This class was a good introduction to chemistry but it felt like it was geared toward people who already took AP chemistry in high school. I did not, so it was a lot harder for me to keep up with the pace of the course and basically teach myself everything each week. There are two midterms so it's hard to keep studying the entire time, and in order to get a decent grade you have to go to as many hours of review with UA's as possible. I went to three hours a week but I wish went to more. Lavelle definitely cares about his students, but I find it to be unrealistic to expect everyone to be able to go to all 75 hours of review he holds in order to get an A. His lectures are pretty dry but he's funny sometimes. Overall the class is pretty difficult especially if you have a limited chemistry background but getting a decent grade in the B+ to A- range is fairly doable if you put the effort in.

I was pretty worried about taking this class because I didn't have a lot of chemistry experience. However, as long as you took a chemistry class in high school (doesn't need to be AP), I feel you should be set. The workload wasn't too bad. We had to keep up with writing 5 Chemistry Community posts per week, and the longest homework assignment he gave us was 30 questions (which we had about 3 weeks to do). Overall, it was very doable. The exams were pretty fair but had more concept questions than I was expecting, so make sure you also review concepts instead of just learning how to plug numbers into equations. The number one advice I can give is to attend the UA workshops. A lot of the UAs get questions from past exams and they're honestly super helpful, and the UAs are very knowledgeable. I wouldn't bother with the step-up sessions. Go to the TA office hours as well! Almost no one goes to them so sometimes you'll be the only one there or there will be like one or two people with you. Everything I was confused about from lectures was addressed in the UA workshop sessions, so go to as many as you can. Also, do all the textbook problems even though they're optional. I studied for the midterm and exams by reading over the lecture notes, going over all the textbook problems, and going over the UA workshop worksheets. If you do all of this, you'll be able to do well. It's not an easy A, but if you're willing to work for it, it is very doable.

I thought Lavelle was a great teacher and he provided a lot of office hours and outside help which was really nice. I would say that it definitely helps to have an AP chem background when coming into this class. That being said, doing textbook problems and reading the textbook is very helpful. The two midterms were not bad, I got high scores but the final was way harder in my opinion and I didn't do as well. Overall a good class

Dr. Lavelle is an amazing lecturer and professor. He has tons of resources for his students and has clear and organized lectures. However, the class content can be heavy for people who have not taken honors/IB chemistry in high school; his curriculum is very similar to HL Chemistry, and at times is even easier than it. His midterms are fair and parallel to the questions in the textbook (definitely do the homework in time and the textbook question before exams), however, his final can be tough so make sure you go over questions you struggled with very thoroughly. Chemistry Community is also helpful for asking questions and getting points to cushion your grades. Overall, I think Dr. Lavelle is a very good professor and I would definitely recommend taking an in-person/hybrid Chem class with him.

I LOVED Professor Lavelle. He is such an amazing professor and I would 100% take him again. I was a bit hesitant coming into Chem 14A because I saw the reviews and they said that his course was challenging. Some of the material is definitely difficult but if you do the assigned textbook problems he has on the syllabus you will do good. He adds some of them on the midterms and he evens lets us preview one question that is on the test before we take it which gives us guaranteed points. He has so many hours every week with office hours, TA step up sessions, and even zoom links to help anyone struggling. Before every lecture, he puts on music and it is so funny because he dances and makes the screen interactive. It makes my day every single time I go into lectures. I recommend this teacher for 14A for sure! The discussions are so helpful because the TA goes over problems with us, they are not mandatory at all. LOVE HIM!

Selling textbook Chemical Principles seventh edition and solutions manual (used for both Chem 14A and 14B). Email me at ************* if interested!

Selling Textbook. Contact for more details: *************

I loved this class, specifically because of Dr. Lavelle. He was amazing and so passionate about the class. Would definitely recommend the class. If anyone taking the class next year is in need of a textbook I have a perfectly good one that I will sell for half the price of the Amazon one. My email is is *************!! Please message me if you are interested.

As someone who actually got a lower grade in this class, I'll give it to you all straight. Prof Lavelle is a great professor, he has plenty of resources and always encourages communication between the students on chemistry community, a website he made. However, as someone who does not have any AP Chem background or has not seen any of the material presented in this class prior, unlike half the other students, it was difficult. I never developed proper study methods for STEM classes in high school and as a result, suffered. The exams get harder. The final was awful, maybe because of the transition to online format? There were reviews the week of, but they were not very helpful if you actually watched the lectures since they were a simple recap. The textbook is very helpful, especially the textbook problems. Basically, use as many resources as possible; managing time with the class can be difficult, but it's possible.

Even though I got not such a great grade in this class, I think Lavelle is a great professor. His explanations are really concise and thorough and Chemistry Community, which is an website where you can ask questions at any time, is so helpful because you can get instant feedback if you're stuck on a question from other classmates. He also has workshops and step-up sessions beyond normal office hours that can help a lot if you need more practice. Since your grade is mainly the midterm and final, I really recommend doing practice problems from the textbook (some which are on the tests) early because if you procrastinate like I did your test scores will drop your grade a lot. I also think that he occasionally extends lecture times a little too long (at most by 20 minutes). The class overall is challenging but as long as you make sure to keep up with the practice problems and go to office hours every time you have a question, you'll do well.