Professor
Franklin Ow
1 of 2
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - Dr. Ow is a nice guy with clear and concise lectures. The class was two midterms worth 20% each, a 25% final, 20% of weekly quizzes, and 15% is discussion. He did not know what content he was supposed to be teaching, so he tried to teach thermodynamics and messed up the entire 14a schedule. Much harder content than Lavelle. And then he curved our class down to match Lavelle's average. Awesome. He hated getting questions and was always pretty rude about it. People stopped asking questions in lectures after a while. Midterm exams were free response. The first one was fair. The second one was literally just rude. Students and TAs asked for a curve because it was a ridiculous number of questions in 50 minutes. He never did. The average was a 60%. The final was 36 multiple choice questions, and the average was a "C." The weekly quizzes made me go to a really dark place in my life. If this class was on being a kind soul, sure. He would get a nicer review. But unfortunately, it is on general chemistry 14a. Was not a huge fan of his class.
Fall 2024 - Dr. Ow is a nice guy with clear and concise lectures. The class was two midterms worth 20% each, a 25% final, 20% of weekly quizzes, and 15% is discussion. He did not know what content he was supposed to be teaching, so he tried to teach thermodynamics and messed up the entire 14a schedule. Much harder content than Lavelle. And then he curved our class down to match Lavelle's average. Awesome. He hated getting questions and was always pretty rude about it. People stopped asking questions in lectures after a while. Midterm exams were free response. The first one was fair. The second one was literally just rude. Students and TAs asked for a curve because it was a ridiculous number of questions in 50 minutes. He never did. The average was a 60%. The final was 36 multiple choice questions, and the average was a "C." The weekly quizzes made me go to a really dark place in my life. If this class was on being a kind soul, sure. He would get a nicer review. But unfortunately, it is on general chemistry 14a. Was not a huge fan of his class.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - NEVER EVER EVER EVER — and I mean NEVER EVER — take this class. Like many of you, I checked professor Ow's BruinWalk reviews and saw what seemed to be a beaming ray of sunlight — great overall rating, great professor rating, and EVEN outstanding comments from previous years. Well, I need all of you to look past all of that because ALL WRONG. EVERYONE IS LYING. As an academic overachiever, I have found myself thriving with a 4.0, valedictorian, and even getting through my first year of college with a 4.0 across the board. So, when I say this class has single-handedly made me reconsider everything I know about science, myself, and the educational system, believe me. I had many friends with other chemistry professors, and they seemed to walk away from 14A unscathed. But Ow, on the other hand, has managed to create the absolutely most impossible class that has left many of my friends — myself included— feeling an unrepairable sense of doom, self-doubt, and lack of trust. If you don't feel like reading everything I have to say, remember this one thing: Ow DOWNCURVED the entire class. That pretty much sums it up. After a quarter of sleepless nights, studying until my nails bleed, and ultimately trying to absorb every single detail, I still managed to find myself constantly surprised and disappointed by the truly unexplainably impossible nature of this class. In the end, I did get a B+, which honestly isn't that bad. But when you take a step back to realize the sheer amount of effort to reach this point, it suddenly becomes clear that this B+ symbolizes Ow's result for a student who has pushed themselves to their very limit. I will give him credit that in the very first lecture he gently "warned" us, but the warning honestly should have been a red blaring siren because everything immediately went downhill. Each exam had an entirely different format from each other, none of which aligned with the practice exams. He did preface that they might not necessarily align, but the reality is that he truly does not create resources for us to succeed in the slightest. The ONLY people I know who even captured an A in this class were students who were scraping to ignite their chemistry knowledge from high school. Even a friend of mine who scored high As on both midterms found themselves unable to get an A in the class. I went to office hours — which made me feel somehow emotionally penalized for showing up. He made me feel like it was my fault, as an individual, for asking for help. He invites questions to be asked but then makes you feel stupid for asking them in the first place. And the cherry on top, he offered two opportunities for 0.2% extra credit. Gee thanks. It almost felt like a slap in the face because that extra credit essentially makes no difference, and any difference it does make was ENTIRELY ELIMINATED by the class down the curve. So, if you spend the quarter attempting to calculate your grade — throw that method out the window. Your grades will ultimately be unknown to you, and unknown until he has decided how he wants curve — which was DOWN — AND ALREADY IMPUTED INTO MYUCLA. Once your fate is sealed, there is simply nothing you can do. That being said, success in Ow's class entirely relies on your capacity to either 1. remember everything from high school or 2. miraculously become Ow and read his mind. If neither of those things pertain to you, then you simply do not stand the slightest of chances. For some of you, taking Ow may be your only choice, in which case, I am very sorry. Say farewell to your 4.0 because after this class it will not be coming back. However, I can provide a slight bit of advice that can hopefully prepare you for your fate to come: - The exams will present questions that you may have never seen before, so when you study, think BEYOND the content. You need to learn the context of chemistry outside of the things covered in class in order to succeed. - mentally prepare yourself and lower your expectations. I came into this class filled with ambition, but I quickly found myself being disappointed time and time again. - grades are not everything.... one quarter of chemistry certainly will not define the trajectory of your life. So try to remind yourself that you are so much stronger than 14A with Ow. To those of you who have made it to the end of this review, I applaud your commitment to success. It is clear that you want to do well and that you are willing to take extra time to make that difference in your academics. I wish you all the best in your enrollment times and good grade fortune in the years to come.
