Joseph Esdin
Department of Life Sciences
AD
4.0
Overall Rating
Based on 60 Users
Easiness 2.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.3 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.0 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.3 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
  • Engaging Lectures
  • Participation Matters
  • Gives Extra Credit
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
36.0%
30.0%
24.0%
18.0%
12.0%
6.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

25.1%
20.9%
16.7%
12.5%
8.4%
4.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

53.0%
44.1%
35.3%
26.5%
17.7%
8.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

29.9%
24.9%
19.9%
14.9%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

57.0%
47.5%
38.0%
28.5%
19.0%
9.5%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

62.6%
52.2%
41.8%
31.3%
20.9%
10.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

71.8%
59.9%
47.9%
35.9%
23.9%
12.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

40.6%
33.8%
27.1%
20.3%
13.5%
6.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

36.7%
30.6%
24.5%
18.4%
12.2%
6.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

30.3%
25.3%
20.2%
15.2%
10.1%
5.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

31.1%
25.9%
20.7%
15.5%
10.4%
5.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

30.4%
25.3%
20.2%
15.2%
10.1%
5.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (46)

2 of 5
2 of 5
Add your review...
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
June 17, 2023

Going into 7c, I was absolutely terrified because of how many bad things I have heard about this class, but I ended up really enjoying it. Is it the hardest of the 7 series? For sure. Is it nearly as bad as people say it is? Definitely not. As far as professors go, Dr. Esdin is my favorite life science professor. He explains things very well in a way that prompts you to think the way the exams want you to think, and he distributes time spent on topics very effectively. I think he's mainly a lecturer, so he actually is a really great teacher. I feel like I learned a lot in this class, and that is coming from someone who has taken 5 anatomy/physiology classes throughout high school. I definitely recommend going to office hours, especially Dr. Esdin's office hours since he is always happy to answer questions and understands what you're asking him. He actually listens to students and responds to emails quickly. He has a dry sense of humor, which some people appreciate, and some don't. I also recommend going to the CLC sessions since many of the exam questions are similar in how they approach concepts. Reading the textbook is pretty pointless, but Dr. Esdin's lecture slides have most of the information you need, so I used those to study and did very well. Overall, if you have to take 7c, take Dr. Esdin's class if you can manage three classes a week.

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Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
June 13, 2023

Professor Esdin is amazing. He is very supportive of all his students and takes his time to make sure that you understand the material. The class content in his course is definitely more challenging than the previous 7 series courses, but by doing the assigned work and keeping up with lectures, you can do very well. His lectures are clear and very thorough for all the material and you can tell that he cares about the success of the students in the class.

The tests are challenging and since they are standardized for the whole series, the professor you have doesn't really impact its difficulty. However, I can say that having taken the 7 series with a different professor each quarter, Esdin was definitely the most helpful and engaging. 100% recommend Professor Esdin for 7C.

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Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: NR
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 3, 2023

Well what can I say….. the class was tough and the exams were impossible. Very difficult conceptual questions that were ten times harder then the clicker questions or the CLC worksheets. I felt very discouraged each time I got my score. No matter how much you studied you could never get a good mark. Esdin, while a good lecturer, had an an aura of arrogance which was hard to ignore and made students feel even worse. The class was divided in two: half of the students get A’s on exams while openly bragging about having access to old exams, colluding with others and using Chegg, and the rest of us who attempt it honestly and leave with the C.

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Jan. 22, 2023

The entirety of the LS7 series really upsets, frustrates, and discourages me. The exams are not a direct test of your knowledge of the material, the questions are convoluted, and there are often multiple ways to interpret a question. The readings were way too much (why am I teaching myself the material before learning it from the professor??) and the reading based quizzes are ridiculous.

I spent over 10 hours each week writing my notes and making sure I get everything. Thankfully, the final exam was easier than the midterms, and because of my extensive notes, I was able to find a lot of the answers in them-- I recommend you work really hard during the quarter, because that will allow the final exam to be a not-so-stressful experience (I personally did not study for the final exam thanks to the hours of work I put into the class prior, and got an A- on the final, and thus an A in the class).

I am selling my reading notes (170 pages) for $20 and my lecture notes (87 pages) for $15. I am also selling all my completed reading guides for $15. Contact me at ********** if interested, or if you have questions.

Good luck!

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B
Jan. 15, 2023

I cannot express how much I loved this class.
Professor Esdin is without a doubt the BEST professor I've ever had the pleasure of studying under, in regards to your typical STEM classes. I ended the quarter with a B but the professor wasn't to blame at all - I was working part time and he was very understanding of my situation. I felt like I learned so much in this class, and if there was anything I didn't understand, he took his time to explain it the best he could. And honestly, he made everything complex seem very simple.

Plus he talks to his students, which is always a great thing.

I highly recommend taking this class with him!

