2.8
Quality3.6
Difficulty52%
Would Retake115
Reviews52%
Would Retake
115
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
23
4
20
3
20
2
23
1
29
What Students Say
“He explains things pretty well”
BQOM0050 - 5.0 rating“TA office hours are SUPER helpful - I cannot stress this enough”
BUSQOM0050 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
37%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.05 avg changeRatings by Course
QMETH
5.0
(1)BUS
5.0
(1)HONORQUANT
5.0
(1)QUANTUHC
5.0
(1)QM0050
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
QMETH
5.0
BUSSSECT
5.0
QMSECT
5.0
QM02
5.0
QUANT150
5.0
Reviews (115)
Incredibly difficult class, but he is an awesome teacher. Projects apply to real life!
really good professor and the examples make everything really clear. he looks a little like david copperfield
Really good teacher, tough class. One of the first classes I actually felt like I learned something in instead of just memorizing useless crap and spitting it back out.
This guy rules! Very clear and has fun with students. Gets very involved with students.
The material is easy if you attend all the classes and do example problems. However, the final was impossible and the class average was a D and the test wasn't curved, so I definitely did worse in the class than I had expected.
Hard but fun class but is probably the coolest professor ever. Invited the class to his house!
very nice guy and very cool but his teaching style is not helpfull at all. He uses to big of an example in class, where he has to skip almost half of the process to solve the problem. Quan is not a hard class but he makes it confusing because he tests you on stuff he didn't teach.His grader sucks
I have no idea what this class was about because I don't recall learning anything. Go to the recitations because your TA's will help you figure it out. Nice guy, though. Helpful during office hours, sidetracks too much in class. Very boring, it takes the whole class to do one example problem...
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Better not!!
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Awesome professor, very enthusiastic about everything. His tests aren't hard at all as long as you learn the material. Everything is very straightforward.
better not to comment
better not to comment!
Goes to Europe every time there is a test.
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i don't know what is wrong with anyone who said this class is hard. if you have pulse and are breathing there is no excuse to get anything less than a b. wendell is quite possibly the funniest teacher to watch. he's good at what he does. the only problems stem from the fact that he has no common sense and uses IE as graders. they breakdown.
I agree with the comment below me. This is one of the easiest classes ever. If you have any mathematical knowledge whatsoever you will breeze through with an A. The class average on our first two exams was above a 90%. The prof is very good and keeps the class interesting. He has many good exmaples and his class slides are very helpful.
nice guy, a little goofy, enthusiastic about what he teaches, wants students to do well, willing to help if you need it. homework is easy if you double check it with TA's, exams are average depending on how hard you study and understand the material. he is a bit unclear sometimes and seems to be repetitive, but overall good professor.
I felt like a fish laying on the ground flopping everywhere during this class!! Worst class to sit through, but the TA's are great at explaining it. I was one of 5 kids in my Rec. and I learned more with them then ever with this teacher!! Got an A in the class, but I did all book problems he offers before tests. They are helpful, class is boring!!
Easy class if you can use excel and do algebra.
Not really sure what is wring with this guy. He has no sense for humor but thinks that is cool!? He is goofy??!!! My grade was good, but would never attend his class again.
This is really a strange guy: not really capable to teach and definitely should be retired (probably long time ago)... Have you seen how he walks and behaves???
I was expecting more.
Prof made you want to come to class. Great examples in class. Do the practice problems before the tests, and put some time into it and you'll be fine. Honors cases are tough but rewarding. Prof was very helpful outside of class as well.
Extremely boring. Class is conducted like a kindergarten class. He explains things well, but explains it excessively. Easy class but i hated going to it.
one of my favorite professors at pitt. attendance isn't mandatory but he made me want to go to class. hw projects were simple and my TA was helpful. midterm and final were both very easy. wendell has a great sense of humor and is the man! i definitely recommend him
Weird class. Skipped nearly all classes before midterm, got an A on midterm. Went to nearly all classes on second half of semester, bombed on the test on the second half because of stupid mistakes. Got a B overall. Wish he would slow down in his explanations.
