Dr. Ow was a decent professor and fairly helpful. I didn't find the class particularly hard, but be sure to study every single slide he posts. Even though he often said that we wouldn't go that in depth for certain topics, he would ask questions on his tests that were on slides he didn't go over that much - I found that these were the points I missed the most on all his tests. The class consisted of two midterms, a final, and discussion attendance.

This is my second course taken with Dr. Ow, and I honestly cannot convey how great this man is. He's definitely my favorite and probably the single best professor I've had thus far. The material is obviously very complicated, but Ow is able to explain it in a way that makes a lot of sense because he goes through problems from the perspective of how he would solve them. He points out patterns and key clues that help show you how to solve a problem, doesn't unnecessarily complicate things, and is actually pretty funny and engaging during lecture. He's also very responsive via email and hosts frequent office hours, so he's definitely in your corner.

Because there is a lot to cover, the amount of material shown in lecture can feel a bit rushed at times, but because he pays attention to where students struggle the most, the amount of lectures allocated to each topic feels pretty good. Ow also has review lectures before midterms instead of trying to jam in material that isn't on the midterm but may be confusing, and we had an entire week worth of lectures before the final that were purely review. The exams themselves were very fair because he communicates clearly what will and won't be on the exam, and they are very similar to the old and practice exams he provides. They also aren't wildly different from the stuff that you are shown in class. The only non-exam assignments are weekly quizzes and discussion attendance; there's no homework assigned for you to do. However, you should still expect to dedicate time to practicing outside of discussion and the quizzes because that's the only way to get better at the retrosynthesis and multistep reaction questions. If you're willing to put in the time, it's very, very feasible that you can get an A.

This was amazing. I strongly recommend taking this class over the summer.
Three exams. Each multiple choice. 12 questions.
Homework is based on completion and there is one assigned every week.
Lectures are recorded.

30B is one of the most difficult chem classes you'll probably have to take, but even for someone like me whos weakness is chem, and scored low on the two exams, his grade thresholds makes it virtually impossible to fail.

He doesn't curve or offer extra credit, but is a very straightforward lecturer. He explains his thought process with every step and his lectures are pretty helpful to gain a decent understanding, but 30B requires a lot of critical thinking and an "intuition" for a lot of it that you'll have to develop on your own with soooo much practice. He doesn't overcomplicate concepts during lecture which makes it very easy to digest in-class, but you have to master these concepts to be able to apply them in an much more advanced way during the exam. Lectures are recorded, and you pretty don't need to actually go but I learned better in person. He throws in some humor here and there which is nice to break up the rigor of the class.

The book problems are not required and are a hit or miss, they were helpful in the beginning but too easy compared to the actual exams near the end of the quarter. For alcohols and mechanisms I'd recommend making a list of each "toolbelt" item he gives you and what it does. Refer back to this while you practice till it becomes second nature. He says there's no memorization but you definitely need to memorize these "tools"

The quizzes are online over the weekend and not too bad, two are dropped. The exams however are rough. The way he asks questions on exams is really weird and he will throw in the random thing from lecture you probably didn't think was important. It's also a LOT of work for a 50 minute exam so make sure you don't freeze up during it.

Having no assignments other than a small quiz means lots of time to study for this class on your own which is doable! I know a lot of people who succeeded in this class despite the tough exams

I don't like ochem. However, this professor made the subject bearable. He was very straight to the point and his lectures are helpful. There is no mandated homework, but DEFINITELY do the discussion and suggested problems. The only way to study for ochem is to do the questions enough to understand the patterns. He is a great professor. Attendance is not mandatory but I really felt like his lectures helped me understand and get a good grade in ochem which I personally never thought was possible. I would take him again if I had another chem class, but I do not plan to anytime soon.