Fair GE and quite practical to know. Study hard for the midterm and final, which were both almost entirely based off the course reader. This class requires a LOT of memorization. Project was easy and gave you free points, as well as attending discussions. Barely attended lectures and got a B.

Esdin is a really great lecturer!! Almost everything he says is relevant but this means that you need to take really good notes in order to do well. I didn't know this at the time but apparently, it helps a lot to go to office hours. People(life science majors) usually enjoy the content of this class and as a plus Esdin presents it in a very organized way. You'll still need to do a lot of memorizing though! This isn't an easy class in any sense, the tests were fairly difficult!(not solely based on memorization) The second half was taught by Yang, and I thought this part was much more manageable.

PS 136- Cardiovascular Exercise

Fantastic class. Esdin taught this during Session A of 2013. After going through the 111 series of physci, this class was a huge relief in the sense that the topic was extremely interesting and engaging and the class was taught by a great professor. The class covered very relevant information pertaining to cardiovascular disease progression and how exercise and other factors can decrease your risk of a cardiac event.

Lecture topics included: Atherosclerosis, Lipid Metabolism, Diabetes. The grading scheme was like 30 pts participation (attendance), 150 pts midterm, 100 pts for a paper and 150 pts for a final. something like that roughly. the tests were hard, not going to lie at all. I was shitting bricks after the midterm because a lot of it was blank boxes where he would write up a condition or a situation, and you'd have to define it and write an effect. he writes a hard midterm and final so that the class has a nice grading bell cuve. the final paper was very extensive.. It had to be a specific topic of your choosing and 3-4 pages in length, SINGLE SPACED, with at least 10 original journal references.

TIPS:
1.go to office hours. I can't stress this enough. I think it's pretty much a necessity in every phy sci class but just do it. his lectures were at 9-11am MW, and his office hours were usually 8am Wed, but suck it up it's worth it.
2. pick your paper topic early and do not try to write it all in one night. it took me pretty much one full weekend and two all nighters to write mine, but i could've been more efficient.
3. keep your notes from the cardiology part of 111B
4. he says the final is culmulative, but he really just means all the material builds on itself (it does), but he'll really just be focusing on the material after the final.

He says he averages the class around a B-, but I did average on both the midterm and final, got 93/100 on the paper, full participation and ended up with an A. Have faith! this class is definitely worth taking! and buy a used course reader! it's just filled with scientific articles that he doesn't change

Overall, this was a good class to take, and Dr. Esdin is definitely a great professor to take. He is pretty funny, explains things well. The information is extremely useful as well.

The class isn't as easy as it's made out to be, simply because his tests are quite difficult, and it takes some time and work. He dumbs things down in lecture, so, you really have to read the course reader to know the stuff... and the course reader is rather challenging because he just throws everything in there. The TA said, "If you want an A in the class, you should know everything from lecture... and if you know everything from the course reader, and in between the lines, you should be good." It's kind of true.
If you want to do well on the midterm and final, you really need to make your own notes, study all the nitpicky things, and study with other people in the class!

Also, GO TO LECTURE. He likes to give out free exam questions on random days for people who attend lecture, so GO.

The project is a pain in the butt, and you only have time to go over so much in discussion. And I did not like the TA - he was difficult to communicate with, and he is always late.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH/WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF YOUR LIFESTYLE. Dr. Esdin does a great job trying to make the material as interesting as possible- lectures are fun, (and also attendance monitored so make sure to go)!
This class is definitely doable, but you do need to keep up with readings in the course reader, which is about 20 pages a week. If you put in the work, it's an easy A. He wants his students to do well! The class ends up being curved at the B+/C- mark. I would definitely recommend this class to those who want a fun, interesting, and relevant GE!

Professor Esdin is one of the best professors I've had at UCLA. His lectures are interesting, his workbook is very helpful in studying for the midterm and final exam, and he is always open to assisting students with concerns over the material. The complex topics of this course are put in comprehensible terms for the student to easily digest.