I thought he was pretty good. And the class was easy as hell.
He gave the idea that the tests would be fairly easy, considering the examples we did in class, when in reality the questions were a lot harder and a bit more complex. Didn't open the book once, no reason to buy it. Class was very boring, but was still important to go to.
very friendly and pretty good prof. fairly easy
Attended class for the first three weeks and did the first homework assignment but I hated it and withdrew. His lectures seemed very unorganized, and he was always hopped-up on coffee. I had an awesome TA though that really helped.
This is a completely useless, yet required, class. Wendell was always all over the place and never fully explained problems. Midterm and final exam were both completely insane and our class average was below a C. Excel HW projects were annoying. Hope that you get a good TA to help you through this class. Barely opened textbook besides Excel HWs.
Absolutely pointless class. You learn nothing. To study for exams, simply go over the practice tests and get a good TA. Going to class is a waste of time. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. Also, make sure you go over your tests diligently when you get them back; he hires a grader and they are horrific, you will see. Let me repeat: pointless class.
Pointless class, but its cool to learn new things in excel. Review previous exams and book problems, he recycles the questions on tests. Overall, nice guy and very knowledgeable about life.
Lectures are pointless and tangential. Your TA is your best resource. Pay attention to practice tests and go to recitation. Nice enough guy, but doesn't make up for his weird teaching methods.
Lectures are pointless and slow. He goes over one example of a specific type of problem over three lectures. TA's in recitiation are the best source for this class. Be sure to do the previous exams posted on courseweb prior to exams. Examples in recitations and previous exams are the best sources to study. Do this and you will get an A in the class
Class is pointless..make sure you find the best TA some of them do all your homework for you. The tests kinda suck because he goes over like 20 different types of problems a chapter and he picks 3 or 4 for the test so you have to know how to do all 20 even though you only get tested on like 4. Do all the old tests and go to recitations.
You learn the material in recitation, not in lecture, where he just rambles and no one can really follow him. The guy has a secretary, like five TAs, and hires graders. Does he care about the class? No, he pretty much just assembles the tests, which could be anywhere between pretty easy and ridiculously hard. Fall '11, we got screwed. Avoid him...
Class itself is fairly difficult seeing as the material you go over in class is not what you see on the exams. You learn everything you need to learn in recitation so hope that you get a good TA. Not sure if he is teaching again next year but I had Greg something or other who was arguably the best TA I have had at Pitt so far. Best of luck to you!
He is funny and its really enjoyable to listen to his lecture. the exam is not hard if you attend every single recitation, almost all the exam questions are similar to the recitation examples, the final exam is harder with MC having more than one choices
Wendell is impossible to understand in lecture, but thankfully the material is fairly easy to comprehend. His tests vary in difficulty as well, so it's difficult to study.
HW gets harder but not impossible, first two tests are easy but final is 10* as difficult. He says attendance will help your grade if your borderline, but I had 87.7% and he didnt round up, so that's not true. Lecture is pointless, he doesn't teach it the ta's do
His lectures will make no sense to you and you will feel lost. If you go to recitation everything will be cleared up and exams are not too difficult. Do examples on your own rather than let him confuse you.
I will never take another class from this professor. The class was based on using computers to do project management and he banned computer use in the classroom. He provided no instruction on using Microsoft Project and expected the students to figure it out for themselves. He dodged meeting with me on several occasions and was rude in his emails.
He does not give enough time for the exams, so you can not finish all the questions completely even if you are so good at the subject.your grade will reflect how fast you are in the exam. If you ask for an increase for your exam grade,he can decrease your grade. Do not take any class from him!! He is not willing to help student about it.
The guy knows the material, but isn't great at explaining it. In-class examples barely demo required Risk Solver software, so pay close attention when he flies through the Excel examples. See if you can split the cost of the textbook with a friend - it's only required for homework problems, and you're better off doing them in a group anyway.
