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.

I took 109B with Read in the winter. His lectures are great as he knows how to both get his point across and empasize what's important. He doesn't bog you down with a bunch of HW, but does have recommended book problems. Super friendly during class and in office hours. Tests are very straightforward. He's definitely passionate about the topic.

i had lewis for 109a and lewis was teaching 109b, but the timing for read's lecture was a better fit for my schedule so i signed up for him. best decision ever!! wish he was teaching 109c. fair tests, no surprises, and is super helpful during office hours. go to lecture, he gives hint for tests, and do the book problems and clas and you'll get an A

Can I just tell you. You will never find another college professor like Read. He actually made me INTERESTED about ochem. Read delivers truly amazing lectures, and is so passionate about the subject. By far my fav professor at UCSB. Price is a close second. Do the recommended problems and go to lecture. His exams are based on what he says in class!

He is a great person and professor. He will make sure you know the material if you talk to him. Tests are challenging but very fair, study the lectures more than texts. Overall, would take him again for any organic class, learned allot and had allot of fun.

Read's lectures were fantastic! He goes over everything you need to know to understand the concepts. He also offers regrading on exams which you should definitely use because I earned 6% back on my exams. Averages on midterms were around 64% but the class ends up curved at the end. Don't skip lecture and do all of the recommended book problems!

My third attempt (second try) at taking 109B was with Read of Fall 2017 and he is the best professor for Ochem honestly. His exams were doable yet hard so understand the material. Something I like about his teaching style is that he actually uses the board when teaching, which helped me understand the mechanisms better. He really does care!

I never really liked chem but I came out of his class having a renewed respect for the subject and more confidence in myself as a student. He actually cares, lectures well, and is always willing to help out when you need it. Tests were fair but definitely not easy (understand, don't memorize!). Definitely my favorite bio/chem professor here.

Hands down, best professor I've had so far at UCSB, really cares about students learning the material. Very fair with grading policies as well. Listens to student feedback and incorporates that into his presentations.

The tests were pretty hard but there weren't any tricks, it's just whether or not you know the stuff he explained in class (you do have to know it in detail though). He's also really helpful if you go to office hours and he's just a really nice dude who clearly cares about student success. Probably my favorite professor I've had at UCSB so far.

The best professor I've had so far. Go to office hours and get to know him. He actually teaches tries to make his lectures interesting

He's so great!! Genuinely cares that students learn and he finds ways to present the material in ways that students will understand.

Decent lecturer but he can get confusing and hard to follow at times. He is very passionate about organic chemistry and truly wants to see his students learn. Tests are extremely hard, so watch out. Sign up for CLAS