Deb is an amazing professor and was super understanding during office hours. This class is very similar to AP bio, so if you've taken that class you will be well prepared. Launchpad is a lot of work and takes a lot of time, but I recommend using the pre-class worksheets and take notes on the topics of those. There are a ton of study resources and the TA I had was amazing and we ended discussion early almost every period. The exams are long and very conceptual and some answers are meant to trick you and be partially right. The best way to study for this is to take practice exams and lot of launchpad quiz review. If you take this class I recommend taking w her.

This class gave me a lot of unnecessary stress. Pires is a TERRIBLE option for LS 7A. She honestly does not know the material that she is teaching. She is extremely confusing and focuses on stuff that isn't even important. For example, she'd spend 15 minutes answering a random question that wasn't even relevant to what we were learning, and then glosses over what is actually important in 30 seconds.

You have to use this online textbook called LaunchPad. LaunchPad has its pros and cons. On one side, it is super expensive, includes a ton of reading, and can get tedious. On the other hand, that's basically your only source of material in this class. It explains concepts and definitions but doesn't provide a real world application view, which is what this class is all about.

I frankly found these tests EXTREMELY hard because its completely application based, and there's no way to learn it from her or the textbook. At first I just thought I was doing bad because I was dumb or something, but I later realized I wasn't the only one. So many kids were struggling in her class, while the class taught by Maloy was passing with high A's. I can't even recommend any studying tips because I just reread LaunchPad which was almost no help at all. They don't provide many worksheets either so you are on your own.

The only reason why I got an A- was because I kept up with the work and did the extra credit assignments. DO EVERY EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT. I cannot stress this enough. Also do your homework (the pre class assignments and launchpad questions) and clicker questions in the lecture. It seems insignificant because it will only add a point here and there, but trust me, it will save your grade. I did really bad on the final but was saved because I did everything else. Attending lecture was honestly pointless for me because I understood absolutely nothing from her class and gave up halfway through the quarter, but I still attended it to answer the clicker questions which contribute to your grade. (Tip: All of the launchpad review question answers are available on quizlet. Look it up on there before submitting it)

The last thing I wanted to add was the group phase for examinations. You basically take the midterms/finals on your own first, and the next day you take it with a small group of classmates that are assigned to you from the beginning of the quarter. This helps a lot because the individual+group phase tests are averaged to provide your final grade, so if you did bad on your own you can make it up with the group phase. Group phases can be highly annoying though if your classmates are uncooperative (as mine were) and only look out for themselves and their own grades. The whole point is to learn from each other, but if you are paired with selfish know-it-all's, chances are you're on your own.

Professor Pires often spent time answering questions that didn't seem important and wouldn't answer questions/fix problems that students actually had. It's not a super hard class but definitely a lot of assignments to keep track of.

I found Dr. Pires to be really helpful and was more than willing to answer questions. I honestly had no problems with her and I thought she did fine this quarter. This class will be hard unless your really good at Bio. The tests are really tricky and are more about applying concepts rather than memorizing things. I found Launchpad to be good if you didn’t know much about a subject but it doesn’t get you to the level you need to be conceptually for the exams. I really liked the group exams as it relieves a lot of stress and helps you understand what you did wrong. The structure for 7A is basically the same all around so the prof doesn’t really make or break you but I found Dr. Pires to be a great choice for 7A.

she just does not know what she is doing??? she tries very hard in all aspects of teaching (being responsive, [trying to] answer questions, ...) except the part that requires comprehension in the material and competence in conveying a message with structure and intention

I feel like this course is made to be a bit confusing, so just expect that. Dr. Pires is a great teacher though, and it is totally doable if you put in the work. Don't be discouraged by harsh reviews, a lot of people did not do the recommended optional work and so struggled. If you aren't super confident in bio just go to CLC sessions and review with the TAs at discussion and office hours.

Took this class with Pires and McEvoy. Clickers are used and you get points for it so you'll want to attend. It's flipped style with loads of work due on an overpriced online textbook (no way around it). The 7 series is clearly a weeder for LS majors and premed students. The material is pretty much going to be the same no matter the professor, but in this case let me warn you.

Pires and McEvoy suck.

My friends took this class with a different professor and had a way better time (and did significantly better). Not only are they boring and unhelpful teachers, but they're also super unaccommodating. CAE students beware! I got a concussion during the quarter and they refused to excuse any attendance or adjust clicker points, they didn't follow university requested accommodations, and they ignored emails after the grades were released where I followed up about these things. Do yourself a favor and take this class with a nicer professor.

This class is a “flipped classroom” which means that you will have to learn the material on your own before attending class. I would not recommend to take this series of you can learn on your own. The material is not too hard but I struggled to understand. It’s not a hard class to pass, I literally got an F for both midterms and the final and I passed the class with a B overall. Just make sure you don’t miss any launchpad material since it is worth a lot of points.
Debra is great, I prefer her over Mcevoy. I took this class with both of them teaching. The first half was Dr. Mcevoy that the second half was Dr. Pires.

Professor Pires was the worst professor I have had at UCLA. I took LS7A Fall Quarter of my Freshman year, so I was fresh meat needing a little boost and extra guidance to acclimate to UCLA. Professor Pires was always condescending and would be-little you if you did not understand something or make snarky comments when you asked questions. I attended her office hours once and never came back after she cut my time short simply because I was super confused and my questions were "too obvious." What kind of help is that? I tried to do my best with the resources I had as a new-comer. Stay away from taking any courses with Pires. She is the absolute worst professor.

I took the 3-week intensive version of the LS7A, which I think is too rigorous so I'll stick to the 6-week or 10-week in the future. Dr. Pires is a decent lecturer, but tbh I don't think the professor matters much for this series since it's mostly self-study (and all the tests, labs, etc are about the same no matter who teaches). The Launchpad readings are often way too detailed and wordy for the actual midterms and final. The reading quizzes and practice exam questions don't help much either. You're much better off attending the CLC sessions (aka problem solving sessions), because those ACTUALLY drill in the concepts and teach material useful for the exams. For the exams I also just reviewed the slides and clicker questions, realizing that memorizing stuff from Launchpad was a waste of time. Also set yourself a reminder for when each Launchpad assignment is due--I literally missed an entire practice exam question set, an entire reading set, and an entire reading quiz set (yep one of each) because I'm forgetful and mixed up due dates. Luckily the LS7 series gives you some leeway and allows you to miss up to 5 points (equivalent to one "set") and still receive full credit (you get this for the readings, the reading quizzes, and the PEQ's).