Reed College Top Questions

Great school

Starting answI graduated from Reed in the mid-1990s. For some, the college is great. I found it strange, insular and depressing, although academically rigorous. My experience was mixed. Reed occupies a very particular niche -- one that, unfortunately, wasn't right for me. I've been reading the Reed College alumni magazine for years. The alumni notes are underwhelming (especially when compared with those of Oberlin, Swarthmore, Harvard.). Ask a Reedie to name a famous Reedie, I promise the person will be hard-pressed to come up with an answer other than Steve Jobs. But Mr. Jobs doesn't count -- he dropped out after 6 months. Quite a few Reed graduates pursue PhDs and become successful academics. Others go into alternative medicine, or computer programming, or library science, or beer-making. These are fine vocations but there is a lack of spectrum. It is is not a place known for graduates who also start businesses or invent things or go into politics or lead large organizations or stand out socially in other ways. Of course, there are many that do, but far fewer than one would expect given the quality of the education. In my opinion, this is problematic: if you have the privilege to obtain an elite education, do something that leaves a mark on the world, or at least try -- there's simply too much emphasis on how "intellectual" Reed is! Purely my bias. This situation owes itself as much to the pool of self-selected students as to the marketing and culture historically promulgated by the administration. That said, Reed does promote serious engagement in ideas and has a very demanding curriculum. Grades are de-emphasized, which outsiders sometimes confuse with the notion that there are no grades at all. While the school doesn't disseminate report cards, students DO receive grades which appear on official transcripts. With the exception of a single A-, I received a B in every class I took. And I worked my butt off. The prioritization of scholarship over grades is laudatory, but Reed is too self-congratulatory about this, and about how iconoclastic and liberal and free-thinking it believes itself to be. There's a pervasive, studied, non-ironic, self-indulgent, counter-culture miasma. Sometimes it's all a bit much. Reed prides itself on being "different," but it's not a place where someone who's different from the Reed norm can easily feel comfortable. In this way, it's not very tolerant of diversity. There was no shortage of pot, alcohol, and hard drugs (especially during Renn Fayre). Reed provided a safe atmosphere for me to try some of this. There was also lots of admiring talk about drugs that few people ever experienced (in awed and mystical tones, some referred to "Bromo" -- strong and scary, mind-altering stuff that a Reed student had apparently invented in a chemistry lab). On campus, there wasn't much conversation about contemporary issues or much linkage with the wider Portland community -- the place is incredibly inward-looking. Fortunately, campus is pretty to look at - green, ivy-covered, even stately. Unfortunately, it's also a bit run down. I walked through the grounds a couple years ago and saw more broken basement windows, cobwebs, peeling paint, and litter than I would have expected. There have been spates of student suicides during Reed's history. I don't know whether this is a bigger problem than at other liberal-arts colleges, but it's hard not to wonder about the influence of perpetual cloudiness, near-constant drizzle, low skies, prolonged winter darkness, recreational drugs, interminable pressure to study, insularity, and the number of socially awkward kids who enroll. I got a great education at Reed. I suspect I would have been happier, however, and received an equally good education if I had attended a more conventional school where there was a bit more sunshine. There are many fine schools with better opportunities for a more balanced life (any of the Ivy Leagues; most of the highly-ranked US News and World Report liberal arts colleges; and even lots of big state schools, many of which have liberal arts programs that try to capture the feel of life in a small college -- if this is what one wants). Lots of alumni love Reed. Perhaps the place has changed. Many, though not all, of these observations reflect personal experience, opinion, values, predilections, and the nature of my adolescence. While I had happy times, adventures, and great friends at Reed, somehow these just don't figure as prominently in my memory as how forlorn and angst-ridden I felt. I have gone on to have a wonderful family, and a fulfilling and successful career. But most telling about my attitude is that I would not encourage any of my own children to attend Reed -- or even visit it.ering!

Reed is an incredibly good school academically, which is what unifies everyone on the campus. The coursework is extremely rigorous and most of the week is devoted to school. Because there are so many smart and neurotic people at Reed, the social environment can be very polarizing. Each person at this school is an individual with strong opinions, which can create conflict. This small and intense atmosphere can get claustrophobic, but as the years go on the small size can pay off.The social and academic tension is alleviated at the end of the year in one of the biggest private parties in America, Renn Fayre, in which students indulge and a campus-wide party for 3 days. You eventually come to know almost everyone, which can be great if they're your friends. The majority of students are liberal and wealthy, making political conversations a bit boring. This often leads to people picking up eccentric causes such as the campaign for gender-neutral bathrooms. Many people choose to live off-campus, in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, because of limited student housing and cultural preference. The neighborhood around Reed is wealthy and somewhat quiet.

