While all students at Reed have an academic adviser throughout their time at Reed, new students receive support from both a registration coach and an academicadviser. Both are members of the faculty, and in some cases, the same faculty member may serve as registration coach and academic adviser.
New students are assigned a coach and an adviser for their first year based on the information they submit about their academic interests, balanced with faculty availability; some students will have a coach and an adviser in an area of interest, while others may have a coach or an adviser in a field somewhat different from their expressed interests. Reed is a small community, and all faculty understand the curriculum, so your coach and adviser will have access to the knowledge and resources to help you make a good plan for your first year.
This dual system is designed to provide a team to support each new student. The registration coach session is a one-time appointment and will focus on preparing an incoming student to register for first-year classes. While this may include topics such as long-range planning, potential majors, or possible study abroad, the focus will be on selecting courses to build a strong foundation in the first year.
You can expect your registration coach to:
- Have available times for a 30-minute Zoom session between August 4 and 14, prior to open registration
- Discuss your academic interests (majors, minors, international experiences) to ensure that you set off on a good path
- Help you select two courses and a HUM 110 section for both the fall term and spring term of your first year
- Provide your SOLAR PIN for registration
Your registration coach will expect you to:
- Sign up for and attend a 30-minute Zoom session prior to pre-arrival registration
- Discuss your academic interests (majors, minors, international experiences)
- Be familiar with distribution and major requirements if you have selected a major
- Have looked at the
The Academic Adviser is assigned for the full semester. As each student’s academic career progresses, they may stay with their academic adviser (if that adviser is in the area that the student is focusing on) or switch to a new adviser who can help them dig in more deeply to a certain department or area of study. (When faculty go on leave or sabbatical, their advisees are reassigned to another adviser.) It is quite normal for a student to have two or sometimes more advisers over the course of their Reed career.
You can expect your adviser to:
- review and assist you with planning, if needed, your academic schedule each semester;
- discuss your academic interests (majors, minors, international experiences);
- provide guidance on how to fulfill major and graduation requirements;
- help you access your grades and decide how much information about your academic progress you need;
- help you identify resources for life after graduation (jobs, graduate school, etc.);
- support you at decision-making points or during moments of academic difficulty;
- maintain timely communication (respond to your messages within a day or two on weekdays).
Your adviser will expect you to:
- maintain timely communication (respond to your adviser’s messages within a day or two);
- share your academic interests and goals;
- familiarize yourself with distribution and major requirements;
- track academic calendars and deadlines;
- proactively communicate and share concerns or needs.
It’s generally a good idea to work with your initial adviser through your first year at Reed. The end of your first year is a good time to think about whether an adviser in another area of study, or a different faculty member in the same department as your adviser, might be more helpful to you. If you do decide to change your adviser for any reason, you may complete an adviser change form (available under forms on the registrar's webpage) at any time.
Finally, keep in mind that advising on non-academic matters is available from many offices and programs all around Reed! If you have questions or concerns about non-academic topics, your adviser can help you find resources, or you can use the Student Hub to quickly connect with the relevant office(s).
Here are some other helpful tools for finding information about academics, the academic calendar, and other support resources at Reed:
- More information can be found in the Academic Advising Handbook.
- The Student Hub can help advisees and advisers navigate resources at Reed.
- The academic calendar is your one-stop guide to all key dates each year, including add and drop deadlines and holidays. A link on the right-hand side of the academic calendar will let you add the academic calendar to your Reed Google calendar.