkant on 05/16/2012

This course definately prepared me for the AP exam.  I generally put in at least an hour a day into this course.  My favorite assignments were definitely the economics games that we played against eachother.  Interacting with the other students was also very helpful.  We could discuss ideas and figure out what we still needed to understand.  A student who is good with numebrs and likes thinking in a left-brained manner would do well in this course.  Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of person.  It was useful and helpful, although it definitely made me decide that I should never go into anything involving economics.  A left-brained student, though, would excel and probably enjoy this class a lot.

Fantastic class!

Posted by William Pete Ehrett on 08/17/2011

Dear prospective AP Macroeconomics student,

Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics class is one of the best I've ever taken. I learned a lot, had fun, and was extremely well-prepared for the AP exam in May. I probably spent about 1.5-2 hours per day on the class, on average. At different points throughout the year, some days are lighter or heavier than others, but I never felt overloaded. The economics games are one of the best parts of the course, and they're structured in such a way that they reinforce whatever material you're studying at the time. There's a ton of class interaction, too, and the class forum is always buzzing with discussions of current events and economics ideas, among other things.

A couple other notes: first, don't be put off by the need to write lots of essays (especially the ones between December and the end of the year) - if you've been doing the readings and answering daily questions, they're not too hard. Plus, they're largely collections of interrelated short-answer questions that are extremely similar to the free-response questions on the AP exam. Second, strongly consider doing the AP Microeconomics exam as well. This class coveres a lot of the foundational Microeconomics material, and the rest is covered in the video lectures and textbook chapters that the class doesn't formally study.

All in all, I can't recommend this class highly enough. If you're willing to work and to actively participate, you'll have a great experience.

Great Class!!!

Posted by D Mace on 07/07/2011

This was a fantastic class.  It takes a fair bit of work, varying from 5 to 10 hours a week depending on the semester, but the lessons are generally easy to understand.  Luckily, if you have any problems you can always send Dr. Richman a message.  He is generally pretty easy to get a hold of (through AIM at least) and he will answer your question promptly and in a way you can easily understand.  The work was also very interesting, and many of the economic simulation games were quite fun.  Of course, none of this matters very much if you don't do well on the AP test.  This class helped me get not only a 5 on the macroeconomics exam, but a 5 on the microeconomics exam as well.  Overall, it is an interesting class that is easy to understand and will help you do great on the AP test.  I highly recommend it.

AP Economics

Posted by Benjamin Che on 05/24/2011

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

 

 

Awesome class!

Posted by John Nothacker on 05/24/2011

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

The awesomest class ever!

Posted by Mark Heimann on 05/23/2011

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I felt very prepared for the AP Macroeconomics exam.  Out of the five I took this year, this one was the one I felt most confident about.  This course does not, however, explicitly prepare you for the AP Microeconomics exam, as I found out part way through the year.  You are pretty well equipped, though if you want to study on your own during the months of March and April.  I don't know if I got a 5 on the Micro exam or not, but in any case you certainly can still take this course with confidence even if you want to take both exams.  

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Maybe a couple of hours per day.  It's hard to estimate, especially because some of the games took up more time than others (e.g. The Business Game).  

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The games were the most fun part of the course, and very educational.  You should take the class just for the games (be careful not to become consumed by trying to contact your burger wholesaler(s) many times a day).

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject.

Yes it did.  I now want to major in economics in college.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes! I met some of the coolest people on the face of the whole earth in this class. 

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I don't think you need to be especially brilliant or overachieving to succeed in this course, but you need to have basic discipline and time management skills.  During the months of March and April, there are pretty much no assignments, so you need to manage your time to study independently.  You also need to have the commitment to do the "random quiz questions" (worth 5 points) every day; even though 5 points seem to be pretty easy to go without, it really adds up.

 If you are brilliant or overachieving, I'm sure it would help.  :)  I would recommend this course to just about any of my (homeschooled) friends.  

 

One other thing: I mentioned that I plan to major in economics based largely on the strength of this course.  I also applied for a full-tuition + yearly stipend academic scholarship in social and behavioral sciences (in my case, economics) at a top university, mostly (actually, pretty much solely) on the strength of being in the middle of taking AP Econ.  As it turned out, after an application, essays, and a bunch of face-to-face interviews, I ended up getting the scholarship.  Before my senior year, my knowledge of economics pretty much went as far as a rudimentary understanding of supply and demand.  Therefore, all I can say is +1 for Dr. Richman's course!  Thanks Dr. R!!!

Amazing class

Posted by Andrew Min on 05/22/2011

I've been looking forward to taking AP Econ since my freshman year, when I heard about how amazing the class was. Three years later, the class didn't disappoint. Much of the teaching is through interactive class-wide games. The premise is somewhat similar to immersion language learning: you apply the skills you learn as soon as you've learned them. The textbook and video lectures are also very well done and quite easy to follow. As a result, I felt very prepared, both for the AP exam and just for a general knowledge of economics. I'm going to most likely be studying politics or public affairs, and this class definitely pushed me towards those two majors. The class interactions were also valuable, partially because I knew a few of the classmates in real life through the NCFCA debate league. Any student, as long as he/she is willing to work hard and listen to the instructions, will do well in this class. I've already recommended this class to multiple other interested students.

GREAT class!

Posted by Evan Chow on 05/20/2011

This is such a fun class :)

-Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

OF COURSE! This nice thing about this class is that you learn very very cumulatively. As you just do the homework and the games stuff gets reinforced automatically, and this means that by the time April rolls around, you are very solid on a lot of econ. concepts and you can do more spot-check review. At least in my experience. There are spot checks on several things - for example, the Keynesian Spending Multiplier. However, these are usually very fun and easy to pick up with your excellent foundation.

The games help reinforce econ concepts extremely well. Try altering one variable when you do a move, and you'll be surprised at what you learn!

-How many hours of work per day or week did you generally put into the course.

You can get by with just 5-6 a week; however, I do not recommend this. I recommend putting in much more time if you can. You will enjoy doing the econ essays during the first semester, and reading from great magazines like the WSJ, the Economist, and commenting on current issues. Mark my words, it will give you an edge in debate!

-Are there any particularly favorite assignemnts that you found especially valuable?

Besides the games, which are AMAZING, it's really fun during the first semester when you get to write an essay a week on all sorts of modern and classic economic issues. You learn sooooo much - and not just for the exam, but in reality, you grow in appreciation and interest for economics!! This isn't just a class to prepare you for the exam - it is a class to help you learn economics.

-Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

MOST CERTAINLY. I very much enjoy economics now, and especially with the amazing games of Dr. Richman (he's a programmer), I have grown to love this subject. :) Seriously!

-Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

The best opportunity for this for me was during the team Econ games. It's a lot of fun! :) and it's especially useful during games where you are forced to work together with them! You learn a lot - in the last game, for example, I played a government of a country and my teammate played the business sector of our country, and we had to try and work together to figure out how to grow our country best. We learned a lot about how governments and businesses work together and affect each other!!

-What sort of student would do well in this course?

It's a point-based system (certain #points = A, B, C, etc.), which is nice! and thus, if you really want to get an A+, you can do it. All it takes is dedication and some discipline - for example, you can answer 10-15 econ questions a day for +5 grade points. You rack up a good number of points quite fast through the quizzes, essays, games, and everything else! It is not hard to do well in this course, if you just do a little bit every day!

I highly recommend this class!! It is absolutely fantastic, and frankly, it sounds very impressive when you drop the name "AP Macroeconomics." You'll love the games! :) And even better, by the time the AP test rolls around, you'll love the subject! :)

Well worth the money!

Posted by Dani Shaw (Parent) on 05/19/2011

This was my son's first experience taking a class on line. My husband and I were skeptical about paying this much money for a class but the class description sounded like a perfect fit for our son. Now we think it was worth more than we paid. I have no doubt my son will receive at least a 4 on his AP test. This class prepared him very well! Dr. Richman knows economics well and is an excellent teacher. I highly recommend this class. I wish we had found out about PA Homeschoolers earlier than my son's senior year.

Great class and great teacher!

Posted by Trevor Shaw on 05/19/2011

I felt that this course prepared me well for the exam. The beginning of the class created a solid foundation upon which to build the important concepts. Although it was somewhat time consuming, perhaps one to two hours per day, this class has been amazing. This was one of the best classes I have ever taken, no doubt about it. I learned so much valuable information about the economy. Before taking this class, I was completely ignorant in economics. For instance, if you asked me what monetary policy was, I would be at a loss for words. But now, I can't even imagine not having the knowledge I have today. Not only was the class great, the students were very amiable and intelligent. I have made some friends via this course. Additionally, Dr. Richman is great teacher. He is very available for chats and explains things extremely well. I still have chats saved for future reference. The economics games make things very fun and interesting as well.

I would recommend this class to anyone who is willing to put the time in. Even if they are skeptical about the difficulty, I would go for it. I don't believe they will regret their decision. I certainly don't!

Awesome class, lots of fun

Posted by Josh Calvetti on 05/19/2011

Overall, I'd have to say I quite enjoyed Dr. Richman's AP Economics class. We had a pretty large class (around 45 students), but it never felt crowded; Dr. Richman was always available in the evenings to answer my questions. There were certainly times when the work was hard, but it was still enjoyable and enlightening. Throughout the year, we played many different types of economic-based games. Each was complicated, yet they were each fun in their own way.

I would definitely say this was one of the harder courses I've take in high school- but that's not a reason to not take it. If you're willing to put your mind to it, you'll be able to excel.

If you want to be an informed citizen...

Posted by Audrey Ward on 05/16/2011

...then look no further for an excellent class that is superbly relevant to current events! Personally, after taking this class, I believe that this course should be required for all high school students. This class is great whether you are "into" economics and current events or not. I will admit that I have never been an business/economics person, but I got just as much out of the class as students who were already relatively knowledgeable. Business cycles, government deficit and debt, and trade are extremely important issues for our country. Before taking this class I was rather ignorant about them, but I can now read newspaper articles and have conversations about the economy with the confidence that I will have a good understanding of the issues. The class certainly enhanced my interest in the subject!

I feel that this course prepared me very well for the AP exam; most of the multiple choice questions were quite easy for me after all of the practice I got throughout the year working on daily "Random Multiple Choice Questions." I spent about 2 hours each week day on this course (I only had to work on weekends if I wanted to work ahead or study for an upcoming exam), but sometimes more if in the heat of a competitive economics game! The games that Dr. Richman has created were very valuable to my understanding of the course material and were fun at the same time. The class interaction during the games was excellent. They helped me to memorize economic concepts like monetary and fiscal policy intuitively, rather than by rote--which makes the essays on the AP exam much easier to navigate. I found the steady routine of essay writing throughout the year very helpful as well. 

AP Macroeconomics is definitely a course that I would recommend to any high school student willing to work hard and who wants to become an informed citizen!

Posted by Moriah Glady on 05/12/2011

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?
  
  I felt very comfortable taking the exam, and only saw one unfamiliar term on the entire test.  
  
  
• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?
  For most of the year, I spent about two hours on assignments, five days a week.  I never felt pressed to work into the weekend, unless I chose to work ahead.
  
  
• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?
  At the beginning of this course, I had absolutely no interest in economics.  But now I'm considering an economics major in college.
  
  
• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?
  The economic games were a great opportunity to interact with my classmates.  I learned so much from their innovative ideas and strategies, which greatly enhanced my understanding throughout the course.
  
  
• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?
  
  I believe any student can delve into this course and leave with a greater understanding of economics and how the world works.  I entered the class with doubts, and left with such an interest.  
  
  
  

 

 

A Fabulous Class!

Posted by Mary Hill on 06/05/2010

Hello fellow Students!

Are you interested in the Economic struggles of today and the search for solutions?  Do you like challenges, working hard, studying hard and playing hard?  Well, this class is just the thing for you!

  Though it sounds like it takes up the whole day, if you manage your study time, 1 1/2 to 2 hours max per day is a good studying balance for this class.  Some of it is fun work too, including lots of games and creative writing to use the information you learned each week.  As the AP Exam approaches there are no assingments, but a strict studying time should be applied each day so you don't forget the information that was instilled in you. 

For those of you that don't have much interest in Economics, let me tell you, I used to be in the same boat.  After taking this class I became very interested in economics, even to the point of liking it!!  Who knows, you may even think about minoring in it after this amazing class!  Remeber, Economics is not the "dismal science" that it is thought to be. :-)

Become an APECer'it's empowering!

