Nestor Ruiz

School: Cal Poly Pomona
Department: Economics
Location:Pomona, CA
Overall Rating
rated by 20 students
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
Rating Comment
Overall
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
 Pros: He means well
Cons: Everything Else
This review is for the History majors. This class, by far, is the hardest one that I have ever taken mostly because you are at an extreme disadvantage going into it. You are taking an upper division economics class while only knowing the basics while most of your other classmates are more knowledgeable on the subject. He doesn't put up with any crap. If you miss class, you'll probably fail. Plan on doing 5-10 pages of homework weekly. He encourages going to office hours, but good luck getting any time with him because each office hour there is a line of his other students trying to do the same thing, and his office hours are limited because he lives in Sacramento. He does give out past exams to study off of which I recommend doing. His midterm and his final both took me more than two and a half hours to complete (and I was one of the first to get done). His tests are both written answers, no multiple choice. Economics students in the class say that this is just Nestor and are used to it, and I really give those students props because it was a crazy experience. Dr. Van is teaching another history class to get around the upper division economics course, so just save yourself and talk to her about taking that class instead. As for my grade, I passed with a C (which I was ecstatic about) , though I had to come back mid summer to retake the final.
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 Pros: Absolutely none.
Cons: Racist.
Terrible.
Accent you can't understand.
Uses symbols to write instead of words.
STAY AWAY!!!! He gives quizzes every week. 6 super hard homework assignments. They're generally 8-10 pages each. The good thing is you work in groups of 4, but you are quizzed on the entire hw assignment, so learn your group members sections of the hw too. The major homework assignment is MINIMUM of 20 pages. He is terrible. He is racist towards anyone who is not Latin/Mexican. He picked on me the entire quarter. I didn't enroll until the last minute, and therefore missed the first 2 classes, and ever since then I was his target every class after that. Every time I walked in the door he had some stupid remark to say to me. He would make comments, he made fun of the way I sneezed, forreals dude? And even sang a song about me, major douchebag. He is straight up terrible. I don't know how much more I can say it. Just stay away from this guy. Farrrrrrrrrr awayyyyyy!
Grade received: F. (No shocker there!)
Overall
Helpfulness
Clarity
Easiness
 Pros: None
Cons: TERRIBLE
racist
Accent that you have to question 75% of what he says.
STAY AWAY!!!! He gives quizzes every week. 6 super hard homework assignments. They're generally 8-10 pages each. The good thig is you work in groups of 4. The major homework assignment is MINIMUM of 20 pages. He is terrible. He is racist towards anyone who is not Latin/Mexican. He picked on me the entire quarter. I didn't enroll until the last minute, and therefore missed the first 2 classes, and ever since then I was his target every class after that. He would make comments, he made fun of the way I sneezed, forreals dude? And even sang a song about me. He is straight up terrible. I don't know how much more I can say it. Just stay away from this guy. Farrrrrrrrrr awayyyyyy!
Grade received: F. (No shocker there!)
Overall
Helpfulness
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Easiness
 Pros: He's extremely knowledgeable. He clearly knows what he is talking about and really cares if you learn economics he doesn't try to make the class any harder than it already is. He gives you handouts that help you on the homework and you can use some of them on the midterm and final. You have to go to class! Every class is important. If you like skipping classes do not enroll in his class he will notice and he will call you out and you will be lost! He really makes you think and will probably change your political views. He's a great guy though I really really like him. The homework is not difficult just very time consuming so if you are a procrastinator like me you will be very stressed in his class. The midterm was OK but I definitely should have studied more. Overall if you are not a procrastinator and will go to every class then take him I think you will enjoy him. Homework is due every Tuesday and its done in a group of 4 and there's a quiz every Tuesday based off of the homework. Make sure you get good group members!!!! But if he feels like he didn't thoroughly explain a concept in class that is on the homework he will postpone the due date. And he offers a TON of extra credit. Do it!!!Anyway he's really cool :)
Rad professor.
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 Pros: He knows what hes teaching and very intelligent. He uses lots of examples and really relates economics outside of class. He is very funny and very helpful.
Cons: He does not go by the book. His accent is a bit hard to understand.
Make sure to take advantage of his review sessions and extra credit because they do affect your grade. He does not take attendance, but he will notice if you do show up to class or not, which can help your grade if you do attend all the classes. Make sure to study because his exams and quizzes are very hard. Most of his homework are group work, so be sure to work with good partners because everyone has to contribute to homework to have a good grade. He does not allow cellphones nor laptops and he will be mad if he catches you. Overall, he is an awesome guy and you really do learn a lot from his class. I was scared to take his class because I would hear that his class is hard, but if you try and work hard, you'll do fine.
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 Pros: He is an amazing teacher and knows economics really well. He gives plenty of opportunities for extra credit. He also gives you the opportunity to buy whichever econ book that you want.
