CHEM 14D
Organic Reactions and Pharmaceuticals
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: course 14C with grade of C- or better. Organic reactions, nucleophilic and electrophilic substitutions and additions; electrophilic aromatic substitutions, carbonyl reactions, catalysis, molecular basis of drug action, and organic chemistry of pharmaceuticals. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Going into the class I knew it was going to be very difficult due to the nature of ochem, and I was not surprised. However, one of the things Porfessor Pham emphasizes is how Ochem builds on itself, and how doing poorly on one test is not the end of the world. The way he teaches the class is really structured so you learn things in a way that they build off each other, so towards the end topics that may have been challenging at the beginning are easier because you've been working on them the whole quarter. A lot of people in the reviews from fall 2020 may say how he was unaccommodating and such, but I think the negative comments are due to a bias against him due to their own struggles. Also, please not I am not writing this from the perspective of a student who got As the whole quarter. I failed the first midterm out of 2, but I was able to improve my scores for the next midterm and the final. The class had 2 midterms and a final (50 points each), weekly BACON tutorials (40 points), Discussion attendance (40 points), and 5 problem sets due every other week (20 points each). However, he offered extra credit for answering poll questions, filling out surveys, and for doing an optional group project at the end of the year which my friends and I had a lot of fun doing. To conclude, don't be afraid to take his class, Pham is super clear and helpful, and it is worth it for the ask me anything he does at the end of the quarter :)
Fall 2020 - Going into the class I knew it was going to be very difficult due to the nature of ochem, and I was not surprised. However, one of the things Porfessor Pham emphasizes is how Ochem builds on itself, and how doing poorly on one test is not the end of the world. The way he teaches the class is really structured so you learn things in a way that they build off each other, so towards the end topics that may have been challenging at the beginning are easier because you've been working on them the whole quarter. A lot of people in the reviews from fall 2020 may say how he was unaccommodating and such, but I think the negative comments are due to a bias against him due to their own struggles. Also, please not I am not writing this from the perspective of a student who got As the whole quarter. I failed the first midterm out of 2, but I was able to improve my scores for the next midterm and the final. The class had 2 midterms and a final (50 points each), weekly BACON tutorials (40 points), Discussion attendance (40 points), and 5 problem sets due every other week (20 points each). However, he offered extra credit for answering poll questions, filling out surveys, and for doing an optional group project at the end of the year which my friends and I had a lot of fun doing. To conclude, don't be afraid to take his class, Pham is super clear and helpful, and it is worth it for the ask me anything he does at the end of the quarter :)
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - Prado supposedly added a lot of material compared to when Hardinger taught it, and I definitely felt that. I studied a ton for this class, and memorizing all the mechanisms felt impossible at times. The grading scale is also pretty harsh at 95 to an A (I got a raw 93.7% and she curved it 1.5%—her curve was pretty generous in the B-C range but really limited for the A range, so it was almost straight scale). I definitely saw a correlation between grades and how long people spent studying. Her lectures can be pretty unclear at times, so your best bet is to just do all the practice you have available. Don't bother with OH worksheets, but the practice midterms and finals are really helpful so definitely do them and when you mess up on them practice those areas. As far as I know Prado and Tobolowsky have the same tests or similar very tests and also decided on the grading scheme together so don't let that be your deciding factor in who to take.
Winter 2019 - Prado supposedly added a lot of material compared to when Hardinger taught it, and I definitely felt that. I studied a ton for this class, and memorizing all the mechanisms felt impossible at times. The grading scale is also pretty harsh at 95 to an A (I got a raw 93.7% and she curved it 1.5%—her curve was pretty generous in the B-C range but really limited for the A range, so it was almost straight scale). I definitely saw a correlation between grades and how long people spent studying. Her lectures can be pretty unclear at times, so your best bet is to just do all the practice you have available. Don't bother with OH worksheets, but the practice midterms and finals are really helpful so definitely do them and when you mess up on them practice those areas. As far as I know Prado and Tobolowsky have the same tests or similar very tests and also decided on the grading scheme together so don't let that be your deciding factor in who to take.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - With the slightest of caution, I entered the zoom. So far so good, this material I knew. I was doing pretty good until I wondered where’s the slides? No slides but notes, and drawings as a guide. It wasn’t too hard, 4 mechanisms being explained, but that midterm was a level 100 boss to my campaign. 70% the average she said, just try harder next time so get it in your head. The premed’s they fought and in the GroupMe they wept, this woman Reilly will tear you to shreds. She SN2’d my ass to the point where I stopped going to class. She hit me from the back like a backside attack, and man o man yeah that was pretty wack. After the 1st midterm, the diction became gobbledygook, confusing the class and each chapter got me shook. I did my best, flashcards and such, I lay restless from studying with the grass that I touch. Memorize she said and try not to get lazy, she spent a great deal in class lecturing about Kacey. And editing all day on the day of the exam, Reilly is unorganized when we’re all going ham. The missing of tardy posts and to the students’ demise, no surprise she will ignore all of your cries. And now I sit in silence with my 30 sum percent, it’s that time of the year, I give up Reilly for Lent.
