Comments:4335 - WORST CLASS YOU WILL EVER TAKE IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE! Never seen someone who made a class so difficult. Not helpful at all and taught you absolutely nothing. Takes basic concepts and turns them into rocket science. If you take him, get ready to hear "Expected utility of wealth" approximately 100 million times. Overall, really nice dude, but just made the course so difficult.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:4335 - This is the only BuBooks report I have ever made. i took this guys class and I kid you not he talks like elon musk. You know how elon talks very fast and sporadic about very confusing topics? I love Elon, but this is the best comparison to this teacher. Garven speaks extremely fast, in a rambling sort of way not making sense at all. He takes basic math and solves it completely more difficult than need be and can be a very very rough communicator. This was the last class I needed for my RMI degree and I changed my major to not have to be in his class. I would highly recommend not taking his course. the statements about this being a math class is true. This is only a math class and I would highly recommend you not taking his course. Theres better classes that will teach you stuff that will actually be applicable towards your life instead of this class.  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:4335 - Here's how you get an A in this class: Use control + F for the quizzes, do the homeworks, and use the sample midterms, homeworks, and in-class problems to study for the tests. If you can take derivatives, you know enough math for this class. Don't get tripped up over the math notation he uses in class. The exams are often very similar to the sample exams he provides, and the problems are almost exclusively some variation of problems from the homeworks/sample exams/in-class problems.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:4335 - This is not an easy class. It starts out with some basic calculus that I haven't done in years. Even though I did well on the first test, I would not recommend taking this class. There's no point of listening in class cause Garven just goes over the theories behind the formulas and doesn't actually show you how to use them. Like right now I'm in the class and no one is listening cause we know it won't help. You also won't use pretty much anything that we are learn. I would definitely recommend taking one of the other required courses instead of this one.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Fin 4335 - Garven insists that this class is not a math class and that everything can be done “intuitively,” but nothing could be further from the truth. During class, he often rambles about random subjects in finance and stutters over his own words while walking around waving around expo markers, giving me a marker migraine. He goes all around the class filling up whiteboards with nonsense, usually with the wrong solutions to class problems. If you ever have a question about a class problem, don’t go to office hours because he thinks helping you out with problems is a “moral hazard” and he “does not audit problem solutions until they’re graded.” He doesn’t actually grade anything by the way, he has a TA do all the homework and exam grading, which begs the question of what he actually does with his time (especially when he’s late to class which has happened more than once.) He’s kicked me out of multiple office hours for “personal reasons,” even muting the mic to talk to his wife while OH were still going and there were waiting to talk to him. He never extends his office hours and he has a very bad availability. He genuinely thinks he deserves a Nobel Prize and drives me up the wall with the way he says “square rūt.” Oftentimes in exams he goes political with references to “evil Trump” and “evil Biden” which is just weird.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:FIN 4335 - This is a long review, but DO NOT SKIP if you’re considering this course. Garven seems like a nice and funny man at first. This is until he begins teaching. He will also claim that the course is NOT a math class, but 70% of the material is math and equations, and most of the exam will be work out. He became a PhD 40 years ago and did most of his research/designed coursework around that time. He frequently gets confused looking at his own answer keys and notes and gives us the wrong solutions in class. He walks around rambling about random Nobel Prize Winners and his personal research/interests in finance that are irrelevant to the course. These tangents were more frequent that I would have preferred, considering each class at this school costs us $542. He also does a lot of his work in Excel sheets he previously made, but we are not allowed to use excel on exams, and he doesn’t give full credit on homework if you “did it in excel.” He also refuses to share the excel sheet formulas or foundations because “we should be able to figure it out by now.” There were multiple occasions over this semester where me or other classmates were kicked out of his office hours early so he could “handle personal business,” which is a big deal bc he offers few office hour options on zoom. He only offers in person office hours during a time where most of us