First off, selling Chem 14B textbook and solutions. E-mail ************* (I can be haggled on the price!)

Now for the review :)
I have taken both Lavelle and Scerri and I can honestly tell you the differences between both of them are pretty drastic. Scerri is definitely more conceptual, so for him, it is more like you know it or you don't. There's no deducing the answer because there are so little math based problems in his class. He is extremely disorganized to the point where even his course reader is difficult to understand (took him for 14B and after studying like a mad person, pulled off a B in his class after getting a 70%, the average, on his midterm).

Obviously, I did not like Scerri very much, so apologies for being biased. Lavelle, on the other hand, is a very good professor. Extremely organized, thorough explanations of concepts, and lots of review sessions! Taking chem 14B more recently, I can remember exactly what happens, and will give some pointers:

1. The quizzes are a B****, so don't be depressed if you fail one of them. However, prepare as best as you can for them, since only the lowest score out of the 2 quizzes will be replaced by your workbook score. Seriously, the quizzes can actually be more hard than the midterm and final.

2. Try to get a 40/40 score on your workbook. It will save your butt. I got 38/40 because I didn't compare my answers to anyone else's the first time and it screwed me. (There are 2 quizzes in the workbook for you to do. The workbook will be included when you buy your course reader).

3. At the very least, for heaven's sake, look at the HW! The HW is excessive at the very least, and sometimes downright unnecessary. However, if you do not do any of the HW he assigns, I can guarantee you that you will get no higher than a D in his class!! The HW teaches you how to apply concepts he gives you in class to actual problems, so DO NOT NEGLECT THEM LIKE I DID (after the 1st quiz I learned my lesson and did them all)

3. Lectures are a B****. But then again, so is Chemistry. I took Scerri, and fell asleep in all his lectures so I had to watch the podcast. I took Lavelle and fell asleep in almost all his lectures. Just watch the podcasts if you fall asleep in lecture.

I have more to add, but I'm lazy now, so I leave it up to you guys to choose. I don't know what my grade in Chem 14B is yet, but I hope for a B, but this (possible?) B was a lot LESS stress to work for than in 14A. Also, if you need to know, I only took Chem Honors in high school sophomore year, so basically no knowledge of chem at all (no AP Chem either) coming into either Chem class -like, seriously, I didn't know wtf a covalent bond was. Work hard, play hard, then work harder to make up for playing! Enjoy UCLA :)

Selling practically new (used few times) Chemical Principles The Quest for Insight 5th edition, Solutions Manuals, unopened chem modeling kit and chem 14b course reader for Lavelle

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Let's be honest. This class sucks. I did not enjoy one single lecture, the best part of going into class was when he came out smiling and saying "good morning!". Fell asleep in nearly every lecture. I have had no prior chemistry experience and BARELY, I mean barely, passed this class. And I'm not the only one. I'd just say to be weary of this class and know that his midterms and final are going to hit, and they are going to hit HARD.

Selling textbook: Chemical Principles The Quest for Insight, 5th Edition

Great price and in good shape!
E-mail me if you're interested :)

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Lavelle is not a bad teacher at all. He was surprisingly better than I thought he'd be. I had a decent amount of Chemistry in high school, so I found Chemistry (14 A and B) to be fairly easy and great courses to take my freshman year. He doesn't lie when he says he'll take midterm/final questions from the homework. I didn't do all of them, but I made sure I understood the concepts behind each question. DEFINITELY be sure to do all of his past midterms and finals. His tests format and question styles are always the same and he re uses questions from the past exams pretty often. Honestly, if you do these, you should be set.

Lecture wasn't crucial to go to because you have the course reader anyway, but I always liked going to lecture because for me just reading the course reader wasn't helpful at all. His lectures acted as a "gap filler" for the words on the course reader. People say he's boring, but he's not too bad. I chewed gum in class to stay awake.

Okay so first off...f*** the guy who got a A+ and is saying how predictable lavelles tests are....they aren't. Studying alone won't get you through this class. You need critical thinking as well. You really need to understand how to apply all the concepts. Took 14a and 14b with him..honestly the biggest mistake I've made so far. Got a A- and B+. He basically ruined all my confidence in chemistry. He made me think gawd damm this is what college chem is like...im soo f*****. But I just took 14c with hardinger and I'm pretty sure i got a A. With that said, if you're an incoming freshman reading this, want to start freshman year off right, wait a quarter and take sceri. It will save your ass. Trust me. I'm still trying to recover from lavelle. He scarred me for life...really though its just harder than intro chem needs to be.

the kid who posted about his A+.... SHUT UP.

Seriously, don't take this class. Lavelle does give practice finals and midterms, but he is NOT predictable. he throws the weirdest curveballs at you and there will ALWAYS be atleast 3 questions on the test that you're staring at, like, WTF is this? I've never seen this in my life.

And just look at the grading distribution. barely anyone gets A's. I got a C+ and this is one of the hardest classes I've taken and it killed my gpa. seriously don't take lavelle, wait a quarter to get a better professor. he sucks.

The kid who just posted about his A+ is part of the whopping 1.2% who pull off such a grade...some people are clearly far smarter than others.

Anyways...

I worked my ass off this quarter and got a B+. But honestly, when I added up all my points together, I got a 345/400. That's an 86.25%, which is practically a B+ raw score. What the eff is this? There's no freaking curve??? I'm astonished.

I've read a few of Lavelle's reviews just below me before writing this. There seems to be a common trend.

Let's get this straight. If you don't do all the work that Lavelle assigns, but doesn't grade (i.e., homework sets), then I don't know what you're expecting for a grade. Lavelle is VERY predictable. Course reader has SEVEN past midterms and finals. Problems are all straightforward if you did them + the homework sets.

I put in the necessary work. Some complain about him only going over basic stuff in class, but I don't see anything wrong with that. If you have the fundamentals he covered in class,+ did the recommended reading for each section, you'd be fine. Seriously.

Scores:
Quiz 1: 39/40
Quiz 2: 40/40
Organic Chem Worksheet: 40/40
Midterm: 109/110
Final: 163/170
Final Grade: A+

Clearly doable. Easy? It takes work, yes, but if you're willing to put that in, it's not much of a challenge at all.

It's Chemistry. If you expect with your intellect without putting a decent amount of work in, you might want to rethink taking this course until you're ready.

Best of luck to future enrollees. Take reviews saying he's bad with a grain of salt. His lectures may be a bit dull at times (I admit I've fallen asleep at times), but he does soundly cover everything, enough to make your readings through the textbook much easier.

TL;DR
Great professor, expected exam questions, do the work. Cannot stress that enough.

NO! JUST NO! DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. YOU WILL REGRET IT. SKIP OUT A QUARTER IF YOU NEED TO, JUST DON'T TAKE 14B WITH LAVELLE! unless you want a C or a fail grade and you don't want to get into med school. then it's chill i guess...