Posted by Damaris Jimenez on 06/01/2010

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Absolutely! The combination of the games, essays, quizzes, daily quiz questions, interaction with my classmates, and especially the whole class chat two days before the actual exam all gave me a feeling of confidence going into the test. I'm typically a pretty test-tense girl, who believed that, since this was my first AP class ever, the exam would be just as painful as the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup again…I live close to Washington DC. However, this was not the case, thankfully. Dr. Richman is a terrific teacher, who has put together a brilliantly structured course. Each concept followed the next clearly and logically. The lectures by Timothy Taylor were fantastic and the games Dr. Richman designed made this class one of the most enjoyable I have ever taken.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

On average, I had about 2 hours per day devoted to economics, which worked pretty well for me. Some of the games are a little more time consuming, so my economics time stretched out a little more. But usually it took me about 2 hours to get my daily work done: quiz questions, posting on the WWW Board, critiquing essays, writing essays, making game move, etc. Thursdays are the catch-up day of the week for this class.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The Games! End of story. The games made this class the best class I've taken all year. They were fun, interesting, and provoked a lot of discussion, debate, and interaction on the Game/social board. My favorite two games were the Business Game [a.k.a. the Burger Game] and the International Growth Game [IGG]. Also, if you really enjoyed a particular game, at the end of the year, Dr. Richman might let you run it as a post-class game. I wound up having a blast running the 3^rd round of the Burger Game against the other Economics class Dr. Richman taught this year.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes. Although history has always been my thing … I come from a game-loving family and I was convinced to take this class based on the descriptions of the games. Looking back at my past year in Econ, I have to say that the knowledge I gained has helped me in my competitive debate league, in my understanding of the Wall Street Journal op-eds, and in every day conversation. I am considering taking economics in college.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Interaction with the class…on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most…I give this class 15. While not every conversation on the game/social board was economics-related, the conversations were still very worthwhile and fun. For this class, I would highly recommend downloading AIM onto your computer…I had more conversations with my classmates and Dr. Richman over AIM then on the game/social board…and that's saying something because the game/social board was ridiculously active. My classmates and I discussed everything from favorite books, movies, music, and [oddly enough] hockey teams to the current game we were playing, and econ-game strategy.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

If you are looking to take AP Macroeconomics from Dr. Richman, [as I assume you are] my advice to you would be – do it! This class is open to the econ guru as well as the kid who has never heard of Supply or Demand. Dr. Richman is an excellent teacher who will work with you to ensure you understand the concepts. One of the many things I have appreciated about taking this class from Dr. Richman is, he is very persistent, timely, and also reasonable. If you don't understand a concept or you can't make a deadline, he is flexible…assuming you give enough notice.

The student who would do well in this class would be anyone who is eager to learn and likes to argue [ahem, politely, though]. Both of these characteristics will help you generate worthwhile class discussion and interaction with Dr. Richman and your classmates. So go sign up for this class *now* and become an APECer!

Miscellaneous comments/things I've learned from the year:

-Getting points were a key motivator for me in this class. Doing your Daily Quiz Questions are highly important. Do *not* miss a day to collect the maximum 5 points per day. I learned the hard way. The way to lose points and over time fall in class rank was missing quiz questions.

-For the games that require partners or teams…try to switch up who you partner with…you'll make more friends that way and you'll learn more things about the games. You might also find a study buddy.

-It is also fun to invite family members or friends to play in some of the games. Dr. Richman really encourages this and my father had a great time buying and selling pixilated burgers! 

-An Absolute Must: go the end of the year party!!! I just got back from it yesterday and had an absolute blast – plus on Saturday, your curfew is 2:30 am. [totally awesome] I had no clue how to square or swing dance…but the Richmans are excellent musicians and dance-callers. I had a great time dancing with some of my econ-classmates and then playing basketball with them after the dance until about curfew. This party was one of the big highlights of my year. ;)

If you are at all interested in Economics take this class!

Posted by Andrew Montgomery on 05/27/2010

This class has been Amazing! I myslef have a passion for political science and I was intrigued by the idea of taking economics. When I started getting into the material it was a complete blast. My favorite class of the year (maybe even of my entire highschool!) The text books and assignments were both challenging and rewarding. But it is easy to succeed if you put your heart into it. One thing that is great about this class over a different economic class is the economic stimulations involved. This allows you to play a game while learning economics, a truly awesome addition. I've found that not only have I learned so much about economics and gained a better understanding of the world but I've also improved other areas. For example, I'm taking the ACT this year and one of the sections is a science section (basically just interpreting graphs and data) something which I'm not a fan of. But economics has helped me dramatically with that and the science section is one of my highest scores.

In summary, take this class! Learning economics is great, wheter you are interested in purusing it as a carrer or just to better understand the world we live in. Dr. Richman is a great instructor who is happy to answer your questions and help you along. Thanks Dr. Richman!

Take this class!

Posted by Hannah Pawelczyk on 05/24/2010

Hi Prospective AP Econ students,

I highly recommend this class!  Dr. Richman is a great teacher, and I learned so much this year in his class.  I started off without any knowledge of economics, and I have come to find that it is an important subject for everyone to study, as it has so much real-life relevance.  Even with the break in class work from March to late April, I felt very well prepared for the AP exam.  There was plenty of practice, and everything easily came back to me for the AP test in May.

This course definitely enhanced my interest in economics.  I never considered studying it in college before, but I am now.  I really enjoyed the whole course, but my favorite assignments were playing the economics games, especially the Burger Game.  Speaking of the games, my only warning would be that this class can demand a lot of time, especially when you really get into the games.  (It's definitely worth it though!)  I would estimate that it econ took about 7 - 10 hours a week (though some weeks it was a little less), with an hour or usually more a day.  Whether you already have an interest in econ or know nothing about it, I highly recommend this class!

Hannah   

Great course for the motivated student

Posted by Abraham DeHart on 05/24/2010

This is a great course to take if you are motivated and want to do well. Like most online courses, it is really up to you to take the initiative. You can meet the basic requirements and even do ok without really devoting yourself to learning the material. However, the games definetly helped me to keep connected with what I was learning. I would recommend this course if your interested in economics, and if you are motivated to do well. If not, you will probably get an A- or a B iin the course, and then do poorly on the actual AP test.

This course can take up as much or as little time as you have to give. I would say that I averaged an hour every day, but I think my sister often spent as much as 4 or 5 hours a day. I didn't get as complete an understanding of the subject, but I felt that I learned enough to get a 4 out of 5 on the final exam.

