Richard Kochanek
| School: | University of Connecticut |
| Department: | Accounting |
| Location: | Storrs, CT |
Overall Rating
rated by 21 students
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Funny out of awkwardness
Incredibly smart
Helpful Handouts
Extra Credit
Cons: Tricky exams
Only 3 exam grades and +12 possible bonus points (no homework to rely on to boost grade)
Hard material not covered well
Very fast class pace
Bonus' are difficult and must get all questions correct to receive full credit
Kochanek is a great guy with a warm personality, very funny, and has his stuff together tight with anything to do with accounting. Unfortunately his class is extremely hard. As daily classes go, he goes at a very fast pace so you have to pay attention the entire time and take a lot of notes. You also have to attend every class or you will be left behind with every class going over a different topic. If you can keep up with attendance AND taking very detailed notes (including doing non-graded homework when not in class) there are still the exams to conquer. The practice exams he hands out in class and ones on his website are helpful, but do not expect the same material on the real exams. Personally, I studied the book, attended every class, took meticulous notes and felt comfortable taking the practice exams, usually getting 80-90% correct. Then the real exam comes and it is nothing at all like any of the 3-4 practice exams you felt comfortable with. This is where Dick loses a lot of people, including myself. The exams are incredibly difficult. The questions are all multiple choice (or guess) but almost all are A-E and each answer could be gotten by making mistakes in calculations or not understanding concepts. Not to mention E is always "None of the above". I've heard before that he does not curve grades but he curved our second exam because so many people did poorly.
Overall you will learn a lot from his class, even if you do not know specific concepts or anything you will come out a much better student. It is definitely a "weed-out" class for business majors and you are going to have to work your ass off to get credit. Even if you do try, accounting can be a very hard subject to get ahold of - and though Dick tries, sometimes you are just going to fail. If you're worried about GPA don't bother risking it. I'll be re-taking ACCT 2001 over the summer.
Cons: Goes too fast sometimes. Will make fun of you in a passive aggressive manner if you ask a stupid question.
Cons: Comes off as a nice, genuine person, but is truly a nasty individual. I had contacted him once through email and received a short, conceited response. I talked to him another time after the final exam about a question with two seemingly right answers, he essentially told me I was stupid and to look at it again. Turns out that I was right because that question wasn't graded in the end.
Dick also does not prepare you at all for the tricky wording that he uses on the exam questions. The goal seems to be to screw kids up by wording problems such that there seem to be multiple ways to go about answering each problem.
This course requires maximum effort. Do the readings and HW problems before every single class and then go over them again after the material is explained in class.
Do not skip any of the bonus problems.
I got As on all of the exams and in the course, so I am not just complaining because of a bad grade.
Great teaching methods/approach
I would recommend this professor
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Motivates students to do well
Is willing to help students anytime
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Involves students in every lecture
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Best professors I've ever had!
Dick Kochanek is the best accounting professor! The best thing about his class is that he hands out a sheet of class notes before every class. It has the main topics for the day and most of the problems you will be going over in class. This way you don't have to waste so much time taking notes and can actually pay attention to the lectures and understand the material! He gives many opportunities for bonus points and these assignments are usually short and easy. He also tells great stories, even about his own mistakes in life to try to relate to the students. Lastly, he really loves accounting (he's the department head) and his door is always open for help and advice.
Great teaching methods/approach
I would recommend this professor
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Is challenging
Is creative
Motivates students to do well
Is willing to help students anytime
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Involves students in every lecture
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Best professors I've ever had!
Dick is just awesome! The class is hard, and you really have to come to every lecture like he says if you want to do well. If you do that, and focus, you will most likely do fine on the exams. I loved the way he explained things, he really shows you step-by-step how everything is done. And occassionally you get a funny story about his past to break up the class. But he genuinely wants everyone to succeed - not just in his class, but also in life after college. I would go to him for tips about life anyday.
