CHEM 153C
Biochemistry: Biosynthetic and Energy Metabolism and Its Regulation
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; tutorial, one hour. Requisite: course 153A or 153AH. Metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, amino acids, and lipids; photosynthetic metabolism and assimilation of inorganic nutrients; regulation of these processes. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Dr. Clarke is actually better than what these evaluations say. My research trainer actually said that I was lucky to have him for a professor. I never write evaluations, but I had to for Dr. Clarke, because he is my favorite and best professor at UCLA, and I am a senior. His class is challenging, but hey, it's 153C and you don't have much other options. Go to all the lectures, study before the quizes everyweek, because they are really big part of your grade and it's easy to get good score than midterms and the final. He is estremely passionate about teaching and you can tell, because you will really be paying attention during the lectures. Overall..take him for 153C and you won't regret.
Dr. Clarke is actually better than what these evaluations say. My research trainer actually said that I was lucky to have him for a professor. I never write evaluations, but I had to for Dr. Clarke, because he is my favorite and best professor at UCLA, and I am a senior. His class is challenging, but hey, it's 153C and you don't have much other options. Go to all the lectures, study before the quizes everyweek, because they are really big part of your grade and it's easy to get good score than midterms and the final. He is estremely passionate about teaching and you can tell, because you will really be paying attention during the lectures. Overall..take him for 153C and you won't regret.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Dr. Catherine Clarke is an amazing professor, and I'd take 153C again in a heartbeat. Her lectures are really thorough, and cover all the material you need to know for the final. The practice problems given in discussion are also really helpful to help you prep, and you also get 1 double sided cheatsheet per midterm and 2 double sided cheatsheets for the final. Your grade is triply buffered (grade boundaries are lower, a large portion of your grade is essentially free via the iClicker, and a fair amount of extra credit is offered), so you don't need to worry about getting raw A's to get an A in the class, either.
Winter 2024 - Dr. Catherine Clarke is an amazing professor, and I'd take 153C again in a heartbeat. Her lectures are really thorough, and cover all the material you need to know for the final. The practice problems given in discussion are also really helpful to help you prep, and you also get 1 double sided cheatsheet per midterm and 2 double sided cheatsheets for the final. Your grade is triply buffered (grade boundaries are lower, a large portion of your grade is essentially free via the iClicker, and a fair amount of extra credit is offered), so you don't need to worry about getting raw A's to get an A in the class, either.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2020 - He is nice and funny. However, I felt like he didn’t care much about students like Koehler did. He often canceled his office hours, and did not hold any review sessions before the exams. He also didn’t bruincast his lecture so be aware of this. His lectures were engaging, but it was sometimes hard to hear since he kind of rambles when he talks. His lecture doesn’t really match with what is covered in the textbook. He goes more in depth, but his exam questions are pretty straightforward(easier than Koehler’s questions). Just study what he says and you’ll get all his questions right. No need to use textbooks or Youtube lectures, those won’t really help for Gober’s part. His exam questions were either 1) regurgitating pathways or 2) things he covered on his lecture. Koehler gave us 1hr 20minutes for the midterm but Gober only gave us 50 minutes.
Winter 2020 - He is nice and funny. However, I felt like he didn’t care much about students like Koehler did. He often canceled his office hours, and did not hold any review sessions before the exams. He also didn’t bruincast his lecture so be aware of this. His lectures were engaging, but it was sometimes hard to hear since he kind of rambles when he talks. His lecture doesn’t really match with what is covered in the textbook. He goes more in depth, but his exam questions are pretty straightforward(easier than Koehler’s questions). Just study what he says and you’ll get all his questions right. No need to use textbooks or Youtube lectures, those won’t really help for Gober’s part. His exam questions were either 1) regurgitating pathways or 2) things he covered on his lecture. Koehler gave us 1hr 20minutes for the midterm but Gober only gave us 50 minutes.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2020 - This is both a review, and also a survival guide for Carlas class with everything I wish I had known prior to the class. The course is not necessarily difficult but is very dense in material which is especially difficult to manage with other upper division courses. Carlas lectures are scattered and disorganized, making it very difficult to learn and apply the knowledge. Everyone failed the first midterm (average a 64) and she blamed it on our study habits, not her own INABILITY to relay the information. The way she talks is simply painful to listen to as she talks in scattered sentences. Her handwriting is far from legible, so you'll want to go back and listen to the bruin cast to take your own notes. She told our class we did not need to memorize certain concepts/pathways for the midterm (methionine pathway... just memorize it you'll thank me later) and put them on the midterm anyways (so you cant trust anything she says ). The only way to survive Carlas portion of the class is to memorize everything, even the stuff she says not to memorize. Go to office hours and try to listen through the pain, she might give away some test pointers. I am very frustrated with her as a professor and her TAs who also are disorganized. You are better off self teaching if you have the self discipline required.
