<p>I don't have a clear direction yet for what majors I'm interested, so I'm looking to apply to well rounded schools so I keep my options open. I know many liberal arts colleges are more limiting simply because they are smaller and have fewer professors, so I just want to get a clear idea of what Reed's strongest and weakest majors are.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Reed is strong across the board. They do not have a lot of majors, but whatever they have, all are very strong. Physics obviously stands out due to the nuclear reactor (although even without it, only amazing things are said about the program.)</p>
<p>Do note, however, that Reed does not offer computer science. Also, it is not possible to do a double major at Reed in four years without killing yourself (except for interdisciplinary majors like policy studies and economics-math).</p>
<p>Check out these older posts. </p>
<p>The first one asked the same question:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/reed-college/1524686-strong-majors-reed.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/reed-college/1524686-strong-majors-reed.html</a>
I’d add history, English, and the sciences to Ghost’s list. </p>
<p>Easy versus hard majors:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/reed-college/1544767-reed-college.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/reed-college/1544767-reed-college.html</a></p>
<p>Oh and no one has mentioned political science which is also pretty strong. The art dept is good as well but small.
Reed has a 3-2 dual degree program with partner universities (UW, Caltech, Columbia) for students interested in computer science and engineering degrees. [Reed</a> College | Catalog](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/catalog/programs/dual_special/]Reed”>Dual Degree and Special Programs - Catalog - Reed College)
There are some students every year who complete a true double major (2 separate theses) but they are few and far between. Ad hoc interdisciplinary is more common (combine 2 depts into 1 thesis).</p>
<p>I would never go as far as to call art one of Reed’s strongest majors. While the art history preparation offered at Reed is robust, the studio art classes are geared toward a much lower calibre of art student than the one found at art schools and art-oriented universities (like Yale, for example). I was preparing to go to art school for the longest time, but I have to say majoring in art at Reed never crossed my mind; the senior theses of graduating art majors seemed to me to display worse technical drawing skills than my own, and that was when I was in high school. (Let me preempt any comments about technical skills being of secondary importance to originality, vision and imagination by saying that as far as art education is concerned, that is simply not true.) From what I understand, the same could be said about the music and dance majors. You can learn the theory at Reed, but the practical classes just won’t be particularly challenging if you come in as an experienced performer.</p>
<p>As a history major, I would hesitate to endorse the history department unreservedly as well. It is great for people interested in American and modern European history; the offerings in most other areas are limited or entirely absent.</p>
<p>Computer science and engineering aren’t even majors at Reed. That’s why we have the 3-2 programs. It’s a bit of a stretch to list them in this thread.</p>
<p>It’s true you’ll get a great education in any major, but we’re talking about the relative strength of different academic departments within Reed here, not about the overall quality of a Reed education. Let’s not mislead people by claiming every single major Reed could conceivably offer is among its strongest.</p>
<p>Fair enough, not everything can be “the strongest.” I mentioned those specific majors because I know various students who got a lot out of those programs and were very satisfied with their eduction, and whose professors are known to be pretty kickass–winning awards/grants, being interviewed frequently, getting outside recognition, etc. I don’t disagree with your original list, just trying to augment it with what I’ve picked up around campus.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t count art as one of the strongest majors, but “good.” But of course, don’t come to Reed expecting RISD, or really attend any liberal arts college expecting a conservatory education-- BFAs are a separate thing, and not what Reed is purporting to offer, so that feels like comparing apples and oranges IMO. Reed’s approach <em>is</em> a little less technical and more intellectual/conceptual; more than half the students in any art class are not majors, so naturally the ‘calibre’ of students will differ from those in a dedicated BFA program (though the class benefits from the different perspectives/interests non-majors bring in that is often lacking in straight up ‘art schools’). I started off at a BFA program at a different school better known for the arts so I do have some point of comparison… transferring to Reed wasn’t some horrible disappointment. It excelled in some areas and lagged behind in others, but was much better than what I expected from a tiny program in a liberal arts college known for its iconoclastic creativity but not necessarily its arts. </p>
<p>You seem to be equating “technical skills” with “realist drawing”, which is a pretty narrow view of both art and technicality. It overlooks the technicality of the sculpture-, bookmaking-, animation-, installation-, performative-, or architecture- focused theses at Reed (could you even evaluate the technicality of those media?), AND perhaps overlooks the potential that the 2D artists you took issue with might be intentionally breaking the rules rather than simply unskilled. But maybe they really do just suck at realist life drawing-- while perhaps a misguided choice of thesis, are technical drawing skills that the only way to evaluate ‘good’ art or a ‘successful’ art education? If so, it kinda ignores the last 20+ years of contemporary art that is decidedly not interested in realist life drawing, or really two-dimensionality in general. I mean, I guess I could pull out the anecdote of the Reed history senior who didn’t know who Andrew Jackson was-- does that mean the history department is a failure? Or perhaps she was focused on things that were more important to her (how to DO history rather than memorizing names and dates…) But as both cases illustrate, Reed generally does impart theory better than application across the board, which tends to produce generalists rather than specialists. So if you want a specialized art education where you take 2.5 years of life drawing courses that teaches you how to properly shade the clavicle, go to a BFA program at an actual art school. Or just take a photo that accomplishes the same thing (photorealistic likeness) in a fraction of the time. If you want to know all the American presidents and dates of their terms, go to a school that offers several semesters of US History survey courses. Or just google it. Either way, Reed probably isn’t your jive.</p>
