Reed college

[Anonymous]

Reed looks like a good fit for my DS, but it's relatively low graduation rate is concerning. Their material claims that it's because they are so rigorous, but that doesn't seem believable and/or they should prepare their students to be successful in their comps and thesis. Anyone have insight?

[Anonymous]

Reed’s student body is not quite as “crunchy” as UofO (Eugene), but it’s close.

[Anonymous]

Reed really is sui generis.

The academic rigor is no joke. It has an excellent reputation as a feeder to doctoral programs for a reason, and attracts serious students. However, those students are typically not super high stats to begin with and may struggle to adjust to such high expectations. This is especially the case when it comes to completing the mandatory senior thesis and qualifying exams for certain majors. The level of intensity is very, very high.

Culturally Reed has a counter-culture vibe and very open drug culture. Students may find that they do, or do not, adjust well to this as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reed really is sui generis.

The academic rigor is no joke. It has an excellent reputation as a feeder to doctoral programs for a reason, and attracts serious students. However, those students are typically not super high stats to begin with and may struggle to adjust to such high expectations. This is especially the case when it comes to completing the mandatory senior thesis and qualifying exams for certain majors. The level of intensity is very, very high.

Culturally Reed has a counter-culture vibe and very open drug culture. Students may find that they do, or do not, adjust well to this as well.

Can you explain more? I would expect serious students to have been serious students in high school and therefore have high stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reed’s student body is not quite as “crunchy” as UofO (Eugene), but it’s close.

+1

Many drop out after too much weed and partying.

[Anonymous]

What the poster said about it being like Eugene OR. There are other schools if you want your kid to finish

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed really is sui generis.

The academic rigor is no joke. It has an excellent reputation as a feeder to doctoral programs for a reason, and attracts serious students. However, those students are typically not super high stats to begin with and may struggle to adjust to such high expectations. This is especially the case when it comes to completing the mandatory senior thesis and qualifying exams for certain majors. The level of intensity is very, very high.

Culturally Reed has a counter-culture vibe and very open drug culture. Students may find that they do, or do not, adjust well to this as well.

Can you explain more? I would expect serious students to have been serious students in high school and therefore have high stats.

When we looked into it, 3.6 GPA and up had strong chance of admission (4.0 weighted). Reed is unusual in being not only TO but test blind. Most students do not submit scores; Reed won't even provide the percentage of students who submit. So, the seemingly high score ranges on their data page are meaningless. Those scores might belong to the top 5-10% who do submit scores.

I'm not saying the students are weak, and the 27% acceptance rate does indicate selectivity. But these are not necessarily the very high stats kids that seem to be a dime a dozen in the DMV. Bright kids who can grow in such a rigorous academic environment, absolutely. But they're not necessarily starting on third base, which might make the very high rigor a challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reed looks like a good fit for my DS, but it's relatively low graduation rate is concerning. Their material claims that it's because they are so rigorous, but that doesn't seem believable and/or they should prepare their students to be successful in their comps and thesis. Anyone have insight?

Is your kid high-achieving and good about getting things done, or does he need a lot of prodding? If the former, he will do well and graduate on time. If he is the type to procrastinate, I would be more worried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed looks like a good fit for my DS, but it's relatively low graduation rate is concerning. Their material claims that it's because they are so rigorous, but that doesn't seem believable and/or they should prepare their students to be successful in their comps and thesis. Anyone have insight?

Is your kid high-achieving and good about getting things done, or does he need a lot of prodding? If the former, he will do well and graduate on time. If he is the type to procrastinate, I would be more worried.

He has ADHD so does tend to procrastinate, but always gets things done without prodding. He's happiest when allowed to go deep into a subject of his choice. For example, in 9th grade, he wrote a 15 page research paper in history class on a subject he chose, and he loved doing it.

[Anonymous]

I suspect there’s a bit of a mismatch between Reed’s rigor and its applicant pool. Reed has publicly and for many years rejected participation in USNWR rankings — a stance I respect btw. USNWR responded by dropping their rank beyond what seems reasonable given the quality of their education. In today’s day and age, the highest performing hs students — unless they are a rare and very confident type — tend to want schools that are ranked very highly. So there’s a fundamental tension there.

The good news is that there are a good number of extremely smart high school students who do march to the beat of their own drum, and they get terrific educations at Reed. The rigor is real. Not everyone is prepared for it, but if your kid is a curious, independent thinker who is willing to work hard, they might love it.

Also I don’t know that the drug culture reputation holds up these days. I think it’s more of a “no judgement” and self-governance place. Definitely not a peer-pressure place from my understanding and a recent graduate.

[Anonymous]

This is a school you must visit, OP. You and your DS will be able to tell whether it's a good fit after seeing the vibe and talking with current students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reed looks like a good fit for my DS, but it's relatively low graduation rate is concerning. Their material claims that it's because they are so rigorous, but that doesn't seem believable and/or they should prepare their students to be successful in their comps and thesis. Anyone have insight?

Is your kid high-achieving and good about getting things done, or does he need a lot of prodding? If the former, he will do well and graduate on time. If he is the type to procrastinate, I would be more worried.

He has ADHD so does tend to procrastinate, but always gets things done without prodding. He's happiest when allowed to go deep into a subject of his choice. For example, in 9th grade, he wrote a 15 page research paper in history class on a subject he chose, and he loved doing it.

That’s a tough one. You know your kid. If he is really interested in the subject it could be a plus compared to a different type of school. Reed is a great school, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect there’s a bit of a mismatch between Reed’s rigor and its applicant pool. Reed has publicly and for many years rejected participation in USNWR rankings — a stance I respect btw. USNWR responded by dropping their rank beyond what seems reasonable given the quality of their education. In today’s day and age, the highest performing hs students — unless they are a rare and very confident type — tend to want schools that are ranked very highly. So there’s a fundamental tension there.

The good news is that there are a good number of extremely smart high school students who do march to the beat of their own drum, and they get terrific educations at Reed. The rigor is real. Not everyone is prepared for it, but if your kid is a curious, independent thinker who is willing to work hard, they might love it.

Also I don’t know that the drug culture reputation holds up these days. I think it’s more of a “no judgement” and self-governance place. Definitely not a peer-pressure place from my understanding and a recent graduate.

Wish Reed offered merit aid. Tough to consider without — as a donut hole family — while WASP and the like seem like a safer investment. I know Reed is a better school than their admission peers, but most schools with that tier of admissions difficulty offer merit. Ultimately, this was the reason DS did not apply.

[Anonymous]

Based on survey information, Reed places notably highly for classroom experience:

Best Colleges for Classroom Experience | The Princeton Review https://share.google/kjoJWRZR5mCDrJtUN

[Anonymous]

How about Lewis and Clark?
Portland State?