Winter 2022 - With the slightest of caution, I entered the zoom. So far so good, this material I knew. I was doing pretty good until I wondered where’s the slides? No slides but notes, and drawings as a guide. It wasn’t too hard, 4 mechanisms being explained, but that midterm was a level 100 boss to my campaign. 70% the average she said, just try harder next time so get it in your head. The premed’s they fought and in the GroupMe they wept, this woman Reilly will tear you to shreds. She SN2’d my ass to the point where I stopped going to class. She hit me from the back like a backside attack, and man o man yeah that was pretty wack. After the 1st midterm, the diction became gobbledygook, confusing the class and each chapter got me shook. I did my best, flashcards and such, I lay restless from studying with the grass that I touch. Memorize she said and try not to get lazy, she spent a great deal in class lecturing about Kacey. And editing all day on the day of the exam, Reilly is unorganized when we’re all going ham. The missing of tardy posts and to the students’ demise, no surprise she will ignore all of your cries. And now I sit in silence with my 30 sum percent, it’s that time of the year, I give up Reilly for Lent.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2018 - Where do I begin? Tobolowsky is probably the best professor I have had at UCLA. The class itself (Chem 14D) requires a lot of time and is pretty hard compared to the rest of the chem classes, but Tobolowsky goes to the furthest extent to make sure that his students are well prepared for the exams. He offers extra help on Sunday evenings by live streaming a weekly recap on Youtube. His office hours are really helpful, his slides are very clear and organized, and he is really funny. I would take this class over 100x again. It is hard and does require a lot of time and effort, so be prepared to work.
Fall 2018 - Where do I begin? Tobolowsky is probably the best professor I have had at UCLA. The class itself (Chem 14D) requires a lot of time and is pretty hard compared to the rest of the chem classes, but Tobolowsky goes to the furthest extent to make sure that his students are well prepared for the exams. He offers extra help on Sunday evenings by live streaming a weekly recap on Youtube. His office hours are really helpful, his slides are very clear and organized, and he is really funny. I would take this class over 100x again. It is hard and does require a lot of time and effort, so be prepared to work.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - This is a review for Fall 2021 since Dr. Turlik did not have a bruinwalk page until now. Dr. Turlik was very straightforward with her lectures and I felt as if she was the more organized professor of two (the other was Dr. Yike Zou). Her lectures didn't contain any fluff and it got straight to the point avoiding any confusion. Also, Dr. Turlik was super clear with her explanations (of mechanisms or whatever was being talked about) and had (once again imo) fair tests. I think this was her first time teaching a course in which case I think she did an excellent job and would definitely recommend 14D with her! If you're looking for a grade breakdown, I think there might be one in Dr. Zou's bruinwalk reviews. Good luck with your 14D endeavors!
Fall 2021 - This is a review for Fall 2021 since Dr. Turlik did not have a bruinwalk page until now. Dr. Turlik was very straightforward with her lectures and I felt as if she was the more organized professor of two (the other was Dr. Yike Zou). Her lectures didn't contain any fluff and it got straight to the point avoiding any confusion. Also, Dr. Turlik was super clear with her explanations (of mechanisms or whatever was being talked about) and had (once again imo) fair tests. I think this was her first time teaching a course in which case I think she did an excellent job and would definitely recommend 14D with her! If you're looking for a grade breakdown, I think there might be one in Dr. Zou's bruinwalk reviews. Good luck with your 14D endeavors!
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2021 - This is a review for Yike Zou and Aneta Turlik. For Fall 2021, the first half of classes was taught by Zou. The other half was taught by Turlik. CLASS STRUCTURE: - Midterm 1 (20%) - Midterm 2 (20%) - Final Exam (35%) - Problem Sets (10%) - BACON (8%) - Discussion Section (7%) This class is a lot of studying and memorizing. I believe it's the hardest of the 14 series, and the A cutoff was a 94%. However, getting an A is doable, and an A- is very doable (88%-94%). The problem sets were graded for completion, the BACON is like a bootleg Launchpad (easy 100), and discussion section was graded for attendance. The tests were fair if you studied for them, and they gave plenty of practice material for preparation. Make sure to complete the practice final and the discussion worksheets because they are pretty close to what you can expect on the test. The average for both midterms was around 75%. Both professors were excellent in my view. Yike was a great professor. He was very funny, and he made a 9am class feel tolerable to go to. I would totally take this class again with either professor, but if I had to pick one, I would rather go with Turlik. I thought Turlik was the clearer one out of the two because she was more thorough with her explanations of the reaction mechanisms, compared to Yike. The also offered about 8-10 points worth of extra credit, which was very nice. TLDR: Overall, a great, but challenging class. You can't go wrong with either professor. 25% of your grade is essentially completion.
Fall 2021 - This is a review for Yike Zou and Aneta Turlik. For Fall 2021, the first half of classes was taught by Zou. The other half was taught by Turlik. CLASS STRUCTURE: - Midterm 1 (20%) - Midterm 2 (20%) - Final Exam (35%) - Problem Sets (10%) - BACON (8%) - Discussion Section (7%) This class is a lot of studying and memorizing. I believe it's the hardest of the 14 series, and the A cutoff was a 94%. However, getting an A is doable, and an A- is very doable (88%-94%). The problem sets were graded for completion, the BACON is like a bootleg Launchpad (easy 100), and discussion section was graded for attendance. The tests were fair if you studied for them, and they gave plenty of practice material for preparation. Make sure to complete the practice final and the discussion worksheets because they are pretty close to what you can expect on the test. The average for both midterms was around 75%. Both professors were excellent in my view. Yike was a great professor. He was very funny, and he made a 9am class feel tolerable to go to. I would totally take this class again with either professor, but if I had to pick one, I would rather go with Turlik. I thought Turlik was the clearer one out of the two because she was more thorough with her explanations of the reaction mechanisms, compared to Yike. The also offered about 8-10 points worth of extra credit, which was very nice. TLDR: Overall, a great, but challenging class. You can't go wrong with either professor. 25% of your grade is essentially completion.
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