Reviews for BMGT230

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Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/23/2024	This professor is amazing. He will help you whenever you need. He's very clear with his expectations, but I would definitely go to class because it helps a lot. All completed notes are online though. Grades are fair. You get a notes page front and back that you get to create for every exam. Love this professor, when you were in class even though it was early he would be very energetic and made sure you were awake. There are no phones or any electronics allowed and you will be called out if you have it out.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 01/08/2024	He's a good professor, explains well and tries to add some enjoyment to the lectures. It can be a bit difficult but if you study hard enough, you can pass. I had some challenging parts, but I was able to pass. He changes the grader borders depending on the scores of the three exams. His class is mainly exam heavy, so make sure to stay on top of things. He does have you rely on the course packet, which does not really contain everything, so you will need to find other resources.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/07/2024	Although this is a tough class, please take it. If you're looking to get into the business school, this class is perfect. Even though I had no prior statistics knowledge, I still succeeded. Radu wants you to succeed. Go to office hours when you're confused. Ask questions in class. Watch videos while you're eating at the dining hall. And most importantly, GO TO CLASS. I didn't open the textbook ONCE. Go to class and take notes and you will do great. Exams are curved which helps greatly, and the "practice exams" are a great indicator of how you'll do on the real test. Also, sit in the front (it helps a lot). Radu might come off as intense, but he really just cares and wants his students to succeed.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/28/2023	I found him to be overall annoying and not very considerate of others, but he was a really good teacher. His class is engaging and you can tell hes been teaching forever because it felt like a scripted preformance. He used to allow his exams to be open note but changed it to only one page front and back. That honestly was enough but still an inconvience considering my friends had the class a lot easier than me. Overall I would give him 5 stars if he didn't erk me- gee willikers
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/27/2023	Just an all around good dude. Class is super straight forward. If you show up and do the work you will be just fine. People seem to get bent out of shape about the phone policy. Erich lets everyone know you or someone you know paid for you to be in class and not on your phone. Not really a problem unless your chronically online. Take this course while you can.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/25/2023	Radu is honestly a pretty solid professor and I truly believe I wouldn't of found as much success in the course if it wasn't for the fact that I did it with Radu and in a much smaller environment to the normal BMGT230 lecture halls w discussions. Some complaints around Radu are valid (messy handwriting, sharp tone, accent) but he is fully willing to repeat himself and will make sure that if your active in the lecture that you understand any mistakes being made and the correct way of approaching a problem. The course is Exam heavy (80% of final grade is on 3 exams) but he often adds curves which makes the exam mean around 80%. Homework is substantial but theres no reason you shouldn't get a 95%+ if attempting and lowest 2 homework's are dropped. Overall Radu gets a lot of hate as he's forced to teach a class that is designed to weed prospective BMGT majors out (he's forced to have a GPA average of around 2.8 for the class) and he gets most of the flack for it. Would recommend taking B-stat with him if in a smaller group such as FC section.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- edenw29 12/21/2023	His teaching style was less than effective. He would go over concepts in class with the most elementary examples and then the homeworks and exams were questions that were extremely difficult. His class is definitely not difficult to pass as he applies a large curve but if you're interested in learning something, he's not the person to do it from. The TAs for this class also have no idea what they're doing which makes doing well on the exams much more difficult.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B luby 12/21/2023	Pretty good professor overall. Sometimes his thought process and how he teaches things is a little difficult to follow, but for the most part he does a good job of explaining. He really cares about his students success and even puts a nice curve on the class every semester. Exams are pretty difficult, but you get a notes sheet for every exam. Overall pretty pleased with this professor.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/21/2023	Love this guy. Super engaging and fun class to be in. You will get stared down if you check your phone in class though. But this a really awesome professor and course that I think everyone could benefit from taking.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/18/2023	Erich teaches statistics in a way that is easy to understand, and the homeworks aren't too hard. The exams are rough but he does mention that the grade cutoffs tend to lower after every exam.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/14/2023	If you took AP stat you will be fine for about 70% of the course material. The rest of the class is straight forward and if you go to lecture and pay attention you'll be fine. Exams are tough but if you review exercise sets and activity sheets it's a lot easier.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/13/2023	Fine professor! You cannot have electronics in the class; however, he makes the class engaging and is very good at explaining the concepts. As long as you complete the homework, show up to discussion, and exam reviews, you should be able to do well in this course. I believe Erich is fair in what he expects from his students, and the class is graded on a bell curve.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/07/2023	Overall a great teacher. He is very goofy but it makes his style of teaching very engaging. There are 3 exams and they are challenging but as long as you study you should do fine. For the tests you get 1 cheat sheet (double sided). I recommend going to all the lectures because he explains the material clearly. He does post the completed notes after. Also, at the end of the semester instead of a curve he opens up the borders of what an A would be. So like an 84 could possible be an A-.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/05/2023	One of the better professors imo. He posts completed notes to Canvas, so if you miss class it is all there. Exams are 30 multiple choice, not too difficult if you study. You're allowed to have one sheet of handwritten notes, front and back, on each exam. Exams are not cumulative, not even the final. If you put in time, it won't be hard to do well. He also has a crazy curve. I think like 80% of the class passes, might be even higher than that.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2023	Believe me, take this professor and life will not be hard. The class is literally as straightforward as it can get. He's a great professor- super engaging and he explains things super thoroughly. His lectures have good flow but aren't totally boring because he really does know what he's talking about and that makes it way easier to learn. His lectures and homework explain step by step everything you need to know how to do for exams, which are 100% multiple choice and non-cumulative WITH a cheat sheet allowed- just know how to do the problems in the course packet and you'll be fine.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2023	Erich is a great professor that gives you all the resources you need to succeed in this class. As long as you attend lectures, attempt exercise sets, and study for exams, you'll do well in this class. The exams are difficult but they are just like the practice questions you do for discussion activity sheets so I can't complain.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A kcanha 12/02/2023	He said "Gee Whillakers" like 15 times one class... got a little old after number 5 or so... If you go to class and pay attention, you will learn the material, he explains stuff in a very simple and easy to understand way, i recommend taking him if you have a choice.
Farzad Fathi BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/31/2023	TAKE THIS CLASS WITH FATHI! I took Professor Fathi over the summer and although it was difficult sometimes to stay focused (it was three hours on zoom Tuesdays & Thursdays), the work was pretty manageable and he was very approachable if you had questions. Professor Fathi really cared about his students doing well and didn't make you feel dumb if you were confused with a concept. He used a lot of real life examples which really helped. Best decision I made was taking this class with him.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B- Anonymous 10/25/2023	I do not like this professor at all. He goes on rants and its hard to listen to him. No technology is allowed in his course.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Payanak 09/07/2023	W professor, literally everything you could ask for in a class. He has a nice curve, you don't need to get all of the homework questions correct to get a 100%, every homework assignment has a corresponding questions and answers video where he goes over what he is asking for and does some examples, open note quizzes that are all multiple choice, textbook is 20 bucks that he made and literally you just come to class to fill out - and on top of all of that he is not boring and actually engages you in class so that you keep coming back.
Jane Jiang BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/18/2023	Professor Jiang is a wonderful professor. I took her during the first summer session of 2023. She goes through her lectures thoroughly, explaining each problem step-by-step making it clear to understand. She also records all her lectures. We had five homework assignments which were fairly easy if you pay attention. There is also extra credit on some of the assignments. We also had two tests which were also fairly easy as it was related to the homework she assigned us. There was a group project at the end of the course too. Overall it's easy to earn an A in the class as long as you pay attention and complete all the assignments. Professor Jiang is very understanding and I highly recommend taking her!
