LS2

One of my favorite professors at UCLA. His accent is cool, you'll hear the phrase "take home message" about a billion times throughout the course, his email return time is pretty fast (same day, usually), and you'll learn a lot.

Now the material:
LS2 is a rough course, regardless of the professor. That being said, Esdin does a great job explaining it. Bad part, it's not podcasted, so either record it, find someone who recorded it, or take REALLY DETAILED notes. He doesn't use the book, all based off his notes. But the tests were kind of tricky. The class is not purely based on memorization, but it's also about applying the material. Here's the thing, the class is curved rather generously, so if you think the test was really hard, the class results will probably show it. It's just as much based on how everyone does too. Does this mean sabotage any friends in the class? Your call; if they do better than you, and you helped them, they'll get a better grade than you because you helped them. That pissed me off at the end of the class, kind of regret helping them now...

Don't put off studying for the last minute, there's a lot of stuff to know. Also, he takes off certain lectures from the final, so not all the material is on there. He gives a few questions on the test in lecture, so don't miss it.

Take home message - take him! But be prepared to work hard!!!

This is not an easy class at all. You will need to memorise the entire course reader word by word. Yes word by word. There are many trick MC questions in the midterm and the final asking specifics details from the course Reader that you are not aware of. I got an A in this class, but it took me a lot a lot of time to memorise the course reader.

He seems like a great professor. Unfortunately, I am dropping because I enrolled in a class I need. I am selling the course reader.
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I took LS2 with Dr. Esdin, and he was amazing. I have nothing bad to say about him. His lectures are clear and condensed so you know exactly what to study for. They were fast-paced but not impossible and kept you alert. His tests are fair and not bad at all if you study the lecture slides well.

Selling the course reader for this class along with the study guide! $25 OBO.

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Not as easy as everyone says this is. You will need to study for the midterms and the final-the class average for our midterm was a 67 so beware. Don't go into this class thinking that you aren't going to have to work because you will. Overall, easy. 8 am lectures are rough though.

I LOVED THIS CLASS...I took it Fall 2013 but honestly wish I took it earlier!

I've had Dr. Esdin before and also needed nutrition for a pre-health prereq but even if you're just taking it for a GE, this is THE class to take. Most GEs require tons of work and papers and whatnot, but this class is entirely based on going to class, a few quizzes, a midterm, an exam, and a project.

The whole point of this class is to teach us how to eat and exercise right to maintain an active lifestyle so we limit our risks of getting cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. I definitely appreciate that Dr. Esdin is definitely aiming for preventative health!

Tips:

GO TO LECTURE--you'll ace all the quizzes and exams BUT only if you go! That's because he says a lot of information that isn't in the course reader that is always on the exam. AND A BONUS is that he sometimes gives out exam "freebies" just for being in lecture. One time, he gave us 100% on our second quiz, just for being in class.

Another reason to go to class is that some of the material is conceptually difficult but in class he's always giving you analogies that help you better understand what's going on in our bodies--stuff that's NOT in the coursereader.

One final bonus about going to lecture is that he likes to make jokes (that are actually funny) so I actually looked forward to going to class.

I really liked section because there was one day where you get to use blood pressure cuffs, your heart rate, measure your % body fat...for free. I hear they even get to use ECGs now! Oh, and you should go to section because you get participation credit just for being there and signing in.

For the project, JUST FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS, and you will get 100% guaranteed.

All tests (including the quizzes) are online. You take the midterm and final in the Young Hall computer labs on the 4th floor, and it's entirely multiple choice. They're both about 40-50 questions or so, so if you studied (that means going to both lecture and section and reading the course reader), then you should finish in about 20 minutes.

The iProfile program you need to buy from the coursereader store can be expensive but the great thing is that you can share it with multiple friends (not sure how many), but that way you guys can divide up the cost. And because it's a yearlong subscription, you can sell it to other people who plan on taking Phy Sci 5 later. The course reader itself is not expensive, plus I found it super helpful to just bring to lecture and take my notes directly on it.

Dr. Esdin has taught this class a gazillion times so if you want an experienced lecturer and a really approachable professor (yes, even during office hours), TAKE THIS CLASS! Can't recommend it enough!

I loved this class! Interesting topics and enjoyed to learn about my health and diet.

selling course reader for phy sci 5
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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!

Esdin was a great professor for PhySci 5. Interesting and a good lecturer. He always says "take home message", and my friends and I tallied how many times a lecture he said it. Record is 17. Go to lecture or have a friend who goes to lecture because he reveals questions that will be on the final as an incentive to go to lecture and they won't be on the podcast. The BIG fitness project that everybody stresses about really isn't that hard and easily doable in one night. I would certainly say take Esdin if you can.