Professor

Paul Weiss

AD
3.4
Overall Ratings
Based on 55 Users
Easiness 2.8 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 2.2 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 3.1 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 3.6 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (55)

4 of 5
4 of 5
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April 4, 2019
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A+

Warning: this class is A LOT of work. Weekly homework, literature assignments, and readings. Add that onto a final project, poster, and essay. Oh and midterms and finals, of course.
However, the class itself isn't that bad, and I don't regret taking it. Paul really does want all of his students to do well, and he'll help you get into a research group if you're set on one already. The TA's are also pretty cool, although their discussion worksheets do not help at all with the midterms and finals. If you enjoy learning chemistry for the sake of chemistry (like me), you'll like the class.
The bottom line is, if you're willing to put in the work and effort, you'll do fine in the class. It's whether or not you're willing to do all that work (as in, I took 4 classes that quarter and 20BH was half of my homework/studying time)

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Jan. 7, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A-

Weiss is definitely the best professor I've had at UCLA. Brilliant guy and very helpful. The only office hours I've ever attended were his and it was more for discussion and stories than help in the class. He is very well connected and willing to help you with anything inside or outside of his class. He hooks everyone up with lab positions and will talk to other professors about you to get you a position. I still see him around and say hello and talk a bit. What a guy.

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March 22, 2019
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A

Paul was a wonderful and approachable professor. The class itself was tedious (so much homework! There's weekly homework problems, a poster presentation and paper, creative questions, and literature assignments), but the exams were reasonable as long as you study. Much of the class (besides a few concepts) was a review of AP Chemistry, so the concepts weren't too difficult, but Paul definitely makes interesting test questions that requires you to apply these concepts to new scenarios.

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Oct. 27, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A

Of course it's a lot of work, but it's satisfying work if you do it. Really great class for prospective any prospective chemistry-related majors. Weiss also cares a lot about your learning and is really nice guy. You won't regret doing this class.

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Oct. 30, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A

Pretty shocked at how low his 20B reviews are. He's probably my favorite professor. Maybe if you're a tryhard, he's the kind of professor for you. He places a lot of emphasis on putting work into getting good grades - it's really hard not to do well if you try.

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CHEM 20BH
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 16, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A+

***I took this class in an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic. TL;DR at end.
-
This class is a lot of work, but ultimately, it's an experience that's worth it. If you're deciding between this class and CHEM 20B, I believe you will have a better time in this class, as long as you're willing to put in a bit of extra work. It will save a lot of stress and worrying about poorly written exams or such.
-
The homework in this class consisted of weekly problem sets, assigned from the textbook (which you can find online for free). These would usually be somewhat related to the lectures in class, but in general, seemed supplementary rather than complementary. Another weekly assignment was to design your own problem about a topic from the week, which is pretty simple. There's also the "Literature Assignments" — you choose a research paper on a given topic, and write a short summary. It's pretty time consuming, but it's a useful skill, and the grading on all three types of assignments is very forgiving. Your lowest score for each is also dropped. There's a large project in this class, where you choose some topic related to the class and heavily research it and make a poster and presentation. It is a significant amount of work, but it's also not difficult to do, and you get to choose your topic, so it's interesting.
-
Lectures and discussions weren't exceptional, but they're certainly useful. Paul is a great guy, very nice during lectures and office hours. He's pretty easy to listen to and understand, and never makes it hard to ask questions. The class is also much smaller than other similar courses, so if you're somewhat active in participation, he'll know you personally. Participation was technically part of the grading, but I think that just meant "show up to classes and talk at least once throughout the quarter," so free points, really.
-
The midterms were very fair, and also were 50/50 individual/group performance. After the individual section, you were allowed to consult with the whole class, and basically get a free 100 for the group section. Each midterm had a pretty significant amount of extra credit too. The final exam is an oral exam you have to schedule with Paul individually, but the questions are basically the same, he just asks you them in a call. That may sound bad, but you can just ask him for hints if needed, and he's super generous on the grading. If anything, the final is one of the easiest parts of the class. It was super nice to not be stressed about the final when I heard CHEM 20B students freaking out about theirs.
-
Finally, there's tons of extra credit opportunities. There's an extra auxiliary lecture you can attend and do an assignment on for I think 2% of your grade, and the midterm extra credits were pretty significant too. I think most people reading this are just considering this or CHEM 20B, so here's the comparison: CHEM 20BH is more work and requires more self-interest/initiative, but is much less stressful and more inclusive since the class is smaller.
-
Point distribution (there is no curve on exams or the whole class):
Midterm 1 - 10%
Midterm 2 - 10%
Final - 20%
Project (5% poster, 5% presentation, 10% paper) - 20%
Homework (10% creative problems, 10% textbook problems) - 20%
Literature Assignments - 10%
Auxiliary Lecture (each after the first is extra credit) - 5%
Participation - 5%
-
Basically, only 30% of the class is individual exam performance (b/c of the group phases of the midterms). It's not too difficult to get an A since there's so many other assignments.
-
TL;DR: If you're confident in chemistry (taken AP chemistry or a similar level class) or are willing to spend some time reading the textbook each week, just take this class. It's a much better experience than CHEM 20B, plus you can save it for second enrollment since it doesn't fill. If you're still not convinced, go read the 20B reviews for Barr, who was the option for Winter 2021. Or even 20B for Weiss, the same professor.

