Joseph Esdin
Department of Physiological Science
AD
4.3
Overall Rating
Based on 376 Users
Easiness 3.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.2 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 4.0 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

There are no relevant tags for this professor yet.

GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
61.2%
51.0%
40.8%
30.6%
20.4%
10.2%
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.

41.3%
34.4%
27.5%
20.7%
13.8%
6.9%
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.

75.6%
63.0%
50.4%
37.8%
25.2%
12.6%
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.

78.2%
65.2%
52.1%
39.1%
26.1%
13.0%
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.

81.4%
67.9%
54.3%
40.7%
27.1%
13.6%
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.

68.0%
56.7%
45.4%
34.0%
22.7%
11.3%
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.

43.0%
35.8%
28.7%
21.5%
14.3%
7.2%
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.

50.0%
41.7%
33.3%
25.0%
16.7%
8.3%
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.

63.2%
52.6%
42.1%
31.6%
21.1%
10.5%
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.

72.9%
60.7%
48.6%
36.4%
24.3%
12.1%
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.

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.

77.7%
64.8%
51.8%
38.9%
25.9%
13.0%
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.

77.2%
64.3%
51.4%
38.6%
25.7%
12.9%
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.

77.1%
64.2%
51.4%
38.5%
25.7%
12.8%
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.

88.9%
74.1%
59.3%
44.5%
29.6%
14.8%
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.

59.3%
49.5%
39.6%
29.7%
19.8%
9.9%
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.

92.9%
77.4%
61.9%
46.4%
31.0%
15.5%
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.

75.8%
63.2%
50.5%
37.9%
25.3%
12.6%
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.

52.9%
44.1%
35.3%
26.5%
17.6%
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.

39.6%
33.0%
26.4%
19.8%
13.2%
6.6%
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.

45.7%
38.1%
30.4%
22.8%
15.2%
7.6%
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.

51.9%
43.2%
34.6%
25.9%
17.3%
8.6%
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.

24.6%
20.5%
16.4%
12.3%
8.2%
4.1%
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.

44.7%
37.3%
29.8%
22.4%
14.9%
7.5%
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.

52.2%
43.5%
34.8%
26.1%
17.4%
8.7%
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.

50.1%
41.8%
33.4%
25.1%
16.7%
8.4%
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.

52.6%
43.8%
35.1%
26.3%
17.5%
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.

43.7%
36.4%
29.1%
21.8%
14.6%
7.3%
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.

51.1%
42.6%
34.0%
25.5%
17.0%
8.5%
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.

43.2%
36.0%
28.8%
21.6%
14.4%
7.2%
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.

35.2%
29.3%
23.4%
17.6%
11.7%
5.9%
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.

50.1%
41.8%
33.4%
25.1%
16.7%
8.4%
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.

31.6%
26.3%
21.1%
15.8%
10.5%
5.3%
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.

43.1%
35.9%
28.7%
21.5%
14.4%
7.2%
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.

28.9%
24.1%
19.3%
14.5%
9.6%
4.8%
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.

25.9%
21.5%
17.2%
12.9%
8.6%
4.3%
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.

44.0%
36.7%
29.3%
22.0%
14.7%
7.3%
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.

18.6%
15.5%
12.4%
9.3%
6.2%
3.1%
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.

19.0%
15.8%
12.7%
9.5%
6.3%
3.2%
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.

17.3%
14.5%
11.6%
8.7%
5.8%
2.9%
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.

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Reviews (326)

3 of 33
3 of 33
Add your review...
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 3, 2020

This class was an easy A but not fun at all. Like most people I read the "this class will make you get your life together" review on this site and thought the class would be worth a shot, it was not. The class is barebones health education material stripped straight out of the course reader. I'm pretty sure you could distill all of the information we learned into a 10 minute ASAP Science video.

Lecture is literally just Professor Esdin writing on blank powerpoint slides for an hour. The stuff he writes is literally copied almost word for word from the course reader, but attendance is still mandatory so you're forced to sit through every lecture. He also has a weird "no photographing my slides" rule for some reason. The material was applicable to life and helpful and all, but it really could have been much more than it was.

The labs were the best part of the class because they actually helped you gauge your own health. They are held only once every other week and take about 30 minutes a piece despite being labelled as 2 hour sections. They are fun in that you gain some introspection to your own health status, but the same effect could be achieved by weighing yourself and wearing a fitbit.

RANT: You will be forced to buy or share an iProfile subscription. iProfile is a literal scam. The UI looks like it was designed right when the internet came out. It's a health tracking app that supposedly helps you track your calories and exercise, but it's so bad that any information it gives you is probably wrong. It was obviously designed by white people (I am white, so I can say this) because they don't have ANY ethnic food listed in their "50,000 food items to choose from." If they have anything that wasn't developed in Western Europe then it's the shitty microwavable brand version. Literally they didn't have (to name a few):
- pho
- bean burritos
- quesadillas
- SUSHI!!! (wtf lol how do you not even have sushi)
- Ramen
- any indian food at all (they had curry powder mix as their only curry option)

Don't even get me started on the activity tracker. I hated this dumb app.
Rant over.

