The new grading scale which I think started in winter for the whole ochem department requires you to get 94% for an A and 88% for an A-. With that being said, the tests aren't that bad so an A is pretty reasonable. There is more than enough time to complete them and there are some pretty lenient partials. The test questions are straightforward and are not tricky. The class averages on the tests for this quarter hovered around C+ and B- range. The final was worth 25% of your grade, and the midterms were 15% apiece. 45% of your grade was miscellaneous quizzes, homework, and participation that were free points. So if you do the calculations, you need at least an 89% average on tests to get an A in the class and 78% for an A- (which is class average so basically half the class gets at least an A-). Ow does move fast, especially during the first third of the class, but as long as you do the assigned problem sets and worksheets on canvas, you should be well prepared for tests. Make sure not to fall behind on lectures. He also conveniently prints out the slides for you if you come to in person lectures, so it is super easy to take notes.

Grading Distribution:
Discussion 15%
Homework 15%
Quizzes 15%
2 Exams 30%
Final Exam 25%

The previous reviews on Dr. Ow do not him do justice. He's a great professor who explains concepts in a clear and engaging manner. There simply is just a lot to cover in the quarter, which requires him to move at a fast pace. He's always helping out through email and Canvas discussion and has ample office hours. A few of the lowest scores in homework and quizzes are dropped to provide leeway, and homework assignments can be retaken an unlimited amount of times, with the highest score being kept. Quizzes are almost every week (except midterm/final weeks) and are over the weekend on Canvas. They're not too difficult and it's definitely possible to get 100% in the category, especially since the lowest 2 scores are dropped. Discussions are mandatory and you work in groups to complete a worksheet, but one is allowed to be made up. The midterm exams are during lecture periods on Wednesdays and were relatively fair with averages being 75% and 83%. The average of the final was around 82% as well. The best way to study for the midterms and final is to review the concepts on the study guide he provides, go over lecture slides, look over past discussion worksheets, homework, and quizzes, as well as do the practice exams and the extra problems. One thing to watch out for is that many of the extra problems are beyond the scope of the class yet Dr. Ow still includes them in the recommended problem list which is quite annoying at times. However, if you are ever unsure if you need to know something, you can always ask him and he'll let you know if you need to know it or not. Overall, I definitely recommend taking this class with Dr. Ow!

I honestly want to say that this professor was awful because that is how his class made me feel. But truthfully, it is manageable to come out with an A (but definitely a lot harder with this professor than with some other 14C professors like Castillo). He always made us feel so rushed especially in the first couple of weeks and he would try to avoid questions to speed up time. He also gave weekly quizzes (with a highly irregular schedule) which he said were supposed to be guaranteed 100%, but a lot of them actually were hard and took a lot of time.
His 2 midterms I would say were fair especially after he fixed the rubrics, but I think its only because I did well on the midterms that I was able to get an A in the class because that final was BRUTAL. There were so many more questions than the midterms but only about 45 mins time given extra for the final as compared to the midterms. We also never got any good practice examples for what to expect for carbohydrates and biomolecules so I'm assuming I bombed that portion of the final. Moral of the story is: you can get an A if you study hard for midterms, go to office hours, go to review sessions, but it won't be a cakewalk. (the grading scale is different so that an A is 90-97 and A- is 84-90.)

love this man. except he barely explained biomolecules and then made it the entire final exam. but still love him <3

The grading scheme for this class was on a straight scale based on the number of points from several categories:
Each midterm is 100 points
Final is 200 points
Top 8 of 10 quizzes are scaled to 100 points
Group projects during discussion section were 50 points.
For a total of 550 points.

The grade scale was relatively generous with 90% being the cutoff for an A, 84% for an A-, 81% for a B+, 77.5% for a B, and 74% for a B-.

This class is difficult, as indicated by the grade scaling, but not impossible to do well in.
The first midterm tested on IR Spec, H-NMR, C-NMR, and Mass Spec. This material was the most difficult for me as there were many tiny details that you had to pay attention to when doing the problems. It is very easy to miss something and lose points because of that.
The second midterm tested mainly on Synthesis problems, with one spectroscopy problem similar to the first midterm. This class is all reactions after the first midterm. For me, Anki flashcards were key to memorizing all of them and doing all the practice problems from the book was great prep for the second midterm and the final.
The final was also mostly synthesis questions, but had two spectroscopy problems.
The timing for the tests was actually decent. I usually 'finished' about 30 minutes before I had to upload to gradescope, so I spent the next 25 minutes combing through my answers and checking for mistakes.
Practice tests were posted before each midterm and final. They were all accurate in difficulty and helpful in gauging how prepared you are for the actual one.
During the (open book/note) tests, I wrote down as much material as possible and had everything in front of me, although I don't think that will be possible in the future once classes are back in person.

The lectures for the class were all pre-recorded and posted on CCLE. The actual lecture time served as office hours. The lectures were kind of dry, but decent enough. Dr. Ow gives you the material and constantly reminds you that the key to doing well is doing practice problems. Keeping up with the material is all on you, so don't slack on watching the lectures. Leave time in the week to do the book problems as well. I highly recommend getting the solutions manual to check your answers. I couldn't find it online, but its relatively cheap if you rent from Chegg or some other service (less than $15).