Great teaching methods/approach
Is challenging
Is creative
Motivates students to do well
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Cons: Overly difficult tests or assignments
Makes class too challenging
Here's the deal, he's a great professor and he has a passion for teaching which I think distinguishes him as one of UConn's finest professors. However, I'd rather take Multivarible Calc and Organic Chemistry simultaneously than take that class ever again...and yes it is that bad if you're not good at Accounting, but if you are the class is a breeze. Trust me, you'll know this after the first exam and the tests will only get harder. Most people think the class is a breeze, but it will be harder than any course that you will ever take including advanced courses if you cannot grasp the concepts, its unlike anything you will ever take. Stay with it if your getting decent grades, he's a dedicated professor who will make you want to come to class.
Great teaching methods/approach
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Brings discussion into the classroom
Motivates students to do well
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Involves students in every lecture
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Cons: Would not recommend this professor
Overly difficult tests or assignments
Makes class too challenging
Beaware: Dick is EXTREMLEY overrated on this site. Yes, Dick is funny and will make you lol in mostly ever class, yes, Dick has his shit together and classes are extremley organized, however be prepared to work your ASS off for a B. This class will be a real test on you. He involves students in every class and has neat website, practice exams, etc., but the class moves really fast and be prepared to put in hours and hours of painfull studying for each test. After every exam you will walk away with a headache. You must completly know and understand the concepts or you will be tripped up. Dick knows every possible wrong move or answer you are thinking of on the test and choices a.-e. are going to be numbers or ideas you have run into on your way to the final answer or common mistake answers so you will be thinking you got the question right when it could very well be wrong. Trickiest/hardest exams I have taken here at uconn so far and I am a 3rd semester sophmore with a very keen mind for math and a 3.3+ gpa. You will definitley have to go to every class and this year he only offered 12 total points of extra credit when according to this site he has offered 20 pts in the past. The bottom line is, Dick makes this class way too hard. He even admits that it is a much more difficult course than most universities offer. I worked m absolute ass off in this class and received a B-. Many other kids were in the same boat and received at highest a B. You may be the kind of person who just gets it or has the incredible amount of free hours each week to read the book and go through examples/devote your life to accounting, but if not be prepared for one hell of a semester. If you have the option of taking this class at another university, over the winter or summer break, or with another professor. By all means do it, you will be a much happier person if you do.
Great teaching methods/approach
I would recommend this professor
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Is challenging
Is creative
Motivates students to do well
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Best professors I've ever had!
Cons: Overly difficult tests or assignments
Acct 131 with Dick is a really challenging class, but it`s fun at the same time if you study well. I ended up with an A-, Dick doesn`t curve the grades much, also the tests are tricky especially if you`re not an acct major. If you want to do well in this class, never miss the classes, do the bonus questions(it`s almost 10 percent of your grade), study the handouts and you will be fine. But if you`re looking for an easy A class without going to class or studying, acct 131 with Dick is not for you!!!
Great teaching methods/approach
I would recommend this professor
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Is willing to help students anytime
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Involves students in every lecture
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
This class was awesome. Kochanek is a guy who clearly knows his stuff. He's been teaching at UConn for 35 years and has been in the accounting profession for even longer. Even though the class was in a 300-person lecture, Kochanek always made an effort to get people involved. He encouraged everyone to ask any questions they had and frequently looked to the class for answers. As far as grading goes, he really does everything to help you do well. He gives 2 practice exams before every exam, which really give you an idea of what the questions will be. Plus he offers bonus points throughout the year to help your grade. The teacher assistants are usually pretty helpful with those. As long as you keep up with the work, it's not too difficult. Kochanek really just makes the class fun with his stories and you can really tell he loves his job. His class made me decide to switch my major to accounting. Definitely recommended!
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Is challenging
Motivates students to do well
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Involves students in every lecture
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Best professors I've ever had!
Cons: Confusing or hard to understand
Here's all you have to know about Professor Kochanek. Your probably never going to have a funny Professor in your whole life. Even with early morning lectures he still had almost every student laughing out loud. He understands that accounting could be a very boring subject so he trys to involve all the students and keep them motivated. Every class has a very clear handout with alot of information so you can focus on learning the concepts instead of trying to rush to write everything down. He has 20 points worth of easy bonuses that you can add to your total points at the end of the semester so even if you have a tough time on an exam or two you can somewhat make up for it. For evey exam you have at least 2 practice exams to go over that are very clear to the actual exam so you usually feel pretty prepared for them. I'm an accounting major so i found the class interesting and easy but for those that dont he has no problem explaining a problem over for 1 single person out of a lecture 250 people in size. The exams, though very fair, can be tricky if people simply learn the procedures of the problems. You must learn the overall concepts also. If you dont have to take this course and want a course that you can just get an A without studying, then choose a different class. But, if you have to take this course, then expect to be challenged but expect to be equally prepared. Highly recommended.
