She assigned us a project worth 20% of our grade, but didn't even grade it. I absolutely despise professors who assign you busy work just for them to ignore it afterwards. These professors need to retire!!

Cindy easily ranks as the worst professor in UCSB's econ department. Zero preparation, handwritten nonsense instead of slides, and exams full of typos. Her lectures were chaotic at best, and she constantly sought pity instead of taking accountability. Tenure shouldn't be a pass for incompetence. she seems like an ok person, but a terrible teacher.

I'm currently in 114A with her and she is very sweet and accommodating. The lectures can seem to be a little confusing sometimes but I did well on the first exam. As long as you can write down what she shows in lecture and study that you will be perfectly fine. If you regularly attend lecture she will tell you what you need to know for the exam.

She's well meaning, but she is incredibly unorganized and can't even give clear instructions on her OWN exam. We walked into the exam and changed a question verbally mid-test. The homeworks don't make sense, and she doesn't post class slides with the excuse of "bad handwriting." Her answers to questions make you more confused. I've learned nothing.

She is great

Professor Benelli is a great professor. Her teaching style may seem a bit unorthodox, but she really cares about her students that show initiative. Showing up to lecture isn't mandatory, but its HIGHLY recommended! Most exam questions are hinted at during lecture, giving the students who show up an advantage. Thanks Cindy!

One of the best econ professors at UCSB. She knows her stuff when it comes to econ related materials, and she is certainly one of the most caring professors I've had at UCSB. As a professor, empathy is a vital component to being a successful and I believe that Cindy truly cares about her students. Thank you professor for everything!

Prof. Benelli is caring, but her lack of organization just ruins the class. Lectures can be confusing, and sometimes she would just explain a concept that isn't relevant to the course. I appreciate her for recording lectures, but she sometimes a week late to post them. Paper and final needs more guided instruction of what she wants.

The most disorganized prof I have ever seen. Lectures are messy. She promised to do a lot of things but did not do any. She would mess up your study plan. It is the 5th week now, but she still hasn't posted any instructions about our homework, quizzes, and papers. I am so confused about this class.

Benelli is a great professor, and personable, She really cares for her students and does everything in her power to get the best out of them. Attending class is important for preparation of the quizzes. She goes over the models and possible exam questions only in class, and if you don't attend you miss out on information that's not in the book.

Her lectures is really disoranized. That's it. Most of materials and grpahs are uncelared , but midterms are not that hard.

Best professor in econ dept. Very helpful and really wants students to learn material. She is brilliant and is willing to meet after/before class to make sure understanding is there.

Honestly, the most unprepared, lazy, confusing, and lackluster professor I've had in my entire academic journey. Exam material is not posted until 3am the night before the test. Lecture notes are uploaded into random parts of canvas that is already nearly impossible to navigate. Lectures become a place for her to rant about random things. Dont Take

Okay yeah she's disorganized, goes on tangent that are sometimes useful but as long as you read the lectures you'll be fine. *My exam were mostly multiple choice it could be different for next quarter*

Cindy is a very kind person but is an absolute mess as a professor. The syllabus and grading criteria have changed multiple times during the quarter and she never posts material in time for exams. It is six days before the final and she still hasn't told us if we are going to take it or not. Avoid her at all costs.

Cindy is a very nice person; however, as all the other ratings indicate, the lectures left me more confused about the course material than with a deeper understanding. The course felt organized in the most chaotic way possible. Canvas was hard to navigate, but Cindy is very understanding and friendly. Unsure what my grade will be going into finals.

I honestly have never had a worse teacher. She is a nice person, but she goes on tangents, repeats unnecessary things, makes useless analogies, and makes so many mistakes you leave more confused. There is no organization. I usually think these ratings are hoaks but by god this one was true. Class is pretty easy but so insufferable.

Really awful at lectures as most agree. I found once I started teaching myself the material rather than going to class I actually learned it better. Also the way she grades on Canvas is genuinely the most complicated and confusing thing I've ever encountered and I still have no clue what my grade is before the final next week.

Cindy is a very nice person, but her lectures do not make any sense. I often found that I was more confused when I went to lecture rather than when I just taught myself the material. The sections are pretty redundant. Definitely the worst class I have taken here, would not recommend.

Very unorganized and chaotic class but the workload is so light and the TAs go over the homework in section. Personally, I thought she was so entertaining and silly but if you want a more organized professor she isn't the best choice. Final was a choice between short paper or video on topic of your choice and midterm was short multiple choice.

Content wasn't particularily hard but there is a CRAZY curve so I'm pretty sure most of the bad reviews out there are from people who didn't bother putting in any work. Will admit that Cindy wasn't the best lecturer though. She had a tendency to go on side rants and would make random graphs that she wouldn't post later.

I LOVE CINDY BENELLI!She is SO kind and the class is 100% manageable if you do the practice quizzes and read the textbook before tests.Ppl make it out to be super difficult but it's not if they actually tried.Lectures are very fun and the hw, quiz, and analysis project grading is lenient.I thought the class was fascinating and am a Cindy supporter

She was nice, but also really unorganized (that was the hardest part of the class). As long as you read the book and watch some YouTube videos, you'll pass. The material is easy, but you won't really know 100% what your grade will be until the end. She let some people skip the final depending on their grade percentage, so keep those grades up!

The teacher is extremely disorganized and chaotic, yet never apologetic. The tests are really easy, and she often said the exam would be much longer than it was (not in a good way). Despite receiving a good grade, I would never take a class with this professor again, and I would recommend you avoid taking one with her as well.