3.1
Quality4.2
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake92
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
92
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
28
4
16
3
14
2
21
1
13
What Students Say
“Hard tests class is only based in tests”
FIN300 - 2.0 rating“she is terrible, will not help in class”
FIN300 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.38 avg changeRatings by Course
FIN431
5.0
(1)FIN320
4.0
(4)FIN300
3.3
(80)2
3.0
(1)FIN412
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
2
5.0
300
5.0
FINANCE300
5.0
FIN430
5.0
FINFIN
5.0
Reviews (92)
No Comments
Extremely good instructor. Wow! Can you have such a good instructor ever? She is extremely helpful and you would actually learn stuff in her class. Just be prepared to work your ass of.
No Comments
Very funny professor. Knows how to make class interesting and gives students something to look forward to when they attend. She's also very effective in her teaching methods so that students actually walk away with an integrative knowledge of the subject.
While I really have no gripes some students and good ones at that feel she can be quite unfair.
Difficult class, but easy to get an A if you do the work
Helpful
Material is covered quickly, and the solutions to homework sets often have errors.
sooo damn hard... hardest class i've ever taken yet during my 4 years at uic...
No Comments
she's analytical in her way of explaning. She goes very fast, and expects you to keep you. As if she were the only class you had. Very nice though!
Bad Professor. I heard that Taparia is way cooler... 1/2 as many exams and I also heard its nearly impossible to get below a C in his class. Brown can't hear even with an aid. She doesn't curve (last test avg was 51). NOT COOL. She makes you buy a 150$ book and then tells you its useless and to mostly go on lect. notes. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR.
she really makes you work in her finance class... really, exams were hard too...
She is very hard and not easy to follow
Very Challenge, most study study study!! You never open the book, all based on lectures. One project and 5 tests. No Curve. Cheat Sheet allowed. Very fast paced class.
Extremely hard class. I studied really hard. Only take this class if you are willing to put in about 5-10 hours of studying. Professor Brown is nice, but extremely demanding. Her practice set answers were sometimes incorrect, which caused many students problems.
exams are really hard and different from what was taught in class...but she's a nice lady
She tries to cover more than 5 topics of finance in one semester and it doesn't work. DONT BUY THE BOOK. Her class is soley based on her lectures, so if you don't fully understand something you have no other reference other than going to her office hours. You write a 20 pg "group" paper that she gives you no guidelines for.
95% of the kids say shes tough...but whatever. dont get the book. be prepared to do work..it is a 300 level class.... but i learned a lot from taking her class. always willing to answer questions from kids. never miss class and take good notes
She doesn't prepare you at all for the tests, the practice sets she gives you before the tests are no help, she will tell you to study specific things and then they won't be on the tests, the questions she has on the tests, you have never had exposure to before and she asks questions on the smallest things in the book and she doesn't curve or care.
Professor Brown is a fantastic professor, who will inspire you to really learn the material. It is not an easy class by any means, but it is a 300-level class. If you do all the "optional" homework (and understand it) then you are set for a good grade. She is also very good at continuing contact after you finish her class.
this teacher is really hard. She does not like to help students in her spare time. She expects you to learn things quick and by one example. Expects you to read the book. I recommend you stay away from this class. torture. 10-15 page project
Horrible teacher. FInance 300 is an introductory course for financial managment, and despite this she expects the students to come up with a financial managment plan for some made up entity. She gives no guides line for the project just a vage descripiton of the entity. She does not offer any solutions to her practice problems, so your on you own.
The Practice problems she give are no help at all for the tests. There are no solutions for them available, so you have to try to figure them out on your own without having any proior experiance with them. Stay away from this class. It is the worst class i have ever taken in my college career.
STAY AWAY IS ALL I WILL SAY .....does give extra crdit but by the time u finish this class she expects you to the a cfa...she is WAYYY TOO HARD.
I think this class was average difficalty. Don't bother to buy the book. She only assigned a few pages to read from the book and you could have gone without reading them. Very easy tests if you do the practice sets. Cheatsheet is allowed, you can put all the lecture materials and formulas on it.
This class AWESOME!!!!!!!!! To me.Finance didnt come easy.But Prof.Brown made it extremly easy.As long as you go to class and take good notes you will b fine.I had rough time in the beginnin of semester which made me fail the first 2 quizes.lucky she drops 1 of the first 4 quizes.she is always there to help.Ppl say shyty things bout her DONT AGREE
this prof is absolutely out to fail students who are slackers. on exams, she goes out of her way to throw curveball when least expected. i failed her class twice.despite being deaf, she has excellent vision, she spots extra cheat sheets like there is no tomm. any other professor is recommended over her. Exams are created to cause confusion.
