English Department

After Reed

Graduate Studies

If you plan to apply to graduate school, you should send away for catalogs and applications forms at the beginning of your senior year, so that you have time to get all of your transcripts and letters of recommendation submitted. Some graduate schools require that applications be completed by early December. The department bulletin board near the elevator doors on the third floor of Vollum contains a section on "Graduate Programs" listing fellowships and instructorships, etc. There is a collection of graduate school catalogs in the Registrar's Office and the Library. Further information about graduate schools can be obtained at The Center for Life Beyond Reed. Also, English faculty can be very helpful in providing graduate school counseling.

Ask professors who know you for letters of recommendation. Please remember that the faculty get many such requests, so be early and give these professors ample time to write an evaluation. A student who wants to attend a graduate school should take the Graduate Record Exam (G.R.E.) sometime during the first semester of the senior year; application, instructions, and sample test can be obtained from The Center for Life Beyond Reed (Greywood). The application lists the dates for the G.R.E. and the corresponding deadlines for paying the fees.

Careers in English

The Center for Life Beyond Reed is the best source of information concerning career possibilities. Seniors who look forward to employment following graduation should begin job searching early. They should also schedule employment interviews with recruiters visiting campus.

Recent graduates of the department have gone on to advanced study in literature or to professional schools of law, medicine, and library science. Others have found work in primary or secondary education, journalism, publishing, public relations, urban planning, computer graphics, and community service. A few positions obtained by recent graduates include City Auditor, Rabbi, restaurateur, Information Coordinator for the American Institute for Cancer Research, working for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Editorial Assistant at Science Digest, and Assistant Managing Editor with Curriculum Concepts, Inc.

Search the alumni directory by major to find out what Reed English majors go on to do.

Visit The Center for Life Beyond Reed for general information and resources on graduate and professional school and other career exploration, internship, and job search tools.

Here's a pie chart displaying the variety of industries in which Reed English alumni are working.