William McClenahan

This professor has taught: BMGT380, BMGT380H, BMGT380N, BMGT381, BMGT496, BUSI758O, BUSI764

Sort By:

Information	Review
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/13/2015	Honestly, I rarely ever write these reviews, except to warn students never to take a certain professor. But, I want to write one for McClenahan because although he comes off as a rather grumpy old man, he is a great professor. You need a rather thick skin to enjoy his class, because he doesn’t sugarcoat anything and he will call you out for wrong answers, annoying habits (NEVER sniff or blow your nose infront of him), and not doing the reading. That being said, he is a great teacher that explains everything very well. His tests are fair. They are not overly easy or overly difficult. He gives a generous curve and explains it in great detail. He gives practice exams and will help you prepare for the exams. Also, none of the test are cumulative so you only have to focus on current material. And, your allowed cheat sheets and he gives hints of what to put on them. I recommend you take McClenahan’s class and participate in it. Not only will you get a good grade, but you will actually learn and RETAIN a lot, which is more than I can say about most of my other classes. He makes it interesting with the cases and you’ll get to learn all about his collection of ex-wives by the end of the class too!
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/19/2014	After the first day of class with McClenahan, I wanted to drop the course. He comes off as intimidating and makes it seems as if he'll be very strict and require a lot of time. Don't let the first day scare you off. McClenahan is one of the best professors I've had at Smith and this class is probably the most useful one I've taken just because of how much I learned because of how he teaches. I assume most of the people who give him bad reviews are the ones that don't want to do anything in his class and get bad grades because of it (I get it, I want to do as little work as possible, too) but he's really accommodating if you ever go to him with a question or problem. He knows what he's talking about and makes it interesting. Overall, he's sarcastic and takes no shit but as long as you're not incompetent then he's not nearly as intimidating as he seems. Grade is 3 tests and participation. He drops a lot of hints in class about what's on the tests and you can have a cheat sheet. You can read the book and do fine on the tests, but he tells stories in class that help you understand stuff. His tests are also different (shorter but more comprehensive) than the other two BLaw professors'. Participation is really just being there for group discussions and volunteering like twice to summarize a case in class. Not bad. You have to take this class no matter what, so you might as well get something out of it. Take it with him.
William McClenahan BMGT381 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2014	Great professor - a little cranky but a genuinely nice person! He seems to love teaching this class and does a great job making the content interesting and relevant. He really wants his students to learn. Very strict on participation, and yes his exams are very difficult, but he knows that and curves accordingly. If you read the material and prepare cases, there's no reason you shouldn't get a good grade and learn a ton.
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/31/2014	I am currently in BMGT380 with Professor McClenahan. If you are looking into this class, it's probably because it is required for your major. What you don't know yet is that this class is one of the most helpful classes you will take during your time at the business school. This is how the class was structured during Spring 2014, so there may be some deviation in the future but I can only speak to what I know. There are two midterms and one final exam. These make up the majority of your grade. There is also a participation portion and this makes up 10 percent of your final grade. The way he has the class structured is he assigns you a reading for each class. Some chapters he may discuss in one class, some he may discuss over a few classes. He has a good feel for what the students struggle with, having done this for some time, and spends more time on the really difficult subjects. The expectation is for you to come to lecture having read the material. Then the Professor lectures on the material and once he gets to a case, he asks someone to explain the facts. He may ask you a few questions on the case and then he moves on if nobody has any questions. Overall this is a great way to learn the material. You may have heard stories about Professor McClenahan. I assure you he is one of the best Professors I have ever had. As others have pointed out, he does comes off as intimidating early in the semester, but as you move forward in the semester you get less intimidated and start to see just how good of a Professor he is. He actually wants you to learn and do well. If you ask him a question he is able to answer it even if the answer is a little murky as some areas of the law may be. Even though he has been teaching this class for a while now, he still does research for class, which I feel is rare for a Professor these days. I specifically remember a few instances where I would make a comment or ask a question during class and think nothing of it. But the next class, Professor McClenahan would come up to me before lecture started and tell me he looked into what I said and inform me of what he found. I found this amazing as it showed not only did he listen to our questions and comments and answer them; he then took time out of his day to find out more information and get back to us. Overall, if you are taking BMGT380, take it with McClenahan. It is a difficult class. He expects you to do the reading. His exams are tough. But if you put the work in, are engaged, and brief a few cases, there is no reason for you not to do well and you will certainly learn a great deal.
