Michael Finch

This professor has taught: BMGT221H, BMGT311, BMGT313, BMGT313F, BMGT321, BUAC710, BUAC743, BUAC758M, BUSI610, BUSI611

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Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 09/25/2019	I would advise anyone reading this to take this course elsewhere if you can. Finch is a hard-ass and does nothing to make the class nor the content easier to understand. He gives out hw assignments which take many hours to complete. Since they are graded for completion by the grad TA, you do not know if you even did it correctly. He only uses a chalkboard in class, no powerpoints whatsoever. His exams are ludicrous; the problems are so much harder than the ones practiced in class. In fact, every exam we had a line of students waiting to ask him to clarify questions, but he did a shit job of helping us out. We consistently went over the allotted time for the exams only to delay the following section from taking theirs and so on and so forth. Don't stick around hoping that things get better in this class, because they don't.
Michael Finch BMGT321 Anonymous 02/26/2019	I understand that he wants to challenge students to really think about the material, but when you got 90% of the class lined up during the final to ask questions, there's a good chance you're overdoing it. He takes off points for labels and other small details which can really impact your exam score. He would say certain types of questions were on the exam, then come exam time only a couple of those would be on there. These questions were 2x harder than in-class examples.
Michael Finch BMGT321 Anonymous 11/15/2015	This guys reviews are surprisingly positive, I had him 2 semesters ago and he is literally the worst professor I have ever had at Smith. He seems like a nice person, but he kinda sucks at teaching. He didn't use power points of any kind. He pretty much just stood up there and lectured. His exams were tough. He did give partial credit for stuff, so that was kinda nice. If you don't mind teaching yourself by reading the text, by all means go ahead and take his class. Just keep in mind that you are paying for this whole college education thing, so if you wanna get your money's worth, take this class with literally anyone else.
Michael Finch BMGT313F Expecting an A Anonymous 05/25/2015	Finch is a nice and entertaining guy and a good professor, who doesn't waste time teaching you irrelevant stuff. However, he is by no means an easy professor, like others have mentioned. If you want to do well, you need to put in the effort, or else you'll do badly. For this class, we had 5 quizzes, one cumulative final, and a valuation project. They are not overly difficult, but you need to study well for them. The project itself wasn't hard. It was mainly just going through a company's 10K and calculating some ratios and answering questions, but ended up being very time consuming. Overall, I really enjoyed this course, more than 321, which I also took with him. If you put in the effort, the class won't be too hard, and you'll get a good grade.
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/03/2014	Prof. Finch is a really good professor, who knows his stuff, but he isn't by any means easy. You really have to put in the effort to do well in his class. There are 3 exams, which can be difficult, as compared to what is done in class, so you really need to know your stuff. Also, a note... don't forget to write down and label everything on the exam, or you might get a surprise in the end, because he will take off points if you forget. If you really want to learn and are willing to put in the effort, I highly suggest that you take him. If not, I highly suggest that you look for a different professor.
Michael Finch BMGT313 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/30/2014	Finch is an interesting guy. His personality is great, and is always entertaining. His class is certainly not boring. Too often though he is extremely laid back and tends to waste a great deal of class time. He is also a very stringent grader, and takes off points for very minor things. I definitely learned a good amount in his class, but only because I put in the effort. Most of the students rarely did the readings, and his class was often slowed down by that. Still, I can recommend him just based on his personality, and the fact that he made the material somewhat interesting. I would probably rather have taken it with another professor, but I can't say I hated this course either.
Michael Finch BMGT311 Expecting a C clue 01/27/2014	This was definitely the hardest class I've taken at the business school. The course material was pretty dry and Professor Finch's teaching style wasn't really effective for me personally. But I think he was a good teacher and he was very willing to give help outside of class and spend a lot of time explaining things I didn't understand. It's not the most fun class, so be prepared to put in a lot of work, but in the end it's worth it and Finch can give a lot of help if you ask for it.
Michael Finch BMGT311 Expecting a B AcctFin2014 01/09/2014	This is a complicated review. I took Finch in Spring 2013. He was the hardest professor I've ever had at UMD, and I've never worked harder for a single class, nor been happier with the B I earned. It was not easy. But the thing is, I've never learned more in any class at UMD. Finch forces you to learn the material, because you cannot do well in the class unless you do. And it's not just out-of-class learning (though you do have to read the textbook on your own); Finch spends a lot of time in class going through problems similar to those you'll see on the tests (and, more importantly, on the CPA). He makes sure you really know what he's doing, and takes questions better than anyone else I've ever seen. The trick with him is to actually do the readings in advance, and actually participate in lectures. If you do, you'll learn more than in any other class at UMD. If this doesn't sound like something you want, you should probably take a different professor.
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/01/2014	He is an alright professor. You basically have to teach yourself in this class by reading and doing the homework. The homework isn't checked or anything, but since he doesn't lecture in class, just goes over homework problems that anyone has, you should probably attempt the homework. This class also goes pretty fast, we covered a chapter a class, so halfway through the semester people would just stop doing the homework because they didn't have time to read and do all the homework. If you want a good grade you really have to make this class a priority. Also he doesn't check his email, he doesn't put grades up on elms, and it's 1 day before the deadline to submit final grades on Testudo and he still hasn't uploaded anything. All in all, he's a nice guy, but I wouldn't recommend taking him.
