BJORN ERAKER

This was one of the most disorganized classes I've taken. Expectations and grading were unclear, and communication felt minimal throughout the semester. I often felt unsupported in understanding the material. I would recommend other instructors if you prefer clearer structure and guidance.

Very hard to follow lectures that don't exactly correlate with exam materials. Lots of talk about topics he finds interesting rather than course relevant. Easy grader but having him actually grade anything is rare, as on the day of the final the midterm grade wasn't even visible in Canvas. Course is decently interesting but hard to take from Eraker

Professor Eraker taught an interesting class; however, the lectures were difficult to follow and take notes on due to tangents and frequent back and forth between slides in class. It's incredibly important to pay attention to detail in the slides, and reference them frequently for studying and assignments.

He is very smart but lectures can be all over the place. I have no interest in the subject so they were boring to me, and I taught myself everything right before tests, but that's not really his fault. Midterm was difficult but he provided lots of practice materials and graded generously. This class could've been torture but he made it manageable.

Bjorn is polarizing. Yes he may be disorganized, unprepared at times. He doesn't update grades on Canvas. However, he is the most passionate prof in finance. He LOVES his subject and that is infectious. Take his course if you actually care to learn about derivatives, not to ace exams. However, his exams are always very easy if you pay attention.

Bjorn is the best professor I have had at UW-Madison. You can tell that he truly cares about all of his students and that he is deeply passionate about the course material. He is very approachable and makes students feel understood as well.