I’m a Reedie, as is my spouse. Granted, we graduated long enough ago that we now have two kids in college ourselves, so we don’t really know what students there are like these days. But in our time at Reed, although there were plenty of “quirky” or unusual students, we had lots of peers who were just regular young adults. Progressive and pretty crunchy (it’s the PNW, after all) but not “weird”. We and our respective friend groups were pretty normal— though very hard workers in and out of the classroom— and those we’ve kept in touch with have gone on to have interesting and fulfilling careers. I wish my kids would have considered it, but it wouldn’t have been the right fit for either of them.

Really too bad you can’t visit.

Great school if you want to go into academia. Their academic reputation is very strong. Less so for other fields that LACs can be strong in, such as finance. But I don’t think Reed students are the type to go into finance anyways.

(PP) *right, not write!

Anonymous wrote:I live in Portland and have dfs who went to Reed, work in government. The kids are nice around town and it’s a very pretty school. Weird reputation but nice and very smart

Also live in Portland, and this is write. The weirdness is overstated, I think. I mean, yeah, some proportion of students will have colored hair and dress in ways that would stick out in a conservative bank. But they're smart and overall nice.

What are your other options?

I live in Portland and have dfs who went to Reed, work in government. The kids are nice around town and it’s a very pretty school. Weird reputation but nice and very smart

Anonymous wrote:Looks good if you can afford the plane tickets. So far away.

If you can afford Reed, you can afford plane tickets to Portland.

Looks good if you can afford the plane tickets. So far away.

Reed was the first school I heard of to start announcing pronouns, I think. Like, Hi, I'm Jennifer and my pronouns are she/her.

They're very outdoorsy and indulging in their quirkiness. Like, go camping, but bring homemade kombucha and sit around reading obscure poetry by the fire.

Email the admissions office to connect you with a student. It’s super easy, and they’re very nice.

Anonymous wrote:What about Vassar?

However, we don't know whether or not the OP's child applied to Vassar.

What about Vassar?

Very.

Weird > normal

How weird is Reed?  Is this a: "If you're asking, it's too expensive" situation?

High stat DD (1570, 3.95UW) seeking the most intellectual, seminar style, humanities leaning, LAC experience possible.

Quirky, but relatively mainstream (capped at three piercings per ear, natural hair color and no tattoos (yet), Survivor tv fan, and attire consisting of Adidas, cargo pants, and name brand hoodie).  PNW native, but grew up NE private.

Accepted at Reed, but visiting is probably not going to work out.  Visited, but didn't love Oberlin and Oxy, and opted not to apply.

Is Reed just too much?  Too over the top?  Of her Accepted options, it seems like it potentially has the highest ceiling, but also maybe the lowest floor and biggest bust potential.  

Is there room for normal at Reed?