<p>Swarthmore has engineering. So does Smith. Bucknell comes to mind. While most LACs seem not to offer it, some do. </p>
<p>And history doesn't strike me as a substitute to education. ;)</p>
<p>Education/engineering/business are generally graduate degrees, while some LACs have expanded their offerings to attract more students- the philosophy of LACs seems to be that if you want to major in a job related degree while in undergrad, you will probably be better served by either waiting till grad school or looking a a big U.
I think we could really improve the teaching profession if more teachers had a degree in what they were teaching i.e. * history*, rather than a degree in * education*. Same goes for business and engineering.</p>
<p>I really don't think you're justified in saying that all three of those are generlly graduate degree. I've read lists of most popular majors nation wide, and business is on it, along with psychology and a few other areas. Sure, the MBA is a very popular graduate degree, but business is one of the most popular undergraduate majors. You're right about engineering somewhat, although I think that the majority of people who get engineering graduate degrees were actually engineering majors. Education? I am not sure. You're probably right here, if you consider the credential a graduate degree. I don't have any statistics about it. Care to offer up any statistics to support your arugment?</p>
<p>You might be right about the last thing, but I think being knowledgeable about a field and being able to teach it well are two different things.</p>
<p>I realize that business/education and engineering are all undergraduate degrees someplace
but all those graduates could benefit from taking a broader selection of subjects.
I know engineers who have never taken a history course- businessmen who would benefit by the broader view if they had taken sociology, and teachers who especially in teh upper grades, could serve their students better if they were really excited about their subject, instead of teaching it because there was an opening.</p>
<p>Those degree are available at a large selection of schools, from liberal arts colleges like Bucknell to larger schools like University of Wa ( although education isn't an undergrad degree)
I wasn't saying that it wasn't offered- I was saying why I thought the liberal arts colleges generally do not offer more technically based degrees and why I think that students are not always best served by obtaining a technical degree.
But thats why we have choice- the liberal arts schools are often very small, it is difficult to specialize at any depth- but you can come out with a broader based education. Many who attend a liberal arts school, plan at least tentatively to attend grad school, even before they set up their dorm room.
My daughter for instance in 3 days will have a biology degree from Reed- not an astrobiology degree,not a marine science degree, but a degree that perhaps will give her more flexibilty than an undergrad in astrobio would.</p>
<p>DRab wrote: "I think Reed is hypocritical with regard to US News rankings. I've heard it gladly participates with rankings other than US News."</p>
<p>Reed participates in several college guides that do not assign numerical rankings, including Barron's, the Fiske Guide to Colleges, Peterson's, Colleges that Change Lives, Newsweek's College Guide, and the College Board's College Handbook. </p>
<p>Reed does not participate in Money magazine's college-ranking issue which, like US News, creates a numerical ranking.</p>
<p>This thread pretty much has it right from what I know. Reed = hippie intellectual. Lots of people marching to their own drummers. One of the few LACs that's actually in a significant city (and a very cool city at that), but a city that's a long way away and hard to get to for most of the people in the country. Its president, Colin Diver, is pretty impressive.</p>
<p>Re: education, business, engineering. Reed is elitist and small; most (not all) elitist institutions do not offer undergrad degrees in education or business. Lots of elitist institutions offer engineering programs, but not so many small ones. I don't know why Reed doesn't.</p>
<p>jhs, do you mean elite or elitist?</p>
<p>For the social life--Reed is known as being a haven for square pegs. The students are very...um...nontraditional? They are intelligent and studious, for sure, but socially, the stereotypical Reed student is poorly adjusted and awkward, probably didn't fit in in high school, and still gives off that "weirdo" vibe. You don't have to take my word for it, Princeton Review agrees:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Nearly everyone agrees that "we are geeks, every last one of us [and] the only thing about the typical Reedie is that they would not fit in anywhere else." However, many add, "A lot of Reedies are determined to be different from the 'norm,' but they often wind up being different in exactly the same way." We also heard numerous warnings that "at times the political liberalism of the student body is undoubtedly stifling to fundamentalist Christians and Republicans, which is slightly ironic given the 'open-mindedness' that Reedies claim to pride themselves on."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Reed also has no frats or sororities, and no varsity sports team. I imagine they believe they are too intellectual for any of those frivolous fun things. :/</p>
<p>Reed is a great school academically, but if you're not going to fit in or feel at home, there's really no point in wasting your $40,000 a year. College is more than just an education, it's where you'll live for 4 years of your life.</p>
<p>Reed may not have varsity sports in the traditional sense, but men's and women's rugby and ultimate frisbee teams compete in regional championships, and the soccer, squash and basketball teams compete locally. I've watched teams be frivolous. </p>
<p>semiserious's observations don't match what I've seen on campus, but we certainly meet different people when we're there. I do highly recommend an overnight visit, because feeling like you fit in will be important; with the heavy work load, you'd better feel good about being there. I've run into a few people who come away ambivalent, but most seem to feel strongly one way or the other. Students should certainly weigh the four-years vs. rest-of-your-life issue, though many Reed graduates seem to win on both accounts, being more satisfied than average with their undergraduate years, and more academically successful in later years.</p>
<p>The reason business is a popular major is because it's an easy, non-demanding one. I can't understand why someone would bother going to college for something as intellectually restrictive as a business degree.</p>
<p>and people aren't willing to take the risks of majoring in the humanities. Majoring in business is a much safer route.</p>