3.0
Quality4.1
Difficulty27%
Would Retake112
Reviews27%
Would Retake
112
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
29
4
22
3
19
2
20
1
22
What Students Say
“Bad prof, very unorganized”
FIN422 - 1.0 rating“0 student and I had to withdraw from the class”
FIN320 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
81%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.91 avg changeRatings by Course
FIN629
5.0
(1)FINA
5.0
(1)FIN626
4.5
(2)421
4.0
(1)429OR320
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
320
5.0
FIN420
5.0
FINA
5.0
FIN626
5.0
FINANFIN3
5.0
Reviews (112)
Sometimes hard to follow in class. You will learn alot from him.
Best Finance class at GVSU. Be prepared to learn
knowledgeable, master of financial markets, articulate
knows his stuff
Very valuable class, excellent professor, requires brainpower
Good professor - really makes you understand subject matter.
This class uses Accounting, Statisics and Econ. as building blocks.
He is a very intellectual human being!
Awsome prof...best I have ever had
alot of projects. tests kinda hard
Unfair expectations for an undergraduate course
Good prof!!!
Hard class, but he definitely tries to help. Has pity with rather large curve.
At first seems harder than really is, he does insane mental math, its scary
Good teacher, sort of hard, but will help a lot and grades with a respectable curve. If you try (and you must), he will help you get a decent grade.
Hard to understand, goes very FAST! Needs to prove how smart he is. Tests tricky. If GPA important to you, find another prof.
bhagwat's the man--knows his stuff and knows he knows it. great prof
Enjoyable class
Real nice guy that takes time to learn students names. Very helpful and can do some amazing math. Definitely knows his stuff. Sometimes wording on exams can be confusing, but otherwise is a good teacher.
There are a lot of projects that are time consuming but little or no work between projects. Very very smart prof!
stressful class
Very nice guy, very brillant. The subject matter is just very difficult in the amount of time there is to cover everything. Projects consume time, start early....I liked him!
Worst prof at GV. Do not take him, not helpful and everything i learned in his class i learned on my own. Very smart but not fit to teach.
He wants to help you and helps you learn. Very smart prof. A few projects due at the end of the semester but if you start early, really easy! He is a very smart man, take him if you can!
Material is hard. He moves fast. Sometimes hard to understand. Quizzes and tests are hard. If grade is important..avoid him.
I have alrealy graduated GVSU, went back for MBA, worst professor experience. Make the girl next to me cry in his office and did not care. I went to him for help and all he wanted to talk about was a speeding ticket he received in my hometown. Terrible
He moves through the problems extremely fast!! He is very smart. Doesnt realize this is our first expirience with finance and his 3rd decade of finance. Not helpful at all in his office.
knowledgeable professor, useful information, hard exams but fair grading
excellent class, useful information, lot of practice problems, fair in exams
Nice guy, VERY smart. I've never taken a fin class, but he taught like we were all fin majors. I didn't do too well in the class, but I still learned a good amount. Tests are tough, but good grader. Know why multinationals exist; It was on 3 of the 4 exams! I was terrified the whole time!!!
Very hard class and he moves through material really fast! The tests can be very difficult. He is willing to help though. Grade is based off of tests and quizzes. I wouldn't recommend him.
Can't read notes on board so sit in the front. Just practice the problems in the book and ones done in class. Write down everything he talks about cuz it will probably be in a essay question. Do good on the first test and he will like you from there on.
Very intellegent and lets you know it. Doesn't care if you don't understand. Moves through topics very quickly and Exams are outrageous!
great teacher, learnt a lot. material is now helping me in finance electives. emphasizes accounting. uses current topics from Wall Street Journal, awesome in mental math, knows stock prices to the minute.
Has too many cases and says will give time in class but gives absolutely none. A lot of presentations. Be prepared to work very hard. Makes you feel like you are wasting his time if go to office hours for help.
There is not too many assignments but they are long and tough. The class really prepares you, I feel like I actually know something about Finance. Tells you exactly what is on test and does not grade hard. The class seems scary at first but it is really not that bad.
