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Tamara Berges
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Either Professor Berges completely changed the way she teaches this course, or everyone here was overreacting to the max. Her lectures consist of slides which are pretty easy to follow along, but she can move fast at times due to the amount of material, especially in the second half of the course. I would recommend at least skimming through the textbook prior to the lectures to get a more complete understanding. Berges is also really generous with extra credit if you show up to class and participate.
The first half of the course is spent finishing up introductory financial accounting (continuation from 1A), and the second half pivots to managerial/cost accounting. Graded material consists of a midterm (125 pts), project (25 pts), and a non-cumulative final (150 pts). The project is assigned the day of the midterm and is due a couple of days later, but is take-home/open-note and pretty self-explanatory. As for the exams, the hardest part about them was just the number of questions. Both the midterm and final had multiple-choice and free-response questions in about a 2/3 and 1/3 split, and you can definitely feel the time crunch during the actual test. However, the material of the exams is completely manageable; although practice exams aren't provided, there are optional homework problems from the textbook which are all you need to understand how to solve the questions on the exams.
At the end of the day, a lot of this course comes down to memorization, but going over the textbook problems and in-class examples once or twice will set you up for success; it doesn't require as much time as you may think. Would recommend if you're considering 1B with Berges.
The midterm was hard and a lots of questions, but her lecture was clear and organized. The final was fair. There was homework but not required and one group project. 120A does need a lot of time to study because there are so many new topics covered.
AVOID HER AT ALL COSTS. I did not listen to the below reviews, and heavily regret it. To preface, I received an A+ in MGMT 1A and MGMT 1B with Gardner who was difficult sure, but an amazing teacher who taught beautifully. Berges is by far the worst teacher I have ever experienced in my life. It disappoints me a school of such high caliber like UCLA allows professors like her. She kid you not, reads off the slides during lectures and I did not even pick up my pencil once during class. Maybe in a sociology class this is ok, but in an accounting course this is an unacceptable way to teach. All my classmates and I were forced to teach ourselves the material because of her lack of teaching ability. She assigns homework problems that are extremely long and that do not help prepare you for tests. As a junior preparing for a career in accounting, I am disappointed I did not learn the concepts I needed to. I am very upset with both Berges and the school. Please, if you actually want to learn, do not take her class. You will regret not listening to me and the other reviews. We are right. Trust us. Because I didn't trust them and here I am.
Take this course with a different prof if you can
- the quizzes, final exam and project were all very hard
- she's nice and helpful in class but ignored one of my emails and responded with a passive-aggressive tone to another. maybe she doesn't like talking to students outside of class?
- she gave unclear instructions for the final group project, which was also VERY time-consuming
This class was extremely difficult for no reason. Pairing a ton of material to cover, with a professor that only reads off of slides will be your worst nightmare. The class is composed of a midterm, final and project. While professor provided a list of topics that would be on the exam, it was completely up to the student to find problems that would help them understand that topic. And if you think you know it, you probably don’t. The final project required 20-25hrs of work that didn’t help at all on the tests. The midterm and final were very difficult, mostly because there were no practice problems given to guide us to succeed on the test. While the curve was generous, the amount of stress that I encountered made this class very uncomfortable.
Lecture-wise, Berges is a pretty mediocre professor (just repeated info on the slides with little to no expansion) but is generous with extra credit/the class curve. Although her EC opportunities were nice, the only way to get an A on the exams was to grind your ass off. I studied at least 30 hours for the final alone just because we had to memorize eight chapters of material on a 65+ question 3-hour final.
The material itself is not difficult to comprehend if you put the time into it, and while she gives no practice exams, the "quick study" and "exercise" type questions in the textbook (John Wild, Ken Shaw, Barbara Chiappetta - Loose Leaf for Financial and Managerial Accounting-McGraw Hill) were pretty helpful.
I'd avoid taking this class with this professor if you can since she makes the class much more difficult than it needs to be to effectively teach the material. However, an A is definitely doable if you grind hard. Best of luck to anyone taking this course :)
Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Never met a ruder person who DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF HER STUDENTS. It does not matter how hard you will try! Very soul crushing, honestly. Anyway, good luck keeping up with the business econ GPA requirement :( cuz she will tank your GPA.