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Dec. 30, 2022

Professor Esdin and 7C were tough. Professor Esdin was funny in lectures at time, but being in a large lecture hall made it difficult to hear him at times. His lecture slides were not all descriptive so you have to pay more attention to what he says than what is on the PowerPoint slides. iClicker questions were important for participation credit as well as really helpful for the midterms and final material. Discussion sections were also graded heavily on accuracy with both independent and group worksheets working with your assigned pod groups. There are two midterms (wk 1-3 content and wk 4-6 content) and one final (focused on wk7-10 content, but covers a few content of previous weeks). I personally found the second midterm to be a lot easier than the first midterm, but both were relatively difficult. DEFINATELY, become familiar with the diagrams covered in lecture/discussion because 99% of the questions on the exams are linked to diagrams. His grading system is based on points (total of 680 points) which the points come from midterm scores, final exam scores, discussion worksheets, Achieve readings, PCRQ, PCQ, and iClicker. The reading on Achieve can be a bit long and a bit time-consuming, but the questions that follow do provide some help.

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Dec. 1, 2022

this class is extremley hard. the material is very heavy and it is very hard to understand everything. I thought 7a and 7b were super easy. I then took this class and was just hoping to get a B. the midterm 1 is so hard so i would study a lot.

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Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
June 21, 2022

If you are reading this review, you have probably already taken the other two classes in the 7 series and this class is pretty much exactly the same. The material itself focuses on many new topics regarding human body systems, but also reviews a lot of 7A material. The overall workload is the exact same, but the dreaded wording on the exams make the exams harder than they need to be. People tend to do pretty poorly on the first midterm, but the second midterm and final went much better. Overall, it is not a difficult class, try to review clicker questions, discussion worksheets, and practice exam questions before exams though. There is also a good bit of easy extra credit given throughout the quarter. Esdin himself is a great lecturer who loves to throw in jokes every now and then. He's clear and concise as well.

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 26, 2022

Dr. Esdin is a really great professor and I definitely learned a lot in his course. He is engaging in lectures and definitely cares about student learning. I would definitely take this course with him again.

LS7C is very similar in structure to the rest of the LS series. The first midterm in this class was particularly difficult and this class has a lot more material that I had not previously encountered in biology, so it does require a little more effort than other classes in the 7 series. The material is really interesting and does definitely relate a ton to many medical professions and different types of research so it is truly a great class to take.

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Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: C+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 4, 2022

Although this class proved to be very difficult to me, I did enjoy it!
As with the rest of the LS 7 series, Launchpad is used, but I found myself to be the most successful after reviewing iClicker questions posed during lecture & after reviewing discussion section materials. Launchpad was helpful for general knowledge surrounding the subject, but DO NOT rely on it for your learning!! I did this for the most part & did not receive the grade I could've hoped for. Please, please, please engage with the material on a deeper level by reworking iClicker questions, discussion section questions, and make sure you 100% understand the diagrams & visuals you are given. I often glazed over these, as I thought I had sufficient understanding from just reading the material, but understanding the diagrams associated with the description is crucial (especially for midterms & finals).

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: A
June 17, 2023

Going into 7c, I was absolutely terrified because of how many bad things I have heard about this class, but I ended up really enjoying it. Is it the hardest of the 7 series? For sure. Is it nearly as bad as people say it is? Definitely not. As far as professors go, Dr. Esdin is my favorite life science professor. He explains things very well in a way that prompts you to think the way the exams want you to think, and he distributes time spent on topics very effectively. I think he's mainly a lecturer, so he actually is a really great teacher. I feel like I learned a lot in this class, and that is coming from someone who has taken 5 anatomy/physiology classes throughout high school. I definitely recommend going to office hours, especially Dr. Esdin's office hours since he is always happy to answer questions and understands what you're asking him. He actually listens to students and responds to emails quickly. He has a dry sense of humor, which some people appreciate, and some don't. I also recommend going to the CLC sessions since many of the exam questions are similar in how they approach concepts. Reading the textbook is pretty pointless, but Dr. Esdin's lecture slides have most of the information you need, so I used those to study and did very well. Overall, if you have to take 7c, take Dr. Esdin's class if you can manage three classes a week.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A
June 13, 2023

Professor Esdin is amazing. He is very supportive of all his students and takes his time to make sure that you understand the material. The class content in his course is definitely more challenging than the previous 7 series courses, but by doing the assigned work and keeping up with lectures, you can do very well. His lectures are clear and very thorough for all the material and you can tell that he cares about the success of the students in the class.

The tests are challenging and since they are standardized for the whole series, the professor you have doesn't really impact its difficulty. However, I can say that having taken the 7 series with a different professor each quarter, Esdin was definitely the most helpful and engaging. 100% recommend Professor Esdin for 7C.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2023
Grade: NR
April 3, 2023

Well what can I say….. the class was tough and the exams were impossible. Very difficult conceptual questions that were ten times harder then the clicker questions or the CLC worksheets. I felt very discouraged each time I got my score. No matter how much you studied you could never get a good mark. Esdin, while a good lecturer, had an an aura of arrogance which was hard to ignore and made students feel even worse. The class was divided in two: half of the students get A’s on exams while openly bragging about having access to old exams, colluding with others and using Chegg, and the rest of us who attempt it honestly and leave with the C.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Jan. 22, 2023

The entirety of the LS7 series really upsets, frustrates, and discourages me. The exams are not a direct test of your knowledge of the material, the questions are convoluted, and there are often multiple ways to interpret a question. The readings were way too much (why am I teaching myself the material before learning it from the professor??) and the reading based quizzes are ridiculous.

