Reed College

Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, is a very progressive and very selective liberal arts college of 1500 students. The campus is lovely and you would never guess that you are in the middle of a city. Only 8% of Reed students come from Oregon, they draw from every state in the union and we were told that students travel further to come to Reed than any other college in the US! This is a very intellectual student body and they are looking for students who are excited about what they're learning. The student who stays after class to talk to their teacher more about the subject matter is the student that Reed wants on their campus. In fact, Reed is one of the top 5 PhD producing universities in the country - the other 4 are Caltech, MIT, Harvey Mudd and Swarthmore. Grades are deemphasized here; students never see their grades unless they ask for them because it's thought that grades change students' relationship with learning. It's a culture of achievement, not competition. To that end, all students complete a thesis as a graduation requirement.

While one thinks of protests when one thinks of Portland these days, we were told that Reed is more libertarian than liberal; they highly value independent thought and seek religious and cultural diversity. They encourage working within systems because it's better to be collaborative than confrontational, and they are looking for students who build community and students who create spaces for others. They also believe it is vitally important to learn how to have civil discussions in college. Reed has a reputation for quirky students and I think it's a reputation that is well deserved. However, we were told that quirky is a byproduct, not the goal of the admissions department. Frankly they seemed uncomfortable with that label and it sounded to me like they wouldn't mind diversifying in that regard. However there are zero varsity athletic teams at Reed so that could be an uphill battle. They do have club sports, though, and a ski lodge at the base of Mount Hood.

Regarding admissions, we were told they love getting excited when they read a great essay. They meet 100% of demonstrated need but they are need aware. They do track demonstrated interest, and believe the highest form of it is early decision. Lastly, we were told that if you do well it read you'll do well anywhere. And I believe it.