BMGT430 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Anonymous 09/30/2024	Inconsistent grading on homework. Little study material. The professor's handwriting is terrible and small so you will frequently be sitting in the front row and asking for clarification.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/22/2024	Radu is a sweet guy at heart who just pushes his students to deeply engage with the course. Sometimes this severity comes off as being 'disrespectful' but in reality he is just blunt and honest with students. He makes it known that we shouldn't care about a numerical grade, but rather that we should care more about understanding the skills/concepts from the class so that students. can use them in future jobs/experiences. 430 takes a lot of work but if you study consistently (especially for exam #2) and attend lectures, you can succeed. You just have to reach out yourself to TA's and Radu.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a D Anonymous 12/20/2023	his grading is not consistent and has no structure when it comes to final grades at all.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/07/2023	Tough course, but manageable. R studio is tricky at first, but since it is not on exams you really just have to make it work for the homework assignments. Attend every class and make sure you understand everything Professor Lazar discusses, and you'll be fine. He writes some of the formula derivations out for context, but you don't need most of that information—it's pretty clear which equations you'll need and which equations you'll never see on an exam. Professor Lazar isn't as harsh as other reviews say; he's just foreign, and there's a cultural difference. He's very direct, and he'll tell you you're wrong without hesitation, but this is so that people can learn the content better. In short, he's just not going to tiptoe around politely like other professors. Pro tip: type your notes according to what he says out loud, because reading the white board is super hard due to 1) small writing, and 2) the whiteboard has an awful reflection.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/25/2023	He is very knowledgeable and you will learn a lot of real life skills in this class (Programming language called R). However you can't skip class and you definitely have to study for the exams. Like other people said he can be sharp but sometimes he was funny when he would go on rants about the structure of the English language during class. If you put in the effort which was not an unreasonable amount, you can at least get a B.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a W Anonymous 05/17/2023	It sucks that he is the only professor for BMGT430 because he does not know how to teach. I genuinely do not think he enjoys teaching because he acts annoyed when students ask questions and come to office hours. He is one of the worst professors at UMD. If you want to pass and learn something, do not take him.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/04/2023	Not as bad as everyone thinks he is; just has a strong accent. If you've got an immigrant dad that's literally the experience you'll have with him. His handwriting is legible just don't sit in the back. The class is definitely difficult and he can be a little scary, but if you're interested in stat this is a great course with a knowledgeable prof and you learn a lot. Go to class, pay attention, and be understanding of the fact that he didn't grow up in America and has an accent LOL.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/26/2023	Yall need to relax. He knows what he is doing and is very knowledgable in the topic. He just moves quick and you cant skip class.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/13/2023	Worst teacher I have ever had at UMD. He degrades students and insults them when they ask him simple questions.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Anonymous 04/13/2023	He is the most arrogant person I ever met in UMD. He does not know how to respect students at all. Went to his OH before, he was so annoyed when I was asking him questions that he started to do some other random things. Witnessed him saying something like "I don't understand what you're talking about" for multiple times when students don't even finish asking their question.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Anonymous 03/01/2023	The worst professor at UMD. He cannot explain anything clearly and blames the students. Go to his office hours and he will act annoyed. He offers no help outside of class and you cannot read anything he writes on the board. If you ever asks questions, he will tell you he doesn't understand you. Please take someone else, I had my first ever F in a class because of him.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a C Anonymous 02/20/2023	he's a good guy and means well. lectures are extremely hard to follow and blames students when the entire class is lost at the same time. spends more time explaining the math than the fundamental concepts we need to know which makes it difficult to follow. its like explaining the answer without explaining the process of getting there. wish he would slow down especially when he realizes students are not following
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/26/2022	Professor Lazar was a good professor, seems scary but isn't so bad. But I did terrible on the exams so take it as you will.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/31/2021	Excellent no BS professor that will teach you exactly what you need to know. Don't be afraid of him, it feels like he's taking it personally when no one answers his question correctly. But he will like you if you try. Gives a cheat sheet for each exam. If you did fine in BMGT230 there's no reason you can't get at least a B in this class if you show up to class and pay attention. Homework is easy if you follow him do the stuff in R in class and his videos on ELMS. He is a pretty funny and intelligent guy and it was a pleasure to take his class. He knows his stuff 100% (although this stuff is very basic to him, so it may seem he gets annoyed or tired of the class when people don't follow).
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/24/2021	he's good at teaching and you'll do well as long as you go to class. I personally put in a lot of time into this class and I know people who put in less and did as well as me. If you feel for even a little bit that you don't know what you're doing, promise yourself that you are going to attend class regularly because it'll save you a lot of time and energy than trying to learn it yourself. He tells you what information is relevant and what isn't, so if you try to teach yourself everything, you'll waste time. TLDR go to class, study, and try.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2021	I took BMGT430 and 431 with Radu during online classes, and I thought he did a great job. The courses were entirely asynchronous, so you could watch the lectures and do the homework on your own time. Sure, the class was pretty dry since it was async and Radu talks pretty slow, but I thought he did a great job of explaining different concepts. The homeworks and exams were straightforward, and you get to learn R and XL Miner for the class. I recently finished a machine learning class (CMSC422) where we learned a lot of similar topics to BMGT431, and I thought Radu really prepared me well for it.
Radu Lazar BMGT430 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/24/2019	Radu is a good guy. If you attend lectures and pay attention you will learn a lot in his classes. This course is not particularly easy but it isn't too difficult if you are willing to put in a bit of work to understand the concepts.
Francis Alt BMGT430 Expecting an A sukhenkoy1990 01/06/2013	Professor Alt is an excellent professor. He is outstanding at explaining concepts slowly and in a manner that is conducive to students understanding what he is saying. Although this class went beyond the level of understanding in basic statistics, Professor Alt did a great job of explaining everything very clearly and concisely. The grades consisted of three exams, one group project, and homework. Exams are pretty straightforward and fair. Homework is also very straightforward and simply reinforces the topics covered during the two lectures presented during the week. The group project is designed to be of interest to finance students specifically as it deals with a statistical representation of the CAPM model. All told, I strongly recommend Professor Alt to any student considering taking BMGT430. Despite other reviews that depict him as being unfair in grading and exams, I found the opposite to be true. Although he can be a bit more strict with his grading than other professors, he is also very fair with his questions.
Francis Alt BMGT430 Expecting a B Anonymous 11/01/2011	Professor Alt is a cute old man. But don't let that fool you. He likes to demean certain students in class when they ask a "stupid" question in his eyes. Also, one time, I told him we ran out of packets for note taking and he told me to not interrupt the class. Don't take this class if you don't have to. You have to attend every lecture because he provides fill-in-the-blank notes. Homework assignments are assigned every other class over the weekend. They are tough and do not fully follow class notes. They take me about 4 hours to complete. Exam 1 was pretty easy, Exam 2 was tough. He gives you the exam from the previous semester, but he doesn't usually go along with the same format semester to semester. He allows you to have a 8x11 note sheet for the exam, you can write whatever you want. I wish I wasn't required to take this class. Although he is humorous and tries to make statistics fun, his notes and questions can be confusing and he isn't the nicest person when you have a dilemma.
Francis Alt BMGT430 Anonymous 10/21/2008	One of the most boring teachers that I have ever had. He talks extremely slow and monotone. His material isn't hard but he doesn't teach a lot other than giving you note packets. Lots of homework and exams.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Anonymous
09/30/2024