Dr. Richman is an excellent teacher and resource. He is frequently available online to chat with, and is very good at explaining difficult concepts. But once again, if you don;t understand something, it is up to you to take the initiative. 

The #1 Class You MUST Take in High School

Posted by Claire Rossell on 05/23/2010

Let me begin by saying that if you're considering taking this class and you're thinking, "I know absolutely nothing about economics!  Why on earth should I even consider taking an AP Economics course??" don't let that stop you.  I thought the same thing.  Prior to taking this class, I knew nothing about economics.  I remember reading some of my classmates' bios and seeing them talking about their views on free trade or economic stimulus, and I wondered, "What on earth have I gotten myself into?"

Fast-forward eight months to when I sat down to take my AP Macroeconomics test.  Unlike other times I had taken AP tests, I felt completely calm and confident.  I knew that I knew the material.  How did I go from being the know-nothing economics student to a confident, well-prepared AP test-taker?  The answer is this course.

Dr. Richman is an amazing teacher!  I have taken five online AP courses now and I have discovered that there is a direct correlation between the involvement of the teacher and how well I master the material.  One thing that I really appreciate about Dr. Richman as a teacher is that he is always available.  He communicates with his students primarily through AIM and invites them to chat him with ANY questions they have.  I had a lot of questions for Dr. Richman this year, and he always was very patient in explaining the answers to me and wouldn't quit until I completely understood the concept.  He is also a very prompt grader.  When he says he'll get something graded on Wednesday, he'll have it graded on Wednesday.  

This course did take some time.  There are assignments due everyday (except Thursdays) which usually can be completed in one to two hours (depending on how focused the student is).  At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this everyday due date system since all my other courses usually only had weekly due dates.  However, I came to appreciate how it kept me from procrastinating and it helped me to digest concepts gradually instead of simply cramming in everything on a Friday night.

Also, starting in November, Dr. Richman has us begin to write econ essays from real AP exams.  Over the months, he covers just about any subject that could possibly come up in the free response questions so that we know exactly how to answer the questions when we face them in May.

The best part of the course hands-down, though, was the games.  During the year, students play a variety of games illustrating different macroeconomic concepts.  Not only were these incredibly fun and helped you to get to know your classmates better, I think this is what really helped me to master the material.  The games helped for me to not only learn, but to apply, and this helped to reinforce what I had learned.  I even found myself at the AP exam trying to remember the answer to one question and remembering, "Hey, this is what I did in one of those games!  I just need to do what I did there!"  

Even if you think that you'll never go into a field requiring economics (although after this class, you may change your mind), I would still highly recommend this class.  I've actually told my mom quite often recently that I think taking a Macroeconomics class should be a requirement to graduate from high school.  The thing is, I didn't just become a more informed student -- I became a more informed voter.  Now when I hear about the government spending more money or healthcare or unemployment, I understand what people are saying and I can now make an informed decision about which way to vote.

So, no matter if you're an econ-genius or have absolutely no experience in economics, I would highly recommend that you take this class.  You won't regret it.

 

YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS CLASS

Posted by Andrew Evans on 05/20/2010

It's really quite simple: Take This Class. It's excellent, educational, and fun.

 

Excellent: If you follow the assignments diligently, you will do well on the exam. Most public/private school students you'll be competing with took this class in one semester--and many took it in the fall! You get an entire year to march through the material and saturate your brain with preparation. I've taken eight AP exams, and this one worried me the least. Dr. Richman's class definitely prepared me and it will definitely prepare you.

 

Educational: Although some of you are probably just looking for a way to get an econ credit, I thoroughly believe that this class provides a necessary foundation for being a good citizen. It saddens me to see ignorant Democrats and equally ignorant Republicans arguing for or against an issue without understanding the economics behind it. Rude rhetoric, rather than rightful reason, rules.

But as you begin studying the un-politicized facts, you'll be surprised at how little debate there is about the actual workings of an economy and the effects of governmental policies. Economic questions today rarely involve "how does this work?" They almost always involve "what are our goals as a society?" The second question is moral, and if you're still mucking about in the "how does this work" category, you won't be able to reasonably evaluate our society's goals and be an effective citizen.

 

Fun: I can't stress enough how much unbridled fun I had in this class! It was ridiculous...The games are unbelievable: you gain a rock-solid grasp of a confusing economic concept without even realizing it! I can't tell you how many times I'd be going over some concept with a fellow student and say "Well, in [name of game], it worked like this..." Because they were games, I immersed myself in the joy of competition and only later learned that I had mastered a model of some concept.

On a side note, not every game is as fun for everyone: some games are individual with no outside contact, some are individual with intense outside contact, some are two-person teams, and some three-person teams. But whatever your style, most of these games are going to be the highlight of your week--and people will laugh when you tell them that economics is your favorite class! (And believe me, you will utter those words)

 

Miscellaneous advice: Use the games as a springboard for studying with other students. There's no way I would have gotten as much from this class if I had wrapped myself in a cocoon and ignored my classmates. Also, don't try to read the whole chapter all at once. It will either hurt, or you won't really read it. So spread it out. Finally, take the games in stride. They all have great potential for fun and learning, but they all have equal potential to ruin your day. Personally I greatly enjoyed almost all of them, but remember during that one game you happen to not like (everyone has one), that it's just a game. If the fun doesn't capture you, focus on the learning--and the next game will probably be way awesome.

 

Summary: I had three goals going into this class. Rock the exam, become a better citizen, and have fun. All three were more than met. You simply MUST do the same.

Great class!!

Posted by James Leonard on 05/14/2010

Not only did this course prepare me for the AP test, but it sparked my interest in the subject. I am now thinking of double majoring so I can include economics in my studies.

Excellent class. Excellent preparation.

Posted by Adam Nasser on 05/11/2010

This is a top-notch course. Not only did it give me the preparation I needed for the exam, but the understanding of economics that I have acquired has helped me to be a more generally well-educated person. I highly reccomend taking this course. This class gets a "5"

An Excellent Course

Posted by Daniel Wingert on 05/27/2009 --If you choose to take this course and put in the work required, you will be extremely well prepared for the AP exam. Dr. Richman is a fantastically knowledgeable instructor and will cover just about every piece of information that you need to know for the AP exam. Out of the four AP exams that I've taken so far, I think that I felt best prepared for the Macroeconomics Exam, because Dr. Richman does such a thorough job.