Winter 2020 - This is both a review, and also a survival guide for Carlas class with everything I wish I had known prior to the class. The course is not necessarily difficult but is very dense in material which is especially difficult to manage with other upper division courses. Carlas lectures are scattered and disorganized, making it very difficult to learn and apply the knowledge. Everyone failed the first midterm (average a 64) and she blamed it on our study habits, not her own INABILITY to relay the information. The way she talks is simply painful to listen to as she talks in scattered sentences. Her handwriting is far from legible, so you'll want to go back and listen to the bruin cast to take your own notes. She told our class we did not need to memorize certain concepts/pathways for the midterm (methionine pathway... just memorize it you'll thank me later) and put them on the midterm anyways (so you cant trust anything she says ). The only way to survive Carlas portion of the class is to memorize everything, even the stuff she says not to memorize. Go to office hours and try to listen through the pain, she might give away some test pointers. I am very frustrated with her as a professor and her TAs who also are disorganized. You are better off self teaching if you have the self discipline required.
Most Helpful Review
Professor Merchant is one of the most approachable professors I have encountered at UCLA. Her tests were challenging in that some of the questions expected you to "apply" concepts learned, and even to formulate logical answers to material not necessarily covered during class. She is a very nice lady, always willing to help during office hours. She really takes interest in the students and gives immense hope for a high grade in the course. Even after a midterm with a low score, she motivates you to study by saying, "You can still get your A". I wish other professors would do that as well. Those who do well in her class obviously put in the time and really deserve the grade. The course is not an easy A, but it is not impossibly difficult either.
Professor Merchant is one of the most approachable professors I have encountered at UCLA. Her tests were challenging in that some of the questions expected you to "apply" concepts learned, and even to formulate logical answers to material not necessarily covered during class. She is a very nice lady, always willing to help during office hours. She really takes interest in the students and gives immense hope for a high grade in the course. Even after a midterm with a low score, she motivates you to study by saying, "You can still get your A". I wish other professors would do that as well. Those who do well in her class obviously put in the time and really deserve the grade. The course is not an easy A, but it is not impossibly difficult either.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2024 - The actual content of this class was so interesting to me, so I wish the lectures had done it justice. The first midterm was about half multiple choice (of which some questions were REALLY easy and others were okay) and half free response. The second was more free response and less multiple choice, and was a lot more involved than the first. Even though the first midterm was much easier, I did far better on the second one because I read the textbook and actually felt like I knew what was going on. I think that for this class, it's important to fully understand why something is happening/what the purpose of a pathway is instead of just trying to memorize what happens, which is where reading the textbook will help a lot. If you were to just rely on the lectures (which are pretty fast and don't clearly explain these "why"s) I think it would be much harder to answer the application/research-based questions that show up on exams and worksheets. The weekly discussion worksheets weren't super hard but they were graded harshly sometimes if you didn't include the specific keywords they wanted. My advice would be to ask your TA and LAs as many questions as possible to make sure you have what they're looking for. There's also a LOT of extra credit just from answering easy surveys after each midterm and from making "exam guides" (cheat sheets for midterms), so I think most people didn't need a super high score on the final because of all the buffering. Overall, I think this class is reasonable in terms of grading, but you'll likely have to read the textbook if you want to fully learn the material.