Inconsistent grading on homework. Little study material. The professor's handwriting is terrible and small so you will frequently be sitting in the front row and asking for clarification.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/22/2024

Radu is a sweet guy at heart who just pushes his students to deeply engage with the course. Sometimes this severity comes off as being 'disrespectful' but in reality he is just blunt and honest with students. He makes it known that we shouldn't care about a numerical grade, but rather that we should care more about understanding the skills/concepts from the class so that students. can use them in future jobs/experiences. 430 takes a lot of work but if you study consistently (especially for exam #2) and attend lectures, you can succeed. You just have to reach out yourself to TA's and Radu.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a D
Anonymous
12/20/2023

his grading is not consistent and has no structure when it comes to final grades at all.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/07/2023

Tough course, but manageable. R studio is tricky at first, but since it is not on exams you really just have to make it work for the homework assignments. Attend every class and make sure you understand everything Professor Lazar discusses, and you'll be fine. He writes some of the formula derivations out for context, but you don't need most of that information—it's pretty clear which equations you'll need and which equations you'll never see on an exam. Professor Lazar isn't as harsh as other reviews say; he's just foreign, and there's a cultural difference. He's very direct, and he'll tell you you're wrong without hesitation, but this is so that people can learn the content better. In short, he's just not going to tiptoe around politely like other professors. Pro tip: type your notes according to what he says out loud, because reading the white board is super hard due to 1) small writing, and 2) the whiteboard has an awful reflection.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/25/2023

He is very knowledgeable and you will learn a lot of real life skills in this class (Programming language called R). However you can't skip class and you definitely have to study for the exams. Like other people said he can be sharp but sometimes he was funny when he would go on rants about the structure of the English language during class. If you put in the effort which was not an unreasonable amount, you can at least get a B.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a W
Anonymous
05/17/2023

It sucks that he is the only professor for BMGT430 because he does not know how to teach. I genuinely do not think he enjoys teaching because he acts annoyed when students ask questions and come to office hours. He is one of the worst professors at UMD. If you want to pass and learn something, do not take him.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/04/2023

Not as bad as everyone thinks he is; just has a strong accent. If you've got an immigrant dad that's literally the experience you'll have with him. His handwriting is legible just don't sit in the back. The class is definitely difficult and he can be a little scary, but if you're interested in stat this is a great course with a knowledgeable prof and you learn a lot. Go to class, pay attention, and be understanding of the fact that he didn't grow up in America and has an accent LOL.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
04/26/2023

