This class is definitely one of the best classes I've taken at UCLA. I noticed some of the reviews say you don't learn much about organic chemistry, but you do. It is not difficult at all to get an A if you put time into the class. Sure, my name was one of the ~20 up there that had an A going into the final, but plenty of people who did not have their names up their also got an A.

There is PLENTY of extra credit for you to earn. Each test has ~5 points of extra credit. The ringtone is 5 points. And you can get 15 points of extra credit for making a video. That's already 35 points.... nearly 10% of your grade. So not only is it possible to get an A, an A+ is NOWHERE near "impossible." He says to spend your time wisely, but the extra credit was so worth it in my opinion (may be hindsight).

I got an A in Neil's class, and it was challenging, but very doable. Here are my "secrets" (as Neil called it) to getting an A+:

1. Make flash cards of all the reactions as he teaches them. Review them about 10 times a week (I suggest 5 times per night, 2 nights per week).

2. The first midterm is very easy. It speeds up so much after the first midterm, don't fall behind.

3. If you think he taught a lot between M1 and M2? M2 to the final is even worse. Study all the reactions.

4. Neil recommends to do problem sets right when they come out. I say try them but don't spend too much time. Wait for the solution manual and work alongside it. Learn from your mistakes don't grieve on them.

5. Do the practice tests with other people and talk about the tests. You'll remember things better that way. Don't be stubborn.

6. Go to OH and chill.

7. Make an awesome music video with a bridge scene.

Prof. Garg is amazing. You don't really need to read Vollhardt at all to do well on his tests. His notes, problem sets, and past exams are all what you need. AND HE GIVES ALL OF THAT TO YOU!! So basically he gives you all the study materials you'll ever need to do well. He also teaches well and makes every single lecture so fun that you actually will enjoy it. AND HE IS A GOOD MAN. He'll motivate you and inspire you every single time. I have never had so much respect for a professor but him. He's really a role model.

HOWEVER!!!!! His class is NOT EASY. To absorb all the study materials and understand the reaction mechanisms takes A HECK OF A LOT OF TIME. First of all, you have to memorize EVERYTHING. And I'M NOT KIDDING, THERE'S A TON OF REACTIONS YOU HAVE TO KNOW. You'll need to know all the solutes and solvents involved to make every product from each reactant. If I were to count, there was about 50 of them for the whole quarter, maybe even more. AND ALL HIS TESTS ARE CUMULATIVE. So make sure not to forget anything!

What makes his class the hardest is THE RETROSYNTHESIS PROBLEMS!!!! It's basically a huge puzzle. You have the pieces (which you have to memorize anyway, and like I said there's a TON) and you have to know how to put those pieces together to make the final product. Those pieces are the mini-reactions you have to know for every test in general. But you you need to know how to combine them to make a step-by-step mechanism that will lead to you to the FINAL HUGE PRODUCT that he wants you to make for the question. Now that requires alot of studying, memorizing, and most of all PRACTICE. AND FINALLY, his questions are ALL OR NOTHING. And his tests don't have alot of questions, so every question is worth LOTS OF POINTS. So you have to know it REALLY WELL to do well on the test. No "eh, I kinda got it". YOU HAVE TO KNOW IT. PERIOD. That's why it's hard to get an A in the class.

So if you hear ANYONE say that he's EASY, THEY'RE ALL WRONG. I worked my butt off for this class only to end up with a B. You need to put in lots and lots of time, maybe at least one day of all-day studying for the midterm, and three days of all-day studying for the final. That'd be the only way to do well on the test. AND DO THE EXTRA CREDIT. Find a group beforehand! All my friends were taken so I had no one to work with. The 10 points extra credit to your grade will help. That's also probably why I ended up with a B. O wellz

Despite all of that, GARG IS THE BEST. But if you're really disappointed in not getting him, don't worry. His class is pretty difficult.

Last quarter I had the pleasure of taking Chemistry 14D, also known as Organic Chemistry II, with Neil Garg. I was at first a little nervous (and by no means excited) to begin the class simply because of all the horror stories I had heard about orgo II, such as having to memorize countless reaction mechanisms and complete synthesis problems all the while battling other UCLA students on the curve. I will preface this review by emphasizing that 14D was still a difficult and rigorous course. However, Neil encouraged us to think of organic chemistry not as some ominous beast that must be conquered alone, but rather as a vital and indeed collaborative course for pre-health students that is both highly relevant to everyday life and at times, even fun.

