<p>I was also worried about the graduation rate when I was applying to Reed, but many people told me the same thing I’m going to tell you: As long as you are a hard–or even just consistent–worker and know what you’re doing, you’re going to graduate on time.</p>
<p>The reason some people take longer than 4 years to graduate is that they take time off and spread their eight semesters over more than four years. I think that’s more common than simply staying at Reed too long. In any case, the main reasons people take time off or struggle to graduate is that they don’t do their research/come to Reed for the wrong reasons and find the actual academic expectations too high; that they want to take time off for their own sake, to do non-academic things they find exciting or for their health; and that they’re double-majoring or switch majors too late.</p>
<p>As long as you are willing to work every day and plan ahead, you will have no trouble graduating on time. The administration has been trying to raise the graduation rate; it’s in its best interests to make graduating on time as easy as possible, which is why you’ll find a lot of institutional support.</p>
<p>There are events and things to do pretty much all the time. I don’t know when you visited or how your host treated you, but normally finding people to hang out with is really not a problem, and simply a matter of willingness. I’m an introvert and it took me about a semester to really get going socially, but now I know and am on good terms with people everywhere on campus and wouldn’t feel awkward or unwelcome at any Reed party. Organizations that put on regular events where you might meet new people include the MCR (multicultural resource center), the theme dorms and language houses (I lived in the substance-free dorm for two years, which is the least threatening environment imaginable), the offices for institutional diversity and international students, the Feminist Student Union and various black and Asian societies, and student clubs like ARG, the bike co-op, etc. There are also plays and dance parties and comedy shows and open mic nights throughout the year.</p>
<p>The workload is serious, but it’s not unmanageable–otherwise no one would manage it. It varies from person to person, though. Some people take four or five classes every semester, load up on classes with professors who assign more reading and demand more/longer essays than others, and simply do more to prepare for class. Like, there’s always more work to do; if you feel like you need more work at Reed, it will immediately come to you. But then there are the people who only take as many classes as they need to meet their graduation requirements, use art and theatre (if they’re artists or actors) or language (if they know a language) to fulfill their group reqs, and pass their classes with little fanfare and comparatively little effort. If you feel you’re drowning in work, there are ways to take some pressure off. (Unless you’re a senior or a second-semester junior, in which case you’ll simply have to work all the time.)</p>
<p>Like, I’m not advocating taking the path of least resistance as it’s a problematic and risky strategy, but I’m trying to reassure you that there are ways to avoid expiring from work at Reed, at least until you’re a junior. They still require you to put in effort every day, and most people don’t take them anyway. But beyond a certain (high) baseline, Reed is as hard as you make it for yourself–and as rewarding. The two are directly proportional in my experience.</p>
<p>I think that covers all of your questions…? Sorry for the long response.</p>
