If you do all the assignments and all the in class questions, you will do really well. He's too smart for his own good so he lectures like everyone is as smart as him. Go to tutorials! Don't bank on the 100% final. Disliked him at first but after the midterm, realized that he's actually a good prof and means well.

Amazing / clear slides (if you dont go to class you can catch up easily by carefully reading the slides) great teacher, makes things very clear. if you put in the hours you can get the grades. exams were easy if you studied and did the assignments

heavy on theory and not on examples which makes it hard to pay attention. but if you do, he explains everything very well. bases exams on his slides and assignments so make sure to do all the problems. a great course that really makes you smarter and understand the business world better - take him for sure

clear slides, interesting lecture, exams can be tricky though...

best prof ever

Great prof. Actually try to pay attention in class. If you don't, there's no point in going. He's amazing in his office hours. He's there for the students. Oh, plus he's hot.

Easily one of the best profs to take. Extremely clear, gives a lot of practice material and exams are fair and straight forward. Reading isn't necessary to succeed, just go to class and pay attention. Also, he actually holds the tutorials himself! Really really helpful prof. I'd take him again in a heartbeat!

I rather like this class. Prof is very good at explaining stuff. Just go to class and listen carefully. Put down your laptop cause writing wins here. Do old assignments and past exams and you're good. I never touched the book at all. ever. Good class :)

Absolutely fantastic professor. He gives the students every tool to succeed. Practice midterms, practice finals and practice assignments. I would highly recommend taking him because he made the class very manageable. Also, he hosts his own conferences which shows he really cares.

great prof! great explanations!

Amazing teacher ! My best teacher at McGill so far ! He makes Finance easier by explaining everything very well ! He is always available after class, which is very practical and takes the time with each students to make sure he/she understood ! Attend each class, and do the past exams! Plus, make sure you understand the main concepts.

He is a super knowledgable and well educated guy. It is a fairly demanding course but everyone gets 100% on assignments, and the midterm is fairly straight forward. Just watch out for the final. Also, I have never been so impressed with a profs organizational skills. He provides tons of practice materials online and gets everything marked ASAP.

If you do the work provided than you will do well otherwise it will be challenging

What can I say. Good lecturer, even better outside classroom(e.g. course organization, office hours). He's a true gem of a professor.

Amazing PowerPoints. He cares about you and your opinion (took anonymous survey before March break and implemented changes after break). If you teach yourself the base material by reviewing it and doing past exams, you’ll do great!

If you want the easy chance of an A, go with Vadim! Please note I said easy chance of an A, and not “easy A”. If you practice the material and go through it, it’s hard not to get an A. If you don’t, you could pretty easily fail. Strong recommendation

Very organized, makes the material easy to understand, a lot of examples. Don't buy the book, you won't open it even once

Great teacher!! interesting funny and helpful but you have to study.

Vadim as usual. Know all the stuff in the slides+practice he provides and should be fine. No tricks, but hard final. Attendance not required, which is good if you prefer learning by yourself.

Best professor in McGill. His course is very student oriented and all the material you need is accessible throughout the year. He is absolutely brilliant.

Vadim makes me wanna major finance. He is very willing to share his experiences and views about workplace and real markets while many professors in other core courses seldom do this. He cares about what students can learn. His exams are not challenging because many practices are provided beforehand. BTW, he is interesting and VERY charming!

Excellent, clear, interesting. Midterm was easy but he compensated with epic final. Great prof. Do practice exams and you're fine.

Had Vadim for a couple finance class. Tough material but Vadim is such a good prof. Make sure to get on one of his classes by the time you graduate. Crystal clear lectures and always there to help.

Vadim is very specific as to what you should know and what you will be tested on. His exams are not easy but neither as the subject he teaches. Do the assignments carefully, go over his slide problems as well as his practice problems and you should get a good grade. He is always available for questions and answers emails promptly. Much respect.

Vadim is, hands down, the best professor I have ever had at McGill. Liked him since Finance 1 and will definitely take him again. If you are willing to learn and keep up with your work, you will get so much stuff out of this course. He really cares about his students and is always there for you. PS: he looks even cooler in his casual outfits!

great prof

Don't need textbook - Do all the practice examsassignments by yourself, then you shall get an A for sure. He may sometimes get too fast in his explanations, but the material itself needs some time to get it straight. Attend the classes and take careful notes, read the slides. His grading is fair.

Vadim tends to cover A LOT of material. His lecture slides are clear and provide examples. However, while I am currently studying with a tutor to pass this class, I have been told that a lot of what he covers for this course is taken from higher level finance classes. Not a lot of assignments but demanding and long (although group projects).

Vadim is a Desautels legend for good reason. His lectures are clear cut and to the point, and provide the examples necessary to do well on assignments and exams. His past midterms and exams show you EXACTLY what you need to know for the exams, and doing them is enough to get an A in the class. Tutorials are also helpful.

amazing professor, however content is too specific which isn't necessarily a good thing for an intro class

He is a great guy, clear lectures, powerpoints are so good I never opened the book, provides years of past exams that are all the exact same format so you can prepare for the exams very well

I loved the course, the final this year was insanely hard-beware !

