Dr. Esdin is a good lecturer, he explains things well and his slides help. He doesn't post them consistently though. He'll post slides from certain weeks but not others. If you're taking PhySci5, it's a lot of memorization and really important to know all the little details both in the lectures and reader, but if you do know them, it's pretty easy to do well on the midterm and final which are both multiple choice.

He seems like a great professor. Unfortunately, I am dropping because I enrolled in a class I need. I am selling the course reader.
normavasquez1991@yahoo.com

Course Taken: Physci 5

This class was overall a great class. The professor lectured great and went over the information very thoroughly. The class consist of a project which was worth 100 points, 150 for both midterm and final (multiple choice), 36 points for 4 question quizzes (you take 3 of them online),and 14 points for attending lab. You only have to go to lab 5 times for the whole 10 weeks and the TA just goes over what you need to do in the project.
I'm also selling both the study guide booklet and course reader. Study guide is brand new never written on and the course reader has very few writings in it. Both in good condition though. Contact me if you want to buy it: jacqueline_alayvilla@yahoo.com

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 :)

Esdin is a great lecturer and makes this class definitely worth taking. If you put effort in it's easy to get an A. Make sure you go to class though, especially on Fridays. He has "Hint Fridays" in which he'll tell you a code that you will have to answer on the midterm and final. I recommend actually reading the recommended reading, it provided an excellent base for much of the class.

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. :)

It was a great class overall. great GE class to take selling the course reader (both). pratically new, just some words written in it. contact me amanda.mrls@yahoo.com

LS 2:
I had Esdin for the second half of the quarter and I really like his teaching style. His exams are based off of lecture and notes alone, and he doesn't use the book, which is really nice because thats just less you have to study. That being said, be prepared to take very good notes. He's a great lecturer and goes over everything in detail so you really understand. I recommend recording his lectures because this class is not podcasted. Esdin is really helpful in office hours so really take advantage of that. He also holds review sessions before the midterm/final. The exams test you on your understanding of the material, not just pure memorization. However, it is not too difficult and I think his exams are really fair. He has multiple choice and short answer

Great lecturer! I had to end up dropping the course, but already bought the books. I am currently selling (Reader, Study Guide, and iProfile- (never opened)). If anyone is interested please email me @ Christianzmommy07@gmail.com

Esdin is ridiculously passionate about this topic. This class was extremely valuable and definitely a life-changer.

**As someone who is super North Campus (meaning I fail at all things math and science), I must say there's almost no math (if anything, it's basic 6th grade stuff) and the science is VERY basic... He'll always say, "I know this is a GE class, so I'll make this very simple for you," which is pretty damn considerate of him!

He always says "Take home message" in lecture, meaning, literally, the message you'll take home and incorporate to your lifestyle. I've made some serious changes to my diet and am already feeling better!

Definitely recommend this class if you're looking for a relatively simple science GE, though be forewarned that this is a class that will take a bit of memorization.
I studied the night before the midterm for about 6 hours and got in the top 5%, so it's really not that bad!