Fall 2024 - NEVER EVER EVER EVER — and I mean NEVER EVER — take this class. Like many of you, I checked professor Ow's BruinWalk reviews and saw what seemed to be a beaming ray of sunlight — great overall rating, great professor rating, and EVEN outstanding comments from previous years. Well, I need all of you to look past all of that because ALL WRONG. EVERYONE IS LYING. As an academic overachiever, I have found myself thriving with a 4.0, valedictorian, and even getting through my first year of college with a 4.0 across the board. So, when I say this class has single-handedly made me reconsider everything I know about science, myself, and the educational system, believe me. I had many friends with other chemistry professors, and they seemed to walk away from 14A unscathed. But Ow, on the other hand, has managed to create the absolutely most impossible class that has left many of my friends — myself included— feeling an unrepairable sense of doom, self-doubt, and lack of trust. If you don't feel like reading everything I have to say, remember this one thing: Ow DOWNCURVED the entire class. That pretty much sums it up. After a quarter of sleepless nights, studying until my nails bleed, and ultimately trying to absorb every single detail, I still managed to find myself constantly surprised and disappointed by the truly unexplainably impossible nature of this class. In the end, I did get a B+, which honestly isn't that bad. But when you take a step back to realize the sheer amount of effort to reach this point, it suddenly becomes clear that this B+ symbolizes Ow's result for a student who has pushed themselves to their very limit. I will give him credit that in the very first lecture he gently "warned" us, but the warning honestly should have been a red blaring siren because everything immediately went downhill. Each exam had an entirely different format from each other, none of which aligned with the practice exams. He did preface that they might not necessarily align, but the reality is that he truly does not create resources for us to succeed in the slightest. The ONLY people I know who even captured an A in this class were students who were scraping to ignite their chemistry knowledge from high school. Even a friend of mine who scored high As on both midterms found themselves unable to get an A in the class. I went to office hours — which made me feel somehow emotionally penalized for showing up. He made me feel like it was my fault, as an individual, for asking for help. He invites questions to be asked but then makes you feel stupid for asking them in the first place. And the cherry on top, he offered two opportunities for 0.2% extra credit. Gee thanks. It almost felt like a slap in the face because that extra credit essentially makes no difference, and any difference it does make was ENTIRELY ELIMINATED by the class down the curve. So, if you spend the quarter attempting to calculate your grade — throw that method out the window. Your grades will ultimately be unknown to you, and unknown until he has decided how he wants curve — which was DOWN — AND ALREADY IMPUTED INTO MYUCLA. Once your fate is sealed, there is simply nothing you can do. That being said, success in Ow's class entirely relies on your capacity to either 1. remember everything from high school or 2. miraculously become Ow and read his mind. If neither of those things pertain to you, then you simply do not stand the slightest of chances. For some of you, taking Ow may be your only choice, in which case, I am very sorry. Say farewell to your 4.0 because after this class it will not be coming back. However, I can provide a slight bit of advice that can hopefully prepare you for your fate to come: - The exams will present questions that you may have never seen before, so when you study, think BEYOND the content. You need to learn the context of chemistry outside of the things covered in class in order to succeed. - mentally prepare yourself and lower your expectations. I came into this class filled with ambition, but I quickly found myself being disappointed time and time again. - grades are not everything.... one quarter of chemistry certainly will not define the trajectory of your life. So try to remind yourself that you are so much stronger than 14A with Ow. To those of you who have made it to the end of this review, I applaud your commitment to success. It is clear that you want to do well and that you are willing to take extra time to make that difference in your academics. I wish you all the best in your enrollment times and good grade fortune in the years to come.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Summer 2023 - This class was asynchronous with prerecorded lectures during the summer. I appreciated this because I could pace myself. I will say the homework problems assigned could be excessive, but that's to be expected when it's summer session. Pros - Asynchronous - Slides were clear, and lectures were clear - You could email him or post on the Canvas discussion board if you had a question - other students could also answer questions - Exams were fair - The "final" wasn't cumulative - it was just the last 2 weeks of the course (so technically, there were 3 exams that tested you on different topics) Cons - Homework can be long and tedious, especially if you don't have the answer immediately - Summer session can feel very fast paced - I fared well because I took AP Chemistry in high school, but I still had to brush up on YouTube videos and do a lot of practice problems Overall, just make sure you do the practice problems and understand all of the homework problems he assigns. Exams are not that difficult, but they still require a level of understanding.
