The LS classes are all very similar in format (Achieve, exams, problem-solving sessions, etc.), so I'll focus on what the professor has the most control over, mainly lectures and office hours. Phelan was a pretty engaging lecturer. He went to UCLA as an undergrad too, and he often ties his own stories in his classes and labs to the content we're learning. As the sole lecturer for the entire course, I think he did a pretty good job of thoroughly covering all the topics (when usually the genetics and ecology section were split into two professors). The slides were also helpful and informative, though the copy he gives on Canvas leaves out a few slides he only shows during lecture. Clicker questions were supposed to be graded on participation, but with the Wifi issues this quarter he just gave everyone 100. Overall, his lectures felt worth to come to.

I only went to Phelan's office hours once (and I was the only person there) but they were also super helpful. He had the same engaging personality and clear explanations, so they are definitely a resource you should use. Plus he has some interesting backstory too, so come to office hours to find out!

This class isn't incredibly easy, but if you study and pay attention during lectures you will be completely fine. The midterm and final are all based on the lectures and the review sessions (these are key you should definitely go to them), and even if you get a bad grade their are tons of other assignments that factor in to the final grade. I never did any of the reading and I was completely fine so don't bother buying the textbooks. The class itself is super interesting and I still think about some of the things we learned about. It's easy to pay attention in class because the material is interesting so that makes studying when the exams come around a lot easier. There is a considerable amount of work for this class but again it isn't boring and its manageable as long as you stay on top of everything.

I think professor Phelan was a great lecturer always managed to engage to current issues. However, he never once responded to my emails which was difficult because if you had questions about grades he would never get back to us. He did hold review sessions for the final and midterm but I dont think thats helpful at all. Also when taking LS7B one should be aware that the formatted questions are to trick you. Really get to understand how to read graphs because most tests reflect on that, probabilities, nondisjunction, natural selection, realized/ fundamental niches, knowing how to cross genotypes. Just read questions carefully and good luck on your LS7B journey !!

This class really changed my perspective on biology. Look, I'm still not a huge fan of science but Phelan made its boring parts fun. He's engaging and makes watching lectures easy with his prerecorded vides (which felt like watching youtube videos). I was able to maintain a good grade in the class considering I did all the reading and took notes on his videos, but it's not just an easy A. You will need to study for the exams. They aren't insanely difficult, but his questions come from both materials. All in all i genuinely had a fun time learning in his class and Phelan really knows how to put on a smile on your face. I recommend taking it for your science GE as it actually does provide you will some useful knowledge. (Also, get the pdf copies of the books not the hard cover)

I loved taking this class with Professor Phelan. This course was quite manageable and easy to keep up with if you pay attention with the lectures and study before exams. He gives helpful material and a clear layout of each week. He was a great professor for this course, and worked hard to make sure every student was prepared and learning. I would recommend this GE to anyone who needs to fulfill it and wants a more general science GE.

Honestly Phelan was an awesome professor and the lectures were entertaining to me. However, like always any LS7 class, the work/tests suck. Tests kicked my ass, but I definitely did not study a lot due to mental health issues. I always had trouble deciphering what the question was asking. If you put in some effort you'll do fine in the class, overall.

I am conflicted about this class and review. While taking this class, it was easily the best course I've ever taken, high school/college combined. It was the very first STEM class I felt engaged and motivated in, and the only one I felt successful in. I scored 100% on every quiz, did the extra credit, scored well on the midterm, etc. Fall quarter I had been severely sick (going home every weekend, etc.). I was still recovering in Winter quarter. At the very end of the quarter, I had a flare up and fell severely ill, right at the time of the final. I got a C. Going into the final I had almost (if not) an A+. This one test dropped me to a 92.9%. On the point scale out of 723, I was 1.5 points away from an A. It is very out of character for me to email teachers asking for a grade alteration, but in this case I felt it was necessary. Anyways, my grade wasn't changed, nor did I get a response. I get it. Big picture, I guess it doesn't matter, but because I was bed-ridden for 4 months during fall quarter, my grades suffered a bit and I needed every A to help my GPA, so this was a bit of a sore reality.
Overall, Professor Phelan is still one of the best professors I've every had, and did really love his class. It just made me sad that I didn't feel like my work was reflected in my grade.

The content was really boring IMO bc I'm not the most interested in ecology and evolution but the prof managed to keep the lectures interesting and engaging. Attendance was mandatory in lectures through clickers but you could miss two (or have a friend tell you when the clicker questions were). Your enjoyment in the 2-hour lab/discussion is solely based on your TA and classmates. My classmates were mid and my TA was god awful so I dreaded going to discussions. You do get a drop lab though so one free skip. The tests were online on CCLE so they were easy but I probably would not have done as well if they were in person. You also have to buy Launchpad if you didn't already during 7A.

First, I want to say that this class was much harder than I anticipated. The reviews led me to believe that it was much more laid back than it actually was. There were moments when I genuinely thought I was not going to succeed, despite trying my absolute best on assignments, quizzes, exams, and extra credit opportunities. As a student who does not enjoy math and science classes, I was hoping (based on the reviews) that this class would be less taxing in comparison to other STEM classes I have taken. At no point in the class was I confident that I was going to end with an A. I did everything I could to get an A: communicated with the professor and TA, did the extra credit, watched all the lecture videos, read and took thorough notes on all the assigned readings, etc. Even so, I wasn’t sure about my grade until the very end of the quarter. Don’t get me wrong, Professor Phelan is an AMAZING lecturer. I thought he made the content very accessible and digestible. I just had a hard time with the content itself.

Quizzes: It is definitely worth your while to do the entire problem set before the quiz and answer each question thoroughly. The quizzes are graded pretty harshly so it’s good to be prepared with a good answer.

Exams: The exams had both fair and difficult questions. I would highly recommend going to the review session and taking notes on his responses. The specific questions he goes over during the review won’t be on the exam, but they do help with understanding the material if you are lost.

Debate: For the debate, be sure to pick a topic and reach out to your group early. It was very clear who came prepared for the debates and who didn’t, so it was easy to pick winners in that case. Supposedly, the winners get extra credit but my team won and we did not receive extra credit so I’m not sure if that still happens.

Discussion Posts: I don’t really know what to suggest for the discussion posts because my grades for them were all over the place. I would suggest writing as much explanation as you can for your response. I think you get extra credit if you respond to other people’s discussion posts, so that’s something worth doing!

All in all, take advantage of all extra credit opportunities, and don’t be afraid to approach the professor/your TA. Good luck!

Life Science 15

The professor that will change your life perspective. Phelan is the professor that convinces me why UCLA is UCLA. Great class. Highly recommend.