The multiple choice questions in this class were really, really easy but sometimes vague and confusing (discarded SAT question -style). It was either hard to tell what the question was asking or there were two very similar answers.

Take this class if you're just shilling for a good GPA, avoid this class and watch some YouTube health science videos if you don't want to waste a GE.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
March 24, 2020

**SELLING COURSE STUDY GUIDE FOR $30**
**EMAIL - ************* - IF INTERESTED**

Esdin is the GOAT. He wakes up at 4AM and gets his day started right. He's inspired me to live a healthier life.

1. Make friends in lecture & ask them to sign you in. Attending lecture is not necessary for doing well.

2. The midterm and final are non-cumulative are all multiple choice. They cover material in the course reader so reading that will be essential.

3. Start your project early. It's not that hard to get a free 100 points.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 21, 2020

I am SELLING my 80-pages TYPED UP NOTES for only $20! They have all of the content taught in classes instead of the $100+ coursereader you would probably purchase. My notes are super complete and neat and use all of the content from the textbook and lectures. You can contact me at ************* if you are interested! Price can be negotiated and you will receive the notes right away! I got an A overall (96%) and a full mark on the final too.

I am also selling the coursereader, completely in new condition and untouched for much cheaper, email me if interested!

Helpful?

2 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2020
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.
Dec. 15, 2020

I AM SELLING MY 25-pages TYPED UP NOTES FOR 25$. They are super complete because I incorporated my notes from the textbook into my lecture notes — you can contact me at ************* if interested!! Selling the course reader, fully highlighted, for 40$ (Price can be discussed).

Dr. Esdin is a very engaging and dedicated professor. He explains material well and makes you understand everything quite easily. I took this during COVID so the lectures were asynchronous. The class overall is pretty easy if you do the work and the reading.

However, the only down side for a lot of people who took this fall quarter was that his questions quizzes and exams were ambiguously written, which meant that practically all of us lost points on questions because of his wording...(even though we knew the material perfectly). Midterm is harder than final (I got 100% on the final). No extra credit offered. Class breakdown:

- 5 lecture quizzes (100 pts)
- 5 lab quizzes (75 pts)
- Attendance in lab (25 pts)
- Attendance in lecture (84 pts) — there are 3 points quizzes after each lecture
- Project (100 pts)
- Midterm (50 pts)
- Final (50 pts)
- Prof evaluations (6 pts)

Would definitely recommend. Also don’t be discouraged if you lose points at the beginning; I thought I would barely get an A- but turns out the quizzes get easier so I ended up with a 95% (A is 93%+).

TA Ingrid is amazing try to take her!!

Helpful?

2 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: N/A
June 26, 2019

The course reader required for the class is quarter dependent so please do not buy old course readers. A workbook, that cannot be purchased separately, comes in the package with the reader and it must be turned in for points.

Interesting class with material relevant to daily life. It will help you become more aware of how your diet and fitness decisions impact your overall health. In order to get an A, you must read the course reader and thoroughly understand the content within it. There is also a project that is not difficult to do.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2026
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
April 11, 2026

Professor Esdin is a very nice and helpful guy. He always wishes the best for his students, if you are close to the next letter grade, I'm pretty sure he will round it up for you despite not saying in the syllabus. The class is typical lecture/exam style class, nothing fancy. Most negative comments find it hard because it is a GE that requires some level of pre-med understanding, however, Professor Esdin works very hard to help the non-science students. With that being said, if you are pre-med, this class should not be that challenging for you. Midterms/Finals are all MCQ, closing with some FRQs, but easy. For lab project, it is a bit tedious, but if you follow directions and coordinate with your TA, should be free points also.

I would definitely take the class for entry level knowledge of actual health/physiological science.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2025
Grade: B
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Feb. 21, 2026

I took this class to fulfill a GE and I didn't think it was overwhelming. Professor Esdin was very open to any questions students had to ask. He seemed genuinely excited to be teaching this course and only wanted everyone to pass. The midterm and final were closed note, in person, and were tough as they were extremely content heavy so STUDYYYY. Classes were recorded and you were able to miss 6 and still got 100% on attendance through iclicker. There was an easy 5 question quiz every time you had your discussion every other week (5 total). The 100 point project (lifestyle project) is extremely tedious consisting of documenting what you ate and did for 7 days straight on iprofile, analyzing the information you've received, and inputting it into a google doc with a set format so START EARLY. Heavily recommend sharing the textbook ($75)and iprofile ($30) with at least 4 people as it is on the pricier side. I had Martinez as my TA and she was amazing. She talked about the slides in an easy way and was open to any questions. I always recommend this class to my friends because even though I felt it was a bit hard the content is very useful to me now.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2026
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Feb. 19, 2026