Bad, bad, bad, bad. Professor is an actual witch, I wouldn't be surprised if she disintegrated if you threw water on her. Incredibly rude to students and her own ta's. Midterm was actually the worst test i've ever taken and there was no way to review because she doesn't give ant practice tests. The final was easier but that's only because I spent 40 hours studying for it. Worst professor ever, if you do have to take 1B with her study for her tests for a very long time, but at all costs avoid this woman.
The first half of the class was a mess. Two TAs of the class were extremely unreliable (one of the TA told students that ratios will NOT be provided on the midterm, but Professor Berges later sent an email to us indicating that ratios will be provided), not know what they supposed to do, and horrible at teaching the materials. Btw, I’ve emailed twice to the TAs and Berges, but they never respond to my emails, so I guess you better go to their office hours for any questions.
In terms of grading, there are 300 points in total, in which midterm is 125pts, individual project is 25pts, and the final worth 150pts. The mean of midterm was 63%, while the final mean was 82.2% (including extra credits). The midterm was harder than the final, but the final includes 8 chapters, so you will have to memorize a lot more for the final.
Homework problems were recommended but not graded, yet I’d say to do the problems for practice since accounting require many practice to memorize the materials. Some questions on the final were also similar to the homework problems.
Overall, the class material is not difficult, but you do need to pay the effort for an A. Fall 2023 is her first time teaching lower division class, maybe that's why this class is harder. However, if you have the chance to take another professor, go for that choice instead.
Tamara is a terrible teacher. She does not deserve to be called by her last name. Her class was so unorganized throughout the entire quarter that I heard people considering dropping 7 weeks into the class. Her midterm was the least thought-out midterm I have ever taken. Students had to continually ask questions during the midterm because the formatting was so confusing and her response to it was to become an arrogant dickhead and try to belittle us as if we were inferior to her. Her ego is through the roof and she needs to be humbled. She is super disrespectful towards her students and TA’s and does not take constructive criticism because she views it as a jab at her. I remember in one TA session we were reviewing the midterm and 80% of the discussion period was just talking about how rude and disrespectful of a person she is to everyone around her. The TA even had evidence of her being super condescending towards a student when they asked a clarifying question. She may know what she is talking about content-wise but it doesn’t make up for her lack of empathy toward her students. Her fits were dogshit too. Overall, do not take her under any circumstance. Wait until you can take it with Woo.
Either Professor Berges completely changed the way she teaches this course, or everyone here was overreacting to the max. Her lectures consist of slides which are pretty easy to follow along, but she can move fast at times due to the amount of material, especially in the second half of the course. I would recommend at least skimming through the textbook prior to the lectures to get a more complete understanding. Berges is also really generous with extra credit if you show up to class and participate.
The first half of the course is spent finishing up introductory financial accounting (continuation from 1A), and the second half pivots to managerial/cost accounting. Graded material consists of a midterm (125 pts), project (25 pts), and a non-cumulative final (150 pts). The project is assigned the day of the midterm and is due a couple of days later, but is take-home/open-note and pretty self-explanatory. As for the exams, the hardest part about them was just the number of questions. Both the midterm and final had multiple-choice and free-response questions in about a 2/3 and 1/3 split, and you can definitely feel the time crunch during the actual test. However, the material of the exams is completely manageable; although practice exams aren't provided, there are optional homework problems from the textbook which are all you need to understand how to solve the questions on the exams.
At the end of the day, a lot of this course comes down to memorization, but going over the textbook problems and in-class examples once or twice will set you up for success; it doesn't require as much time as you may think. Would recommend if you're considering 1B with Berges.
The midterm was hard and a lots of questions, but her lecture was clear and organized. The final was fair. There was homework but not required and one group project. 120A does need a lot of time to study because there are so many new topics covered.
AVOID HER AT ALL COSTS. I did not listen to the below reviews, and heavily regret it. To preface, I received an A+ in MGMT 1A and MGMT 1B with Gardner who was difficult sure, but an amazing teacher who taught beautifully. Berges is by far the worst teacher I have ever experienced in my life. It disappoints me a school of such high caliber like UCLA allows professors like her. She kid you not, reads off the slides during lectures and I did not even pick up my pencil once during class. Maybe in a sociology class this is ok, but in an accounting course this is an unacceptable way to teach. All my classmates and I were forced to teach ourselves the material because of her lack of teaching ability. She assigns homework problems that are extremely long and that do not help prepare you for tests. As a junior preparing for a career in accounting, I am disappointed I did not learn the concepts I needed to. I am very upset with both Berges and the school. Please, if you actually want to learn, do not take her class. You will regret not listening to me and the other reviews. We are right. Trust us. Because I didn't trust them and here I am.