Neil's online BACON assignments, for example, tie in numerous references from pop culture into high yield topics in the course (my favorite one featured a clip from Seinfeld in which Jerry and George conspire to give Jerry's girlfriend tryptophan-rich food so they could play with her closely guarded toy collection while she fell asleep). Neil's clicker quizzes also served to drill testable topics and to encourage frequent practice while including much appreciated comic relief along the way. Above all however, his lectures, problem sets, and practice tests taught me how to think in different ways and greatly improved my analytical skills - truly a bestowed gift that will keep on giving as I pursue a career in medicine.

As far as Neil goes, I can confidently say that he is by far the most passionate, kind-hearted, and genuinely concerned (not to mention brilliant) professor I have ever encountered at UCLA. We are truly lucky to have him here, especially because I've heard that numerous prestigious private universities have tried to poach him (and probably offered him a much higher salary) but he declined and decided to remain at UCLA. If anything attests to his dedication to his students, it's the virtual office hours that he holds at literally all hours of the day, answering every and any question regarding the course within an impressively short amount time. I am very grateful to have had Neil as a professor and give my utmost recommendation.

Neil was the absolute best professor I've ever had at UCLA. I had a pretty low interest in ochem before this class started, and had heard horror stories of how hard it was, but Neil made it manageable and extremely enjoyable. He truly cared about each and every student and it showed in the way he taught and interacted with the class. He gave us plenty of practice problems and all of the past exams, but it was never too much to handle. He reinforced concepts throughout lecture and problem sets, so we knew what to expect on the exams. He answered all of our questions online (through VOH) within hours of posting, which I thought was amazing, given the quantity of questions asked.
Aside from the way he taught ochem that made it manageable and not as intimidating as I had previously thought, he was the nicest, most caring professor I have ever met. He encouraged students to come to the many office hours he provided, regularly stayed later than he had planned, had review sessions before each midterm/final, and even made individual appointments with any student who wanted one! He never talked down to anyone, never treated any question as a "dumb" one, and gave us inspirational talks so often you could tell he really believed in and cared about all of our success. He also attempted to learn everyones name, and called me by name every time I talked to him.
Don't get me wrong, this class was NOT easy at all - I had to put in a lot of studying and time to get an A - but it was totally doable, and Neil offered lots of extra credit throughout the quarter. I learned so much and actually really enjoy ochem now!
I really can't stress enough how amazing it is to find a professor like Neil, especially at a large research university like UCLA. If every professor was like him, students would absolutely love coming to class!

One of the best professors to have ever taught at UCLA.
His passion for teaching is unparalleled.
He'll know your name, even though there are 400 of you.
He's always there and willing to help in person after class, during office hours, or even on the forum in CCLE.
And make sure you do the extra credit music video.

As the reviews say, he is a marvelous professor. The only professor in my undergraduate career so far who has actually made attending lectures enjoyable and pleasurable for me.

However, if you truly seek more knowledge, take Hardinger instead. There were so many questions unanswered as he threw "facts" at us with no explanation that I was forced to read off of Hardinger's 14D powerpoints from his website.

Also, this is an extremely easy class for a B, but not for an A. There is no curve, and you need a solid 95.0 for an A. When the 2nd midterm scores were released, he also listed a couple of names who currently had that "solid" 95.0 or higher, and let me tell you that there was only about 20 names listed out of the 375 students in class. That means only about 5% of the students were maintaining A's because screwing up 1 question on a test that has over 30 questions will put you on the borderline.

However, that A is very easy to obtain for those who can cram every reaction because that is all there is to it for this class. Know your reagents and products and the arrow-pushing mechanism, and you are practically set for a good grade as there is no effort to learn anything else.

Overall, really, really good professor to take. But maybe not for those who wish to learn more about organic chemistry. But what can I say, it is the 14 series and a cop-out to learning chemistry. I think they should just force the 30 series upon the life science majors.