Esdin is very nice and reasonable but it is hard to follow his lectures. He posts his slides but they are not very helpful. He also makes you buy his book but it is poorly written and hard to follow - probably not necessary to buy. There are labs every other week and most labs have a quiz of 5 multiple choice questions. There is a midterm with 60 multiple choice and 5 short answers that are basically just giving definitions for things, midterm was not that hard. There is one long paper that is very tedious and is basically busy work. It ends up being around 20 pages about your own diet and exercise which you have to track for 7 days. Not much other homework otherwise but you definitely need to study on your own.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2025
Grade: P
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 30, 2026

This class felt oddly invasive. We had to regularly report our diet an exercise habits in order to get a final grade, which did not sit right with me. Additionally, rather than teaching all of the content as scientific fact, Esdin was focused on how one ought to apply things to themselves.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2025
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 28, 2026

this class is as easy as people say it is. the only thing that's pretty hard are the midterms and the final, but it's not that bad. the questions are pretty specific and nitpicky, but as long as you do everything else, your grade should balance out to an A.
discussion section honestly felt pretty useless, but it's every other week.
DO NOT buy the iprofile by yourself. share with someone else and split the cost. you could also get away with sharing the textbook as well.
lectures are recorded but attendance is mostly mandatory for the iclickers. esdin is super sweet and you can clearly tell that is knowledgable and passionate about what he is teaching.
for the project, you literally just need to follow the instructions and you will do good on it.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
April 3, 2020

This class was an easy A but not fun at all. Like most people I read the "this class will make you get your life together" review on this site and thought the class would be worth a shot, it was not. The class is barebones health education material stripped straight out of the course reader. I'm pretty sure you could distill all of the information we learned into a 10 minute ASAP Science video.

Lecture is literally just Professor Esdin writing on blank powerpoint slides for an hour. The stuff he writes is literally copied almost word for word from the course reader, but attendance is still mandatory so you're forced to sit through every lecture. He also has a weird "no photographing my slides" rule for some reason. The material was applicable to life and helpful and all, but it really could have been much more than it was.

The labs were the best part of the class because they actually helped you gauge your own health. They are held only once every other week and take about 30 minutes a piece despite being labelled as 2 hour sections. They are fun in that you gain some introspection to your own health status, but the same effect could be achieved by weighing yourself and wearing a fitbit.

RANT: You will be forced to buy or share an iProfile subscription. iProfile is a literal scam. The UI looks like it was designed right when the internet came out. It's a health tracking app that supposedly helps you track your calories and exercise, but it's so bad that any information it gives you is probably wrong. It was obviously designed by white people (I am white, so I can say this) because they don't have ANY ethnic food listed in their "50,000 food items to choose from." If they have anything that wasn't developed in Western Europe then it's the shitty microwavable brand version. Literally they didn't have (to name a few):
- pho
- bean burritos
- quesadillas
- SUSHI!!! (wtf lol how do you not even have sushi)
- Ramen
- any indian food at all (they had curry powder mix as their only curry option)

Don't even get me started on the activity tracker. I hated this dumb app.
Rant over.

The multiple choice questions in this class were really, really easy but sometimes vague and confusing (discarded SAT question -style). It was either hard to tell what the question was asking or there were two very similar answers.

Take this class if you're just shilling for a good GPA, avoid this class and watch some YouTube health science videos if you don't want to waste a GE.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+
March 24, 2020

**SELLING COURSE STUDY GUIDE FOR $30**
**EMAIL - ************* - IF INTERESTED**

Esdin is the GOAT. He wakes up at 4AM and gets his day started right. He's inspired me to live a healthier life.

1. Make friends in lecture & ask them to sign you in. Attending lecture is not necessary for doing well.

2. The midterm and final are non-cumulative are all multiple choice. They cover material in the course reader so reading that will be essential.

3. Start your project early. It's not that hard to get a free 100 points.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A
Dec. 21, 2020

I am SELLING my 80-pages TYPED UP NOTES for only $20! They have all of the content taught in classes instead of the $100+ coursereader you would probably purchase. My notes are super complete and neat and use all of the content from the textbook and lectures. You can contact me at ************* if you are interested! Price can be negotiated and you will receive the notes right away! I got an A overall (96%) and a full mark on the final too.

I am also selling the coursereader, completely in new condition and untouched for much cheaper, email me if interested!

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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 2020
Grade: A
Dec. 15, 2020

I AM SELLING MY 25-pages TYPED UP NOTES FOR 25$. They are super complete because I incorporated my notes from the textbook into my lecture notes — you can contact me at ************* if interested!! Selling the course reader, fully highlighted, for 40$ (Price can be discussed).

