Sign In
Welcome to theCourseForum!
Please log in to continue.
Oh my lord, this class was atrocious. It was the most boring and useless class I've ever taken at UVA. Aside from the lectures being torture, the assignments are ridiculous, and they're not even hard; they're just busy work. She would ask you to write 700-800 words on a life simulation that you did for 30 minutes. I truly lost valuable time when I could have been doing anything else but that. My tip for anyone reading this is that you still need to get a good grade in this class, and it's very doable. The assignments just need time, and the exams are easy but tricky. There are no exam reviews, but don't waste too much time taking notes—go over the lecture slides she posts and make Quizlets or study guides. Don't listen to people on Reddit who say that the exams are easy and the final was easier. It's all cap.
Professor Hoopes is a great instructor (speaks clearly/at good pace, supportive of students, gets main ideas across, brings in IRL examples of content) and the workload isn't too bad. Group projects can get frustrating, but depends on who you end up working with and isn't necessarily a reflection of everyone's experience. There's a 48 hr grace period for assignments, so as long as you stay on top of work there's definitely time to get everything done. Exams are basically all MCQ (some matching questions) and aren't bad if you read the textbook + pay attention in lecture.
Prof Hoopes is strict but also a very kind person. Class is EXTREMELY straightforward: come to class, follow directions & do the assignments on time and you will def do well. Great intro to business class - you learn a little about a lot which was great. Tests are extremely vocab heavy but also very fair. Easy to do well if you put in the effort.
Easiest content in the world, but made so abstract for no reason. Hoopes is super enthusiastic and such a sweet person, but this class can definitely be a drag at times because of the content. Quizzes are open note and take home. Make sure you sweat out on the assignments, do the extra credit (trust me it helps), and make flashcards/memorize the heck out of the study guide topic/vocab. Should be a pretty chill class overall, it definitely taught me a lot about some modern business issues. Def don't take unless it's a pre-req for Mcintire #tCFF23
I took this course with Hoopes and its all memorization. Very easy material but Hoopes makes it so difficult for no reason. Exams include specific info from the readings, lectures, and current events, so make sure you take notes on info you don't think is important. She gives study guides before each test so make sure you complete yours very well to use for studying. I found that doing my study guide was the best way to study for exams. Go into depth with the assignments because she takes like 0.25 off for no reason so be specific and detailed with those writing assignments. Overall a lot of busy work but not hard to get an A.
For someone who has never done anything with commerce or business, this class was a good introductory course. However, I can see why people with previous experience would find it very boring. The examples we went over in class were pretty interesting, and I found myself usually paying attention in class. However, the classwork felt pretty elementary and some of the assignments seemed like they were made for middle school. Most of the homework was more like busy work and did not help me to better understand the overall class. For the assignments, you would get no feedback from the TAs, even when you lost points. Although the midterm was pretty easy, the final was extremely hard in comparison and had questions about things we talked about briefly once. On Yikyak, many complained about the difficulty of the exam but I ended with a high 80. In general, I did not feel very strongly about this class on either end, and it was just ok overall.
From what I heard, Hoopes was much easier this semester compared to past.
There are weekly readings which I'd put most of my focus into. You get all you need from there. The grades are spread out pretty evenly with each exam being around 25% of your grade. So do as well as you can on all the other assignments if you want a cushion for the exams. If you can, don't stress about the assignments since they're very straightforward and have a much easier grading rubric [honestly put your heart into that corporate design aesthetic and you'll do well if the content is relatively correct]. Pre-class quizzes are open note, so do well on them since they'll help your grade. The lecture was dry at times unless you got to a portion you were genuinely interested in. Sometimes she'd mention information that you should actually take notice of since they clarify or expand and are included in the exam. There are also a few extra assignments each month that you should put enough effort in to do well. For exams, grab a buddy you trust and fill out the study guide together in detail. Literally follow what is mentioned in it and you'll do well.
#tCFfall22
I'll start off with saying that Prof. Hoopes has improved this course significantly over past semesters. This class was known for being far more annoying and generally difficult, however that is far from the case now. Prof. Hoopes has made the class considerbly more straightforward. But if we're being honest you were probably going to take this class anyways. So instead, I'll give you some important tips on how to make this class as easy as can be.