Summer 2023 - This class was asynchronous with prerecorded lectures during the summer. I appreciated this because I could pace myself. I will say the homework problems assigned could be excessive, but that's to be expected when it's summer session. Pros - Asynchronous - Slides were clear, and lectures were clear - You could email him or post on the Canvas discussion board if you had a question - other students could also answer questions - Exams were fair - The "final" wasn't cumulative - it was just the last 2 weeks of the course (so technically, there were 3 exams that tested you on different topics) Cons - Homework can be long and tedious, especially if you don't have the answer immediately - Summer session can feel very fast paced - I fared well because I took AP Chemistry in high school, but I still had to brush up on YouTube videos and do a lot of practice problems Overall, just make sure you do the practice problems and understand all of the homework problems he assigns. Exams are not that difficult, but they still require a level of understanding.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2022 - The new grading scale which I think started in winter for the whole ochem department requires you to get 94% for an A and 88% for an A-. With that being said, the tests aren't that bad so an A is pretty reasonable. There is more than enough time to complete them and there are some pretty lenient partials. The test questions are straightforward and are not tricky. The class averages on the tests for this quarter hovered around C+ and B- range. The final was worth 25% of your grade, and the midterms were 15% apiece. 45% of your grade was miscellaneous quizzes, homework, and participation that were free points. So if you do the calculations, you need at least an 89% average on tests to get an A in the class and 78% for an A- (which is class average so basically half the class gets at least an A-). Ow does move fast, especially during the first third of the class, but as long as you do the assigned problem sets and worksheets on canvas, you should be well prepared for tests. Make sure not to fall behind on lectures. He also conveniently prints out the slides for you if you come to in person lectures, so it is super easy to take notes.
Spring 2022 - The new grading scale which I think started in winter for the whole ochem department requires you to get 94% for an A and 88% for an A-. With that being said, the tests aren't that bad so an A is pretty reasonable. There is more than enough time to complete them and there are some pretty lenient partials. The test questions are straightforward and are not tricky. The class averages on the tests for this quarter hovered around C+ and B- range. The final was worth 25% of your grade, and the midterms were 15% apiece. 45% of your grade was miscellaneous quizzes, homework, and participation that were free points. So if you do the calculations, you need at least an 89% average on tests to get an A in the class and 78% for an A- (which is class average so basically half the class gets at least an A-). Ow does move fast, especially during the first third of the class, but as long as you do the assigned problem sets and worksheets on canvas, you should be well prepared for tests. Make sure not to fall behind on lectures. He also conveniently prints out the slides for you if you come to in person lectures, so it is super easy to take notes.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2022 - Participation doesn't matter so that slays but I don't feel like the prof is as good as everyone hypes him up to be. He goes SUUUUPER FAST!! And u have to do hella practice probs bc his tests were hard IMO. But if there's no other choices, then u can def do well in this class if u work for it
Fall 2022 - Participation doesn't matter so that slays but I don't feel like the prof is as good as everyone hypes him up to be. He goes SUUUUPER FAST!! And u have to do hella practice probs bc his tests were hard IMO. But if there's no other choices, then u can def do well in this class if u work for it
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Not bad at all. 2 midterms worth 45% total, final is 35. Exams averaged like over 80% I think. Lectures are recorded but doing the hw and discussion problems are more helpful. Didn't feel the need to go to office hours really. Make sure to redo hw, quiz, and exam problems. Overall the course is alright and prof ow is sufficient.