It is important to pay attention when going over risk solver material because that is all your homework is. Tests are essentially what you do in class and in recitation. Recitation is a must because your TA will go over exactly what is going to be on the test. Wendell is a very good professor and his lectures are interesting.
This class was very hard. You had to figure out how to use Risk Solver on your own because he didn't explain it well in class. You need the textbook because all of the homework problems are in it. Don't take Wendell if you can help it.
I would NOT recommend Wendell. His lectures are very pointless but you need to go to them because he gives pop quizzes. His tests are pretty difficult, so make sure you do the practice tests, ask your TA plenty of questions, and go to recitation!!! I learned everything in recitation and my TA was always available to give me answers.
He's as useless as the class itself is. Recitations are where you learn for the tests, class is a waste of time but he does have unannounced quizzes. He's boring, monotone, and no-engaging. He is clearly passionate about the subject but is not a good instructor. I would suggest someone else but he is usually the only one offered.
awesome professor who love the topic. He is a genius and if you go to class and learn and take notes it is very helpful for the rest of college. he is a fair test giver and if you study you should be fine to get a b or above.
Useless
Interesting guy who loves what he teaches. The excel part of course, is relevant and engaging. He also gives past exams which are great tool to study. The exams are VERY similar to homework questions and he outlines what type of questions will be on it. Homework is easy 100% as long as you turn something in and pop quizzes are free points.
Boring
Overall, I really enjoyed his class. Recitation is all excel based and very hard to follow unless you have a background in it. The homeworks are hard, but the exams are just like it but easier. Wendell is a very enthusiastic professor that loves the subject and i generally leave the class in a better mood than coming in because of it.
I loved Wendell as a person- he is passionate and very enthusiastic. But Quant with him is very difficult. You need to attend every single class, every recitation, and need to know A LOT bout Excel. Tests are very hard. I studied more than anyone I know but still got couldn't do very well. Be warned.
Easily one of the worst professors I've ever had. The class is incredibly unstructured and arbitrary. He once said "I don't know" when a student asked how the final exam would be structured. I learned more from a few review sessions run by the TAs than 15 weeks of lecture combined. The class itself is difficult enough, Wendell makes it even worse.
Good guy and interesting lectures. Quant is tough overall, but Wendell makes it easy to get all the points possible outside of the exams. Curves the tests when needed. TAs in recitation make the Excel stuff easy. Go to class, actively take notes, and study a fair amount for an easy B, if not higher. Textbook was useful for 5 HW qs all semester
He knows how to make a dull course even worse. Terrible teaching quality. Additionally, awful grading of course. No feedback from HW. You can get 100 % in all HW assuming you are doing good and then be ditched completely in final grade.
Very intelligent though sometime I think he assumes students know more than they do. Definitely go to TA office hours for the homework and you will get all the points. I thought the exams and quizzes were reasonable and nothing too unexpected. If you go to the TA reviews and office hours you should be pretty prepared.
Just show up, do the homework on your own and really understand the materials. Easy A. He explains things pretty well. I like him a lot because your efforts will earn you a good grade.
worst professor I have ever had in my three years thus far of college. He doesn't care about you or if you pass. I would go to him for help and he wouldn't help me. His recitations are mandatory and are stupid and unhelpful. Only for quizzes is it useful. The class is so unorganized. He made at least three mistakes in each lecture every class.
I didn't find lectures to be necessary; however, he does give out pop quizzes so if you don't want to miss them either go to all lectures or find out from friends if he gave one. TA office hours are SUPER helpful - I cannot stress this enough. They go over every problem in detail and I felt prepared for every exam after barely studying bc of Off.H.
Can't stress how difficult this class was. It feels like he flies through the material, and it is extremely easy to fall behind and become lost. Homeworks can be very challenging too. At one point he asked us for feedback, but when he got some, it felt like he just disregarded all of it and continued teaching the same way. Very tough.
