BUSI W3013

6 problem sets, very easy grading. In-class midterm and take-home final, both very straightforward. If you can do the practice problems, you have no reason not to ace both exams (and the course).

10 problem sets, a bit long but very helpful and graded based on effort (0/1/2). A quiz before almost every class (very easy, just looking up stuff in financial statements, no calculations needed). Midterm and final are "glorified problem sets" and basically present the same sort of questions, which is very fair.

More workload than usual especially since you have to self teach most of the material.

Manageable Workload: 4 online quizzes, 2 assignments, midterm, final . I wouldn't say the material is easy but having a good teacher helps with that

I'm not sure if Manuel is an incredibly gifted instructor, or if Financial Accounting is the sort of class that could really be taught in a single month and happens to be stretched into an entire semester-long course. (Probably a bit of both.) He presents the material very clearly, sometimes to the point of making things almost painfully slow. That said, while Financial Accounting is the sort of class that can be incredibly dry, he does a good job of making it engaging, despite the slow pace. At times, he would print out news articles or mention current companies in the news, just to make the material a bit less dry and abstract. Since a number of people are taking this class as a requirement, you get enough people to round out the bottom of the grading curve. If you're reasonably prepared for this class (remember your basic math - middle school level multiplication and percents), you should find this class to be very light. Do yourself a favor and go to class, and you won't have to do much studying for the exams. Also, ask him about his days as a spy in the Israeli army. He's up-front about this (mentioned it on the first day of class). He has some good stories to tell. In short, Financial Accounting will never be the most exciting class you take, but if you really want to learn the material (or need to take it for a requirement), I can't imagine a better choice of professor.

First day of class: "You are taking this class to learn, not to get an A. 30% of you will get a C or lower." I freak out. I consider dropping. I stick it out. He is a fantastic lecturer. Extremely clear. PP are very helpful. He tells you that you need to have done the reading and prepare for class because he's gonna cold call you, but realistically, it's a class of 50 students so you'll be fine. Weekly psets: They will take 3-4 hours, you can do them w a buddy, and they are graded for completion. Midterm: Very similar to practice test he gives (and reviews in class). If you know your stuff an A is attainable Final: Harder. But if you study, it is manageable (and he gives you an option to give more weight to the test that you did better on). All in all: If you want to learn Financial Accounting, there is no better teacher.

Andrew Schmidt is one of the best Professors I've had (if not the best), and Financial Accounting is by far the best organized class I've taken. If you're at all interested in economics, finance, business, or investments (or anything along those lines), do yourself a favor and take this class. Below are some highlights: First, you don't need to buy an expensive textbook. All of the material is organized in extremely helpful handouts and posted to Courseworks long before it's reviewed in class so you can set your own pace if you want. Problem sets are the end of each handout, and there are 10 of them. The course packet, also posted at the beginning of the semester, contains sample midterm and final exams, so you can tell very early what the load is going to be like, identify weak areas, and generally plan ahead. This is amazingly valuable. Second, Andrew is highly devoted to helping you succeed. If you email him, expect a fast reply. If you ask a question (either in or after class), expect a definite answer. Before the midterm, he actually did a "no time limit" review session (that is, he stayed until there no more questions) but he also taped it and posted a link to the video, and the slides, on the CBS website for anyone to access it again in case it's needed (or those who couldn't attend). Third, this class deals with stuff from the real world. You look at financial statemen…

Course material from the textbook, professor does a terrible job at explaining. Grading takes a long time and is often unclear. Complicated group project with little guidance. Midterm was fine and final hard.

Julian Yeo is one of the best teacher's I've had at Columbia. He makes learning accounting actually very enjoyable. He is very clear when teaching and his handouts are helpful in understanding the material of the course. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in business who wants to learn accounting principles. I have nothing bad to say about Julian which is surprising considering there's usually always something wrong with either the class or the professor.