Laurence Lavelle
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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3.4
Overall Rating
Based on 60 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.5 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.7 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
  • Tough Tests
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
24.2%
20.1%
16.1%
12.1%
8.1%
4.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

28.0%
23.3%
18.6%
14.0%
9.3%
4.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

20.3%
16.9%
13.5%
10.1%
6.8%
3.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (49)

1 of 5
1 of 5
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Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
March 23, 2020

Same format as his Chem 14A class. Due to COVID-19 however our final was changed to an online Multiple Choice quiz, which for sure was WAY easier than any 3-hour exam he could have made in person so my grade got kind of saved on it.

I feel like I should have done better for my efforts but oh well.

Grade Distribution I got:
- Chem Community: 100% (easy points)
- Homework: 100% (also, easy points)
- Test 1: 100% (I studied through the pre assignments he assigned over break, only had to review a bit to do well)
- Midterm: 69% nice (STRAIGHT BS for this test, studied really hard on the new concepts... in the end it tested 1 problem from new content covered through class, the rest of the test was Test 1 content but more tricky, CHEM14A material, and THERE WAS NO FOLLOW THROUGH POINTS! Lost 16 points for messing up a calculation on Step 1 even though the concept was right)
- Test 2: 96% (Studied my butt off for 2 days through homework problems)
- Online Final: 100% (blessed that I went to every single lecture, took detailed notes, and had a ton of homework problems done that I can look at and refresh my memory when taking it online)

I Took AP Chem and did really well on that in high school. You need to have a pretty solid understanding of the material to do well. Proceed with Caution but Lavelle is a great teacher and you certainly will learn a lot of Chem material from him! He does do a lot of things outside of lecture to give students resources to succeed, so if you enjoyed taking him with CHEM14A then you should still take him!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
March 24, 2020

I'm going give you guys a no BS review of Dr. Lavelle unlike the other reviews made here just to sell past exams which btw don't help, because Lavelle changes everything every quarter.

First and foremost, Lavelle's class is a hit or miss which is what I hated the most. Literally luck is 40% of the class. Our midterm was so fucked in terms of content distribution compared to the 2019 midterm. On the corollary our small 50 point tests were much easier. And finally COVID-19 saved us from his brutal paper final and inflated our averages. I believe the class median grade was a B+ to an A minus.

Now on to luck some TA's will be lenient with small mistakes some won't. And remember every point counts. If a TA took of too many points call them out or ask for a regrade. This is a total point system and Lavelle never curves. You need a 465/500 to get an A period!!!!! Midterm is 120 pt. Homework is 50. His chem community posts are 50. 180 pt final and two 50 pt tests. Tests are a joke but don't make silly mistakes. I fucked a quadratic equation in an ice table and got a 47/50. My total score was a 464/500, bt thankfully I argued a point from an old test and brought it up to a 465/500

This class isn't hard, but every point matters and write as much bs on a test as you can. From equations to anything just to pick up partial credit.

This class is an easy to get an A- you just ned a 450/500. Getting an A requires more luck and effort and pray Dr. Lavelle writes a fair test the quarter you are taking it.

Finally, do the fucking homework like you are reading the Bible. Lavelle puts a good chunk of homework problems on the midterm and final which are like 15 points each!!!

Lavelle is a good prof in general compared to the other ones for 14A and 14B. He doesn't expect you to know anything from hs and he doesn't pit students against each other by using bad grading systems.

If you give just one shit getting an A- isn't bad and if you try a little you can get an A

Helpful?

3 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
Dec. 19, 2023

14b lavelle test bank available, email me at ************* at gma!l for price

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 23, 2021

I took Chem 14A and 14B with Lavelle through covid, and I have to say I'm impressed! His classes were well organized, and although a lot of them ran longer than 50 minutes, most people just put him on 2x speed. His midterms and finals were not very difficult imo, and very similar to the textbook problems so just do those to practice. I personally read all chapters of the book and this saved me on the second midterm for 14B, but I would say you don't have to necessarily read to do well, just go over textbook problems. He gave a lot of resources to succeed! I didn't utilize TAs that much, but the workshops and review sessions with the UAs saved me a bunch of times. Go to as many as possible! I think Lavelle really adjusted well to the online format and didn't punish students for covid (unlike some professors who made their tests harder). Just beware that the tests have questions that are 10 points each or 5 points, and if you get the 5 point questions wrong, you don't get partial credit while the 10 points have partial credit for a select few answer choices. You can only lose 28-35 points to get an A (depending on total points of the course) so this was VERY stressful.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+
March 30, 2020