Good academics, plush amenities in the good dorms, beautiful campus, immature and socially unaware kids

Best thing about Reed: the terrifying work/the brilliant people/the beautiful and supportive environment (three-way ties are allowed, right?)! One thing I'd change: I grew up in a predominantly African-American community, so the change to Portland was weeeeird. I mean, I love me some white people too...but dang! Portland and Reed could both do with a diversity tune-up. Size issues: Reed is the PERFECT size. Almost all most classes are itsy-bitsy (especially now that I've made the move into upper-division stuff), but I still meet new people all the time. Yay! Where I spend my time: this question is soooo easy. I divide my time between the Library and the Theatre. And I couldn't be happier about it! Unusual: where to begin? There are tonstonstons of things that are genuinely weird about Reed. Doyle Owl, Renn Fayre, late-night conversations, the Student Union's couch swing or couch seesaw, the beautiful Canyon down the center, the nutria (eek!) in the Canyon (nutria are giant water rats, fyi), RKSK stim table, the thesis tower, and everything. Seriously, there's so much...

One of the best things about Reed is Portland. The perfect city, I think.

Reed is an anachronism. Students know their professors first names, read Plato and Augustine, and write a senior thesis. A small liberal arts college it is. Sometimes it seems to small, but I can't imagine myself anywhere else. The people here are amazing, and I love them. Nowhere else will you see signs that say "SOON IT WILL BE RENN FAYRE AND I WILL KISS ALL OF YOU", and nowhere else will those signs fill your entire being with anticipation. However, if I were a different person, I would probably be miserable here. Reed is not an easy place to go to, and a lot of people drop out or transfer before their junior year. It's not for everybody. Some people leave because the academics are too hard for them, and some people leave because the students that I think are so amazing seem like condescending, intellectual assholes with no grasp on the real world. And still other people leave because they'd rather be climbing mountains in Alaska. So, beware before you apply. As for the world directly outside of Reed, that's pretty awesome too. Unlike most small liberal arts colleges, Reed is not in the middle of nowhere. Portland, Oregon, is the greatest city in the world and one of the weirdest too, but most students (especially the freshmen), don't take advantage of it. Reed tends to create a "bubble", out of which it is seemingly hard to escape but is actually quite easy if you try. I recommend going to the Hotcake House at least once before you leave.

The best thing about Reed is the conference-style classes. Ten to sixteen people in a room together, all of whom have read the material, all of whom have understood it, all of whom have a passionate opinion about it and want to talk. Ideally, anyway. The professors are angels. They love their subjects and they respect their students. They're some of the smartest people I've ever met. We also have an honor code. Professors give closed-book take-home final exams. I love the feeling of being trusted instead of coerced. There are no fraternities, sororities, or intercollegiate sports teams, which is a big plus in my book. On the bad side, there's a pathetic lack of racial diversity. The way I see it, we're competing with the Ivy League in academic rigor and with Berkeley in dirty-hippieness. We acquit ourselves well on both counts.

One of the biggest and most important components of life at Reed is the honor principle, a code of life followed by the reed community both consciously and unconsciously. At its core the honor principle is the rational ideal of: "do no harm". The result of this community-wide pact is a sort of transcendence of rules: why have rules when everyone has agreed to be nice to everyone else? The down-side of this is most visible in the current drug culture at Reed: social norms differ from actual government law. The community is perhaps at times too tolerant of deviant behavior. The upside: weirdness is tolerated at all levels; people are accepting of whoever you want to be. There is a lot of room to be creative and not be held back by silly rules.

I love campus, its beautiful and there's always things to do. One thing i would change though, is that people become crazy once they notice they are away from home and completely independent.

