Took Dr. Esdin for the exercise class. When I first saw this class on the course website, I didn't think it would be that bad; we're learning about the benefits of exercise right? ... NO, this class is pretty intense and there is a LOT of material covered in 6 weeks (Summer). The class is basically about how a bad diet can affect your health (atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, etc), and we learn how it is affected at the physiological/molecular level. The details get pretty intense, especially when you learn how atherosclerosis develops.

In addition, there is a diet/health analysis paper (3-4 pages, single-spaced) due during finals week, 3 homework assignments (short quizzes), and two exams (midterm/final). He also gives you 20 scientific journals to read, which takes forever, but manageable if you read like 5 per week.

I really liked this class and learned a lot of valuable information regarding diet and exercise, but what sucks about this class is that it's curved (just like any other physci class). So it gets harder to get an A when you're competing with the rest of the class (about 60 students). The grade distribution is like 25-35% As, 30-40% Bs, and 30% Cs or something like that. If you're going to take this class, make sure you don't get rocked by the curve. Also, it's good to take this class after taking PS111B since some of the materials overlap.

SELLING
Physiological Science 5
Winter '15 Course Reader - Esdin

It's in superb condition, just took some (really good) notes in like 2 chapters. I will also throw in ALL class lecture notes, workbook, and iProfile for reference. In addition, you can have the study guide I made for my final, it's perfff. :)
Email me @ *************

It's an overall solid class and Esdin knows what he's talking about. Only problem is that it's really early.

Oh.. and the TA Afiz was terrible. And Esdin's exams were really difficult.
If you're trying to take a easy GE, would not recommend.

I took LS2 with Esdin.
Esdin is a great professor. Very organized and you actually learn in lecture. Everything he mentions
in lecture can be tested on so be sure take good notes and stay awake. All exams come from lecture only;
hence, just print out the powerpoints and take good notes. No textbook needed, if its not mentioned
in lecture, then you can ignore it which makes studying alot more efficient.

Exams are very fair, multiple choice, short answers, and fill in the blank. Nothing tricky.
Labs were fun and not too difficult, just the usual lab writeups. He is very welcoming during
office hours and responds to emails within an appropriate time.

Overall, great professor. Definitely hope I take more classes with him.

Dr. Esdin is without any doubt a VERY passionate lecturer. He loves what he does and is really effective at teaching. Overall, I enjoyed attending his class every morning (despite the fact that it was an 8AM lecture). A typical day consists of attending lecture, taking notes from Esdin's powerpoints (which he posts online) and reviewing the notes. *No homework to be turned in!* What more can a college student ask for? Esdin assigns a quarter-long project that is due during Week 9 which is really an easy 100 points of you just follow instructions.Just a heads up, it can't possibly done the night before it's due. Here was how the class went:

3 quizzes (each worth 12 points) = 36 points
Attendance worth 14 points (just show up to discussion and sign in/participate)... easy points, the TA, Asif, is a really cool and helpful person
Lab Project: 100 points
Midterm 1: 150 points
Final: 150 points

total of 450 points. In the end, the grade is curved (only a slight curve though).

If it were up to Esdin, he'd make this class mandatory for every student at UCLA to take (and I agree with him!). This class really impacts your daily decisions and makes you want to focus on your diet and level of physical activity for a better lifestyle.
Also, don't forget to attend Fridays' lectures since he gives hints. Friday hints are Midterm/Final Exam questions that are GUARANTEED to show up. He gives the questions AND the answer!
Final grade in the class: A
I really look forward to another class with Dr. Esdin. :)

Class Taken: PhySci5

Overall Dr. Esdin is a great guy. He seemed to genuinely care about his students and the lifestyle choices we made. He mentioned at the beginning and end of the quarter how he wished it was mandatory for every student at UCLA to take this class before graduation, which I completely agree with (as long as it wasn't at 8am).

To be honest I didn't make it to every class because it was so hard to get up for those 8am science lectures. Although when I did attend lecture they were HUGE eye openers to the choices I make in my lifestyle. He loves to say "My Take Home Message is…." which are just tips/advice on changing some things in your lifestyle. Dr. Esdin was great and I'd love to take another class with him as long as it wasn't at 8am.

Now here is how the class works:
You have lecture every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Be sure to show up to Friday's lectures as he gives out "Hints" which are ACTUAL Midterm/Final Exam questions.
Class Discussions are mandatory but you only have to 4 discussions that are spread throughout the quarter, they are based on collecting data for the project and the TA Asif is a cool guy.
You have a quarter long lifestyle project that is really simple and easily done the day before – although I don’t recommend it. (I did it the night before and still got 100%) The project consists of you recording your diet and activity for a week on an online software and then taking that data and formulating data based on your lifestyle choices. Trust me it is very simple.
You have 3 online quizzes that have 4 questions each and you are given 6 minutes for each. You can use your notes on them but I do recommend taking it with a group of friends as for Dr. Esdin loves to write tricky questions.
Midterm and Final Exam were only 38 questions. The Midterm had a few “Hint” questions on it and had a main focus on sugar breakdowns as for the Final Exam it was more focused on exercise and protein along with a few scattered questions from the other various topics. The Final was not cumulative. Which is awesome because this class is ALL about memorization.

Point Breakdown:
Discussion Attendance: 14 points
3 Quizzes (12 pts. each): 36 points
Midterm: 150 points
Lifestyle Assessment Project: 100 points
Final Exam: 150 points

450 points total – the class is curved based off the class average of the entire point system. He doesn't curve until the end.

Final Grade: C- unfortunately; but I suck at everything science. I would have gotten a D- (62%) but the curve was very nice! As you can see this class is NOT an easy A as stated below but is an eye opener. It somewhat reminded me of High School Biology with a UCLA twist.

If you choose to take this class I wish you the best of luck :)

Prof and the class is great. The curve is reasonable.

SELLING:

Course reader (Fall2014, brand new without marking)
iProfile

msg me if interested: **********

Bad teacher for LS2, take it with Roberts over the summer.

The class is really good and meaningful. it has two online quiz, midterm and final. for the midterm and final, there are about 100 multiple choice in total, which are based on course reader material and lectures.

I am selling course reader and profile, if you are interested. e-mail me *************

Course Taken: LS2

ABOUT THE PROFESSOR:
He knows how to explain everything extremely well. He engages you in the discussion with relevant analogies. You won't fall asleep.

HIS TESTS:
His tests are... Challenging. I wouldn't say fair, but challenging. A lot of people say just memorize the slides, but his tests do require critical thinking. For instance, if some part of some pathway breaks down due to a mutation, what will still happen/be expressed and what won't.
Please pray that the tests have some free response.

THE CLASS:
LOVE the topics covered. If you're pre-med there's no way to be more sure about you're choice than to take this class.

RESOURCES:
I wish there were podcasts and I wish there were practice tests. Don't look at the book, mostly go over and understand thoroughly the lecture concepts. HIS OFFICE HOURS ARE FANTASTIC.

THINGS I WOULD'VE DONE DIFFERENTLY:
Sleep well the night before the tests (none of that 8 hour B.S., I'm talking a solid 9-12 hours). I feel like if I had my brain to full capacity I could've performed much better than I did. The material is manageable and the course isn't overwhelming.