William McClenahan BMGT381 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/29/2014	I really really like professor McClenahan! I was a little intimidated at first, especially since i didn't have him for 380, but once I went to his office hours you can immediately see how nice he is and he does genuinely care about his students. I worked pretty hard in 381 and I got an A. I think its important to show effort in his class and he does cold call if no one volunteers cases. Overall, I got a lot out of the class.
William McClenahan BMGT381 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/15/2014	McClenahan is definitely one of the better professors at Smith. Don't listen to any of the bad reviews for him (those students are most likely the ones who put little effort into his course and suffered as a result.) McClenahan reads right from the textbook for class and never uses slides or handouts. While this may seem boring, attend class. He drops hints on specific topics being covered on exams and topics to ignore (this helps you a ton for studying because there is a decent amount of material for each exam.) Furthermore, you are graded on class participation (by briefing cases or adding to class discussions.) Bottom line, if you put the effort into reading and attending class, you will put yourself in a great spot to earn a high grade.
William McClenahan BMGT381 Expecting an A- clue 01/30/2014	I took McClenahan for BMGT381 fall semester 2012. He was pretty scary at first, but he was a good teacher who knows a lot about law, and he turned out to be a pretty lenient grader. The exams were tough, but there were generous curves. He taught straight out of the book, without any PowerPoints, so make sure to do all the chapter readings. He also doesn't like to use technology a lot. Overall, I thought I learned a lot from the course. McClenahan is a pretty old-school, interesting professor, which I think was a good experience for me at the Smith School.
William McClenahan BMGT380H Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/21/2013	Professor McClenahan is one of the BEST professors at the Smith School, if not the University of Maryland as a whole. He really knows the material well and explains it to the students in an interesting, engaging way. You will be expected to do a relatively heavy amount of reading each week (including cases, which are the important part). I don't know about the other professors for B-Law, but in his class you will learn. 3 exams (including final, not cumulative) and an optional paper that could bring down the weight from each exam. If you give an honest effort on the paper, you will get an A, and God forbid learn something too. DO NOT GET INTIMIDATED ON DAY ONE! He WILL scare you. But he gets comfortable with the class over time and will crack funny jokes and make the class enjoyable. Take this class with McClenahan.
William McClenahan BMGT381 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/13/2013	Don't take this class unless you just finished 380 last semester with him as your teacher. I didn't and I felt like a stranger and somewhat at a disadvantage. Although he has been called "gruff but more approachable toward the end" or something, I would say his habit of cutting you off or ignoring you once you make a small wording mistake or other error is unnecessary. Especially when participation counts. The material all seems the same by the end of course, I don't know how anyone actually follows it. Also doesn't post grades online. Why not?
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting an A- Anonymous 02/23/2013	I really liked Dr. McClenahan. The course is a bit tough but as long as you do the readings and go to class, you should be fine. The study guides are a tremendous help, just writing them out really made studying a lot easier. He's a bit gruff at first but he gets nicer as the semester goes on. He loves it when you volunteer to summarize a case, so just read them once or twice the night before class and he'll quickly start liking you. If you're confused about something, just ask him to clarify it, because he's quite good at breaking concepts down. He also tried to connect some of what we were studying to more recent events; for instance, when we were going over the supremacy clause of the Constitution, he talked about the recent voter initiatives in Colorado and Washington which legalized recreational cannabis use.
William McClenahan BMGT381 Anonymous 12/20/2012	I heard a lot about McClenahan and how he's kind of a grumpy guy and the class is hard. This could not be further from the truth for 381. He even says he likes 381 better because it's an elective and the students want to be there. He's very responsive to questions and is willing to explain things more, which I heard he doesn't do in 380. I didn't have him for 380 but took him for 381 since he's the only professor who teaches it. The class is graded on 3 exams (2 midterms and a final) and participation. The class is set up so that you have to read ahead of time and read through the cases. The material alone isn't that exciting to me since I don't really like law but the cases are actually pretty interesting. You get participation points by volunteering to summarize the cases during class, which is pretty easy since the book lays it out for you. The exams aren't that bad either. Each exam has a short multiple choice section and 2 essays. You get a cheat sheet for each exam so if you actually go through and make a good cheat sheet, you should be prepared for the exams.
