BE100 is a rite of passage for bioengineering majors at this school, and that makes sense. The first 2? weeks of this class is like a mildly uncomfortable trainride. "Hmm, this is very bumpy, I'm a little nauseous." Problem set 1 is a fat amalgam of trivia. Can't remember much about pset 2.

If I recall, problem set 3 is when all hell breaks loose. The class is like a carcrash from there. Lots of blurry vision and text. So much text.

Kamei covers a lot of stuff in lecture. Don't be like me and take notes on the printed slides on a blank piece of paper. That's dumb. Print the slides out, and then fill in the blank spots with Prof. Kamei's examples. (Or better yet, if you have the money, buy a tablet, edit the slide pdf's on there..)

Don't do the problem sets the night before. If I could tell my naive, dumb*ss sophomore self something, it would be "READ AND THINK ABOUT THE PROBLEM SETS WHEN THEY ARE RELEASED" That isn't necessarily doing them, but get your subconscious pondering the problems before you dig into them. Start writing your solutions to these psets 3 days before they're due (or even earlier).

The problem sets are the best way to learn, so don't just go through the master folder and copy down the solutions. Think about the insight of the problem, what it means in the context of the class and lectures, and wtf the answer means. Do every single problem. Attempt them all.

Best of luck. I remember, after midterm 1, a mysterious amount of people had disappeared from lecture and I found out they became CS majors.

I took this class for the Engineering Science tech breadth having only satisfied the minimum prerequisites: Math 33B and Physics 1B, as a sophomore. Despite my minimal background in Bioengineering, I found the class to be very manageable and highly interesting, and I ended up getting an A. This class was easier and less time-consuming than many lower divs (but definitely not easy). If you’re a ChemE, think of it as a Ch Engr 101A/109 Combo course with some electrochemistry on the side.
Dr. Kamei has a distinguished teaching award, and it shows; he's a phenomenal lecturer. He definitely cares about whether his students learn, and he explains very well. He teaches math better than most math professors do :)
About the logistics about the class: You must show up to lecture, and you must print out the slides or bring a tablet. You should also read the lecture slides beforehand, to not be lost during class. The slides are NOT a way to skip lecture. Dr. Kamei talks about stuff that are not on the slides, and he sets up the vast majority of his proofs by writing on the whiteboard. Besides missing out on critical information and examples, Kamei's lecturing skills would be wasted if you don't go to lecture. So go to lecture.
Next, as a heads-up, this is a math-heavy class, which can be split into three parts. The first part is electrostatic modeling of nanoparticles. The second part is numerical methods of solving differential equations, and the third part is fluid dynamics. While the class (and the syllabus) can seem intimidating at first, don't be scared. It's a ton of math, but Kamei is very good at teaching, and both him and the TAs are very helpful during office hours. You will be fine if you don't have a background in Bioengineering. Besides the prerequisites, all you really need are basic coding skills and a basic knowledge of biology.
The exams were definitely difficult; you need to be able to do homework-level questions quickly alongside knowing concepts. That said, the homework was definitely on the level of the exams, and you get a plethora of old exam questions to practice with. Even better, the homework only took a few hours per week. There was also a numerical methods project in the middle of the quarter which was decently time-consuming, but definitely a grade booster provided you followed the directions. Again, Kamei is willing to help out in case of difficulties in terms of the projects.
Tl;dr: Don't be scared to take this class if you hear about Kamei's reputation as a hard professor and/or if you lack a background in Bioengineering. Also, even though this class appears to be offered only once every few years, it's worth taking. He's that good at teaching.

I enjoyed 110 more than 100. It was much less theoretical.

I will say that the S2020 distribution reported to Bruinwalk seems a little skewed, because many people opted to P/NP (thus people who took LG were very confident in their ability to get an A, typical BioE pre meds).

Same advice for BE100 applies. Prof. Kamei is very clear in office hours.

Dr. Kamei is my favorite professor in the BE department. He always makes himself available to help students. Yes, this class is hard. However, I felt that it was much less theoretical when compared to 100. Do all of the practice problems in every PSet. Do all of the extra problems that he gives you. Put in the time and effort (If you are able to do so) and you will do well in the class.