First off, you really do not need to put too much effort into this class. You do not need to take notes on every detail in the lectures or the readings. Even if you have a surface level understanding of what we're learning, you will be ok. She gives a study guide before every exam. As long as you go through each and every term and go over some of the pre-class quizzes, you will get an A on the exam. Lectures are somewhat interesting, so listen to them, or just do work for another class. There are a lot of small filler assignments that a lot of people generally put far too much effort into. All the graders are looking for is aesthetics and length. As long as you write enough and your graphs/tables/infographic looks good, you will get an A. The only reason I've gotten points off on these assignments is because of formatting or aesthetics. Pre-class quizzes are open-note, take advantage of this. This class is fun if you have fun with it. The more you stress out, the harder it will seem.
Hoopes aimed to deliver basic and broad knowledge of the business world. While the material and lectures were dry, I feel she accomplished that. I did minimal work and readings, as she gave study guides prior to each exam. The tools to succeed are readily available for students who wish to use them.
If you are planning on applying to the comm school, you have to take this course. If you look at reviews from previous semesters, Prof Hoopes was known for being pretty tough. However, this semester she has made the course MUCH easier and if you have any prior business knowledge you will find most of the course as a review. The course consists of two exams and one larger group project as well as some smaller assignments. Class participation is counted so going to lecture is required, though I found it not helpful at all. As long as you do the readings, you can do well in class. I recommend looking at the review she posts for exams, as it outlines exactly what topics you need to know. If you get a good group assigned then the group project is easy and can be very enjoyable. Overall one of my easier classes for the semester and I finished with an A. #tCFfall22
This class was boring. Most of the lectures are just giving terms to things that are common sense. Honestly, things were not that enjoyable and most people just talk all class. There is a good amount of work associated with the class but most of it seems like busy work. Exams are fine, not too hard but not a walk in the ballpark. The final simulation isn't bad but just hope you get a group that gets work done. There is also a good amount of reading associated with the course.
It is clear that Professor Hoopes is passionate in what she teaches. However, the class was A LOT of work, there were tiny assignments, and she was a hard grader. The material was pretty self explanatory, however, the exams were hard. The questions went over topics that we didn't really touch based on and they were very detailed specific. I do understand the professor wants students be engaged and challenge them intellectually, however, it didn't feel like it. Especially because there were SOO many assignments that were like 10 points each. It's like there were a gazillion assignments and as the year went on, there was less importance and time going towards each of the tiny assignment. Towards the end of the year, we did a bike simulation and I thought it was incredibly informative. I didn't like the simulation and the group aspect, however, I felt like this was the most I have learned in that class.
I didn't think this course was as bad as people made it out to seem, but definitely agree that the tests were unnecessarily tricky for basic information that should have been simple. There is an excessive amount of busy work and she takes off points arbitrarily for assignments without explaining why. I think she has gotten better since the first semester that she taught, but clearly she still has a long way to go.
The material for this class seems like it should be easy but the exams are hard for no reason. We learn about things that are self explanatory (innovation, key traits of a leader, how to avoid failure). There is also a lot of projects out of class and you spend most of the time writing reflections "reflecting" on the project you just did -> which is just busy work. Then on every project points are taken off without explanation.
Exam questions are super specific on vocabulary that has no real purpose.. Hoopes is very nice person and very approachable but she makes the class more difficult than it needs to be. She really does care about us and wants us to do well, but the course is not structured in an effective way. The most beneficial thing we did all semester was the bike simulation - which was group work on our own independent from the lectures. Only take this class if you absolutely have to for pre-reqs. It is filled with a lot of busy work.
However, if you do the busy work, you will get a good grade. It's mostly effort based besides the exam. But, I didn't learn anything of value really.
Hoopes is a really nice and understanding professor. Honestly I'm only writing this review because everyone literally ripped her to pieces for no reason lol and I don't want the incoming first years who want to try out comm get stressed. Comm is literally the easiest class, its my easy A class.