The most difficult classes for a core business class. The actual class itself is not terrible, yet the homework assignments become a huge obstacle. It is the most homework you will have in any class and unless you go to TA office hours or have help from friends you will be in a good amount of trouble. Hours a week are put into the assignments
Wendell is my favorite professor this semester. He keeps his lectures entertaining, and he knows how to make difficult concepts seem easy. There is at least an hour's worth of homework every week, but it is very manageable. There are occasional pop quizzes in lecture, but they are easy if you pay attention. Show up to class and it's easy.
Professor Wendell is one of the best teachers I've ever had. He is extremely enthusiastic, occasionally funny, and very articulate and easy to follow along with. Wendell is also really good at applying the sometimes abstract material to real-world examples, especially because these examples are mainly from his own work experience.
Very enthusiastic about what he's teaching. The only downside to that is that what he teaches in lecture isn't what you will be tested on during recitation, or on both the midterm and final. Take advantage of your recitations, that's where you actually learn. Homework takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 2+ hours. Overall, it's a lot of work but easy
Professor Wendell is definitely very knowledgeable about the subject, but is not realistic about how adaptable the students are when it comes to the material. The class can come easy to some students, but very hard to others, because of how conceptual in nature it is. I liked the material, but it could have been taught and formatted better.
You can tell that he is genuinely passionate about the material. I personally loved this class since I am a Supply Chain Major. I learned a lot during the semester. If you are struggling there are so many opportunities to talk to TA's during their office hours. Overall, you are here at Pitt to learn and Professor Wendell will teach you a lot.
worst class i have never taken. I've been a 4.0 student my whole life and ill be lucky if i get a C+ in this class. He explains absolutely nothing. Tests are hard and weighted heavily. homework has taken me up to 4 hours to complete. I never want to think about this class again.
I've never taken a more difficult class. Wendell is smart but he isn't a good teacher. Pitt seems to confuse those qualities.
If youre not good at math and stats you will struggle. Do the HW and pay close attention in the class and you can pass it. Very accesable guy who loves to talk. I would take him again just because I learned a lot. If youre a finance or supply chain major this class is extremely helpful. If youre not, there is no utility in this class for you.
Wendell clearly like teaching and wants his students to do well. He's very approachable and very friendly. I think the math is a little tough, but it's manageable if you go to TA hours.
Seemed like a good class until the final. Lot's of people put in up to ten hours a week to try to understand the complex material but in the end it was for nothing. Changes the difficulty of the final based on how many bad grades he needs to meet CBA Grading Guidelines. Made our final unrealistically difficult with problems we've never seen before.
He's very passionate and the material is pretty straightforward if you go to class and recitation. He's an overall good teacher but his final really screwed many students over. Most students did poorly and it didn't seem like he even had a thought to curve it.
I stopped going to this class about 3/4 of the way through the semester. I learned everything in recitation, or through doing the homework, which could take hours every week. Not a horrible professor, just hard to follow, and focuses on unimportant topics in class. Go to recitation, and find a group of people to work on homework with.
The course is no doubt challenging to understand, but Dr. Wendell provides so many resources for students to succeed. He is very passionate about Quant and you will learn a lot if you work hard.
I'm not sure why everyone hates on Wendell. Sure, the TAs did a lot to help with understanding through office hours/recitations (Shoutout Sydney from Fall 2020) but Wendell really does put a lot of thought into lectures, you just have to pay attention or else you won't get it.
Professor Wendell is a very sweet man and a good choice for quant. His lectures are not the most entertaining but are easy to follow if you print out the slides. Homework is extremely difficult but graded on participation only. If you pay attention during class the lecture quizzes are easy and same with recitation quizzes. Exams are not bad either.
Homeworks were incredibly time consuming and you basically needed to work in a huge group to understand how to do anything. Quizzes weren't hard and neither was the midterm. The final was nothing like the practice final, the average was a low D and he only curved 2 points and screwed everyone's grades over. Didn't learn much, not worth taking him
Wendell is a really kind, approachable professor. The homework is extremely difficult, and I spent close to 5 hours some weeks completing it. HW is graded by the process you use to solve questions, regardless if the answer is incorrect. Open note midterm and final midterm was not too bad but the final average was a D.