I would recommend this professor
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Is challenging
Is creative
Motivates students to do well
Is willing to help students anytime
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Best professors I've ever had!
Dick is the most inspirational professor I have had at UConn. There is a handout for each class with a "Thought for the Day," and he begins by discussing the meaning of the quote and its importance in the context of life in general. I know this has nothing to do with accounting, but it was encouraging and made me happy to be in his class. He is also the funniest and most entertaining professor I have ever had. He will occasionally digress and tell a story about his hilarious experiences with life, and this really kept me interested and alert in lecture. Every class he expresses bold enthusiasm for a seemingly mundane subject, and he is very knowledgeable in terms of accounting and business in general. The only drawback of the class that I can think of is the book is somewhat bland and ambiguous. But if you go to lecture and actively engage yourself, you shouldn't need to rely on the book to absorb the material. I would highly recommend this professor for both a solid foundation in accounting and, in my opinion, a good time.
Is creative
Shows a love of teaching
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Cons: Would not recommend this professor
Expectations are unclear or lofty
Overly difficult tests or assignments
Notes/lecture is confusing
I took this course like many students pursuing a buisness major. However, I quickly found noone can learn financial accounting with 350 other students! Dick is a funny guy, but waht good is it if you can't pass the class. Materials are not clear and extra help is not helpful at all. Tests are hard and not fair. I did not learn anything from this class and the book was horrible. I had deans list the last 3 semesters until I failed this class. I then retook the class at boston university and recieved a B+. I would not recomend this class to anyone it is a shame that uconn abuses their students to this extent. It is one thing to make a psychology course with 350 and another to make accoutning so large.
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Is challenging
Is creative
Brings discussion into the classroom
Motivates students to do well
Is willing to help students anytime
Shows a love of teaching
Involves students in every lecture
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Cons: Confusing or hard to understand
Overly difficult tests or assignments
Notes/lecture is confusing
Good professor, handwritting is a mess and he just rambles on alot about random stories. His stories, while more often than not ammusing, can get very, very annoying. Especially when you want to leave class early or just are sick and tired of being in class and want to get the lecture done. I sometimes feel that Idon't get enough out of the lectures especially with all of his stories that he tells. He puts people on the spot alot which is uncomfortable. This seriously is th e first class where whether you go to class or not truly does matter! I think that was because the textbook we get for the course is somewhat confusing. I did excellent on the exam sections in which I went to class for the topic, and horribly for the quetsions onthe exam when I did not go to class. All in all, I reccomend trying it out
Motivates students to do well
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Involves students in every lecture
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Cons: Confusing or hard to understand
Expectations are unclear or lofty
Overly difficult tests or assignments
Makes class too challenging
You need to understand a few things about Dick: 1. He is a little nuts. 2. He goes extremely slow in class to make sure you know what is going on and repeats himself a LOT. I felt that his class was far too detail oriented. I am not an accounting major and I personally did not understand many concepts brough up in class. His test are worded unfairly, though the practice exams can be helpful. He offers extra credit assignments and if it weren't for those I would not have done all that well. I wish I didn't have to take this class!
Great teaching methods/approach
I would recommend this professor
Is interesting/entertaining/funny
Motivates students to do well
Is willing to help students anytime
Shows a love of teaching
Shows a great knowledge of subject matter
Has enthusiasm in the classroom
Comes to class organized
Best professors I've ever had!
Honestly, I can't say anything bad about the guy. He knows what he's talking about and teaches it well. He prepares handouts for each class so that you can focus on understanding the concepts instead of just trying to scribble down everything. He's very clear and takes time explaining the more difficult concepts. -Never- rushes through things (which can make things painfully slow at times). Always willing to help students and truly wants them to succeed. He's the dept head and offers to help any non-business major switch if they so desire. His anecdotes, while often quirky in humor, are delightfully refreshing. He's a world class kind of guy. I highly recommend this course, for any major.