LIFESCI 7C
Physiology and Human Biology
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, 75 minutes. Enforced requisite: course 7B. Organization of cells into tissues and organs and principles of physiology of organ systems. Introduction to human genetics and genomics. Letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2026 - literally everything in this class is true/false so be careful. the content goes much in depth and the textbooks especially go very in-depth (and honestly more than you need to know for the tests). iclickers are graded on accuracy and discussion sections are definitely a lot more stressful in this class. at the end though there is a pretty nice curve/buffer so i remember i ended with an a instead of an a- (which i was supposed to end with). honestly for this class read the textbook and take notes and check with cpo for past tests because i found that practice tests are really the best way to test your understanding of the content. good luck and congrats for being done with the 7 series!
Spring 2026 - literally everything in this class is true/false so be careful. the content goes much in depth and the textbooks especially go very in-depth (and honestly more than you need to know for the tests). iclickers are graded on accuracy and discussion sections are definitely a lot more stressful in this class. at the end though there is a pretty nice curve/buffer so i remember i ended with an a instead of an a- (which i was supposed to end with). honestly for this class read the textbook and take notes and check with cpo for past tests because i found that practice tests are really the best way to test your understanding of the content. good luck and congrats for being done with the 7 series!
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Most Helpful Review
Summer 2021 - I worked hard to get the grade I earned in this class. As a psychology major, biology is not one of my strengths. Aly is an amazing teacher who is passionate about biology. He was always prepared for lectures and was clear in expectations. Don't mind the comment, "The worst professor I have had at UCLA by far. Does not teach and constantly puts down his students." In my opinion, Aly is an instructor who will push you to grow and engage with the material. It was a difficult summer class with an early start, so I imagine that person who complained was still in pajamas with their camera off.
Summer 2021 - I worked hard to get the grade I earned in this class. As a psychology major, biology is not one of my strengths. Aly is an amazing teacher who is passionate about biology. He was always prepared for lectures and was clear in expectations. Don't mind the comment, "The worst professor I have had at UCLA by far. Does not teach and constantly puts down his students." In my opinion, Aly is an instructor who will push you to grow and engage with the material. It was a difficult summer class with an early start, so I imagine that person who complained was still in pajamas with their camera off.
Most Helpful Review
Summer 2026 - I took Professor Pham for 7C this summer session and I'm glad he was our Professor for such a complicated class. He would explain the diagrams and not proceed until everyone felt comfortable enough to do, which I found to be extremely helpful because for a limited summer class, you are overwhelmed with so much information. For future students, please pay attention to the diagrams shown in lecture slides. Clickers seemed easy, but the wording on exams were confusing and I remember reading that the average was around a C- for the first midterm and not much improvement on the second midterm. I don't think I would place much of the blame on Professor Pham because he really did more than we could've asked for. Attend PSS sessions because the diagrams from the worksheets are almost copy and paste onto the exams. Discussions were ok, but I didn't really find the material to translate onto the exams so if you feel stuck during section, just reach out to your pod or TA. I found only the last couple discussion sections to show material that was useful for the final (feedback loops as well from the endocrine system). Overall, my experience with the Life Sci series at UCLA was not the best due to the exams. I liked Professor Pham and would recommend him if he is available for you in either 7A or 7C, as I had him for both and he prepared me enough to pass both courses. I just think the sequence is stressful and if you are not required to take these classes, don't and find something easier that will make your life better.
Summer 2026 - I took Professor Pham for 7C this summer session and I'm glad he was our Professor for such a complicated class. He would explain the diagrams and not proceed until everyone felt comfortable enough to do, which I found to be extremely helpful because for a limited summer class, you are overwhelmed with so much information. For future students, please pay attention to the diagrams shown in lecture slides. Clickers seemed easy, but the wording on exams were confusing and I remember reading that the average was around a C- for the first midterm and not much improvement on the second midterm. I don't think I would place much of the blame on Professor Pham because he really did more than we could've asked for. Attend PSS sessions because the diagrams from the worksheets are almost copy and paste onto the exams. Discussions were ok, but I didn't really find the material to translate onto the exams so if you feel stuck during section, just reach out to your pod or TA. I found only the last couple discussion sections to show material that was useful for the final (feedback loops as well from the endocrine system). Overall, my experience with the Life Sci series at UCLA was not the best due to the exams. I liked Professor Pham and would recommend him if he is available for you in either 7A or 7C, as I had him for both and he prepared me enough to pass both courses. I just think the sequence is stressful and if you are not required to take these classes, don't and find something easier that will make your life better.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2018 - Like the other reviewers, I thought that Dr. Pires was not very helpful this quarter at all. I'd had her for LS7A, but that's a completely different story. When going over the tests, even the TA's were confused about the answers given. And also, the midterm 2 was curved down one month after which was weird. Also, lectures are not that helpful at all. they are just a bunch of clicker questions, and she barely offers an explanation. She was also gone for 2 weeks out of the 10, both before the midterm and the final, the most important weeks of the quarter! She's nice though and knows a lot of material. Just maybe not the best lecturer.
Spring 2018 - Like the other reviewers, I thought that Dr. Pires was not very helpful this quarter at all. I'd had her for LS7A, but that's a completely different story. When going over the tests, even the TA's were confused about the answers given. And also, the midterm 2 was curved down one month after which was weird. Also, lectures are not that helpful at all. they are just a bunch of clicker questions, and she barely offers an explanation. She was also gone for 2 weeks out of the 10, both before the midterm and the final, the most important weeks of the quarter! She's nice though and knows a lot of material. Just maybe not the best lecturer.
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