I adore Reed. It was just the right fit for me. The funny thing is, a number of people with whom I became incredibly close, decided that it wasn't the best thing for them, and have recently decided to take some time off and travel. All of them had their reasons, but their reasons never applied to me. Reed is a place that you should not stay at if you feel unhappy; it's too much money and you're missing out on a college experience you could enjoy. But from what I've seen, you don't just like Reed, you love it. There is no mid-ground. I think that Reed was right for me because the Academic department I chose (English) is excellent, therefore the work excites me, and the social atmosphere is one of so much vitality. There are people everywhere just wanting to express themselves, to sit out on the front lawn naked if they want, smoking a hookah, or spend a night in a library pouring over textbooks. It's your choice, and you can have both, which I love.

When I tell people that I'm a student at Reed College, the response is usually accompanied by a question mark. Many people have not heard of the college, most likely because of its size. Educators, on the other hand, usually respond with a smile and a nod. Like me, they know of the relentless hard work that goes into being a student at Reed. Sometimes they are surprised that I of all people would choose this college. You see, I'm not now nor have I ever been socially awkward. I love to learn, but not when I am tired, hungry, restless or hungover. I love sports, and Reed has few to offer me. The point of all of this is that though Reed does attract a very distinct student body, we are not all the same in every respect. The one common thread, perhaps, is that we are all nerds at heart.

Reed is a great place to explore and grow up some before entering the “real world”. They don’t shelter you by any means, but you are exposed to all sorts of interesting people with diverse hobbies. Once at a friend’s house I met a Reedie who grew up with his dad in a teepee. This sort of experience isn’t that uncommon. In addition, there are all sorts of student groups building and fixing bikes, brewing beer, fire dancing, “buildering” (aka climbing buildings as well as outdoor trips), planning a Cascadian revolution, you name it. Students are incredible creative and frequently have the industriousness to get projects done. These include establishing comic book libraries, building amazing art projects, or providing free condoms and sex ed classes to every dorm every year. However, Reedies seem to focus on the campus and projects that will make the campus a better place. Political activism or much interest in bettering the community outside of Reed isn’t seen as much. However, the academics are great. You’ll be exposed to all sorts of new ideas in your classes that frequently actually change your outlook on the world. The one downside is that it’s tough to leave such a creative and interesting community after graduation.

HOW DO PEOPLE REACT WHEN I SAY I GO TO REED? Varying responses. Some coo, "Oh, you must be an intellectual" which I laugh off (but of course, who doesn't like hearing that?) and some relentlessly tease about how I must toke up all the time -- in spite of my NEVER having even tried illegal drugs. I will admit, then, that as someone straight-edge, I find this reputation irksome. Some explain it as an interest in exploring that if your mind's perceptions are only really a dance of chemicals in your brain, then wouldn't it be interesting to see how its interpretation of environmental sensory input can be colored and morphed? They see it as an exercise in 'feeling' your conscious experience. As drugs are so taboo in our culture, I admit I don't know much about them, but I'm simply afraid of addiction or things being laced etc. in commodities that cannot be regulated. INQUISITIVE, INTELLECTUALLY-CURIOUS, HARD-WORKING STUDENT BODY: This is by far the school's best asset, or at least on the same level as its wonderful, crazy-intense academics. Students at Reed are some of the most interesting, sincere, eclectic people I've ever met in my life, who go on to take exciting if even circuitous pathways in life, sometimes entirely unrelated to what they studied in college! For example, an alum I know majored in biology but then went on to get an MBA from Cornell, and now he is the CEO of a banking firm. Reedies are thoughtful and take their work seriously for its intrinsic value -- NOT to one-up a classmate to have the best grade to get into some highfalutin grad school to achieve outstanding eminence and acclaim. While many DO achieve national awards of distinction, this is not what drives them to learn. Rather, it is an appreciation of knowledge's inherent value that is the most unifying commonality among this student body.

Reed is a small community and that gives us access to a lot of wonderful things and a lot of not so wonderful things. We have very open, personal relationships with our professors, which is really wonderful and fast becoming a rarity across American Colleges. The student body polices itself through the Honor Principle. A very basic statement of the Golden Rule. Violators of the Honor Principle may be taken to J-Board and the Honor Council, but for the most part, we take care of our own. The small community means that you can literally know everyone. This means that while at larger schools there is an endless amount of new people to meet and new groups to reinvent yourself in, here when you've burned a bridge you feel the loss for four years.