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/21/2023	I thought the content of this class was very interesting and the professor was very engaging and enthusiastic. He definitely kept me awake in the morning. It's not hard to get an A as long as you come to class and discussion and study for exams. There are three exams, all open note and none cumulative, weekly homework sets, and weekly discussion activities that make up the final grade. If you pay attention during class it's actually pretty interesting because the professor uses real-world examples in the course notes. I definitely recommend taking this class with this professor.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 06/20/2023	I don't understand the hate around this man. You can use notes and resources on all of the exams (2 midterms and final) and the discussion is just a worksheet with a group and graded on completion. Makes you buy a $20 binder full of notes that he types out. Every type of question and reasoning is in these notes and you can use them during the exam. Only need around a 22/30 on the weekly worksheet homework to get a 100% for that assignment. He has an abundance of resources which again you can use on the exams. Has love and passion for his students and the course. Curves the class by around 7%.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/18/2023	I am sorry but the people saying you can put in effort to this class that will control your grade are wrong. Studying the course packet and old exams does not help at all on the exams. You feel like you understand the content in class and then fail all the exams and it is very frustrating. Erich in class was entertaining but his exams are very difficult and hard to study for. Overall, exams are very hard and discussion sections are unhelpful. My first grade lower than an A.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/11/2023	The effort you put into the class is the grade you will receive back. It is a challenging class, but it has nothing to do with Erich. Erich is the GOAT, gives you plenty of resources, and really wants you to succeed. I could not have seen myself more interested in statistics or this class without Erich on the lectern.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/08/2023	I really enjoyed this class and the professor. All the materials you need are in a course packet that only costs $20. The course is 10 homework, 10 discussion sheets that you do in groups, and three exams. The exams are a big part of your grade and that is where most people don't do well but the exams are open notes and you can use any materials covered in the class. None of the exams are curved but the overall grade is curved so at this point an A- is about 85-86% and it continues for each letter grade. The professor is very energetic and really helps you and wants you to do your best overall. Some people hate this class but I really enjoyed it and thought he was a great professor.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/02/2023	He can come off as harsh, but really does care about his students. I took 230 last semester, and its basically AP stat repeated, so I barely showed up to class. The only reason I am lowering his rating is because I could see people who hadn't taken AP stat in HS really struggle with the way he teaches. He can be a little confusing and has bad handwriting. He curves very generously though, so keep that in mind.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A user1209 04/19/2023	Exams are open note but obviously if you don't study you will fail. His curves are amazing and the only reason I got an A. He is intimating and moves super fast. But if you keep up with the material, do and understand the practice exams, go over and understand the practice problems you did in class, and have the formulas with you, you will be fine. Took this as a first semester freshman in freshman connection and I am not a math genius by any means and I did fine. You will be fine too if you put in the work, don't let the reviews scare you.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 04/11/2023	Dude is the most energetic person ever. He is super passionate and detailed when teaching. Many people will claim it is difficult but Erich lets you take whatever notes in that you want for the exam and gives two hours for only 25 questions. More than fair amount of time and the questions asked are just like those in class or on homeworks. The discussion is painful, though. Be prepared to leave not understanding most of what was on those assignments (don't worry, the exams are significantly easier than discussions). Overall I wish I could take him again!
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 02/28/2023	Very fun and detailed professor. Explains each topic clearly. The only thing to look out for is the difficulty of exams. A lot of exam questions are nothing you've ever seen before so you really need to understand the topics on a conceptual level. Also, he's very strict with deadlines.
Farzad Fathi BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 02/21/2023	I loved this professor! I took Fathi's winter course for BMGT230. It was three hours on zoom Tuesdays-Fridays for three weeks in January. Our grade was based off of 5 homework assignments and 2 exams. You had to put in a decent amount of effort, but taking this class over winter break was the best decision I've ever made. Pretty much everyone got an A. Fathi was good at explaining concepts and was always there for extra help when you needed it. He was approachable and actually cared about his students, even if it was just over Zoom. Definitely worth it!!!
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/23/2023	Great professor. Has realistic expectations for the class and there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions and have concepts clarified. He also does his best to apply real-world examples to the concepts covered in class.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/04/2023	Erich was a great professor! Even though the content was a little boring, he was very energetic during class and tried to make it as interesting as possible. He provides you with a course packet at the beginning of the semester which is super helpful. It helps to focus only on additional helpful notes to take rather than taking notes on everything. The exams were all open note and pretty straightforward in comparison to the discussion worksheets and homework. Overall, if you put the time into this class and go to Erich with questions it's not a bad class.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Anonymous 12/18/2022	such an amazing and engaging professor. gives you all the materials you need, useful practice questions with full walkthroughs, open note exams. as long as you pay attention and follow along with the packet he gives during class you should be fine
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/06/2022	One of the best professors I have ever had for a math subject. He goes slow at times but that is just to make sure everyone understands the material. As long as you go to class and are willing to ask questions when you are confused there is no reason you cannot get an A.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/06/2022	Very nice and funny but is not the best at teaching. I have no stat experience and it's a pretty hard concept for me to understand considering that I didn't learn any of this in high school. I've had to teach myself the course myself even though I attend all lectures. If you aren't the greatest at math, you will struggle in this class.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 10/03/2022	I think he's a great guy and his principles are pretty good too. My problem was just how the class was structured. It's different than the normal Bstat with Eric in the way it's formatted. For example, we have Pearson online homework which honestly doesn't help. In addition, we cover different units than the other Bstat class. I tried getting help from a couple of friends in the other Bstat, and they didn't know what some of the stuff we were doing was. We have to learn from the Textbook before going to lecture, and it's hard to learn math from textbooks. I remember the first practice exam I took was very easy, but I got 20% below that in the actual exam. He does curve his exams, but I just think the class wasn't structured right. Took Stat100 later, and I found that many of the concepts Bstat had are very easy, but I didn't understand them when I took Bstat because it wasn't taught how they should have been.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/16/2022	Erich was one of the best professors I've had in a while, he's very passionate about this class if you attend the lectures and discussions as well as doing the extra practice problems the course should be a cake walk
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/16/2022	Eric is a great professor, he always comes to class excited and ready to teach. He provides a vast packet of notes to help you understand the material as he goes over it during lectures. The exams are open notes which are nice. You have one homework a week where you will do problems based on the concepts learned in lectures which are graded on accuracy, In discussions, you form groups and complete a worksheet which is graded on completion. The grade boundaries for the course are really good this semester a 64% is a C- which makes it extremely to pass the course as long as you put some effort in, I personally didn't put much effort in which affected my grade. He also makes review videos that help you understand the course more. He doesn't record lectures so make sure to go to class. No tech in class if he sees you on your phone he'll call you out. Overall a great teacher and made it enjoyable to go to his lectures.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Anonymous 05/09/2022	The class isn't super intense but I would definitely recommend going to class and discussions. All of the exams have material that comes directly from assignments and class notes so if you are familiar with it all, you will do fine. Exams are open note so knowing the material and being familiar with past problems is super helpful during the exams. I thought he was interesting but stats is boring to me so his class wasn't super engaging to me. His class is pretty slow in the amount of material you cover but he tries to make it interesting and explain everything. You definitely will need to watch review videos for homework because he asks questions about concepts not covered.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/15/2022	If you have taken AP stats, the majority of the content is review content until about the last 3 weeks of the semester. He can be intimidating, however, he ultimately wants his students to learn and understand the concepts. He can be blunt, but he teaches well enough to do well on every exam. He did curve all the exams, ranging from a couple of percentages to 10%. He also allowed a cheat sheet on each exam. Making sure that you review the slides before class and attend all lectures is important in understanding the concepts, especially later on. I would recommend taking this class with Radu.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/10/2022	Erich was an amazing teacher and really did a good job of explaining content to the class! Class is pretty difficult, but if you work hard and go to office hours you will be fine. There isn't too much required outside work and grades are curved at the end.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/15/2021	If you have any skill when it comes to pretty simple math and algebra this class is very easy. If you know you're bad at math then you may struggle but comparatively, to other math-based classes, this one is fairly simple. Erich is pretty chill but sometimes is weird about the use of technology in his class. He stops the entire class if he catches anyone on their phone which feels a bit High Schoolish to me (who cares if you pay attention it's your grade at stake). Otherwise, just make sure you go to every lecture and actually take notes in class and you'll be fine. All the exams are open note and he gives you much more time than you'd really need on them so there no reason to not at least get a B imo.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a C- Anonymous 12/14/2021	So insanely hard to get an A in this class, especially when people cheat and make it impossible for him to curve the course. He is a nice guy and keeps lectures relatively engaging but does not prepare you well for exams. Be prepared to teach yourself in this class or get tutoring in order to pass.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/02/2021	Erich is so funny and is very engaging while teaching. You can tell that he really knows what he's teaching and cares about our understanding. The workload is a little much but it's very consistent. The exercise sets help review the material taught for the week and the activity sheets are good preparation for the exams. Erich is also very understanding if you cannot come to class or miss a discussion and will check on you if he's worried. I went into this course with no experience in stat but still had a very good experience.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 11/17/2021	This man is such an amazing professor. Business Statistics is such a hard topic to make interesting but he literally tries so hard to keep you engaged and awake for the class. The final grade consists of 10% on activity sheets, 15% on exercise sets, and the rest on the three exams we take which were online. I'm also pretty sure he has a decent curve. I feel like if you just pay attention, take notes, watch his videos, and ask questions, you'll be able to get an A easily. (btw I took this course in person)
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/25/2021	Entertaining guy, but content can be a little difficult. Online, the final grade consisted of three exams and weekly exercise sets. Decent curve, brought my B- to a B+. He gives you all of the resources you need for success. An A is very attainable.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B- Anonymous 09/13/2020	No complaints about Erich- he's very energetic and engaging during lectures. However, this class can be very difficult for people who aren't accustomed to statistics.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/20/2020	really great, caring professor. teaches from his own course packet. straightfoward teaching. you're allowed a crib sheet on each exam.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/03/2020	This guy really wants you to do well. Instead of a textbook he uses a course packet that you have to buy for $20-ish. He follows the packet completely and it has everything you need–you won't even need a notebook for his class. There's an old examination in the packet before each exam which is VERY helpful, but unfortunately there aren't any other sources outside of that for practice problems so for the exam you mostly just review the problems he did during the notes and memorize formulas. That being said, he really wants you to do well, is very responsive to emails and questions, and offers a weekly help-session to go over the homework. He's so energetic that it's hard to not be engaged–he'll literally be jumping around the lecture hall and (playfully) yelling about statistics. I didn't find the material engaging but the class is still very well run.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/30/2020	Super nice professor! Super supportive! I definitely will recommend him to everyone who need to take the course!
