UCLA LIFESCI 30A: Mathematics for Life Scientists

Lecture and lab. The registrar has published a final exam time.

Fall 2026: 6 lectures and 60 discussions. Nothing here is open. The oldest of these readings was 20 hours ago.

See sections

Grades

3.40

Average grade awarded in LIFESCI 30A. Not a student rating: this is what the grades were.

In the A range

64%

of the 8,226 letter grades

D, F or W

5.2%

of every letter grade awarded, plus withdrawals

Taken pass/no pass

the registrar has this letter grade only this term

The registrar's own records: 8,226 grades over 13 terms, Fall 2021 to Fall 2025. Every instructor is pooled here.

What is inside that record

4 of those terms are summer sessions, and summer sessions are counted here.

The table below splits them, and term averages across those 13 terms ran 2.88 to 3.74.

Historical grades for BENNOUN, STEVE JACK, across recorded terms. The course summary above includes all professors.

A+ 965 · 26.5%
A 832 · 22.8%
A- 545 · 15.0%
B+ 279 · 7.7%
B 279 · 7.7%
B- 223 · 6.1%
C+ 156 · 4.3%
C 121 · 3.3%
C- 48 · 1.3%
D+ 39 · 1.1%
D 48 · 1.3%
D- 79 · 2.2%
F 31 · 0.9%
P 1 of 3,660
NP 3 of 3,660
I 11 of 3,660

Percentages are of the 3,645 letter grades. Grey bars are non-letter outcomes: passes (P), no-passes (NP), and incompletes (I).

How the non-letter outcomes are counted

They are excluded from the GPA entirely rather than scored, because counting a P as a 4.0 would be a fabrication.

By instructor

Predicted GPA, raw average, sample size, terms, A range and the workload reviewers reported for every instructor with a grade record in this course
Instructor	Predicted GPA	Raw	n	Terms	A range	Workload	Fall 2026
BENNOUN, STEVE JACK reviews ↗	3.40	3.40	3,645	6	64%	light	Closed by the department
SHEVTSOV, JANE reviews ↗	3.36	3.36	1,586	3	59%	light	not teaching it
DEEDS, ERIC JAMESON reviews ↗	3.51	3.51	947	3	70%	very light	not teaching it
KERANEN, JUKKA PETRI MIKAEL reviews ↗	3.76	3.77	734	1	84%	average	not teaching it
SISKAKI, MARIA reviews ↗	2.96	2.94	636	1	48%	-	Closed by the department
BOUHADDOU, MEHDI reviews ↗	3.32	3.31	351	1	58%	-	not teaching it
LANNAN, RYAN reviews ↗	2.99	2.91	86	2	44%	-	not teaching it
HAMMONDS, NAOMI M reviews ↗	3.49	3.51	82	1	68%	-	not teaching it
VINET, MICAH reviews ↗	3.46	3.48	80	1	59%	-	not teaching it
VENUGOPAL, SHARMILA reviews ↗	3.69	3.75	79	1	87%	average	not teaching it

Why Predicted is not the Raw average

“Predicted” is shrunk toward the course average, which is itself shrunk toward the department, so an instructor with a handful of students sits near the course mean rather than topping the list.

Grade records describe outcomes. For what a course is like to take, read student reviews written on dibs below or follow the separate external review link.

Reviews for LIFESCI 30A

Workload and assignments

Reported assignments across instructors and terms. This term's syllabus may differ.

What the work looks like

2 exams, 2 mentions in past reviews
Quizzes mentioned, no number given, 3 mentions in past reviews
Problem sets mentioned, no number given, 1 mention in past reviews
Group works mentioned, no number given, 1 mention in past reviews
Presentations mentioned, no number given, 1 mention in past reviews
Labs mentioned, no number given, 3 mentions in past reviews

Based on 180 reviews; source checked about 2 months ago. dibs counts only what a review actually states, so a kind of work nobody mentioned is absent rather than zero.

Read reviews on BruinWalk

In Falls

Ran in 5 of the last 5 Falls.

From the terms dibs holds, which start in Fall 2021 and exclude summer. A department can run a course in a quarter it never has before.

From the registrar's catalog

Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Preparation: three years of high school mathematics (to algebra II), some basic familiarity with computers. Mathematical modeling as tool for understanding dynamics of biological systems. Fundamental concepts of single-variable calculus and development of single- and multi-variable differential equation models of dynamical processes in ecology, physiology, and other subjects in which quantities change with time. Use of computer programming for problem solving, plotting, and dynamical simulation in laboratory. Letter grading.

Sections in Fall 2026

Choose an open discussion to enroll; an open lecture alone does not mean a seat is available.

Seat counts as of 16 Oct 17:53: the oldest of these 66 readings. Seat readings are snapshots, not live availability. Their timestamps show when dibs last checked.

Section
Lec 1
MW 11:00am-12:15pm

Seats
Closed by the department
Lecture: 215 enrolled

Instructor

Siskaki, M.

2.96
Predicted GPA
Historical records for SISKAKI, MARIA; 636 letter grades

Seat risk
no history
9 discussions, none open. No waitlist listed.Every discussion, with its time and seats: 9 discussions
- Lab 1A
  T 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 5225
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1B
  T 10:00am-11:50am · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1C
  W 2:00pm-3:50pm · Boelter Hall 4283
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1D
  W 4:00pm-5:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5138
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1E
  T 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 5233
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1F
  R 4:00pm-5:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5148
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1G
  F 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915A
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1H
  F 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 5148
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 1I
  F 10:00am-11:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915A
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
Section
Lec 2
MW 12:30pm-1:45pm

Seats
Closed by the department
Lecture: 213 enrolled

Instructor

Siskaki, M.