--I would estimate that I spent about 8-12 hours per week on this course. Sometimes, I probably spent more time than necessary on the games (and on the www board!), but most of that time was a necessity for success on the exam.

--I felt like I gained something from all the assignments, but I think that the assignments that helped prepare me the best were the daily quiz questions (multiple choice questions in the style of those on the exam) and the essays in the second half of the year (again, based on questions from AP exams).

--After taking this course, I think that my interest in macroeconomics has increased dramatically. In light of the recent/ongoing recession, fiscal and monetary policy have suddenly been shoved into the limelight, and understanding what is going on in Washington has helped me discuss my political ideals more rationally.

--I found that communication with other students really helped me understand the material better, particularly the friendly debates on the WWW Board. In addition, communication with classmates via IM and email during the games helped me to understand certain concepts better.

--I would definitely recommend this class to you if you are interested in learning about and understanding the way the economy works.

Posted by Matthew Kamibayashi on 05/20/2009 As Dr. Richman would say, "Excellent course!" Dr. Richman is obviously a veteran AP Economics teacher; AP Macroeconomics is an extremely well-designed course--certainly one of the better ones, I would guess. I definitely felt prepared for the AP Macro exam, despite my misgivings at the beginning of the year, when economics seemed quite a formidable subject. But through the Teaching Company lectures, textbook, awesome games, and ready advice from Dr. Richman, it all "clicked" before I knew it.

As for input hours: This class requires quite a few! However--and this is vital for an AP course--I never felt that any of the hours I put in were spent on "busy work." Rather, I felt that Dr. Richman's requirements were quite necessary and manageable (with the proper student application, of course). On average, though, I would say that I probably put in about 1.5 hours per day--during the early stages of each Game, quite a bit more; at other times of the year, a bit less.

Indeed, at the beginning of each new game--especially the first one, a wholesale/retail simulation--I probably overdid it a bit. But I think that's because the games were so applicable and enjoyable! In fact, I think the economics simulation games which Dr. Richman has created are one of the most beneficial aspects of taking this Macroeconomics course: They're something one doesn't have access to in most AP classes. I found these games so valuable because they made the vital economic concepts become second nature; rather than attempting to memorize facts and formulas for the test, simply by participating in the games I unconsciously learned the basic in's and out's, up's and down's of economic policy. They are a tremendous tool.

In response to the prompt asking whether or not this course enhanced my interest in economics: To be honest, I'm not much of an econ. guy. But that should speak even more highly to the excellence of this course--because I felt absolutely comfortable with the subject matter by the test. Although I'm not incredibly interested in pursuing economics, in a way, this class DID enhance my interest in econ., because it allowed me to better understand our economy at this crucial period. That, I found quite interesting, and I found myself listening to financial news more intently!

All in all, I think that anyone who is prepared to really apply themselves can do well in this course. A certain comfort level with math does help, but isn't essential. Being able to reason critically and thoroughly is the main key to succeeding in economics. Plus, Dr. Richman is readily available, if you have AOL Instant messenger, to clear up any confusion. I would certainly recommend this AP Macroeconomics class to other students!

Posted by Anna Rebmann on 05/19/2009 Dear Homeschool Student and Family,

Are you seriously considering Dr. Richman's Macro-Economics course? Wonderful! I am so glad to hear it. I took the class in 2008-2009 and had a great time.

As a small business owner, I had a very basic understanding of how supply and demand works. However, my most educated explanation of the disturbing economic phenomena in 2007 and 2008 was probably, 'Well...people have made bad choices and now we are suffering for them.' Taking Dr. Richman's course helped me understand how individual choices can affect an economy on a macro-economic level. Did I learn a great deal? Yes! The class also deepened my interest in the subject.

Dr. Richman's course features an extensive use of economic stimulations to teach concepts. They are so fun that we call them 'games.' A variety of individual and team games taught about investment, the stock market, and international exchange of currency, just to name a few. The games were also an opportunity to build relationships with classmates. I grew closer to previous acquaintances and made new friendships.

However, all AP courses involve responsible studying. Dr. Richman's course is no different. During the majority of the school year, I spent about an hour to three hours on the course, four days a week. I probably could have averaged 1 ' 1 ' hours each day, but an intensive schedule normally forced me to cram my textbook reading into one day. The hard work did pay off'on the day of the test, I felt well prepared.

In short'if you are a dedicated student who wants to learn about the economy, I would certainly encourage you to take Dr. Richman's Macro-economics course!

Best Wishes, Anna R.

A Very Rewarding Year

Posted by Lillian Pride on 05/19/2009 This past year, I had the pleasure of taking the pahomeschoolers economics course with Dr. Richman and class. Being the sixth in a line of Prides to take this course, I was expecting a lot from it. I wasn't disappointed.

One of the first things I noticed upon entering this course was that all the students talked about everything. I mean EVERYTHING! We had some epic battles on issues of theology, presidential candidates, and the economic viability of various things. With many a bandwagon, and a couple straw men, I learned how to be argumentative and logical in this setting. If all I had done the whole semester was talk to my classmates, I would have learned a lot.

But that is not the only thing I did. Every week, I would spend about two to three hours a day studying economics on various levels. Everyone in this class is required to watch a Timothy Taylor lecture, read a chapter of our economics book, and write one to two essays every week. I think I learned the most from doing those essays, as we all got personalized reviews of how we did and what we did wrong for every essay.

We also did various economics games throughout the course, most of which I found invaluable for learning the material. I would go into a game somewhat confused about various economic ideas and come out with a mastery that only a friendly competitive drive can bring. I was especially indebted to Dr. Richman on this level, because whenever I was confused about the economic principles a game was designed around, I could simply contact him on AOL and he would explain it to me. In fact, he managed to explain some of the more complicated economic processes so well that I made a webpage! You can look at it if you like: http://www.webspawner.com/users/dragonfireone/index.html

I cannot think of a better way to foster an interest and mastery in economics than to take the pahomeschoolers economics course. The best advice I can give to anyone entering this course is to prepare for some hard work with a mind bent on learning.

An Amazing Course!

