What Course Participants have to say about it!

Fall 2002

Dina Rosa

I would like to thank you for organizing and offering FIN680L.  This course has enabled me to gain invaluable analyzing techniques, as well as give me insight to financial statement evaluations.

The course enables students to calculate future stock performance based on proper statement analysis and forecasts.  Undoubtedly, FIN680L allows the student to walk away with priceless knowledge that can be utilized in any future work endeavor.

Lastly, open discussions in class and Blackboard chats brought opinions, positive and negative feedback to the table.  These platforms are essential for individuals to fully grasp the complex issues associated with accurate stock valuations.

Ronald Lee

After being in Professor Viswanath’s Student Managed Investment Portfolio class for the Fall 2002 semester, I can say that it is a great class. The class gave me the experience of being a financial analyst, screening and analyzing companies to add into the portfolio. Unlike other classes in which I sit in while the professor lectures, the SMIP class required more of a self-learning. The professor gives you sites and books to look at and from there you do your research, analyze your findings, and report the results back to everyone. At first, this concept took a while for me to adjust to since I was so used to the “classical” way of classes but once I got used to it I was able to learn a lot from it. Sometimes one learns more from practical experience rather than by reading a textbook. This is how I viewed it. Through the class, I was introduced to StockVal, a tool I now consider to be very useful.

Another good feature of the SMIP class is that one discusses things with not only Professor Viswanath but with your fellow classmates.  Not only did I learn from the professor, I learned from my classmates as well. The small class size really was a plus since it allowed me to know my classmates more than the occasional “hi bye” status. We all knew each other and helped each other out whenever possible. This was done when we saw each other in the GPACT room or during our presentations. Their comments along with Professor Viswanath’s comments helped in improving my analysis of my company. Though Professor Viswanath’s feedback can be often critical, his purpose is to improve the students thus I appreciated his feedback immensely. I can say that if not for his criticism, I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did since his criticism in a way forced me to go back to the drawing board and there I caught some mistakes in which I made.

Priya Hariani

Thank you for a wonderful class. It was the closest to real work life class I have had at Pace and gave me a flair of fundamental analysis and value investing.  The discussion approach adopted by your for the class helped in improving the analysis for the recommendation as I had to defend my recommendation and convince the other students for it. 

Some of the workshops, like the Research Report Writing Workshop of NYSSA was very informative and helpful in the preparation of report.  I had done a valuation report for PepsiCo in my first finance class at Pace and when I went back and did it for this class, my analysis was better and recommendation was stronger. 

Thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed the class.

Chris Snyder

"The SMIP class offered at Pace University is one of the few classes that offer a mentored approach towards investment, financial and economical analysis. This class incorporates an abundance of knowledge acquired throughout a business education. I developed the ability to establish and exercise a knowledge of valuation techniques and initiating coverage report writing; these subjects are only vaguely touched upon in all other undergraduate courses. Also, Professor P.V. Viswanath guarantees an attention to detail that allows the students to learn the material at a level par with the actual employment world of equity analysis involving all financial and economical analysis. Along with the vast dynamics of the class, both undergraduate and graduate students gain the opportunity to work with each other whereby implementing different backgrounds and professional specializations; definitely one of the top financial electives offered at Pace University."

Spring 2002

Bob Candella

About the course...
This course offers real-world exposure to equity research and fund management. Stocks are analyzed and selected using established research techniques, a detailed textbook written by a recognized professor and consultant, and StockVal, a stock selection application used in the industry. Guest lectures reinforce and sometimes challenge in-class material and students are provided with opportunities to attend conferences and mingle with industry elite professionals. Professor P.V. fosters open and respectful dialog in class and actively encourages intellectual discourse through a communal website.
What I learned...
This course will teach you how to evaluate a sector, how to model a stock to find it's real vs. market value, and what to consider in a company when considering its stock. You'll also learn how to evaluate a stock in a group and deliver a coherent presentation.
What I recommend...
I would recommend this stock to anyone who is self-directed, interested in equity analysis, and willing to put in an extra effort for a rewarding experience. This class is a lot of work, but offers a true university experience.

Nikita Zorin

I really recommend taking this course. One of the most significant things a student may get out of it is hands-on experience. Finance courses (which emphasize on equity valuation, Capital Asset Pricing Model, dividend discount models, financial statement analysis, and etc.) that all finance majors take are very interesting and greatly enhance students' financial and analytical skills, but they do not provide them with hands-on experience. However, Student Managed Investment Portfolio class gives students a chance to implement the acquired skills and abilities in the real world with real money. The reason I took this class is because, I think I was presented with an opportunity and I could not let it pass.

Another very important aspect of this class is weekly presentations. To be successful in the business world, you have to be good at presenting. SMIP course significantly improved my PowerPoint as well as presenting skills.
This course provided me with an opportunity to work in team where I saw how important it is to be a team player and able to collaborate with other people within your team as well as with people from other teams. I think everyone in our class gained something from sharing knowledge with each other.

Additionally, I think that experience in this class is something a student can put on his or her resume. It will definitely make the student stand out from everyone else, and may present a good opportunity for additional conversation piece on an interview by which a potential employer will be very interested.

Ernest Larenas

Dear P.V., I fully enjoyed the course, although I wish I had more time to dig even deeper into it. The course format allows the student to go as far as his/her ability and time permits. It draws the best of our skills in terms of fundamental analysis and it sharpens our understanding of macro/micro economics, while learning a great deal about the intricacies of industries, sectors and specific companies. More importantly, it helped us develop and formulate our own risk criteria to tackle the FC models and through them express the results of our analysis.  That is what the "real world" is all about.

Kwan Wang

... I actually did get a lot out of the course. What I liked most about it was the fact that it was very hands on which was why I signed up for the course in the first place. We had to apply what we learned in previous classes to our analysis. In other classes, we sit there and listen to the professor explain regression analysis, valuation, and etc. but until you actually get your hands dirty, so to speak, I don't think the concept really comes across. I mean it's great to understand something, but do you actually know how to do it? You were readily available to help us in any way if we didn't understand something but other than that, the project was ours to do. We were on our own. Because of that, I learned a lot more.

Nanda Win

Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity to join your class. I have learned a lot from your class. I think your class gave us the sense of how practically the fundamental concepts can be put to use in investment decisions. I had the experience of how exciting the stock picking could be.  This class was full of actions from the very first period. Group work and presentations were my most effective learning sources. I learned from my group members as well as from other groups. I could say that it was really worth taking this class after all.