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/17/2012	I do not understand why people tell you not to take 380 with McClenahan. He is a great teacher. The people that are writing horror stories about him are the ones who did not show up to class. If you do not go to class and do poorly on exams, he will not make time to help you. Which is what any ordinary teacher will do. He may seem scary in class when discussing the material, but he is very nice in office hours. I went into his office and he knew my name and asked me how I was doing. He actually cared about me and cared if I liked the class. He knows the material really well and enjoys speaking about it. He has great examples and makes the class laugh almost every time. I went to class half of the time and spoke maybe 5 times the whole year and got an 85% for participation. As long as you say something meaningful, he will put a check next to your name. If you have a couple checks, you get a B like myself. My guess is if you have 5 you probably get an A. Be aware he will shoot you down quick and cut you off if you are saying something wrong. It is a little rude, but its good for the rest of the class because they wont be confused by your stupidity. The class has 3 exams all 24 multiple choice. The first one is curved heavily and people usually do not do as well. The second exam people do much better on. The final is alright and not Cumulative which is great. As long as you read the book and understand the terminology, you should be set for at least a B. I studied an average of 10 hours the night before each exam and got an A- on each. Im not a smart kid, i am an average student (3.4 GPA, Nothing special). This class is not that bad and McClenahan does a great job teaching it.
William McClenahan BMGT380H Expecting an A Anonymous 05/23/2012	There will be people that give you horror stories of Professor McClenahan which had me worried going into the class. However, his teaching style is extremely effective. Most classes are case review. You are expected to read before class but not everyone does. You do get a better participation grade if you volunteer to go over cases or he will cold call at times. Classes go back surprisingly quickly since the discussions are quite engaging. Most of the class is based on 3 exams. You can do an optional paper to lower the value of each exam. Do the paper since it's basically an automatic A if you submit it by the review deadline before the final deadline. The exams are 50% multiple choice, 50% 2 essays. The multiple choice are a bit tricky while the essays really depend on your ability to understand the law and how it applies. Most of the essay questions are similar to cases in class and he expects you to make arguments for certain sides. Also make a good cheat sheet but don't feel the need to make a full paper at 4 pt font. That is completely unnecessary since 95% of it, you won't even use since he expects you be understand how arguments are made based on law, not what the law says.
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/26/2012	took BMGT380 over winter term Professor McClenahan makes you work for your grade, something you should be prepared to do anyway by signing up for Business Law. It's really important to read and keep up with the cases, as they'll give you a better understanding of his discussions in class. If anything, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIS CHEAT SHEET POLICY. His exams are tough but manageable if you make a bomb cheat sheet. In addition, it's an amazing way of reviewing the material and getting reacquainted with concepts. Professor McClenahan is not a bad guy at all. If you're not willing to work, then most likely you're not going to enjoy the class in general. Otherwise, I think he is a great professor and is extremely knowledgable about law & the textbook. Don't feel intimidated... just do the work. You'll be fine.
William McClenahan BMGT380 Anonymous 01/03/2012	Professor McClenahan can be gruff and stand-offish at times - especially towards the beginning of the semester - but he's actually a pretty cool dude once you get to know him. While he does not practice law in Maryland (he's licensed for Virginia), he knows the course material and teaches it well. He does randomly call on people to help go over certain cases and can get tough on those who obviously show that they never bothered to look over the chapters before classes. He's quite lenient when it comes to curving tests, even going so far as to cover exam material the class before the test and allows a cheat sheet. Read the books and attend his classes and you're pretty much guaranteed to earn at least a B if you pay attention. DO WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AS A STUDENT AND YOU CAN'T FAIL. If you're a slacker and the kind of person who thinks they can skate by just by reading the text and not attending classes, I highly suggest you do not take his classes. TL;DR: Tough professor, but very skilled in what he knows. Read the book and attend the lectures; you'll learn a lot from his class.
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/29/2011	As said by others, you get a cheat sheet for exams so you need to understand the concepts and apply them. There are two routes you could go in this class. 1. Don't attend any classes, read the chapters the days before the tests, dont read any of the cases, make a baller cheat sheet, ace the 3 tests and get an A. 2. Go to most of the classes, get taught the concepts and note what the professor focuses on because that is what will be on the test, participate and read the cases and all that bs and get an A. I went with option 1 and got an A. He says attendance is a part of your grade but if you do well enough on tests, youll get half the attendance points and that is enough. The concepts are easy enough to understand if youre smart enough you can get the A.
