Mock, Rodney  

During this entire quarter all I could think about was how this professor reminded me of that small little dog that runs through the back of scene 23 in The Incredibles by Pixar. Seriously, if you look it up you will only be able to see it...

Mock is unreal, take him!

Professor Mock is the man. Hands down my favorite teacher at poly. Tax is not an easy subject to teach, let alone make entertaining, but this guy knows his stuff. Participate a lot, do all your homework, actually READ the chapters thoroughly before class and you should do fine. The readings take a long time since there is a TON of information to know. I definitely spent the most amount of time studying for this class over my other classes but it was worthwhile.

Probably the most information intensive class you will take as a business major. The reading is 15-20 pages per class session, with homework due each session. To have a good understanding of the readings, it takes about an hour to get through 5 pages, because there are so many variables and hypotheticals in tax. As far as Rodney goes, extremely knowledgable, and you will be blown away at the pace at which he teaches.... The lectures are a fast two hours, but your brain will hurt when its over. He is extremely helpful, and knows tax inside and out. I am stoked that I got to learn about tax from a practicing professional lawyer. My only beef with this class was that he singled out 7-8 of the people whose names he knew and called on them almost exclusively for the first 6-7 weeks of class, and I was one of them. That made me really uncomfortable, because i'm a keep to myself type of person, just a difference in style really... That being said, it made me want to know my stuff going into class, so I guess that worked. 25% of the class is hw/participation, so show up and turn in your assignments and your grade won't be an issue. If you really want to learn tax, take Mock. You will have all of the resources you need at your disposal, and he will talk you out of the building when you approach him with questions, that's really all you can ask for as a student. Oh, and he gives everyone a chance to relax by showing youtube videos, and he uses them as bonus points on the exams.

Best professor ever! I wish I had others like Mock, the man.

The material is tough, and there is plenty of it, but Mock thoroughly goes over concepts in lecture. Our class was comprised of 1 point HW assignments due every class period, a group tax return, and a midterm and final both worth 40% of your grade. The exams were rigorous, but curved, and you were also allowed to use your book. One thing that was annoying was the fact that the HW answers he uploaded online were from the previous year... Overall, it's a good class taught by a very knowledgeable teacher.

I took professor Mock in the Fall for BUS 320 and he was awesome. At first I was kind of intimidated because he is so knowledgeable and experienced. But after the first couple of weeks he got me hooked on tax and now I am planning on going into a career in taxation. I wish all professors at Cal Poly were so inspiring and motivated. Mock really is the man.

Mock is a pretty solid professor. The thing is, tax is boring as shit. This was probably the most boring class I've had at Poly, although I don't think this was Mock's fault. Tax is just sooooo boring. HW is a piece of cake yet the tests are hard to study for as there is so much to know (but they are open book and you can manage on the fly like I did)

Mock is a boss, plain and simple. He knows his stuff, and makes tax as interesting as it could possibly be. I was indifferent to tax before this class, but have developed a strong interest in it, mostly thanks to Mock!

Mock is a BAD ASS. I wish I could take BUS 417 from him this quarter!

This class is hard. None of your previous classes prepare you for it. There isn't enough time in class for Mock to cover everything. However, Professor Mock inspired me to work hard and learn everything. This class might be easier with another professor, but Mock is the man and he will make you want to work hard.

Mock is a GREAT guy and is extremely knowledgable about tax. However, he is a HORRIBLE teacher to have. He does not know how to present information clearly and directly. Tests are curved, but for a reason. They are extremely hard and his lectures definitely do not prepare you enough for them. It basically is a self-study class. Hardest class you will ever take as an accounting major.

I got an A in professor Mock's class. First off, he is probably one of the most knowledge accounting professors you will have at the school of business. I thought he was amazing, with lots of industry experience. Sure his tests are hard but I still easily aced his class. I can't wait to take him again in corp. Now I want to go into tax thanks to Mock. He is also just an all around great guy and will talk your ear off about tax.

Mocks class wasn't that bad. It was a ton of information. The exams were tough but it was all information we covered. It was probably the most informative class I have taken at OCOB. As for Mock, well I don't know what to say, he is so smart and intense with regard to tax. You couldn't find a better instructor. I also agree with the comments below, he is a way cool professor. I would take him again even though I only got a c.