Michael Finch BMGT311 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/09/2013	I took Finch in the Spring of 2011. Professor Finch is a GREAT professor. Don't let these other reviews fool you. Of course he has high expectations for students and his exams are challenging. And I think that is how it ought to be. You are paying a tuition to learn not to just get an A. Finch forces you to learn the material. Your responsibility as a student is to DO THE READING. Your Intermediate book is NOT a decorative element. It is meant to be read. When I mean read, I mean read EVERY page not skim through it. And do the homework problems he assigns even though he doesn't grade them or check it. Hold yourself accountable to getting an education you paid for. He can't possibly cover EVERYTHING in the book during lecture so it helps if you've read the material beforehand and done some of the problems. That way, you can have questions as he is explaining the material... not just sit there gazing into space. People complain about his exams being too hard and undoable. I don't think they were. They were challenging but the exams are doable. It is possible to do well on them. I did well on them. When the average was a 50. I was getting an 88. If I could do it, you can to. Just work hard, believe and hope in God! If you take Finch and you are prepared to buckle down, discipline yourself and read that book, you will be very glad you did. You will discover Accounting to be much more interesting than you could have possibly ever imagined and you will leave that class learning so much. And you will get an A. That A will be the best A you've ever gotten and you will be proud of your accomplishment. It is a great feeling!
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/02/2012	Honestly this was one of the hardest classes I took at the B school. Finch is a nightmare. He doesn't teach the material properly and goes off tangents on movies. His exams are extremely hard because he doesn't teach anything, so this course is basically a teach it yourself one. He takes forever to grade material. Honestly avoid Finch at all cost, unless you want to struggle to get your A. The only good thing I see out of this course is that his class really nit picks out the destined accountants.
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/21/2012	AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! This guy does not actually teach the material but assumes students have read the chapter before hand and does a few 20 minute long problems in class which thoroughly confused the class because we didn't read/teach ourselves the chapters. Tests were miserable, exam 1 average was 65 and exam 2 average was 47. No one in the class finished the exam and pages were left blank. The final exam was just as hard. Final grades have not yet been posted, but he keeps saying there will be no curve which I just don't see to be possible. WAY harder than 310 and 311, literally take any other professor. Finch is actually a really great guy and is hilarious, but is an awful/hard teacher.
Michael Finch BMGT221H Expecting a B Anonymous 05/15/2012	DO NOT LISTEN TO THE REVIEW BELOW. Finch is a great professor, one who doesn't bore your with stupid power points and who doesn't put you to sleep in class. To most people, including myself, financial statements and ledgers and what not are not fun, but the way Finch explains things make the stuff seem so "obvious". You will learn more from his class than you realize. His midterms were fair. If you attend class (he doesn't post anything online) and do all the suggested homework (or just listen in class when he goes over them), no one should do poorly. If you don't know how to study, that's another problem entirely. Finch's lectures generally consistent of going over the chapter for half a class, ask students for homework questions, and a lot of random facts in between about random movies that no one has ever seen before. For our final, the extra credit is a question about What About Bob. The only downside is that our final was ridiculously hard, but he warned us it would be so because our class averages were too high. Which I still don't understand why it's a bad thing... Take the class with him if you can!
Michael Finch BMGT311 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/09/2011	Oh Mike Finch. He truly didn't care about making sure his students were comfortable with material. He got mad when we didn't read chapter beforehand, so he punished us by only half teaching the subject. His exams were hardest ones I've ever taken. The averages were horrible, and insisted that he was not going to curve course (even though in end he did). This was a complete nightmare of a class, and a whole ton more stressful than 310. For sure take with different Professor.
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting an A ayc 05/25/2011	Finch is the best accounting professor I have ever had in UMD. He really knows how to teach and is very very engaging (he remembers our names by the second day of class). The exams are very challenging but you really get a lot of of his class. If you really want to learn accounting, take classes with Finch. Again, not the easiest professor but great learning experience!
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/15/2011	A very good lecturer (probably the best I've had in my accounting classes). If you're looking for a class you can go and just look at the internet because the powerpoints are online he is not the guy for you. He really teaches students, writing on the board rather than using power points given to him by the textbook. Does not check homework, but bases class off questions from the homework so it is a good idea to come in with some questions. You will usually get out off class about 15 minutes early because he makes very effective use of class time. The tests are challenging and he has said that he does not curve. He is a HUGE movie buff and likes to quote movies in class. Also tells some funny stories. Really tough to get an A in his class, but you will walk away feeling as though you have learned something. A really great professor, but not an easy class.
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting a D Anonymous 04/25/2011	Challenging professor and solid lecturer. Will weed out those who are destined not to be accountants (like myself).
Michael Finch BMGT321 Expecting a B terpinator 11/26/2008	The entire grade for the class was based on 3 exams and an arbitrary 10% participation grade. The exams were much tougher than the practice homework problems or what was taught in class. The material was pretty dry and so were the lectures. I personally don't know of anyone who received an A in this class. I would STRONGLY suggest taking this class with a different professor.