This is your best option. He posts the finals for the past 10 years so you have plenty of practice material. Do all of them and you'll get A. Some people think this is a difficult class, I say it depends on what you expect. There is much less material in Fin 1 than , lets say, a managerial econ class but you are expected to mater each topic.

Vadim is amazing. His class is not easy, but I really liked the class. He provides endless study materials (I took the winter 2015 final and he provided every final since 2010). He is very passionate about finance. However, he may get a little boring. He tends to go off topic but he is a really nice guy. I highly recommend!

This guy posts the solutions to the exam right after you just took it. Really there for you. One of Desautels' best professors.

He was so good for MGCR 371 I took him again for corporate finance (FINE 342). His powerpoints are very clear and contain examples with detailed solutions. He also provides a ton of past exams, and gives assignments which have IDENTICAL questions to the exam you will have. Impossible to do bad in this class if you put in the effort

Fantastic professor

There is a reason why he is a Legend in the faculty. Best. Prof. Ever.

The course is tough he wants you to understand the concepts and apply yourself for that you need to practice the tons of practice materials and discuss the questions that arise with him he is there for you also a great squash player and avid Diet Pepsi drinker Beware you must study along the course and never cram

My second time taking a course with Vadim. Lecture notes are spectacular. Assignments and midterm were very easy. The final was very challenging, in hopes of lowering the class average. Aside from this, class expectations were very clear, and the notes directly complemented this.

Took three courses with Vadim Best instructor at McGill to lead you into the world of finance Very structured lectures/notes Very knowledgeable and always has organized answer for questions Knows how to teach finance students (usually lack of quantitative background) Cons: over-simplified some courses, may be bad for advanced/grad studies)

Easiest class ever.

Best prof that I have taken at McGill thus far. Expectations are very well laid out. Makes sure you understand the material. Has superb powerpoint slides.

I am doing a minor, and I am in engineering. This class was very easy. Buy the book, read, study , and understand the exercises. The professor is really good.

Take Vadim if you want to have a good grade! Content is not easy, but the assignment, midterms and final are the same over the year, with only the numbers changing! Really easy to finish with an A if you study enough.

Easy peezy lemon squeezy

Midterm and finals are almost the same as the past exams he posts on mycourses. Just learn the past exams and you should get an A pretty easily.

Probably the easiest course I've taken at McGill. Got a perfect score in the course just by practicing.

You know exactly what to expect. The exam are the same over and over and the solutions of the 2 assignments are on MyCourses. Easy A.

Easy content, easy grading, easy A

Overall great prof. Cares about his students and provides so many resources to prepare; if you put in the effort and practice, you do well... it's that simple. Exams are very similar year over year, but not the EXACT same so you can't just memorize. My only complaint was that the underlying theory wasn't taught as well as the mechanics. Still 5*

Took this class in the summer, and It was unbelievably easy. He posts numerous past assignments, midterms, and finals and he recycles the same questions year after year. Going to class helped, but you can easily get an A by just studying the past material.

REALLY REALLY easy class. Definition of a bird course.

Really nice prof, he is clear and well organized, you can get all the materials you need.

Vadim is the best teacher I had in my entire academic life. He is able to transform the most difficult material into something easily understandable. In addition, his course is very student-centric i.e a lot of practice problems and past exams are put online with explanations to help you succeed. I aspire to become like him one day as a teacher.

Great prof for Corporate Finance. Although the material isn't easy, Vadim explains it in a clear and precise way. He also gives out a lot of practice material for us to prepare. The final was however extremely challenging so beware.

Very clear and great lecturer. The concepts explained are somewhat easy since this is an intro class, however some might consider his explanations pretty fast-pace so concentration and attendance is highly recommended. Overall, a great helpful professor who clearly knows his stuff, and an easy A class if you put in a little bit of work.

Tests are fair.

For those who are major in finance or accounting, you should get 100, as this is the basic requirement for these two fields. If you don't get 100, that simply means you suck at these two fields, not the fault on the prof. -From a student who gets 100%.

For those harsh comments about not learning anything in his intro class, I am going to defend for him. I personally enjoy the style he teaches. It is university. You still expect a prof to teach you step by step? Lecture is only one way to sink in knowledge. Reading and self-learning are the most important tool! I got 98 eventually, so no excuses.

After I took one online course in financial engineering on Coursera, I sincerely feel that Vadim prepares you everything for even at a graduate level. For example, the arbitrage theory that we learn (Buy +borrow), hamburger pension plan, incremental cash flow, etc.. Those are the very important concepts that you need for advanced finance. Lucky!

Vadim was good at explaining, but he moved fast. He posts lots of practice materials, which was ultimately the most helpful resource.

Coming from an engineering background, Professor Vadim teaches with styles of an engineer - you appreciate his super-clear slides, as well as plenty of practices to get you ready for his exams. I don't want to be snobbish about how high the grades I received, cuz still, it's not super easy for some students - the key is to do the practices.

