I took this as part of CSI, and this course was completely asynchronous. However, despite that, Dr. Ow always made sure to make time for his students through twice weekly office hours, answering his emails regularly, and even holding recorded exam reviews! Plenty of students (including myself) went to office hours, where most of his answers were concise and extremely helpful (he also gives little rules of thumb and stuff).

However, if you're not a great test-taker, then this class may not be 100% the best for you. Our entire grade was based on quizzes and exams, although quizzes are untimed and only 5 questions long (not always multiple choice though) and you can use the book (he said so himself in the syllabus). On the other hand, exams are timed (still open-book) but still not insanely difficult (usually 7-8 short-answer questions). Exams usually had a B+ average (which I consider pretty good for ~100 students). You do have to be motivated enough to watch the lectures and do the practice problems from the book since there's no graded homework assignments to force you to learn.

Unlike last year though, he didn't provide the textbook for us (it wasn't the Top Hat one), but it is FREE and easily accessible if you just look at other places on the internet. If it's the Chemical Principles textbook, you DON'T need to buy it from UCLA for the Achieve software as he doesn't use it at all, so there is no added benefit there if you think the cost will include special questions or examples.

took 14d with Prof Ow during fall 2021. hardest class I have ever taken, with no empathy shown towards the fact that we were transitioning back to in person classes after 1.5 years or that we are students with other responsibilities. if this is your only hard/demanding class, I think it is possible to dedicate ALL your time to the class and get an A or B. if you end up having to take this amongst other STEM classes/major classes or if you have other responsibilities that take up time throughout the week, it was really tough to keep up in my opinion. he goes VERY fast when explaining material and gives weekly quizzes that are pretty hard. exams are also timed and really long, and there was no curve even though our averages were very low (ie. first midterm average was a D). avoid taking with him if you can but good luck if you have no choice

Not enough practice problems were given for this class. The textbook solutions were poorly written and I honestly learnt the most by doing practice exams. Campuswire was unresponsive and normally questions were answered with a single short sentence that did not help a lot. Materials seem easy he just made it a lot harder to understand and practice.

Ok, this is a review for his 14CL class because he's not listed as a professor. Overall would recommend taking this lab with him because he was super generous (not like how his descriptions are for his 14C class). His grading scale was nice (90% and up was an A). For the final, which was in person, we were allowed to bring 1 whole page of a cheat sheet front and back--- so super nice. His exams were honestly not bad at all. The in-person labs were also not bad but that part just depends on who your TA is and if they are generous or not. Btw I had Du, S, and would def recommend it because he graded so easily. Also, I would recommend getting a PLF for this course to help with the pre and post-labs. Overall this class is A LOT of busy work. An average week was 1 prelab due Tues/Wed and 1 post-lab due Tues/Wed and those take a lot of time. All-in-all, this class is not that bad and would recommend this professor.

Take this class with Ow 100%. Professor Ow is the best, so organized, so thorough, content isnt bad at all, this class is so do-able with Ow.

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.

Ow is a great lecturer, and makes the content pretty engaging for what it is. All lectures are recorded, livestreamed, and in-person. Tests are kind of a double-edged sword. They’re all multiple choice, which makes the content itself easier, but getting one question wrong costs a lot grade-wise. There is no curve either unless the class does really bad as a whole. In its place is a kind of weird grading scale that makes it much easier to get an A- (89% cutoff) while it makes getting an A much harder (94% cutoff). But other than that I would recommend Dr. Ow for 14C.

Ow is an alright professor. As we all know Ochem is HARD, but he makes his tests all multiple choice with limited specific questions, so if you miss just a couple, you may lose points quick. He did not help me when I had an issue, showing his carelessness for his students. Wish he could have provided guidance. Study a lot and don't forget to complete everything he assigns.

I took Professor Ow for 14A and thought he was phenomenal then, and he didn’t disappoint this quarter either.

I will say, this is a difficult class, but I think he makes it as easy as possible by making it multiple choice. I really thrived with that exam style and am forever grateful for that.

He’s a phenomenal lecturer and adequately prepares you for the exams, and also makes sure you don’t fall behind (or at least tries to) by keeping you accountable via weekly quizzes. I think he gives you all the tools + extra to succeed in this class.

I never did any of the textbook problems (only did the extra practice), rewatched his lectures every now and then, watched Chad’s prep and Joechem, and used the Klein book to study, and I was able to do well. I did feel like midterms 1 and 2 were tricky, but it was more of a reading comprehension thing and making sure you understood the question, rather than just putting down what the apparent right answer was. He also does really test on exceptions/minor things, so if he tells you to know something, know it.

I really have no complaints, I think you just have to put the effort into this class. I think Ow makes it as manageable as possible, and the rest is up to you.

Genuinely so much respect for him for still putting in so much effort for his students despite all his health struggles (which he was transparent about). I loved taking this class with him and appreciate him!

He is a great teacher and is clearly passionate about chemistry. He has weekly quizzes and doesn't assign homework. He is a professor that ares more about if you really understand the concepts and performance on the test. This class was difficult for me but his grading scheme made it easier to pass. He also zooms and records and doesn't record attendance which was really nice. Overall I recommend taking this class with this professor as long as you do decent on the tests and do the weekly quizzes well you're sure to pass.