Dr. Esdin is a very engaging and dedicated professor. He explains material well and makes you understand everything quite easily. I took this during COVID so the lectures were asynchronous. The class overall is pretty easy if you do the work and the reading.

However, the only down side for a lot of people who took this fall quarter was that his questions quizzes and exams were ambiguously written, which meant that practically all of us lost points on questions because of his wording...(even though we knew the material perfectly). Midterm is harder than final (I got 100% on the final). No extra credit offered. Class breakdown:

- 5 lecture quizzes (100 pts)
- 5 lab quizzes (75 pts)
- Attendance in lab (25 pts)
- Attendance in lecture (84 pts) — there are 3 points quizzes after each lecture
- Project (100 pts)
- Midterm (50 pts)
- Final (50 pts)
- Prof evaluations (6 pts)

Would definitely recommend. Also don’t be discouraged if you lose points at the beginning; I thought I would barely get an A- but turns out the quizzes get easier so I ended up with a 95% (A is 93%+).

TA Ingrid is amazing try to take her!!

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Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: N/A
June 26, 2019

The course reader required for the class is quarter dependent so please do not buy old course readers. A workbook, that cannot be purchased separately, comes in the package with the reader and it must be turned in for points.

Interesting class with material relevant to daily life. It will help you become more aware of how your diet and fitness decisions impact your overall health. In order to get an A, you must read the course reader and thoroughly understand the content within it. There is also a project that is not difficult to do.

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Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2026
Grade: A
April 11, 2026

Professor Esdin is a very nice and helpful guy. He always wishes the best for his students, if you are close to the next letter grade, I'm pretty sure he will round it up for you despite not saying in the syllabus. The class is typical lecture/exam style class, nothing fancy. Most negative comments find it hard because it is a GE that requires some level of pre-med understanding, however, Professor Esdin works very hard to help the non-science students. With that being said, if you are pre-med, this class should not be that challenging for you. Midterms/Finals are all MCQ, closing with some FRQs, but easy. For lab project, it is a bit tedious, but if you follow directions and coordinate with your TA, should be free points also.

I would definitely take the class for entry level knowledge of actual health/physiological science.

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Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2025
Grade: B
Feb. 21, 2026

I took this class to fulfill a GE and I didn't think it was overwhelming. Professor Esdin was very open to any questions students had to ask. He seemed genuinely excited to be teaching this course and only wanted everyone to pass. The midterm and final were closed note, in person, and were tough as they were extremely content heavy so STUDYYYY. Classes were recorded and you were able to miss 6 and still got 100% on attendance through iclicker. There was an easy 5 question quiz every time you had your discussion every other week (5 total). The 100 point project (lifestyle project) is extremely tedious consisting of documenting what you ate and did for 7 days straight on iprofile, analyzing the information you've received, and inputting it into a google doc with a set format so START EARLY. Heavily recommend sharing the textbook ($75)and iprofile ($30) with at least 4 people as it is on the pricier side. I had Martinez as my TA and she was amazing. She talked about the slides in an easy way and was open to any questions. I always recommend this class to my friends because even though I felt it was a bit hard the content is very useful to me now.

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Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2026
Grade: A
Feb. 19, 2026

Esdin is very nice and reasonable but it is hard to follow his lectures. He posts his slides but they are not very helpful. He also makes you buy his book but it is poorly written and hard to follow - probably not necessary to buy. There are labs every other week and most labs have a quiz of 5 multiple choice questions. There is a midterm with 60 multiple choice and 5 short answers that are basically just giving definitions for things, midterm was not that hard. There is one long paper that is very tedious and is basically busy work. It ends up being around 20 pages about your own diet and exercise which you have to track for 7 days. Not much other homework otherwise but you definitely need to study on your own.

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Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2025
Grade: P
Jan. 30, 2026

This class felt oddly invasive. We had to regularly report our diet an exercise habits in order to get a final grade, which did not sit right with me. Additionally, rather than teaching all of the content as scientific fact, Esdin was focused on how one ought to apply things to themselves.

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Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2025
Grade: A
Jan. 28, 2026

this class is as easy as people say it is. the only thing that's pretty hard are the midterms and the final, but it's not that bad. the questions are pretty specific and nitpicky, but as long as you do everything else, your grade should balance out to an A.
discussion section honestly felt pretty useless, but it's every other week.
DO NOT buy the iprofile by yourself. share with someone else and split the cost. you could also get away with sharing the textbook as well.
lectures are recorded but attendance is mostly mandatory for the iclickers. esdin is super sweet and you can clearly tell that is knowledgable and passionate about what he is teaching.
for the project, you literally just need to follow the instructions and you will do good on it.

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3 of 33
4.3
Overall Rating
Based on 376 Users
Easiness 3.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.2 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 4.0 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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