We have readings that a fairly short and online reading quizzes that you take on your own. The lecture is essentially just about the readings and her explaining examples of the concepts using real companies. Our exams are so easy I finished in 20 minutes. She literally gives you a study guide of what is going to be on the exam. Which is why I think its so funny that people are saying she brings up random things on the exam...she gave us a 6 page detailed doc of questions she would ask lol. If you do the readings and take notes in lecture you will get an A on the exams. The people complaining are the people who thought they could do no work and skip and get a good grade. There are also projects that'll bring your grade up if you need it.
Everything in this class is easy and common sense. I find it interesting and its a good pre-req for comm school.
Professor Hoopes is generally okay at describing the content but her lectures just go over our reading. I found most of the content in the course somewhat random and irrelevant. There is quite a bit of work and as someone already mentioned, most of it is just busy work and time-consuming. I can't say that I have learned much in this course, to be honest, and the exams are tested upon things that we barely went over in class. It's a shame that this is a mandatory class for commerce.
Hoopes is a really nice professor. The class is easy, just study the notes and her presentations. Some of the information might seem meaningless or repetitive, but the class is still easy. The only part of the class that is unfair are the group projects; if your group is bad that it would reflect poorly on your grade. Everyone is saying the class is dumb and not fair. In reality, if you treat the class like a game of memorization and following the patterns that you notice from her grading style, you will get an A.
This course was quite the opposite of introduction. The material was not that bad but the way it was taught was. Prof. Hoopes is definitely knowledgeable but didn't seem like she wanted to be teaching and gave an insane amount of work without a care. She was not very personal, helpful, or engaging. It seemed like a waste of time to go to class since she posted the slides and never added anything more, but attendance is a graded. Her tests are incredibly unfair for the level of material. It should not have been anything crazy hard but she picks the most detailed, irrelevant piece of material that she might've mentioned once and puts it all over the exam. The exams are "multiple choice" but its not all that much better when there 7 answer choices. It was ridiculous, my studying really did not help as much as it should've. She also gives very little feedback so you never really know why you got any grade. Your grade is all based on a bunch of tedious busy work that you just have to do thoroughly. The assignments take a bit to do but its such a big factor. Overall I did not like the way she went about teaching this class and hope to have a better experience in the future. Its sad because it could have been a really fun class considering that assignments were interesting and the material wasn't too heavy, but she really butchered it.
In short, Hoopes is nice but her course was pretty dumb.
Here’s what you need for an A:
- attend lectures and take notes (attendance graded)
- do the readings (exams based on regurgitating info from the readings)
- BS a ton of writing and slog through busywork assignments
To begin, Hoopes clearly cares about the course, the material, and the students. She’s passionate about the material, incorporating daily business news that’s relevant to the topic, and lecturing in a manner that was engaging most of the time.
However, work/exams outside of lectures were bloated, annoying, and felt like a waste of time. The exams were all 40 MC questions, and as long as you take notes and do the readings you should be able to get a 90+ on all of them. The questions can get pretty annoying and ticky-tacky, asking for EXACT definitions (Is it “A. Customer Supporting or B. Customer Support”? Seriously???). Still, I finished each exam within 20 minutes.
Besides exams and attendance, two other types of assignments make up the bulk of your grade: the Company Portfolio and Group Projects. These are time-consuming and feel like assignments you get in a 10th grade history class when your teacher needs to fill the gradebook with random stuff. The Portfolio Project required 8 essays, about one a week, in which you selected a public company and wrote about aspects that were loosely tied to material in the course. They boiled down to “Jem Rian is the CEO of Chipotle. His leadership style is super good because he loves delicious Mexican food and makes sure all his employees cook delicious Mexican food with delicious Mexican ingredients”. Filler words to fill a word count for a filler assignment. Doing the bare minimum was enough for low 90s. The group projects are a similar story.
Overall, an easy A if your willing to waste your time.
Material is really easy, but everything else makes the class a joke. The exam question are out of pocket and shouldn't even be considered as questions. If you weren't in the class, you would barely know it was about "commerce." It's pretty much impossible to be completely prepared for the exams since there's a lot of irrelevant questions. Really wish I didn't have to take this course. Lots of work that is waste of your time instead of really learning about business.
