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The fall 2020 acceptance rate for Reed College is 31%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020 , _____ students were offered admission. The number of males who applied was _____ vs the number of females which was _____.
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Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?
Certainly, some (many, even) Reedies exhibit these traits in some combination, though there remain many people with perfectly respectable social skills, along with a fairly conventional social structure that does include groups (not just "free-spirited" lone rangers), and many of us do manage to walk without falling down (very often) despite our burgeoning intellects.
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What are the academics like at your school?
Oh how education at Reed is geared toward learning for its own sake! Some would say too much, though I think those are the people who might want to consider going to school somewhere else. We are not a pre-professional institution, though we might be considered a pre-professorial institution. Reed's curriculum is generally theory-driven, which isn't for everyone; some people begin to feel like they're not learning anything useful. I, on the other hand, find that mastering the theory in your field is incredibly rewarding and prepares you to confront a wider range of issues than you might otherwise have been able to understand.
And of course it prepares you for those intellectual conversations that Reedies most certainly do have outside of class. Because, I think, most of us genuinely care about our fields and genuinely believe that what we're studying is important, the ideas we're working with naturally come up in our personal conversations. We don't leave our work at the door, it's part of who we are.
My professors do know my name and I do spend time with some of them outside of class. I have met here some of the wisest people I know, and some of those conversations with professors outside of class have been life-changing, honestly, because some of the smartest people in the world, essentially, have paid attention to my work and my life and offered their wisdom. They've helped me become better, not just at my academic work, but at understanding and owning my potential in all realms of my life.
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What is the stereotype of students at your school?
They are socially retarded and incredibly smart. They smoke too many cigarettes and don't get enough sleep. They smell bad and look like shit.
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What is your overall opinion of this school?
Certainly one of my favorite things about Reed is how much Reedies love it. I have not often had the privilege of being a part of a community that is so proud of what is it capable of, that so deeply wants to be a community, and that cares so much about what being a part of that community means. Reedies have by no means universally agreed upon what our community means, and that's part of what's so wonderful about it: we take the time and spend the energy to get together and talk about what being a community means to us, and about what our responsibility is to that community, to ourselves and each other.
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Describe the students at your school.
Liberal, open-minded, and quirky.
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What are the most popular student activities/groups?
Reed has an incredible and amusing array of traditions. We kick off each year with a Noise Parade, which basically means that we get together, often dressed in masks, or only paint, and parade around campus, making noise however we can, banging on pots and pans, playing trumpets and bagpipes, and, well, riding bikes that have been lit on fire. Then we convene in the quad and have a massive, tribal dance party, with a Reed-historical-allegorically-charged play.
There's also HumPlay, which occurs near the end of the spring semester each year. This "play" is purportedly a review session for the Humanities 110 (the class that all freshmen must take, on ancient Greece and Rome), and it is filled with raunchy humour, much nudity, and inspires much drunk, ever-so-nerdy bonding. Because we're in a room filled with pretty much the only other people on the planet who are going to get these jokes. And think they're funny. And for that, we're very lucky.
Finally, there's the big one: Renn Fayre. Three days of school-sponsored bacchanalia, replete with thesis-burning, costume-wearing, crazy dancing, fireworks, a bug-eating contest, and a Glow Opera (wherein players outfitted in glowstick costumes perform in the dark to the amusement of students both under and "over" the influence). This weekend brings us all together to celebrate a successful year, to lay in the sun together without work hanging over our heads, to congratulate our graduating seniors, and to dance our asses off. It's basically our very own mini-Burning Man. It is, I think, one of the last places where people still party like that, without Dead shows or a decent Woodstock, we manage to recapture that spirit of celebration and camaraderie.
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Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!
Reed is really awesome. I would not like to go anywhere else. I just wish I didn't have to fulfill the science requirement.
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What should every freshman at your school know before they start?
Be more comfortable with yourself- this place is perfect for you and you should remember that the people here are the best of the best, and you are too.
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Describe how your school looks to someone who's never seen it.
Reed is a hippie-liberal, small, private school in Portland for nerds who want to become professors or experts in a non-practical academic field.
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What's unique about your campus?
The people and the professors, the campus and the excellent education.
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What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about your school?
When I tell my friends about Reed, I mostly mention how much fun I am having in my classes. Not only am I learning a lot of interesting stuff, but the information is presented in a variety of formats, each designed to catch different foci.
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Why did you decide to go to this school?
A student explains why he chose to come to Reed College.
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What kind of person should attend this school?
Weird, Nerdy, and Friendly people should come to Reed. In general, the standard Reedie is someone who would not fit in anywhere else, and usually did not fit in wherever they just were. If you've always felt weird and geeky, this really is the school for you. These will be your people.
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What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?
The lack of diversity racially, politically, and at times even academically, in terms of how many classes they offer within each department.
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What's the dating scene like?
Here are some of the couches where couples can often be found on making out.
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Describe your favorite campus traditions.
Its academics. When I first visited Reed, I spoke to a student who had gone to Harvard for a year, but then ended up at Reed. She told me how much more she loved the entire atmosphere at Reed, even though the academic standard was so much higher here. And it is. Reed is an incredible school for students who are truly interested in learning, discussing, and exploring. Only people who are serious about education should come here.
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What kind of person should not attend this school?
For those looking to graduate and enter the workforce after your Bachelor's, those with strong conervative viewpoints, or anyone who is currently sturggling with existing courswork or not looking for academic challenges, this is not the school for you,
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Describe the dorms.
In this video I filmed the best and worst dorms on Reed College campus.
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What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?
Stereotypes are never completely accurate, but might sometimes have a grain of truth. The stereotype that Reed is academically demanding is accurate (although some courses are more demanding than others). The stereotype that Reed has lots of drug use is also accurate (although this probably applies to a minority of students). The stereotype that Reed students are quirky also has some truth (but, again, most are pretty normal).
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What's the most frustrating thing about your school?
As with any political environment, there are people who get offended fairly easily. In this environment those are people touchy about any sort of racial, sexually-oriented, etc. comment. I'm a part of a campus improv comedy troupe, and any time we make anything even mentioning a race, even if we're not making a joke about it, we see backlash.
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