Lin took over teaching during week 4, and it was a messy transition. There were some things that Maloy hadn't finished teaching us and it wasn't a smooth transition. He had the worst Asian accent (I'm Chinese and I only understood his accent like 60-70% of the time, just to show you how confused I was). He used the weirdest analogies/metaphors that have no correlation to biology. So be prepared for lots of confusion.

I feel like most reviews are students that either did extremely well or extremely poorly, so this is coming from a student who did right smack in the middle. It's a flipped classroom concept and I thought this was beneficial at first, but it's difficult to keep up with Launchpad, especially since they had hard deadlines. Miss one assignment? Lose free points. I did pretty bad on both my midterms and I improved by one letter grade on my final (almost two letter grades), and with all the points that I earned from Launchpad and section (the total was like 700 points or something), I somehow got a C+. I highly doubt they curved it because if they did, I think I would have gotten a B-. This is one of the downsides of taking a class with 360+ students. You can be in the average tier or one of the few students in the lower tier and the professors wouldn't give a crap because there are so many students that are doing well.

Honestly, what I would have done differently includes really taking my time to understand the content (especially through the lecture slides, clicker questions, and learning goals) and to go to office hours (whether it's your TA or the actual professor). What I'm planning to differently for LS 7B is that I plan to go over the learning goals every week and make sure that I understand them and can explain it to someone who has no idea what I'm talking about. If you can explain the concept to someone, that means you understand the material. I also suggest practicing through the clicker questions and then create some yourself and then ask a friend to exchange your newly generated questions. Remember to always ask yourself, "What would happen if this changes?" because the midterms and finals are all "What if" questions. Know the normal life processes and what would happen if you change a certain step in the process.

LS3

I took him a few quarters ago. He does an excellent job of organizing the material. His slides are dense with information but they are straight to the point. He begins each subject of interest for example Transcription; by describing the proteins and their functions/processes they are involved, then goes on to run through a detailed pathway of what proteins bind and the order in which they do and why. You do not need the book with his slides. The tests were all multiple choice but don’t take it for granted, you still need to study. He is big on experimental type questions which emphasize concepts. If you study, you will understand molecular biology. I’m taking my upper divs now and still occasionally reference his slides.

My advice: enjoy learning the subject, it’s truly fascinating. If you try to develop this attitude the material will come easy and stick.

Good luck :))))

LS3:

First 2 midterms were OK. Final was semi-fair, but it's complete BS that it's worth 60% of your grade. I had an A going into the final, didn't do well enough above the average to maintain it. Very unforgiving. Went to his office hours once, he is a total douche and condescending prof. TAs were much more friendly, approachable, knowledgable even. Disappointed in this class. Not the end of the world if you get him, but don't listen to what others have been saying about giving a nice curve. I emailed him and he gave me a quick guideline based on the LScore guidelines, it's still only 10% getting a solid A.

REVIEW FOR LS 3:
Do not take him unless you want him to ruin your GPA. I am usually great at life science because I have good short-term memory, but I couldn't do it for this one. His final was extremely hard and was worth 60% of your grade which is complete bs. I didn't do so well on it because of how lengthy and wordy it was. I knew the material, but I did not know how to take that test. I ended up with a grade that I am extremely disappointed in. He is a good person, but no. His class was not fair at all.

This is a review for Life Science 3. He's not listed as a professor for LS 3 so I have to put this review under MCD BIO 199.

Lin's class is by far the most difficult class I have taken during my time at UCLA. Granted, it's not entirely Lin's fault because LS 3 is a difficult course anyway but he made it much more difficult than it had to be. He lectures right off of his powerpoint slides that could probably qualify as a textbook by themselves. They are absolutely crammed with information and the worst part is that you have to know every word of them. Some slides he will skip entirely during lecture but you still have to know them.

The thing about Lin's tests is that they go from 0 to 100 really quick. One question will be about the basic structure of DNA and the next will be a complex multiple part question testing a variety of different concepts. The hardest questions on the tests are the ones regarding the seemingly unimportant details from the slides which Lin didn't speak of at all. The midterms were both worth 20% with the final being 60%. Yes, that's right. 60%.

The best way to maximize your midterm grades is to go to the testbank. I cannot emphasize this enough. Lin recycles most of his questions every time so it's easy to do well on the midterms if you go to the testbank. I didn't go to the testbank for the first midterm and looking back it was one of the worst mistakes I made in the class. Other reviews say that the final is impossible and that the average is historically low at around 60%. I don't think the final is impossible but it is difficult.

Do not even bother buying the Weaver textbook. It's intended for graduate students and will be useless. The one good thing about Lin is that if you pass the class you will have a good understanding of molecular biology. Overall though I do not recommend him. Take someone else if you can

LS3

He pronounces EcoRI as Eckoaahwaah (but thats why I loved him)

LS3 - This is a review of LS3.. not the 495...

He gives 2 midterms, and one final.

His slides are very dense, and his accent makes him hard to understand. Thankfully he podcasts the lectures and I was able to go over the lecture afterwards. His 1st exam was very hard. The 2nd midterm was a bit more fair, but the Final was hell. Only one person got an A in the final, it really set a horrible curve. It was extremely unnecessary for him to write such a badly worded and confusing exam.
DO NOT TAKE HIM!
I am a good student, and his class killed my GPA. It's not worth it to take it with him. He seems like a nice person, but as a professor he is unfair, and not worth taking.