Professor Wendell explains concepts well and cares about his students. Lectures are for introductions to concepts and recitations are for walk-through examples. The material is inherently difficult but hard work and practice are constantly stressed. There are office hours every day of the week with 9 Tas so there is plenty of help.
The lectures are semi-boring but it's QOM what can you expect... Wendell is really nice though and surprisingly funny at times. He really does want students to succeed and his TAs were all helpful and chill. HWs are frustrating at times though but as long as you go to TA office hours, you'll do fine. There's office hours every day for 3/4 hours
This is the hardest class I've ever taken. He even says to the class this might be the hardest course at Pitt. He wants us to use influence thinking instead of teaching. I'm not entire sure what influence thinking is, but it is not math. Homework takes hours to complete each week so start it early. Good luck taking him, you have balls
Richard Wendell is quite possibly the worst professor I have ever taken.
Watching Wendell during class is fun, he keeps lectures interesting by tying the content back to real life. The actual content in the lecture is very difficult to understand. The recitations are not mandatory but they are much more useful than the actual lecture. His TAs are very good so make use of their office hours.
Class is hard but Wendell makes sure you understand what you are doing. Wendell has been teaching these concepts for years so he knows how students learn best. Weekly HW, go to office hours. Do practice problems for exams. Pay attention in lectures. If you do all this you learn so much about Quant and are basically guaranteed and good grade.
He is a very good teacher and the classes always end early which is nice. Lectures get a little boring, but he knows his stuff. He rushes his stuff, but if you go to office hours and reciations then you should be fine on the excel work. Most of the midterm and final is info that is emphasized in lectures so pay attention and you'll get a good grade
By far the worst professor I've ever had. Be prepared to get a 0 if you miss a quiz, even with an excuse in hand. I spent HOURS on the homework if I didn't do it in office hours. The TA's are the reason I passed the class. Wendell was not helpful, but demoralizing. Pitt, do better. There's a difference between a smart person and a good professor.
Be prepared to spend 3-8 hours per week on the hw alone. Lectures extremely boring, good TAs though, use them for sure... tough content.
Professor Wendell did have ALOT of homework, but it was all very useful. By far the most challenging professor I've had at Pitt, however the most rewarding class that I have ever taken here. Truly the first class that prepared me for the future. You will get out what you put in. Hes a very funny, kind man who is very qualified and passionate.
This class isn't as hard as people make it out to be. Homework was due on Fridays and office hours would be packed by Wednesday/Thursday, so get your stuff started on Monday/Tuesday (at least). I think he is a decent professor and I feel I got value out of the course. Class rarely lasted the entire 75 minutes, usually ended it around 50.
Wendell is a very smart and caring professor. The class is not as hard as it is made out to be if you do the homework and extra practice. Recitation is very important, the TAs break down lecture content so you can apply it using Excel. Overall great course.
Class is time filling!The HWs are extremely difficult and take hours.The lectures are very boring have no insight that helps you with tests and Hw. TA teach u everything u need to be able to do things.The professor is nice,but if you go to him for help he'll tell u,u should know how to do the things you got wrong on the test instead of helping u
Very sweet guy. However, the lectures have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the course. The TAs do all the work and you only learn through recitations and homework. The hw is time consuming and I did learn a lot, however hw should be application of learning, not where you learn everything. Would be impossible to do hw w/out office hours.
although quant is a required class whatever you do, do not take wendell. he has 12 Tas for a reason. the Tas do all of the teaching and HW can take up to 6 hours some weeks. other professor for this class are much easier and keep all their information on excel rather then forcing students to hand write.