Cons: Do not disrespect him and do not get on his bad side. He will yell at you if you are not paying attention in his class. No phones, no laptops, no sleeping. He wants his students to learn and he gets offended when his students are disrespectful.
He gives out extra credit opportunities almost every class. He says there is no limit to learning. If you really want to learn econ, take this class. If you just want an easy A, this is not the class. The homework is all group work, so make sure to pick a good group. The homework is weekly and usually ends up being about 10-20 pages or more. You will not have a problem passing this class if you try. He is always available in his office, gives a lot of extra credit, does review sessions and genuinely cares about his students. ***DO NOT EVER STEAL FROM HIM*** this happened to our class this quarter, he will make the class 10 times harder for everyone even if just one person does this, just respect him and you will have no problems. He is intimidating, but he really is an amazing teacher. Take his class!
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 Nestor is rediculously difficult, the homeworks are long, typically ending up 10 pages plus per week. It is all group work though but it diffuclt to get everyone on the same page. if you are an econ major it makes it a little easier, but there is still a lot of work. his tests aren't that bad, they are all essay though, which means you can BS a little bit, and if you put down more information that what he requested he will give you a few extra points. He is a good teacher, and you will learn a lot, but don't take it if you want a blow off class. Grade Received: B+
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 Nestor is the craziest son of a bitch I have ever met.
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 The Class materials are not hard, but Nestor covers a lot of stuff in one quarter. He sometimes jumps around on the same subject makes it confounding. But overall, he is knowledgeable about the subject and a good teacher. To do well, 1. go to class and write down everything in the lecture. 2. Go to his office hours OFTEN to ask questions about the homework (it's painstakingly long). 3. go over his old exams for midterms and finals. Bottom line, you have to put a lot of time and effort to succeed in this class. Make sure to have smart group members that are willing to spend a lot of time doing the homework. Final 40%, midterm 30%, and homework & quizzes 30%. He also gives out extra credit (50 points max) but it only goes toward the homwework & quizzes if you don't get full 100% on homework & quizzes. Grade Received: A-
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 Nestor isn't nearly as bad as some make him out to be. His class is pretty intimidating at first, but you get the hang of it after a while. He gives a lot of extra credit which is relativly easy, so be sure to take advantage of that. You'll probably fail several of his pop quizes, but don't get bummed. They count for very little of your final grade. The key to this class is simply to do all the homework (it's group work, so you can spread the workload out a lot), and study like crazy for the exams. It's the exams that will make or break you, and they're pretty challenging. His past exams (and answers to his past exams!) are avaliable from the photocopy place in the BSC and make for great study guides. Grade recieved: A-
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 Nestor's class was hard because he made you work. There were 5 assignments and you worked in group for them. We spent quite some time on these assignments and they were not easy and you could not find direct answers easily. So, you will need to do quite some research for the assignments. A short cut to cover this is to talk with Nestor before it is due. It does not mean you don't need to do the work any more, but it makes things easier for you. He usually gave you very clear directions and hints so you can save some time doing the assignments. Midterm and Final were very hard, you better get the old exams for study which is available at Bronco Copy Center. Questions on exams are pretty much the same with changes on examples. Get the old exams and you will know what he is looking at and get yourself prepared well for these questions that he regards important. He is very willing to help students and you shall use his office hours when you need any guidance. With hardwork, it's still possible to get an A from him. If you like economics, you will have fun with the class! Grade Received: A
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 Professor Ruiz was quite scary at first. This was the last real class I took at Cal Poly and I was afraid of it being challenging. The first day I left halfway through because he scared me so much. After realizing that I wouldn't be able to add another section I showed up the next class... figuring it was this or no graduation. I was freaked out at first... and don't get me wrong, the class is challenging (midterm, final, 2 big homework/research papers, and mo-re quizzes than I could count - i think there were about 8-9 altogether)but it was by no means impossible. If you are looking for an easier time I heard Burton was good. But Nestor knows his stuff, and though you may come out of the class thinking some of the stuff was irrelevant, you do come out knowing more about money and monetary policy.. I hope I convinced someone that he isn't too bad.. I got a B+ in the end.
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 This class is hard, but there is one thing you should know, no matter who you have, this class will be hard. I really enjoyed taking Nestor's class, people will only complain because the class is hard. But he enjoys teaching, and he doesnt make the class boring, he'll always tell one of his funny ass stories that will have the class rolling, and he even makes fun of the people who ask stupid ass questions hahaha. All homework is group homework, but he doesnt really give that much, the midterm was kinda hard, and the final was HARD!!!! Make sure you study and take good notes, thats all I can say. I do recommend taking Nestor Ruiz as a teacher, but beware, it is a tough class.