Spring 2024 - The actual content of this class was so interesting to me, so I wish the lectures had done it justice. The first midterm was about half multiple choice (of which some questions were REALLY easy and others were okay) and half free response. The second was more free response and less multiple choice, and was a lot more involved than the first. Even though the first midterm was much easier, I did far better on the second one because I read the textbook and actually felt like I knew what was going on. I think that for this class, it's important to fully understand why something is happening/what the purpose of a pathway is instead of just trying to memorize what happens, which is where reading the textbook will help a lot. If you were to just rely on the lectures (which are pretty fast and don't clearly explain these "why"s) I think it would be much harder to answer the application/research-based questions that show up on exams and worksheets. The weekly discussion worksheets weren't super hard but they were graded harshly sometimes if you didn't include the specific keywords they wanted. My advice would be to ask your TA and LAs as many questions as possible to make sure you have what they're looking for. There's also a LOT of extra credit just from answering easy surveys after each midterm and from making "exam guides" (cheat sheets for midterms), so I think most people didn't need a super high score on the final because of all the buffering. Overall, I think this class is reasonable in terms of grading, but you'll likely have to read the textbook if you want to fully learn the material.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - I've never left a review before on Bruinwalk, but came on here just to leave one for him. He's an incredible professor and if any of you are ever lucky to get the opportunity to take a class with him, please do it. He's incredibly intelligent, engaging, and humorous. He always walks into class every day with so much enthusiasm. It was so sweet to see him walk into class every day and greet us so happily. Sometimes, the class was recovering from a break or midterm week and weren't so cheerful in response, but he'd still keep his same energy. I would recommend going to his OHs. My plan was to attend as many as I could, but my schedule was hectic in the quarter and I really couldn't go at all. The topics I reviewed with him 1 on 1 in his office were the questions I got nearly all the points on on the midterms (~15 points each). Give him time to explain things, ask him questions in class. Ask him to repeat things. All of this will be so helpful in getting a good grade in this class and I know he's more than happy to repeat himself. He really loves this stuff and is gonna make you like the subject too if you give him a chance. It's really nice to run across a professor that makes a "scary" class feel so welcoming. Class is usually 5 days a week during the regular quarter, 2 are tutorial. I recommend going to all of the tutorial sessions because they really do help. He lectures off of slides and posts all of the slides online. I recommend audio-recording the lectures to listen to them afterwards, he often makes note of the things that are most important for the exams. He LOVES regulation, so really understand why pathways happen and when/why they'd slow down/stop. Understanding pathways like that will help you be successful in his class. He does run through the slides rather fast, but I just think it's because his brain works so fast lol. TAKE HIS CLASS! and participate! His exams are challenging, but, as weird as it sounds, they're almost fun. If you feel the exams are TOO difficult, it's okay because the avg gets curved to a ~ B. Talk to your classmates and share resources because as long as you guys are on the same page, I think you'll do fine.
Fall 2019 - I've never left a review before on Bruinwalk, but came on here just to leave one for him. He's an incredible professor and if any of you are ever lucky to get the opportunity to take a class with him, please do it. He's incredibly intelligent, engaging, and humorous. He always walks into class every day with so much enthusiasm. It was so sweet to see him walk into class every day and greet us so happily. Sometimes, the class was recovering from a break or midterm week and weren't so cheerful in response, but he'd still keep his same energy. I would recommend going to his OHs. My plan was to attend as many as I could, but my schedule was hectic in the quarter and I really couldn't go at all. The topics I reviewed with him 1 on 1 in his office were the questions I got nearly all the points on on the midterms (~15 points each). Give him time to explain things, ask him questions in class. Ask him to repeat things. All of this will be so helpful in getting a good grade in this class and I know he's more than happy to repeat himself. He really loves this stuff and is gonna make you like the subject too if you give him a chance. It's really nice to run across a professor that makes a "scary" class feel so welcoming. Class is usually 5 days a week during the regular quarter, 2 are tutorial. I recommend going to all of the tutorial sessions because they really do help. He lectures off of slides and posts all of the slides online. I recommend audio-recording the lectures to listen to them afterwards, he often makes note of the things that are most important for the exams. He LOVES regulation, so really understand why pathways happen and when/why they'd slow down/stop. Understanding pathways like that will help you be successful in his class. He does run through the slides rather fast, but I just think it's because his brain works so fast lol. TAKE HIS CLASS! and participate! His exams are challenging, but, as weird as it sounds, they're almost fun. If you feel the exams are TOO difficult, it's okay because the avg gets curved to a ~ B. Talk to your classmates and share resources because as long as you guys are on the same page, I think you'll do fine.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Before 'rona Heather wasn't the most popular 153C professor (as you can tell by previous reviews) but luckily she made the class a whole lot easier to pass online. Her lectures are rather tedious (fun drinking game: take a shot every time she says "uhmmm" and wipes her nose) but it is probably a good idea to watch them (preferably at 2x speed) to cover exam material. Exams (three midterms, no final) are written and graded rather poorly: short-answer questions are often vague and open-ended with extremely specific answers required for full points. The upside to this is that the exams were only 20% of our grade, with a hefty 40% of our grade being the group project (this will likely change in the future since many people got A's). Another plus is that she gives a rather generous amount of extra credit, and discussion sections are not mandatory. Basically, Tienson online: easy, ok. Tienson irl: maybe hard, idk.
Fall 2020 - Before 'rona Heather wasn't the most popular 153C professor (as you can tell by previous reviews) but luckily she made the class a whole lot easier to pass online. Her lectures are rather tedious (fun drinking game: take a shot every time she says "uhmmm" and wipes her nose) but it is probably a good idea to watch them (preferably at 2x speed) to cover exam material. Exams (three midterms, no final) are written and graded rather poorly: short-answer questions are often vague and open-ended with extremely specific answers required for full points. The upside to this is that the exams were only 20% of our grade, with a hefty 40% of our grade being the group project (this will likely change in the future since many people got A's). Another plus is that she gives a rather generous amount of extra credit, and discussion sections are not mandatory. Basically, Tienson online: easy, ok. Tienson irl: maybe hard, idk.
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