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/16/2019	I have nothing bad to say about Erich, but this class is TOUGH. Easily the hardest class I have taken in my life, requires a LOT of work. You either get it or you don't. No in between. My lack of stars is because of the class, not about Erich.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B- Anonymous 09/22/2019	Erich is so funny. He really cares his students succeeding in his class. I would highly recommend him if you're interested in business but this class was not my thing lol. I would've failed the class if there wasn't such a huge curve.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/20/2019	Erich is one of the best lecturers that I've had in college. He has a very lively personality and keeps you awake and attentive throughout the entire lecture. If you're going to take stat with anyone, highly recommend Erich!!!
Daehoon Noh BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 01/29/2019	When I took him, Noh was very flexible with office hours, really understanding of students, and spent time with me after exams going over difficult problems. If you're taking BMGT 330, I highly recommend him!
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a C- Anonymous 01/02/2018	Erich is a great teacher, my crappy grade in the class isn't a reflection of his teaching, I'm just bad at math in general even though I worked my a** off for this class. Erich is very lively and uses up the entire lecture time which is great. His homework problems appear on the exams which is also good and he gives you a full sized front and back piece of paper to use for notes on each exam, and 3 sheets on the final (all 8 1/2 x 11). Like I said, I was determined to do good on these exams and I would study hours on end but clearly to no avail for myself. Regardless, this class and Erich are unavoidable so you don't really have a choice to take him or not... But the class won't be too bad!
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/22/2017	Loved Erich, he really does a great job at keeping you invested in the class with his goofiness/humor. He knows his subject well, and demonstrates it with great elaboration. My only frustration is that when it came to test questions/prep his only answer is "anything & everything is fair game". Unfortunately due to the vagueness I found myself struggle on the first test, because he didn't just give us plug & chug questions but also conceptual ones. While it's technically 'fair game' it would have been nice to be made aware (he teaches to the material, not the test which I understand), unfortunately his homeworks have minimal conceptual questions but otherwise do prepare you well for tests.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 soulelite 09/30/2016	As long as your do all your homework, and I mean doing them without using the show answer feature, you should be fine. He's not the best professor in the world, but his expectations are very reasonable. People only complain about this class because they expect an easy A without having to go to class or do the homework.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 turtleterp 07/13/2016	Lazar is a funny guy, but he can definitely be intimidating if you are lost or don't want to follow his rules. (For example, NEVER walk out of lecture early. He will yell at you for being rude). Otherwise, he explains he is just talking loudly and normally tries to make a lot of jokes. I was fortunate enough to have taken AP Statistics in high school so none of the material was new to me. If you can, find a prior AP-stat student who can teach you all the calculator tricks that will practically do the problems for you. It saves a ton of time. He allows you to make exam cheat sheets so take advantage of that! The weekly quizzes are all multiple choice and pretty easy. Try to keep up because by mid-semester all the material will start building on itself. He provides practice exams and the TAs tend to be very helpful at explaining concepts. If you have taken AP Stats before this class should not be difficult at all, but I do really feel for those who do not have this background. Study and practice and it should be okay!
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/20/2016	This is possibly the worst teacher I have ever had. He's horrible at explaining simple questions and the whole lecture is confusing. The only was I survived was going to my TA every week. When I went to him for help and asked about concepts he yelled and said "I don't know why so many students come here asking that, if you don't get it then you don't". If everyone asks you haven't explained it right -__-.Take this at your local community college over the summer.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/17/2015	I was scared heading into this class especially after never taking a statistics class before. Radu a good professor but I see why some students don't like him. He can be intimidating to the point where you don't want to ask questions in class. I will say that he does go over examples a lot and you will know if an idea is important. As the other reviews say, he does want you to do well in his class. The tests are challenging but he curves. DO NOT SLEEP on the first test. It's supposed to be the easiest but questions can be tricky and it will be curved the least if at all. The second test is the hardest. I did the best on the final with a B. 1)Attend lectures and SIT CLOSE. His handwriting can be hard to read. 2)ATTEND DISCUSSIONS. These are easy points and the questions can help understand concepts. 3) Make a GREAT Exam sheet for the tests. My cheat sheets for the first two exams were unorganized and I paid for it. For the final I made one organized with the formulas and it helped. Study, practice and you should be fine.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 04/20/2015	I know a lot of my friends have struggled in this class, but if you take the time and effort to do lots of practice problems on your own, you should be able to do well on the exams. I have never taken stat before and I did well. Lazar cares so much about his students and he is so sweet and supportive towards his students and he truly wants you to do well. Radu does have an accent, but he is not difficult to understand. Exams: First exam is not curved, my second exam was curved 16%, and the final was curved 11%. Overall, the exams are pretty much like the practice exam that he sends out a week before the exam. Discussion: Go to discussion! My TA was super helpful and she held review sessions all the time before exams and was willing to answer all questions. Be sure to go on time, otherwise you lose points. Class: Go to class, because while he vaguely follows the slides, he adds a lot of additional information and his work on the whiteboards helps a lot with understanding the problems.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/17/2014	Overall: A lot of students in this class find it to be very difficult, but one of the biggest things you can do to help your grade is by doing problems on your own and making sure you understand how to use your cheat sheet. A lot of students do not do well, because they think that if they just have the formulas and definitions than they will be fine. My key for anyone taking this class is to do a lot of problems outside of class. I skimmed the book and barely went to class after the first couple of weeks; the only reason I received an A was by doing a lot of practice outside of class. Curves: His curves are so generous for this class. He did not curve the first exam for my class, but he curved the second exam by 16% and then curved the final exam by 14%. On top of that he curved the class as a whole so that the cutoff between a B+ and an A- was an 88%. Final thoughts: Just do a lot of practice in preparation for exams and make sure you really understand how to find the answer on the practice exams he gives you. These exams are a big help, but you still have to understand the concepts to do well. The way he teaches in class is more for understanding the concept, but you have to do work outside of class in order to really understand how to apply the concepts.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 LetsRaduThis 12/15/2014	1. He really wants you to do well in his class. Don't take the negative reviews too seriously - it's a difficult course, but he explains the concepts thoroughly and he reviews every lesson at least 3x. 2. If you didn't take stat in high school, be prepared to study. a lot. a lot a lot. This is a fast-paced course with a lot of material - he has to go over the lessons pretty quickly. Know your fundamentals - the course builds on itself. You'll see, it actually gets easier toward the end. 3. He has really nice arms and a nice tapered back. wuow.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Anonymous 11/12/2014	This is a difficult class and Lazar is not a good professor. His accent is difficult to understand, he screams when he lectures, and faces the board half the time. He writes very fast and has terrible handwriting, which is frustrating to read. He teaches way to fast, and much of his style is just throwing formulas, without explaining anything conceptually. He doesn't go over examples, and to learn the concepts you have to go to your TA or learn it yourself.