had class for and 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the only days he’s in Waco because he lives in Austin. We had 9 reading quizzes (which often feature research that he has written) and sometimes include readings of over 50 pages. The homeworks are difficult if you don’t have a resource because he runs out of time in class to teach the material, and insists that helping us with problem sets in office hours is actually cheating. The practice exams offered are somewhat useful, but he has admitted before that he usually doesn’t test on the concepts in the practice exams disseminated. His exams are typically 4-5 questions and he grades the top 3 or 4 questions respectively, so that can help you score well if you know your stuff. He also doesn’t grade anything personally, his TA does all the work. Also, he runs the whole course off a website and course blog instead of Canvas which is inconvenient and dated. I and my friend are not by any means lazy students each have generally high grades, but this course weighed on us like nothing else. He often jokes about his narcissism, not realizing that it is uncomfortably true. IF you ask him difficult questions, he answers with,”well… it’s intuitive, isn’t it?” On a lighter note, see how long it takes you to snap every time he pronounces “root” (as in square root) wrong.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:4335 & 4366 - Garven really knows the material he teaches and loves risk management and derivatives! Don't expect this to be a blow off class, but its not impossible either. There are 2 midterms and a final, and he will replace one midterm grade with the final grade if you do better on the final! Tests are very similar to the problem sets, so if you study the problem sets and the sample exam he gives you you'll do fine. This isn't an "easy" class, but Garven gives you every opportunity to succeed and an A is completely within reach if you put in the work!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Fin 4335 - Genuinely not a single soul knew what was going on in class. Garven is clearly a smart chap and he's nice enough, but he was unable to teach well for a full online class. Very tough class with three question tests over a very wide range of material. Would not recommend  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:FIN 4335 - I made an account just so I could write a rating for Garven. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS (or any class with him) IF YOU DONT HAVE TO. He doesn't explain anything well, and just talks about the theory behind every concept without giving any examples. The problem sets are awful because you never get any examples in class. Tests are ok, he gives you the previous year's test, but they don't help much because he changes everything so that it doesn't make sense. Quizzes aren't bad, as long as you feel like reading 30 pages to find answers that aren't even explicitly stated in the readings. Also has a mightier than thee attitude so it's hard to talk to him when you're confused, which is always. Again, DO NOT TAKE HIM.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:FIN 4335 - Average student here! I'm not an intellectual monster like some of these kids who comment here nor am I a slacker by any means. I am your average finance B student. Garvin’s class is pretty simple and straight forward, but the way he explains it makes it seem like rocket science. He cannot teach worth a lick and you’ll be confused 88.69 percent of the time. Man goes on multiple tangents and goes over a lot of students heads. The workload is not heavy AT ALL. It's one of those classes where you can zone out and the teacher drabbles every day. BUT the test are hard af (average student here) the average test score in the class was in the 60s, with maybe two kids making perfect scores. Not a walk in the park by any means.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:4366 - This class was TUFF. Very interesting stuff but man do the proofs to BSM, CRR, greeks etc get unnecessarily TUFFFFFF  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:Risk MGT - Interesting guy, funny at times. Not a good teacher. You can tell that he is extremely intelligent, but it's almost like he's speaking a foreign language when he goes in depth on these topics. He doesn't make class interesting at all (consists of him mumbling and writing all over the white boards). Workload wasn't awful with 7 problem sets total and 2 exams as well as a final. Exams weren't awful if you put in a great amount of time studying for them. Not a class that you can just cruise through by any means.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:4335/4366 - Dr. Garven is without a doubt my favorite professor I've had in the business school. I wish he taught more classes, I would certainly take him again! Problem sets were pretty challenging, but were very doable. Tests were very similar to the problem sets, which made studying very straightforward. Sometimes his lectures can get pretty heavy on the math side, but he keeps it engaging and interesting. The toughest material in the class isn't tested, he just enjoys showing his students the thoughts and process to get to the end result. Couldn't recommend him more!