This class was hard. Some of the material is difficult to comprehend. But Bhagwat was very willing to meet outside of class. There were a lot of projects towards the end of the semester, and the exams are tough. But he's a fair grader and he is very very nice.
This guy has insane knowledge of finance and is basically an up to the minute stock ticker. He is up to date on everything and very knowledgable. He also cares that you learn and will help you along the way, one of the best seidman professors. If you struggle with Indian accents be forewarned, but I had no problems understanding.
a good instructor. cares for students. available any time outside office hours. replies to emails faster than speed oflight.uses WSJ well, fair grader,take-home quizzes have helped me develop problem solving skills. has knowledge aboutUS,Europe,japan korea,indiastock markets. has faith in US economic policy. knows ticker pricestothelastsecond.
Bhagwat cares about his students actually learning the material. He moves through things fast sometimes, but it's definitely doable. He also has a great sense of humor.
i am impressed by his teaching style. simplifies tough material so that everyone can understand it. his jokes are funny. provides interesting examples from estonia to new zealand. knows a lot about history of various countries and uses it in the context of modern day globalization. has strong faith in free markets.
The worst proff that I have ever had!!!! TAKE MY ADVICE, IF YOU ARE SIGNED UP FOR HIS CLASS, DROP NOW-EVEN IF YOU CAN'T GET INTO ANOTHER FIN 320 TAKE IT LATER. HE IS TERRIBLE!
a good teacher... ask questions and take homework assignments seriously. Essay tests that take a long time, make sure you don't get behind. I actually learned something in this class though.
Speaking with strong Indian assent; when students do the powerpoint presentation, he is reading newspaper sometimes; not having enough social and helpful skills & personality with students as other professors.
Prof. bhagwat is a tough yet useful professor. he has a great sense of humor. remember corporations grow by retained earnings and careers grow by retained learnings. if you forget topics from prerequisite courses he will force you to relearn that information. he is very helpful and compassionate.
Yatin Bhagwat is a very interesting professor. His strategy is to scare students until the first exam. thows who stick out are the excellent students and get his full attention.Bhagwat is smart and knows math, stocks and markets very well. his recommendations on individual us stocks and foreign stocks are worth considering.use his tipsforinvesting
Very knowledgeable professor. Knows the subject very well. Though has a strong indian accent material sounds clear and sometimes funny. Quizzes are sometimes harder than exams and that is good. As anyone from abroad posesses excellent math skills and can do calculations without calculator. As an international student I respect him a lot.
Really cool guy, but gotta be honest, TERRIBLE TEACHER!!!!!!!!!! Very unclear lectures during class. Tests were very confusing, and notes did not help. Do not take if you would like a decent grade!
I'm an IR student with no previous FIN class,so I struggled and the material was VERY challenging for everyone. Yatin was VERY helpful. He lent me his corporate FIN book to help me understand the material.He's very smart,be prepared to put effort into this class. But once again, he's very helpful, & the class is passable grade-wise.You learn a lot!
great guy, keeps you busy with problems to solve.
A pretty good guy however his tests are ridiculous. Tests consist of essays and problems and are very in depth and specific. Study very hard for the exams and do the end of chapter problems.
Why does everyone pretend like he's a good prof on here? Yatin has an interesting sense of personality but to echo someone before me... a TERRIBLE TEACHER. Strong incomprehensible accent and little empathy for struggling students. He's all over the place in class... take someone else!
excellent and helpful teacher.
Very Smart prof. He knows alot about finance, and it shows. I heard he was a millionaire. Don't take this class if you are looking for an easy A, but if you do take it you surely will learn something. You need to subscribe to the Wall-Street journal for assignments (or use a library copy). I would take him again.
Awful experience. He just gets up and fills the board with gibberish and makes no attempt toward a comprehensive understanding of the concepts. I tried to follow dilligently, and all I got was lied to. I don't care if he has a generous curve- stay away!
Outstanding knowledge. Great blend of textbook and application based teaching. Take his classes if you want to learn.