Kazim Ruhi BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/19/2013	Solid teacher; not nearly as bad as some people make him out to be. His accent is not so difficult to understand and can make the class funny at times. Professor Ruhi seems to care about his students. He holds a lot of office hours and, while he won't bend over backwards for his students, he does genuinely want them to succeed and will help them if necessary. I found his lectures to be boring but if you stay focused on the material they actually help quite a bit. Overall, Professor Ruhi is a good teacher. I would recommend taking his class for B Stat.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/30/2012	He teaches extremely fast and I almost never understood anything (chapter 6-7+) after his lectures. You have to supplement his lectures with your own studying. Your TA is a very good resource. The discussions are key to helping you understand everything. Just by listening to Lazar's lectures I understood maybe 15-25% of the material, then 30%-50% from the homework/textbook and the rest was due to a good TA who taught in a much more straightforward step by step fashion. In all honesty, past chapter 9, everything is essentially the same, and you have to recognize that in order to o well. For example, you will have to do Z-test/T-Test/CI and do it for a variety of situations, the rules are just slightly different. Somethings I wish were different was that he would post answers to his review slides and make his lecture slides more reader friendly as if you didn't attend class. Do not let yourself fall behind, I skipped a week of classes and I had to study twice as much to get an A on the final exam. As for curves: 1st Exam: No Curve 2nd Exam: 12-14% (forgot) 3rd Exam; 125 End of Semester "curve": 88% = A-
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Anonymous 12/14/2012	After having just taken the final today, here are my thoughts: 1) It's such a cop out when everyone blames Radu for this class being so hard. He's a good guy who makes it clear that he wants students to do well. The only reason why he may appear to be condescending and cynical is because he knows the material is hard and expects students to work hard at getting the concepts down. He seems tough because he blows through lecture material at 100 mph, but that's only because the business school designed the course to be a weed out class, and so it was designed to pack an absurdly large amount of difficult material into one semester. Also, all of the complaints about his accent and handwriting are bullshit. You can understand his voice just fine and if you don't sit in the very back row of the lecture hall then you can clearly understand his handwriting. 2) There's no getting around it: this class is hard. Like some other reviewers have said, statistics is unlike any other field of study. Half of it is really tedious math formulas and the other half of it is inference and vague concepts. The material is even more difficult if you don't read the book and skip lecture. Each chapter also usually builds on the previous one, so don't fall behind otherwise you'll sorely regret it come exam time. Some people get stat and some people don't. It was easily one of the hardest classes I've taken during my three years as a terp so far. College is hard as hell in general though.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/18/2012	Lazar continually mentions that this class is a weed out class, and taking the course, I now know why. This class will be a nightmare if you do not put your effort into it. It is very difficult, however, I actually found it very interesting (I guess I'm in the minority). And please, it really is quite doable. I did not take Stat before yet I have an A right now. It is true that he really does go fast during his lectures but it REALLY helps if you have the powerpoint slides with you during the lecture. Also, NEVER LET YOURSELF GET BEHIND IN CLASS. Keep your phones in your backpack for just one hour because a couple seconds of not paying attention could cost you a lot! He is not a mean guy really. He comes off as a bit loud and judgmental (he's not though) but he really wants his students to do well. He knows this stuff by heart.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 11/06/2012	One of the hardest classes if not the hardest class I took in college. Only reason I took this class was because it's a requirement for business majors and he's the only teacher for the course.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A+ wkoutre 09/01/2012	PLEASE: Read these reviews as a student, meaning someone who is going to school for the purpose of learning and gaining new knowledge. If your idea of being a student does not include the will to learn, you will find this class difficult. The concepts are not difficult if you put your cell phone down for an hour, pay attention in class, and go to most of the discussions. His slides are great, although he doesn't usually follow them. Take the initiative to have them in front of you so that you have what's relevant in front of you at all times while he's writing on the board. Homework is pretty simple. You get a couple of tries, there are identical problems to practice (with different data sets) if you're really struggling with a concept. Practice exams are a GREAT tool to use to study. As mentioned by others, curving is usually very generous. I took this Spring 2012: The first exam had a class average of B+ without any curve, so it wasn't curved in the end. The second exam was curved 13%, the third was about 10%. After these curves, FINAL GRADES were then curved once again. So, if after all the exams and their included curves, you have an 88%, you would get an A. This class is pretty much laid out for you in terms of what you need to know. There are NO surprises. There are TONS of opportunities for "extra credit" via Lazar's heavy curving policies. If you can't squeeze out a B in this class, something is wrong with your focus. YOU GET A CHEAT SHEET, front and back of a printer paper, that you can write almost anything on -- if this isn't enough, I don't know what is. Professor Lazar is a smart, funny guy who WILL call you out in front of lectures of 300+ if you claim that 2 squared is 6, or if you ask a question when the answer to it was on the previous slide that was up for 5 minutes. Come to class to learn, not to sit there and listen half-heartedly while you're on your phone. Don't come if you're going to leave early. Sit closer to the front because everything is written on the dry erase boards. If you go to lecture and discussion, spend an hour or two a WEEK on the homework, and start studying the practice exam a week or so ahead of the exam itself, you'll be fine.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C- Anonymous 06/12/2012	Radu is not a good or bad teacher, however be aware that the curves can save you. I got Ds on two tests and failed the final, but I was still able to pass the class(just barely)because I went to all the discussions and got the points there, while doing well on the online homework. You can tell it is a weed out class so be prepared.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/16/2012	This class is doable, but definitely a huge pain, unnecessarily. Radu's accent isn't what bothers me. It's his handwriting. He scribbles complicated formulas on the board and speeds up his talking speed 3x whenever he's writing a formula, and unless you sit in the first two rows good luck getting it down. Between that and his 500 rhetorical questions during lecture, prepare to be completely disengaged from the lecture. His condescending tone when no one has the guts to answer makes him totally unapproachable. Homeworks can be a *****, depending on your skill level with the online tools, and the textbook style is really annoying and gives you a ton of info you don't need to know. At the end of the day, I don't care how much of a master of statistics this guy is. If you're teaching business students who 99% won't go a step further in the field of stats I don't see why there isn't a more relatable professor. the only way I eked out a B was through the help of a beastly TA who gave a review the night before and actually controlled the attention of a packed lecture hall. It's no wonder that when I met with Radu after adding the class a week into the semester, he said "you cannot avoid me unless you take this class in the summer"
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A- Hosea 05/15/2012	Radu is the man. I don't understand all the hate he gets. I think his accent is awesome, it reminds me of Borat. He truly wants you to do well, he says this all the time before an exam. He knows the material extremely well - and I think he conveys it pretty clearly. Everyone that complains about his handwriting should sit closer to the front.. it's definitely not neat, but you can read it. Truly try to understand the material. I got a 66 on the first exam somehow and was feeling low, but that motivated me to do better. Second exam I got a 81 with the curve. At this point I'm sitting at a C. The final is easier than the second exam and you should do your best to ace it. I got a 90 without the curve (102 with the curve) and received an A- in the class. Did I mention that he curves it so that an 88 is an A? Study the practice exams that Dr. Lazar gives out! They are very similar to the exams! I studied the practice final until I knew it like the back of my hand. That is how I got an A in the class. Dr. Lazar does not deserve all the hate he deserves. Come to class and pay attention, and if you don't understand something, go ask him. He may seem intimidating but he honestly wants you to succeed.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A- spb10123 05/15/2012	I finished the year with an 88.02 and everything above an 88 was an A, so I got lucky. Overall the course was pretty difficult. This was my first time taking stat. Make sure you go to all the discussion so you get a 100% on 10% of your grade. Same principle applies to homework. If you follow the examples that are provided, a 100% is not out of reach. The rest of the 80% of the grade is determined by exams. Make sure your cheat sheet is good, and practice as many problems as you can before the test. The first test is not curved at all, but the second two tests are curved about 12 points each. Radu is a good guy, but sometimes his teaching style is confusing. I went to most of the classes and took good notes, but found myself more helped by just doing the homework. Overall if you spend about 8 hours in total studying for each test and make sure that you get a very high grade in homework and discussion, an A is reasonable.