I had such high hopes for Prof. Loyd's course "Careers in Anthro" as an anthro major myself, but honestly the way she taught the course this fall quarter was not very engaging and the assignments consisted of very thorough research in anthro careers that was not at all related to the materials that guest lecturers discussed during the class. In addition, her graders are very, VERY meticulous when grading weekly assignments, which is really difficult bc losing 8 points or so literally brings your grade down SIGNIFICANTLY (like you won't be able to get an A if you lose more than 1 pt per each assignment). I haven't personally had issues with her, but I know that a few of my classmates brought up her grading system bc it isn't clear in the syllabus and there is no rubric for grading, and when they mentioned it to her apparently she was v dismissive towards their comments. honestly, just take the course if you need it for your major requirements bc all you do is listen to different guest lecturers every week, and submit a weekly assignment + final portfolio. otherwise, I wouldn't recommend her but it just sucks bc I was really looking forward to this class and was bummed by the way she treated students + her arbitrary grading scale.

PLEASE take this class if you have the option. Although three-hour lectures are very annoying, and truthfully she will never let you go early, everything learned is extremely useful. As a senior, it helped me tremendously in feeling more confident about the future, take it before your senior year if possible. There aren't many assignments after the first three weeks and even then they're very easy and not time-consuming at all. Attendance is taken and after three absences you get an automatic F. Considering there are only 10 classes though, you shouldn't be absent more than that anyway. Professor Loyd was very sweet and passionate. I'll think about this class a lot post-college, amazing!!!!

I cannot emphasize how amazing Dr. Loyd is. She is so kind, generous, supportive, welcoming, and overall such an amazing Professor. The whole purpose of this class is to help you figure out what you want to be in the future and what you want to do after University. To be honest, I was not sure what I wanted to be, but after taking Dr. Loyd's class, I was more sure and confident than I ever have been about what I am aspiring to become. On top of all her advice, support, and generosity, she would go out of her way to bring guest speakers from different professions to help us students explore what we want to become in the future. This class is truly something that is not offered at just any college and Dr. Loyd is one in a million. I learned so much from her class and I benefited so much. We made our resumes very professional and were able to speak to people from all different types of professions. We also created a LinkedIn account which I never had before. These are tools that I never knew were necessary and now I am set for future job opportunities as I did this all in her class. She would always help us whenever we were stressed and said to not worry if we do not know what we want to be and that it is a process. I highly recommend her class as it is something you will not regret. I am more passionate about my major as well because of this class. The workload was very minimal as well since you do the work throughout the quarter and it was very manageable.

This class was one of the best classes I've taken at UCLA, all under the guidance of Dr. Loyd. She is the most helpful professor to have for Lemelson classes, and having her as the last professor for the program before submitting your thesis is a lifesaver. I remember feeling so lost about my thesis at some point, and I met with Dr. Loyd to discuss it more in depth. Her guidance and sheer belief in my abilities pushed me to work harder and not lose hope. She is an incredible professor and overall human being. I feel confident in my video-editing skills and writing abilities after her guidance.

Dr. Loyd is a FANTASTIC lecturer. I remember taking this class because I was relatively unsure of how to apply my degree in anthropology, but this class was my saving grace. Her guest lecturers really allowed for me to see how to utilize my skills and transfer them to the workplace. She provided us with handouts that showed us how to put together our resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and create a portfolio that would showcase us as the best candidate for any job. I am so happy that this class exists, and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who is pursuing anthropology. It gave me a foundation that I have used in the workforce and I am forever grateful to Dr. Loyd!

Dr. Loyd is a FANTASTIC lecturer. I remember taking this class because I was relatively unsure of how to apply my degree in anthropology, but this class was my saving grace. Her guest lecturers really allowed for me to see how to utilize my skills and transfer them to the workplace. She provided us with handouts that showed us how to put together our resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and create a portfolio that would showcase us as the best candidate for any job. I am so happy that this class exists, and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who is pursuing anthropology. It gave me a foundation that I have used in the workforce and I am forever grateful to Dr. Loyd!