2.96
Predicted GPA
Historical records for SISKAKI, MARIA; 636 letter grades

Seat risk
no history
9 discussions, none open. No waitlist listed.Every discussion, with its time and seats: 9 discussions
- Lab 2A
  T 8:00am-9:50am · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 2B
  T 10:00am-11:50am · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 2C
  T 12:00pm-1:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
- Lab 2D
  W 2:00pm-3:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 2E
  W 4:00pm-5:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 2F
  R 12:00pm-1:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 2G
  R 12:00pm-1:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5148
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 2H
  R 2:00pm-3:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5148
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
- Lab 2I
  F 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915H
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
Section
Lec 3
TR 9:30am-10:45am

Seats
Closed by the department
Lecture: 287 enrolled

Instructor

Bennoun, S.J.

3.40
Predicted GPA
Historical records for BENNOUN, STEVE JACK; 3,645 letter grades

Seat risk
no history
12 discussions, none open. No waitlist listed.Every discussion, with its time and seats: 12 discussions
- Lab 3A
  T 12:00pm-1:50pm · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
- Lab 3B
  T 2:00pm-3:50pm · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3C
  W 8:00am-9:50am · Bunche Hall 2160
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3D
  W 10:00am-11:50am · Rolfe Hall 3134
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3E
  W 8:00am-9:50am · Haines Hall A44
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3F
  R 12:00pm-1:50pm · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3G
  R 2:00pm-3:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3H
  R 2:00pm-3:50pm · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3I
  F 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915G
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3J
  F 10:00am-11:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915G
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3K
  F 10:00am-11:50am · Mathematical Sciences 5148
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 3L
  F 12:00pm-1:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 3915G
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
Section
Lec 4
TR 11:00am-12:15pm

Seats
Closed by the department
Lecture: 214 enrolled

Instructor

Bennoun, S.J.

3.40
Predicted GPA
Historical records for BENNOUN, STEVE JACK; 3,645 letter grades

Seat risk
no history
9 discussions, none open. No waitlist listed.Every discussion, with its time and seats: 9 discussions
- Lab 4A
  T 2:00pm-3:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 4B
  W 8:00am-9:50am · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 4C
  W 10:00am-11:50am · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 4D
  W 12:00pm-1:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 4E
  R 2:00pm-3:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 3915H
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
- Lab 4F
  R 4:00pm-5:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 3915H
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
- Lab 4G
  R 4:00pm-5:50pm · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 4H
  F 10:00am-11:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915H
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 4I
  F 12:00pm-1:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 3915H
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
Section
Lec 5
TR 12:30pm-1:45pm

Seats
Closed by the department
Lecture: 288 enrolled

Instructor

Lee, C.

3.40
Predicted GPA
Historical records across all instructors; 8,226 letter grades

Seat risk
no history
12 discussions, none open. No waitlist listed.Every discussion, with its time and seats: 12 discussions
- Lab 5A
  T 4:00pm-5:50pm · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5B
  W 8:00am-9:50am · Bunche Hall 2178
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5C
  W 10:00am-11:50am · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5D
  W 12:00pm-1:50pm · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5E
  W 2:00pm-3:50pm · Rolfe Hall 3134
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5F
  R 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 5233
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5G
  R 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 5203
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5H
  T 4:00pm-5:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5233
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5I
  R 10:00am-11:50am · Life Sciences 2127
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5J
  W 2:00pm-3:50pm · Rolfe Hall 3126
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5K
  R 4:00pm-5:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5233
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 5L
  F 12:00pm-1:50pm · Rolfe Hall 3126
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
Section
Lec 6
TR 2:00pm-3:15pm

Seats
Closed by the department
Lecture: 214 enrolled

Instructor

Lee, C.

3.40
Predicted GPA
Historical records across all instructors; 8,226 letter grades

Seat risk
no history
9 discussions, none open. No waitlist listed.Every discussion, with its time and seats: 9 discussions
- Lab 6A
  T 4:00pm-5:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
- Lab 6B
  W 4:00pm-5:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5137
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 6C
  R 8:00am-9:50am · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 6D
  R 10:00am-11:50am · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  23 enrolled
- Lab 6E
  R 4:00pm-5:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 6F
  F 8:00am-9:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915D
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 6G
  F 10:00am-11:50am · Mathematical Sciences 3915D
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 6H
  F 12:00pm-1:50pm · Hershey Hall 150
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled
- Lab 6I
  F 12:00pm-1:50pm · Mathematical Sciences 5148
  
  Closed by the department
  24 enrolled

Final enrollment, averaged across each term's sections: between 210 and 370 a term over 9 terms, summer excluded, most recently 336 in Fall 2025. That is the shape across years, not this term, which is above.

From the people who took it

Student reviews

What taking LIFESCI 30A was like: the work, the teaching, and what students wish they’d known.

Write a review

Your experience could be the first.

No student reviews are available to read on dibs for this course yet. Took it? Tell the next person what helped, what was hard, and how you spent your time.

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Read reviews on BruinWalk

Community guidelines

Seats over time in Fall 2026

How each lecture has filled since dibs first saw it. This course runs 6 lectures; the legend under the chart picks one.

A dot is a reading where something moved: the seat count, the status, or the waitlist.

What a flat run means, and where a line starts

Flat between dots means it did not drift, it held and then jumped, and a line starts when dibs first saw that lecture rather than reaching back before it existed. A lecture that has never moved draws a flat line across the whole window, and one with two or three readings draws a line joining them, which is too few to read a trend from.

Lec 1 · Siskaki, M. · 215 enrolled

Filled by 80 over 2 months

215 of 216 · no seats left in its discussions