DO NOT TAKE IF YOU ARE NOT A STEM MAJOR. Professor Phelan is a REALLY good professor, but the exams are SO HARD! He is very passionate about the topic and his examples are super informative, but I’m not a STEM major and I struggled so hard throughout this course. My TA also graded things very harshly. 4 quizzes, they will mark you off for tiny things. Your answers have to be basically like the textbook to get 100. Our average grade on the midterm was somewhere around a 66%. Again, great professor and a lifesci major would thrive. But NOT AN EASY GE.

Professor Phelan is an amazing lecturer and so funny, I actually enjoyed going to his lectures. Even though I studied a significant amount prior, the Midterm and Final were both pretty difficult and are graded quite harshly (I received an 114.5/150, class average was 99/150 on Midterm 1). There are 4 quizzes and a debate in discussion section as well as lots of textbook readings assigned. There are problem sets you are given (not mandatory but you need to do them to do well on the quizzes), and lots of extra credit opportunities. Discussion section attendance is mandator, but lecture attendance is not enforced + Bruincasts are recorded. This class definitely isn't an easy A but if you keep up with reading the textbook, carefully review his lectures and examples, an A should be achievable.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO. It is more than difficult, and the tests are very difficult to study for as you have to cram an obscene amount of content into a short amount of time studying. I will say that Professor Phelan is an engaging professor, and my TA was helpful when we did content review during discussion. HOWEVER, the grading is EXTREMELY TOUGH. I got docked multiple points on the midterm because they said I "wrote outside of the provided space" even though that was not told to me beforehand that that wasn't allowed. So, if you need this class as a pre-req, Professor Phelan is great, but this is genuinely the worst GE ever it's so unnecessarily hard.

Jay Phelan is a wonderful Professor. He is incredibly funny and his lectures are clear and interactive. His textbooks are helpful especially "What is life." "Mean Genes" on the other hand is a little less so and kind of like a self help book. This class is not easy by any means our class midterm was a D, but don't let that scare you, this class is an absolute blast. Please take this class, challenge yourself, and have fun while doing it! Also... extra credit!

don't take this class as an easy GE. i love coming to lecture because professor phelan is an amazing speaker, but the grading is SO HARD for no reason

Professor Phelan is awesome. But this class is not by any means easy. There is so much work that you have to keep up with: readings from different books with multiple chapters assigned for every lecture, 4 quizzes, a debate, problem sets every week, and multiple discussion posts. There is just way too much work for an intro biology class. Phelan does a good job of explaining each topic and applying them to real life situations, he might be literally the best lecturer I’ve had at UCLA yet, but you still need to do all the extra work to do well. There is one midterm and one final and they are not easy by any means. I think the average for our midterm was a C. The other reviews are over exaggerating how easy a class it is because the professor is so great. So overall, it’s an interesting class but a difficult one.

Favorite class, literally made me switch my major. Professor Phelan is incredible. You don't need his books but there honestly entertaining. GO TO LECTURE, he is incredibly interesting and interactive with the class. You made be worried your grade is in shambles, but don't focus on that, study, try your best, do the extra credit and you will get an A, I can almost guarrantee that.

Do not take this class if you are looking for an easy GE. This course had a significant negative impact on my GPA, even though it was just a GE for me. The grading is very strict—any small mistake that doesn’t exactly match the textbook definitions is penalized. Your choice of TA is extremely important, as it can affect your experience. There are weekly quizzes based on problem sets, and the midterm is challenging.
I do not recommend this class for GE students—consider an alternative if you are not a science major. The pace is very fast, and the professor goes through slides quickly, making it difficult to take notes. Missing even a single class can put you behind. Only take this course if it is absolutely necessary.

Jay Phelan is by far the best teacher I’ve ever had at UCLA. He’s incredibly passionate about what he teaches, and I’ve never fallen in love with a course this much. Everything I learned is so applicable to my everyday life, and I still find myself thinking about this class often. I’d definitely take it again! I had to study and stay focused, but it was so much fun.

Professor Phelan might genuinely be the most engaging professors ever! Ever lecture was not only informative, but actually fun. I looked forward to going to class. The content was seriously so interesting and is great to know since its about the mechanisms behind you and your behavior.

I would really suggest not falling behind on lectures or readings because it is pretty fast-paced.

Seriously, TAKE THIS CLASS!!!