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April 1, 2024
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A

Chem 20BH is a significant amount of work; on top of doing the weekly textbook assignments, there are also scientific literature assignments every other week and a LARGE research project that creeps a lot faster than you'd expect. That said, I feel like I learned a lot and Paul and the TA/LAs are all very very helpful and all want to help you succeed. Office hours are a huge help (attending at least one is mandatory for participation), and a great way to get into research. If you're aiming to get connected with professors, this class is definitely worth it because Paul will go out of his way to help you out with that. The grading scale is weighted less towards the tests, but there is a lot of extra credit available so as long as you do all the work, your grade should be very favorable.

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CHEM 20BH
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 30, 2022
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A

The workload for this class is A LOT, but Paul and the TA Katie are extremely generous with the grading. Most of your grade isn't dependent on the tests so you can get the lowest score on the midterms and still scrape through with an A like I did.

The class itself is really research-based/heavy, and you become really research literate by the time the 10 weeks are up. Going to Paul's office hours are a must if you want to join a research lab, as he will give out recommendations left and right for the students who took his class.

Helpful?

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April 6, 2023
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A

This is the best class at UCLA. It is hard (honors), but well worth it. Paul takes students and turns them into scientists with labs, connections, and experience. After this class, you have a guaranteed lab, you'll be reading scientific articles, and you'll be attending seminars, meeting all the top scientists and professors at UCLA. Paul is very engaging in class, and often tells stories from his millions of miles of traveling and his interactions with hundreds of Nobel prize laureates

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
April 3, 2023
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A

This class is marked as 4.0 units according to the Registrar. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Paul will tell you in the first class that this class will be approximately 5 times the workload of the non honors class. Basically everyone scoffed at this assessment. After all, how could a class be FIVE TIMES the work of the non-honors version? Would make no sense.

In all seriousness, this class is a TON of work. You'll be assigned textbook problems that basically cover the entirety of the workload and more material than regular Chem 20B. This is worth 10% of your grade. Every week, you will also develop a "creative problem" about the material, and write a page-long report on a recent scientific article in some field of chemistry. These are engaging but very time consuming, and are worth 10% of your grade each. Midterm exams, which have both an individual and group component, are each worth 10%, with a fully individual final being worth 20%. The exams are by far the easiest part of this class, with extra credit almost always being offered.

Now, the biggest killer for this class is the final project. You write a 10-page research paper + make a poster + pre-record a presentation on a topic of your choosing. Overall, it's worth 20% of your grade. Do NOT underestimate this: deadlines sneak up fast, and reading scientific literature is not for the faint of heart. However, because you get to choose the topic yourself, it's actually very engaging, and time seems to FLY while you work on it (so don't save it for the end!).

Rounding out the grading scheme is participation (5%), and auxiliary topics (5% + extra credit). Nobody really knows how the participation grade is calculated, but it is a combination of showing up to class (which is 5 times a week rather than 4 in the regular version) and attending Paul's and the TA's office hours, as well as exam reviews.

