This class is not as easy as years prior have made it seem. While the content itself is not complex, there is just a large quantity of information that must be memorized for the tests. The information is also not as interesting as the class seems as its more so just learning biology with a focus on lipids, carbs, fats, diabetes, and the endocrine, digestive, & cardiovascular system. You do receive a grade for attendance through clicker questions at the end of each lecture, and while they are graded for accuracy, Professor Esdin tells you the answer so you can change your answer before submission, so as long as you are in class (you can miss 3 classes without harm to your grade) and pay attention for the questions at the end, you should get full attendance points. You are also graded for attendance in lab sections, but they are only once every other week, require minimal effort, and almost always end early. The project is time-intensive but not hard, and be sure to not wait until the last night, because you will be miserable. The project also requires you to track your food intake and activity for a week, which you will be told when to do, but it requires a software that comes with the course reader that you would pay a significant amount for. However, you can also buy the software on amazon and share it with others as you can have multiple logs without buying the course reader. While the class says the course reader is required, it's really not. It is useful as it has all the info you need for the test (plus additional information), but you can buy used ones for cheaper. I just read the course reader and condensed it into easier to read notes to study for tests as it is dense with repetitive information. There are also two lecture quizzes and three lab quizzes that often have confusing wording, so don't be shocked or discouraged if you don't do well on all of them as they as each one is a small part of your grade. However, I recommend studying for them (even if they are online as those are tricky as well) as multiple bad grades on those quizzes can pile up. As for exams, the midterm is weighted just as much as the final and the project, and the final was not cumulative for me (which was a big relief). However, to do well on the midterm and final, a lot of studying and memorizing is necessary (I'd start studying a week and a half before each one especially if you are a procrastinator like myself). There will be questions on the test with confusing wording, but most of the questions were whether you knew the material or not, but if you study enough you should get a high B or low A on the two exams. The tests are also pretty short which is nice. The project and attendance grades will save your grade in the class as they will make up for your quizzes and exams, so make sure to show up to class (which does kinda suck as its MWF at 9am) and turn in the project on time. Also, Professor Esdin seems to bump up everyone's grade a little as I got an A despite having the grade to have a A-. While this class is not as easy as earlier reviews have made it seem, it's still very achievable to get an A, but a decent amount of effort is required. It also gives the lab credit and is helpful in giving advice on how to live a healthy lifestyle. It's a solid class, but I wouldn't take it if you are taking a bunch of work-intensive classes during the same quarter.

this class is extremley hard. the material is very heavy and it is very hard to understand everything. I thought 7a and 7b were super easy. I then took this class and was just hoping to get a B. the midterm 1 is so hard so i would study a lot.

This course was extremely helpful and overall very thorough. If you are interested in biology, then this is definitely a course for you--it covers a lot of in-depth human biological processes. Exams are all multiple choice, and for the most part pretty straightforward. My recommendation is to keep up with the quarter-long project as best you can--do not procrastinate.

The class is super easy and really interesting. Some tasks can be tedious and repetitive but overall the class was really enjoyable. Also super nice that it was online asynchronous.

If you are reading this review, you have probably already taken the other two classes in the 7 series and this class is pretty much exactly the same. The material itself focuses on many new topics regarding human body systems, but also reviews a lot of 7A material. The overall workload is the exact same, but the dreaded wording on the exams make the exams harder than they need to be. People tend to do pretty poorly on the first midterm, but the second midterm and final went much better. Overall, it is not a difficult class, try to review clicker questions, discussion worksheets, and practice exam questions before exams though. There is also a good bit of easy extra credit given throughout the quarter. Esdin himself is a great lecturer who loves to throw in jokes every now and then. He's clear and concise as well.

nice professor, focus on material and the lecture is not such important.
sell PHYSCI 5 course reader for $30 only.(original price 50) text **********

Course Taken: LS2

This class was great! Professor Esdin is such a great lecturer. I really recommend taking his LS2 class. It definitely is not a walk in the park as the tests require great understanding and application of the course material, but definitely doable. I recommend going to his office hours; he really cares for all of his students.

Professor Esdin is smart, clear, and just sweet. This class is easy, the perfect thing for my first quarter at UCLA. Going to lecture is helpful, you know what he puts emphasis on for the tests and he clarifies what can be sometimes confusing science jargon in the course reader. Get started on the project as soon as it is assigned, go to lecture, read the course reader (with a highlighter! so helpful), and you will be fine. Plus, you actually learn information relevant to your daily life! And Esdin tells funny stories in class, especially the diabetes one :) Take it and find out!

LS 2
I took LS 2 with Esdin in Summer 2014. Mostly, his lectures and slides are clear. However, his exam is very poorly worded and confusing. Once I found that the exam key must be wrong, he refused to regrade.

I took LS 2 with Arnold/Esdin in Winter Quarter.

Esdin: I LOVE ESDIN. BEST TEACHER EVER.
His lectures are very engaging and he explains things very well. To do well, I recopied all the notes into a separate notebook and went to his office hours. GO TO OFFICE HOURS. He often drops hints at test questions. If you hear "that's a good idea for a test question" WRITE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY.

His tests are completely based on lecture and they are very fair.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TEACHER. He deserves like an 8 or something at least on BW.

Arnold: His lectures are pretty boring and he does not seem to teach the right material...All I learned was stuff about fish and lizard mating...
Fortunately, his multiple choice questions are pretty easy and his tests are also lecture based...
All in all, he was boring and his office hours were useless but he was not super difficult...

Grade Received in LS2: A