Reviews for BMGT230B

Information Review
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/23/2023
Good instructor overall -- he was someone who definitely kept you awake during class, and was always willing to clarify and reteach whatever needs his students address, which I found really helpful. The tests were quite difficult for me, at least, but I also tend to be a bad test taker -- the material on the tests are just like the activity sheets and exercise sets he gives you, just a tad more conceptual. His curve is magnificent in the end, but I recommend that you actually take this class seriously if you have a hard time understanding mathematical concepts, like me.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/20/2023
Honestly don't know why there are so many negative reviews about Erich. He's honestly a pretty good teacher. You just have to make sure to pay attention and buy his course packet (which is really helpful because he includes additional practice problems for you). I think you just need to put effort into this class. At first this class was hard for me, but it got easier as the semester progressed. As time goes on, the activity sheets get so much easier. I also feel like the content got easier, so if you didn't do well initially, there is still a chance for you to succeed. Like what others have said, he does drop the borders down at the end of the semester so you can still get an A even with a 85% ish. There are homework assignments, which he has help videos that are actually helpful. Again, like with the content and activity sheets, the homework got a lot easier as the semester went on and I find myself not needing the help videos. Erich is actually an engaging teacher. He is very animated and funny. He also allows for students to participate which is very helpful to make sure you know how to actually get the numbers. Just make sure to not have your phones out during class. Take BMGT230B with him!
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/12/2023
Erich is a fantastic teacher who will give you everything you need to succeed. He goes over everything you need to know for the exams in class and gives video explanations and answer keys for every homework assignment. You can miss about 30% of the homework problems and still get full credit. He clearly and consistently communicates every expectation for class and constantly will give reminders about them. He's also a really funny and approachable guy who is GREAT at answering questions in class. The only thing I will say is that you can study a LOT for the exams and still do mediocre. I went into the second exam having studied for literal days feeling great about the content and I got a C. He curves the whole class though so it's ok.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
08/02/2023
Great professor, very forgiving and very straightforward. Exams are the same as the coursework.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/03/2023
Erich is one of the best professors I have ever had. The course material can be challenging on its own but he teaches in a way that makes it easy to comprehend. He is engaging and a goof, and he cares a lot about his students and wants to see them succeed. He goes above and beyond to provide all the resources possible to ensure that his students do well but you do have to put in the work and actually put those resources to use. The exams are open note but I would still advise going to lecture and discussion because you have to understand the material without the notes if ya want to do well. Tbh it's hard to do bad in this class, everything is given to you and Erich is always open to help out students. It's a waste to not use all the resources you have. I hate math but I have grown to like it more through his class. Overall, Erich is an epic guy, he's the kind of prof everyone needs to have at least once in their educational experience.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/24/2022
Great professor. Gives you all the materials you need to be successful, but you have to put in the effort.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/18/2022
Great professor who prepares you well for exams, good lectures and lots of assistance to those who need it
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/13/2022
Erich is a very nice guy and works very hard in order to provide resources for his students in order to succeed. He gives you ALL of the resources needed that will help you do well on exams - videos, completed notes, worksheets, glossaries, practice problems, and more. He is straightforward in his teaching style. He has tons of enthusiasm towards teaching - he is an energetic, quirky, and funny guy. He embraces the class and clearly loves what he does. He deserves a lot of credit for what he does. In terms of the course, BMGT230 is a class that came a bit easier to me as I took AP Statistics in high school. I can only speak from my perspective on that in terms of the class and material overall. Lots of overlaps in content and topics. The exams are about going the extra mile in terms of what you've learned (as is the case with many college classes) - for example, being able to work backwards off of what you've learned, or interpreting what a certain equation or rule means.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/07/2022
One of the best professors at UMD! Explains course material well while also keeping class interesting with his humor. The material in this class can be challenging but if you keep up with it you can do very well. The course packet is great and if you miss class just look over the completed notes. He made the packet so everything in it is useful and explained well.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
04/28/2022
Outstanding professor. You can tell he really enjoys what he does and wants everyone in the class to succeed. While Statistics is a hard concept for many to grasp, there are many resources that are provided (office hours, extra practice problems, completed notes, etc). He even makes personal review videos to help you with the exercise sets which are due each week. Exams are tricky, but 70% of the class receives some sort of an A or B, so if you put in the work you will be okay!
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/15/2022
Possibly the best professor on campus with interesting lectures simply because of his personality. Just do the work in the exercise sets and make a cheat sheet for the exams. You can easily get an A by using cheat sheets to organize the information and formulas.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/23/2021