Brown is awesome.she actually makes you work and learn the material..wow what a concept huh?!?i mean we are all in college, so the people that generally have negative comments about her, are fairly lazy and not too bright. i am a finance major and by taking her intro to finance, i have had a much easier time w-the material in my other fin courses
A lot of these reviews don't do her justice. She keeps the class interesting and applicable to real life. Yes, finance isn't easy but if you do the practice sets and attend lectures, it's not hard to pass her class with a good grade.
SHE IS VERY GOOD, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO EARN YOUR GRADE.
She is a good teacher, but I think her teaching style is a bit old. You have to earn your grade in her class. The first test will scare you, but the next tests arent bad at all. I think there are 4 tests total and one group project that is easy. Good luck
Mary Brown wants you to fail. She seems to thrive on it. She told us the last quiz would be on practice sets 8 and 9, then made 40% of it on set 3. Questions on her exams build off the last, so if you don't get the answer to the first one, you are screwed. She is a nice person until it comes time for quizzes.It's an INTRO class mary! AVOID.
Come on, she doesn't want you to fail. She wants you to learn, and she wants you to EARN your grade. Yeah, it is a tough class. You should have payed attention, taken notes, and done the homework. You would have done fine if you weren't a bum.
The class isn't difficult if you have a clue what you're doing. I did extremely well in the class but even then I would consider Brown a horrible teacher. I felt cheated because classmates with other teachers covered more material. It seems that brown spet too much time on useless BS. Extremely unorganized...we crammed 3 exams into the last 5 weeks
You MUST work hard and pay attention in class. You EARN what you get. Her instructions are not clear so it's helpful if you've had her for 300 or else you've got a lot of catching up to do in 320. Class project definately helps. I thought I was failing but got a B in the course...phew!
This class is cool, she is not as hard as I had thought, as long as you study the practice sets and got to class you will get an A or B, so the practice sets ahead of the exams and study them because the exams are practically the same. This is a class you have to study for and make a priority, she makes class fun! Recomended!
She is a very hard professor. Practice sets were very different from the tests. The tests were very difficult. Most of the time the answers for the practice sets were wrong. She only gives one example in class of how to do the work and then the rest is on you. I would avoid taking her class.
She is very knowledgable and if you want to learn somthing, you should definetely consider taking her. Even though the course is difficult, if you're commited and you put the time into it, you'll be fine. She doesn't curve, but there are numerous extra credit opportunities. Overall, very good teacher. I'm taking her again next semester.
One of the better professors UIC has. The course is very demanding, useful and interesting. Because lot of the materials are relevant to the real life. 4 exams (can drop one), 1 group project and couple extra credit opportunities. You will learn lot from this course, but you will have to put lot of hours to the practice sheet.
The first few weeks and first exam is just to scare you. The tests get easier. I failed the first test but got an A in the class. She does use 1 or 2 small questions for tests, other than that the book is worthless.
This prof. has no organizational skill, her practice sets answer are always wrong and expects you to find the errors? b.s. personally did not find the book helpful: bunch of retired people wrote whatever they felt was important...
By far the worst teacher at UIC. Most of class is spent with her talking about her life, or the stock market. Never prepares you for the tests, and it seems like she's happy to have a big chunk of the class fail. Plus the group project sucks! I got stuck with a bunch of idiots
Great Professor, LOVED her class, will miss her a lot! She really just wants to teach you what is valuable. Must attend all lectures and must pay attention in class at all times! First exam is hard, but it gets easier. Anticipated grade = A. P.S. bought the text book, didn't touch it.
I started badly - missed many classes due to sickness. I pulled it together and surprisingly got an A. What I learned: ALWAYS GO TO CLASS! She doesn't teach from the book at all - everything you need to do well is in lecture. Do the problem sets - they're vital for the exams. She's extremely intelligent, funny, and is dedicated to teaching finance.
Best & Hardest Teacher at UIC! Genius at Finance. You will overlearn! A Must for Finance Majors. Book is useless, don't bother buying it. Her lectures are gold. Teaches what the wealthiest people in the world do! It's Hard but Awesome!
Necessity for this class include: +Extra credits will boost your grade +attend classes & take notes are critical +ask questions when unclear +visit professor or TAs for difficulty on practice problems.
I suggest if you are a Finance Major you take Brown, especially for 300. I took Bills and learned nothing. Then took more FIN classes and had to go back and re-learn everything. She gives plenty of extra credit for this class. I got an C on the midterm, A's on the bank project, and with extra credit got an A.
BEST AND HARDEST professor for any Finance Major.. I've talked to people who took fin300 with other professors and they didnt know what I knew.. you will learn a lot in this class but you will work hard as f*** Do the extra credits and attend her class every single day!!!!
