not too hard, I just hate the structure of the ls7 series. you get put in a pod group for the whole quarter which will make or break your experience (and part of your grade). iclicker for attendance at lectures; mandatory attendance at labs. the material is kinda interesting and not too tough.

I want to start off by saying...
If the 7 Series has million haters, then I'm one of them.
If the 7 series has one hater, then I'm THAT ONE.
If the 7 series has no haters, that means I'm dead.
Seriously though I hated the entirety of the 7 series. I legit cannot wait to finish 7C and never touch the 7 series ever again. I went into 7A a life science major and exited never wanting to touch anything related to biology ever again. It really takes a unique curriculum to make you hate a class so much.

But Burton was kind of the exception to all of that. She actually went above and beyond for the class and worked through all the examples in a way that was actually useful for studying and the exam. However there is only so much she can do when the material she teaches is out of her hands.

I swear a second grader could write more clearly worded questions than what were o these exam and the flipped classroom is one of the worst things that this universe has ever created. If you have the unfortunate requirement to take this class then Burton is honestly your best bet. But if you don't have to take this class, I am urging you to never ever take the 7 series. There are so many more productive things that can be done with your time. D:

Burton gives me the vibes of a really down-to-earth, humble teacher who cares about what she teaches, which is why I chose to take LS7B after she acted as kind of like a professor assistant to Maloy in LS7A. And after taking a full class from her, I've discovered-- she is. I appreciate the random mating dance and animal videos that she includes in her presentations, they're a good break away from all the biology stuff.
I think the biggest flaw with this class would be that she moves on too fast from tricky problems or slides sometimes, leaving the class in the dust in regard to how we should be understanding the topic. I mean, she'll ask "Any questions?" but nobody's gonna raise their hand because 1. Don't wanna look dumb and 2. Sometimes, we're so confused we have questions about the whole thing and then back to #1. However, it's not too big of a deal because you can easily get it resolved after class or in office hours.
This class also unfortunately does not have a lot of practice problems to do in preparation for the test. Like in LS7A, the textbook does not matter much-- practicing problem sets from past exams (use your resources and connections) matters A LOT. We don't get to see what exactly we did wrong on tests, but since there are similar problem sets on the individual phase as in the group phase, we are at least told which problems in the individual correspond to what set in the group phase. I would also recommend going to problem-solving sessions, since they really test your knowledge on some of the core concepts.

DAWGGG LS 7B was actual flaming dogshat. Burton would explain concepts in office hours in a lowkey roundabout way that was sometimes incorrect... like one of the TAs straight up said Burton's explanation was wrong and she provided a way more clear explanation (Andrea Simonian most goated TA ever!! she held super long review sessions during the midterm weeks <3)

ALSOO we don't get our midterms back so we have no idea what we got wrong. and even if you memorized the question and asked Burton about it, she wouldn't explain the question or correct answer. she'd just be like "ha ha....uh i can't answer that...yeah..."

i legit only survived because a club i'm in has test banks LMFAOOOO

Burton is a really good professor who clearly explains topics in class. If you pay attention during lecture, you won't really need to read the book thanks to her comprehensive teaching style. Lecture attendance is mandatory and iclicker questions count for 10% of the grade. Her lectures are recorded and slides posted.

Andrea is a new professor here at UCLA, welcome 👏!
She's a nice professor and cares about her students for sure. However, her teaching could be improved a little more; I am not even sure what exactly distinguishes a good professor and an excellent professor, but I'd say the "excellent" professors have more engaging lectures and explain things more clearly, and Andrea could work on that. It's only her first quarter though, and I'm sure she'll get better. I heard that her office hours are really helpful, but I haven't checked those out. Would recommend her 8/10.