Reed sits on 116 acres in SE Portland - a beautiful residential neighborhood with nearby boutiques, a Trader Joe's, coffee shops, movie and concert theaters, a rhododendron garden, bike trails, and waterfalls. The feeling is small-town, safe, friendly, and eco- and health-conscious. Downtown Portland is readily accessible in about 20 minutes by bus, or a little longer or a little shorter by bike. Within the Reed campus, 100s of species and ~1400 students coexist peacefully amongst the library ("Hauser Fun Dome"), Commons, the Chinese House, and Reed Canyon (which spans the campus from east to west and cradles woods and a small lake). For me, the Reed Canyon is Reed's most endearing trait. In the spring, yellow touch-me-nots flood the floor of the canyon, curbed by only the eddying streams of criss-crossing water. Alders, huge-leafed maples, and demure oak trees stand quiet witness in the golden afternoon light. The large green stilted theater perches over the stream as you walk in its shadow and feel the coolness flowing from the cavern it creates over the water. This was my trail home to the Chinese House every afternoon in my sophomore year. I took a leave of absence from Reed after my sophomore year so that I could teach English in China and learn more about the country I was making such a large part of my life. What I left just in time to miss was a massive, although important, construction plan to develop "my side" of the Reed campus. The plan involves adding 4 more much-needed dormitories (on top of what used to be Reed's age-old community garden, the communal patch of which is where I fed myself on many a late evening), a new coffee shop, relocating the quaint and verdant Chinese House to join the other language houses, and building a suspension bridge right above the trail I took through the Canyon. Alas for me, growth is an inherent and inevitable part of this type of society we call capitalist, and as with most human growth, little pieces of nature like "my" piece of the Reed Canyon tend to go by the wayside. In the Reed College administration's defense, however, the buildings are being built with "the environment" in mind. From the Reed magazine, "the project’s 'green' features included landscaping that filters storm water runoff into a natural spring, and ventilation stacks built to resemble chimneys that will cool the buildings naturally, in addition to an array of environmentally sensitive materials such as flooring, window glass, and roof tiles." And construction of the new foot-bridge "is being planned to minimize environmental impact on the canyon below: its piers will sit on opposite edges of the canyon, and its curves will skirt most mature trees in its path." The buildings will qualify for LEED (I think "silver") certification. Hopefully those Reedies of future generations will find the Reed Canyon as pristine and magical a place as I did.

Fuck me, where to begin? Reed will drive you crazy. If it doesn't, you didn't do it right. It's small, it's intense, and it's lovely. It's a haven for displaced and disenchanted intellectuals and we like it that way. Portland is a funny town that prides itself on housing wackjobs. The most wackjobs in any given place anywhere in the world. We like it that way. The big picture is simply that... Reed is crazy. I can't emphasize that enough.

Reed is only just becoming nationally renowned, naturally this is causing the academic quality of the institution to fall. Indeed it seems that the president is no longer interested in the learning experience and is moving towards increasing capital. That being said, Reed has some of the best teachers in the United States. As a science major, it is very easy to go to class in the morning and ask the professor what he meant when he wrote in his text book. There is an intimate student teacher relationship to be had with most professors. The class sizes are obscenely small, there was one chemistry class that had four students total. I would say that the college campus is very open and forgiving, but times are changing fast, and soon Reed will be no different than any other famous liberal arts college. The bottom line is if you enjoy learning, truly, and not because you enjoy seeing A's on your report card, then Reed is the college for you. If you come here expecting a 4.0 you will be very very disappointed. As for the most amazing experience at Reed, I could comment, but as I've alluded to in a not-so-subversive way, Reed is changing, and this experience may not be available to the incoming class. Thus I say, come to Reed and see for yourself what it is like. DO NOT GO TO REED FOR THE NAME. You will hate your existence if you go to Reed just to say you went to Reed. It works for easier schools like Harvard. But remember, Reed students drop out to go there ;-)

Reed is a pretty small campus with a little more than a thousand students. As a result, Reed is very communal and it's easy to know people. It's a pretty laid back place where working and studying are important, but not to the point where people can't have fun. The organizations on Reed aren't very proactive, so activists may want to reconsider coming here. Most of the student body is very apathetic when it comes to activism and usually the activists on campus are part of larger organizations in the Portland area. Reed has been accused of being very post-activism.

Reed is amazing! It is a small community so you always feel at home. Professors know your name and are very available to talk- they really want you to do well and are passionate about the material. There is a heavy workload but it is manageable and if you love to explore new ideas this is the place for you. Reed is not for everyone but I think if you like it you love it.