Reed College Top Questions

reed is a very specific kind of school, and it has earned the respect of a lot of people. when i tell others that i attend reed, they are either unfamiliar with it (because of its size), or they are very impressed. it has high standards, and it's challenging but very supportive. i say that it is specific because not everybody can deal with the academic or social rigors of reed, so the school does a good job of only accepting students who can handle it, but that tends to lead to a very narrow demographic. the students tend to be very politically liberal with a generally open attitude towards drug use. reed isn't like it was in the old days, but the fact that drug use has declined doesn't mean that it isn't still an integral part of reed culture, and probably reed has a more prolific drug culture than most campuses in the nation. however, it is still easy to be completely removed from that scene and have a very clean experience at reed. also, although reed is in portland, which is a beautiful and stimulating city, most reedies who live on campus rarely leave it. this is probably because everything you might need can be found at reed or within a few blocks of it, but also there are always copious amounts of homework to be done, which sucks up the available time in a day.

Reed offers a fantastic education, possibly unparalleled by other undergrad colleges/universities. The student body feels a little too small, but this makes for small class sizes and intimate academic conversations. When I tell people I go to read they either raise their eyebrows and approvingly say, "Ohhh," or, "You have to be very smart to go to Reed," or they ask: "Is that a community college?" In other words, if they know the school they think highly of it; otherwise they haven't heard of Reed. Most Reedies spend most of their time at the library, or else say that they do. Students complain that they have too much work, that they haven't gotten enough sleep.

The classes are good, but could be a little smaller. I have only had one small class in my four years here.

The best thing about Reed is that you really get a sense that you're at COLLEGE. The buildings are old and made of brick (well, at least some of them), and a lot of the professors wear courderoy pants and almost never take their noses out of books. The other truly great thing about Reed is the conference. Although I've only had maybe 2-3 that really worked- when everyone participates and doesn't just watch shyly from a corner of the table- the discussion can be really fulfilling and exciting. The downside is that it's getting to be less and less like this as Reed allows in more students. The constant new construction over this year has been irritating, and is only going to make class sizes increase as we allow for class sizes to continue to grow. This also means larger conferences which often are harder to control and to participate in. Losing this would, in my mind, be losing the essence of Reed.

The best thing about Reed is that it is an entirely unique place. I often wonder what other schools must be like in comparison. At Reed, anything goes, and there will always be people to both support and challenge you. Reed is a passionate place. When I tell people from my hometown that I go there, no one has ever heard of it. In Portland, people may say, "Oh...that's a hard school to get into, right?" The funny thing is that I don't think anyone applied to Reed because they thought it would be difficult to get in, or because they wanted to impress people. People go to Reed because of the vision it presents to them, and they stay because what they actually experience there clicks with them. I spend most of my time on campus in the library, like most people. The library lobby is a great place to meet up with people and socialize. It often feels like the hub of campus. There is a lot of school pride at Reed because everyone is so dedicated to this school. Even if your relationship to Reed is love/hate, the love part is usually strong enough to make you want to preserve this quirky place. The most frequent student complaint is, "I have so much work to do." Followed by, "The drug and alcohol policy is actually getting enforced!" And then, "Reedies are so awkward." The first and last of these are said with a sort of resigned pride, however. It is a way to relate with people in a common environment. As for the drug and alcohol policy, I think people will always be debating that one. We have incredible freedom here to experience drugs and alcohol, but people want to make sure that freedom is not being restrained due to liability or concern over the college's public face. Related to that freedom, perhaps one of the most unique institutional aspects of Reed, is the Honor Principle. There is no strict definition of the Honor Principle. It is something that is continually being worked out within individuals and among groups. The Honor Principle does not tolerate stealing, plagiarizing, harming other people, being disrespectful, defacing the property of others, etc. Its exact nuances are always up for interpretation, but it is a principle and a sense that is woven throughout Reed. I think it is more about a sense of goodwill than a set of rules.

As a starry-eyed freshman, I came to Reed a semester ago with a pretty idealistic image of Reed. There are some things about Reed that I was completely wrong about, people that I wish weren't here. However, I remain in awe with Reed, and can't think of any other school that can even compare. I love the size of the school. I believe that a college should be small enough so that most faces are recognizable, which is why I applied to mostly small liberal arts schools (Grinnell, Bates, Carleton, Whitman, etc). Class sizes are small, which is great. The reactions I get when I tell them that I go to Reed are variable, but predictable. When I'm with more intellectual people, they tend to be impressed. When I'm outside intellectual spheres, most people haven't heard of Reed, or they comment on Reed's "weirdness," often in a negative way. The biggest controversy on campus seems to be acceptance. Reedies tend to be liberals that were brought up in very safe environments, so they believe that "we are post-everything." Many Reedies have a hard time believing that racism, sexism, and class issues still exist. There is a lot of school pride. Reedies know they are smart and aren't afraid to show it, especially off-campus.

I will always remember those romantic weekly bubble baths with my dormies. Then there was that time we abducted a prospie. Oh, Reed.

I love Reed because the college treats their students like adults. Reed gives us almost unchecked personal liberty - as regulated by the Honor Principle - and encourages us to solve community problems as a community, without jumping first to institutional intervention. As a high school senior, I was picking between military schools and civilian colleges, and surprisingly, the school with the most cultural overlap was Reed. No other school so rigorously embraced the responsibility demanded of the student body quite like Reed. Reed's small campus can be somewhat aggravating, if only because it gets tiring to see the same kids on campus every day of the week. This is a problem inherent in most small schools, and to be totally fair I could spend more time in Portland if I was really so bothered by it, but I suppose I can't mind it that much if I stay on campus most weekends. Speaking of which, Portland is amazing. I could not have asked for a better city to go to school in. It is inexpensive, absolutely loaded with great restaurants, and beautiful, to top it off. Plus, Portlanders are just about as quirky as Reed students, so it's a nice fit.

The best thing about Reed is the incredible people, including faculty. In my 7 months here, I have met a huge number of talented, motivated, and flat out interesting students, faculty, and professors. Everyone has some quirk that makes them interesting to talk to. The size of the school is perfect, in my opinion; it is easy to know a large number of people and still make close friends easily. When I tell people where I go to college, I get a huge spectrum of responses. From "Reed? Where's that?" to "Wow!" The school is definitely under appreciated (for now), but the people who know about Reed generally recognize it as the academically rigorous place it is. Essentially, I would say: Know that you will fit in; be prepared to work hard; be prepared to be accepting of other people; and get ready for a truly unique experience.