Best finance teacher at McGill

Some people didn't like his pre-recorded slides. But they were clear, concise, and very well explained. As long as you are NOT watching his lectures when you are tired, they are really good!! Beware, if you watch them when you a tired, he becomes a lullaby though. Exams very fair, class is crammable, and make sure to do the tutorial problems.

Great prof. Very straightforward and clear. Provides many practice problems to practice

He's a chill guy. Office hours were always entertaining, gave me some pretty solid stock advice. Had some additional lectures. Advice: work hard, do all the suggested problems a few times over, create a memory aid, stay up to date with the material. You'll be ok.

Here's the thing with Vadim. He has practice exams and clear lectures and is definitely available and engaging. As a teacher and professor, he's fantastic. His exams, on the other hand, are beyond brutal. My friend is a master's student at Columbia and couldn't solve the questions. The class is great, but the exam can and will cause you pain.

His lectures can feel a bit monotone but he does a good job covering everything. He posts a lot of past midterms/finals which is a great way to learn as it allows you to actually practice. The midterm was easy but the final was a lot harder as he had to find a way to curve down (nothing too bad). He's really approachable and helpful as well.

He is very good, and knows a lot. Hands out all exams and midterms from previous years, which are all similar, so there are no surprises. You can understand nothing and still get a decent grade, but you will fail if he tweaks the questions a little bit. I appreciate the depth he goes into when explaining something. If you pay attention you will ace

He is a great professor, nice, patient, and delivers knowledge in a super clear way. his exam is fair, usually in mc forms. The risk modeling is kinda challenging to me at first, but he is there to help clarify your problems. the material is useful, and his assignments made things more understandable. would recommend!

Very easy to get A. Even if you don't go to lectures, you can easily get an A with a few hours of review before the exam

Intro to Finance with Vadim was very good. Although some topics can be challenging, lecture slides were very clear. Plenty of practice questions and examples were given. Exams were fair. Quickly responded to emails and always available to help. Definitely would recommend taking his class.

great prof and is very helpful outside of class, but the content sometimes feels a bit advanced for an intro course and a little overwhelming. if you do a lot of practice though, you'll likely be okay; he posts a lot of past midterms and exams for practice, all of which are very consistent so there are no surprises on the assessments

Best slides and class material I've seen so far. He makes it easy to understand hard concepts, and always keeps the lectures interesting. He is known to have 60% weighted final exams, so you're fine if you study well for the final. If you can take a class from him, don't even hesitate.

Great prof, who right from the start provides you with a plethora of material (past papers, lecture slides, study guide) to succeed in his class. You just have to put in the work on your side, and do not expect to be spoon-fed. Exams can be really hard, but you surely get a proper finance foundation with him.

Best prof I've ever had. He post all course material at the beginning of the semester and his exams are fair and exactly the same style as his past exams. His lectures are so interesting and useful that would make you fall in love with finance. Would be an easy A as long as you go to the lectures! Strongly recommend.

Incredible Prof!

A very smart guy who knows the material very well. The two assignments and group presentation were marked fairly friendly. The exam however was interesting... 20 multiple choice questions for 60% of your final grade. The questions were not too hard if you managed to memorize the practice questions and had a good understanding of the material.

Pretty good. Just need to attend lectures, understand them, solve practice past papers and you will get an A.

Awesome. Vadim prepares you for the finance world. You learn a lot with him. Just practice past exams and understand the concepts. Easy A as long as you work and stay on top of the material.

The past exams and assignments are useful, and he gives you slides with recordings, but not very accessible after class and no TA

Contrary to what some people have said, his exams are very fair and manageable given you put in the time to really understand the practice questions he provides. Vadim sets you up for success on exams like no other given the amount of sheer practice problems he gives you. He is also a very approachable, knowledgeable, and friendly person.

Professor Vadim is very knowledgeable in the field of finance and gives great lectures. He also uploads pre-recorded powerpoints which you can listen before class to grasp a better understanding of the concepts. His exams are not hard as long as you understand the concepts well (both theorical and numerical questions).

Professor Di Pietro is knowledgeable, but the class can be challenging. Stay on top of the material, solve practice exams, and use resources like unstuck AI to supplement your studies. With effort, you can succeed in this course.

Vadim is a good teacher. He explains concepts well, goes over a sufficient amount of practice problems, and is always open to helping students and going over a concept again if required. Graded by few things but the assignments are a joke and the fests are fair. Only downside is his lectures can feel like monologues, but overall hes a good prof.

Vadim is the goat. Lectures can be boring but cover the material very well. All you have to do is start reviewing the practice problems well before the midterm and final respectively, and you are good to go. Tests are very straightforward, all multiple choice, and are based on the practice problems.

The lectures drag on a lot and can get boring, but he's a nice guy. Not very engaging but for MGCR 341 you will mostly just be doing his practice problems which are identical to the exam questions. During lectures he will speed through things, but if you need help just ask, and he'll explain things better.

Nice prof and the course is quite interesting, but you do need to practice a lot

Good clear lectures. Kind grading. Good feedback.