William McClenahan BMGT380 rikimeester 11/28/2011	The worst professor ever! I took him at first seeing his gpa rating but the horror stories that I heard from my friends who all took him before made me switch teachers. He is extremely mean, would call on you and then argue if your opinion doesn't match his. His tests have essays which I hear are extremely difficult but thank god I made a wise choice and dropped this class before it was too late. Professor G. Mark is hell alot better and I'm glad I took this course with him!
William McClenahan BMGT381 Anonymous 06/17/2011	McClenahan is a gruff bearded man with a slight limp that looks like he's had a tough life, then you realize he's a successful lawyer that's not that old and actually a pretty nice guy. At first he seems coarse and arrogant but once he gets comfortable with a new class he will loosen up a lot and be enjoyable. As far as the course goes, it's pretty important that you read the chapter before class if you want to have any chance of following what he is saying. That being said, just reading the book carefully should cover you for most of the multiple choice questions, but the essays are graded very strictly. I took 380 with him and got an easy A just by reading the book and sitting in class, 381 I barely got a B trying the same lax strategy. 90% of the class is tests, with the second one being the hardest. He curves very significantly and you should have a good idea where you stand in the class after every test. Overall, a tough professor not for the faint of heart, but a good class and you'll learn a lot.
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/24/2011	Professor McClenahan makes 380 harder than it needs to be so if you aren't interested in persuing law school than I suggest not taking him. With that being said, I learned a significant amount in his course and he truly is very intelligent. He wants his students to succeed. I did very badly on the first exam so I went to his office hours and pulled my grade up from a D to a B. If you show up to class, read the book carefully and review the cases you will do well in his class.
William McClenahan BMGT380 Anonymous 01/04/2011	WORST PROFESSOR EVER!! SO boring! SO ignorant! He hates law! He doesn't know answers to half the stuff he's teaching! His tests are extremely challenging. He only gives a "sample exam" for his first test so you can get a taste of what he tests like. But extremly hard! Don't take him!
William McClenahan BMGT380H Anonymous 07/16/2010	The first few classes I felt very intimidated, but I really enjoyed this class. He starts to be funny at the end of the semester. Most of class he spends going over cases, so its kind of interesting. If you read the chapter and cases before class you will learn a lot, so try to read. Class was hard to follow when I hadn't read. Try to particpiate as much as possble, so at least read the cases and understand some of them really well before class. People generally volunteered in my class, so he only randomly called on people twice. The class is 3 exams worth 30% each and participation worth 10%. Exams are 15ish multiple choice and 2 essays. Exams are graded strictly, but he does curve, and you get a cheat sheet. Having a cheat sheet means you have to apply the concepts instead of just remember them.
William McClenahan BMGT380H pookie 06/12/2009	Hard class. Lots of reading and you have to read ahead of time. Do at least 3-5 case debriefs if you want to get full participation. Exams are extremely difficult with 10-15 MC and 2 essays. Grades essays EXTREMELY strictly. I knew a lot of 4.0 honors students who got 0's on one of more of the essays. He'll even give out 2/3 out of 7 points...usually the average for the exams will be around 20/30. Basically you need a 76/100 to get an A including 10 pts particupation averaging to a 22/30 per exam. Final is brutal. However, he does know what he's talking about and you do learn a lot due to the forced reading. If you're a bad writer avoid this at all costs because you will suffer. The grade distribution on our umd 70+% A's is definitely outdated...my honors class definintely had less than 50% A's with a few C's...you have been warned
William McClenahan BMGT380 Expecting a B- Anonymous 11/12/2008	I hated going to this class. You have to read the chapter before going to class. 10% of your grade is class participation. 90% is exams, which are very difficult, but he does curve them. He can be very intimidating and likes to randomly call on people to outline questions or cases in class. He is tough on his students and demands a lot out of them. Not the most fun class... that is for sure!
William McClenahan BMGT380H Expecting an A Anonymous 12/21/2007	He's tough, but good. Take the reading seriously. On exams, you actually have to think, not just regurgitate information.