During discussion sections, we were given 'reaction roadmaps' that showed how to go from molecule to molecule. The group projects were filling in the reagents, reactants, and products in these roadmaps with classmates in your discussion section. These group projects are basically free points if you go to your TA's office hours and make sure everything is correct. The roadmaps are also very useful during tests.

Weekly non-timed quizzes were posted on CCLE, which covered the lecture material for that week. They were relatively easy, but worth checking your answers so you don't miss out on points. You only had one session to do the quiz as well, no stopping in the middle and starting it again at a later time.

The average for both midterms was 64%. I got a 69% on midterm 1 and 85% on midterm 2. I don't know the average for the final, but I it was probably similar to the midterms. I got a 94% on the final and got an A in the class. I assume there was a small upward curve applied to the class as I don't think that I made the cutoff for an A based purely on points.

Dr. Ow is one of the better Chem professors, he just has to cover so much material so he goes pretty fast, so make sure to use your resources. His grading distribution is really what stands out because tests count for way less and homework/discussions count for more. He's very understanding and attentive, I would definitely recommend taking his class!

DONT BE SCARED OF TAKING O-CHEM WITH OW!! I was honestly so scared going into this quarter because of the previous reviews that Professor Ow had, but it is entirely possible to do well in this class, and Professor Ow plays a major part in allowing for this to be the case. If you get full points on the homework, and discussion sections (which is entirely possible) as well as the quizzes (which is definitely possible as long as you keep up), you have room to do a little bit worse on one of the two exams and the final because of the amount of weight the other stuff holds and the adjusted grading scale. His lectures are honestly very important for the exams-- meaning you should pay attention because he highlights in the lectures whats really important out of the stuff that is assigned to read in the textbook. I found that reading the textbook was definitely helpful but his lectures helped even more in really narrowing down what I needed to know. I found that the beginning of the quarter he went VERY quickly but that is honestly not his fault, he just has a ton of material to get through and its completely new for most if not all students so it feels super rushed. If you genuinely go back after each lecture and read the textbook, do the assigned problems, and do the problem set for that lecture topic, you will understand it and be able to keep up with the homework, quizzes, and do well on the exams. The practice exams that he releases prior to the exams/final are AMAZING and are genuinely good indicators of what to expect on the exams. I never found timing to be an issue on the exams, but you have to study to do well!! This subject is not easy, but honestly the class is what you make of it and Professor Ow is definitely not getting in the way of your success, he is helping you reach success!

I was really scared to take this class because of the previous reviews, but Dr. Ow was a pretty good professor! I think a lot of people are scared of O-Chem in general because of its reputation, but his lectures and the worksheets in discussion section were super useful in breaking everything down into understandable pieces. Dr. Ow's lectures can feel a bit intense at times because he moves through everything really quickly (there's just a lot of content to cover!), but he's really open to questions through Canvas and email. His lecture slides are also pretty easy to understand and refer back to. His exams were very fair, and you're given the tools to answer every question.

This class caused me way more stress than it needed to because I wasn't very good about doing things on pace with the class (like I was almost always several lectures behind and I never even opened the textbook), but it really doesn't need to be. He provides you with a lot of extra practice problem sets that may help you out. STAY ON TRACK WITH THE COURSE! DON'T FALL BEHIND IF YOU CAN HELP IT!

I was really scared, initially, enrolling in 14C with Ow after reading some of the most scathing reviews on here, but I was really pleasantly surprised by how awesome this class turned out to be.

First, Professor Ow is a great lecturer. He's always really straight to the point and he never goes on tangents, so you know whatever he's talking about is important. He uploads all the slides and even prints out handouts of the slides he uses; they're available for students attending lecture in person. You're able to follow along and take notes, work through examples, etc on this handout. The lectures are also recorded and not mandatory (no clickers or points for attending), and you're free to ask questions mid-lecture.

The class is also extremely organized. The syllabus details a ton of extra practice problems, textbook readings, and helpful workbooks, all of which are recommended, but not mandatory. A chart that indicates the topic covered of every lecture and when every assignment is due. Before every exam, he posts a "study guide" that is the learning objectives for each unit tested on the exam, as well as two practice midterms with their answer key. Only one practice final was given, but it wasn't a big deal.

The point distribution and exams were really fair. Exams are free response and partial credit is generous, and although he doesn't curve, you'll find that it's not too difficult to do well on the exams. Two midterms are worth 15% of your grade each, and the final is worth 25%; everything else is pretty much free points from attending discussion, homework, and quizzes that buffers your grade quite a bit.

I liked this class so, so much more than 14A and 14B, and did better in it too! Take it with Ow if you can!

I cant believe Professor ow has such bad reviews here. I was scared to take this class because of the reviews, but I really had nothing to fear. Professor Ow is an amazing lecturer and I never thought I could actually enjoy organic chemistry. There is work to do and studying is necessary for the final, but he teaches the information well. He cares that students understand and he’s fair and nice. The next book problems he gives don’t always align with the tests and how he teaches which is unfortunate, as the only real practice you can get for the exams are the practice exams and homework and quizzes. If you went through 14 a and b you can definitely do this class and I recommend taking it with Ow!