Easily one of the most passionate and helpful professors at UCLA, especially within the Chemistry Department. Encourages his students to actually understand the concepts at hand and provides more than enough resources to ensure everyone is able to grasp the concepts. Aside from being super helpful in both his grading scheme and clear teaching (even during virtual lectures), Professor Nag is one of the most understanding professors, making this class a lot more doable. If you are able to choose Professor Nag for 14D, please do so, you won't regret it!

Anish is an absolute king. I took this class remotely, so I suppose my review should be taken with a grain of salt, but I'm sure he's just as kind, energetic, and generous with the in person course! He gives a lot of extra credit that isn't hard at all to get 100% of. His exams are tough, but they are graded generously. Dr. Nag values us challenging ourselves to give tough problems our best effort more than getting 100% perfect details on easier problems. Other accommodations given due to the pandemic and social upheaval: open note exams with extended time given, and a no harm+optional final. Highest grade I've ever gotten in a chem class, and not just because of Nag being an easy grader. His lectures are engaging and he does a lot to help people pay attention, and the discussion/extra practice worksheets he gives are very helpful. The whole teaching team for this class was excellent when I took it and you could tell everyone cared about the subject and students' understanding.

This was the best professor I've had at UCLA ever. He really gave me hope that STEM professors can actually care about their students. He gave so many points in extra credit that it would probably have been hard to even get below a B if you just showed up to lecture. He makes lecture interesting and easy to understand. He showed us memes before class and had a fun fact every Friday, so he's very engaging and funny. I am NOT good at Chem and I got an A. His tests are pretty hard but if you go to lecture, use flashcards to study the reactions, and practice you should be fine. 100/10 would recommend him.

Prof Anish is one of the best professors in general at UCLA. His lectures were always very engaging, never dry at all, and they were very clear and straightforward. He always took time to answer any questions students had and never made you feel bad for asking a question everyone else knew the answer to. By far the best chem prof out there. If you are going to take any chem prof this is the guy to do it with. He really cares about his students and was extremely understanding, especially during this time (I took it during the pandemic at home online). He even provided us with memes during class!

The basic break down of his class for my quarter was this:
100 points MT1, 100 points MT2, 200 points Final (if you were satisfied with your grade you were given the option to opt out of the final as well), but he also added in 80 points of extra credit, which meant that you could earn up to 20% of extra credit, and it was easy extra credit if you just did it. If you attended live lecture and discussion you received extra credit, and if you did bacon tutorials (which were super easy and took like 15 mins) you received extra credit. Anish also likes to make his class fun so students can create a funny music video about the class and receive extra credit.

The midterms were actually very challenging in my opinion, but he is an extremely lenient grader. He always says that he creates hard midterms in order to challenge us and to get us to actually learn and so he rewards us very generously with a lot of points for just attempting the question bc he doesn't believe we should be penalized for trying. For example, for one of the synthesis problems, I did the question completely wrong, but used the right method, and got half of the points for that question.

In all, I highly think you should take Anish, you won't regret it!

ANISH IS A GOD

I never write reviews for any professors but Professor Nag has truly made organic chemistry seem less daunting and exciting to learn. You can tell that this man loves what he does when he gives his little speeches about how each student should feel proud and confident in their abilities. A student would, for instance, write on campuswire about how nervous they are about their test or how they performed badly and Professor Nag takes his time to write a LEGIT PARAGRAPH about how to never underestimate what each student is capable of and how he is proud of all of students for trying their best. He always said that if you try your best on the exam then that is all he can ever ask for. He is extremely lenient on grading even though his exams may be difficult. I have never been pushed so hard in a class before and honestly, I did not think that I was capable of handling all the workload that comes with 14D but Professor Nag truly pushes his students to their full potential. I feel as if he's not only a professor but he's a great man with great intentions and passion for what he does. I want nothing but the best for him. He not only pushes his students to their best academic level but also teaches his students about empathy and compassion for one another. He is a professor that teaches his students about the hardships of life and how to overcome them. I love Professor Nag and although this class is very difficult, it is very rewarding in the end. This has been my favorite class at UCLA simply because of the mere presence of Professor Nag. I have not even met him in person but I feel this close personal connection with him which is something that I have never felt with a professor. I felt fully supported in this class and I could not have asked for a better professor. Professor Nag, if you're reading this, you a real one. I can't wait to meet you in the fall (:

