chem 14A experience: i went into lavelle's class coming from a very bad high school education. I was used to not studying and getting an amazing grade. Iavelle's class was a struggle since i did not acquire sufficient study skills. I ended up getting a B- in the class and i was torn and very disappointed and thought my premed dreams were over. however i did not give up.

Chem 14B experience: I went into this class with a fired up spirit knowing that i had to work really hard to get a better grade than the previous quarter. I studied REALLY hard for the final and got an ninety percent on it after scoring slightly above average on the midterm. I ended up with a B+ in the class which i am very pleased with.

for all of u premeds I encourage u not to give up! You can do it!

I actually like him. He weeds out the the weak pre-meds.

No Chem background from highschool
Final Grade
Chem 14A- A
Chem 14B- A

I took Chem 14A with Scerri and 14B with Lavelle. Lavelle is superior to Scerri in almost every regard. He takes more time to thoroughly explaining the material to his students and is open to all questions. This is sharp contrast to Scerri's dismissiveness and refusal to review material. Lavelle requires his TA's to have office hours and review sessions almost every hour Mondays through Fridays. This provides students absolutely every opportunity to get help. He is also fair in the material and deadlines, allowing several days between the last discussion and the quiz/midterm/final. Overall Lavelle's course is more challenging, also more available. Students get what they put in with this professor.

This guy is a troll.

I had 14B and 14A with Lavelle. For someone who came out of high school with a very shitty education (especially in chem), his classes definitely weren't easy but hey, you put in the effort and you probably get what you deserve.

His midterms and final all just involve different ways of manipulating the main concepts you've learned, so just be prepared for that and if you work reasonably hard, you'll be ok. I got Bs for both classes, which I had to accept considering I really didn't know the material inside and out (an A). Nonetheless, happy to leave the classes behind.

Selling Chem 14B course reader for $25! Periodic table for $5. Organic Chem Wkbk for $25. There is highlighting and writing (all of which are useful. Text me at ********** if interested :)

Chem 14A vs. 14B: It really depends on the student. I personally found 14B with Lavelle easier than 14A. Maybe its because I got used to his style of examinations, I dont know. But the concepts are totally different, and attract different students who are more interested in particular subjects. Some people held off a quarter to take it with an "easier" Scerri. Although the rumor may be true, hard work prevails. If you do the work and preparation, like many other people have been saying on Bruinwalk, you will be fine. If you dont, I cannot guarantee anything.

Best chemistry professor I've had. Doable 14 series (A's in both quarters) as long as you simply do that work, pump that iron, and prepare well for all quizzes and tests. Kind and caring professor, will miss him.

I took 14a and 14b with Lavelle. I'll miss seeing him come into class with a big grin on his face and greet everyone with a lively "Good afternoon!" He's very organized. Every lecture proceeded efficiently (a couple of pages from the course reader per day). He's got an army of TA's. If you get a lowsy one, find the one that suits your learning style and you can visit his/her office hours if anything needs extra explaining. If I remember correctly, chem 14a had 3 forty minute quizzes, one of which was dropped and replaced if you scored higher on the workbook. The ta's make the quizzes, and they're actually more difficult than Lavelle's midterms and finals.

14a was easier for me than 14b. The material in 14b is very mathematical and it never really all came together. I would suggest doing the homework, however. It is excessive, but it helps tremendously since Lavelle focuses more on mathematical problem solving than conceptual examples.

You'll be surprised when you get a midterm or final. You might just see a problem that includes Pokemon or Harry Potter ;).

So let's go over the grading scheme really quickly.
Quizzes(x2): 40 points each
Workbook: 40 points in total (20 points for each prep quiz), use to replace one of the two QUIZZES (only quizzes)
OChem Worksheet: 40 points
Midterm: 110 points
Final: 170 points

About quizzes: Quiz 1 will be really really hard. Don't worry too much if you fail it (the average is like 10-20 points out of 40 anyway). So focus on your quiz 2 (which should be pretty easy) and finish the workbook flawlessly. For most people, quiz 1 will be the one that will be dropped.

Lecture: For me, lectures are not fun to watch, but they are essential. I would rather not read the book than not watching the lectures. Dr. Lavelle is efficient in explaining things. Everything is clear, concise, and well explained; it's just that his voice can put some students right to sleep...

Homework: Please, please, please do the homework. Or at least look over them along with the solution manuals. I found them pretty helpful for studying for Chemistry assessments.

About midterm and final: They are pretty fair, in my opinion. The midterm was a bit rough, but the final was fine. (I haven't seen my scores yet, so...)

I personally think that Dr. Lavelle will prepare you well for other Chemistry classes. He is very application-based, and that is a really nice thing, because labs are applications as well as the graduate-entry tests (such as MCAT, GRE...)

OChem Worksheet: I personally think it shouldn't take that long to finish. Go with 1-2 friends (you will need some help/more eyes to catch things, but too many opinions at once will be a major delay in finishing up works, unless you all will be working on different computers), and use Chem3D directly (rather than using ChemDraw...). I was able to finish the whole thing within 40 minutes.

Be aware: 14B WILL be harder than 14A though.