Professor
Ximin He
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - Professor He is a good professor and a very kind person. This class moves at a blazing pace, and it was common to cover multiple topics and even chapters per lecture, each with minimal depth. Memorization is the emphasis, while methodology took a backseat for the handful of topics that we studied for a longer period. While lectures (not recorded) are mostly just a slideshow and completely optional, I preferred her lectures to sitting and reading through the textbook, though it comes down to personal preference. Would highly recommend attending discussion section; they quickly narrowed the focus of the class onto the important things to study and memorize. The TAs wrote the quizzes, midterm, and final exam, and the review and hints they provided about the structure and questions on the tests were valuable. They also give your tests back during discussion, which I found helpful in studying for the final. Grading structure echoes the emphasis on memorization and is primarily test-based, with 2 Quizzes, Midterm, and Final taking up 90% of the grading scheme, no participation. HW was a breeze, but the scheme reflects its lack of emphasis. Tests weren't too difficult with proper preparation (discussion attendance, textbook questions, flashcards), and class medians hovered around a "B". An extra credit report is also available that can raise your final grade percentage above 100%. Both Prof. He and the TAs really do everything they can to help boost your score while helping you learn the fundamentals of MSE, and I would recommend you take it with her if possible.
Spring 2025 - Professor He is a good professor and a very kind person. This class moves at a blazing pace, and it was common to cover multiple topics and even chapters per lecture, each with minimal depth. Memorization is the emphasis, while methodology took a backseat for the handful of topics that we studied for a longer period. While lectures (not recorded) are mostly just a slideshow and completely optional, I preferred her lectures to sitting and reading through the textbook, though it comes down to personal preference. Would highly recommend attending discussion section; they quickly narrowed the focus of the class onto the important things to study and memorize. The TAs wrote the quizzes, midterm, and final exam, and the review and hints they provided about the structure and questions on the tests were valuable. They also give your tests back during discussion, which I found helpful in studying for the final. Grading structure echoes the emphasis on memorization and is primarily test-based, with 2 Quizzes, Midterm, and Final taking up 90% of the grading scheme, no participation. HW was a breeze, but the scheme reflects its lack of emphasis. Tests weren't too difficult with proper preparation (discussion attendance, textbook questions, flashcards), and class medians hovered around a "B". An extra credit report is also available that can raise your final grade percentage above 100%. Both Prof. He and the TAs really do everything they can to help boost your score while helping you learn the fundamentals of MSE, and I would recommend you take it with her if possible.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - She is a moderately passionate lecturer. Her lectures are well prepared, and she is friendly when you talk to her. The first few lectures were a bit rushed, especially those on conversion and probability. But the pace slowed down after the first midterm. There were two midterms and five homeworks, which were not very difficult. This class requires you to know some basic OChem (functional groups, isomers of polyisoprene). I appreciate how the slides correspond to the book (which is on UCLA Library) but the slide derivations were appropriately condensed from the book. The book is helpful to supplement the slides. However, keep in mind that it was written from a more pure chemistry perspective, so there is more chemistry than needed for this class. Overall, I would take her class again if I had to as she is an excellent teacher. The TA, Pengju Shi, knows his stuff and he was very prepared during discussions. His slides are helpful reviews. He also graded the midterms very promptly and responded to emails quickly.
Winter 2023 - She is a moderately passionate lecturer. Her lectures are well prepared, and she is friendly when you talk to her. The first few lectures were a bit rushed, especially those on conversion and probability. But the pace slowed down after the first midterm. There were two midterms and five homeworks, which were not very difficult. This class requires you to know some basic OChem (functional groups, isomers of polyisoprene). I appreciate how the slides correspond to the book (which is on UCLA Library) but the slide derivations were appropriately condensed from the book. The book is helpful to supplement the slides. However, keep in mind that it was written from a more pure chemistry perspective, so there is more chemistry than needed for this class. Overall, I would take her class again if I had to as she is an excellent teacher. The TA, Pengju Shi, knows his stuff and he was very prepared during discussions. His slides are helpful reviews. He also graded the midterms very promptly and responded to emails quickly.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2021 - This class is one of the best classes I have ever taken at UCLA. The instructor is definitely an expert on bio-inspired materials. The lectures include many different topics, which significantly broaden my horizon. The difficulty and workload of this class are appropriate. Literature review, oral presentation and writing of research proposal are better training than exams. All in all, I'll give my highest evaluation and recommendation for this class.
Spring 2021 - This class is one of the best classes I have ever taken at UCLA. The instructor is definitely an expert on bio-inspired materials. The lectures include many different topics, which significantly broaden my horizon. The difficulty and workload of this class are appropriate. Literature review, oral presentation and writing of research proposal are better training than exams. All in all, I'll give my highest evaluation and recommendation for this class.
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