Dr. Esdin and the TA Ingrid Cely were amazing! I took this class along with another lab class while I was working, and I found it all to be very manageable.

Lecture:
To start with the actual course content, it was definitely not easy, but not too hard at all -- the key is to study the material after every lecture!! You'll fall behind quickly if you don't. Attendance was mandatory which wasn't a problem because it helps keep you accountable for the material. Although MyUCLA gives a longer time period for lecture, Dr. Esdin broke it down into two 50-minute sections with a 10 minute break in between. I found this to be the perfect amount of time to focus and a manageable amount of course content per day.

Exams/quizzes:
There are two exams that are both midterms. I found the first to be easier than the second content-wise, but the grading is very fair as long as you study! I definitely recommend creating study groups because it makes a difference. Also use Anki :) The quizzes were very straightforward just like the exams, and they were helpful because then you had one less topic to study for the actual exams. Also, the study guides that Professor Esdin posted before exams were really helpful.

Lab:
The lab section never lasts as long as it says on MyUCLA. It consisted of a prepared course material slideshow, potentially a lab activity, and then online lab simulations. Ingrid, the TA, was always very prepared and knew the content really well. I had the lab after lecture, so it was definitely a lot to have both on the same day, but Ingrid is kind, helpful, and fun so that made a big difference. Homework consisted of finishing the lab activities and doing a write-up based off of them. I found the lab activities to be only a little helpful, but the write-ups were really nice to have.

Overall:
This was one of my favorite classes taken at UCLA. Even if you're not particularly interested in the material, Dr. Esdin and Ingrid are both helpful, funny, and clearly care about the students. I highly recommend the course!!

I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this class nearly as much as I did. I didn’t learn 7C content very well the first time around so I was initially a little intimated, but with the structure of the course, well prepared lectures, the Professor, and TA, it was a super great experience where I was able to genuinely learn really well. The class is a lot of work and goes by quickly, but if you make a point to stay on it, it is doable (for reverence I took another class + worked part time and still did okay). Dr. Esdin was a fantastic professor. You could tell how passionate he was about the course, he always made the lectures interesting, and was very considerate as he made sure he wasn’t excessively overwhelming us with content. Since it was a lot of content, he also helped guide us in the right direction before exams which was very helpful. The TA, Ingrid Cely, was also so incredible and was always extremely willing to help in anyway to help you understand the content better. She prepared the lab sections super well and it helped solidify lecture content too.

I just took this course this summer and would highly recommend it. Professor Esdin is a great professor and just a great guy. He is really passionate about the material and really cares about his students. The material is not easy so you will have to put the work in, but that is what you are signing up for. Also, don't be intimidated by the long lab because it ends very early and is mostly online!

Big fan of Esdin. His lectures were super interesting and engaging. He made learning a lot about particular diseases easy and manageable. The biggest difficulty I had with the class was with exams. Sometimes he would provide quizzes where I felt I could have benefited from a slightly longer
time. His exams were also difficult in the sense that he has a bank of questions and sometimes the questions correspond to details he never mentioned. Because of that you really have to grind for your grade. Workload was super manageable. The paper was interesting and doesn’t require too much time.

Dr. Esdin is probably one of the best lecturers at UCLA! This class is pretty fast paced, but it's basically
a continuation of 111B. A lot of the material should honestly just be review if you take this class the summer after finishing the PHYSCI core series. However, even if you're taking this at the end of your senior year, it should still be manageable. Dr. Esdin is great at teaching the material and is very clear at explaining topics. He also loves to try and make the lectures entertaining so the lectures aren't too boring to get through. However, the lectures are not recorded unless he specifically says he'll post a video after class ends (so make sure to come to class). The exams were somewhat difficult but were multiple-choice and online. There is no homework, but there are 5 quizzes based on papers that you read (similar to 111A/111B) and 2 lecture quizzes. There is also a research paper (8-10 pages) assigned week 2. He gives everyone their topics randomly and its due on the final week of class. The paper is pretty chill and I personally thought the research was actually pretty fun! Overall, the class is really insightful and applicable to real life. Its really interesting so take this class if you actually want to learn something cool and if you want to have a pretty chill summer.

Professor Esdin has been one of my favorite Professors at UCLA. This class in particular was invaluable as it covered very applicable lifestyle interventions to combat the cumulative/progressive nature of cardiovascular diseases. The subject matter was personal and engaging and his lecturing is definitely a strong suit. Readings and material was all relevant and the class was overall pretty awesome. I'm a bit partial since metabolism, diet, exercise, etc was already interesting to me, but I commuted to this 8am class (~1hr) and always felt interested. I think had the Professor been different that wouldn't be the case.

Dr. Esdin is one of the best professors at UCLA and I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class, even if it meant I had to wake up at 5 AM to get there by 8 AM as a commuter. I think the material is the most directly correlated course with real-life application and learning about how these diseases are caused and managed really enlightened my perspective on my own life. Overall the class consists of weekly (5 in total) research paper quizzes, 2 lecture quizzes (read the questions carefully, I have made dumb mistakes), 1 final research paper, a midterm, and a final (not cumulative). The workload is manageable if you are only taking this class, I studied about 2-5 hours a day, and 10 hours a day before exams, and did relatively well. Paper quizzes are occasionally loaded with DENSE questions but can also be full of easy ones, all depending on which end of the question pool you get. The research paper is on a subject he randomly assigns to you, and the goal is that he wants you to learn the most from the paper rather than just regurgitating to fill up the word count. In its entirety, you will enjoy the class and Esdin definitely makes the lecture worth your while (he's a funny guy!). The best recommendation would be to keep your 111B notes for the Cardiovasc and Liver/Kidney modules, they will be useful. Hope this helps!

Dr. Esdin is by far one of the coolest professors you’ll get in the PhySci department. He is clear and knowledgeable on the material, which makes grasping it easier. He makes everything you learn about apply to real life situations which really helps with peaking your interest in the class. Not to mention he’s funny and doesn’t let you get bored with the info. Esdin is also pretty understanding and if the class seems tired he lets you go early and posts the remainder of the lecture as a video on canvas. The exams were tough (34 questions, 50 minutes) because at times it didn’t feel like there was necessarily one clean answer, but if you study well and know your stuff you’ll do well. Our midterm average was an 85%.

Even if you’re not interested in the class I’d say take it just because Esdin is great.

I learned a lot of valuable information that can be applied in real life. Professor Esdin is passionate about teaching this class, and it shows through how he presents it. The test is difficult, but one can do good on it if they study hard. I will recommend this class to anyone who is interested in learning more about how their lifestyle and dietary choices can impact the development of chronic diseases.

The class was fairly easy and Professor Esdin was very accommodating.