Difficult professor but makes sure her students learn what they need to know for future finance classes. If you're a Finance/Accounting Major it'd be more beneficial to take her over other professors but if you're not willing to do the work then take a different professor. Take advantage of the extra credit that comes with the final project.
Most hardest professor I've had in the history of my edu. Her test are brutal! She loves to throw curve-balls in her exams. You will fall in love with Finance after the course is over. She will show you how to be a wealthy man. She's AWESOME!!!!
I have now taken Professor Brown for Finance 300 and Finance 431. As nice as she may be, she is a horrible teacher and you walk away from her class learning nothing. Many students get great personality and great teaching confused, Professor Brown is in no way whatsoever a decent teacher.
Professor Brown is an extremely challenging professor. She does not "spoon" feed her students! You will have a great foundation for future finance classes after taking her. KEY TO SUCCEED: Go to EVERY class, write down EVERTHING talked about, attend the T.A's hours and complete all practice sets!!
You must go to class everyday and take good notes! It is essential that you do the practice sets more than once. The book isn't necessary. She drops the lowest test score but the financial analysis group project sucks. And yeah, you'll actually learn.
Very hard and challenging professor. To succeed in the course you must take very good notes and redo practice exercises many times. She is yelling at students on exams that you may feel heart pain like after real heart attack...
This teacher is awful avoid at all costs. She is funny but a horrible teacher. Misses tons of class, impossible tests, and doesn't help the students. She just seems to care about getting her paycheck. She teaches us some real world concepts and pretend to care, but when it comes to the tests you are left out to dry. Just avoid her!
She is a very nice lady, however an awful teacher. Her TA doesn't even know how to do the stuff and she never has office hours. She is unwilling to help students outside office hours, and rushes through the materials in class. Basically if it wasn't for Google I would be screwed in this class. We have 3 tests in the last 3 weeks of school..Avoid
I'm studying for her test right now thinking "I wish she would teach us this stuff in class..." Basically we get one example and then she twists the example to make it way harder and more complex for the test. I would say stay away from Brown's class if you can and if you actually want a good grade. She has missed 5+ days & we meet only 2x a week..
She is actually OK. Do not miss classes and do your homework. It will be easier if you can work with someone on all your homework problems. If you do not understand the material go to your TA. You do not need the book for that class.
BAD professor...have to make life hard for student, she needs to retire..her test are no where near, what she teaches in class...WARNING - STAY AWAY
Just go class and take notes. Do your practice sets with TA's and you'll get an A for sure. She gives a lot of extra credit and his tests are only from practice sets. Make sure you take very good notes.
Never finishes the problem she starts and is always absent. Plus, her answer key is always incorrect. Which in turns makes you spend hours trying to find out what she did. Did not learn anything from her. Professor Brown is a joke and needs to retire.
This class made my life crazy. She had missed 5 + days and the class meets 2X a week. Exams were at week 8/16, 14/16 and 16/16. WAY TO CLOSE TOGETHER! No curve and the homework is recursive. Only grades were the exams. AVOID HER! Her class is more for her stories than your education!
Very difficult teacher but I came out feeling like i had learned a lot, and actually considering FIN minor. She is deaf and her TA's are of no help either. But tests are fairly simple if you use the Cheat Sheets to your full advantage. Recommend this teacher for anyone wanting to really learn something.
If u r a finance person and like a challenge, go for it. If ur not RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION. She doesn't teach from the book, her notes are suck, she doesn't give u half the formulas u need have the time, & the TA is rude, so u r basically on ur own. Exams are IMPOSSIBLE. If ur already enrolled try and get previous years prac sets :( good luck
Great class u learn alot. Her notes are really helpful & the TA is not rude she was so helpful & knows what she is doing. Do the practice sets w/ the TA or understand them & u will do well on the exam. Ms. Brown wants u to learn from mistakes she made. U need to attend class. She is so funny & 20 at heart! Take this class if u want to learn Finance
I can't understand why people say that this class is so hard. She gives so much extra credit that it almost becomes impossible to fail. Her exams can have some difficult wording, but if you study it should be no problem. Go to class, do the practice sets a couple of times and do the e.c. It was a pretty easy A.
I attended all classes, took very good notes, spent 4-5 20 hour days to prepare for the test. If you ask questions, she replies, "I already said how to do that". Tests are impossible to finish. No use of the book and she does things her own way (useless). Do not take unless you are a finance major & don't want to have a life outside of class.
Awesome professor. She taught you what you need to know in real world and not from textbook. Her grading is very fair and if you attend the class and do the practice sets, it's easy to get an A. I recommend all my friends to take her class just because what you learn from the class is going to benefit you even after you left the school.