He tries to intimidate students the first few weeks but he is very generous with grading and I promise if you work hard and stick it out, you'll learn a lot and be satisfied with your grade. Doesn't use blackboard though so we have no idea what our grade is at this point.
is very confusing with formulas. not same as book
This was a horrible experience. I would NOT recommend this professor to anyone unless you are a finance genius. The best I ever did is when I ignored his lecture and read/studied straight from the book. The Wall Street Journal reviews are pointless and a waste of time/money. This professor is not very accessible and I would never recommend him.
tough class. was challenged very much.professor stresses applications. computer assignments are good to get a job. coarse is hard.
He tries to scare students away, but halfway through class you realize you aren't going to fail as horribly as you think. Quizzes are hard and book is different then what he teaches. He teaches based on theories and way above an intro level class. DON'T BUY Wall Street Journal, use online. Waste of money. Try to find someone different.
Tests and quizzes can be very hard because class is sometimes hard to follow. He assumes that you know everything about finance upon entering the class. There is a article or case report in each class period that sometimes could run the entire hour! He's a good guy, but its not a good class
Very difficult class but learned much
Definitely one of the best teachers I've had. He has a funny sense of humor and a very efficient teaching style. His class is difficult at first but it seems to get easier as the semester progresses. If you want to learn a lot, take his class. Most of the problems on tests and quizzes are covered in class.If you skip lectures, you'll regret it.
I almost didn't take this class, because of the ratings on here. Ended up taking and did well. At first he his more difficult. Class gets more laid back as semester goes on. He took top 3/5 on quizes and let us use formula sheets for tests. Very smart prof and has a cool sense of humor, once you get to know him. Even gave ec to help us out!
Great prof! He is demanding, but fair and will teach you a lot if you work to keep up. "Let's do some algebraic manipulation"
I really liked this guy, had a cool sense of humor and taught the stuff that needed to be taught. Most negative comments on here are from slackers. If you want to learn from a knowledgeable source and aren't just trying to get that passing grade then take 320 with this guy, just don't slack off :D.
Not a good professor. He acts impatient if students need clarification or ask questions, and embarrassed several students who did not know answers during lectures. The class can be challenging and he is not helpful. He is also not good at returning emails or working around planned absences.
Great professor who explains subjects in an intelligible manner; very demanding; very smart! He does give hints on what to expect on exams the lecture before. Always study and read the WSJ!
Very Smart teacher, but poorly presents material in class. Better suited for more gifted student who have a lot of time. Writes gibberish on the whiteboard that is very important for knowing on the tests. AVOID if possible. This is not from a slacker or poor student.
Yatin is fortunate he has Info. Sys. students in there that have had multiple math, stats and formula classes. Relying on him to teach is a joke. He gives little credit for work done on the problems. He doesn't acknowledge the class when he teaches using the board. He isn't really interested if someone understands. Try take another prof.
Professor is very intelligent, but should not be teaching an intro class. For anyone who is NOT a finance major DO NOT take with this professor. The problems on quizzes and exams are very difficult, beyond the level of an intro class. He also is not helpful and makes you feel stupid. Have 3.7 GPA so am not a slacker or dumb! Chose to drop halfway.
AWFUL! Stay as far away as you can unless you love finance and know a ton about it already. This class is not taught like an introductory finance course. My whole class was failing all of the exams/assignments and he said we were too dumb to apply the material. He is a super smart guy and thats his downfall, he doesn't teach in a way you can learn.
Terrible.He is by far the worst professor I have had in my three years here.He does not know how to teach in a clear and effective manor. The exam was nearly impossible and nothing like the problems he goes over from the book. Almost everyone did terrible on the exam and he basically said it was our fault and we were dumb.I will be withdrawing.
Worst professor for an intro level class. He obviously is very intelligent, but we cannot understand 99% of the stuff he tries to teach us. I changed my major from Finance because of him. I don't know what he's teaching but I now hate Finance.
terrible teacher. he really wants his students to understand finance and thats fine and all but he selects people at random to answer questions even though he knows they dont know the answer. quizzes are very hard and exams are impossible.
Very smart, but is not suitable for finance 320. Exams dont resemble any questions posed in class, uses terminology way beyond the basic level of finance. 3.5 GPA, studied hours on end, still did bad. DO NOT TAKE!!!!!
