Relatively mediocre lectures but at least has some personality. Practice exam keys are not super well written and his TAs and LAs did the majority of the good preparation for students. The class is nowhere near as hard as people make it out to be and should not be scary, though, one may need to put some effort into understanding the material.

The material was hard, but javier did a really good job of teaching the concepts in a way that we would understand. Attendance isn't mandatory, but go to class, because his lectures help. The exams were fair, but they definitely get harder later in the quarter, so be prepared. I didn't go to office hours often, but others said it helped a lot.

Read is such a nice person, he really wants the best for you! the tests can be challenging but i think that's a given for learning anything new. I only started going to office hours at the end of the quarter and i wish i had gone sooner! If you are ever confused on a topic, ask him, he is not condescending whatsoever and truly wants to help.

Idk what the bad reviews were talking about because he DOES give partial credit on his tests. He's a really nice guy and is clearly passionate about ochem. GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS!!! They're super helpful and he gives hints on what's on the exam. Goated professor. Super understanding and wants you to succeed.

I LOVE THIS MAN- TAKE HIS CLASS!!! organic chemistry will be challenging, but alaniz is amazing and you can tell he has so much knowledge and passion for the subject- he is a FANTASTIC teacher. i was scared to take this class but because of alaniz it ended up being my favorite class. go to his office hours! he is so helpful and kind!

I would not recommend this class to anyone. His lectures are full of mistakes, which makes it really hard to understand the material. His review sheet answers are also full of mistakes. His notes are messy and vague, and he often contradicts the book. The tests are another nightmare, with unclear instructions and no room for partial credit.

I assume that this was his first time teaching 109a-- however, he messes up quite a lot during lecture which causes a ton of confusion. His notes are extremely confusing and often unhelpful. So much so that I have chosen to stop attending lecture and just learn from the textbook. The tests are very confusing: vague directions and no partial credit

I'm sure he's a nice guy but he messes up during lectures AND office hours, which makes it difficult and very confusing to learn from him. His lectures are meh, and tbh I mostly teach myself from the book, which is difficult when his lectures deviate from the book and there are few other resources to learn the material. Don't take for 109A.

Make sure to pay attention in lectures or you'll fall behind BUT he clearly has a great grasp on the content and knows how to teach it to students without going overly in-depth. If you take the time to understand the HW and go to his office hours before each quiz you will for sure get an A. Only complaint is he's a little unorganized

I had Lewis for 109A and 109B and switching was the best decision I ever made. Grades are distributed a lot better, final is not worth a lot, more hw completion points and mastering chem every 2 weeks. His lectures are fun. Quizzes are not too bad, but only three questions so if u mess up u lose a lot of points. Overall loved him!!

Great professor, right up there with Lewis. Very understanding when whole class does not preform well on a quiz. Class laid out to give you a C automatically if you at least do mastering chem + bacon and decent on quizzes. Lectures were very organized and he did a great job of connecting ideas from chapter to chapter.

multiple choice and mechanism quizzes alternated every week. quizzes and homework is about equal in weight with the final being 9%. go to office hours! prof read is super helpful and detailed. he cares about his students and wants you to succeed. the best teacher i've had so far. his class is super organized - upfront & clear communication.