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/02/2012	Something you need to keep in mind before taking this class: Statistics as a field is unlike anything a normal student will have encountered in high school before taking it in college. The rules and ways of thinking that apply for math and other sciences are not the same that you need to develop for statistics. So don't think you'll be able to ace the class because you're a math whiz (although that would probably help.) The second thing you need to know is that this class is a gateway course for the Smith School of Business. What does that mean? It means that this class is inherently difficult to weed out the kids who don't want to work as hard or aren't as good students. There are reasons that not everyone gets into the business school. This class is one of them. The third thing you need to know is that this class is entirely what you make of it. If you put in the time to go to class, listen to Radu, take notes, go home, review your notes once or twice a week, do the homework, study for the tests (ACTUALLY study), you'll be fine. You need to put a lot of effort to get that A, but the curves should help you. That being said, I would rate Radu as an above-average teacher. He's definitely not the best I've had, but he's absolutely not the worst. Almost all of the complains that have been posted here are problems with the class itself, not with Radu's teaching style. HIS ACCENT DOES NOT GET IN THE WAY OF HIS TEACHING AT ALL. If you think his accent is hard to understand you need to wake the fuck up, get your head out of your ass and welcome yourself to the real world, because in real life there are people who are a lot harder to understand than him. Radu does teach quickly, but again, this class is hard and there's a lot to cover. His handwriting isn't the best but he'll always clarify what he wrote or any question if you just have the balls to ask it in front of a lecture of 150 people. Sit close and you can read everything. The power-points are hit-or-miss in terms of helpfulness. If you don't understand something, though, Radu will always meet with you during office hours and is pretty good at explaining things one-on-one. YOU need to take the initiative and go ask him, though. If you resign yourself to failing in this class that's exactly what will happen. A new calculator will not help you at all. The math in this class is pretty basic-it's the concepts that are hard. The book is not really helpful, and is most of the time more confusing than the way Radu teaches it. Ask yourself honestly if you're willing to put the time and effort into taking the class, because the majority of you reading this don't have a choice. It's really not that bad, but your only alternative is taking it at community college. The rest of you shut the fuck up about hating on Radu and just accept that your lazy, retarded asses didn't try hard enough to get a good grade and move on with your life. Sheesh.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Vinayak Ramaswamy 12/25/2011	I really don't know why people ride Radu so hard. Yeah, he has an accent, but it's not a detriment to his teaching. He goes fast, but that's because there is such a large breadth of material to cover. Plus his curves are absolutely ridiculous, which overrides the difficulty of the material somewhat. Tips to do well: 1.) Come to class. You don't have to show up all the time, but at least once a week, just to keep up with the material that he emphasizes. 2.) Do the homework. You can use the View an Example tool, but don't rely on it to get the answer. It can help you understand the process for sure. 3.) Make a kick-ass cheat-sheet. Seriously, this is all I really did to study for the exams, and there's plenty of room to really have everything you need. 4.) Do well on the first exam. He didn't curve it at all. I got 100 on it, and it gave me some nice cushion. Second exam is the hardest, but he also curved it by 18% this semester, and he curved the final by 14%. Additionally, 88% and above got an A I think, so the curves really help, so much that I actually ended up with over a 100% in the entire class. The class is doable, if you pay attention when you do go to class, really try to the understand the material, and make a good cheat sheet. Good luck! You can buy a TI-84 calculator if you want, it can come in handy in a pinch.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C b97820 12/23/2011	Professor Lazar is hilarious, and a VERY nice guy. He was very understanding of my situation, (I'm a commuting student who worked two jobs this past semester), and switched me to a different discussion mid-semester because of a work conflict. I'd recommend this class to anyone because of the curving. I'm just terrible at math as it is, and was not trying to get into the business school. I wanted to "challenge" myself by not taking elementary statistics- and I'd call that a big mistake, if not for the curving Prof. Lazar did. The required avg. GPA for the class is 2.7-2.9, so grade curves are adjusted based on that. Learn how to use a TI-83 or 84, because it'll save a LOT of time. Do all the homework, too, and never miss discussion, and you'll be golden.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/21/2011	This was arguably the hardest class I have ever taken in my life. Radu didn't really connect with the students that well so it was hard to follow his lectures. His writing was incredibly sloppy so it was another reason that it was more challenging. The only positive thing I can say is that his curves were incredibly lenient.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/20/2011	Overall I thought radu was good at presenting the material, after each class you kinda get a idea of what he's talking about. hw and discussion are meant to boost your grade so make sure that you complete all those. The only problem I had with this class are the exams i thought they were extremely challenging. I studied hard for every test and pretty much knew all the concepts and barely passed every exam. the important thing is to not fall benhind in this class. even though radu curves like crazy, if you have no idea what your doing you will fail. The exams consitute pretty much your entire grade so try not to fail too bad. Studying from mymathlab seldomly works. study the worksheets from discussion and review questions he gives on slides this is why going to lecture is imnportant he gives you answers to the review questions. The most important thing to study are the past exams that he gives you that's the only thing i felt helped. The problem with this class was that I felt as if i was never prepared for the exams no matter how much i studied.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/14/2011	This class sucks so much. Professor Lazar has good intentions and trys his hardest to help you understand. But the fact of the matter is that you can barely read what he writes on the board and you won't understand any concepts he explains in class. He goes off of his power points which are long and full of information which is impossible to write all down. He tries to put up the equations on the board, but he never explains what certain variables and symbols really mean. If you have to solve one variable to put into a second or even third equation for an answer, you have no idea how to find or compute the first variable. He also never gives examples to problem sets. He just shows you an equation and moves on. Extremely confusing class, and his tests and just as bad. I do not recommend taking this class to anyone who doesn't have to. Its boring, and might be the hardest class i've ever taken throughout my whole time in school.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A devinjackets 12/12/2011	First of all, this class is horribly dry and boring. That being said, Prof. Lazar MAKES THE BEST OF IT!! There is only so much you can do to make business statistics exciting and engaging. He has a lot of material to cover in a really short period of time, so class seems like it is constantly rushed. Which is pretty much is. Also, his accent is not that bad. People on this site are just whining because they didn't put the effort in and they didn't get good grades. Seriously, I don't feel bad at all because it's not impossible to get an A or B in this class! *NOT TO MENTION HE CURVES AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT* I am not one to cut corners when it comes to studying because I actually want to make something of my $32,000 a year education, so I put in my fair share of work and I will definitely get an A in this class (WITHOUT the curve) and I've never seen stat before this class in my life. *IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET AN A IN THIS CLASS WITHOUT THE CURVE IF YOU DO THE WORK** My advice: 1. Attend lecture. He sometimes gives out helpful hints about what to expect on the exams, and he always does extra examples on the board -- MANY of which are similar to exam questions. 2. Do the homework, and try not to use "show an example." It sucks, but think of the extra hour or two on stat as time put forth towards studying for the exam. Because that time will add up, and it'll be 20 hours you already put into trying to learn it over the course of the semester rather than the night before. Easy solution. 3. I know a kid who never went to class, (took AP stat though in high school), knew how to use his calculator, and passed every exam with an A - no curve. So... I guess if you've taken it before in high school, you won't have to work as hard as the other students who've never seen stat in their lives. Good news for those kids. 4. Read the chapters before class! They are usually pretty short and they make his lecture soooooooooo much easier to follow. 5. Study using your cheat sheet so you know where to find the information quickly on the exam. 6. I used a basic scientific calculator on every exam. You'll probably spend more time learning how to use a TI-84 (if you're not familiar with it) than learning how to do the material by hand.... which isn't that much. I can't help but laugh at people who seriously think a TI-84 will help them pass this class when over half of the exam is testing concepts and understanding, not hard math. I never once used a TI-83 or TI-84 in this class and I got an A without the curve. Seriously, this class is doable. Also, he makes corny jokes in class and they're actually kind of entertaining so it isn't so bad. Again, people who complain about it are just admitting they're lazy students! THIS IS A REQUIRED COURSE FOR THE BUSINESS SCHOOL, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL GET IT OVER WITH AND BE PREPARED TO WORK HARD! The book is super helpful, his accent has nothing to do with people failing this course, the class is terribly boring, but it's NOT impossible!