Writes chicken-scratch on the board, no format for his lecture, all over the place. Horrible teacher. People say that he was the reason why they went tax, well he is the reason I didn't go tax.

I accept full responsibility for my grade, however, his "style" of instruction was a bit chaotic for me to follow. He is well informed and he really wants you to know how smart he is as an instructor. I do not have the ability to teach myself course material and need leadership from my professors. IF you can work on your own and educate yourself on course material he is the instructor for you. If you need guidance, structure, and organized lectures he is not the instructor for you. I do not know him other than a professor, so I am not grading him as a person. I am simply grading him as an instructor who failed miserably!

Never have worked so hard at Cal Poly to barely slide by with a C. I straight failed the first midterm. That being said, Mock is awesome. He made tax interesting which I though impossible. It's a privilege to learn from someone who is so incredible intelligent and talented. If he see's you struggling but knows your trying to improve and are not being an asshole about his teaching methods he isn't going to fail you.

ah, man. Mock is a wild ride. He will knock your socks off with his knowledge. If he could only become more of a teacher and less of a lawyer, I think he will be great. He slowly is getting there, especially since this was his first undergrad class. He grows on you after a while. Can be a bit frustrating, but that is mostly the material. I think he has the book/code memorized. Cool guy, overall.

Rodney Mock is the best professor I have had at Cal Poly. He is very knowledgable about the tax code since he is also a lawyer. If you are planning to pursue tax, you will learn so much from this class and enjoy it at the same time. He teaches in the MS Tax program so it is an elevated course and he expects a lot from you but his goal is to see you do well in the class. He is very fair on his exams and only tests you on topics he has covered during his lectures. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in tax.

This guy clearly knows his stuff, BUT his teaching methods are horrid! The catalog description of this course says it is a lecture class, meaning you would expect some lecture, correct? He doesn't do any lecturing. He leaves the lecturing to the students who he chooses at random, and that is the entire 2 hrs of classtime. He'll pose a question and not wait for anyone to raise their hand with the correct answer, look around the room and pick someone at random whether they know the answer or not... then he'll force an answer out of that person which is usually painfully embarassing for everyone.. I find myself chuckling about it because it is completely f'd up. Everyone is completely silent because they don't want to be picked on. Oh and expect there to be at least 20 super awkward moments during any given class session. If you don't like to be picked on and put on the spot all the time, find another teacher for this class!

Mock not only knows his stuff he is the best professor I have had at Cal Poly.

I agree, Professor Mock is hands down one of the best professors at Cal Poly. His teaching style and knowledge forces the class to think. The class is hard so be prepared, but if you want to really learn tax - take him!

It's times like these that I wish Polyratings was accessible only to Cal Poly students with a valid empl ID number to keep professors from writing reviews about themselves.

I wholly agree with the review below dated May 2. Mock is smart and has an exceptional educational background (which he prominently displays on Blackboard), but the fact remains- the guy is a greenhorn who is still learning on the job when it comes to teaching (I guess "learn by doing" also applies to our so-called "professors" here at Poly). He does not lecture, but rather just randomly interrogates on 3-5 students during the entire two hour class on the material, when he should be the one explaining the concepts in greater depth through his personal industry experiences and expanding it further to how it relates to the "real world;" which is how lectures are supposed to work --> set the foundation, THEN engage the students in discussion. I don't think he realizes that his teaching method of forcing discussion by randomly picking on 3-5 students alienates the other 95% of the class, who has to sit there uncomfortably watching their fellow classmates struggle to explain a concept that they have minimal knowledge of. Mock should really do himself (and his future students) a favor by sitting in on a lecture taught by Dr. Carr or Dr. Savage

mock's teaching style may be a bit unconventional to some, but he definitely tries his best and is generally a good person. he is a very approachable person. this quarter he let the class decide on whether the final should be comprehensive or post midterm stuff, that was cool. also, write down all the you tube videos he shows during the breaks for extra credit points on the exams!