<p>Because Reed is comparatively pretty small, each department naturally has certain focuses since it’s impossible to teach every aspect of a discipline with only 4-8 professors. But it is possible for motivated students to explore things that personally interest them even if there isn’t a professor dedicated to that exact subject. For instance, my friend majored in biology but took a ton of psych classes and ended up writing a neuroscience thesis even though neuroscience isn’t really offered at Reed. Another friend was into computer animation/CGI modeling and was supported in pursuing that even though there aren’t classes for it. It’s a little paradoxical because while there are a lot of distribution requirements and Reed is quite ‘traditional’ in its approach to liberal arts eduction (can’t ‘design your own major’, ‘independent study’ courses not common), it is possible for students to tailor their education to their interests, especially within their theses. But it can seem a little small at times.</p>
<p>I really don’t want to get into a conversation about what an art education should be like, but I will just say that I was not actually equating technical skills with naturalistic representation, and meant something more along the lines of “demonstrated command of the chosen medium,” which in the case of some of the theses I looked at did entail technical drawing. Those were the ones I focused on because they were easy for me to evaluate.</p>
<p>Also, I would challenge any statement on what “contemporary art” as a whole is interested in, first of all because it is decidedly not a whole.</p>
<p>Lastly, on the subject of “doing history” vs memorizing facts, which is an ongoing discussion in the history department, I have to say I side firmly with the memorizing facts brigade. Not because memorization is more important than method but because it is a. the byproduct of mastering the historical method, and b. somewhat less importantly, a testament to one’s interest in history. There are history professors at Reed who would back me up on this and professors who wouldn’t but, more importantly, they have all memorized an awful lot of historical facts. What I’m trying to say is that good historians almost invariably end up very knowledgeable about history, including history they don’t specialize in, which makes me suspicious of anyone who claims he/she doesn’t need to know history to “do history.” No, it’s not a goal in itself, but if you don’t have it, you’re probably not really “doing history.”</p>
<p>(As you can probably tell, I absolutely detest the expression “to do history,” but that is simply the result of hearing it get overused to death in my J-Sem last year.)</p>
<p>Sorry, 2 in the morning had made me pretty ranty.</p>
<p>I think that while it is not monolithic, contemporary art has trends and trajectories that can be observed. And I don’t think that naturalistic painting/drawing has really been at the forefront for a while-- for instance, the Walker Art Center (great contemp art museum) just had their first painting show in over a decade this past summer…But obviously not everything conforms to these trends and there are still a lot of artists engaged in realist life drawing. </p>
<p>Let’s take this discussion elsewhere. :)</p>
<p>Also, I’m not against survey courses/learning facts as a supplement to theory or methodology, I just don’t think memorizing names/dates should be the goal in itself (and at a lot of colleges, it is), which it seems we agree on. And with information at our fingertips, it can get kinda redundant to commit to memory something you can look up in seconds. But I agree it’s not a great idea to be a clueless schmuck about your field, and basic knowledge of important events/people is quite necessary. Since Reed tends to strongly favor the theory/methodology camp, I can understand some backlash against that… I actually felt that in some of my art history classes, that there wasn’t enough of an overview/foundation on major art movements/artists/work. Somewhat ironically, the studio classes ended up filling in a lot of that information (maybe that’s why we never had time to master the technicalities, lol), which is one benefit of having both camps- theory and application- in your major.</p>
<p>I am a current biology major at Reed College. I will give you my personal opinion of the different science disciplines at Reed, and a little bit on the other disciplines (take it with a big grain of salt):</p>
<p>** Biology:** Although I could be biased, biology has by far the strongest faculty and funding support from the school. I am talking about across all departments here. Perhaps because of this, Biology major is, as far as I know, the most popular major at Reed. You get top-notch faculty coming from extremely well-trained and diverse backgrounds. Most of them are not just good researchers, they are very experienced and effective at delivering information to the students (e.g. Janis Shampay, PhD graduate from Elizabeth Blackburn’s lab and a well-versed lecturer with a keen sense of wit). In addition, the faculty members here welcome those students who are eager to conduct independent research projects (I have done it as a sophomore). If you are interested in graduate school for either integrative, molecular, microbial, immunological, developmental, neuro-developmental, genetic, behavioral, population, or plant biology, Reed is a great place for you. You need to come prepared with the mindset, though, that course requirement will be quite challenging. More on medical school below.</p>
<pre><code>Chemistry: I hate to say it since my favorite professor at Reed is a chemistry professor (Arthur Glasfeld). I honestly think that the chemistry department at Reed is by far the weakest of all three sciences. I am not sure if it is due to funding issues or lack of departmental foresight, faculty at Chemistry department tend to be short-lived and tenured faculty has remained rather small. Coupled with professors taking sabbatical every few years, this makes some chemistry majors that I know of experience some difficulty in choosing a thesis/independent project adviser with matching research interest. I also hear of horror stories from these chemistry majors relating to some upper-division chemistry courses taught with terrible instruction styles; however, the one upper-division chemistry course I have taken is with Arthur, and he is by far the best instructor I have had. So I think perhaps it is a hit or miss in the chemistry department.
