Mintz, Steven  

Mintz turns out to be the chair of the Accounting Department, which really suprises me. His teaching style involved scribbling numbers very small on the board and only really working on problems. We barely did any theory material, it was mostly practical, going over problems. The difficulties came from Mintz just writing numbers on the board and jumping right in to working on problems and not really helping us understand what we were solving or why. Most of my learning came from the book. We went over a chapter a week at first, which is a very nice pace, but it soon increases to two chapters a week. Homework is not due, except for three problems which have to be typed up on excel. Only two of these problems counted towards our grade. We reviewed homework for about a half-hour to an hour every class meeting. This was good because it helped reinforce how to do the problems, but if you did the homework, the pace was way too slow and monotonous, while if you didn't do the homework, it would be way too fast and you would be lost. Mintz lectures in a very monotone voice and his class was extremely boring and ardous at times. His class required a lot of work on your own to be able to understand the material. There are two midterms and one final. They were pretty hard tests. The first one was very difficult and the class did poorly. There was rampant cheating on the test, which Mintz did not catch. So while most of the class did poorly, there were many disproportionate unearned high grades. The second was much better because everyone was allowed a note sheet for the test. We were also allowed to have a note sheet on the final. There was also a presentation that we had to do for the class. It was very last minute and we weren't given very much time for it. It wasn't that hard, but it was disappointing for the groups who worked really hard, because Mintz was falling asleep during one day of presentations! There was also an optional paper due that was on the differences between managerial and financial accounting. Overall, the class was very boring, very hard (due to the lack of teaching), and I would not recommend it. Mintz seemed like he knew what he was doing, but had a hard time relating his knowledge to the class.

If you can, avoid taking Man. Accounting with Mintz. I went to every class but it was a waste of time. I learned more from the book and just doing practice problems than I did from him. He actually confused me more. But unfortunately you have to go to class to turn in homework, and then once you turn in your one or two problems for the day, you have to sit there and listen to him do all the other problems you didnt turn in. So there was probably about a half an hr of lecture every class. He goes over some chapters other teachers in man. accounting skip because they are unimportant and goes at a very fast pace considering he barely teaches.

Mintz is quite a nice guy, and knowledgeable about his subject, but he's just a poor teacher. The class is not so difficult in regards to the subject matter, but the fact that he just speaks in accounting jargon for two hours, and EXTREMELY monotonously at that, makes this class literally painful. I really tried paying attention and put forth physical effort to stay focused, but it was just futile. If you don't like the prospect of teaching yourself the subject, really do not even consider taking the class.

Just wanted to comment on Mintz. The below reviews are true, I taught myself Managerial Accounting last quarter when I took it with him. He is not that bad though, I wouldn't recommend him if you expect him to teach you the material but if you are really busy and have a tough load (I took 17 units last quarter) I would recommend him because this class lets you learn accounting at your own pace. I got a B+ and was really hoping trying for an A- but didn't quite make it.

This class wasn't very hard to do good in, but it was very hard to pay attention. You have to teach everything to yourself. Mintz tends to give really bad notes and bad explanations, he is very hard to listen to because he is so slow. However if you do the examples and just practice the tests aren't to bad, but be prepared to teach it to yourself!

suuuuuper boring. Not too difficult, except we have to do the homework for a chapter before he even lectures on it so you basically have to teach yourself. I studied super hard for the midterm and got a B, the class average was a 70%. it was nothing like we learned in class, he would teach us the basic principles of a topic and test us on the advanced application of it. Hard not to fall asleep in class...he's a good guy but the class is more routine than helpful.

Howdy, Mintz was a decent instructor. His tests and quiz's are absurd. I have never had a 5 page quiz before this class. Tests are long and you have to memorize the accounting process in the book or your screwed. And he does teach like you are in third grade. Be warned....

Mintz doesn’t “teach” accounting. He only goes over homework problems that he has assigned out the book. You only have to turn in one problem a week, which is nice. The class consists of three quizzes that are 10 t/f and 15-20 multiple choice (drop your lowest), 2 midterms with 25 multiple choice and 3-4 longer problems (like from the homework), and a final like the midterms. Class is incredibly boring, and I left early on numerous occasions, but the tests and quizzes are no cake-walks – you’ll have to study if you want an A, but if you put in a little time, it really isn’t incredibly difficult from there.