Dr. Loyd is an encouraging and supportive professor, especially helping the Lemelson cohort find confidence in our work. I remember my fellow cohort members and me fumbling with the concept of being "experts" in our chosen topics, particularly during this last course in the Lemelson series. Dr. Loyd helped us overcome our imposter syndrome and be comfortable presenting and defending our projects in class, at the Lemelson Conference, and at the UCLA Undergraduate Research Week Showcase. Her consistent support helped me and my fellow Lemelson scholars gain confidence in our research projects and have a sense of accomplishment once submitting our papers and presentations at the end of the class.

My advice for this class is to be completely open about your feelings and concerns, as a considerable part of this last Lemelson course is to figure out your voice as a researcher. Dr. Loyd's class creates the perfect environment to discover what that voice is and help hone that into your project as you push toward graduation. Logistically, this is a class to finish up your Lemelson project, but take advantage of using this opportunity for self-reflection. Good luck! You got this!

I took this course with Dr. Loyd a few years ago, and it has remained a memorable class. The course relies on guest speakers with a degree in anthropology to share their career journeys and advise us on how we may figure out our paths. Each guest spoke from a perspective of a different field, like UX Design or health care, which I found highly encouraging as it showed me the broadness of my opportunities after my bachelor's degree. My interactions with Dr. Loyd then complemented this feeling during office hours, where I spoke to her several times about my confusion about my potential career and heard about her life journey. Dr. Loyd and I have remained in touch after class ended, and I still check in with her about where I am in my career. My recommendation for those taking or considering this class is not to treat it as an "easy A." That is not the purpose of this class. Based on my experience, Dr. Loyd designed this course to be an extension of the UCLA Career Center, as many weekly assignments and the final portfolio encouraged me to engage deeper with the Career Center's resources. I remember bringing my projects, like our personality test results and résumé, to the Career Center and analyzing them with UCLA Career counselors before submitting them to class. This method was possible because our work in this class complimented the Career Center's resources and helped me learn how to self-reflect to prepare for my post-graduation journey as an Anthropology major.

Seeing the other responses on this page, I wanted to add my voice to the review of Careers in Anthropology based on my experience. I took this course with Dr. Loyd a few years ago, and it has remained a memorable class. As other reviewers mentioned, the course relies on guest speakers with a degree in anthropology to share their career journeys and advise us on how we may figure out our paths. Each guest spoke from a perspective of a different field, like UX Design or health care, which I found highly encouraging as it showed me the broadness of my opportunities after my bachelor's degree. My interactions with Dr. Loyd then complemented this feeling during office hours, where I spoke to her several times about my confusion about my potential career and heard about her life journey. Dr. Loyd and I have remained in touch after class ended, and I still check in with her about where I am in my career. My recommendation for those taking or considering this class is not to treat it as an "easy A." That is not the purpose of this class. Based on my experience, Dr. Loyd designed this course to be an extension of the UCLA Career Center, as many weekly assignments and the final portfolio encouraged me to engage deeper with the Career Center's resources. I remember bringing my projects, like our personality test results and résumé, to the Career Center and analyzing them with UCLA Career counselors before submitting them to class. This method was possible because our work in this class complimented the Career Center's resources and helped me learn how to self-reflect to prepare for my post-graduation journey as an Anthropology major.

Finally, grading is still necessary as this course factors into your GPA. I will not discredit the other reviewers' experiences with this course element. However, I encourage those in this course to open communication lines with Dr. Loyd and her TAs if you have concerns AS YOU DRAFT AND OUTLINE your assignments for submission. I remember being proactive about asking during office hours or over email what was expected of me by Dr. Loyd and her TAs on SPECIFIC assignments. If I had it ready, I showed them an outline to get their opinions and incorporate their responses into my final draft. This approach worked for me and would help others concerned with their grades. This course requires work, but it is worth the effort if you engage with it as a career development workshop instead of a regular "lecture and exam" designed course.

Dr. Loyd is a fantastic mentor who cares deeply about her students and their projects. As the last seminar of the Lemelson program, it's essential to stay on course--and she is determined to see you through the finish line.

My advice is to attend every seminar (don't miss it!), be open and honest about issues and problems that you've run into, and work with Dr. Loyd to address those obstacles and clear the way for you to finish up your project and thesis. She will push you, but you must be proactive and willing to put in the effort at the end of the day.

In addition to a wealth of advice on finishing the thesis and conference presentation, she will invite Lemelson alum to speak about their experiences. They are also a great source of advice for you, especially as all of them have had similar difficulties as you (trust me, bro). If you know how to ask for help, you will receive it.

Good luck!