The first few weeks of this quarter were rough, but the second half was not bad at all! I feel like he may have read some of the polyratings below mine and altered his teaching style because they were pretty much dead on until about halfway through the quarter. And yes tax is a hard subject because there is A LOT to know, but the midterm and final are open-book which is awesome. Just make sure you use post-its to bookmark your book and highlight the important stuff. You will thank me later. Also, he is very fair in his grading, is actually a pretty funny guy, is very intelligent, and gives you an opportunity to get bonus points from attending class and playing Pacman and such... you'll see. Take him!

Realize that this is a SENIOR level course -- so don't expect Mock to hold your hand, babysit, and spell everything out for you. If you need help or a question answered, ask him! The man is always enthusiastic, approachable, and appears to genuinely enjoy teaching. His exams are open book, but don't count on it too much otherwise you'll run out of time. I got a "B" on the midterm, then figured out how to study the material, and earned an "A" on the final (A- overall grade). Unlike Individual Taxation (BUS 320) which is based largely on how well you can memorize a bunch of rules and limits; Corporate tax is very conceptual -- so focus on learning the impact on both ends of each transaction (shareholder and corporation), draw diagrams if you have to; everything will be clear. Overall, Mock is a great fit for this course. There's a lot of material to digest which is probably why he lectures at such a frenetic pace -- like he's hopped up on five cans of Redbull. As long as you keep up with the reading and homework, the class is very manageable.

I took this course in Spring \'09 and felt that it helped a lot and played an important role with the success of my internship over the Summer. If you are looking to get into a tax practice with the Big 4 (or any other firm for that matter), then this should be your accounting elective course. It is certainly tougher than the others, but provides the most relevant content. Plus, it will look great on your resume when applying for internships because CP SLO is one of the very few colleges in California that offer a corporate tax course at the undergraduate level.

Mock is the man! I would take his class again. Make sure you tab your text for the exam though.

I had professor Mock in Winter, 2009. He is a very funny, smart and cool guy. The class was not that hard (he loves Youtube videos), if you study and follow his lectures it all works out. I agree that you should tab your book for the exams, but the exams are long so you do not have much time to look things up! Great class, cool prof.

Professor Mock is a great instructor especially for 417. Tax is a difficult subject; Do not expect this class to be easy. Read the chapters and do the homework to stay ahead of the material. The class (and his lectures) move VERY fast. For the exams, focus on the examples in the book - many of the questions are very similar to the examples. Tabbing the book before exams helps quite a bit, but you must know the material as well. He is very helpful at office hours and he knows tax really, really well.

I can't believe there are people hating on Mock! He is hands down the best professor I've had at Cal Poly. He has a lot of energy, a good sense of humor and tells you exactly what he wants you to focus on. It's a tough class, but if you fail it's only because of your own shortcomings as a student. As far as him asking the students a lot of questions, it's probably because he comes from a law background in which the Socratic method of discussion is commonly used. As long as you've done the reading, you won't look stupid when he calls on you. Just pay attention, study what he tells you to study, and there's no reason to worry.

Tough grader, but good teacher.

Professor Mock, man I love that guy! He is such an awesome teacher. He makes tax law come alive, and not only is he a beast in the classroom, he is a beast in the weight room. It's been rumored that the man can put up 300+ on the bench and is training for the bench press championships of the world. If you have a chance to take Mock and don't, you will end up homeless in a ditch one day and you'll say to yourself, "Why didn't I just take Corporate Tax with Mock?" Don't end up homeless in a ditch.....

Mock is a really cool person, and I think that is why he is such a popular professor. But he really isn't great as a teacher. He starts class late, and gives a 15 minute break in the middle, and often shows us random youtube videos that he finds funny. He teaches by reading straight out of the book, and scribbling some diagrams on the board, and it can be quite difficult to follow. There are no powerpoints or note sheets to help you follow his thoughts, so be prepared to do a lot of learning on your own. He is very strict with attendance, which is ridiculous, considering how much time he wastes in class.

These two failures beneath me must be retarded. JK. But in tax, you can't expect the professor to spoon feed you material. It's not that hard, but it takes a certain style of thinking to get it and is mostly self taught. So if you don't get it, don't feel too dumb but don't blame it on Mock either. About him: Others are spot on. He can be pretty intense, but he's an interesting guy. For those of us who actually get it, he's a great teacher. If you're interested in tax, he's a great resource to the school. If you're kinda dumb and don't want to hurt your GPA/social life take somebody else.