Very intelligent professor but is just horrible at teaching.I had a great interest in this subject but after a week in this class it was gone. His handwriting is nearly impossible to understand and covers too much material too quickly. The finance and accounting majors in the class were clueless more than half the time. DO NOT TAKE this Prof!!!!!!!
Didn't teach at all. He just scribbled stuff on the board that didn't even relate to what was on tests and quizzes. When everyone failed a test his response was "well you guys have each other". I am a 4.0 student and I had to withdraw from the class.
He goes over the exam before he give it out, but the exam is not like what he discussed; although the essays are the exact the questions are very different. Hard to understand doesn't speak clear English. He gets mad if you ask a question he thinks you should know. Not helpful in office. Did bad in this class when others had dif. prof. who did well
I was a B student but got an A in this class, if you like math, this class is gonna be supper easy for you. All calculation based. flexible on the assignment, very helpful lecture, exams are well structured based on the lecture
If you want to get the easiest A in your life, you may as well leave immediately and find a different professor. If you want to be challenged and learn things about investments and businesses that will be applicable later in life this is your man. If you put in real effort you can pass. My advice, read the chapter before class so it makes sence
This professor really gets a bad wrap so I was nervous to take this class with him, especially with an abbreviated schedule! The class required a lot of work but Prof. Bhagwat was extremely helpful to provide additional explanations and he really helped our class out with grading at the end of the semester! Would recommend to a friend!
Bad prof, very unorganized! Lot of work without any explanation, would not recommend him to anyone!
I had many great professors here at GVSU, but he is not one. He is unclear in his expectations, does not have a set schedule, and is not able to explain financial concepts well. The class is ridiculously unstructured, and he is one of those profs that thinks that his is the only class you're taking. He's a great guy, but bad prof.
This has been one of the most unorganized professors I have ever had. He told us three different due dates for our presentation and frequently switched what cases we were supposed to present. He does not enter anything in the grade book and for him to clearly answer one of your questions is rare. Students receive random grades at end of semester.
Professor was often disorganized and at times did not always directly answer students questions. Grading on test did not really make sense and handwriting was often difficult to read. I felt lost throughout most of the class.
He is the only professor that teaches international finance, so you don't have much of a choice. Just make sure you do not miss class because this is challenging!!
The only guy GV has to teach 429. Overall he was a nice enough guy, but the class really didn't know what he was looking for. His grading was inconsistent and you will go the entire semester without knowing your grade. You have to go to class for the material or you might as well just drop the class and find something else. Master the formulas.
I very much regret taking this professor. The textbook he uses isn't helpful, especially when it comes to equations. There doesn't seem to be any calculation method for how he grades exams, as he just tags off points without any explanation for why he took that amount of points. Class time isn't used effectively, and he is just a sour person.
Prof. Bhagwat is one of the best profs I've had at GV. He is very difficult and expects a lot, but is one of few profs that can do that and effectively make you learn the material. Lecture only, not a ton of homework. Exams and quizzes are tough, but if you practice you will be fine. You wont make it if you dont want to work hard.
Don't take him!! His lectures are hard to follow and he gets into some really technical finance theorems without any introduction. His tests are only 8-10 questions a piece and he isn't clear on what topics will appear. The textbook isn't much help either, since his test are usually over what he says in his lectures.
Yatin is actually a really funny guy and extremely intelligent. However, he needs to realize he teaches at Grand Valley and not Harvard. This class is extremely difficult. Tests are made up of 8-10 questions and account for most of your grade. Heavily based on your ability to do algebra rather than financial equations. Great guy, terrible teacher.
His instructions are very, VERY hard to understand. I took this class online and basically had to figure everything out for myself. The assignments are very tedious and require you to work for the grade you want. The quizzes all require you to show work as well.(Ex. one homework assignment took two full days to complete) Don't slack and you'll pass
So disorganized. You never have any idea what is happening in the class. It also seems like he is blackboard illiterate, his class page is always a scavenger hunt for what you are looking for. Useless syllabus. You won't have any idea what your grade is until you get it at the end. If you have anxiety, stay away from this prof!!