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Lunar01 12/10/2011	First thing you need to do: Buy a TI-84 Calculator. Just in case that wasn't big enough for you to see... BUY A TI-84 CALCULATOR!!! Your grades in this class will be directly correlated to how well you can use the TI-84 to do the problems on the tests. If you do not know how to use the calculator, take the time to search for tutorials online or ask a friend who knew how to teach you. I wish I was kidding about how much you will need the calculator for the tests but I'm completely serious. Now that the most vital piece of information is noted, let's move on to the structure of the class. The lectures will start with some very easy statistic stuff in the beginning but the difficulty will ramp up steeply after the drop date is over, no coincidence there. Try not to miss the lectures even if you are bored in the class, missing one will put you behind significantly. Learning stuff from the lectures the first time will be difficult so make sure to do practice problems from the book to understand the concepts right away. Discussion sections are NOT optional. You need to go to all of them. Although he will give you 2 free days, I recommend saving them up for when you REALLY need to skip them. You're going to need every points you can get. Same goes for homeworks, he will drop the lowest 2. The thing with homeworks is that you do them online and can view similar problems that basically tells you how to do the problem. So there's no reason you should get anything other than at least 90% in every single homework. Now we come to the most important part of the class, the exams. I will tell you now that the exams are VERY HARD. He will give out a sample exam before the exam and I highly recommend you understand everything in the sample exam. If you do not understand some questions, DO NOT put them off. Try to learn how to solve them as soon as possible. This is where the TI-84 will be your savior. If you try to do problems manually from the way he teach, you will waste a lot of time and prone to making errors. The TI-84 is designed to solve those problems, USE IT! The good news is that he curves the exam and it should help out with your grades a lot. If you didn't bother to read my review, here's the shortened version: BUY A TI-84 AND LEARN HOW TO USE IT!!!
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Anonymous 12/07/2011	I'll make it short and simple with a full list of pros and cons. I hate to sound like a snobby *$#!, but I'm a pretty smart guy who currently has nearly a 100% in the class, and this is just how I see things: PROS: -Knows his material -Homework helps a lot -Tests are unimaginably simple -My TA was pretty good, idk about the others -Actively uses boards and powerpoints at the same time -Open to questions, help, convenience, etc. Cons: This will be a long list. -Strong accent to get used to -Absolutely horrid handwriting. He writes small, slanted, crooked, even when paying attention it's hard to concentrate. -Stat Crunch is useful if you know how to use it. Plenty of people go through the class without knowing how to use it at all, and as a consequence, they don't do well. He needs to teach you how to use this instead of rushing through it in class and not showing you how things work. -Knows material a bit too well, sometimes what he says doesn't make sense at all. I can read the book for 5 minutes and understand more than what's taught in 35 minutes of the lecture. -Homework is online and has many glitches. You could end up losing points on bad rounding, missing symbols, or things that shouldn't give you no credit for. And finally: This class doesn't help much at all. Since he allows us to use one page cheat sheets (two page for final) front and back, I can make a very elaborate cheat sheet, give it to a 5th grader, and that 5th grader could probably get an A or B. At the end of this course, most people won't walk out with much knowledge of statistics. They'll know a few things, but they'll learn them [b]using stat-crunch or technology, things we can't use in the real world without looking like an inexperienced college student.[/b] Though sometimes tests focus too much on small things. Half of one of the midterms focused on something we spent 2 classes on. The other half is something we spent almost 10 classes on.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 11/20/2011	Radu is not only a terrible professor but also a terrible person. He breezes through material in class, and though most people blame his thick accent, it is his indifference to his students success that makes people hate him. I went to his office hours countless times and he became offensive about my character and commitment to success. The TA's were terrible. Mine did not add any sort of help whatsoever. AVOID HIM TAKE THIS CLASS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE/ELSEWHERE HE SUCKS.
Francis Alt BMGT230 Expecting a B- Anonymous 07/11/2011	Professor Alt is a great instructor. He tries to make the class engaging, which is difficult given that statistics is such a horribly boring subject. He's got a good sense of humor and is really really passionate about he subject, which I think is important. His tests are pretty tricky but they can be handled, especially since he allows reference sheets. The final is very hard however, and he lets you bring open notes and the textbook because of that. Homework is a pain however, he doesn't usually give problems with answers in the back so it's pretty hard to tell if you're right or not. He's also a tough grader for the one project you have to do. Very tough. Overall I like him as a professor and person, but I did not enjoy the course itself. Unfortunately, every business major or person applying for the business school has to take it.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A- duca237 05/20/2011	Most people complain about this guy, though he is really not that bad. Sure he has an accent, but he knows what hes talking about. Hes definitely not the best professor but certainly not the worst. Actually, he's really generous when it comes to grades. Like people before me said, make sure to do well on the first test, it can carry you the rest of the semester. I got a 100 with the curve on the first test and 60s without the curve on the second test and final and managed to come out of the class with an A-, so really anyone can do it. The class is hard, just read the book, know how to use your calculator and write everything on the reference sheets!
