Neil Garg is one of the most brilliant and engaging lecturers at UCLA. Although he works entirely off of the chalkboard, his lectures are very organized and cohesive. In addition to covering common organic chemistry reactions, he also focuses a lot on retrosynthesis which rewards critical thinking. As a plus, he also offers extra-credit for participation in discussion section and sometimes gives out novelty trinkets for participating in lecture.

He got breakfast with us each week and the only assignment for the class was a 20 minute powerpoint. The final was at his faculty apartment in Gardenia, where we watched the final episode of Breaking Bad. Garg is love, Garg is life.

I feel really sorry for you if you're unable to enroll in his class. Don't expect to have the honor of taking a class with this marvelous being unless you have Junior pass.

He's a truly great man.

Professor Garg is one of the best professors at UCLA. He has the ability to convey the logic behind chemical reactions and mechanisms. Unlike other professors, his tests are fair and predictable. Predictable in the sense that if you studied then you should do alright if not great. Here is my advise to get an A:

1. Take careful notes in class. He writes down everything that you need to know on the board. You should know it forwards and backwards. It may seem alot, but if you organize it by color coding each type of reaction (ie Alkenes, benzenes, etc)on printer paper or make flash cards, then its does not seems too bad. You would actually find many similarities between mechanisms. Also, Garg is very nice, to the point where he tells you what you do not need to know for the class.

2. Do the problem sets and practice midterms. They are literally the same type of questions he will ask on the exams. If you mastered those questions, then you should do alright on the exams. Honestly, Professor Garg is not there to trick you, but to actually challenge you and help you understand the concepts in chemistry.

3. Go to office hours. Garg is a very approachable professor. He honestly is not there to get you, but to help you (he says that all the time--and its true). Plus, you get that professor-student connection

4. Discussion section: Its really a time where you could ask your ta any mechanism that seems unclear. Also, it helps you earn up to 3% extra credit (that only applies if you actually have a registered clicker and participate in the clicker questions.)

5. Do the extra credit! He gave out two extra credit "projects." The first one is making a ring tone. However, only the top five got five extra credit point. The second extra credit oppertunity is the music videos. Almost everybody gets ten extra credit points if they actually did a video. If your music video is supurb, then you can get 15 extra credit points.

6. Retrosythesis problems may seem painful. But in reality, they are just puzzles. If you think about them as that, then you may find them easier to solve, if not interesting and amusing.

If you follow these tips, there is no reason why you shouldnt get an A in his class.

The bottom line: Take 14d with Garg. You will not regret it.

This was one of the best classes I took at UCLA. The professor and TAs are fantastic. No matter who your TA is, he/she will undoubtedly be great. The class covers material that is very challenging, but that does not mean that the class itself is impossible. Chem14D is a lot of work, but Garg teaches you to think in a different way. Not only do you have to memorize many different reactions, you have to be able to problem solve, recognize patterns, think forward and backward, and be creative. Garg and this class both teaches and forces you to have a deeper understanding of the material. That being said, do not be scared away by Ochem. This is the best class you could ever want from Ochem. The reactions, though tricky at first, become secondary to being able to problem solve. Some tips for success are to stay on top of the problem sets and lectures. It is easy to fall behind and muddle everything together. Memorize everything, and do it a couple of days before the test. Finally, think about the reactions. This will help you on the exams. After you've memorized everything, synthesize all you know together. Make patterns, find similarities and differences, and understand why. If you do that, you'll come out with a fantastic grade and a deep satisfaction knowing you can solve any o chem problem puzzle thrown your way!

Neil Garg is easily one of the best professors at UCLA. Everything you hear about him-to how friendly he is, how great of a teacher he is, and how fun his class is- is true. There's a reason people wait to take him in the Spring. I took his class this past Spring and it was one of the best classes I have taken at UCLA. On the last day of lecture he got a standing ovation, which he definitely deserved. Neil challenges you; however his class is doable and getting an A is definitely possible. He doesn't care how you did in the past chemistry series, and every person has a chance to get an A. Additionally, he offers numerous opportunities to get extra credit (including music videos, going to discussion or making a ringtone) and those extra credit opportunities really help. He also is very approachable and if you introduce yourself he'll remember you for life. If you take him make sure to also take the honors course-it's a super lowkey way to learn more and get to know Neil better. Overall if you have the chance take Chem 14D with Neil-you won't regret it. Also shout out to his amazing TA's-if Mike is a TA next spring then definitely take his section. Seriously best class and teacher at UCLA.