Winter 2024 - Not bad at all. 2 midterms worth 45% total, final is 35. Exams averaged like over 80% I think. Lectures are recorded but doing the hw and discussion problems are more helpful. Didn't feel the need to go to office hours really. Make sure to redo hw, quiz, and exam problems. Overall the course is alright and prof ow is sufficient.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2021 - The grading scheme for this class was on a straight scale based on the number of points from several categories: Each midterm is 100 points Final is 200 points Top 8 of 10 quizzes are scaled to 100 points Group projects during discussion section were 50 points. For a total of 550 points. The grade scale was relatively generous with 90% being the cutoff for an A, 84% for an A-, 81% for a B+, 77.5% for a B, and 74% for a B-. This class is difficult, as indicated by the grade scaling, but not impossible to do well in. The first midterm tested on IR Spec, H-NMR, C-NMR, and Mass Spec. This material was the most difficult for me as there were many tiny details that you had to pay attention to when doing the problems. It is very easy to miss something and lose points because of that. The second midterm tested mainly on Synthesis problems, with one spectroscopy problem similar to the first midterm. This class is all reactions after the first midterm. For me, Anki flashcards were key to memorizing all of them and doing all the practice problems from the book was great prep for the second midterm and the final. The final was also mostly synthesis questions, but had two spectroscopy problems. The timing for the tests was actually decent. I usually 'finished' about 30 minutes before I had to upload to gradescope, so I spent the next 25 minutes combing through my answers and checking for mistakes. Practice tests were posted before each midterm and final. They were all accurate in difficulty and helpful in gauging how prepared you are for the actual one. During the (open book/note) tests, I wrote down as much material as possible and had everything in front of me, although I don't think that will be possible in the future once classes are back in person. The lectures for the class were all pre-recorded and posted on CCLE. The actual lecture time served as office hours. The lectures were kind of dry, but decent enough. Dr. Ow gives you the material and constantly reminds you that the key to doing well is doing practice problems. Keeping up with the material is all on you, so don't slack on watching the lectures. Leave time in the week to do the book problems as well. I highly recommend getting the solutions manual to check your answers. I couldn't find it online, but its relatively cheap if you rent from Chegg or some other service (less than $15). During discussion sections, we were given 'reaction roadmaps' that showed how to go from molecule to molecule. The group projects were filling in the reagents, reactants, and products in these roadmaps with classmates in your discussion section. These group projects are basically free points if you go to your TA's office hours and make sure everything is correct. The roadmaps are also very useful during tests. Weekly non-timed quizzes were posted on CCLE, which covered the lecture material for that week. They were relatively easy, but worth checking your answers so you don't miss out on points. You only had one session to do the quiz as well, no stopping in the middle and starting it again at a later time. The average for both midterms was 64%. I got a 69% on midterm 1 and 85% on midterm 2. I don't know the average for the final, but I it was probably similar to the midterms. I got a 94% on the final and got an A in the class. I assume there was a small upward curve applied to the class as I don't think that I made the cutoff for an A based purely on points.
Winter 2021 - The grading scheme for this class was on a straight scale based on the number of points from several categories: Each midterm is 100 points Final is 200 points Top 8 of 10 quizzes are scaled to 100 points Group projects during discussion section were 50 points. For a total of 550 points. The grade scale was relatively generous with 90% being the cutoff for an A, 84% for an A-, 81% for a B+, 77.5% for a B, and 74% for a B-. This class is difficult, as indicated by the grade scaling, but not impossible to do well in. The first midterm tested on IR Spec, H-NMR, C-NMR, and Mass Spec. This material was the most difficult for me as there were many tiny details that you had to pay attention to when doing the problems. It is very easy to miss something and lose points because of that. The second midterm tested mainly on Synthesis problems, with one spectroscopy problem similar to the first midterm. This class is all reactions after the first midterm. For me, Anki flashcards were key to memorizing all of them and doing all the practice problems from the book was great prep for the second midterm and the final. The final was also mostly synthesis questions, but had two spectroscopy problems. The timing for the tests was actually decent. I usually 'finished' about 30 minutes before I had to upload to gradescope, so I spent the next 25 minutes combing through my answers and checking for mistakes. Practice tests were posted before each midterm and final. They were all accurate in difficulty and helpful in gauging how prepared you are for the actual one. During the (open book/note) tests, I wrote down as much material as possible and had everything in front of me, although I don't think that will be possible in the future once classes are back in person. The lectures for the class were all pre-recorded and posted on CCLE. The actual lecture time served as office hours. The lectures were kind of dry, but decent enough. Dr. Ow gives you the material and constantly reminds you that the key to doing well is doing practice problems. Keeping up with the material is all on you, so don't slack on watching the lectures. Leave time in the week to do the book problems as well. I highly recommend getting the solutions manual to check your answers. I couldn't find it online, but its relatively cheap if you rent from Chegg or some other service (less than $15). During discussion sections, we were given 'reaction roadmaps' that showed how to go from molecule to molecule. The group projects were filling in the reagents, reactants, and products in these roadmaps with classmates in your discussion section. These group projects are basically free points if you go to your TA's office hours and make sure everything is correct. The roadmaps are also very useful during tests. Weekly non-timed quizzes were posted on CCLE, which covered the lecture material for that week. They were relatively easy, but worth checking your answers so you don't miss out on points. You only had one session to do the quiz as well, no stopping in the middle and starting it again at a later time. The average for both midterms was 64%. I got a 69% on midterm 1 and 85% on midterm 2. I don't know the average for the final, but I it was probably similar to the midterms. I got a 94% on the final and got an A in the class. I assume there was a small upward curve applied to the class as I don't think that I made the cutoff for an A based purely on points.
AD
1 of 2
