After taking 14D with Dr. Reilly, I desperately wish that I had Dr. Ow for 14D. In 14C, the classes were fast-paced but clear. If you do ALL textbook problems assigned you will succeed. Dr. Ow's lectures have a lot of content, but he rarely falls behind and plans the class well. He finished with content before exams so you have time to prepare. You know what will be on the tests as long as you keep up with the material.

This was amazing. I strongly recommend taking this class over the summer.
Three exams. Each multiple choice. 12 questions.
Homework is based on completion and there is one assigned every week.
Lectures are recorded.

30B is one of the most difficult chem classes you'll probably have to take, but even for someone like me whos weakness is chem, and scored low on the two exams, his grade thresholds makes it virtually impossible to fail.

He doesn't curve or offer extra credit, but is a very straightforward lecturer. He explains his thought process with every step and his lectures are pretty helpful to gain a decent understanding, but 30B requires a lot of critical thinking and an "intuition" for a lot of it that you'll have to develop on your own with soooo much practice. He doesn't overcomplicate concepts during lecture which makes it very easy to digest in-class, but you have to master these concepts to be able to apply them in an much more advanced way during the exam. Lectures are recorded, and you pretty don't need to actually go but I learned better in person. He throws in some humor here and there which is nice to break up the rigor of the class.

The book problems are not required and are a hit or miss, they were helpful in the beginning but too easy compared to the actual exams near the end of the quarter. For alcohols and mechanisms I'd recommend making a list of each "toolbelt" item he gives you and what it does. Refer back to this while you practice till it becomes second nature. He says there's no memorization but you definitely need to memorize these "tools"

The quizzes are online over the weekend and not too bad, two are dropped. The exams however are rough. The way he asks questions on exams is really weird and he will throw in the random thing from lecture you probably didn't think was important. It's also a LOT of work for a 50 minute exam so make sure you don't freeze up during it.

Having no assignments other than a small quiz means lots of time to study for this class on your own which is doable! I know a lot of people who succeeded in this class despite the tough exams

I don't like ochem. However, this professor made the subject bearable. He was very straight to the point and his lectures are helpful. There is no mandated homework, but DEFINITELY do the discussion and suggested problems. The only way to study for ochem is to do the questions enough to understand the patterns. He is a great professor. Attendance is not mandatory but I really felt like his lectures helped me understand and get a good grade in ochem which I personally never thought was possible. I would take him again if I had another chem class, but I do not plan to anytime soon.

This review is someone who has a weak Chemistry background (no honors Chem or AP Chem):

Ow, is very clear on what he teaches, he uses slides, but he makes you interact with them and he tells you what is "important" and what to prioritize on the tests. There are quizzes that are assigned on Friday that you take home and due every Sunday. There isn't homework, but I recommend you do the practice problems as they are relatively the same difficulty as the Midterms and Exams. Attending lectures is a must if you don't want to fall behind.

He has office hours for those who need extra help. IF you are someone who doesn't get Chem I suggest you sign up for the AAP sessions and don't skip Discussion.

It's organic chemistry; there's are very few positive things to say about the material itself, but Professor Ow makes the subject so much more digestible than my professor for Chem 30A. As long as you pay attention in class, Professor Ow provides you with all of the necessary information to do well on the exams. There is no hunting for a hidden meaning; his lectures are very straight-forward. His exams are completely fair.

I loved Professor Ow! I could not recommend him enough. I typically struggle with paying attention in class, but Professor Ow had my attention every single time I walked into class. He is extremely clear when explaining and breaks down material well so that it is not super complicated. You don't even need to read the textbook if you go to his lectures.

I hadn't taken chemistry for a few years before going into this class, so I was a bit worried, but Professor Ow teaches all levels of chemistry, so it's completely right if you don't have the strongest background. I highly recommend doing the optional problems and attending office hours if you have any questions. I spent a lot of time on it and had some really great conversations with him. He is extremely helpful and very clear with answering questions. I felt like his tests were pretty fair and that you could do well if you did the optional problems from the textbook.

He did down curve the entire class, which was disappointing, but I think that is a rare occurrence and solely because our class had an average of an A- when the chem department typically has averages of Bs/B+s. My only other dislike was that we actually get to do examples on our own in class till the second half of the quarter, but I think that is normal for chem because classes are only 50 minutes.

Overall, I highly recommend taking this class. Dr. Ow is a fantastic and passionate teacher!

I really struggled with chemistry in high school and was a little nervous to take this class. I felt like Prof. Ow definitely made this class manageable for me though. His slides were very in-depth, and I definitely felt like what was taught in class mirrored what was on the exam which was very important to me at least. He explained concepts in a very easy-to-follow way and provided us with ample practice problems. Furthermore, I actually think Dr. Ow was one of the most approachable professors I've had at UCLA. He encouraged students to reach out for help and always was willing to give us help when needed.

One of the tougher classes I took fall quarter. You should try and dedicate at least 15 hours a week to outside study if you really want to do well, especially if you haven’t taken chemistry before, or its been a while since you have. He doesn’t assign any mandatory homework, nor has mandatory lecture attendance, but there are online quizzes every weekend (two of which are dropped at the end of the quarter), two midterms, mandatory section, and a final. I would definitely recommend taking this class with Professor Ow again, as he gives clear instructions, is understanding, and has a genuine passion for the subject. My only regret is not dedicating more time to outside study, but that’s about it.

Great professor, arguably one of the best chem professors I've had. Make sure to do the groupwork, additional practice problems he recommends, and follow his recommended timeline and tips for studying. He has office hours, but because of my TA's helpfulness during discussion, it wasn't needed. He also provides practice exams that are extremely similar to the tests. Overall the class is ultimately difficult because of the subject matter but professor Ow does an amazing job at breaking it down he even prints out copies of his slides for students to annotate along with him during lecture.