Academic attitude & atmosphere

Colleges and Universities A-Z Reed College
1

<p>Howdy,</p>

<p>So, I've been accepted, and I visited campus briefly a few weeks ago, and I have been pleased with what I've seen so far. A few questions remain, though, that I hope a current or past Reedie might tackle.</p>

<p>I've heard that the workload can be pretty challenging, and I've heard a little about the love/hate relationship that seems to form concerning it. I'd love to know more about this, because I'm currently a senior in my school's International Baccalaureate program, and we talk about our own work in a similar manner, but we do so while very much aware of what one could safely call the "culture of procrastination" that has developed in the program. There are exceptions to the common mentality, and I know people who have managed their workload splendidly over the last few years, indicating that a lot of the loudly bemoaned suffering that occurs may be self-imposed, consciously or not. How do things play out at Reed--is it feasible to take on the workload and difficult material in such a way as to stay on top of it most of the time and have at least a little bit of leisure time, or is such an accomplishment likely beyond the capability of the weak human will?</p>

<p>Of course, I'd appreciate any insight about the attitude toward academics that you can provide, as it's the only thing that I've been unable to get a sense of through my research. Ideally, I'd like to find that Reed is a place where there's a passion for both theory and application when it comes to powerful ideas, and maybe a dash of irreverence to keep things from getting too serious. But I welcome any response, and I thank you for your time.</p>

2

<p>The workload is challenging. It depends on who you are, what your department is, and what you choose to do, but if you’re doing Reed right, it should be a bit of academic hell. Freshman and sophomore year are pretty manageable; as a junior, I’d say that this year is overwhelming, but it’s also by far been my best year at Reed. You can have a life and have your academics too, if you’re disciplined about making both things happen. Some people do procrastinate, and that makes it hard to maintain a balance of school and life in general. If you keep your procrastination to a minimum, Reed will still kill you during midterm and finals weeks, and the weeks when you have papers on top of the normal reading load, but it won’t always feel like the end of the world. </p>

<p>Reedies deal with Reed’s workload differently. Some people accept that they can’t always do everything (it’s not possible), and some people try to do everything anyway. I’d say that if you think you’re doing everything right, and you don’t feel stressed out, you’re missing something. The trick is to make that impossibility of feeling on top of your work into a motivation and a strength, not a source of defeat. Reed has taught me that I can always, always spend more time and energy on a class, and with many of my classes that is exactly what I always want to do. I’ve learned that no matter how much time I spend, I have never exhausted the potential for learning and thought. And I’ve learned that that’s just the way it is. If you’re satisfied, if you think the job is done, you’re doing something wrong. As long as you thrive on that limitless potential for gaining more knowledge, though, that impossibility of attaining success is Reed’s beauty. It is exhausting, it can be frustrating, and there are times when it’s overwhelming and not fun. But at the end of the day, it’s rewarding and worth four years of your life, if you like that sort of thing. </p>

<p>So I guess: yes, it’s a love/hate relationship. I came to Reed thinking it was utopia, then I discovered all of its flaws and thought it was hell instead. Three years into it, I accept its shortcomings, stresses, and flaws, and I love it anyway. It is not a perfect place, and it will not always make you happy. But it is the most rewarding and intellectually stimulating school I can imagine, and after experiencing Reed, I would be satisfied with nothing less.</p>

3

<p>So, for clarification, is this (apart from finals and whatnot) going to mainly be some variation of “I’ll never do enough in X to satisfy my own interest/exhaust my potential,” as opposed to “I’ll never be able to measure up/do well enough in this class”? Mainly an internal drive (okay, undoubtedly with some competition unavoidably present), rather than struggling to keep up with requirements of a class, or external standards, or something similar?
Thanks for your input!</p>

4

<p>hi,</p>

<p>I’m a parent but am interested in hearing from Reedies. </p>

<p>I’d always been under the impression that Reed was academically rigorous, but discouraged competition by not reporting grades until graduation. </p>

<p>Recently, however, I’ve heard the opposite is true, and that the academic competition is so fierce as to be considered unpleasant. Quite different from the standards one might have for her/himself. </p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

5

<p>Howdy,</p>

<p>I have not heard it said quite like this. I’ve heard that grades exist but profs only show them if you ask, and the focus is much more on qualitative feedback. That said, the competition, I’d guess, is more focused on the work itself than on the grades earned. Even so, I’m hoping that motivation is mostly internal, with competition perhaps present but not an overwhelming component of motivation.</p>

6

<p>MominDurham, I commented on your reply in another thread saying the same thing, but I’d like to know exactly where you heard that. Most students at Reed have no idea what grades they currently have in their classes, so I don’t really see how academic competition could come into play. Most of us are very intrinsically motivated.</p>

7

<p>Reed’s workload is not going to be at all comparable to your high school-- you can truly not understand it until you experience it. It is not self-inflicted due to poor study habits, and is difficult for even the most disciplined student to always stay on top of everything (though they usually have a chance, excepting midterms and finals).
However, people DO manage-- usually because at some point they accept that they can’t possible read every page of every assignment and learn to balance and prioritize. For example, I refuse to pull all-nighters (and only have once, for my junior qual). Students have to make leisure time or extracurricular activities a priority, and usually they do and learn to have social lives outside of the library.
The thing is, students go here because they actually love it- they love learning, studying and soaking up all the ideas they are exposed to (I think we are all masochistic). There are not really a lot of tests to see if you did the readings or are keeping up with the information (like professors aren’t going to “catch” you)-- but it comes out in conference and essays. In other words, it is possible to blow things off but why would you want to?
So I would say it’s more of an internal drive than external pressure. Academic competition between students only really consists of “I have to read 200 pages tonight and write a paper” “Oh yeah I know, I have 300 pages just for one class,” and not in trying to beat each other out for the top grades. What Momindurham said-- “the academic competition is so fierce as to be considered unpleasant. Quite different from the standards one might have for her/himself”-- I really don’t find this to be the case.</p>

8

<p>Well, I went ahead and enrolled. I’m looking forward to this new experience! Thanks, everybody, for the help and insight.</p>

9

<p>Yay! That’s exciting. Welcome to Reed!</p>

<p>Just to clarify- I heard many people complaining/bragging about the workload before I came here but not a lot of definite numbers. I would say that on average, each class period requires a minimum of 3 hours of study (excluding essays, tests, and projects). Most people take 3-4 classes and most classes meet twice a week, so that’s like a minimum of 18-24 hours of study and 12-22 hours a week in class-- roughly the same amount of time as full-time job, plus overtime when you have to do essays or tests. Other people have quoted about 60 hours a week between classes and homework. So it’s possible to do stuff on the weekends or work part-time… but go easy on yourself your first semester and don’t take on too many commitments. </p>

<p>One last thing that I was told as a newbie and found helpful: the admissions committee is wise and they wouldn’t accept you if they didn’t think you could handle it. So if your first semester gets you down, just know that you are totally qualified to be a Reedie and you will get through it! And you’ll be better for it… and eventually come to love it. Reed is a special place and I wouldn’t trade my experience here for anything. :)</p>