Professor
Chentao Lin
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2016 - This is a review for Life Science 3. He's not listed as a professor for LS 3 so I have to put this review under MCD BIO 199. Lin's class is by far the most difficult class I have taken during my time at UCLA. Granted, it's not entirely Lin's fault because LS 3 is a difficult course anyway but he made it much more difficult than it had to be. He lectures right off of his powerpoint slides that could probably qualify as a textbook by themselves. They are absolutely crammed with information and the worst part is that you have to know every word of them. Some slides he will skip entirely during lecture but you still have to know them. The thing about Lin's tests is that they go from 0 to 100 really quick. One question will be about the basic structure of DNA and the next will be a complex multiple part question testing a variety of different concepts. The hardest questions on the tests are the ones regarding the seemingly unimportant details from the slides which Lin didn't speak of at all. The midterms were both worth 20% with the final being 60%. Yes, that's right. 60%. The best way to maximize your midterm grades is to go to the testbank. I cannot emphasize this enough. Lin recycles most of his questions every time so it's easy to do well on the midterms if you go to the testbank. I didn't go to the testbank for the first midterm and looking back it was one of the worst mistakes I made in the class. Other reviews say that the final is impossible and that the average is historically low at around 60%. I don't think the final is impossible but it is difficult. Do not even bother buying the Weaver textbook. It's intended for graduate students and will be useless. The one good thing about Lin is that if you pass the class you will have a good understanding of molecular biology. Overall though I do not recommend him. Take someone else if you can
Fall 2016 - This is a review for Life Science 3. He's not listed as a professor for LS 3 so I have to put this review under MCD BIO 199. Lin's class is by far the most difficult class I have taken during my time at UCLA. Granted, it's not entirely Lin's fault because LS 3 is a difficult course anyway but he made it much more difficult than it had to be. He lectures right off of his powerpoint slides that could probably qualify as a textbook by themselves. They are absolutely crammed with information and the worst part is that you have to know every word of them. Some slides he will skip entirely during lecture but you still have to know them. The thing about Lin's tests is that they go from 0 to 100 really quick. One question will be about the basic structure of DNA and the next will be a complex multiple part question testing a variety of different concepts. The hardest questions on the tests are the ones regarding the seemingly unimportant details from the slides which Lin didn't speak of at all. The midterms were both worth 20% with the final being 60%. Yes, that's right. 60%. The best way to maximize your midterm grades is to go to the testbank. I cannot emphasize this enough. Lin recycles most of his questions every time so it's easy to do well on the midterms if you go to the testbank. I didn't go to the testbank for the first midterm and looking back it was one of the worst mistakes I made in the class. Other reviews say that the final is impossible and that the average is historically low at around 60%. I don't think the final is impossible but it is difficult. Do not even bother buying the Weaver textbook. It's intended for graduate students and will be useless. The one good thing about Lin is that if you pass the class you will have a good understanding of molecular biology. Overall though I do not recommend him. Take someone else if you can
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Most Helpful Review
LS3 - This is a review of LS3.. not the 495... He gives 2 midterms, and one final. His slides are very dense, and his accent makes him hard to understand. Thankfully he podcasts the lectures and I was able to go over the lecture afterwards. His 1st exam was very hard. The 2nd midterm was a bit more fair, but the Final was hell. Only one person got an A in the final, it really set a horrible curve. It was extremely unnecessary for him to write such a badly worded and confusing exam. DO NOT TAKE HIM! I am a good student, and his class killed my GPA. It's not worth it to take it with him. He seems like a nice person, but as a professor he is unfair, and not worth taking.
LS3 - This is a review of LS3.. not the 495... He gives 2 midterms, and one final. His slides are very dense, and his accent makes him hard to understand. Thankfully he podcasts the lectures and I was able to go over the lecture afterwards. His 1st exam was very hard. The 2nd midterm was a bit more fair, but the Final was hell. Only one person got an A in the final, it really set a horrible curve. It was extremely unnecessary for him to write such a badly worded and confusing exam. DO NOT TAKE HIM! I am a good student, and his class killed my GPA. It's not worth it to take it with him. He seems like a nice person, but as a professor he is unfair, and not worth taking.
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