Professor

Joseph Esdin

AD
4.2
Overall Ratings
Based on 579 Users
Easiness 3.4 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 3.5 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 4.1 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (579)

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Dec. 25, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

Esdin is a very engaging professor and made lecture entertaining. For the exams, focus on the material and questions that he covers in lecture. The pictures and diagrams are super important and he normally also chooses a small section to cover from discussion. The questions seem simple but are not necessarily easy, averages for both midterms were 82-84. Make sure you do the launchpad and clicker questions for the additional points if you are looking to get an A. I got an 84, 84, then 90 percent and ended with a solid A because of discussion/launchpad/clicker points.

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Jan. 2, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A

This was a really interesting class with a great professor. Dr. Esdin is very knowledgeable and passionate about the topics and he is an engaging and funny lecturer. The lifestyle project is extremely doable, just follow the instructions and rubric carefully. The exams are straightforward, but at times questions ask VERY specific things that may have been mentioned in a single line or phrase in the course reader. If you take this class, just try to go over the course reader as many times as possible so you can catch those small details. He sometimes gives hints about exam questions during lecture so be sure to attend class. With the specifics of the exam, while the exams are very straightforward and doable, it is extremely easy to mess up and not do well in the class as most of the points come from the exams.

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Jan. 3, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

Professor Esdin is a pretty cool dude who's really knowledgeable in his field. The course reader is required and expensive (like $105) but if you're good at memorizing think about it as investing in your GPA. It's not hard to get an A in this class if you memorize the course reader and show up. There are quizzes in labs based on what you did that day in lab (easy), and 2 online quizzes based on the readings. The midterm and final are entirely based on the reader so if you can learn it, love it, and live it by weeks 5 and 10, you're golden. The professor is a funny guy and likes to joke about how terribly we all eat (you learn how right he is in this project on your individual dietary habits). In my experience, I didn't have to go to the TA's or his office hours as everything you need can be answered in an email or in the book. I recommend this course for the easy GPA boost but must warn that it is in no way "easy" given the amount of time you have to put into memorizing.

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Feb. 8, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

100% would take this class again. Professor was always engaging, helpful, kind, and you could tell he was there for the benefit of his students. Probably my favorite class taken at UCLA thus far. Highly recommend this for a science GE and a lab credit.

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Feb. 11, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-

First and foremost, you need to spend $102 on the textbook, workbook, and online profile together. You CANNOT get out of it because you need to turn the workbook in at the end of the quarter. Edsin is very enthusiastic about what he teaches. I don't consider myself good at remembering any kind of science, but his class made me genuinely interested in the body. I really felt like I learned something. The quizzes are short, but they're extremely easy. In addition, the midterm and final reflect the material he talks about. As long as you take notes of what he says and at least skim the main topics of the textbook, you'll be okay. He even gives you a study guide of what exactly will be on the midterm and final.

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Feb. 24, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

Esdin is a great lecturer and you never have to guess what's on the exam. It's very straightforward what he wants of you from his lectures, clicker questions, and discussion worksheets. The homework helps somewhat, the questions are not too important but the reading is. Esdin is great at explaining class material and is very transparent and fair with grading. Exams are hard and requires you to think critically, but pay attention to discussion and the extra help hours and you'll be well off!

Helpful?

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March 24, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A-

Coming into LS7C, I had some interest in the material - I wasn't particularly excited to learn about physiology, but also not opposed to it either. Dr. Esdin co-taught this course with Dr. Cooper during Winter 2020. Dr. Esdin taught weeks 1 and 7-10, and Dr. Cooper taught weeks 2-6. Like the rest of the 7 series, the material is more based on applying concepts rather than pure memorization (though I must say, 7C does require some more memorization than the other 7 series classes). Even though I came out of the class with not the greatest interest in the material, Esdin really made the class bearable and sometimes even enjoyable. His explanations to the clicker questions were generally pretty good, and he was always so encouraging. At the end of week 1, he told us that he'd miss us as he wouldn't be seeing us for 5 weeks until the start of week 7; you could tell that he really cared about students' well-being and was not merely teaching to get the job done. I enjoyed Dr. Esdin's portion of the course more, which focused on cell junctions, immune system, and human bio (DNA, CRISPR, etc).
In regards to exams, I really dreaded taking them. I didn't do very well on the first one (scored slightly below average) and also performed equally as bad on the second one. By the time the final rolled around, I felt kind of done with the class and just indifferent towards the material/my grade. In light of the COVID-19 crisis this quarter, the final was online and made optional. I took the final though because I wanted to improve my grade in the class and it was definitely very doable, better than expected.
When grades came out, I was surprised that I had gotten the grade I got; I punched in the numbers and I figured that Esdin must have curved/scaled people up. Bottom line is, don't give up in studying! Even with mediocre/sub-par midterm scores, I was still able to perform decently well in the class.

