As someone who took 20A and then switched into the 14 series to take 14B, I highly recommend Dr.Lavelle. His lectures are very straightforward and understandable. He has so so many resources that help students study and reach out for questions. He has many TAs hold office hours and review sessions a week before the midterms and final. The exams are all multiple choice with plenty of time to complete them. The one thing that can be a little worrying is the point distribution. The homework is completion and discussion is not mandatory but I highly recommend you attend. The class is 400 points in total, and 100 of the points are from homework/Chemistry Community posts. Honestly, he is a very good and passionate professor who wants his students to enjoy the subject and succeed. I would highly recommend taking his class for 14A or 14B.

Out of all the 14 series professors I think Lavelle is one of the best, but his grading is kind of a pain. If you're aiming for an A, you can't miss too many points and there's not much cushion or any extra credit. Some people find 14B easier than 14A, but I personally found it a bit harder. Participation and discussion not mandatory and TAs can be hit or miss, but his tests use textbook questions and are very similar from year to year, so there's a lot of practice available (tests are proctored and use lockdown browser live). Lectures pretty clearly organized and easy to follow too (were bruincasted)

The concepts in this class are harder than that of 14A, but you can still get an A in class, just attend a UA session weekly, do ALL the hw problems as he puts some on the tests, and don't fall behind on lectures.
Lavelle is actually a very kind professor and he gave us an opportunity to earn 4 points extra credit on both MT2 and the final. (I completely disagree with the review saying he was self-infatuated).
If you put in the work you'll easily be able to get an A, def would take Lavelle again if I could!

I thought Lavelle was a wonderful professor and I genuinely enjoyed the class. He teaches at a really slow pace, but he makes each topic really simple and easy to understand. The tests weren't hard; it was all really fair. He's also so passionate about his peer learning groups and his blog but its actually really helpful. Overall, an easy class, a great professor, and loved the vest and hat combo.

Selling pdfs of past notes, tests, midterms, and finals. Text me at ********** if you're interested.

Selling used textbook 7th edition along with Solutions Manual for cheaper than I bought. The textbook is in brand new condition (no tears and no marks at all). It was bought looseleaf so it will come already packaged in a binder. Contact me at *************

He is a wonderful person. He brought a smile to my face every time I came to class, and the material is alright until the final (where I literally dropped a letter grade). I heard from other people who took his class that he always makes the finals intentionally harder than everything else which I mean... why?
I love him as a person but have incredible distaste for the class.

Similar to Chem 14A. I thought the topics were much easier than 14A as I found them more interesting. Didn't pay attention and managed to pull an A by doing all the assigned practice problems (checking my thought process using chemistry community), doing practice test problems, and watching The Organic Chemistry Tutor.

Lavelle is a good lecturer but the material and problems he goes over in lecture are very basic. So when it comes to the test questions, they feel very hard in comparison. I did a lot of the textbook problems but still struggled on the tests. Chem community is a great asset though.

Take Lavelle! He only teaches 14B in the winter. His lectures can be a bit dry but he's very clear and starts from the fundamentals. He's also a very funny guy! He doesn't bruincast though so attending lecture is important. He also provides the most resources to assist in learning than any other professor I've had. In addition to his and his TA's office hours, his undergraduate assistants (UAs) have around 20 hours of weekly learning sessions on campus and on the hill. Before the midterm and final, he has a review session in lecture and the TAs and some of the UAs have their own review sessions too. He also has his 'Chemistry Community,' which is a discussion forum that he requires you to post on every week which is helpful to discuss problems with other students. Lavelle really cares about his students' success. The resources to do well in this class are there; it's up to you to take advantage of them. In addition to the midterm and final (which are cumulative), there are also 2 smaller tests in discussion (unlike the 3 from 14A) that focus on specific topics. The midterm and the final are both relatively straightforward since he didn't ask some of the harder problems from thermodynamics. The key to do well is to do ALL the homework problems he assigns and understand the concepts behind them even though he only requires you to do 7 problems a week. Also make sure to post on Chemistry Community which is free points. The class is graded on a straight scale although he may curve a percent or two.
Grade Breakdown:
Chemistry Community - 3 pts x 10 wks = 30 pts
Homework - 7 pts x 10 wks = 70 pts
Tests - 2 x 50 pts = 100 pts
Midterm - 120 pts
Final - 180 pts
Total - 500 pts