Very organized learning environment and office hours are always very helpful. I would recommend taking this class!

Selling the textbook Chemical Principles, 6th Edition for $6, also Introduction to Organic Chemistry for $8! Email me at *************

Selling Chemical Principles textbook, solutions manual, course reader, and Introduction to Organic Chemistry. Pick-up on campus available. Please email ************* for inquiries.

[STILL AVAILABLE] Selling "Chemical Principles" 5th and 6th edition textbooks. Venmo only. Email *************. Price negotiable.

Holy Shit this class is hard!!!!
I studied an average of 100 min a day, tooks through notes, read the book, went to UA and OHs, and did at least 50 practice hw problems, and I found this class very challenging, but VERY REWARDING if you put in the time and humble yourself with what you might think is hard. The four concepts we cover are challenging but VERY INTERESTING. I did this and aced every single quiz 40/40 as they were straighfoward but VERY FAST-PACED but I definitely did strugle with the midterm and the final.

My recommendation is to do as much of this as possible to familarize yourself with each concept and prepare yourself arithmetically (be able to solve basic problems flawlessly and as fast as possible and you should ace the quizzes and apply those knowlegdge and skills to the ridiculously hard problems on the final).

*DISCLAIMER*: I am a UA who taught for Dr. Lavelle for 5 quarters (5x Chem 14A, 2x Chem 14B) but never actually took his course. However, having attended all lectures and holding office hours, I feel like I can talk about the course at least semi-accurately.

Dr. Lavelle takes characteristics from the epitome of the classic college professor with that of a sweet, understanding, caring uncle.

First, his course is structure just like your other lower div. chemistry classes. 1 midterm, 1 final, 4 quizzes throughout the quarter, and some graded homework. Lectures are informative, to say the least, and while they may be fast paced, they certainly help prepare any incoming student what's to come in later chemistry classes. Additionally, his course reader is a carbon-copy of his lecture notes, so it's very easy to follow along and catch-up on anything you may have missed (especially since lectures are podcasted).

As I mentioned above, Lavelle is the epitome of a college professor and as any incoming freshman should know, his course gives you your first opportunity to learn how to teach yourself. Often times in lectures, Dr. Lavelle does not explicitly outline how to solve specific problems, something you'll find as a common theme in most, if not all of your chem/math/physics courses. This certainly makes the course more difficult but as compensation, it's most definitely rewarding, especially for those looking to take the MCAT in a couple years.

Outside of lecture, Dr. Lavelle couldn't root for your success more. He's always moderating Chemistry Community and always more than happy to hold office hours for his students. He's super friendly and extremely approachable and will never give a snarky or mean answer when questioned. While his course may be challenging and demanding, his course is well worth the time if you want a strong chemistry background to help with future coursework/the MCAT!

To anyone reading these reviews and getting scared:
This class is not as bad as some reviews below make it seem. But, yes, you have to study hard. This is chemistry, and the majority os us are pre-meds. This class is here to prepare us for the MCAT, or other pre-health entrance exams. Go look at some sample questions in the inorganic chemistry section. They are not friendly. They are hard. There are curveballs... many of them. Come into this class as a pre-med student looking to get a great foundation for the MCAT, because that is exactly what Lavelle is giving us. Do not come into this class for an 'easy' chemistry course and/or GPA booster. Chances are that, with the former mentality, you will get a grade you desire anyways. With no chemistry courses taken in high school, I got an A+ in 14a and an A in 14b, and I now feel comfortable answering many MCAT sample questions in the inorganic chemistry section. Thank you Dr. Lavelle.

Professor is pretty fair with the grading, especially the curve. As I know it, his curves aren't meant to hurt you but help you, so I think this is a plus, compared to some other professors I'be heard about. He does have a lot of materials I guess but they are really expensive. Coursereader I believe is $126 with the past midterms and exams WHICH I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR PRACTICE. If you took Chem14A with Lavelle, you should probably take Chem14B with him too. Sure, the material is harder, but you're with a professor that you're used to. I don't know if the other professors who teach Chem14B require the Chemical Principles Quest for Insight book, but if they require some other book, you don't have to worry about the textbook in Lavelle because you probably already got it for Chem14A. Overall, I would say you should do well on the quizzes (120pts) because they are much easier than the midterm (theres only one (110pts) and final (160pts). You have to post on the discussion board once a week (10pts) AND THATS YOUR WHOLE GRADE. Basically you have to do well on everything if you want a raw score of A (you have a 28point buffer the whole quarter). His lectures aren't that great; he reads off the slides a lot and that's something we can do at home. I guess the good thing about going to lectures is that you're forced to read them (at least for me because if I skipped lecture I would definitely not have the diligence to review the coursereader. OH YEAH, FOR INTRO TO OCHEM THE ORGANIC CHEMISTY BOOK HELPS A LOT, WAY MORE THAN THE COURSEREADER, SO READ THAT. Summary: Lavelle is not the best lecturer, but he's pretty nice and fair when it comes to the grading.

Overall, this class taught me about thermodynamics, kinetics, and organic chemistry. The material is not that bad, it's just that Dr. Lavelle specifically throws curveballs in the exams in order to "adjust the curve", "weed out students". Honestly, if you're gonna have an 85% be a B in this class, while it is an A- in other chemistry classes, I would avoid Dr. Lavelle if you want to have a higher first-year GPA. Don't worry about not having like a 4.0 your first year though, it'll just get better and better.

Oh, and if you're not into studying like 20 hours a week to get like a B (and 40 hours a week to get an A) I HIGHLY do not recommend this class. Med-school application reviewers hate this trend, go join a club or something with that time and maybe take Li (or Scerri) instead and get that A :)

Professor Lavelle was not my favorite professor... he was VERY boring and made me want to snooze every lecture. I'd say that lectures are okay, not very helpful actually, but the UA sessions that he hosts (Ashley in particular) is what helped me get an A in this class. Just do all the homework and practice exams and you should be fine... in this class, you get what you put into it. I personally used the textbook for the homework, but I know plenty of people who got by without one. (I don't know a single person who actually READ the book) The first half of the quarter is definitely the hardest, and even though thermo chemistry can seem easy to you, HE WILL THROW A CURVEBALL ON THE MIDTERM. That's a fact. The second half of the quarter is intro to organic and is much, much easier. (LOL he even brings balls to class to demonstrate molecules) I'd say that this class was harder than I wanted it to be, but not impossible to get a good grade in. (This is coming from a student who got a C- on the final and an A- in the class) GOOD LUCK!!