Dr. Mintz is an adorable old man with a thick new york accent who always wears his pants too high. In terms of his teaching abilities, he doesn\'t really teach you anymore than you would learn from reading the text book. You have homework due once a week that is assigned from the book at the end of each chapter. You HAVE TO understand the homework to do well on tests and quizzes. You will probably have to teach yourself a lot, but the material is not overly difficult if you know basic mathematics. There are three quizzes, one midterm, a paper, and a final exam. He drops your lowest quiz, which helps your grade a lot. Overall, if you set aside the time to really read the book and do the homework, it should not be difficult to get at least a B or higher in his class.

Accounting isn't a subject that can be "taught", only clarified. Mintz' homework assignments and tests aren't terrible, however, it takes a lot of time and dedication to the textbook to be successful. Although his lectures seem to drag on forever, if you pay attention to his small suggestions, this will save time and allow you to take your time on tests. Mintz isn't the best teacher I've had at Cal Poly, but certainly not the worst... I'd recommend.

I'm not sure why Mintz has such bad Polyratings. He's an extremely nice professor and knows what he's doing. Yes his lectures can be dry, but he does example problems that correlate with the homework and it's super helpful. He also hands out packets of practice problems (and solutions) as well as study guides before the exams. I personally dislike accounting, but Mintz made this class bearable with his focus on ethics and helpful examples!

Steven Mintz is about as bad as it gets. He does not know what homework he assigns because he has a program that you have to buy online. He doesn't know ho to communicate to students clearly. He hasn't taught me anything and I have had to go to countless tutors and reteach everything. His tests are the hardest tests I have ever taken at Cal Poly and he doesn't curve them or anything. His homework is relatively easy along with his study guides so it doesn't make any sense to why he tests are so hard. He expects you to learn from the terrible lectures he gives that you fall asleep in half the time. Horrible teacher, don't take unless you absolutely have too. Clueless

Steve Mintz is a very average professor. He does an okay job conveying the material, although there is no organization in the form of powerpoints or any other visual aids. The format of the online homework is very different from the way questions are presented on tests, which makes the midterms and final challenging. On a good note, he hands out a review packet before each exam with questions he has used on exams in the past. There is also a business ethics assignment worth 10% of your grade which is easy to do well on if you pay attention to the case studies he presents over the course of the quarter. Overall, Dr. Mintz is not the most interesting guy you'll ever take a class from, but he provides acceptable structure to the always-difficult subject of managerial accounting. This class is brutal no matter who you take it with.

Mintz is a great teacher. Very willing to help students if they come prepared and does not mind repeating material. It is clear that he aims to help students, not to give tricky exams. His classes are very boring and don\'t require attendance, especially since he doesn\'t collect homework or give pop quizzes. His exams are a piece of cake. The book is verrrrry expensive so try to find a used one online or on Uloop.

This was my second class with Mintz and it wasn\'t bad at all. If you have taken managerial accounting with him then you already know what this class is like, he runs them pretty much the same. There are two midterms and i think three quizzes and he drops one of the quizzes. You don\'t have to turn in hwk, but if you don\'t do it at some point before the test you\'re pretty much screwed. The final was really hard compared to his midterms and quizzes, but he must have curved it or something lol. Overall, Mintz is a sweet guy who knows his accounting... i would definitely reccommend him!

3 quizzes (lowest dropped), 1 midterm, 1 final. Homework is never collected, but if you don't do it, your grades on the quizzes and exams will suffer. There are 2 types of lectures: the one where he presents the material before homework is due, and the one where he goes over the homework after the material has been presented. Classes are dry sometimes, but you get a lot out of it. Dr. Mintz never tries to surprise anyone with ridiculous quiz and/or exam questions, and is a very fair grader. It's easy to ask him a question. Take him

Professor Mintz is a solid teacher. His class is very straight forward as well: you get assigned homework and you go over it in class. That's pretty much it. The tests are difficult but definitely manageable provided that one goes over the homework problems and understands them. I really appreciated Mintz's overall approach to the class - he pretty much says: here is what you need to know, it will be tested, you don't need to do this or that, study hard or you won't be able to do the problems on the test. Oh, and he says to read the chapters but I never did. He only assigns a couple of problems per chapter and next to each problem it tells you what section of the chapter it is in, so what I would do is only read the sections of the chapter that will be on your homework.

