If you're looking to take an easy EEB class, then look no further. This class has an extremely light workload, and all it requires yourself is buckling down to memorize everything before the exams.

Grade breakdown:
- Discussion worksheets 5%
- Discussion attendance 5%
- Midterm 44%
- Final (non-cumulative) 45%
- Course evaluation 1%

COURSE READER: Buy it because you will need it. It's dummy expensive, but it's the only resource you need to succeed in this class. Everything from the syllabus to the lecture slides to the discussion worksheets are all found inside the course reader. Perhaps the most important tool inside the course reader are the study guides located in the front, which contains all the lecture details in bullet format.

LECTURES: Sack is an amazing professor, and his passion for teaching plant physiology is evident in every lecture, BUT I can second everyone who has previously said that if you have very little interest in plants, it will be hard to focus in this class. With that being said, you do not have to attend class OR watch Bruin Cast to succeed in this class (gasp). I went to almost every lecture and found that the amount of detail covered in lecture was not necessary to succeed on the exams.

DISCUSSION: Attendance in discussion is mandatory. A worksheet is due weekly at the beginning of each section, and they range in difficulty. Some were extremely easy and took no time at all (e.g. come up with three questions that you have about plants) and others were a little more difficult such as the QUARMs, which were more time-consuming and required "data analysis." I can guarantee that I never spent more than an hour on these worksheets, so they really aren't that bad. The worksheets seemed like they were graded pretty leniently and more so based on completion than on correctness. You basically get free points for showing up to discussion on time (my TA docked down people who showed up late).

EXAMS: Ok it appears a little daunting that your exams are worth 89% of your grade. The good news is that 1) there's only one midterm (yeet) 2) the final is non-cumulative (double yeet) and 3) the exams are fairly easy multiple choice questions. The bad news is that since there aren't that many questions on each exam (42 on midterm, 51 on final), there is little room for error because missing just one question could really cost you. Doing well on the exams is 90% memorization and 10% (somewhat) critical thinking. Sack throws a couple questions in the end that aren't straight out of the course reader and require you to connect some of the main ideas. I wouldn't stress too much about these questions because you can usually logic your way through them.

*How to do well in this class*:
1) Get all your discussion points because there's no reason not to. 10% of your grade is simply showing up to your section on time and completing worksheets.
2) Start studying for the exams EARLY. I say to give yourself at least a week before each exam to create flashcards and commit them to memory. The reason that I emphasize starting early is due to the sheer amount of information that you have to memorize.
3) Memorize the answers to ALL the study questions!!! The study questions are weaved into the lecture slides, and almost all the answers can be found using the study guides in the front of the reader. This is how Sack will tell you to prepare for the exam, and I can assure you that at least 50% of the exam questions are straight from the study questions.
4) Now I would say that the most difficult part of studying for the exams is memorizing every little thing from the study guides... I made flashcards on EVERYTHING from the study guides (I probably created ~500 flashcards for this class lol) because anything was fair game. Choose whatever method works best for you, but I wouldn't skimp out on knowing the details from the study guides, as dense and as convoluted as they may be. Going that extra mile is what got me close-to-perfect scores on both the midterm and the final.

If memorization isn't your thang, then I probably wouldn't recommend this class. Overall, I found EEB 162 to be an extremely manageable class, given you don't save studying to the last minute. Good luck and go bruins :)))

Like others have said, the class itself isnt too difficult but you dont have too much room for error. Midterm is worth 44% of your grade and the final 45%. Missing just a couple questions could drop your grade. Discussion assignments accounts for 10%, fairly easy and straightforward assignments. Just do them and put a little bit of effort into them and you will be fine. They do help a bit with applying material. 1% comes from the course review, essentially extra credit.

The exams are fair and not overly difficult. Theres a lot of material but Sack condenses it into study slides (pink/dark gray slides in reader). Study these. Know the questions and answers because they will come up on the exams. He even tells us to focus on them. Start early and make your own study guide, you will do fine if you study these questions.

Read the front of the reader too. The material is all there, use it to answer the study questions because they will be on the exam. The exam will consist mostly of the study guide questions but there are a few tricky questions that you will only be able to answer if you show up to lecture, listen to the cast, or read the reader.

Overall, class is not difficult but theres a lot of material. Achieving an A is feasible if you put in some effort. Sacks a good lecturer too, though many people stop showing up to lecture early on since its casted.

Easiest biology course at UCLA--TAKE THIS CLASS for an easy A+** (**side note: I did take this during the quarantine quarter so it might have been a tad bit easier, but I don't see how the in-class version would be that much harder). If you haven't taken EEBIO 162, don't worry because this lab doesn't require much plant physiology/anatomy knowledge to do the assignments since the TA basically teaches you all that you need to know. We have a week to complete our assignments (2 assignments = 1 case study + 1 FUNanatomy) which usually take 6-7 hours to complete with breaks.

Class breakdown of online version:

Every week there is a case study (consisting of 4-10 questions) that are either based on a scientific paper or a topic (e.g., biofuels, or GMOs). This is super easy because the TA goes over the case study (basically discusses the answers) and we get a week to complete it. It usually takes me 6 hours to complete with breaks. Also, there is a FUNanatomy (short for FUNdamental Anatomy) which requires drawing and labeling a part of a plant (the slide at 1000x magnification is given). This is also really easy since the TA discusses the slide and the parts we should label during the recorded lecture. We are graded on effort and accuracy and NOT drawing ability.

If Alec Baird is TAing for this course, take this class with him! He's thorough and emails you each week reminding us of deadlines. He also replies really quickly to emails and explains concepts without being patronizing. Super understanding!

eeb 162,
hard ass class, shoulda not enrolled

Such a great professor! He genuinely cares about us actually learning rather than making an incredibly difficult exam. Everything you need to know will be in the study guide he gives out. Definitely take this course if you want an easy A!