Studer-Ellis is a great teacher and at least 70% of the class will get at least a B-. The lectures aren't mandatory but if you want to get a good grade, I would highly recommend going to them. My only complaint about him is he is super cryptic about how he grades the class. Overall, you will need to work hard to get an A in this class.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/03/2021
He is a great teacher. Although he is strict about the no technology rule in his class, he is pretty chill and funny. He explains the material really well and answers all questions thoroughly. In the class, you get exercise sets and activity sheets that help boost your grade up a lot, so those can battle out the tests. For the exams, you just really need to go back over the exercise sets, activity sheets, and the old examinations that he provides. It would definitely be helpful if you can find someone else who has another old exam for more practice. The TAs were super helpful during our discussion sections. Also, try and find people in that class for a study group for the exercise sets and the exams because that was extremely helpful for me.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Anonymous
11/19/2021
Literally impossible to get an A unless you're like a genius in math. he's really hard, exams are insanely difficult compared to exercise sets. you're better off taking this at a community college if you can..save yourself the pain
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Anonymous
11/17/2021
the course is hard af.. not sure why so many reviews are positive because the exams are 10 times worse than the exercise sets. no matter how much u study you're gonna get a C. it's impossible to succeed in this class unless you're really good at math honestly. he also takes a ridiculously long time to explain concepts that could be explained in 5 mins.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
02/09/2021
Erich is one of the best professors I have ever had in my life. I took his statistics course back in 2018 and I'm so glad I attended almost every lecture. In his words, if you skip class you are just wasting your parents' money, so why skip class? His course notes were extremely helpful, as he went thru it with detail and taught us straight from them as if they were a textbook. We knew exactly what to learn and focus on especially with the tons of examples and visuals in the notes. The weekly discussions and homeworks also helped me alot in preparing for the exams. No tricks, no BS, if you knew how to do the problems you were guaranteed to do well on the exams. I totally wish more professors adopted this same type of "course notes" teaching style for their classes. Can you imagine if Erich was somehow cloned so that those other Erichs taught 221 accounting or 340 finance or STAT400? I would have learned so much easier and done so much better on exams. For comparison's sake I got an A+ in 230 but in STAT400 I only got a C (fortunately I was able to do P/F lol). Erich, if you're reading this please think about teaching more classes besides 230 man. You would be doing every business student a huge favor.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/12/2021
If you’re okay at math, this class should be fine. Erich gives you everything you need to understand the material, although he will put 2 to 4 new or newly phrased questions on exams. You get two attempts for every exam and at least for the pandemic semester(s), they are open-note. There are three exams including the final, which is just treated like another exam, and they make up 80% of your grade. Only TAs have office hours, but they can definitely be helpful, only thing is you can’t ask questions about an exam in between two of its test dates which sucks if you genuinely don’t know how to solve a problem that you’ve never seen before. If you’re taking the class at home, just buy the course packet or print it yourself, it’s so much easier to follow along the material if you have it in front of you rather than using the online version. The class is completely asynch, but you get a dose of Erich’s personality through the videos. I thought he was nice and I didn’t experience this myself, but according to our class groupme, he wasn’t lenient at all about late work or extensions or taking an exam at a later date if it was for anything but having a conflicting class or another exam, which is really sucky in a pandemic. The exams are also always some time in the evening and not set during class time. He posts a different number of lecture videos each week which can also be a little disorienting as you don’t know what to expect with how long you’ll be watching them or how many videos you need to watch to do the weekly problems. There are two weekly problem sets, one that is a little more difficult that you work on with an assigned group and that I think is graded only on completion but he wasn’t really clear on that and one that you do on your own that is pretty straight forward and graded on accuracy, but you can still get a question or two wrong and get a 100. To study for tests, redoing these will help. He posts the answer keys after they are due for both and review videos going through the problems for the exercise set only (the one you do on your own). He curves at the end of the semester based on the class, this fall an 84 was an A-.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting a B
Anonymous
09/16/2020
Erich is super high energy and tries his best to make bstat fun. The course packet is awesome and makes it easy to take notes and study. It's easy to tell that Erich cares a lot about seeing his students do well, as he makes himself available and allows note sheets for exams. ERICH S-E IS THE MAN!
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/06/2020
Erich is awesome and truly cares about his students. He does everything that he can do to help his students succeed. BMGT230 is not an easy class but if you work hard, you will do well. He also curves the class based off of class averages. Erich makes coming to class each day entertaining, just don't take out your phones!
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/15/2018
Erich is the best teacher I have ever had. He teaches stat (BMGT230) in a very fun and entertaining way that makes things just stick in your head. The exams are fair and often resemble problems in the exercise sets and activity sheets. I had never taken stat before and I love his class and teaching style. HIGHLY recommend!
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
06/02/2018
Erich is very thorough, patient, and willing to help any student that comes his way. His lectures are extremely helpful, his textbook packet makes it so much easier to follow along with and learnt he material
Radu Lazar
BMGT230B