Dr. Kamei truly cares about making the degree we get a worthwhile one. I will always trust him to write a fair test and act in the best interest of the BE department.

In terms of the shift to online learning, I felt that Dr. Kamei handled it fairly well. Lectures are mandatory, PSets were still due regularly, and both midterms and the final were still held. In response to the protests occurring during finals week, Dr. Kamei did agree to make the final "no harm" after being asked to do so by students. Dr. Kamei is receptive to students and overall a pretty genuine dude.

I've never seen a prof with a bigger stick up his ass. When I asked for an extension on one assignment (during first spring covid quarter no less), he told me that bioengineering "wasn't for me" and I shouldn't drop out. He's been the single biggest obstacle to me getting a degree at this school.

...don't trust his bruinwalk reviews--he makes his lab minions write positive ones and attempts to get the bad ones taken down.

man writes his own positive reviews. just notice how all the dates are close together in march at times. he's been caught trying to bolster his own image. he even sends his own lab minions to defend him in public settings. it's wild. he can't handle any criticism. if this review gets downvoted, you know exactly the reason why now.
you gotta take him to survive in BE at UCLA. My advice to you is: prepare yourself mentally for the assf*cking of your life. but be tough, and don't let him be the reason you leave BE. take as few classes simultaneously as possible to get through 100 and 110, spend several hours a week on the problem sets (but not too many as to hurt your sanity), survive both classes, and then say goodbye to him forever. you'll get through this. i'm not gonna lie: it will suck. but you will get through this. the other upperdivs in BE can be very fun and engaging and incredible. it's just a shame he's gotta be the gatekeeper.

Dr. Kamei is definitely one of the hardest, if not THE hardest professor I've ever taken. Yet despite this, I would still take his class again. Why? Because if anyone else was teaching it, you'd be screwed. The material is very challenging. However, Dr. Kamei is one of the few professors who loves teaching and really cares about his student's learning and understanding.

To suceed in this class, office hours are a must. The extra problems he goes over helps a lot, and he answers homework questions and any other questions you might have about the material.

The class is very organized and structured. TA discussions and office hours are uniform as Dr. Kamei has material(more problems) prepared for each and detailed notes about what the TA's should discuss. His lecture notes are very clear and rarely are ambiguous. Everything you need to know is covered in his lecture notes, so buying a book is unnecessary, which saves you some money.

He makes the class hard to make you think and develop analytical skills for your future job as an engineer. The homework is very challenging, but they prepare you for the exams as the homework is composed of old exam problems. Don't regurgitate how to do a certain problem or you'll be screwed for the exams. Try to see the message behind the problem. Why is he giving this to you? The exams are pretty long, so don't get caught up on a question and waste time on it.

Overall, Dr. Kamei has a great personality and tries to make a difficult class into an enjoyable one. He's definitely more personable than other professors, as you can have a conversation with him about the most random things. Take his class if you want a great professor, but you better be ready to work.

He is by far one of the best teachers I've ever had. He manages to make the 2 hour class bearable and keep you engaged in the lectures. Even though he posts powerpoint slides online, you have to go to lectures! He does extra work on the board and describes the slides in more detail. The material for the class is definitely challenging, make sure you go to office hours (they're like another discussion)! Even though the class is tough he curves generously (to a B+ my year). It's definitely a good introduction to bioengineering upper-divs!

I'm surprised that the last and only written review for this class is from 2015. I guess there really isn't much to say besides that it's a required class for all bioengineers. Less conceptual than 100, but more variables to keep track of throughout the differential equations you need to solve. Also, you don't get to bring in a cheat sheet. Good luck, and don't cheat!

Courses Taken: BE 100, BE 110, BE C101

I took all 3 of Kamei's classes and I would say out of all the BE classes I've (I am a senior) had Kamei's classes have been the most interesting.

Don't be scared off by how difficult they can be. I recommend going to discussion AND office hours since this is where extra problems are covered. It is important to stay on top of the HW too.

The tests also have a lot of math/application of math questions as Prof Kamei wants to make sure we haven't forgotten our math from the 31/32/33 series. These are essentially freebies if you know how to do it.

He is also a generous grader and if the classes have a high test average the average grade of the class also goes up.