Super easy class.

Fine teacher, but a little dry in the presentation. I wouldnt suggest having her at 8:00 in the morning, might be difficult staying awake.

He is very, very boring. I got an A without ever coming to class. Just read the textbook he wrote, he basically tells you what is going to be on the midterm, he lets you send him your term papers via e-mail to 'review' before you turn it in which basically means you get an A. He grades presentations very arbritrarily. He didn;t seem to know anyone's name in the class but, if for some reason, he decides he doesn't like you your case presentaion grades (making up about 60% of the grade) suddenly drop.

I took 424 because I figured it would be an easy way to fulfill one of my accounting electives. The only reason people attended this class was that he passed a roll sheet around every day. The material was very much common sense, and class was a waste of time. I got A's on both the presentations, a B on the midterm, and a C- on the final paper. He focused on grading minute grammatical "errors" (which were really more like differences in writing style, not actual errors) instead of the overall content and scope of the paper. This was especially annoying as the textbook (which he co-authored)was riddled with errors (insure/ensure, anyone?) This guy should have retired long ago.

So my second class here with Mintz (I took him for Managerial Accounting and missed an A- by a hair) and I liked it. BUS 424 isn't rocket science its ethics, a bit of law thrown in as it applies to accounting, and a lot of emphasis of fraud and the different past accounting scandals and what we can learn from them. There were 2 quizzes and the lowest was dropped, a paper, a midterm and final, and a case presentation. Now this may seem like a lot of work but its not that bad. The quizzes mean reading the assigned chapter and his powerpoint(BOTH) and making/studying your own study sheet. This will also save you time in preparing for the midterm. As far as the case presentation goes just put some effort into it and apply the concepts from the class as well as what you learned from your Intermediate I,II classes if you want him to be really impressed. The paper is also very manageable since he encourages you to email him a draft early so he can give you feedback (very helpful since he gave me a lot of feedback that basically tells you what you need to fix). Lastly, the final was a bit tricky (much much harder than the midterm) so do your best here but don't be too upset if you don't perform as well. A couple last pieces of advice. Be interested in the subject material it really goes a long way with Mintz. Participate/ask questions (this is critical). Accounting ethics may be a bit subjective sometimes and the essay section on the midterm/final and even the paper somewhat so study both from what he says in class and the book. One thing that is a con I would say is sometimes the questions were worded a bit unclear on the quizzez and midterms so I had to take some extra time figuring out the right answer. Overall good instructor and although it may be hard to pay attention in the morning, just do all these things and you should get an A.

This is not a numbers course, so leave your calculators at home (whew!!). Rather, this is an ethics course -- think: Enron, SOX, fraud, and the magical ethical slippery slope (you\'ll know what that\'s all about once you take this course haha). The course consists of three quizzes (lowest one dropped) which contain multiple choice and short answer type questions. The midterm and final are similar to the quizzes with the addition of an essay question. There is also one 8-12 page term paper, and one case presentation which is done in groups of 4-6 people. This may seem like a lot of work, but it is very manageable due to the moderate level of difficulty of the coursework -- as he tends to grade the essays and presentations rather leniently. Mintz is also the author of the textbook, which contains fairly short chapters and is easy to read.

The information in the class is pretty straight forward. The material in the class is not hard to learn. It is simple reading and memorization for tests. The tests are harder than you think. He loves to be tricky and put multiple answers that could be the answer but you are supposed to read his mind and guess which one is the \"best\" answer. This can be quite annoying so if you go into his office hours and explain with proof why you believe one answer is true you may get points back on exams. I have never had a teacher at poly be so arrogant with me. I found Professor Mintz to appear to be helpful but in the end he could care less about your grade or how you do in the class. As a senior at cal poly this was the first time I had ever come across a teacher like this. He rarely gives A\'s on his papers or presentations so do not feel discouraged. He does not have any apparent grading structure but nothing is good enough for him. Even if you have him correct your paper before hand- he doesn\'t care and he probably is not even really reading it. He may tell you it is fine and add a few things but he could care less. He did not seem like he was there to help or teach us but merely there because he had to be. Not the best representation of the accounting staff at cal poly. Keep in mind this class is pretty light in the workload so do not be discouraged from taking it. Just a heads up he is quite arrogant and don\'t expect an easy A just because the class is a joke.