Honestly, people are being too harsh on Prof. Hoopes. Everything in this course (barring the simulations) is effort-based. The grade you receive on written assignments depends on the effort that you made drawing on concepts covered in the modules. The tests are multiple-choice and Hoopes gives a review sheet beforehand. To prepare for this, one can make quizlets and draw information from the readings. This class is pure memorization (but don't cram). Even though some test questions may draw on lectures, people generally do okay on them. As for the material, I felt that many concepts were shallow, and this course would be better if fewer topics were taught with more depth.
One of the gripes I had with this class is that people had to grade each other's portfolios. 5% of your grade hinged on the mercy of the people who grade you. It just irritates me to see my grade lowered because some people decided to grade harshly on your rough drafts. Also, the grade received on the bike simulation depended on the quality of your group, which (even though I had a good group) did not seem fair. Plus, her 3rd module exam was a dumpster fire. But, there are so many components to your grade, and it's nice to see that one bad grade won't destroy your grade. While there are a lot of issues in the course, it is still very bearable, and will only get better as Hoopes teaches more. It's very possible to get a good grade, and it depends on how much effort you put into the class. This class isn't the best that I took at UVA, but it certainly doesn't deserve 1 and 2-star ratings.
It's clear that Professor Hoopes knows a lot about the business, finance, accounting, commerce space, but the way this class it taught is absolutely awful and I learned nothing commerce or business related from the class. The lectures were dry, boring, and added nothing to my learning. All it did was restate the same things from our assigned readings, which were also tedious and non beneficial to most things business related. 90% of the work was just busy work and very tedious with no beneficial learning. Her grading also changed midway through the course, and she began taking off random points for no reason with no explanation "just because" There was often no rubric or guidelines to many of the assignments we did and there was little to no communication or feedback throughout the entire course. Why was a bike video game where she gave no guidance, rubric, or instructions worth so much of our grade, when it seems like nobody (even the teams who did well) completely knew what they were doing. Everyone seemed like they employed the same strategies, and it's like 10% of my grade was based on luck, and an AI generated score. She couldn't even give an explanation for what was happening. Also terrible communication and never answered questions on Piazza. She also made the course inactive so she wouldn't have to answer people asking genuine questions about the course and the grading. The course material was so easy, but the exams were unnecessarily difficult with random and obscure details being questions. I know this was her first semester teaching the course, but this was honestly such a dysfunctional course and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you have to since it's a COMM school pre-req.
I think that was the hardest class I've taken and it did not need to be. Furthermore, Charlotte Hoopes was not at all accommodating for health emergencies or other issues. This is an Intro to Commerce course and honestly both accountings were a ton easier than this. I hope UVA chooses to hold their professors to a higher standard in the future and I hope this class doesn't completely ruin my chances of getting into Mcintire.
First off, I would like to say that Professor Hoopes is one of the nicer humans at UVA. It is clear that she is very well educated and is knowledgeable about the subject at hand. However, this class was nothing short of disappointing. As someone with basic knowledge in finance, I found the material assigned irrelevant and in most cases inapplicable to any realistic real-world scenario. While there were certainly exceptions, it was the way it was taught that hurt the students the most. Readings and class discussions barely connected to each other, assignments were busy work (at best), and to top it off, the grading of the class was baffling. Our exams were multiple choice assessments on collab that tested our skill to regurgitate useless information from readings (even when she never mentioned it in class) or obscure questions about surveys and conversations that took place during our 300 person lecture discussions. I learned next to nothing and felt as though this was quite a waste of time during my tenure here at UVA. If I hadn't been so determined to apply to the COMM school because of past experiences, I would've dropped this class 100x over and spent my time reading articles that actually pushed my understanding of finance and commerce. My only question that remains is: with topics that can so easily be engaging and interesting to Comm and non-comm students alike, why is this class so unnecessarily difficult!?
Hoopes is a really nice person but her teaching style just did not work for me. Her lecture would just cover everything we'd just read for homework basically without adding much new insight to it, though it was interesting when she discussed current events in business. But overall I strongly disliked the content of this class and didn't think it was interesting.