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/10/2016
I am TOTALLY not a math person, but I actually really enjoyed this course. Radu is funny and chill, and he seems to care about his students. His accent is also fun to listen to, and in no way impedes his ability to teach. The lectures go fast (we usually take notes and do a few practice problems), and then discussion is really helpful if you need any extra review. There's a quiz once a week in discussion (out of 5 points, usually pretty easy), one homework assignment, and one pre-lecture quiz. This means that you have to learn the info beforehand and take a quiz on it, all before he lectures. This sounds waaaaay worse than it, and most people get 100s on them. Don't leave class early, but other than that Radu is really laid back. I highly recommend this course! When I took stats in high school, I hated it because my teacher made it way harder than it needed to be. Radu breaks it down in the simplest way. Find someone to teach you the calculator tricks if you don't already know them, it'll save you a ton of time and effort!
Radu Lazar
BMGT230B

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/05/2016
Professor Lazar gets a bad wrap, but it is honestly not his fault. It is more the class that is less interesting than him. Professor Lazar may seem to some to be forceful and mean, which he can be if you act disrespectfully (leaving class early, talking, being on your phone), but overall he wants to make a large lecture style class more engaging for students. He has started letting TA's write on the board, and our TA Katherine Feng was superb, and was a wealth of knowledge if you didn't understand something. Lazar, is not mean, and he is very effective in helping students understand the content. The only thing I did not like him for is when you ask questions he often is like "well thats not really correct" when it is usually almost exactly correct, but not the way he would want you to say it. So to summarize the class is hard and you have to put in A LOT of work to get an A, but he does what he can to help you learn the concepts and he will curve the test average to about a 75 which can be nice.
Radu Lazar
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/23/2014
I took stats in high school. It's pretty much the same thing, except all multiple choice. There are two midterms and a final, not cumulative. He genuinely wants you to do well. He does get upset if you get a question wrong in class or in office hours, but it's mostly just his tone. He teaches extensively in class and gives good examples, so go to class. Discussions apply concepts taught during the week. You can have a formula sheet for theoretical notions, no assumptions, so there's no memorization. You just need to know when to apply a certain formula/concept. This is a weed out class, so it is hard. I did poorly on the first exam because I thought knowing the math was enough. It is not. You have to be very careful because his true/false questions are pretty hard. Do the practice tests and take note of the questions you get wrong. The first exam is easiest and got no curve. The second got 16%, and I assume the final will be curved by a little less. That's what he implied.
Radu Lazar
BMGT230B

Expecting a C
mkoebel
11/30/2011
He's not a bad teacher, Radu curves things like crazy. It's mainly on the student to learn the material though since he cannot take too much time to cover it in class. There's a lot to learn, so he flies during class. -There's nothing he can do about it.- Word of advise, DO NOT GET BEHIND ON READING. I failed the first midterm with a 53% thinking I would be good with my reference sheet. WRONG. I had no idea how to use the formulas. AP stat is nothing like this, you can get an understanding of the material from prior stat classes, but do not understand it to the degree he tests you on. Read the book daily. He is not kidding when he tells you to study at least 5 hours a week. Just read the book, take notes, and do the mystatlab homeworks and a few practice problems and you'll be good. Be prepared to work. Learn how to use your calculator for all of your T-test, and interval tests, it's your best friend.
Radu Lazar
BMGT230B

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
05/19/2011
I hated this class. Honestly the WORST class I've taken at Maryland, and that is saying a lot. His notes in lecture are so sloppy you feel like you're looking at a 2 year old's writing The exams are so hard. Actually, they are extremely hard - and that is because he bases them off whatever is running through his mind at the time. They do not relate to the homework, and do not relate to the discussions either. I never took statistics prior to coming to this class, but was told that its not that bad of a class - that was until I got Radu. His accent isn't bad, you can understand him well, that's not the problem. It's just his tests. Even the cheat sheets that he allows does not really help because yes we can have formula's on there, but the way he writes his questions makes it hard for us to know when to use the formula's. I went to every class, BUT fell asleep 8 out of 10 times. Glad I never have to take statistics again *wipes head*
Radu Lazar
BMGT230B