Do not take Yatin for any class. Covid showed that he is actually Blackboard illiterate, and he is incapable of using anything besides email. Unclear expectations on assignments followed by difficult grading. Hands down the worst professor I've ever had in my 17 years of education.
Prepare for no feedback on anything you turn in. He is completely technologically illiterate. By the end of this semester he had not updated a single grade and the entire class was left in the dark on what their grade was until final grades were due in banner. He will call on everyone during class and harass you if you do not know the answer
Not a fan of how this professor handled online classes this semester. He was very unclear about what he was looking for and was difficult to communicate with. I expected more from my capstone professor.
There was very little communication with students, and virtually none after an abrupt switch to completely online class. He stopped posting online lectures about halfway through the semester, and if you missed an in-person lecture it was very difficult to figure out what content was actually covered. Save yourself the frustration if class is remote
NEVER in my undergrad have I withdrawn from a class until I took Bhagwat. Very little clear communication, support, and ability to clarify content in class. NOBODY knew what was going on (even the finance majors), and does not do well at all to test and prepare you for exams. Picky grader, passing is >69%, and very heavy final (1/3 of grade).
Yatin is very unclear on what is expected and you will be lost. You will not know what is going on. You will not be graded on anything. You will most likely not learn anything. This is coming from someone with a 3.7 GPA and cares about learning and tries in school. I expected more from my finance capstone.
Avoid this Professor at all costs! He grades hard with extremely vague directions. Very exam heavy. Rarely responds to emails and when he does they are often very short and not helpful. He had zero idea how to use technology. Never posted a single grade the whole semester. He would also yell at students for not understanding the material.
This class was basically an independent study with changing requirements each time you have class, unclear expectations, surprise reports, and no lecture. He just rambles on and doesn't actually teach about how to invest. Class was 1.5 cr with the work of a 3 cr+ class. Expects you to know ALL finance topics regardless of your class standing.
This class is very tough. The grading is made up of three exams, three case write-ups, class participation, final exam, term paper, and in-class quizzes. Yatin is very knowledgeable in finance and the class is very lecture-heavy. Although the class is pretty difficult, he did provide our class with extra credit points one day during class.
If you don't like Yatin or don't think he's interesting you probably shouldn't be a finance major. Definitely one of the smartest guys I've had as a prof. I had him for FIN 428, 438, and 422. Very smart and also funny in a nerdy kind of way. He's also done the CFA make sure to ask him about that if you're pursing that post grad.
There are no clear guidelines in the class. I didn't have a grade in blackboard until AFTER finals week, so if you enjoy knowing where you stand in a class, don't take him.
When you read how disorganized and unclear he is in these ratings, take it seriously. He is very unclear, difficult, and arrogant. Gives very little points for correct work done. Took him before I started my degree in accounting. I dropped his class, took another prof. He is to be avoided at all costs.
Yatin has been my favorite finance professor so far and has made me understand things about my major that other teachers have not been able to before. He is very accessible and does not make you feel dumb if you ask questions. Highly recommend!
Prior to taking this course, the reviews made me nervous that I would struggle and regret it. Once beginning this winter semester it became the best course I have taken during my time at GV. Professor Yatin was great, I learned more in just this course than in all my other courses combined.
Yatin was an amazing professor one of the best in the finance department. The grade is mainly just tests and a big semester project. He tells you what questions will be on the exam. The final project we do some in class but is very simple overall. Great class and makes the lectures fun and not boring.
Yatin is a knowledgeable but strict professor. The class is challenging, with exams, projects, and participation making up the grade. While lectures can be dry, engaging with the material is key. Unstuck AI proved helpful for test prep.
Probably my favorite finance professor. Very lecture-heavy but he is good at explaining concepts, and does examples in class. A huge portion of the class is graded by the semester long project (which we were able to work on during almost every class), and 3 exams (which were not bad because he explained exactly what will be on the exam).
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
81%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.91 avg changeRatings by Course
FIN629
5.0
(1)FINA
5.0
(1)FIN626
4.5
(2)421
4.0
(1)429OR320
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
320
5.0
FIN420
5.0
FINA
5.0
FIN626
5.0
FINANFIN3
5.0