This is by far on of the most interesting GE's you could ever take, and it is solely Prof McLean's fault. It is a sad thing that he won't be here next year while he rewrites a textbook. He is not only one of the biggest gangsters in the astronomy and telescope field, he is also an amazing teacher. He has nothing to prove to you so he is willing and able to make his class interesting and straight forward. You might not need to go to class to get an A, and the scale is definitely very very generous, but if you choose to show up, you'll be amazed by what there is to learn. There is a required lab that is busy work. The online multiple choice homework feels like busy work, but it is where many of the test questions (all multiple choice) come from... you'll be glad you checked the key after you submit it. In case you can't tell, I liked this class and got an A.

I would highly, highly recommend taking this class as an easy GE and lab. He is such a nice person, and the tests are multiple choice. He explains things in a way in which students can understand. Homework is once a week online (15 multiple choice questions). Extra credit is available also.

Prof. McLean is the best. :)

Wow. He's definitely an amazing professor albeit I did fall asleep in class... 80% of the time but I blame that more on my lack of sleep. Although I've never gone to his office hours nor spoken to him directly, his character radiated to me when I was awake in the class. He tries to make jokes and it's a good effort, you can feel it. His Scottish accent makes things more entertaining. He is extremely organized in how he carries out his lectures, and posts notes online right away. Yea, it's definitely an easy GE but you also learn a lot. If you're looking for a physical science lab, this is the class to take!

Quite possibly the best professor I've had at UCLA. Not only is the class extremely easy, but Professor McLean makes it fun, interesting, and worth every second of your time.

He gives two extra credit opportunities (Extremely rare at UCLA), and the tests mostly mirror the homework questions, making it a matter of memorization. An easy, fun, and interesting A. I'd definitely suggest taking Astro 3 with McLean if you need a physical science GE lab.

I loved him. I have no complaints. I did mess up at first, but the class was not terribly hard. You can go by without reading the book, as long as you keep up with the lecture notes that are posted online. He is caring, funny, interesting, etc... If you want to take Astronomy, take it with Mclean.

If you need a science GE, this is the class to take, especially if you're a north campus major. It's a fairly easy class, although you do need to put in some effort, but the class involves little to no math and is mostly memorization. McLean is very nice and makes the material interesting so studying for this class is not that bad. He also gives 3 % extra credit, which gives you room to mess up on one of the midterms. McLean is a great teacher, I'd definately recommend him.

Totally agree with the comments from the other students. Prof. McLean is the kindest guy in UCLA. He really cares student learning. He always makes sure the materials were taught before the test. (unlike some profs in this school...) His test has no trick!! Unless you don't go to class & labs and don't even bother to look at the lecture notes, which are organized and nice, there is no way you could fail this class.

prof mclean is AWESOME!! he is so interesting & actually tries to teach & doesnt just throw information out there... he explains things in simple tems which is something rare at this school. I learned a lot in this class and would recommend this class with prof. mclean to anyone needing to fulfill science GEs. he is adorable!

I really liked this class. McLean is a great professor- he's very available to answer questions and truly cares about student learning. He even said himself that he's not out to make our lives miserable. The material is pretty interesting most of the time and it does get difficult. The best thing to do in this class is to get a study partner. The labs sucked, definitely make friends in there, because they were pretty long and tedious, but by no means unmanageable.

McLean is one of the tightest professors. Unlike some of these professors, he actually cares. He's just an overall nice guy and if you put some effort in, there's no reason why you shouldn't end up with an A. I definitely recommend Astro3 w/ McLean for that science GE.