Expecting a C
Anonymous
04/26/2011
Radu is a really nice guy and is sincerely interested in his students but he is just not a very good teacher. I do almost everything I can do to do well in the class but the way the homework and presentations are given there just doesn't seem to be a way to study efficiently. When you do the homework try not to use stat crunch or the examples because you will have neither of these on the exam. Try not to study from mymathlab and use the ta's office hours instead of radu's because he will just talk to you about all the terrible reviews he's gotten online. If you must take this class then go into it knowing that you will have to work extremely hard just to gain a basic understanding of the material. Good luck, you'll need it.
Radu Lazar
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
mellow
12/17/2010
1) I have never taken Statistics before. 2) I went to 70% of the lectures. He's new, and really does care about his students. STAT overall as a subject is dry, but the discussion problems and annoying homeworks really ARE related to the exam. I have fallen asleep. He moves FAST in lecture, yes. But there is too much material to cover. If you manage to keep up, it turns out he makes a lot of sense. So pre-read AND post-read and review his informative slides! The Honors version of STAT gives out much, much more work. Tips to pass: 1) COMPLETE HW without "viewing example" or notes. If you can do that, you're set. Although, I almost always completed with notes. 2) SIT IN THE FRONT. I fell asleep a couple times, and 97% of the class stares at him vacantly/on FB. Stay engaged from minute 1 and be ready when he asks for an answer. 3) My TA was not good, but the discussion was great. Discussion, you work on problem sets in groups for points. Get someone smart/who took AP STAT in group. 4) THE BOOK helped me close to the final. It gives a different perspective from what Lazar gives in class. 5) Score big on the 1st exam, it gets harder after that. Good luck! If you do all this, with his curves you'll do fine.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting a B
Anonymous
01/18/2010
Great professor! A lot of fun, the notes were very easy since he gives you the packet and you just have to fill in the blanks. I had already taken stats in high school though, which made things easier, and it seemed other students were struggling with what seemed like simple concepts. Do a lot of practice problems, and ask questions.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
01/13/2009
Studer-Ellis was a very knowledgeable and fun professor who was easy to learn from. He taught the material in a very organized manner which made the fairly difficult material easier to learn and understand. Going to lectures is important, but I wouldn't recommend signing up for the 8AM lecture if possible as it is sometimes hard to stay awake.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
fruitchaat
07/22/2008
S-E was a really good professor. He uses a course packet that he created himself which he follows during his lectures so you don't have to write a lot and you don't have to buy a textbook. He also gives a lot of review sessions. Some tests are challenging while others are easier, but overall the course is enjoyable.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/10/2008
Took the class Fall 2007. Going to lecture makes this class significantly easier and likewise, skipping makes it way harder. Must attend discussion to turn in homework and do activities that are worth points. Tests are much easier if you do the practice exams beforehand (they're not difficult to begin with, really). He is an energetic animated professor, really makes coming to lecture worth it. Gives extra credit during lecture but doesn't announce when and you must be at your lecture (as opposed to going to a different one). Overall great class
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

toiletpaper55
12/05/2007
He's weird and goofy, tests are pretty challenging but manageable. you need to go to class to learn the material. he gives extra credit based on the distribution of grades in the class but its only given in lectures so again, you must attend.
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Anonymous
11/17/2007
If you need a stat requirement but not necessarily business stat, don't take this class, because its probably the hardest of them. But if you need to take this class, just become familiar with old exam problems and practice problems before the test, because they are very similar. People tend not to do very well on the exams, and depending on how people are doing, he will give extra credit, which is his version of a curve. Studer-Ellis is very animated and fun.. he wants students to succeed and is always willing to give extra help. A lot of students just find the material challenging and you will have to study!
Erich Studer-Ellis
BMGT230B

Expecting an A
terpfan29
11/03/2007
I took this class Fall 2004, and from what I hear it has changed a lot. He is a great professor. SE is very enthusiastic and wants his students to succeed. He is always accessible outside of class, each week he held a session to ask questions about the homework. Before exams, he would host a 2 hour review session. Each week there is a problem set due and an activity sheet to do in discussion on Friday. They are graded on a very lenient scale. He uses a course packet that is loaded with practice problems and old exams. If you work the problems and old exams you will do well on his tests--he often uses the same problems as from the packet, homework or activity sheets. He HATES when students arrive late or leave early. He will stop class until these students are seated or out of the room. Overall, it isn't too difficult of a class if you do the studying and practice and GO TO CLASS! They really are not boring so I don't see why anybody would have an issue with them.