Great class. I had Chem 14a with Lavelle also and the format was identical. I found the content more difficult than 14a, even though I got the higher grade in this class. Make sure to study for the midterm! Test 1 and 2 had very high averages, but the midterm was significantly harder. Our final was online which made it way easier than it should have been.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
March 19, 2021

The concepts in this class are harder than that of 14A, but you can still get an A in class, just attend a UA session weekly, do ALL the hw problems as he puts some on the tests, and don't fall behind on lectures.
Lavelle is actually a very kind professor and he gave us an opportunity to earn 4 points extra credit on both MT2 and the final. (I completely disagree with the review saying he was self-infatuated).
If you put in the work you'll easily be able to get an A, def would take Lavelle again if I could!
STATS: MT1 95%, MT2 96%, Final 93%

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+
March 24, 2020

The class topics were harder than 14A but was still doable. Would advise on studying all topics for the midterm instead of just focusing on thermodynamics in case future midterms are like this years. Selling past tests and midterms at *************

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 9, 2024

Took 14A with him in fall and continued with him in winter, and I'd say I had a very similar, overall super positive experience. In short, I feel Lavelle is super fair. His lectures are clear and his slides/notes he writes are very good. Even simply copying them down while listening to lecture was enough imo as I could go back and review the notes and understood them well.

I definitely don't think going to lecture is enough to do well on the exams because he teaches concepts and some of the more basic problems. However, his lectures are super aligned with the textbook and he assigns specific practice problems (optional, but definitely fo them). I'd typically read the section and do the practice problems before attending the lecture associated with them, and that helped me stay on top of the class super well.

I didn't attend the UA sessions but I heard they were super useful. Even though I didn't attend, each UA would post weekly worksheets and answer keys so they were soo helpful in studying for the exams. There were at least 2 instances I can think of where the exam tested a concept that I went over in a UA worksheet a couple hours before taking it.

The only major downside is that there's not a lot of room for error, and some of the questions can be worth a lot. Partial credit is offered though, and the questions are all fair. Some come directly from the textbook, and even the more conceptual ones are not too challenging. Time isn't really an issue either so plenty of time to check your work. No surprises at all. I got a 56/60 on the first midterm and he added an extra 4 points to that one so 60/60, then 58/60 on the second and 116/120 on the final. Several students got hundreds on the exams so it's super doable.

Be prepared to do some self studying to supplement the lectures and you'll do well.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 1, 2024

Dr. Lavelle is a great lecturer, and you can really tell how passionate he is about chemistry. He always comes to class with a smile on his face, puts on some intro music and does a little jig before class begins, and embraces all topics and questions with a positive attitude. Many people say that Lavelle is slow and boring, but both quarters that I've taken his class we've actually been ahead of schedule. He speaks at an understandable pace in my opinion. If it happens to be too slow for you, the lectures are recorded and posted on BruinLearn so you can set that puppy to 2x speed if you wish. One pet peeve I had about Lavelle's teaching was that he'd spend a lot of lecture time deriving equations using calculus or all kinds of substitutions, but these were never tested nor discussed again, we just got the already-derived versions on an equation sheet. Compared to Chem 14A, the tests in 14B were quite a step up in difficulty. Free response took over the exam format and the weight of those are quite heavy compared to that of multiple choice. The practice problems he recommended from the textbook were extremely useful and the weekly homework was very manageable. Everything on the exams is discussed in class, so there's no trickery there. Overall, I would recommend taking this class with Dr. Lavelle!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: C-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 1, 2024

This was a classic Lavelle class, so if you've had Lavelle before there is going to be no surprise. He has lectures that he thinks is helpful, and they are, but they don't help for a lot of the questions that he asks. He thinks he is helping, but not really. It would be like him lecturing about how to do addition, and then on the tests he is asking you do to 324 multiplied by 473. However, his grading scheme is helpful. I didn't do well on either of the midterms, and did okay on the final and was able to pass the class. TAs are super helpful, so that's who I would go to if you need help.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A-
March 23, 2020

Same format as his Chem 14A class. Due to COVID-19 however our final was changed to an online Multiple Choice quiz, which for sure was WAY easier than any 3-hour exam he could have made in person so my grade got kind of saved on it.