Posted by Timothy Martin on 05/17/2009 Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics class had to be my favorite course of the year. To start the course prepared me exceptionally well for the exam. Going into take the exam I was extremely confident. Additionally, because the course had prepped me so well throughout the year I did not have to cram extensively right before the exam. This allowed me to study for and take the AP Microeconomics exam. One of the great things about this class was that a person could spend anywhere from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours per day on this class. The way the class is structured there are a lot of 'optional' assignments and assignments that can take 15 or 60 minutes depending on how much you wanted to put into it. The advantage of this is that there is always the opportunity to do more yet at the same time if you are having a really tough week you can back of on some of the optional assignments. Though to be quite honest I probably ended up closer to 2.5 hours than 45 minutes most of the time. In large part, this was because I enjoyed the class and the material so much. The games in particular really helped my understanding of certain areas (particularly the exchange rate game). Though to be quite honest, learning was not the reason I spent so much time on the games. Rather, it was simply because they were so much fun to play. You get to interact with your classmates, develop strategies, and hopefully beat out everyone else (Though Dr. Richman was always mysteriously at the top :D). The WWWBoard was another great feature of the class. The multitudes of arguments that developed over the course of the year were not only fun to join in but also helped a person to understand the concepts of economics. Overall this course was amazing. I now understand why certain things are done. If I end up going into business it will be in large part because of this class. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who is willing to put the work into it.

AP Economics

Posted by Peter Cahill on 05/16/2009 I was petrified to take AP Economics with Dr. Richman ' really. Now I really enjoy the subject (I've even thought about minoring in it in college). But the class was truly amazing. First, Dr. Richman is super cool, knowledgeable, and available, which is an unparalleled mixture. I not only aced the exam, but I also actually remember most of what I learn and can apply it. And thirdly, the economics board is NEVER boring.

However, you do need to be prepared to put significant time into this class each and every day. I usually spent between a1 and 1 ' hours a day (minus Thursdays which are a little calmer). The course set up is extremely clear and you know exactly what is required of you. Furthermore, there is NO busywork in this class, which is something I really appreciated. The games are a lot of fun usually (even though the Guns and Butter game is ridiculously time consuming). Essentially, if you are willing to give a reasonable amount of effort, this class is a great choice!

AP MacroEcon by DrR-- training the next generation of economists, one student at a time.

Posted by Connor Baer on 05/15/2009 Believe it or not, I actually wanted to take this class of my own volition. Dr. Richman (DrR) went above and beyond my expectations in creating and environment in which learning economics was both challenging and fun. After having learned about economists through the past couple decades, it's not often you see a man with this much dedication and knowledge to his field of study. I highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to step up and take the challenge. The course load is rough at times, but it is well worth the effort. Two thumbs up!

Enthusiastic Review By Sophomore

Posted by Rebecca Sinoway on 05/15/2009 I felt I was extremely well prepared for the AP exam. There were only a few subjects I was shaky on, and given the vast amount of information this subject covers, that is saying a lot.

The amount of time I put into the class per day differed almost weekly. During a few of the games (the Business Game, Guns and Butter) I probably spent a good two plus hours working to complete my homework. On some days, it took only forty-five minutes, at best. It really does vary for everyone--how quickly they work through the text book and are able to answer questions, their ability to decipher the games and come up with suitable strategies, and how well they cooperate with team members on some of the games. If you join this class, expect to spend a lot of time working on the computer, researching, and reading from the textbook. I know this sounds pretty dismal, but believe me when I say, spending a few hours talking with friends and playing the games was some of the best fun I've had all year.

One of the most valuable assignments I was given this year was taking the knowledge that was being drilled into me and figuring out how it was working it real life situations all around the world: Venezuela's traffic crisis, oil businesses, organ donations, and even global warming. Just about half the essays through December were doing this, along with a few of the games.

Did this course enhance my interest in the subject? Hmm...Before I took this class, I had no interest in economics to speak of. It was just one of those get-it- over-with-and-done courses to me. But then once I started it, it was a tremendous amount of fun and you can say my interest rate shot through the roof. :-) You'll hear that economics is called The Dismal Science, but this class makes it anything but.

There are several ways to talk to the kids involved in the class: two discussion boards that can get really busy (like having to check on it every few minutes to make sure you didn't fall behind in the discussion, busy), emails, IMing, and even phone calls. A few of the games called for mass-communication between the students, but with all these methods, I had virtually no problem talking to those I needed to get in touch with. I've made great friends this year, and I know I'll definitely do my best to keep in touch with them.

I recommend this course to anyone who has a good work ethic (given the hours this class requires, this is a must--falling behind is NOT good), has an analytical mind, and likes to play computer games. Economics needs a person to see connections, how everything fits together, or doesn't (in some cases), and be able to draw conclusions given a set of information (handy for those essays). Even if you don't think you have stated abilities, take this class, and you'll get them. I don't for a single minute regret taking this class, and I urge anyone to sign up and find out just how much fun and useful economics can be, if not for the knowledge the class gives you directly, then for the preparation it gives you for future work. But believe me, it's really hard not to get both.

Seth Brake's Review of AP Economics

Posted by Seth Brake on 05/14/2009 Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, for the most part. There were a few instances where I wondered if something on the exam had been covered, but when I followed the advice the teacher had given me I was 90% of the time able to figure out what was being asked.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

If you took a rough average, I took about an hour a day, and more to study afterward

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The writing of essays was immensely helpful, especially the feedback from those essays

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, I had a lot of fun, even though it was rather difficult, and I found economics to be quite interesting.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, the other students greatly enhanced the course through discussion.

What sort of student would do well in this course?

A student who likes to analyze things and use logic to find answers.

Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Yes, I would

An Outstanding Course

Posted by Madeleine Pride on 05/14/2009 ' This course not only prepared me for the AP exam, it also prepared me for the future. Since I learned this course through an extended period of time, I'll be able to keep it in my mind for when I need it later on in life.

' I generally put in three hours per assignment (not including biographies of old economists, which took one hour each).. You can do the math from there. ;)

' The assignments which I found most benefited my intellect were the AP exam essays. Dr. Richman exposed my faults and instructed me on the correct path to take. I was also able to read the exemplary essays which were posted on the course website.

' I enjoyed the course, therefore I enjoyed the subject. The games, the quizzes, the chats, etc., all piqued my interest.

' I did not talk much with my fellow classmates. However, I still learned a lot from them when I communicated with them.

' Any student who has a thirst for knowledge would appreciate this course. However, you need to keep in mind that you want to learn the subject, not get an "A" in the course (although achieving both would be preferable). I would recommend this course to all students who want to take economics.

