This is my favorite class for my first quarter at UCLA. Dr. Esdin is so so nice and cute that I would definitely take his class in the future. His lecture is so clear that if you take good notes every lecture, the exams will be just a piece of cake for you. This class is not that time consuming as there is no homework, but you do have to finish a post-lecture pop quiz after every lecture (2-4 questions each) and this should be okay. The final project is really EASY! If you have the experience of writing IAs (IB), this project should take you less than a night.

Overall, the workload is very light, the lecture is very interesting and you can definitely learn something, professor Esdin is really nice and helpful, the big project is easy and exams take only a very little proportion of the final grade. If you listen carefully and take good notes in the lecture, you will get an A very easily.

This class is not going well, I don't know if it is because I am attending the wrong lectures or if he is actually just throwing random questions on his exams. The class is so interesting but his exams are so awful and his lecture quizzes are not even about the lecture. THIS CLASS IS NOT EASY OR WHAT YOU THINK IT IS. Honestly, I am so upset that I took this course but whatever, it is too late now. I personally do not recommend this class to anyone as it is difficult and tedious for a GE. Professor Esdin also tends to hop around subjects without giving warning, making your notes a complete brain fart of what he said in 10 minutes that could have been said a little more briefly. DO NOT TAKE, I REPEAT DO NOT, it is not worth it. I would say this class is only worth it if you are interested in biology, but if you are not please do not put yourself through a nightmare for a GE.

super easy life sciences GE. For context, I'm a first year engineering major. Genuinely just watch the lectures and you'll do more than fine. One of the quizzes was literally one question (what organ pumps blood). He's super understanding and straightforward. All the midterms, quizzes, and finals are online and open book/open note. He asks you to buy an online software called iProfile and a course reader (basically a textbook) for $100. I did not touch the course reader at all (don't buy it); all the information you need is in the slides he posts. The good thing about the iProfile is that you can add multiple "profiles" under the same account so find a friend and just share the same login.

For the lab, it's not even really a lab. It says two hours long once every two weeks, but ours was usually just one hour. During one session you just measure your weight, height, etc. The rest are just boring presentations.

I got 100% on basically every assignment and a 98% on the final project just by doing the bare minimum (showing up to class and taking notes). Overall, this class is super chill and so interesting. You learn about how to take care of your body and stay healthy. It's mostly about diet and very little about exercise, tho. 10/10

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS.
This class may have been an easy GE in the past it most definitely IS NOT EASY now.
The lectures are all over the place it’s hard to take coherent notes.
The lecture quizzes are about subjects that sometimes aren’t even addressed in lecture or are not in the course reader. Same goes for the midterm and final.
The lab quizzes are heavily dependent on what your TA goes over in class. My TA did NOT go over anything so the lab quizzes were nearly impossible.
Furthermore all the questions are worded very poorly. This is done on purpose it seems like. I went to office hours to ask for help and the only answer I got was “didn’t you say that you weren’t a stem major? That makes sense.”
I took this class as a GE and would not recommend it except if you are some kind of bio major already.

I would strongly recommend this GE to fulfill the lab requirement. I did not spend any time studying outside of the lectures and still got an A. No prior knowledge about bio is required at all and the class is very introductory.

After 4 years here at UCLA, I can honestly say this is the most IMPACTFUL AND USEFUL class I've ever taken. As an engineering major, we are only required to take 1 life science GE, and I am glad I picked this one over astronomy.

This class is the "delete facebook, hit the gym, lawyer up" of classes. If you want to get your diet on track, prevent disease, stay healthy, or get and stay fit and/or jacked (The professor is jacked btw) then you've come to the right place.

BACKGROUND AND RESULTS OF THIS CLASS
I came into this class a lowly skinnyfat freshman with bad acne who felt like excrement every morning getting up to go to this 8 am.
When I was in this class, I started eating better and watching my diet, I started lifting weights and exercising, I started sleeping well.
When I finished this class, I noticed my acne clearing up, I had more energy in the mornings, I was able to lift heavier weights, my muscles started to build up, my stomach became flatter and firmer, and I had more endurance for... activities.
Honest to god I even got abs for a time as I really got into the teachings I learned in this class.

As long as you come into this class with the mindset of improving yourself, I strongly believe what you learn here will significantly change the REST OF YOUR LIFE.

COURSELOAD: It's dry, the tests were pure (multiple choice!) memorization of the expensive course reader, but darn it if you can remember what you read last night then you'll get an A. I personally finished the 3 hour final in only 1 hour if that gives you an idea of the difficulty. As for homework, it's comparable to any other GE. Homework becomes very easy once you learn how to read the course reader efficiently though, maybe 1 hour a week. Much of the course is geared towards preventing disease like cardiovascular disease or diabetes, these parts are dry. Slog through the dry parts to get the sweet nectar of dieting tips.

THE PROFESSOR: The big man himself. An inspiration to gym-goers and dieters everywhere. He is passionate and insightful. Might be hard to see/hear. I recommend sitting in the front if this is still in Moore 100. He's not the funniest or most energetic lecturer, but he does his job well, and really, you're showing up not for the professor, but for yourself and your future health. TIP: One of the lectures will have a "nonsense" question that shows up on midterm/final that he gives the answer to, so if you can't show up because you've got DOMS from working out too hard the night before, make sure you ask a (trustworthy)friend to cover you.

THE DISCUSSION: In a small room in the very bowels of south campus, far from the safety of the dorms, you'll get a review and small quiz on what the course reader said last chapter. Hidden gem though, you take measurements such as bodyfat %, heart rate, height, weight, etc. that will help you track your health progress after you leave the class.