Overall, this class was very interesting and a ton of work (lol). Basically everyone in it was a chem/biochem/chem e major, so I was kind of an odd one out (took as an elective). You will gain not only a great understanding of chemistry, but also insights on how scientific research is conducted and published.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A+
April 4, 2019

Warning: this class is A LOT of work. Weekly homework, literature assignments, and readings. Add that onto a final project, poster, and essay. Oh and midterms and finals, of course.
However, the class itself isn't that bad, and I don't regret taking it. Paul really does want all of his students to do well, and he'll help you get into a research group if you're set on one already. The TA's are also pretty cool, although their discussion worksheets do not help at all with the midterms and finals. If you enjoy learning chemistry for the sake of chemistry (like me), you'll like the class.
The bottom line is, if you're willing to put in the work and effort, you'll do fine in the class. It's whether or not you're willing to do all that work (as in, I took 4 classes that quarter and 20BH was half of my homework/studying time)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A-
Jan. 7, 2020

Weiss is definitely the best professor I've had at UCLA. Brilliant guy and very helpful. The only office hours I've ever attended were his and it was more for discussion and stories than help in the class. He is very well connected and willing to help you with anything inside or outside of his class. He hooks everyone up with lab positions and will talk to other professors about you to get you a position. I still see him around and say hello and talk a bit. What a guy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
March 22, 2019

Paul was a wonderful and approachable professor. The class itself was tedious (so much homework! There's weekly homework problems, a poster presentation and paper, creative questions, and literature assignments), but the exams were reasonable as long as you study. Much of the class (besides a few concepts) was a review of AP Chemistry, so the concepts weren't too difficult, but Paul definitely makes interesting test questions that requires you to apply these concepts to new scenarios.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
Oct. 27, 2020

Of course it's a lot of work, but it's satisfying work if you do it. Really great class for prospective any prospective chemistry-related majors. Weiss also cares a lot about your learning and is really nice guy. You won't regret doing this class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
Oct. 30, 2020

Pretty shocked at how low his 20B reviews are. He's probably my favorite professor. Maybe if you're a tryhard, he's the kind of professor for you. He places a lot of emphasis on putting work into getting good grades - it's really hard not to do well if you try.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A+
March 16, 2021

***I took this class in an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic. TL;DR at end.
-
This class is a lot of work, but ultimately, it's an experience that's worth it. If you're deciding between this class and CHEM 20B, I believe you will have a better time in this class, as long as you're willing to put in a bit of extra work. It will save a lot of stress and worrying about poorly written exams or such.
-
The homework in this class consisted of weekly problem sets, assigned from the textbook (which you can find online for free). These would usually be somewhat related to the lectures in class, but in general, seemed supplementary rather than complementary. Another weekly assignment was to design your own problem about a topic from the week, which is pretty simple. There's also the "Literature Assignments" — you choose a research paper on a given topic, and write a short summary. It's pretty time consuming, but it's a useful skill, and the grading on all three types of assignments is very forgiving. Your lowest score for each is also dropped. There's a large project in this class, where you choose some topic related to the class and heavily research it and make a poster and presentation. It is a significant amount of work, but it's also not difficult to do, and you get to choose your topic, so it's interesting.
-
Lectures and discussions weren't exceptional, but they're certainly useful. Paul is a great guy, very nice during lectures and office hours. He's pretty easy to listen to and understand, and never makes it hard to ask questions. The class is also much smaller than other similar courses, so if you're somewhat active in participation, he'll know you personally. Participation was technically part of the grading, but I think that just meant "show up to classes and talk at least once throughout the quarter," so free points, really.
-
The midterms were very fair, and also were 50/50 individual/group performance. After the individual section, you were allowed to consult with the whole class, and basically get a free 100 for the group section. Each midterm had a pretty significant amount of extra credit too. The final exam is an oral exam you have to schedule with Paul individually, but the questions are basically the same, he just asks you them in a call. That may sound bad, but you can just ask him for hints if needed, and he's super generous on the grading. If anything, the final is one of the easiest parts of the class. It was super nice to not be stressed about the final when I heard CHEM 20B students freaking out about theirs.
-
Finally, there's tons of extra credit opportunities. There's an extra auxiliary lecture you can attend and do an assignment on for I think 2% of your grade, and the midterm extra credits were pretty significant too. I think most people reading this are just considering this or CHEM 20B, so here's the comparison: CHEM 20BH is more work and requires more self-interest/initiative, but is much less stressful and more inclusive since the class is smaller.
-
Point distribution (there is no curve on exams or the whole class):
Midterm 1 - 10%
Midterm 2 - 10%
Final - 20%
Project (5% poster, 5% presentation, 10% paper) - 20%
Homework (10% creative problems, 10% textbook problems) - 20%
Literature Assignments - 10%
Auxiliary Lecture (each after the first is extra credit) - 5%
Participation - 5%
-
Basically, only 30% of the class is individual exam performance (b/c of the group phases of the midterms). It's not too difficult to get an A since there's so many other assignments.
-
TL;DR: If you're confident in chemistry (taken AP chemistry or a similar level class) or are willing to spend some time reading the textbook each week, just take this class. It's a much better experience than CHEM 20B, plus you can save it for second enrollment since it doesn't fill. If you're still not convinced, go read the 20B reviews for Barr, who was the option for Winter 2021. Or even 20B for Weiss, the same professor.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2024
Grade: A
April 1, 2024