Korynne's Review

Posted by Korynne Bolt on 08/08/2008 Dr. Richman's Econ course is a great preparation for the AP exam; students should be aware that they will get out of it what they put into it. Most of the work is self-directed, and while your point-earning and class ranking is motivating, it takes a lot of personal initiative to really be prepared for the exam. The games were particularly fun, and I learned a ton, not just theoretical economics but a lot about how our society works and practical applications of economic studies. The course materials were very thorough and coherent. Dr. Richman's essay comments were very helpful. I'd highly recommend this class to students who are prepared to work hard and go beyond the class requirements to ensure they retain the material.

AP Econ

Posted by Nathan Oberholtzer on 08/07/2008 This was a really fun course to take. The material we used was very understandable, and the concepts flowed together very well. All the paper writing, and the conversations following them, was extremely useful for the exam, and it was also a lot of fun throughout the year.

The economics games that Dr. Richman designs are also a lot of fun, as they help to reinforce some of the ideas we learned about, but it allowed for some extra fun.

I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to get some college credits, as it makes a lot of sense and isn't nearly as difficult to comprehend as a lot of other AP courses, and besides, it was a lot of fun.

Recommended

Posted by Andrew Bowersox on 05/16/2008 I found Dr. Richman's AP Macroeconomics course to be very worthwhile. It can certainly be difficult and demanding at times but I found it to be manageable and ultimately successful in teaching me a lot about economics. Although it is too early to say for sure (as I do not have my grades back yet) I felt very prepared for the AP test that I took at my local high school for college credit. I would say to give this class a try.

Excellent Economics Course

Posted by Jessie Koehn on 05/16/2008 Dr. Richman's AP Econ course is rigorous and wonderful preparation for the AP Exam.

The games are time-consuming if you want to do well. However, they are definitely fun. I enjoyed each one immensely and they helped me learn more about Economics.

I would definitely recommend this course to any student with a mild interest in Economics who is willing to work hard. I actually took the course just because I wanted to take an AP course and I hadn't taken Economics yet in high school. However, I learned so much and although I sometimes got frustrated, I'm really glad I took this class.

The Class: How It Was.

Posted by Michael Casamassa on 05/15/2008 I liked it. It was hard and sometimes frustrating, but hey, that's what a course should be. I learned much and understand economics better than I ever have before. Hope I scored high on the exam. It was fun, especially. My younger siblings are already looking forward to this course.

Sincerely, Michael Casamassa

A Fun and Interesting Way to Learn About Macroeconomics

Posted by Kyle Baer on 07/11/2007 This class went above and beyond my shallow expectations. The class fully prepared me for the AP exam and I had a blast while taking it. Dr. Richman not only teaches you he interacts with you and engages you with the eco games. Even writing the essays was fun and interesting. I enjoyed the class so much that I actually changed my career choice and I decided to study business in college. Thank You Dr. Richman for making this class enjoyable, interesting, and profitable.

Excellent course, but time consuming

Posted by Ian Sturdy on 07/05/2007 I came into this course with a fair background in economics from reading and listening to the TT lectures used in the course, but no previous academic economics work. I found that the course did a very good job both of teaching the material and of preparing me for the AP exam, due to the latter-half emphasis on doing AP free response questions.

I would estimate that I normally spent 1.5-2 hours on the class, but that could nearly double during some of the more time intensive games. On the other hand, one could probably do very well in the games (and certainly very well in the course) not spending so much time on the games.

Although the FRQs were probably most helpful, I particularly liked the earlier essays. They really got me to think about economics in a more involved and applied fashion than the AP work.

I would recommend this course to all students who have the time, and if you are remotely interested in economics finding the time would be well worth it.

This class is excellent!

Posted by Debbie Beihl on 05/25/2007 I felt like this course did an excellent job preparing me for the AP Exam.

I'm not sure how many hours of work I put into this course... Probably 3-6 hours a week.

Some of the games were really fun! But I found the essays that we wrote from real AP Exams (during the second half of the course) to be extremely valuable and helpful.

This course did enhance my interest in economics.

The WWWBoard was very active. There were interesting discussions there. This class has the most active WWWBoard of any class I've taken from PA Homeschoolers.

A diligent student who wants to learn would do well in this class. I would highly recommend this course to other students!

It's break, I'm lazy - I'm using the list and not coming up with a proper title, so sue me. ;-)

Posted by Laura Webb on 05/24/2007

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes. At first, I was hyper-paranoid about not studying enough, but gradually I found that the class was preparing me well enough on its own - and my scores reflected that (whew!).

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Hmm, let's see...a lot. I broke up the assignments throughout the week based on what was due when, so I believe I worked anywhere from 1 to 3 hours per weekday, with a little simple extra-credit work on weekends whenever I could.

• Are there any specific assignments that you found especially valuable?

I found almost all of the class valuable. The essays (both the long essays and the shorter, "timed" essays) and the short answer questions definitely helped me with the free-response portion of the exam, and the quiz questions also definitely helped me with the multiple-choice portion. Timothy Taylor's economics lectures were excellent, and dramatically increased my understanding of the economic concepts involved in the class.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Well, I'm not particularly in-tune with math, government science, or statistics, so I didn't enjoy discovering one day that I was subconsciously trying to analyze everything around me using economic theory. It's the sort of thing that creeps in the back of your head and takes you over without your knowledge or consent. Beware! :D

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Well, they were certainly interesting, to say the least - although, outside of class (and occasionally inside of it), not always concerning economics, of course.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? and Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?/li>

  I would recommend this class to, yes, any student willing to work hard. I believe a student who genuinely wants to increase his/her understanding of economics and not just do the minimum required of him/her - as well as one willing to treat others with differing views and backgrounds with reason and respect (the social aspect is important to this class, and keep in mind that homeschoolers come in all shapes and sizes :)) - would enjoy and succeed in this course.

AP Econ

Posted by Benjamin Cahill on 05/21/2007 This is an excellent class for anyone with a least some desire to study economics. Dr. Richman does an excellent job offering a course that provides an in-depth study of economics. What I liked most about this class was both the practical applications, where economic principles were used to evaluate current issues, and the games which provided a fun way to learn basic economic principles and then see them in action. I also felt that the class prepared me fully for the AP exam without being overly time intensive. If you are looking for a class that will provide you with useful knowledge without overloading your schedule, this is the class for you!

