Professor Tienson is one of those professors who provide the weekly study questions and make similar questions on the exam. Her lecture is quite fast so I recommend you to watch bruincast to review the whole lecture. (This class has clicker points so you can only miss 3-4 lectures in order to get a perfect score on clicker points.) There are plenty of topics discussed in this class and the worst part of this class is there are 4 lectures per week. So make sure you review the lecture everyday. If you don't, you may fail to understand her next lecture.

The test is pretty straightforward. You just have to focus on the weekly study questions and the lecture notes (if you have time). In addition, you need to memorize several biological molecules (e.g, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, electron carriers in electron transport chain of mitochondria...). It may helpful to memorize the answers of weekly study guides because if you miss a single word or detail, you will lose some points even though your answer is correct.
Below are the statistics of 2013 spring chem 153A lecture 1.

Midterm 1 average: 72
Midterm 2 average: 70
Final average: 141

Just for a tip, it is important to get a really good score on midterm 1 because midterm 1 is much easier than midterm 2 and the final, which is comprehensive. It is extremely painful to memorize all the topics that you have covered in this class to study for the final.

Her grading scheme is generous. I think she tries to set the average as a mid B and gives ~30% of an A range. I got an A in her class, and surely, it's really hard to get an A in this class. Make sure you study diligently and do all the weekly study guides.

THE RELIEF after finishing this class. You will have no life when you take this class, wait until winter / spring for a better professor! She expects you to rememberize a whole biochem textbook, which is expected of a UCLA biochem class, but there must be easier professors out there who just give out A's like candy. I dont really appreciate her condescending attitude though.

She's a bitch. No feelings or whatnot. You get so annoyed of her squeaky voice.

WAY TOO MUCH MEMORIZATION! She overloads you on information and expects you to regurgitate it out every 4 weeks. She's too busy in her Office hours and does not reply to email.

I'm really not getting the negative reviews here!

I personally really liked Tienson. Sure, the woman could have used a few more outfits throughout the quarter - she was particularly attached to a dark blue knit sweater when I took hear a few quarters ago. But jokes aside, she was overall a solid professor. She has the no frills approach, which means she won't sugar coat things for you. She will lay things out for you as they are, and will expect you to do learn them.

However, she does guide you along.

I must disagree with a number of posts that say that the study questions didn't help. Honestly, that's all I did. I stayed on top and made sure I completed those long, tedious study questions every week. That's what helped me get a solid grade in the class, to be honest. The study questions. DO THE STUDY QUESTIONS. I cannot emphasize that enough. Her tests are very similar to the questions. Sure, she may throw in a few twists and turns in her questions, but if you did the study questions, then you have enough practice to recognize any twists and turns she may have on her tests.

Her exams were overall fair. Her final was a bit harder from what I remember. I don't think pure memorization would do you well in the class at all. I completely disagree with the posts that simply say to memorize everything. A lot of the topics in this class are pretty conceptual.

Tienson may not be the nicest professor but she gets the job done. Her lectures aren't super fun or exciting, but to me the material was interesting enough to keep me focused. Her lecturing style is a bit dry (don't expect any jokes to keep you alert), so make sure to pump yourself with loads of caffeine before coming in to keep you awake. However, I honestly think she means well. I asked her for a recommendation letter a few quarters after taking her class, and she was more than happy to write it. She's not a bad person. I just don't think she knows how she comes off as sometimes.

Take her! I've heard the other biochem professors are worse. All the best.

Tienson is one of the best professors I've had at UCLA. I'm not a biochemistry major and was very nervous about taking the class. However, she does a great job of simplifying difficult concepts, is an engaging lecturer and gives fair exams. She prepares you well with tons of study questions and review sessions. Her exams are always based off what she lectures from and if you work hard you can get a good grade in her class. Also she is incredibly nice if you ever go to her office hours. She's really dedicated to ensuring all her students do well in her class. I highly recommend her if you're taking 153A! As long as you stay on top of lectures then you'll do well in the class!

I worked my ass off and tried Addy for the first time because of this class. It definitely paid off, but I would have preferred another professor. I found Tienson impersonal and struggled to keep up with the material. I spent the entire quarter catching up on the material. I found my TA (Kyung) very helpful, however, and it helps to review LS2/14A-D beforehand.

Winter 2016
Project (30pnts), participation (20), quizzes (100), MT1 (100), MT 2 (100), and Final (200) So, total of 550. Mean for MT 1 was 68; MT 2 was 63.
A+: Above 495
A: 494-448
A-: 447-430
B+:429-412
B: 411-378
B-:377-360
C+:359-342
C: 341-308
C-: 307-290
There were 10 extra credit points for just giving her feedback and survey.
Do the study questions and understand them. She is a very nice professor and a bruin for like 10 years. Go Bruins!

So many people have told me to avoid Tienson but she's usually the only professor teaching 153A. I actually enjoyed her class a lot. The material isn't that difficult. It's a lot of what we've already learned from LS and the Chem series but more in depth. As long as you go over all her slides and study questions, you'll do fine in the class.

Her curve is very generous. I struggled in a lot of my lower divs but still got an A in 153A (meaning it's definitely possible to do well if you don't slack off). The discussion forum was also really helpful, since Tienson is always active on that. Overall, I really liked her :)

I understand why a lot of people don't like Tienson because her class is definitely tough. You have to keep up with the materials every day since she expects you to not only understand the facts, but also know how to integrate them in the exams. This course includes the basic foundations of biochemistry, so it contains great amount of information. However, I like her teaching because she is very clear in explaining concepts and in what she wants you to know. If you go to her office hours often and master the study guides before exams, you will get an A for sure. Personally, I think Tienson has a generous curve at the end and her final is really tough, so don't slack off even when you get good grades for midterms.