Study Abroad @ Reed

Colleges and Universities A-Z Reed College
1

<p>Does anyone know how common/popular it is for Reed students to study abroad for a semester, and when most students do such programs? </p>

<p>It seems to me like many of the departments in the Division of Natural Sciences and Maths. discourage it because of worries about preparing for the Jr. Qual and other such academic concerns. </p>

<p>As a prospective biology major, I was hoping to spend at least one semester in Africa or SE Asia/Australia to study wildlife & conservation biology. It seems Reed has only a few approved biology-related international programs, and I wonder how difficult it would be to get another independent program approved by the College. </p>

<p>Let me know your thoughts about this, especially from current students, if there are any around.</p>

2

<p>Hello -</p>

<p>I'm a newly minted Reedie with a similar interest in conservation biology in the tropics. I'm sure you noticed they do a study abroad program with the Organization of Tropical Studies at Krueger NP in South Africa and La Selva in Costa Rica. I did some field work in New Guinea last summer and am heading back on grant money this summer, and so this was important to me. I emailed a few of the bio professors, and got some great answers back with specifics about Reedies doing projects in Indonesia and elsewhere on Reed grant money, etc - if you're interested, I can pass the message on to you.</p>

3

<p>My impression is that Reed strongly supports study abroad, but science majors may have a hard time graduating in eight semesters if they do so. Our D is a psych major and through purposeful selection of program and courses, she got full credit for her semester abroad and did not lose any time toward graduation.</p>

4

<p>Thanks all, your responses have been very assuring. </p>

<p>Elinck, that sounds fantastic! I hear that OTS is a good program, as well as the School for Field Studies, but like you, I would really want to do field work independently. </p>

<p>I am obsessed with mammalian reproduction, and there's a special place in my conscience for big cats. I would love to go to Thailand to observe (and retrieve the faeces of) the elusive Clouded leopard, so I'm thrilled that there are many precedents for students receiving grants for independent work abroad. </p>

<p>I'm going to PM you with my e-mail address to see the message.</p>

5

<p>Costa Rica also just has this done-to-death feeling that makes it less appealing, although it would certainly be fun and a great place to get the basic theory of tropical field biology down. If I were to work in the neotropics, I'd rather head to Columbia, however. </p>

<p>I PM'ed you.</p>

6

<p>As I posted on another thread- I am very blunt- so use what you can & ignore the rest
:)
When my D was @ Reed, she didn't have time for * any* casual reading material, not even on the train. She thought briefly about study abroad, but you must get started earlier than most students are thinking about it( especially for science majors as you will need to plan courses tightly starting freshman year) & it is hard for some students to think about life outside the bubble once they find it.</p>

<p>One friend took a semester away to pursue work in her major ( although not abroad & not " hard science", psych actually ).
It worked for her- but even compared to Reedies, she is highly motivated, organized and hard working. She worked her a$$ off when she returned ( and after graduation went straight into a Phd program)</p>

<p>Since so many want to take a year off ( or three) away from academia once they write their thesis and take their orals, going into Peace Corps and similar- it wasn't my impression that study abroad during the college years was as big as it is in some schools.</p>

<p>There is also such a community feeling- with so much going on that it might be hard to find a best time to go- ( like when my kids were little- they hated naps cause they might miss something) IMO, sophomore year would be the time, which means you have to start planning freshman year.</p>

<p>Biology while the largest dept(?) is still small compared to many colleges. My daughter had to change her thesis topic to plant based bio when her advisor didn't get tenure and had to go back to Canadia during her year off. ( after junior year)
Normally I don't think that would be a problem- though & the bio dept is very good & flexible ( as is chem)</p>

<p>D went to Costa Rica in high school & had a blast.( it was an eco tourism kind of trip, a little sightseeing, a little field work to save turtle nests from poachers)
I think it is much easier to go some place with established connections- but I do think if you find another program- they would work with you. </p>

<p>( its already been done? :confused: from what I have read, the best way to get funds for research is to replicate existing studies , and I would be nervous if my kid wanted to head for the jungles of Colombia- my Colombian SIL adopted her twins son, so that he could come to the US after his moms car was blown up by a bomb, or did you mean Columbia University in NY? ;) )</p>