Wow, I cannot believe Professor Mock gave the person below a C and he/she does not even know the difference between later and latter. This person must not have ever been "challenged" enough in life to learn the difference or maybe he/she is just challenged in general. This is a graduate student at Cal Poly? What an embarrassment. My experience with Mock is he demands a lot, but for those willing to work he is not that bad. I would take him again if I could.

Mock is amazing! He is one of best professors I have taken at the school of business. He runs circles around us in class. I just accepted a job in tax thanks to Mock.

Took Mock for 417. He was way chill. He is pretty cool when you get to know him. He mixed up his teaching style a bit and the exam was closed book. The class was great, at least in my opinion. He is VERY smart though, which I guess can be uncomfortable for those with a low IQ. If you are a hard worker you will like Mock. Be prepared though he teaches really fast.

The material is extremely difficult and tedious, and Mock lectures really fast, which is normally not a good combination. Mock recently changed his exam style and made the exam closed book, no notes, and all free response. He was EXTREMELY generous with his grading curve, and the exams were relevant to all the information we covered in class. And there was a lot of partial credit, so it was fairly easy to do well on the exams. I went into this class thinking it was going to be difficult to pass, and I went into every exam thinking that I was going to fail. I got an A. It's hard, but definitely doable.

Hardest course for an accounting major. If you are not prepared to put in the work, don't take this course. You will fail. Put in the work and you will gain knowledge beyond the scope of the class and will hopefully end up with a decent grade

Mock knows what he's talking about. A fair grader and understands his students' concerns. Take notes and read before every lecture to grasp the material he is going to talk about in class. This course is very manageable if you put in the work.

Absolutely worst professor I have ever had at Cal Poly. He is arrogant, an asshole, and a mess. No structure to his lecture and above all else he is intimidating and the learning environment he creates is not conducive to class participation/motivational learning. There is a difference between a teacher that is challenging in a way that makes you into a smarter student and someone who just fails in every aspect of being a professor. Rodney falls into the later. Stay away from this devil.

Mock is the boss for sure. He does like you tube videos although we only watched a few. His lectures are very fast so you need to do the reading the night before otherwise you are screwed, especially when he asks you questions. His tests are long, but not that hard, so be prepared. He is definitely the best accounting instructor I have had at Cal Poly. I had him as an undergraduate also. The guy also benches like an absolute animal. I spotted him in the gym one day. Take him if you can!! Just be prepared to work hard though. And he is a cool dude without a doubt. My only critic would be he needs to be more patient for us slow learners.

Absolutely the best professor I have yet to had at Cal Poly. The class is not by any means easy, but his tests are fair and he inspires you to push hard and succeed at what you do. Homework and the tax return are just easy points to boost the grade, and two exams make up the rest of the quarter. His humor and fast paced lecture makes the time go by fast, and his interaction with students shows his care for the student's success. His passion for tax is addicting and he makes you want to learn. TAKE MOCK.

This guy is the biggest piece of trash this side of the Mississippi. Worst teacher ever. Terrible lecturer. A terrible human being.

Get ready to teach yourself; Mock is the worst teacher in the MSA program. He needs a serious teaching lesson from Beaman. He thinks that he's a law professor, so he just keeps talking and talking, burying the point somewhere in his repetitive, dry fluff. His lectures are horribly boring and dry, which is why no one pays attention and there is no participation in class. Even if he tries to get participation, he answers the question for you and then asks you, "Right?" All you have to do is say, "Yes." His voice is really annoying; think of yourself doing a foghorn impression. It really is almost unbearable. It was like pulling teeth to get him to post his 8,000,000 words-a-slide PowerPoint presentations online, but don't expect those to be posted before class (even though your homework must be turned in two days before the due date). Reading is somewhat manageable, but avoid signing up for the first 704(b) homework assignment.

i think Rodney P. Mock is legit. P.S. Some people think his voice is sexy.

Mock's alright overall. He just doesn't seem to be the most approachable sometimes and acts arrogantly about what he wants and how he wants it. The class is tough, so a lot of time is required. Be prepared to study and work hard

This anonymity thing is bunk. Mock is a smart professor, relatively entertaining compared to other GSA teachers, and tries his guts out for his students. The students in the class generally avoid participating when possible. It's gotta be like teaching students on strike.