ABSOLUTELY 100% TAKE GARG FOR 14D

You will NOT regret it. 14D would have been hell for me if it weren't for Garg. I ended up with an A+ in the class thanks to him. He is seriously the BEST professor I have had so far at UCLA.

TO SUCCEED IN HIS CLASS:
1. Go to EVERY lecture. He is so funny and interesting that you will want to go anyway. DON'T BE LAZY.
2. Do the ringtone/music video extra credit projects!! They are super fun if you do them with friends and they help you remember chemistry for the exams. I was playing my ringtone and music video song in my head while I was taking the midterms and the final.
3. Make a study guide for synthesis problems! Make a "How to make a..." study guide and list all the different functional groups and how to make them. This study guide will save you! Synthesis problems are no joke.
4. Go to office hours! Even if you don't have a question, you should go anyway to get to know Garg. He is so chill and approachable, so take advantage of that.

Pretty sure Garg only teaches in the Spring, so WAIT FOR HIM. He is amazing, and if he taught biochem I would take him again without a doubt.

Garg definitely makes a hard class like Chem14D much simpler and enjoyable. He does a good job identifying patterns and basic concepts to understand, making the reaction mechanisms that much easier to learn; otherwise, I would imagine straight up memorizing every reaction mechanism would have been overwhelming.
For tips on how to do well, definitely try to review the reactions every other day if not daily, and at the very least try to stay on track with the practice problems. The problems really help with learning the mechanisms, so even if they don't count for points, it's in your best interest to do them. If you have questions, you have a lot of resources: discussion sections, office hours, VOH. You get extra credit from attending discussion and participating in clicker quizzes, so going to class can only help you. What I also like about Garg's class is that even if you didn't do so well on a midterm, you can make up the points through an extra credit project--be warned, though, that unless you think you can make a quality project, you should probably put your time into studying instead.
Anyways, big thumbs up for Garg, and have fun with OChem!

Dr. Garg is by far the kindest, most caring and most educational professor I have ever had. His voice never puts you to sleep, and he doesn't talk about his cats all day - but the way he teaches is so engaging, you'll want to learn even if you hate chemistry (like I do). 14D is a difficult class with a lot of information being thrown at you in a short amount of time, but Garg makes it all manageable. If you have any questions at all, he always answers them and makes sure you understand everything that's being taught. His TA's are great, also very helpful and very nice. There is a lot of extra credit presented to you, and if you're really not getting it no matter how much you study, you can just talk to Garg and he'll always help you understand. He genuinely cares about all his students, and wants everyone to do well and pass the class. Trust me, wait a quarter or two and take it with Garg. It's worth it, I promise.

Neil is one of the nicest, most compassionate professors out there. He'll meet with you on your schedule, he'll stay late for office hours, he'll go out of his way to help you learn the material. He'll hold your hand all the way to an A+ if you let him. I mean, he makes you capes, who does that? It's like he wants you to get into an airplane turbine accident (jkjk).

That being said, while he is one of the nicest people around, as a teacher, I'd say he's average. He teaches very surface level organic chemistry. He'll teach the reaction, sometimes the mechanism, occasionally the reasoning behind certain things such as why things are directed meta/ortho/para for EAS reactions. I think that's why many people think he's a good teacher, because he simply does not teach all that much. Anyone can write the reactions on the board like he does. Of course, with that being said, the alternative at UCLA is Hardinger who, with no doubt, will give ample explanations behind why the mechanism is the way it is, but the down side is that this extra material is not just presented as supplementary material, but as things you have to know on the test. Neil > Hardinger 4ever.

In terms of difficulty, due to the structure of the class (I'd say 75% memorizing, 25% problem solving), if you memorize reactions and make a few connections with them/recognize patterns, you'll be fine (A+ fine). You also have extra credit constantly hurled at your face. All the time. ALL THE TIME.