Chem 20BH is a significant amount of work; on top of doing the weekly textbook assignments, there are also scientific literature assignments every other week and a LARGE research project that creeps a lot faster than you'd expect. That said, I feel like I learned a lot and Paul and the TA/LAs are all very very helpful and all want to help you succeed. Office hours are a huge help (attending at least one is mandatory for participation), and a great way to get into research. If you're aiming to get connected with professors, this class is definitely worth it because Paul will go out of his way to help you out with that. The grading scale is weighted less towards the tests, but there is a lot of extra credit available so as long as you do all the work, your grade should be very favorable.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A
March 30, 2022

The workload for this class is A LOT, but Paul and the TA Katie are extremely generous with the grading. Most of your grade isn't dependent on the tests so you can get the lowest score on the midterms and still scrape through with an A like I did.

The class itself is really research-based/heavy, and you become really research literate by the time the 10 weeks are up. Going to Paul's office hours are a must if you want to join a research lab, as he will give out recommendations left and right for the students who took his class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
April 6, 2023

This is the best class at UCLA. It is hard (honors), but well worth it. Paul takes students and turns them into scientists with labs, connections, and experience. After this class, you have a guaranteed lab, you'll be reading scientific articles, and you'll be attending seminars, meeting all the top scientists and professors at UCLA. Paul is very engaging in class, and often tells stories from his millions of miles of traveling and his interactions with hundreds of Nobel prize laureates

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
CHEM 20BH
Quarter: Winter 2023
Grade: A
April 3, 2023

This class is marked as 4.0 units according to the Registrar. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Paul will tell you in the first class that this class will be approximately 5 times the workload of the non honors class. Basically everyone scoffed at this assessment. After all, how could a class be FIVE TIMES the work of the non-honors version? Would make no sense.

In all seriousness, this class is a TON of work. You'll be assigned textbook problems that basically cover the entirety of the workload and more material than regular Chem 20B. This is worth 10% of your grade. Every week, you will also develop a "creative problem" about the material, and write a page-long report on a recent scientific article in some field of chemistry. These are engaging but very time consuming, and are worth 10% of your grade each. Midterm exams, which have both an individual and group component, are each worth 10%, with a fully individual final being worth 20%. The exams are by far the easiest part of this class, with extra credit almost always being offered.

Now, the biggest killer for this class is the final project. You write a 10-page research paper + make a poster + pre-record a presentation on a topic of your choosing. Overall, it's worth 20% of your grade. Do NOT underestimate this: deadlines sneak up fast, and reading scientific literature is not for the faint of heart. However, because you get to choose the topic yourself, it's actually very engaging, and time seems to FLY while you work on it (so don't save it for the end!).

Rounding out the grading scheme is participation (5%), and auxiliary topics (5% + extra credit). Nobody really knows how the participation grade is calculated, but it is a combination of showing up to class (which is 5 times a week rather than 4 in the regular version) and attending Paul's and the TA's office hours, as well as exam reviews.

Overall, this class was very interesting and a ton of work (lol). Basically everyone in it was a chem/biochem/chem e major, so I was kind of an odd one out (took as an elective). You will gain not only a great understanding of chemistry, but also insights on how scientific research is conducted and published.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
4 of 5
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