It feels like we spent most of the class covering very basic concepts that were presented straightforwardly in class, but the exams were so hard. You have to memorize really tiny details about basically everything, down to the exact phrasing of stuff. However, Hoopes did give a study guide with all the concepts that were to be covered in the test, which was really appreciated. She did try to give us the tools we needed to succeed. I think if I had studied more I would have done better on the exams, but at the same time some of the questions were just ridiculous IMO. There's no curve on anything but the averages weren't super low so I get why.
Mostly the class just felt really disorganized. I think this is Hoope's first year here so we were basically her guinea pigs to test out what worked and what didn't. She would change the difficulty of the tests drastically if the class did well on the last one, give seemingly-arbitrary grades on writing assignments (and there were a lot!) without a rubric half the time, etc. Plus the bikes simulation seemed pretty unfair because we were competing against other people in our class and your grade was mainly determined from your performance (and of course there are going to be people who come in last place, given that it's a zero sum game...). I had a good group that really thought about each decision beforehand, stayed after class to work on it, etc which helped but if you get a bad group I think you'd be screwed.
Hoopes was a HORRIBLE professor that made the class unnecesarily hard. She briefly read through the slides in her lectures and gave a bunch of homework that was heavily tested upon. Her tests were horribly written, mostly focusing on small details that we barely talked about in class. She had a few projects in class that were interesting but overall they were a lot of work that felt unnecesary. The grading in the class was very hard and we got no feedback from the staff in the class which made it really hard to improve our work. They reserved a few good grades for some assignments but most students got C's or D's on assignments. If you are not interested in Commerce, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. It is essentially a waste of time and you do not learn much about business.
Her teaching ability was poor at best, I did not improve on any facet of commerce throughout the course. Her grading was also incredibly inconsistent and there was little to no feedback provided by her or TAs. There were also no rubrics given or specific instructions for assignments which made it incredibly difficult to meet her skewed expectations. Furthermore. we had to do her and her TAs job by grading each other assignments on a generalized rubric that added nothing to our learning experience. Her lectures were redundant and were simplified reiterations of the reading. For what reason was a bike video game worth 10% of our grade. Absolute joke of a teacher and course. The exam questions had no relevance to the material or to the real world, she would pull absolutely arbitrary information from random discussions or pieces of the reading that were not covered in class. Would only recommend this class because it is a requirement for the COMM school.
Dumbest class I've ever taken in my life. Literally the easiest material ever but makes the exams unnecessarily hard for no reason. The professor includes the most random questions that we barely spoke about in class, and the exam questions have almost nothing to do with material that actually matters for the real world. The selection of questions on exams, at times, can seem extremely ambiguous and you often wonder why she would include such heinous goonery. Honestly wish I didn't have to take this class for Pre-Comm.
I took this course as a potential pre-comm major in the fall of my first year. It wasn't the best and wasn't the worst for a pre-req. A lot of the content is common sense and I personally didn't find it too interesting. The work was tedious but doable; a major part of your grade is a portfolio you work on throughout the course. Again, it was more tedious than interesting. The course looks at the fundamentals of business through a managerial lens (organization, motivation, etc.) and is more of a survey than a course that gets deep into the topics it covers. The tests are very doable; they are multiple choice and only cover the content in the module (there are 4 modules). Prof. Hoopes also gives you a guide with topics the test will cover. If you do the readings, do your homework on time, and pay attention, the course shouldn't be too hard and is pretty straight-forward. #tCFfall2021
The information in this course was pretty easy and sometimes felt obvious and I wondered why we even had to learn some things. However, for an intro course, it felt like there was a little too much work. We had to do a reading and a homework assignment for each class, create a portfolio for a company over the course of the semester, and do a few simulations. It wasn't that hard to do all these things it just felt tedious sometimes. Some of the exams were harder than they needed to be as it seemed like the information should just be straightforward. Professor Hoopes was fine, I feel pretty neutral about her as a professor. This class was overall easy as long as you do the assignments!
Get us started by writing a question!