tl;dr - I definitely recommend taking this class with Esdin if you can!

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March 26, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A

Great class and great professor

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March 28, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A

I loved this class! Although it was at 9am, I tried my best to make it because I enjoy the material so much. Also, Esdin takes attendance by passing around a sign in sheet. He lectures based off slides that he writes on, and typically, he lets the class out early. You have to buy a Course Reader for this course, which includes a textbook, workbook, and iProfile account. The workbook is fairly easy, and all the answers come from the textbook/lectures. The iProfile account is used to complete the big project for this class. Discussion is biweekly, and typically involves some kind of group work to determine your resting heart rate, etc. for the project. There are two quizzes in discussion, but you are allowed to use any paper notes that you take during the lecture during discussion. The project can be a lot if you save it for the last minute, so it is recommended that you start on it as early as you can. The midterm was online, and I believe the final was too (but I opted out of it this quarter bc of corona). The tests in this class are pretty easy if you're on top of your work, and it was all multiple choice. Esdin was a very good lecturer, and I learned a lot from him. I would definitely recommend this class if you are looking for an easy GE or if you are interested in this material.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 29, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A

I enjoyed this class and learned a lot of valuable information about the importance of maintaining good health through a healthy diet and exercise. The class is overall pretty easy. The exams are very detailed, however, and require a lot of studying and memorizing the course reader in order to do well. The project is tedious but is an easy 100 points if you follow all the rules. Overall I recommend this class!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
LIFESCI 7C
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Dec. 25, 2019

Esdin is a very engaging professor and made lecture entertaining. For the exams, focus on the material and questions that he covers in lecture. The pictures and diagrams are super important and he normally also chooses a small section to cover from discussion. The questions seem simple but are not necessarily easy, averages for both midterms were 82-84. Make sure you do the launchpad and clicker questions for the additional points if you are looking to get an A. I got an 84, 84, then 90 percent and ended with a solid A because of discussion/launchpad/clicker points.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSCI 5
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
Jan. 2, 2020

This was a really interesting class with a great professor. Dr. Esdin is very knowledgeable and passionate about the topics and he is an engaging and funny lecturer. The lifestyle project is extremely doable, just follow the instructions and rubric carefully. The exams are straightforward, but at times questions ask VERY specific things that may have been mentioned in a single line or phrase in the course reader. If you take this class, just try to go over the course reader as many times as possible so you can catch those small details. He sometimes gives hints about exam questions during lecture so be sure to attend class. With the specifics of the exam, while the exams are very straightforward and doable, it is extremely easy to mess up and not do well in the class as most of the points come from the exams.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSCI 5
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Jan. 3, 2020

Professor Esdin is a pretty cool dude who's really knowledgeable in his field. The course reader is required and expensive (like $105) but if you're good at memorizing think about it as investing in your GPA. It's not hard to get an A in this class if you memorize the course reader and show up. There are quizzes in labs based on what you did that day in lab (easy), and 2 online quizzes based on the readings. The midterm and final are entirely based on the reader so if you can learn it, love it, and live it by weeks 5 and 10, you're golden. The professor is a funny guy and likes to joke about how terribly we all eat (you learn how right he is in this project on your individual dietary habits). In my experience, I didn't have to go to the TA's or his office hours as everything you need can be answered in an email or in the book. I recommend this course for the easy GPA boost but must warn that it is in no way "easy" given the amount of time you have to put into memorizing.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSCI 5
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Feb. 8, 2020

100% would take this class again. Professor was always engaging, helpful, kind, and you could tell he was there for the benefit of his students. Probably my favorite class taken at UCLA thus far. Highly recommend this for a science GE and a lab credit.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSCI 5
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Feb. 11, 2020