This guy is a hoot. Easily the most vain, narcissistic, self-obsessed PERSON (not even professor) you will ever meet. He calls himself the "ethics sage" and has his own personal blog, in which he even has a blog about how great he is! check it some of the quotes from his article on himself: Biographical Sketch of Dr. Steven M. Mintz, aka Ethics Sage Dr. Mintz enjoys an international reputation as a leader in academic accounting ethics. His co-authored textbook titled Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in Accounting: Text and Cases (2nd edition) is published by McGraw-Hill Irwin. It is used by 40 colleges and universities in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Mintz has published more than 20 research papers in accounting and business ethics. Dr. Mintz has written opinion editorial pieces for major publication outlets and was recently interviewed for a N.Y. Times article on work place ethics (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/jobs/24career.html). His ethics blog under the pen name ethics sage is widely read both in and outside the U.S. The website link is: http://www.ethicssage.com. As far as the class goes, its really easy. You don't have to read the assigned readings each class, and he tells you exactly what to study for the 1 midterm and 1 final. There was only 1 paper, which he grades rather strictly (don't forget how awesome he is at everything, so you are very inferior). I put in a few hours of studying for each test and pulled an A-. He will give you feedback on your paper before turning it in too, which is highly recommended. Careful not to offend him, he is a "sage."

I'd agree with the last review. Absolutely the most narcissistic, self-righteous professor I have ever come across. He thinks he's the most ethical person around, and will grade you harshly if your opinion differs from his. That being said, the class isn't too tough. It's probably the most boring class I've ever taken. He just goes on and on and on, ripping on accounting firms. So, if you can handle listening to a boring lecturer who is totally obsessed with himself and is a self-proclaimed ethics sage, go for it. He really does call himself "The Ethics Sage."

Terrible teacher. Easy course and doesn't connect with students at all. Easy but you won't really learn anything because he isn't a good teacher by any means.

Mintz isn't a terribly difficult professor, but he is very out of touch with current accounting regulations, which is concerning. He spent this quarter teaching us about the old field standards and audit report, neither of which are in use anymore. When the class tried to mention this to him, since we felt it was a bit ridiculous that he would teach us out of date material, he seemed unaware that things had changed. If you are going for your CPA, I would recommend avoiding this class, at least until he updates his book. Learning outdated information will only confuse you when it comes time to take the exams.

He's teaching outdated material and he doesn't seem to care. He doesn't offer any useful feedback on assignments, and grades harshly. His lectures are painfully boring. I'm done with accounting classes and I have nothing but good things to say about the rest of the department, but this class was a waste of time.

If you only have 2 hours to live, this class will make it feel like the longest 2 hours of your life. It's definitely not a hard class, just 2 midterms, 3 cases and a group presentation. He isn't very helpful when it comes to questions because he can't think on his feet, he just spews information, but the class isn't terrible if you have an internet connection and 2 hours to kill.

He used to be easy but not right now, he made the midterm and final super hard! only short answer that all! If you did not do well. You gonna fail the midterm and final! Speech is hard as well as the blog! Good thing is if you try hard enough, you gonna pass!

Prof. Mintz is a uninterested, dry, and unamused professor. Whether it be his lack of interest in the subject matter or more importantly his disinterest in his students, he seems to have no desire of being in the classroom or teaching at all. It would be nice if he took a moment to explain what he is looking for on exams or in a presentation, or to extend a hand to a student asking for help. However, I don't see this happening anytime in the future with his current teaching pattern.

The worst teacher I have ever encountered at Cal Poly. Does not engage with students, throws material on the board and on note sheets. He writes short irrelevant blogs but when grading the blogs he assigned us, he made us write 6 pages and graded them harshly. His tests are hard unless you read the book and memorize everything, no guidelines given for the case evaluations and overall just a horrible teacher. Ethics should be mainly intuitive but since this dude wrote the book he tries to bolster everything and try to make it more than what it should be. AVOID IF POSSIBLE.