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/17/2011	One of the big themes you may have realized by reading other people’s reviews is that Radu frequently complains how all of his students think he’s bad/horrible at teaching. In my opinion, he’s definitely not the best professor at teaching, but he’s certainly not the worst. To his credit, Stat is a difficult course to teach and learn, because Stat is ALL formulas and numbers, so unless students devote some attention to the class, there’s no way to do well. However, because students often don’t give a lot of attention to classes, students typically do badly, and then start blaming the professor for their performance. Also, I think a huge thing that contributed to people’s bad review about him first semester was that he didn’t give practice exams because it was his first semester teaching at UMD. In my semester though, he gave our class first semester’s exams, giving us a good idea of what the exams will be on. Having never taken Stat before in my life though and getting an A (and I’m not good at math or anything), I can personally say that Radu is not bad. One thing Radu is REALLY good at is CURVES. He curves A LOT. My semester, he curved the first exam by 3/35 points (~9%), the second exam by 3/25 points (12%), and the final exam by 3/30 points (10%). On top of that, he even curved the entire class, making an A anything above 87% in the class, a B from 78-87%, a C from 64-78%, a D from 48-64%, and an F below 48%. With this much curve, he certainly eliminates any wrongdoing on his part in my opinion. I certainly don’t think that he’s so bad that even with his curves it’s still his fault of doing bad. He actually really does respect his students performance and cares about how well his students do. In terms of what you’ll be doing during the semester, the three things that make up your grade are homework, discussion, and the exams. Homework is due every week, with 11 assignments in total (the lowest two are dropped). The homework can take anywhere between 30 minutes for easy ones and 90 minutes for hard ones, average is about an hour. The homework is REALLY easy to get a 100% on by looking at examples, therefore you should automatically get 10% of your grade. Discussion is also really easy to get 100%, but it is mandatory. You’re two lowest grades are dropped (so you’re able to not go twice), but after that you’ll start losing points. So as long as you go every time, you’ll get another 10% of your grade. That leaves the rest of your 80% of your grade to exams. Since there were a total of 90 questions between all 3 exams and the exams are worth 80% of your grade, each question on an exam is worth slightly less than 1% of your total grade. By doing the math, that means the class is ultimately curved by about 11% (8.137% from exams and about ~3% by lowering the grade requirements). To do well in this class, I HIGHLY recommend you follow these tips: 1. DON’T EVEN TRY TO LEARN STAT THE WAY HE TEACHES IT. BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO LEARN IN THIS CLASS IS HOW TO USE A CALCULATOR TO DO ALL THE THINGS HE TEACHES. I cannot stress how important this is. You need at least a TI-84 to do everything he teaches, I bought a TI-Nspire though which was really helpful. What calculator you have is critical. If you only have a TI-83, BUY a new calculator. As a matter of fact, I would definitely say that you should buy a new calculator before you buy the textbook. If you want to try and learn stat the way I did (by just learning how to use a calculator) then you won’t need the textbook at all. However, the code to get access to the homework comes with the textbook, so sometimes it’s worth it to get the textbook too. To be able to learn how to use a calculator though, it is really helpful to have someone you know who took AP Stat and can help you with how to use a calculator. It would be REALLY difficult to teach yourself how to use a calculator without someone helping you. Even more difficult would be teaching yourself stat the way Radu has to teach it (obviously he can’t just teach students how to use a calculator). I don’t think I would’ve had ANY chance at all getting an A by learning stat the academic way (by using formulas and stuff), I would've probably actually gotten a C. 2. Make sure to do well on the first exam. This exam will require the least amount of calculations and is mostly conceptual (making it the easiest exam for most people). Because it’s the easiest exam, Radu curves it the least. That’s why it’s important to not screw up. 3. Even if you want to teach yourself by just using a calculator, you should still sometimes go to class. For some reason, it definitely helps to go to class. You certainly don’t need to go to every class (unless you want to learn stat the way Radu teaches it) but you should at LEAST go to class 50% of the time if you’ve never taken stat before, trust me, it helps. And just to give some other miscellaneous information, you get to have a reference sheet where you can put anything on it (front and back) for the first two exams and for the final you get to have 2 reference sheets. Also, you get to write your answers down on those reference sheets while taking the exam and then he emails the exam answers an hour after the end of the exam so you can instantly see how you did on the exam. He uploads all the powerpoints during lecture in class too.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/15/2011	He is a good guy but the class is very hard. He does make a good amount of effort to teach the material to his students, though. You really just have to go to class and read the book constantly to get a good grade, but if you do not have time because of other hard classes, you may fall behind like I did
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/14/2011	This guy is an incredible business statistics professor. The guy knows his stuff by heart and can spell everything out for you on the board, which he does daily in class. He's got a romanian accent so he can sound like he's yelling sometimes but as he says on the first day of class and many days after, he's not yelling its just his accent. Another thing that he says many times over is that this class takes effort and honestly he's right because this is probably the hardest of the business school prerequisites to master and understand. He posts all of his lectures online on ELMS before the class so definitely print those out and bring them to class, it's so much easier than trying to write it all down and it's how I earned my A. Tips to pass: 1. Do all of the homework even though he drops the lowest 2, you'll understand the material much better 2. Come to every class and pay attention. Like I said the man knows his stuff and if you want to do well, he's the guy to pay attention to. 3. Make good reference sheets for the exam! These are very important since he lets you use sheets front and back for the tests. I made me reference sheets out of the review sessions that he did before each exam and earned As on every test. They make the difference 4. Most importantly, do the practice/old exams! These pretty closely resemble the current tests and help show what you need to know greatly! Make your reference sheet first and then use it to take the practice finals and to do practice problems. It's not cheating or not helping you study since you are going to use that sheet when taking the test anyway! Overall, this guy is great and since you gotta take the class to get into the business school, you might as well take it with someone who cares and writes out everything you need to know. Be prepared to work hard and don't fall behind. Good luck!
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/14/2011	People need to relax with all the bad reviews about this guy. Dr. Lazar is a really chill teacher who really wants to help his students out in this class. Business statistics is really boring and can be a lot of material at times, but it's not all that bad. The two midterms are difficult compared to other classes, but there were 8%-12% curves. There's weekly homework which is a really good way to review and make sure you understand what's going on. Be ready to work when taking this class.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A CiciW 05/13/2011	The work I put in this class is average compared to other students, but I end up getting high As in both midterms and the final, I think this is because I went to 98% of his lectures. You can't just think oh his accent is horrible so I'll skip class and teach yourself the materials later. Unless you are a super genius, it is very very hard to self-teach Stat especially after the first midterm, the long formulas in later chapters are throw you off. Yes his lectures are dry, and I didn't quite understand any concepts during lectures, I kinda just blindly copied down his PowerPoint and his side notes, but these notes help A LOT for me to refer back when I do homework. Tips for this class: 1. Go to as many lectures as possible and write down not only the slides but also his comments on the slides (sometimes he'll say "this type of problem will definitely be on the exam" and it is true) 2. Try to do at least part of the homework before you go to your Friday discussion so you don't feel like an idiot staring blankly at the practice quiz 3. Make sure you know how to do every practice quiz because they are very similar to the problems on the actual test. 4. Make GOOD reference sheet for the test. It's the worst feeling when you leave some formulas out and then you find yourself in desperate need of those formulas for a bunch of problems on the test. The class isn't that bad. People really complain too much. I think Professor Lazar is fine, he IS trying his best to teach, so give him a break and use that energy to find out what you wrong.
Francis Alt BMGT230 Expecting an A RateYoProf 01/28/2011	He was awesome professor, and gives out extensive notes for the lectures that are covered. Although his tests are tricky, if you do your homework, and go to TA office hours, or even his office hours, it is reasonable! He is very approachable, and have a sense of humor that makes the class engaging at times. I strongly recommend him, if you want to have a good foundation of stats. But note, there is no curve for this class!
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/14/2010	Worse class I have ever taken in my entire life. Unfortunately it is a Gateway course otherwise I would have dropped it. Professor Lazar does not follow his lecture notes and writes sloppy notes all over the board during lecture. He flies through material making it impossible to follow what he's writing. You cannot write and listen at the same time because you're trying to distinguish what it is he's writing. The second test and final are ridiculously difficult. Yeah you're allowed reference sheets but that means nothing when you see the test. The only bright spot in the class is that showing up to discussion gives you points and you're allowed 2 tries on each homework problem online. I went to Lazar himself for help at his office and he makes it seem like you're inconvieniencing him. When I asked a question he talks to you like you're retarded and should know the answer already. He means well but in reality he doesn't do much to simplify the material, just throws it at you and expects you to retain everything.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Anonymous 12/14/2010	Terrible professor. Poor lecturer so retaining hardly any information is nearly impossible. If you take this course read every chapter and go to every single class. Whatever you do DON'T STUDY FROM MY STAT LAB. RADU makes the test in a manner in which there are almost no useful ways to study because the test questions are so different from the homework and stat lab problems. Overall one of the worst classes I ever taken with one of the worst professors.