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<p>Hi emeraldkity4 -
Thanks for the insight - I had similar feelings about not particularly wanting to leave the Reed bubble, and especially about not wanting to make life any harder than it had to be. From talk with Professors, I personally was looking to do summer research abroad more than anything else. </p>

<p>About the "done-to-death" comment - Costa Rica sort of has a monopoly on rainforest research, at least on a public level, due to its accessibility, security, and its government's admirable PR campaign, and as a result, hosts countless collegiate and high school researchers. Which is great, and it's a great place, and of course there is always more to study - but it lacks the lure of the unknown, and has so much attention focused on it from a conservation perspective that new conservation biology initiatives should certainly look elsewhere to other, more neglected parts of the world. I'm hesitant to make broad claims, lest they rediscover the Golden Toad in Monteverde next week, but I think the potential for huge discoveries in Costa Rica has passed.</p>

<p>I'm accustomed to travel in dangerous places, and Columbia excites me :). As I'm more of a solo traveler, I think I wouldn't want to do a program, per se, at Reed, but rather get in touch privately with a research station or group of scientists pursuing interesting work somewhere.</p>

<p>I don't have experience in terms of seeking funding from academic bodies (yet), but I have two grants in right now, one with National Geographic that has passed the first round of inspection (a final decision due in February - it's like the stress of college decisions thrice in one year), and I think rather than replicating existing studies, funds are best found by applying reputed methodologies to new problems.</p>

8

<p>During orientation week, my son attended a presentation on planning for study abroad, and also discussed the possibility with his advisor. Basically, what he learned is that Reed's requirements - especially the qual exams in junior year - make it more tricky to study abroad at Reed during the academic year than at other colleges. You really have to go in with an academic plan from day 1, and stick to it, in order to fit in all of the Reed requirements and still graduate on time. My son also has a particular area of interest that he'd like to pursue if he studied abroad, which wouldn't be met by any of the existing Reed study abroad options - his advisor made it clear that doing a non-Reed program would be more difficult and that there was a likelihood that he'd not get full credit for a non-Reed program (This is actually a common issue at MOST colleges, not just Reed) My son's decided that he's probably going to opt for a summer study abroad or summer research program option instead, as he feels he'd rather have more flexibility in his schedule and take advantage of all that Reed has to offer as much as possible. </p>

<p>Reed has put together some suggested "study plan" sheets to help students plan their four year curriculum if they want to fit in study abroad - I'd recommend checking them out. Here's the link, the study plans are about halfway down the page: REED</a> COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS</p>

<p>By the way, Emerald, I chuckled about your "no time for personal reading" comment. That's one of my son's biggest complaints about Reed so far. :)</p>

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<p>By the way, Emerald, I chuckled about your "no time for personal reading" comment. That's one of my son's biggest complaints about Reed so far.</p>

<p>yes & it shot to heck my former strategy of giving books for presents.</p>

10

<p>As a Reed alum, albeit of yesteryear, I found it fairly straight forward. I was a social science major (international studies, I think it is called international policy studies now) and had taken a fairly broad and heavy courseload my first two years. The most important part was getting clearance in advance from the chair of the dept at Reed for the courses I was planning to take to ensure the credits would transfer.</p>

<p>Best thing about it was that it gave me a new found appreciation for the quality of the education I was receiving at Reed, and just how rigorous my Reed education was compared to the milk toast my fellow American students were receiving at other brand name American institutions. I spent my junior year at a decent "red brick" university in the UK. While the other Yanks were complaining about the hard work, I found it to be a piece of cake and enjoyed using free time to travel. I had no problem coming back prepared to write my thesis senior year.</p>

<p>In short, you need to prepare but it is certainly worth doing!</p>

11

<p>Thanks again everyone for your invaluable insight. I truly believe that field study overseas, even if only for a semester, will be an important part of my college experience. I simply want to make sure that a Reed education (which I find very appealing), and study abroad are compatible without considerable difficulty. According to you all it seems that is so.</p>