I spent over 10 hours each week writing my notes and making sure I get everything. Thankfully, the final exam was easier than the midterms, and because of my extensive notes, I was able to find a lot of the answers in them-- I recommend you work really hard during the quarter, because that will allow the final exam to be a not-so-stressful experience (I personally did not study for the final exam thanks to the hours of work I put into the class prior, and got an A- on the final, and thus an A in the class).

I am selling my reading notes (170 pages) for $20 and my lecture notes (87 pages) for $15. I am also selling all my completed reading guides for $15. Contact me at ********** if interested, or if you have questions.

Good luck!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B
Jan. 15, 2023

I cannot express how much I loved this class.
Professor Esdin is without a doubt the BEST professor I've ever had the pleasure of studying under, in regards to your typical STEM classes. I ended the quarter with a B but the professor wasn't to blame at all - I was working part time and he was very understanding of my situation. I felt like I learned so much in this class, and if there was anything I didn't understand, he took his time to explain it the best he could. And honestly, he made everything complex seem very simple.

Plus he talks to his students, which is always a great thing.

I highly recommend taking this class with him!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Dec. 30, 2022

Professor Esdin and 7C were tough. Professor Esdin was funny in lectures at time, but being in a large lecture hall made it difficult to hear him at times. His lecture slides were not all descriptive so you have to pay more attention to what he says than what is on the PowerPoint slides. iClicker questions were important for participation credit as well as really helpful for the midterms and final material. Discussion sections were also graded heavily on accuracy with both independent and group worksheets working with your assigned pod groups. There are two midterms (wk 1-3 content and wk 4-6 content) and one final (focused on wk7-10 content, but covers a few content of previous weeks). I personally found the second midterm to be a lot easier than the first midterm, but both were relatively difficult. DEFINATELY, become familiar with the diagrams covered in lecture/discussion because 99% of the questions on the exams are linked to diagrams. His grading system is based on points (total of 680 points) which the points come from midterm scores, final exam scores, discussion worksheets, Achieve readings, PCRQ, PCQ, and iClicker. The reading on Achieve can be a bit long and a bit time-consuming, but the questions that follow do provide some help.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Dec. 1, 2022

this class is extremley hard. the material is very heavy and it is very hard to understand everything. I thought 7a and 7b were super easy. I then took this class and was just hoping to get a B. the midterm 1 is so hard so i would study a lot.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: A
June 21, 2022

If you are reading this review, you have probably already taken the other two classes in the 7 series and this class is pretty much exactly the same. The material itself focuses on many new topics regarding human body systems, but also reviews a lot of 7A material. The overall workload is the exact same, but the dreaded wording on the exams make the exams harder than they need to be. People tend to do pretty poorly on the first midterm, but the second midterm and final went much better. Overall, it is not a difficult class, try to review clicker questions, discussion worksheets, and practice exam questions before exams though. There is also a good bit of easy extra credit given throughout the quarter. Esdin himself is a great lecturer who loves to throw in jokes every now and then. He's clear and concise as well.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A
March 26, 2022

Dr. Esdin is a really great professor and I definitely learned a lot in his course. He is engaging in lectures and definitely cares about student learning. I would definitely take this course with him again.

LS7C is very similar in structure to the rest of the LS series. The first midterm in this class was particularly difficult and this class has a lot more material that I had not previously encountered in biology, so it does require a little more effort than other classes in the 7 series. The material is really interesting and does definitely relate a ton to many medical professions and different types of research so it is truly a great class to take.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: C+
Jan. 4, 2022

Although this class proved to be very difficult to me, I did enjoy it!
As with the rest of the LS 7 series, Launchpad is used, but I found myself to be the most successful after reviewing iClicker questions posed during lecture & after reviewing discussion section materials. Launchpad was helpful for general knowledge surrounding the subject, but DO NOT rely on it for your learning!! I did this for the most part & did not receive the grade I could've hoped for. Please, please, please engage with the material on a deeper level by reworking iClicker questions, discussion section questions, and make sure you 100% understand the diagrams & visuals you are given. I often glazed over these, as I thought I had sufficient understanding from just reading the material, but understanding the diagrams associated with the description is crucial (especially for midterms & finals).

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
2 of 5
4.0
Overall Rating
Based on 60 Users
Easiness 2.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.3 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.0 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.3 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
    (33)
  • Engaging Lectures
    (30)
  • Participation Matters
    (28)
  • Gives Extra Credit
    (28)
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