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/14/2010	Radu cares about his students, but he FAILS in all respects. The test questions are completely different from what is assigned for homework or given in discussions. Therefore, you can study as long as you like, but since you don't have the proper resources to prepare (no study guide or recommended problems!), it is FUTILE. In addition, the class has a focus on completing random formulas and doesn't actually enhance understanding of business statistics. It needs a major restructuring. Lectures are an incomprehensible waste of time, so don't bother going. It won't help you out on the tests. Advice: avoid him at all costs!!! This man doesn't know a thing about teaching and really won't help you understand statistics, which is truly an important thing to understand in the business world. If you are in honors, get into the honors section.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/13/2010	Lazar is not great, but he is not awful either. I found his lectures somewhat useful, once you got passed his thick accent. The course starts out very slow and simple and finishes at a rapid and difficult pace, so you have to keep up and not fall behind. His first test was very easy, but his second had an average around a 60, which he curved to an 80. He responds well when students do not too great. Homeworks once a week were repetitive and did not offer much help for his exams, which were fairly tricky. Overall, the dislike expressed toward Lazar is more of a product of BMGT230 and not him.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Itzahckret 12/10/2010	HARDEST CLASS I EVER TOOK! At first it seemed easy, then I realized the class covers a chapter ever week, next thing I knew we had all these equations to know which made no sense to me. The homework is not hard, but completely useless because you use stat crunch which you are not allowed to use on the exams. Luckily the class grade is curved, so even though I earned a D I will get a C. Radu goes very quickly, and you need to sit in the front row to be able to read what he writes on the board. Attendance is not mandatory which is good for those who like to skip class.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/09/2010	Worse. Professor. Ever. It's so hard to pay attention to this guy with his accent. He takes a long time talking useless stuff to get to the main concept and when he does, he blazes through and expect students to understand. Everyone in the lecture is either 1. Sleeping, 2. Have no clue what's going on, 3. Feel dumber every lecture Oh and the homework is very annoying. You have to Stats Crunch, a very difficult tool that you have to use to calculate some answers. What's the point of using stat crunch when you can't even use it on the exam? Why bother require students to use stat crunch at all? The only way you learn in this class is by teaching yourself. This guy is horrible at teaching. I've had enough with Business school professors.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 jhmaple1 12/07/2010	Professor: Radu really knows his stuff and he's always repeating that his office hours are open. He doesn't really try to engage the students during class though. He puts powerpoints online as well as review problems for that chapter. Answers are not posted online so you do have to go to lecture to get those if you want. Somedays he'll go through the powerpoint fast and it's hard to learn that way but it's manageable. Course overall: I really took a liking to stats and Radu really brought that out of me. The course overall isn't that hard if you read the textbook or find some online supplementary information regarding the lesson he's covering. Stats overall is concept wise and isn't much of a equation-plug-and-chug course. Grades/Exams: There are 2 exams, both of which were not that hard as long as you really read the question carefully and know the concepts. If you don't know the material, it's somewhat doable as some of the questions are 'common sense'. (Ex: chances of getting an even number on a dice) He curved the second exam though because the ranges were so widely spread. Helped a lot. He also allows a 'cheat sheet' where you can post any equations or concepts on a loose-leaf paper but no example problems. Comes in handy during the tests. There are also online homeworks but he drops the lowest 2 grades out of either 11 or 12 assignments. (Right now we have 11 total). These online homeworks have a 'view an example' which is almost exactly like the problem you have to solve and really helps to give you guidelines as to how to solve the problem. These really helped me in studying for the exam. Discussions are mandatory because attendance is taken but as long as you show up on-time to 10-15 minutes late, you can get the full attendance points. TA's also give you a worksheet you get to keep and go over it in class. These worksheets helped a lot too in studying for the exams. Daily class life: Looked at powerpoints as he went through them during class and took notes on that specific slide. Although I recommend bringing paper and pencil as well for any graphs or tables which may be hard to type at the speed he's teaching/going. Overall impression: I learned a lot and I know that I'll be using statistics later on in my academic career. Radu really knew his material and I'm glad I took it with him. To me, this is one of those work decently hard classes and get an A. Fall behind a little bit, 1-3 chapters, and you could still manage a B, granted you catch up before the exam.
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting a C Anonymous 11/23/2010	statistics in general was very hard for me to understand at first, especially because of the wide variety of notation. Radu moves fairly quickly through his powerpoints. several times i had to go online to check what i hadnt had time to write down. BMGT230 took alot of work but he curved both the second midterm, which most of the class bombed, and the final grade. he wants you to do well, but the subject is very tough
Francis Alt BMGT230 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 11/19/2010	Professor Alt is an extremely nice man who truly cares about his students. He lightens the subject of stat with funny little stories. I found that although stat was a tough subject, I enjoyed coming to class because of Professor Alt. He even tried to learn a lot of the students' names even though it was a big lecture! He was also open to helping students as much as possible. I highly recommend Professor Alt!
Radu Lazar BMGT230 Expecting an A- ebednarc 11/07/2010	An online homework is assigned each week for 10% of final grade, it's difficult to score under a 90%. Just showing up to discussion every week is worth 10%, and he allows you to miss 2 without a reduction of the grade. 2 Midterms account for 23% each, and a final for 34%. Radu allows students a double sided 8.5x11" reference sheet for each exam, and 2 for the final. Overall, with decent amount of input and good work ethic, an A shouldn't be out of reach.
Francis Alt BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/20/2010	Though he is not an excellent teacher, he is very nice person. His exams are really fair if you study. Lectures are not required but his study guides are helpful. He sends emails to students about almost everything, so if you miss some lecutures, not a problem
Francis Alt BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/05/2010	Hard to go to class because 1 hour and 15 minutes of this guy talking just makes you sleep, most monotone teacher ive probably ever had ... Its pretty wack Also does not consider your own personal situations Luckily the class is somewhat easy if you actually study
Francis Alt BMGT230 anonymouse_ourumd 04/08/2010	Excellent teacher!Yeah he does talk extremely slow but that's what makes him so great. There's always the teachers who go so fast that it's honestly pointless to go. But not with Prof. Alt, and the packets make your life easier because you don'thave to spend your whole class time copying notes down, instead you can listen and follow along. He is my favorite professor by far, and he is extremely fair. No reason why anyone wouldn't want to take stat with him.
Francis Alt BMGT230 Expecting a B+ jkTERP123 03/31/2010	Easy class but he is very boring and its hard to follow in lecture. I skip lecture every now and then and just read the book and study on my own because it is more worthwhile.
Kazim Ruhi BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/26/2010	I enjoyed this class. Took it with Ruhi during winter because Pr.Gold failed to succeed teaching 230 in fall.(Read the reviews for Gold ). Ruhi has an accent but it was never a problem . He is a great professor and he cares about his students. I would def. recommend taking one of his classes.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/11/2009	This class isn't too difficult, but you have to understand how things work. It's not enough to know formulas, you have to understand the inner workings. Studer-Ellis is very helpful and frequently asks in lectures if anyone has questions. He tries very hard to make sure his students succeed as much as possible. That said, he can be strict sometimes. If you have an 89.9, he won't round it up to an A. If he offers extra credit, you have to be in the right lecture. However, all of this is clearly stated on the first day, so it shouldn't come as a surprise. He is tough but fair.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/29/2009	Very good professor. You don't have to buy any book or anything just copy of HIS notes for $20. He follows those notes completely. He is always ready to answer any questions you might have for him. He makes the class fun to be in. Will take another class with him, if possible.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/21/2008	Awesome Professor, its worth going to lecture. The best way to tackle this class is to write terms down for each part of each equation and do a detailed note sheet, write the topic it is on and the conditions about it. If your note sheet is good you will do very well here. And also do the HWs, not doing one will leave u clueless.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting a C omgitsalexis 12/07/2008	Studer-Ellis is the best professor on campus, hands down. I have never had a professor who worked so hard to make sure students grasp information. I am a statistics/math dummy and I somehow am managing a C in this class! Do not take this course without Studer-Ellis.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A OHill 10/30/2008	Excellent professor with an excellent ability to teach the material. My first statistics course ever, and I totally excelled thanks to his teachings. He doesn't require a text. Instead, students pay like $20 for a copy of HIS notes, which are phenomenal. You must go to class though in order to grasp an understanding of the notes, but class attendence is well worth it. Attend his classes, go to discussions, and study (homework problems, old exams, and activity sheets) and you can definitely earn an A!! Exams are very fair and all or the majority of problems are very similary to problems covered in homework/activity sheets. Highly recommended for anyone looking to take stats.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2008	ES is a very good professor. He is always willing to help students if they need it (he holds review sessions before every homework assignment is due and before every exam). He is very energetic however his persona does tend to get tiresome towards the end of the semester. The class itself is pretty simple as long as you do the practice exams in the course packet and make a decent cheat sheet. Its importnt to do the practice exams because he often reuses questions. For the final about 1/4 or more of the questions came from the first 3 exams we had taken.
Erich Studer-Ellis BMGT230 Miss. Ma 03/28/2008	The best teacher I've ever had here at UMD. Very serious about getting us to learn Stats and succeed. He even offered a help session for our homeworks. He offers extra credit to help boost our grade because there is not much of a curve. If you go to every class, every lecture(which are always entertaining), do every homework correctly, have a good cheat sheet, and do your best on the exams(which are hard, but similar to practice exams that he gives us), then you are going to do well. He is always there to help, and I was so thankful for that. To tell you the truth, I took another stats course and used Studer-Ellis' notes to get me through that class, and A-ced it. The course is very challenging, but its worth it in the end.