I regret taking this class. Tests are impossible. Practice sets take forever to do, and if you want to do well u have to do them over at least twice. She also only provides the answers to the problems. She explains things once and expects you to know them for the remainder of the course. She doesn't like to repeat herself.Office hrs are nonexistent
Her class is definitely hard. But she is smart and knows what she is talking about. If you are a Finance major and want to really learn Finance, take her class. But understand that you cant cut any corners. If you arent a finance major, and dont really care about the subject. I advise you to take someone else if you can.
Great teacher! Loved her as a teacher and as a person, has intereating stories to tell. You can do JUST FINE if you do as she says - think critically and analytically. As in, make sure you understand all the concepts! Everything in the class is useful to know, and you can tell she selected specific lessons to teach for that to happen.
she is a very tough professor but if you want to really learn something take her class. I regretted it at first, but she truly is an amazing professor and teaches her students what the need to know. her practice sets are great practice, and yes her exams are tough but you get a cheat sheet-even for the final. GO TO CLASS! i passed and so can you :)
Awesome professor, used my book only for the 1st test, very funny, taught me a lot of valuable things! Definitely going to take more of her classes before she retires.
Brown's class was really valuable. Although it was tough for me in the beginning I think she is one of the best teachers that you will actually learn something from. If you really study and do the practice sets and asks for help when needed you will do fine in the class.
She has the final a week before the official finals week. If you have any questions concerning your grade, too bad. She literally packs up and leaves the country over a week and a half before the semester is officially over, probably to stretch her winter vacation even longer. Now we have to wait 5 weeks to talk. Do not recommend.
If you have never taken a finance or accounting class, you will have a really hard time in this class. Brown went through the material really quickly and didn't have time to answer any questions. She did not want anyone to have a job and take her class.VERY HARD CLASS. NOT RECOMMENDED.
BE CAREFUL!!! She knows her stuff and you will learn but...my friend BE CAREFUL!!! TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT ON THIS ONE! *YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Currently taking the class right now. No idea what is going on. I was going to major in finance but she just ruined it for me. Problem sets are nothing like the few examples she gives you in class. Thinking of dropping the course but will see after first test which I will probably fail. If you want to understand finance, don't take her. Not good.
Currently taking her class now. Very difficult and I do not know what is going on in the class. Practice sets are nothing like what she explains in class. DO NOT TAKE HER.
Very very hard. Not enough help. Nothing online to help and doesn't give enough information on how to solve problems. Gives answers to practice problems, but doesn't show how to get there. Class is almost impossible. Do yourself a favor and take another professor.
Practice sets are hard but manageable if you see the TA or her office hours, havent took the first exam but seems like it will be tough, if you care about your gpa dont take her, but if u wanna actually learn something shes great.
If you want to learn something, take her. She is the only professor I love at UIC. Hard work always paid off
Not the brightest teacher I know. She doesn't slow down at all, doesn't always cover all the material we have to know, and her test are impossible. Lucky for me, I managed a C. On a lighter note, she is very interesting and fun to watch. Great entertainer, bad teacher.
I will admit Brown's class is tough but she is one of only teachers you can leaver her class and actually feel like you learn something. She challenges your mind. But she is very helpful if you go to her office. Towards the end of the semester her class got easier and she offers extra credit. One of my favorite professors at UIC.
Brown is no joke. But if you are a finance major, want to learn, and enjoy being challenged academically; she is highly recommended.
For an intro class this is pretty ridiculous. Problem sets had to many errors, test took to long, she talked about her personal life more than the course content. We would spend an entire lecture on one problem. Don't get her awesome personality mixed up with her bad teaching skills.
this class is tough. with the curve a B was 70%. 3 exams are the only grades. small extra credit for participating in finance club activities. half the class failed the exams so the curve was implemented. shes not too helpful so make sure to do the problem sets over and over
Horrible professor. Hard tests class is only based in tests.
she blows, mary if you're reading this, YOU SUCK! she is terrible, will not help in class.
She is by far the best professor I have ever had at UIC. Who ever says she's not probably didn't like the fact that you actually had to WORK HARD YOUR GRADE. If you are one of those people who are lazy and likes to have their hand held on every math problem, then she is not the professor for you. If you are a finance major, take her- its worth it!
If you decide on taking this class, don't. Here's how the class works: you have three exams where lowest one gets dropped at 30% each and final that's 40% (similar to other exams). 3-5 problems on the exam with simple definitions in the beginning. The issue is problem sets. She does not teach enough to solve those problems--and that's your exam.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.38 avg changeRatings by Course
FIN431
5.0
(1)FIN320
4.0
(4)FIN300
3.3
(80)2
3.0
(1)FIN412
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
2
5.0
300
5.0
FINANCE300
5.0
FIN430
5.0
FINFIN
5.0