I feel like I should have done better for my efforts but oh well.

Grade Distribution I got:
- Chem Community: 100% (easy points)
- Homework: 100% (also, easy points)
- Test 1: 100% (I studied through the pre assignments he assigned over break, only had to review a bit to do well)
- Midterm: 69% nice (STRAIGHT BS for this test, studied really hard on the new concepts... in the end it tested 1 problem from new content covered through class, the rest of the test was Test 1 content but more tricky, CHEM14A material, and THERE WAS NO FOLLOW THROUGH POINTS! Lost 16 points for messing up a calculation on Step 1 even though the concept was right)
- Test 2: 96% (Studied my butt off for 2 days through homework problems)
- Online Final: 100% (blessed that I went to every single lecture, took detailed notes, and had a ton of homework problems done that I can look at and refresh my memory when taking it online)

I Took AP Chem and did really well on that in high school. You need to have a pretty solid understanding of the material to do well. Proceed with Caution but Lavelle is a great teacher and you certainly will learn a lot of Chem material from him! He does do a lot of things outside of lecture to give students resources to succeed, so if you enjoyed taking him with CHEM14A then you should still take him!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
March 24, 2020

I'm going give you guys a no BS review of Dr. Lavelle unlike the other reviews made here just to sell past exams which btw don't help, because Lavelle changes everything every quarter.

First and foremost, Lavelle's class is a hit or miss which is what I hated the most. Literally luck is 40% of the class. Our midterm was so fucked in terms of content distribution compared to the 2019 midterm. On the corollary our small 50 point tests were much easier. And finally COVID-19 saved us from his brutal paper final and inflated our averages. I believe the class median grade was a B+ to an A minus.

Now on to luck some TA's will be lenient with small mistakes some won't. And remember every point counts. If a TA took of too many points call them out or ask for a regrade. This is a total point system and Lavelle never curves. You need a 465/500 to get an A period!!!!! Midterm is 120 pt. Homework is 50. His chem community posts are 50. 180 pt final and two 50 pt tests. Tests are a joke but don't make silly mistakes. I fucked a quadratic equation in an ice table and got a 47/50. My total score was a 464/500, bt thankfully I argued a point from an old test and brought it up to a 465/500

This class isn't hard, but every point matters and write as much bs on a test as you can. From equations to anything just to pick up partial credit.

This class is an easy to get an A- you just ned a 450/500. Getting an A requires more luck and effort and pray Dr. Lavelle writes a fair test the quarter you are taking it.

Finally, do the fucking homework like you are reading the Bible. Lavelle puts a good chunk of homework problems on the midterm and final which are like 15 points each!!!

Lavelle is a good prof in general compared to the other ones for 14A and 14B. He doesn't expect you to know anything from hs and he doesn't pit students against each other by using bad grading systems.

If you give just one shit getting an A- isn't bad and if you try a little you can get an A

Helpful?

3 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
Dec. 19, 2023

14b lavelle test bank available, email me at ************* at gma!l for price

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A+
March 23, 2021

I took Chem 14A and 14B with Lavelle through covid, and I have to say I'm impressed! His classes were well organized, and although a lot of them ran longer than 50 minutes, most people just put him on 2x speed. His midterms and finals were not very difficult imo, and very similar to the textbook problems so just do those to practice. I personally read all chapters of the book and this saved me on the second midterm for 14B, but I would say you don't have to necessarily read to do well, just go over textbook problems. He gave a lot of resources to succeed! I didn't utilize TAs that much, but the workshops and review sessions with the UAs saved me a bunch of times. Go to as many as possible! I think Lavelle really adjusted well to the online format and didn't punish students for covid (unlike some professors who made their tests harder). Just beware that the tests have questions that are 10 points each or 5 points, and if you get the 5 point questions wrong, you don't get partial credit while the 10 points have partial credit for a select few answer choices. You can only lose 28-35 points to get an A (depending on total points of the course) so this was VERY stressful.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+
March 30, 2020