Yall need to relax. He knows what he is doing and is very knowledgable in the topic. He just moves quick and you cant skip class.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a B
Anonymous
04/13/2023

Worst teacher I have ever had at UMD. He degrades students and insults them when they ask him simple questions.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Anonymous
04/13/2023

He is the most arrogant person I ever met in UMD. He does not know how to respect students at all. Went to his OH before, he was so annoyed when I was asking him questions that he started to do some other random things. Witnessed him saying something like "I don't understand what you're talking about" for multiple times when students don't even finish asking their question.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Anonymous
03/01/2023

The worst professor at UMD. He cannot explain anything clearly and blames the students. Go to his office hours and he will act annoyed. He offers no help outside of class and you cannot read anything he writes on the board. If you ever asks questions, he will tell you he doesn't understand you. Please take someone else, I had my first ever F in a class because of him.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a C
Anonymous
02/20/2023

he's a good guy and means well. lectures are extremely hard to follow and blames students when the entire class is lost at the same time. spends more time explaining the math than the fundamental concepts we need to know which makes it difficult to follow. its like explaining the answer without explaining the process of getting there. wish he would slow down especially when he realizes students are not following

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
05/26/2022

Professor Lazar was a good professor, seems scary but isn't so bad. But I did terrible on the exams so take it as you will.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/31/2021

Excellent no BS professor that will teach you exactly what you need to know. Don't be afraid of him, it feels like he's taking it personally when no one answers his question correctly. But he will like you if you try. Gives a cheat sheet for each exam. If you did fine in BMGT230 there's no reason you can't get at least a B in this class if you show up to class and pay attention. Homework is easy if you follow him do the stuff in R in class and his videos on ELMS. He is a pretty funny and intelligent guy and it was a pleasure to take his class. He knows his stuff 100% (although this stuff is very basic to him, so it may seem he gets annoyed or tired of the class when people don't follow).

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/24/2021

he's good at teaching and you'll do well as long as you go to class. I personally put in a lot of time into this class and I know people who put in less and did as well as me. If you feel for even a little bit that you don't know what you're doing, promise yourself that you are going to attend class regularly because it'll save you a lot of time and energy than trying to learn it yourself. He tells you what information is relevant and what isn't, so if you try to teach yourself everything, you'll waste time. TLDR go to class, study, and try.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/23/2021

I took BMGT430 and 431 with Radu during online classes, and I thought he did a great job. The courses were entirely asynchronous, so you could watch the lectures and do the homework on your own time. Sure, the class was pretty dry since it was async and Radu talks pretty slow, but I thought he did a great job of explaining different concepts. The homeworks and exams were straightforward, and you get to learn R and XL Miner for the class. I recently finished a machine learning class (CMSC422) where we learned a lot of similar topics to BMGT431, and I thought Radu really prepared me well for it.

Radu Lazar
BMGT430

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/24/2019

Radu is a good guy. If you attend lectures and pay attention you will learn a lot in his classes. This course is not particularly easy but it isn't too difficult if you are willing to put in a bit of work to understand the concepts.

Francis Alt
BMGT430

Expecting an A
sukhenkoy1990
01/06/2013

Professor Alt is an excellent professor. He is outstanding at explaining concepts slowly and in a manner that is conducive to students understanding what he is saying. Although this class went beyond the level of understanding in basic statistics, Professor Alt did a great job of explaining everything very clearly and concisely. The grades consisted of three exams, one group project, and homework. Exams are pretty straightforward and fair. Homework is also very straightforward and simply reinforces the topics covered during the two lectures presented during the week. The group project is designed to be of interest to finance students specifically as it deals with a statistical representation of the CAPM model. All told, I strongly recommend Professor Alt to any student considering taking BMGT430. Despite other reviews that depict him as being unfair in grading and exams, I found the opposite to be true. Although he can be a bit more strict with his grading than other professors, he is also very fair with his questions.

Francis Alt
BMGT430

Expecting a B
Anonymous
11/01/2011

Professor Alt is a cute old man. But don't let that fool you. He likes to demean certain students in class when they ask a "stupid" question in his eyes. Also, one time, I told him we ran out of packets for note taking and he told me to not interrupt the class. Don't take this class if you don't have to. You have to attend every lecture because he provides fill-in-the-blank notes. Homework assignments are assigned every other class over the weekend. They are tough and do not fully follow class notes. They take me about 4 hours to complete. Exam 1 was pretty easy, Exam 2 was tough. He gives you the exam from the previous semester, but he doesn't usually go along with the same format semester to semester. He allows you to have a 8x11 note sheet for the exam, you can write whatever you want. I wish I wasn't required to take this class. Although he is humorous and tries to make statistics fun, his notes and questions can be confusing and he isn't the nicest person when you have a dilemma.

Francis Alt
BMGT430

Anonymous
10/21/2008

One of the most boring teachers that I have ever had. He talks extremely slow and monotone. His material isn't hard but he doesn't teach a lot other than giving you note packets. Lots of homework and exams.

Reviews for BMGT430