An outstanding course that is necessary for any high school student!

Posted by Katelin Dutill on 05/19/2007 The choice to take this class was, undeniably, one of the best choices I made last summer. Prior to this course, I had very little economic understanding of any sort ' and I was (and still am) not a 'math girl.' However, within two weeks or so of beginning the course, I quickly learned many things ' including economic terms and how to read and draw graphs.

In the first half of the course we focused on learning the basics of economics (supply, demand, inflation, unemployment, etc) and to that end we listened to a lecture each week by Professor Timothy Taylor and read a chapter in our textbook. Each lecture and chapter were accompanied by a quiz, and we were also required to do daily quiz questions each weekday. An essay was due almost every week and topics ranged from 'great economists' to 'current events' (offshoring, minimum wage, etc) to 'lousy economists.'

The second half of the course was intense but provided us with excellent exam preparation. We continued with our lecture and chapter per week, but started to write two essays per week. The topics of these essays were a bit different ' they were essays from actual or practice Macroeconomic exams. While many essays weren't easy (I clearly remember one or two IM conversations with a classmate in which we were desperately trying to figure out what a certain graph looked like) I learned so much through them and felt very prepared for the exam.

Of course, this review would be incomplete without mentioning the economic games that we played. Each game is designed by Dr. Richman to teach various economic concepts (such as comparative advantage and exchange rates) and I definitely had fun with these games. Two of them are 'team games' and both of my teams were made up of smart and fun-loving classmates. In fact, the games and the course itself fascinated me to the point that my younger sister got rather tired of all my dinner-time economic chatter.

Last but not least, Dr. Richman is a very good teacher. The scope and sequence of the course is outstanding and he demands excellence from each one of us. While I did review heavily for the actual AP exam, I felt very prepared going into it. Since I've completed the course, I feel like I have an excellent understanding of the economy and I'm better able to evaluate political platforms from a merely economic standpoint.

In sum, I would highly recommend this course to every student. What you learn will help you throughout all of life and, as you learn it, you'll have an enjoyable time.

Good luck!

A Must-Take for Any High School Student!

Posted by Stephen Green on 02/25/2007 This course could not have prepared me for the AP exam any better. The range of study was incredibly in-depth and Dr. Richman took care to teach us the subjects and topics necessary to do well on the exam without dwelling on antiquated ideas or unrelated issues. If we had questions about anything we could contact Dr. Richman through a variety of ways and receive on-on-one teaching-- the conversations were then posted online for all classmates to see.

To my surprise, my interest in economics grew throughout the year as I studied more. Instead of submitting assignments and doing reading just to get a decent grade, I actually began to look forward to each next assignment because I found the topic so fascinating! The variety of work as well as the fact it is intrinsically interesting both served to extensively educate me as well as provide a fun atmosphere to work in.

This class is an absolute necessity for all high school students! The prevalence of economic principles in our everyday life makes it inherently useful to any and all who study it. Furthermore, chances are you won't find a better Macroeconomics course anywhere else!

A very good class

Posted by Andrew Hou on 07/06/2006 This is not my first AP course, so I kind of knew what to expect. And the class meeted almost all of my expectations. There was quite a lot of work involved, mainly text book writing and essay writing. While there was a lot, there was not an un-doable amount. I normally put in about 7-8 hours a week. The work that I did was all very effective, and it helped me prep for the exam very well. The essays we wrote were all graded and commented on by the teacher, though I felt that the comments given by the teacher could have been more explanatory in why I got something wrong. I understood what was right, but not why I was wrong.

In prepping for the exam, the quiz questions and essays from actual AP exams were especially helpful. The essay questions made me think into how to use the economic principles that I learned, and doing so firmly rooted them into my mind. All of this extra knowledge definitely made me more interested in economics.

Working with other students in the games and studying was very helpful, we were able to feed off of each other's understandings and ideas. I recommend this class for anyone who has even a mild interest in economics, is not averted to study, and loves to learn.

Go For It!

Posted by Sarah Keckler on 05/26/2006 This was my first AP course and it fulfilled all my expectations. I hoped for a course that would teach me new concepts, prepare me for the AP exam, and help me when confused. I found all these, and more in this course. I generally spent from one to two hours a day studying, answering quizzes, and writing essay assignments. The econmics games that we played were invaluable in that we had the opportunity to see how the concepts applied to real life- although simulated- situations. I found the essays in the second half of the course very helpful on the AP exam. The essay questions were taken from past exams and they were very similar to the questions I answered on the real exam. I recommend this course to those who are willing to study, improve their work, and try to understand how the economic concepts work in real life.

Wonderful!

Posted by Pearl Young on 05/25/2006 This is my third year of AP exam and my fifth course.

Dr. Richman has and continues to put in much effort to make this course successful. He gives helpful comments to all our essays, and posts exemplary essays as examples. He answers questions promptly and encourages us to learn via his games.

Dr. Richman makes himself available on AIM four nights a week. I have this venue extremely helpful. I was able to receive one-on-one help on aspects of the course that seemed difficult to me. Through our "conversations," I became more confident in my understanding of economics.

This class requires a lot of interaction with classmates via the daily "economics games." Though at first these seemed time-consuming, they helped me to understand economic concepts in a fun manner. By forcing the students to convert the theory into practice, the games help reinforce understanding of basic economic concepts.

By the end of this course, I feel that I have a stronger appreciation for economics and the business world. Money plays a fundamental role in today's global world and particularly in American culture; this class provides a basic foundation to understand this.

My classmates always sought to help and encourage one another via the class message board. We posted questions and misunderstandings on the board and then exchanged our own discoveries. In addition, the teacher posted his "chats" with other students, so we were able to benefit from others' discussions.

To excel in this class requires a drive to understand the material. Because each new concepts builds on previous ones, it is important to study consistently and find answers to your questions.

Worth the Effort!

Posted by Benjamin Frear on 05/25/2006 After taking this AP online course, I have an enhanced knowledge of economics. I can better understand economic issues discussed in newspapers, and detect fallicies in someone's argument. I also was very thankful for how well I was prepared for the AP exam. There were very few issues that were dicussed on the test that we hadn't covered. Although there was a lot of work involved in the class--I spent at least 10 hours a week completing assignments--I feel that the time spent was well worth it.