Take this course with a different prof if you can
- the quizzes, final exam and project were all very hard
- she's nice and helpful in class but ignored one of my emails and responded with a passive-aggressive tone to another. maybe she doesn't like talking to students outside of class?
- she gave unclear instructions for the final group project, which was also VERY time-consuming
This class was extremely difficult for no reason. Pairing a ton of material to cover, with a professor that only reads off of slides will be your worst nightmare. The class is composed of a midterm, final and project. While professor provided a list of topics that would be on the exam, it was completely up to the student to find problems that would help them understand that topic. And if you think you know it, you probably don’t. The final project required 20-25hrs of work that didn’t help at all on the tests. The midterm and final were very difficult, mostly because there were no practice problems given to guide us to succeed on the test. While the curve was generous, the amount of stress that I encountered made this class very uncomfortable.
Lecture-wise, Berges is a pretty mediocre professor (just repeated info on the slides with little to no expansion) but is generous with extra credit/the class curve. Although her EC opportunities were nice, the only way to get an A on the exams was to grind your ass off. I studied at least 30 hours for the final alone just because we had to memorize eight chapters of material on a 65+ question 3-hour final.
The material itself is not difficult to comprehend if you put the time into it, and while she gives no practice exams, the "quick study" and "exercise" type questions in the textbook (John Wild, Ken Shaw, Barbara Chiappetta - Loose Leaf for Financial and Managerial Accounting-McGraw Hill) were pretty helpful.
I'd avoid taking this class with this professor if you can since she makes the class much more difficult than it needs to be to effectively teach the material. However, an A is definitely doable if you grind hard. Best of luck to anyone taking this course :)
Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Never met a ruder person who DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF HER STUDENTS. It does not matter how hard you will try! Very soul crushing, honestly. Anyway, good luck keeping up with the business econ GPA requirement :( cuz she will tank your GPA.
Bad, bad, bad, bad. Professor is an actual witch, I wouldn't be surprised if she disintegrated if you threw water on her. Incredibly rude to students and her own ta's. Midterm was actually the worst test i've ever taken and there was no way to review because she doesn't give ant practice tests. The final was easier but that's only because I spent 40 hours studying for it. Worst professor ever, if you do have to take 1B with her study for her tests for a very long time, but at all costs avoid this woman.
The first half of the class was a mess. Two TAs of the class were extremely unreliable (one of the TA told students that ratios will NOT be provided on the midterm, but Professor Berges later sent an email to us indicating that ratios will be provided), not know what they supposed to do, and horrible at teaching the materials. Btw, I’ve emailed twice to the TAs and Berges, but they never respond to my emails, so I guess you better go to their office hours for any questions.
In terms of grading, there are 300 points in total, in which midterm is 125pts, individual project is 25pts, and the final worth 150pts. The mean of midterm was 63%, while the final mean was 82.2% (including extra credits). The midterm was harder than the final, but the final includes 8 chapters, so you will have to memorize a lot more for the final.
Homework problems were recommended but not graded, yet I’d say to do the problems for practice since accounting require many practice to memorize the materials. Some questions on the final were also similar to the homework problems.
Overall, the class material is not difficult, but you do need to pay the effort for an A. Fall 2023 is her first time teaching lower division class, maybe that's why this class is harder. However, if you have the chance to take another professor, go for that choice instead.
Tamara is a terrible teacher. She does not deserve to be called by her last name. Her class was so unorganized throughout the entire quarter that I heard people considering dropping 7 weeks into the class. Her midterm was the least thought-out midterm I have ever taken. Students had to continually ask questions during the midterm because the formatting was so confusing and her response to it was to become an arrogant dickhead and try to belittle us as if we were inferior to her. Her ego is through the roof and she needs to be humbled. She is super disrespectful towards her students and TA’s and does not take constructive criticism because she views it as a jab at her. I remember in one TA session we were reviewing the midterm and 80% of the discussion period was just talking about how rude and disrespectful of a person she is to everyone around her. The TA even had evidence of her being super condescending towards a student when they asked a clarifying question. She may know what she is talking about content-wise but it doesn’t make up for her lack of empathy toward her students. Her fits were dogshit too. Overall, do not take her under any circumstance. Wait until you can take it with Woo.