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 Nestor is definitly not for the faint hearted person. As several people mentioned, the class was very challenging. There were 2 papers, 2 quizzes, a midterm, and the final. The papers were pretty easy if you followed his directions and answered the questions he gives to you. The midterm and final are all essay tests. That's right people, no M/C, no matching, no fill in the blank! Its all ESSAY. If you suck at writing or do not go to class, you're pretty much hosed. Nestor gives a lot of information and has a lot of knowledge. You might not like him personally, but you have to give him recognition that he knows Econ. The thing is that he expects you to know Econ just as well as he does. This is were people don't like him. The good thing is that you don't need to buy the book because his tests are off his lecture. He gives a ton of extra credit. DO IT! Don't slack off and think that you'll get buy on his tests alone. They are tough because he doesn't want you to repeat his lecture, he makes you use your critical/analytical thinking skills to answer the questions. SO if you suck at those skills, find someone else. Personally I liked him, his class was tough, but I did learn a lot.
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 Prof. Ruiz is the best teacher i have ever had in Cal Poly. He is a very nice guy. He does give a lot of work as group assignments, and his exams are extremely hard. (u have to know that this subject itself is already hard!...there is no way this class can be easy.) However, he is always available during his office hours waiting for u to come see him. He explain everything clearly and make the subject understandable. His lecture is fun. If you listen and do all the works he gives, u will pass the class easily. I got an A from this class....with hard work tho.
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 I'll tell you what he does, not what I think of him, and you can make your own judgement. He is always in class on time waiting for student to enter. He usually tries to break the ice at the beginning of class with some story from his days in puerto rico or by talking about his home or opportunities at Cal Poly. He cares about you if you care about the class. He writes in symbols and graphs, not words, so you better pay attention and add your own words to your notes (a list of symbols is included in the syllabus). He gives you a possible 100 extra credit points (total possible points in the class is about 900) by doing various things like current events, book reports, community involvement, each has a different point value and number of times you can do it. Here's a really important thing, READ THE BOOK. The class is to help you understand concepts in the book, not replace the book alltogether and you'll find this out on your first Midterm. If you only paid attention in class and didn't read you're going to be in trouble. The midterms and final are very long, around 100 questions and by the end it really wears you down. He gives 25 point quizes which are easy if you just paid attention and remember what he says. He's always available at his office hours and pretty comical when you go talk to him. Personally, I WOULD recommend him.
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 I'll tell you what he does, not what I think of him, and you can make your own judgement. He is always in class on time waiting for student to enter. He usually tries to break the ice at the beginning of class with some story from his days in puerto rico or by talking about his home or opportunities at Cal Poly. He includes writes in symbols and graphs, not words, so you better pay attention and add your own words to your notes. He gives you a possible 100 extra credit points (total possible points in the class is about 900)by doing various things like current events, book reports, community involvement, each has a different point value and number of times you can do it. Here's a really important thing, READ THE BOOK. The class is to help you understand concepts in the book, not replace the book alltogether and you'll find this out on your first Midterm. If you only paid attention in class and didn't read you're going to be in trouble. The midterms and final are very long, around 100 questions and by the end it really wears you down. He gives 25 point quizes which are easy if you just paid attention and remember what he says. He's always available at his office hours and pretty comical when you go talk to him. Personally, I WOULD recommend him.
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 PLEASE READ PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This guy is the worse teacher I have ever had. We had a four hour class and that gave him the right to take the complete four hours for our final.... OUR FINAL WAS FOUR HOURS!!!!!!!!!!! Even worse, this final ended at 10:00 at night! Isn't that against the University Policy? This man should be fired and for good cause too. He lectures and scrabbles his thoughts so students are unable to follow. His shallow knowledge of economics justifies the belief that United States has a poor education system. DON'T TAKE HIM!
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 I think Nestor Ruiz has to be one of the best professors at Cal Poly. You don't need to buy the book for his class. I never opened the book once and got an A in the class. The tests are straight from his lecture. There are two parts to his test. The first part is multiple choice. He will let you mark two different answers for 20 questions. That way on the ones you really don't know, you have a 50 percent chance of getting it right. The second part of his test is short answer and essay. He tells you exactly the kinds of questions that will be on the test. He even gives you flow charts that he will allow you to use for the test.If you want to learn about economics, take Nestor. As a bonus he's pretty funny. He even will sing you little songs and tell you about his family.BTW, do the extra credit. It will raise your grade a lot. Also, do a good job on group projects. On one assignment he gave our group 75 out of 50.
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 I read the previous reviews of this guy in complete shock. I've never seen so many people pissed at a teacher. It's not that his tests are hard, it's not that he gives too much homework, it's just that you really can't understand what he's saying half the time, and you can never understand what he's writing on the board. He writes in symbols, which means that you can't follow the lecture--you look down, you hear what he's saying, you look up again, and none of what he said is on the board. Just a bunch of letters. It hurts his lectures, and it makes answering the test questions next to impossible--but he makes up for that by easy grading. You still don't understand the material, but you'll get a reasonable grade. (And yes he is funny, but only because he's nuts.)

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