Physics: I have only taken introductory physics at Reed. Based on my experience and research, physics department is quite possibly one of the hardest majors at Reed (the “harder” ones would be physical chemistry or mathematics-physics). It is hard for a reason: the department is filled with exceptional instructors (just look through the faculty page and what graduate schools they went), not to mention it hosts David Griffiths, a legendary figure in the physics realm. You will work with faculty who can be very demanding, I know I did. Although I realized physics was not for me, as did many of my physics majored friends who eventually turned math major, I appreciated the rigor of the class. The point is, if you can stick through physics major and remain on top of your physics class, you will most likely get a terrific future for graduate programs in physics.
Pre-med: I have friends who intend to apply for medical school. Based on their accounts, there are two things that can make medical school (i am talking about top-tier here) admission from Reed challenging: 1. Reed GPA is low compared to many average state school or LAC, some medical schools will take this into account, most won’t. If your goal is to get into Harvard/Stanford/JHU medical school, you need to have self-discipline since freshman year. Personally, I think there is always a balance between taking classes that challenge you academically and taking classes that just advance you to future endeavors (aka easier classes). You may have to make that kind of decision often if top-tier medical school is your eventual goal. 2. Reed does not offer medical courses or research. This can be an issue if you would like to seek professional exposure at Reed; however, OHSU and Reed have traditionally fostered strong collaboration. I know one of my friends has worked at a clinical lab at OHSU throughout the school year. It is do-able, but she was incredibly busy.
Engineering: None-existent at Reed. You might be interested in the 3-2 program mentioned above. It is pretty sweet, you essentially get 2 degrees (one from Reed and one engineering degree from Caltech, Columbia, or Rensselaer Polytechnic) in 5 years total. If you are interested in this, I suggest you plan your courses right from the start of freshman year. You need to fulfill certain course requirements at Reed before you can move on to the other institute. I hear your financial aid and such will transfer along with you, so that’s great.
Computer Science: There is one computer science course offered at Reed under the umbrella of Maths department, taught by James Fix (a maths professor). I hear the class has been increasingly popular, with this year the class is sitting at 50-60 people. The demand is high, and many are speculating that Reed will eventually start a computer science department. Reed also offers 3-2 program in computer science with University of Washington. You may be interested in this.
Performing Arts: I am not familiar with the artsy side of Reed, that is not to say I do not appreciate it. The performing arts building (PAB) was just opened this semester, it’s a gorgeous building with a lot of facilities such as indoor rehearsal rooms, dance rooms etc. As far as I know, Reed has been trying harder to allocate more resources for art majors.
</code></pre>
<p>Phew. I hope that helps anyone who is curious about the different academic disciplines at Reed. Overall, I have had a great education and plenty of academic opportunities here. In the end, it really is what you make out of it.</p>
<p>Hi guys, I was on several web pages trying to figure out if Reed has an art history major. I went on Majors on Reed’s website and college information on college board, but did not see such a major but the arts. Can any of you explain to me more about having art history as a major. You guys did talk about art history in the thread, but were you guys talking about that art history is considered to be a strong MAJOR or DEPARTMENT or Class? I am a bit confused. </p>
<p>Second question, since I’d like to dual major in philosophy and art history, I read some information about the interdisciplinary study possibility. After reading about the interdisciplinary study/dual major in the thread, I checked out the website. The admission web page did show the following paragraph: </p>
<p>"…students may also develop their own interdisciplinary program, and some students decide to pursue a double major. The rigorous nature of interdisciplinary, dual degree, and double majors requires careful planning with the faculty adviser and the departments involved to successfully meet all requirements."</p>
<p>I am so excited to read this because I presume that this means that I could art history and philosophy after planning with the faculty. To conclude my questions that I am concerned about here: 1) Is art history a major in Reed, 2) what is the likelihood of dual-majoring in philosophy and art history for me after transfer (Yes, unfortunately, I will be a transfer student.)</p>
<p>Thank you all in advance!</p>