I took this class for the second time with Professor Nag. Originally took it with Reilly, she's a good professor but this class was too hard & I didn't succeed the first time. I am so glad I had a chance to retake it with Anish. My friend had him and recommended him, I'm glad she did. I was so scared I'd have to change my major (im a third year... needed to declare). Anish is the best professor I've had!!, He truly cares about his students' well-being and will go ABOVE AND BEYOND for us. He is so kind too and his lectures are engaging as well. He will post so many practice problems and talk to TAs and LAs to better help us. He gives you so many resources so all you got to do is put in the work. MAKE FLASHCARDS ASAP! (after 1st midterm usually) 14D is so hard due to all the reactions you need to memorize. I will say his exams are challenging (more than Reilly's by far!!) but he does it so that we learn and will not punish you by taking points off as long as you try. Literally just show that you are trying and he will give you points. He also give extra credit which helps a lot! Honestly, I was so blessed to have had him. Not only did I actually learn and understand the material more than I did winter quarter but I enjoyed solving chemistry problems! if you have to retake this class, its okay!! The second time is a lot better, don't give up. I know there are a couple of people that this happens to but don't feel bad! ( I did for a while) 14D was the hardest chem class ever. & if Anish is teaching it TAKE HIM!!! Dr. Nag if you see this.. YOURE AMAZING im eternally grateful for you <3 good luck :)

Best professor I've had. Tests are tough but that is balanced out by a lenient grading scheme and the fact that he goes above and beyond to help you understand the material

Summary: Class is hard af but take it with Anish if you want to do well.

I walked into this class a bit scared about learning 14D. I heard that it was a tough topic and was hoping to not ruin my GPA. However, a tough topic does not merely dictate your grade as much as a professor. I can confidently say that Professor Anish is amongst the reasons I got my grade. Yes I studied for many hours, did practice worksheets, and spent a considerable amount of time learning, but it was his teaching philosophy, openness, and sense of understanding that guided me and so many others to success. I like to think of his class as a ride through the jungle. The jungle is confusing and scary but if you have a guide that knows it inside out and is willing to walk with you every step of the way, then you'll be fine. Lets talk logistics:

Note: The class was online due to the pandemic so the syllabus may be adjusted for in-person.

- Discussion, attendance, and music video submission were extra credit. Professor Anish also provided EC questions on the exams. This EC was a life-savior.
- There were also weekly assignments on BACON which were EC. I think total EC was around 10-15% (The class is difficult and EC is a must)
- There were 2 midterms and a Final. O-chem builds off itself so expect each subsequent exam to be cumulative (25%, 25%, 50% respectively)

All in all, if I had the chance to go back, I would take Anish again. He cares about your grade and most importantly, your well-being. He wants you to learn and appreciate the complexity/beauty of O-chem but also is understanding of our difficulties. He takes time to respond to students and their concerns individually. God bless that man's soul.

Best professor I've ever had, not just at UCLA but in my life. He is an absolute legend. I never thought I would be sad to finish a class, especially one like this with all the 14D horror stories you hear, but I was actually sad when he finished his last lecture. All the man wants to do is help you. His lectures move quickly but they're very clear and he lays out everything you need to know. He gives his students so many practice problems and posts old midterms to make you feel as prepared as possible. He gives out SO much extra credit. Like other people have already mentioned, this is fundamentally a tough class and the exams are challenging by design, but Anish gives you all the materials to be able to do it. As a person, he is just so genuine and caring. He was accommodating to everyone's situations and adjusted his already generous grading scheme to help us even further. He answers emails quickly and always gives helpful advice, whether it's related to the material or not. He's so personable and I have so much respect for him. I can't say enough good things about this man. If you have any opportunity to take any of his classes, do it.