Great class. I had Chem 14a with Lavelle also and the format was identical. I found the content more difficult than 14a, even though I got the higher grade in this class. Make sure to study for the midterm! Test 1 and 2 had very high averages, but the midterm was significantly harder. Our final was online which made it way easier than it should have been.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
March 19, 2021

The concepts in this class are harder than that of 14A, but you can still get an A in class, just attend a UA session weekly, do ALL the hw problems as he puts some on the tests, and don't fall behind on lectures.
Lavelle is actually a very kind professor and he gave us an opportunity to earn 4 points extra credit on both MT2 and the final. (I completely disagree with the review saying he was self-infatuated).
If you put in the work you'll easily be able to get an A, def would take Lavelle again if I could!
STATS: MT1 95%, MT2 96%, Final 93%

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+
March 24, 2020

The class topics were harder than 14A but was still doable. Would advise on studying all topics for the midterm instead of just focusing on thermodynamics in case future midterms are like this years. Selling past tests and midterms at *************

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A+
April 9, 2024

Took 14A with him in fall and continued with him in winter, and I'd say I had a very similar, overall super positive experience. In short, I feel Lavelle is super fair. His lectures are clear and his slides/notes he writes are very good. Even simply copying them down while listening to lecture was enough imo as I could go back and review the notes and understood them well.

I definitely don't think going to lecture is enough to do well on the exams because he teaches concepts and some of the more basic problems. However, his lectures are super aligned with the textbook and he assigns specific practice problems (optional, but definitely fo them). I'd typically read the section and do the practice problems before attending the lecture associated with them, and that helped me stay on top of the class super well.

I didn't attend the UA sessions but I heard they were super useful. Even though I didn't attend, each UA would post weekly worksheets and answer keys so they were soo helpful in studying for the exams. There were at least 2 instances I can think of where the exam tested a concept that I went over in a UA worksheet a couple hours before taking it.

The only major downside is that there's not a lot of room for error, and some of the questions can be worth a lot. Partial credit is offered though, and the questions are all fair. Some come directly from the textbook, and even the more conceptual ones are not too challenging. Time isn't really an issue either so plenty of time to check your work. No surprises at all. I got a 56/60 on the first midterm and he added an extra 4 points to that one so 60/60, then 58/60 on the second and 116/120 on the final. Several students got hundreds on the exams so it's super doable.

Be prepared to do some self studying to supplement the lectures and you'll do well.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
April 1, 2024

Dr. Lavelle is a great lecturer, and you can really tell how passionate he is about chemistry. He always comes to class with a smile on his face, puts on some intro music and does a little jig before class begins, and embraces all topics and questions with a positive attitude. Many people say that Lavelle is slow and boring, but both quarters that I've taken his class we've actually been ahead of schedule. He speaks at an understandable pace in my opinion. If it happens to be too slow for you, the lectures are recorded and posted on BruinLearn so you can set that puppy to 2x speed if you wish. One pet peeve I had about Lavelle's teaching was that he'd spend a lot of lecture time deriving equations using calculus or all kinds of substitutions, but these were never tested nor discussed again, we just got the already-derived versions on an equation sheet. Compared to Chem 14A, the tests in 14B were quite a step up in difficulty. Free response took over the exam format and the weight of those are quite heavy compared to that of multiple choice. The practice problems he recommended from the textbook were extremely useful and the weekly homework was very manageable. Everything on the exams is discussed in class, so there's no trickery there. Overall, I would recommend taking this class with Dr. Lavelle!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: C-
April 1, 2024

This was a classic Lavelle class, so if you've had Lavelle before there is going to be no surprise. He has lectures that he thinks is helpful, and they are, but they don't help for a lot of the questions that he asks. He thinks he is helping, but not really. It would be like him lecturing about how to do addition, and then on the tests he is asking you do to 324 multiplied by 473. However, his grading scheme is helpful. I didn't do well on either of the midterms, and did okay on the final and was able to pass the class. TAs are super helpful, so that's who I would go to if you need help.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 5
3.4
Overall Rating
Based on 60 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.5 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.7 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
    (34)
  • Tough Tests
    (32)
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