<p>DrGoogle - the data point of one kid you know isn’t really evidence of anything --but Reed does have a somewhat quirky culture that might lead more students who are weak in the area of marketable job skills, or unrealistic expectations when it comes to work & career. That could be simply the students who are attracted to the somewhat counter-cultural environment that Reed offers in the first place – or it could be influenced by an overall academic culture that is more focused on academic theory than on practical applications. </p>
<p>I mean – I don’t know the OP but I can understand whyshe might have felt Reed to be a poor fit. Reed was my son’s top choice for a college – but he had to turn down the spot they offered him due to inadequate financial aid. It probably would have been a good fit for him at the time – but in no way appropriate for my daughter, who is much more of a “doer” than a “dreamer.” </p>
<p>Myd. has never been unemployed – she had a job lined up in her field the day she graduated. But by the time she graduated she already had a work resume of about 20 different short term and part time jobs she had held over the years-- college isn’t the only source of job skills or job training. So it may just be that the more career-focused students like my d. tend to also gravitate toward campuses in or near the urban centers where they think the jobs are, and they are more likely to ask about internship opportunities than PhD numbers. </p>