I LOVED Professor Lavelle. He is such an amazing professor and I would 100% take him again. I was a bit hesitant coming into Chem 14A because I saw the reviews and they said that his course was challenging. Some of the material is definitely difficult but if you do the assigned textbook problems he has on the syllabus you will do good. He adds some of them on the midterms and he evens lets us preview one question that is on the test before we take it which gives us guaranteed points. He has so many hours every week with office hours, TA step up sessions, and even zoom links to help anyone struggling. Before every lecture, he puts on music and it is so funny because he dances and makes the screen interactive. It makes my day every single time I go into lectures. I recommend this teacher for 14A for sure! The discussions are so helpful because the TA goes over problems with us, they are not mandatory at all. LOVE HIM!

Selling textbook Chemical Principles seventh edition and solutions manual (used for both Chem 14A and 14B). Email me at ************* if interested!

Selling Textbook. Contact for more details: *************

I loved this class, specifically because of Dr. Lavelle. He was amazing and so passionate about the class. Would definitely recommend the class. If anyone taking the class next year is in need of a textbook I have a perfectly good one that I will sell for half the price of the Amazon one. My email is is *************!! Please message me if you are interested.

As someone who actually got a lower grade in this class, I'll give it to you all straight. Prof Lavelle is a great professor, he has plenty of resources and always encourages communication between the students on chemistry community, a website he made. However, as someone who does not have any AP Chem background or has not seen any of the material presented in this class prior, unlike half the other students, it was difficult. I never developed proper study methods for STEM classes in high school and as a result, suffered. The exams get harder. The final was awful, maybe because of the transition to online format? There were reviews the week of, but they were not very helpful if you actually watched the lectures since they were a simple recap. The textbook is very helpful, especially the textbook problems. Basically, use as many resources as possible; managing time with the class can be difficult, but it's possible.

Even though I got not such a great grade in this class, I think Lavelle is a great professor. His explanations are really concise and thorough and Chemistry Community, which is an website where you can ask questions at any time, is so helpful because you can get instant feedback if you're stuck on a question from other classmates. He also has workshops and step-up sessions beyond normal office hours that can help a lot if you need more practice. Since your grade is mainly the midterm and final, I really recommend doing practice problems from the textbook (some which are on the tests) early because if you procrastinate like I did your test scores will drop your grade a lot. I also think that he occasionally extends lecture times a little too long (at most by 20 minutes). The class overall is challenging but as long as you make sure to keep up with the practice problems and go to office hours every time you have a question, you'll do well.

I think Lavelle is an amazing professor. A lot of people will complain about him because the content is difficult (it definitely can be), but I can't imagine a professor doing more than Lavelle does to make sure students have every resource they need for the class. I didn't attend many UA sessions besides the review ones before exams, but I've heard they are extremely helpful if you are struggling to grasp a concept. In his lectures, Lavelle is constantly mentioning how he goes back to fundamentals before he teaches a new concept, and it is actually really helpful for people like me who have forgotten everything from high school chemistry. His midterms are very reasonable in my opinion and he moves at a good pace. As long as you are able to do the Sapling and textbook problems he assigns you should be more than set for the exams.