THE PROJECT: If your fitness goals include changing your weight (losing OR gaining) I HIGHLY RECOMMEND paying attention to the project. It will tell you how much you're eating, how much you need to change the amount you're eating, and what types nutriments you're missing out on. The project is also a good opportunity to start hitting the gym if you've never gone before, as you'll instantly see how its affecting your caloric intake.

TLDR: TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU WANT THE BODY AND FITNESS OF A MODEL.
ESPECIALLY TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOUR DIET IS BAD AND YOU WANT TO CHANGE IT.
Caveat: If you're not willing to take the steps to become healthier, this class is not for you, give up the spot so some other more motivated student can take it.

After reading the reviews for this class, I was so excited to take this class because I saw two recurring comments from student reviews: dummy easy science GE and a life changing course. To be completely honest, neither are true in my opinion. The reviews made this class seem like I would have a profound change in my life just from taking this class. The lifestyle assessment was pretty impactful though. This project has you record the foods you eat for the week in an online nutrition journal that gives you a detailed summary of your vitamin/mineral/fat intakes. From there, you make recommendations on how you can improve your health. However, the large bulk of the class, the lectures, the labs, the readings etc. were just about standard physiology. Let my clarify, this IS NOT a bad thing, it was just something I wasn't expecting because the reviews online made the class seem like it would be something else. I really enjoyed this class, despite it being different from what I expected. It was a dumbed-down physiology class for non STEM students that rarely even talked about diet or exercise. We talked about things like body systems, lipid/carb/protein absorption and digestion, and lifestyle diseases. I thought the class would have more practical, everyday type knowledge other than textbook knowledge. I totally recommend this class to anyone who might be interested in these topics. I feel like this is a more accurate depiction of the class (at least how the class is during covid). Another misleading part of the reviews was the easiness of the class. The class definitely was not insanely difficult by any means, but reviews made it seem like I could close my eyes while taking the final and still get 100%. I actually had to put effort into studying so I could maintain an A. You can only lose like 34 points out of 490 to still get an A. After week 5, I had already lost like 22 points. Multiple choice questions are typically worth 2-4 points each and these tests make up 200 points. The multiple choice questions were also stupidly or vaguely worded, so I lost stupid points over poorly structured questions. Luckily, esdin made the project, final, and last quiz very very easy. Some people also said esdin was really unaccomodating for students. Apparently he wouldn't let kids retake quizzes even if they had power outages during the ten minute window for taking the quiz, so some people instantly lost 15-20 points. I never emailed him or had any sort of electronic issue, so I don't have anything I can personally say. For anyone who made it this far, I'd recommend this class. The class was sometimes frustrating, but it was pretty interesting and not the hardest GE in the world.

Honestly I am astounded. Even though I am a first year, I have so much respect for Professor Edsin. He did not let the transition to remote learning and the BLM movement effect his ability to educate and his humanity. He genuinely cares for the wellbeing of his students (which aligns with the subject he teaches)- both physically, mentally, and emotionally. STEM prof are often a win or loose situation, he is undoubtedly a win. I've taken basic anatomy classes before, and so the topics of the lectures were interesting to me. The class comprises of Labs, Lecture quizes, Lab quizes and a final project. All of which were quite easy and were geared to accomodate for your self benefit and health (yes, it is an easy A). Edsin's character exemplifies what it means to be an educator and what true academica stands for. It would be a mistake to not take this class.

Summary: became smarter, became healthier, got a GPA boost, and had an amazing human being as a professor

I didn't even need the GE credit, I just took it with my roommates for fun, and it turned out to be a great life decision. If you have a light quarter and can fit some extra learning in, this could be an auspicious investment in your health, giving you a basic toolbox to help you eat healthier and exercise more. For instance, I now find myself able to parse nutrition labels on random foods and snacks, opting for the ones I know will be better for me in the long run, and it feels good to be able to make these kinds of informed decisions.

Tips n tricks:
- Lectures are recorded, but you can miss up to six or so classes before you get participation points deducted. You should go to lecture anyway because Prof. Esdin is pretty engaging.
- No homework, just the occasional online quiz. Review the material and you'll do well. Same for the online midterms/final, which are just longer quizzes.
- Lab/discussion attendance is tracked, it's usually only an hour, not the allotted two hours.
- There's an overarching "Life Assessment Project" that, if you put a bit of effort in, will help you make better decisions about your long-term diet and exercise habits. It's not hard, maybe a little tedious. Fun to do with friends.

Prof. Esdin is an inspiring dude for sure. He puts into practice the content that he teaches and is very kind and compromising to his students. Overall this course is probably one of the most enjoyable, useful GE's you can take at UCLA.

If you don't have any GEs that are interesting to take, TAKE THIS CLASS. Professor Esdin is really helpful and talks to his slides in a consistent manner. Make sure to attend class as iclicker and attendance counts for your grade. His assignment breakdown is as follows:
-Exam 1 (online on Canvas): 100 pts
-2 Lecture Quizzes: 40 points
-3 Lab Quizzes: 45 pts
-Attendance and Participation in Lab: 25 points
-Attendance Lecture: 40 points
-Lifestyle Project Assessment: 100 pts
-Final Exam: 100 pts
-Mandatory eval: 6 pts
-2 extra credit survey: 3 pts
Total pts: 459/456 pts

Make sure to start the final project early and don't procrastinate pls :sob:. Also, I recommend to make friends before or during this class to help pay for the textbook and be each other's support for reviewing the exams and the Iprofile Nutrition program ($100 for both :skull:).
As for the exams, they are easy to follow and all of the questions are MCQs and most of them can be found throughout the slides and your notes. Anyways, this class is an easy GE :D