Kind man, unnecessarily difficult class. Take what you normally study for an exam and add 20 hours each to do well on them. HW takes 3-6 hours every week. He has 10 TAs and a tutor for a reason, and its nearly impossible to get enough help at office hours because they're packed even by Tuesday. Take other professor, way easier and exams are online.
Wendell does not teach you much of importance in the lectures. The TAs teach you what you need to succeed. This class is a LOT of work but I really enjoyed it, which I wasn't expecting. If you're up for a challenge, take this class. Just know that the class is not structured very well (I had to spend hours in office hours every week.)
Decision Analytics was a very challenging class. The TAs are awesome and are super helpful when doing homework or preparing for exams. Wendell gave weekly lecture quizzes that were usually pretty easy as long as you pay attention. Grading on exams was very inconsistent though.
Take anyone else. Lectures were confusing and unclear. Homework will take hours of your time yet the exams are still what actually matter for your grade. TAs are ok but it's hard to try to teach class with a professor like this. Final was much harder than midterm which was just like study guide. Was on track for an A- until final dropped my grade.
Professor Wendell is well versed in course content, but his TAs pick up a lot of the responsibility of teaching the content. You learn more in recitation and office hours than in class, but it can still be helpful and he is very passionate about the content. Exams can be tough, study the materials gone over in class and go to the review sessions!!
Wendell is a very nice man but his class is difficult. He has a lot of tas for a reason, and I will say you won't be successful in the class without help from them. To study for his exams always look over lecture examples, practice problems, and homeworks and you will be successful. He doesn't want anyone to fail, you just have to put in the effort
Dont get me wrong this class is hard and you need to put time into it, but its college your paying for it, But Prof Wendell might be one of my favorite teachers every. He loves the class and cares about making the material fun and engaging for the students with quite dry material. His lectures fly by due him making class only 50 minutes each class
so hard on exam
Overall, Wendell was very sweet and nice, but for this class 65% of the grade is midterm and final. Homework was only worth 15% of your grade and took at least 3-4 hours to do every week. He barley taught what was relevant and important for the class and only introduced sections. The TA's worked overtime for him (8 total). Take GG or Muchenski.
Great guy, but be prepared to do the bulk of the learning in recitation & on your own. Be prepared for either the midterm or the final to be more difficult than the practice exam. Homework was fairly straightforward and lecture quizzes were fair.
Not too challenging, test heavy. For some reason this intro level business course gives a ton of time-consuming homework. Wendell is a cool guy, but i found lectures kind of useless and did the bulk of my learning from the TAs and homework. I found the material Wendell taught extremely useful and interesting.
Not accommodating
Wendell is a very nice guy, but his lectures are hard to follow. He goes into depth about the things that don't matter and little detail about the things you will be tested on. The TA's are incredible and offer a lot of outside help. About 70% of grade is based on 2 exams, 15% from homework, and 15% quizzes. The homeworks are tedious but help.
Lectures sucked, Wendell went into excruciating detail about topics that had no relevance to the course. Homework took forever to complete and were almost impossible.
While the lectures can be dry, the TAs do a great job breaking down the content in recitations. The coursework is challenging but rewarding - unstuckstudy and office hours are super helpful for acing the Excel-heavy assignments.
Maybe the worst professor I've had. There are 10 TA's that are helpful, but Wendell himself is horrible. He brushes off important topics in lectures, and repeatedly says "TA's will cover this in recitation." An Excel class that has handwritten exams and homework. The class is a mess; I would avoid him if possible.
Honestly, I did not go to lecture and did fine in this class. When exams came along I put on extra effort to rewatch lectures and do practice problems, and finished as expected based on the effort I put in. If you work hard to genuinely understand the course content you'll be fine.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
37%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.05 avg changeRatings by Course
QMETH
5.0
(1)BUS
5.0
(1)HONORQUANT
5.0
(1)QUANTUHC
5.0
(1)QM0050
4.0
(3)Difficulty by Course
QMETH
5.0
BUSSSECT
5.0
QMSECT
5.0
QM02
5.0
QUANT150
5.0