It's really important to read the textbook, because the lectures are more summaries than actual introduction of material. That being said, you can expect to see a test question on a term mentioned once in class and not in the book. The tests are reasonable, but challenging. They can be hard to study for, given that (in my experience) we learned mostly theory and concepts and the tests were almost all application. Be careful in picking your TA, because that makes a big difference. Mine was being a TA for the first time, and it showed. I haven't taken the final yet, but I find studying for it to be difficult, because of the change from short answer tests to a multiple choice final.

LOVED this class. Some people say that it's overrated, but I would strongly disagree. Elzinga's lectures are fantastic, and he understands that economics is not a world of its own, but a discipline that constantly interacts with each other subject, and he keeps that in mind when he teaches. A lot of people find his tests difficult or tricky, but I think that with a bit of preparation they aren't that bad; as long as you understand the concepts, you should succeed in this class.

Some people love the subject of economics, and some people hate it- a lot of that seems to correlate how comfortable you are with math and thinking about curves and graphs. Nonetheless, Elzinga is the sweetest guy, and his lectures are surprisingly hilarious. Some people are bothered that he covers real-world applications more than the concepts themselves, but I found his lectures fascinating, and don't be fooled into only studying the text and discussion notes- he likes to pull obscure-ish lecture points for test questions. Overall, I loved the class, and it made me decide to major in econ.

This course is significantly overrated. Elzinga is a very nice guy but don't walk into the lecture expecting him to amaze you. The final is unnecessarily difficult and will likely negatively impact your grade. If you care about your GPA take it with a TA

Elzinga is a great lecturer but the final exam is so difficult and worth so much. I don't know if it's worth it to take the big name professor when you can get a good grade with a TA because it's not that hard.

Elzinga is a legend. Take this course. Whether you are an Econ major, or simply a UVA student, you do yourself a service by taking this course. Not only will you learn a very important and useful subject, but you will gain access to an incredible man, teacher and resource. Elzinga is a world-famous economist and a fantastic lecturer. Despite the fact that there are 500 other people in the room, you feel as though Elzinga is talking directly to you. His lectures are very interesting and apply economic theory to real-world practice. He feels a responsibility to teach to a variety of students, and tries his best to balance his lectures between law, business, policy, etc. You learn a lot from Elzinga's lectures, though you glean most of your economic knowledge from the Colander text, which is an easy read. The two midterms are challenging and the review book is probably more helpful than TA's are. However, Elzinga's legendary Dutch knock-out on the final exam, coupled with a generous curve, make it fairly easy to do well in his course. My TA was Robin- I liked that his quizzes were online, but I wish he had actually given us homework to make sure we had learned the material along the way. But you take this course for the professor, not the TA. Go to Elzinga's office hours and introduce yourself- he always has cookies in the waiting room and he is an exceptional resource whom students will want to form a relationship with. He is a highly experienced and compassionate man, who cares deeply for his students. He invites everyone over to his home for Thanksgiving dinner and gives presentations throughout the semester. For example, he gave one this fall comparing the study of Econ and Comm for students who are having trouble deciding in which direction to take their studies. Bottom line: All UVA students should take this course- you will enjoy the experience, you will learn a lot, and you will come to know a UVA legend and a great man.

There were times when I really did agree that his class is overrated and I regretted not taking it with a TA, but I really think Elzinga is more than a lecturer - it's not the knowledge you learned from him that matters, it's the vision. In terms of preparing for exams, Colander and a good TA are all you can count on.

If anything, register for this class just to go to this guys office hours. In case you haven't heard, this guy is a legend and even if you never take his class make up a reason to show up to his office hours. His lecture is designed so that you come in having already read the textbook with a basic idea of the topic, so that he can use examples to explain it further. It's hard to learn in a 500 person lecture hall but if you are willing to teach yourself the subject and get occasional help from a TA that barely speaks English, take this class. It's worth it even if you get an awful grade because of how legendary Elzinga is one on one.
Grade System: Two midterms and a final, quizzes during discussion section, and clicker points. He allows something called dutch knockout where you base your whole semester grade off of the final, but because he curves that differently it usually won't make a difference
For reference: I took Econ in high school, then took this first semester first year and got a B

I heard so many people recommend this class that I had to try it too! I enjoyed Prof Elzinga's lectures and ECON 2010 overall, and I would recommend it to anyone. He's a very good speaker, and he's just such a cute old man! His lectures can be a bit rambly though, so you're never really sure what you're supposed to take notes on. You definitely need to read the textbook though, because he doesn't go very in depth in lecture. Some people think the class is overrated but I think it's a nice amount of work for an intro class. Two short answer midterms, one multiple choice final, clicker questions, and discussion points. I had Ben Leyden as a TA, and I would definitely recommend him! He was very clear in answering questions. Just be warned that since it's a hugeeee lecture class, the final grades will be curved accordingly which can be a bit nervewracking as you have no idea what grade you have until the very end. Some of my friends who took it with a TA seemed to have an easier time getting A's, so that's something to keep in mind.

Elzinga was a great professor. His lectures included real world examples and the occasional joke while also being extremely informative.

The 2 midterms require extreme specificity in certain questions without necessarily asking for it, but the MC final is definitely do-able.

My discussion section was valuable as the TA would give practice questions that were largely missed on the exams. Some of the exam questions were only from info learned in discussion sections or from the book, so the lecture is great, but you need to put forth more effort if you want to do really well.

Would definitely recommend.