Reed College Top Questions

Most Reedies aren't involved in student groups. The most popular or present groups on-campus are Rugby, frisbee, RKSK and theater. There are many speakers that come, but usually attendance is based on who is in the department. The dating scene is horrible. Since campus is so small, any relationship is bound to become incredibly serious very quickly, which often leads to crash and burn scenarios. The pathetic dating scene is illustrated by the extremely high percentage of Reedies who use OkCupid.The most popular event at Reed is Renn Fayre, a three day long party at the end of the year, epitomized by thesis parade (when seniors burn their first thesis drafts and the whole school gets drunk and makes out with). On weekends most people study for a lot of it, and go out on Saturday night (usually to a dance party or a house party.

Renn Fayre, fire dancing

First of all, if I'm awake on a Tuesday at 2 in the morning (and I almost always am), I'm probably doing a Latin translation. Anyway, my personal social circle revolves around the Theatre, because that's where I spend a lot of my time. But I've found that Reedies are genuinely awesome people and I have friends from all over. From my dormies (freshman year and every year since) to my classmates to people I just liked the looks of, I've never felt like I didn't have someone to sit with or talk to. Events I enjoy include any dance party (they're pretty common at Reed), house parties that are close to campus (also quite common), Drag Ball, Queer Prom, random and wonderful concerts (mostly by great local bands), all theatre performances (of course) and guest speakers. It's true that Reed isn't a bastion of athletic prowess. However, there are a couple sports that a pretty popular here, and the people who play on those teams are quite serious about their sports. Ultimate Frisbee is the most popular (both men's and women's teams), followed by Rugby, basketball, soccer and lacrosse. All those teams compete with other schools in the area, so if that's something you're into... No fraternities or sororities. Yeeeesssss!

The unofficial motto is atheism, free love, communism. I think that was more the Reed of the late '60s, or "olde Reed." Today's Reedies are still primarily athiests and left-leaning. Post-80s love just isn't free any more, no? Ever heard of Renn Fair? Think drugs, a feast in the canyon, nudity and a slip 'n slide. Mix accordingly. There is no Greek system at Reed beyond of Phi Beta Kappa. Thank God. Reedies like to build things. Especially things involving combinations of bicycles and ratty couches. A Reed fantasy would involve adding a motor to above described contraption.

Reed social life is really hard to describe because there are so many niches I don't know about, which is interesting because there are only 1300 students. Hmm. Let's start with the dating scene. There's an old saying about Reedies and romantic involvement: "If you sleep together, you're dating. If you sleep together for more than two weeks, you're in a relationship. And if you're with someone for a month, you're married." Obviously, this isn't exactly true, but it does indicate the brevity of most Reed relationships. Now, getting laid can be hard if you're not just a little bit slutty, and this applies no matter what gender you are. If you're really desperate, going to a dance party oughtta do the trick. Also, because Reedies are extremely socially awkward, hooking up rarely happens in the absence of alcohol. The exception to this is the "library relationship", which is what happens when mutual admiration goes beyond making bedroom eyes at the person sitting across the room at another desk in the library. These rarely come to fruition, however, because the two people involved are usually too damn awkward to say anything. All of this awkardness (well, most of it anyway) disappears at Renn Fayre, which is a campus-wide explosion of substances and bodily fluids (both the good and the bad) beginning on the last day of classes. However, Renn Fayre is no fun unless you create a project. Develop an idea, fill out an application, get the money, and make cool shit happen. Let's see, what else? There are no fraternities or sororities. The closest thing to a frat we have are the rugby team and the ultimate frisbee team. The women's rugby team, named "Bad-ass Sparkle Princesses", is also more fraternity than sorority. Reed parties are pretty cool. There is usually alcohol available, but no pressure to drink. There are sometimes other drugs, depending on who is in attendance. There's usually an off-campus party every other weekend, and there's something on campus every weekdend. The on-campus events are, with few exceptions, fucking awesome. Some of my favorites: Drag Ball, Masquerade Ball, Hum Play, Harvest Ball (Halloween), Daft Ball (Daft Punk dance party), and Dia de los Muertos. Queer Prom is pretty cool too. One notable exception to awesomeness is Winter Formal, which is just an excuse for freshmen to get laid. It was fun my freshmen year and fucking lame every year afterwards. If you seek a party school, look elsewhere. If you seek inane, drunken conversations about your favorite show on MTV or how awesome it was to go to the mall and oh my god check out my makeup, Reed is not the place for you. You will be miserable. If however, you would love to debate (drunkenly or not) the merits of Piaget's Theory of Mind and its implications for childhood development while there's a keg in the next room, please come to Reed. We'd love to have you.

There's a party practically every weekend here. They usually wrap up by 1:00 a.m. People either hook up and go off to someone's dorm room or they go back home to study. Sometimes there's nothing to do if you don't do drugs.

Campus events are well funded. And when Reedies have an event, they make the most of it. From the first day of the school year, Reedies are looking towards the wonderful 3-day straight-party at the end of the school year called Renn Fayre. WE may spend most of the weekend studying, but for those hours we are not we make the most of. Residence Life works hard to create a tight community and succeeds, most make a few good friends on their floor during the first year.

Way too many drugs, but apart from that parties are very good, specially dorm parties with strange themes. People seem to take the dressing up thing too seriously.

It IS hard to balance activities, social life, and academia at Reed. But it is do-able. Sure, you have to be willing to take some late nights at the library, but so does everyone else. And I know there are those crazies who manage multiple activities and clubs. I don't know how they sleep....Myself, I've managed to do well in school and participate mainly only in theatre (which is actually a huge commitment) and still have enough downtime to have a close group of friends I can relax with. It's really not so bad if you're dedicated.

Reed has a lot of traditions. The biggest student group is RKSK. It is a joke communist organization designed to liven up campus. At the beginning of each year, RKSK organizes a noise parade. Kids dress up in costumes and body paint. There are torches and frequently a float or two. Mostly, everyone brings pots and pans to bang together and make as much noise as possible as we parade through campus. Freshmen who have not heard of the event hear us come through and frequently grab up metal objects to bang together and join the parade. It culminates in students launching fireworks and a bon fire in the quad. RKSK also organizes a stimulant table in the library lobby. Students volunteer to run the table in 12-24 hour shifts. They have a huge range of interesting stimulants for the adventurous. However, most students are so pressured to get stuff done during finals week that they rely on the tried and true coffee and PB&J sandwiches. Most dorms have a lot of community. My closest friends were my freshman year dormies. People leave their doors unlocked and spend most of their time in the common room. There are two to three parties every weekend and about every other weekend there is a large event on campus. There is a lot of intermingling and dating among the freshmen. This dies down a bit later as people become more involved with their studies. About a quarter of my friends are in long-term relationships and the others date 2 to 3 people a year.