First and foremost, you need to spend $102 on the textbook, workbook, and online profile together. You CANNOT get out of it because you need to turn the workbook in at the end of the quarter. Edsin is very enthusiastic about what he teaches. I don't consider myself good at remembering any kind of science, but his class made me genuinely interested in the body. I really felt like I learned something. The quizzes are short, but they're extremely easy. In addition, the midterm and final reflect the material he talks about. As long as you take notes of what he says and at least skim the main topics of the textbook, you'll be okay. He even gives you a study guide of what exactly will be on the midterm and final.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
LIFESCI 7C
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Feb. 24, 2020

Esdin is a great lecturer and you never have to guess what's on the exam. It's very straightforward what he wants of you from his lectures, clicker questions, and discussion worksheets. The homework helps somewhat, the questions are not too important but the reading is. Esdin is great at explaining class material and is very transparent and fair with grading. Exams are hard and requires you to think critically, but pay attention to discussion and the extra help hours and you'll be well off!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
LIFESCI 7C
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A-
March 24, 2020

Coming into LS7C, I had some interest in the material - I wasn't particularly excited to learn about physiology, but also not opposed to it either. Dr. Esdin co-taught this course with Dr. Cooper during Winter 2020. Dr. Esdin taught weeks 1 and 7-10, and Dr. Cooper taught weeks 2-6. Like the rest of the 7 series, the material is more based on applying concepts rather than pure memorization (though I must say, 7C does require some more memorization than the other 7 series classes). Even though I came out of the class with not the greatest interest in the material, Esdin really made the class bearable and sometimes even enjoyable. His explanations to the clicker questions were generally pretty good, and he was always so encouraging. At the end of week 1, he told us that he'd miss us as he wouldn't be seeing us for 5 weeks until the start of week 7; you could tell that he really cared about students' well-being and was not merely teaching to get the job done. I enjoyed Dr. Esdin's portion of the course more, which focused on cell junctions, immune system, and human bio (DNA, CRISPR, etc).
In regards to exams, I really dreaded taking them. I didn't do very well on the first one (scored slightly below average) and also performed equally as bad on the second one. By the time the final rolled around, I felt kind of done with the class and just indifferent towards the material/my grade. In light of the COVID-19 crisis this quarter, the final was online and made optional. I took the final though because I wanted to improve my grade in the class and it was definitely very doable, better than expected.
When grades came out, I was surprised that I had gotten the grade I got; I punched in the numbers and I figured that Esdin must have curved/scaled people up. Bottom line is, don't give up in studying! Even with mediocre/sub-par midterm scores, I was still able to perform decently well in the class.

tl;dr - I definitely recommend taking this class with Esdin if you can!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSCI 5
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
March 26, 2020

Great class and great professor

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSCI 5
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
March 28, 2020

I loved this class! Although it was at 9am, I tried my best to make it because I enjoy the material so much. Also, Esdin takes attendance by passing around a sign in sheet. He lectures based off slides that he writes on, and typically, he lets the class out early. You have to buy a Course Reader for this course, which includes a textbook, workbook, and iProfile account. The workbook is fairly easy, and all the answers come from the textbook/lectures. The iProfile account is used to complete the big project for this class. Discussion is biweekly, and typically involves some kind of group work to determine your resting heart rate, etc. for the project. There are two quizzes in discussion, but you are allowed to use any paper notes that you take during the lecture during discussion. The project can be a lot if you save it for the last minute, so it is recommended that you start on it as early as you can. The midterm was online, and I believe the final was too (but I opted out of it this quarter bc of corona). The tests in this class are pretty easy if you're on top of your work, and it was all multiple choice. Esdin was a very good lecturer, and I learned a lot from him. I would definitely recommend this class if you are looking for an easy GE or if you are interested in this material.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSCI 5
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
March 29, 2020

I enjoyed this class and learned a lot of valuable information about the importance of maintaining good health through a healthy diet and exercise. The class is overall pretty easy. The exams are very detailed, however, and require a lot of studying and memorizing the course reader in order to do well. The project is tedious but is an easy 100 points if you follow all the rules. Overall I recommend this class!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
34 of 45
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