Attendance in lecture is very important. He often explains the more difficult concepts in greater depth in his lectures to solidify the ideas of the course reader. He will even give out some test questions during his lectures. Attend lectures and do all the work and you will easily manage. I highly recommend this class!

Dr. Esdin is one of the best professors I’ve had at UCLA. His teaching style is very straightforward and comprehensible. He really wants students to learn and to do well. He takes even the most complex topics and explains them with analogies so that they are easy to understand. The class material itself is so applicable and so important to know about. The class mainly consists of 2 exams, 2 short quizzes, a workbook, and a lifestyle assessment project. The exams cover material from lecture, lab section, and the course reader. They are definitely manageable, but you need to go to class!

ATTENDANCE IS IMPORTANT!!! I cannot stress this enough! The lectures will help you fully understand and solidify the concepts of the course reader. There are also sign-in sheets: he’s basically giving you points for showing up (you do not want to miss out on those points)! But definitely take advantage during lecture and learn as much as you can from Dr. Esdin. The class itself is very interesting and engaging, so there’s no reason not to go. Also, go to office hours! Dr. Esdin genuinely cares about student learning: he will take the time to not only answer your questions, but also discuss the material with you to make sure you fully grasp the concepts.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this class! You will not regret it. It will empower you and have a positive impact on you: you will carry what you learned far beyond your time at UCLA!

This is the sort of class every undergrad should be mandated to take prior to graduation. It introduces/situates life science in the context of our lives and our health. It's evident throughout the course that the purpose is to educate us in the hopes of motivating us to make diet and exercise a priority. This class explains the "whys" of nutrition (why whole grains, low fat or low carb diets) especially how to see through marketing and actually understand what the food labels mean for our bodies.

Dr. Esdin is easy to comprehend, he simplifies complex topics through everyday analogies and holds ample office hours (which no one seems to go to) to go over any confusing concepts. Just make sure to read the course reader well ahead of quizzes/exams, as there are some details in there which are not discussed in lecture at length but are fair game nonetheless! 2 exams, 2 short online quizzes (all multiple choice), a workbook (good study prep - start early) and a life assessment project (basically document your diet/exercise for 1 week and analyze it).

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU CAN'T ATTEND THE LECTURE! It's highly important, both the lecture and discussion sections (which only meet biweekly) have sign-in sheets, it's meant to be free easy points, and he gives rewards in the form of test questions and maybe even an automatic 100% on a quiz if lots of people show up. It's impossible to do well if you can't commit to the attendance requirements!

Overall a very useful class for North campus and South campus alike, and Dr. Esdin is a very fair professor. Just don't expect an easy A. But if you complete all the assignments and study smart without cramming, the material is certainly digestible (no pun intended) and exceptionally relevant compared to many other classes at UCLA.

Professor Esdin is super awesome!! I needed a life science GE to take and I've had many friends recommend this class.

The class consists of a midterm, final, project (tracking diet and exercise, it's really not bad, just don't procrastinate!), workbook (just checked for completion), and two quizzes. Really doable!

As for attendance, definitely GO TO CLASS!!!!! Not only will he have sign-in sheets, but he also talks about many things not in the course reader and they definitely appear on the tests. He explains the main topics clearly so that when you read the course reader it becomes a lot easier to understand.

All in all, a highly recommended life science GE that is totally doable as long as you put in the work.

I took LS2 with Dr. Esdin.

Dr. Esdin is a very good professor in every aspect except his written communication skills. He is a good lecturer; he makes concepts easy to understand, gives interesting examples, and he's funny. He tries to be fair by normalizing section scores and being clear about what he won't test on, but his exams are problematic. He writes badly worded questions that are ambiguous and often times misleading. This is common in the LS department, unfortunately, but he didn't allow us to ask questions, which made it a pretty serious problem. Lots of people missed questions because he was unclear and didn't allow us to clarify. That being said, he lectures well, is very organized, and does try to be open to student concerns.