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:4335&4366 - Dr. Garven is... interesting. He is a little scattered brained but is very nice and extremely knowledgeable about the subject. I really enjoyed both of my classes with him, and he's a great option for finance classes. His grader in options this semester was a real jerk, but they're graduating so you won't have to worry about them. Overall I would recommend Garven for both Risk and Options!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:4366 - Sure, this class uses some basic intro level calculus, but with the homeworks, it is really easy to get 100's on the exams. The final is a little bit difficult, but not that different from prior finals and homeworks. With minimal study, I was able to excel and thrive, and it even led to my passing the level one CFA exam thanks to the options knowledge for the alternative investments portion.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:4335 - I literally did not study for any of the quizzes or exams, and still made 100's across the board. If you do the homework, the tests are literally exactly like the homeworks. Good luck failing this class, you would have to try to fail, and be asleep the whole time or skip class.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:4366 - I'm honestly shocked this man still has a "passing" rating on here. He's an absolute genius and a kind man and I truly like him as a person but holy lord this class has been a disaster. Garven is a research professor so he is a bit awkward in front of a crowd, albeit funny. He blazes through topics so quickly and inefficiently that even the smartest kids in the class hardly pay attention. Expect to do much on your learning on your own time from his teaching notes and the textbook because stopping for even a second to ask questions in class exhausts him because there is so much to cover and it comes so easily to him. The tests are composed of 3/4 questions which are relatively straightforward, but he throws in something abstract he discussed randomly in class sometimes. Homework isn't too bad because most of the answers can be found online and used as a teaching moment but quizzes cover long, confusing chapters from the textbook and extensive teaching notes. Just use the teaching notes for the quizzes, they will suffice. If you understand advanced calculus and statistics (and I'm GOOD at calculus... just couldn't follow) you will do just fine in this class, otherwise, it's not AT ALL worth the effort. Everything you learn is done by computers today, anyway.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:4335 - Garven very clearly cares about his students. The material is challenging to say the least, and Garven can be hard to follow during the lectures, but he gives you every chance to succeed. Make friends on the first day of class and do the problem sets with them, otherwise you might have a hard time. Pay close attention to the "hints" he sends out before exams because they tell you pretty much exactly what the 3-4 exam questions will cover. Study the problem sets and exam reviews and you're basically guaranteed to get an A.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Fin4366 - You will leave this class significantly smarter; however, this has nothing to do with Dr. Garven. There is an ungodly amount of readings/quizzes/problem sets. You end up cramming this massive amount of info in your head, and you MIGHT be tested over 30% of it. The man himself, Garven is a nice, smart, endearing person. He knows the material through and through 100% no doubt. That being said he is TERRIBLE at conveying his understanding by 90% of the time he completely talking over your head. In class everybody just kind of sat there all glassy eyed. The sick thing is, I think that even if he could make the course material (which is mildly interesting) more understandable to a naive audience, he wouldn't. He enjoys feeling smart. He also plays favorites (but who cares really). Anybody on here praising him is overlooking some major flaws. All in all, nice man, learned a lot but I felt like it was horribly inefficient.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:5336 - Very great teacher. He is smart!  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:4335 - This class is crazy. Garven is a genius. Most of his lectures have almost NOTHING to do with his homework assignments and exams. You can just use all of the old exams to do the HW and to study. My advice is to get him to send out a review before each exam so you know what the 3 problems on the exam will be like. He is funny, and that was my saving grace in this class. Also, don't miss class because attendance points can make a difference in your grade at the end of the semester.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:4335 - This guy is a freakin genius. I learned a lot from this class. It is pretty hard and there is a lot of homework but it's worth it.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:FIN 4366 - The best prof in the Finance department.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:RMI 3335 - Hard tests, but you get a lot of prep. You'll leave the class significantly smarter.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:FIN 4335/4366 - Highly detailed, highly intelligent, highly effective  - Grade In Class:B+