<p>I've been accepted at each, and as May approaches I'm becoming more nervous. I feel that each is full of a studious and quirky student body with challenging academics, but that the main difference between the two is a differing atmosphere, pretty much typical Midwestern vs. West Coast. Would you say this is accurate? Right now I find myself leaning towards the environment and escape of Oregon, but I'm all full of self-doubt.</p>
<p>If someone could help me clarify the differences between each I would be very appreciative.</p>
<p>One of my best friends goes to Reed. I'd say that if a Reedie was forced to transfer to Carleton that they'd probably be happy enough about it, but if a Carl was forced to transfer to Reed they would probably be ****ed off. I found Reed to be too depressing. I love Portland and the campus and the neighborhood, don't get me wrong; Carleton would be perfect if it was transplanted to where Reed is now. I realized that with the large numbers of depressed and drugged out students, the crushing amount of work, the people who take themselves too seriously and get burnt out, Reed just wasn't the right place for me, it would get me down or make me feel bad for not being as passionate about academics as most other students (I'm passionate, but I have my limits). I don't think it's a midwest/west coast difference so much as just an attitude difference, with Reedies more likely to fall into the extremes of antisocial academic or slow-to-graduate hippy, and Carleton students largely being somewhere in between. I've visited my friend there three times since she started, and pretty much every time I'm there my stereotypes are confirmed (she's become the slow-to-graduate hippy type, which is fine in moderation, but not when everyone you actually hang around with is like that). You might have already visited both schools and made those judgments for yourself, but if you haven't, definitely definitely definitely do so. Reed sounded awesome on paper but just didn't work in person for me. I'd think most high-achieving students are more likely to feel comfortable at Carleton than at Reed, but if you happen to be in that minority, you should figure that out soon.</p>
<p>Both are great schools for the right person. The one concern I have about Reed is that their graduation rate lags behind their peer schools. Reed's 4 yr grad rate is 57% and their 6 yr grad rate is 75%. Carleton on the other hand has a 4 yr grad rate of 88% and a 6 yr grad rate of 93%. These numbers are all from the respective schools most recent common data sets. I would ask serious questions why there is such a difference and factor that into any consideration of where to attend.</p>
<p>So, I, a mom, personally visited both of these schools with my older son in 2006 and he and I both came to the same conclusions pretty much independently. Much of the Reed “persona” so to speak, was based on how very intellectual and “different” from all their peers they are. They seem to revel in how misplaced they all were in their former academic lives. They are far too advanced academically for any inter mural sports (heaven forbid, varsity) and other activities that are not purely of the mind…(Drugs however, seem to be just fine; as my son was offered a good variety on his prospie visit) The admissions officer was also very sure that a quality education could only be obtained at a college on one of the coasts. We are midwesterners. As a whole, we found that while the academics and physical facility of the institution were interesting, the place as a whole was way too pretentious and impressed with itself. You should know that prior to the visit, based on correspondences and brochures, Reed was quite possibly this boy’s #1 choice. By the end of the plane ride home, he decided that Carleton was certainly Reed’s equal academically and was a place where he could be unashamedly himself; academically interested, intellectually curious, untattoed or pierced, sometimes longhaired, sometimes short, interested in skiing, basketball, swimming, broomball, sledding, even watching/playing football. Carleton has been a place where everyone knows they are smart and few people seem to feel the need to put on airs. While I am sure that there are plenty of students at Reed who definitely don’t fit this stereotype and might have been great friends to my son, the vibe back then was not too conducive to us.</p>
<p>Try checking out the facebook groups for the 2 schools. Look at 2013 to see potential classmates, but also previous class groups to get a sense of what they think/chat about/ think is funny, etc.</p>
<p>This is why overnight campus visits can be so important. Both schools are at the pinnacle of academics (along with Grinnell, Oberlin, Swarthmore, UChicago, IMHO). Go with the one you feel best about overall. Though I voted for Obama, go with your gut feel; if you don’t, and you end up unhappy, you may forever wonder why you didn’t choose the other.</p>
<p>The only problem with checking out facebook groups is that the people posting may not be fairly representing a good cross section of the student body. There seem to be the same 10-15 people repeatedly posting.</p>
<p>On a visit to Reed my son also found the students pretentious and self important while at Carleton he found the students to be warm and actually “modest” in how they interacted. Carls seemed more open and accepting. May not be what your impression is- obviously go with your gut but that was our experience. He went all the way to Portland from the East Coast because Reed looked good on paper but at the end of the visit, S had crossed it off his list.</p>
<p>In a way, however, how good and worthwhile that visit was for both your son and mine, greenteam. It helped them learn what they DON’T want. It’s better to know that in advance than to get there for your freshman year and discover that the fit is so wrong.
This #1 son of mine is a junior at Carleton and is, on the whole, very satisfied with his choice. He has made great friends and finds the academic environment to be stimulating and supportive.
Son #2 is still trying to figure out where he will go. After visiting Carleton a few times for family weekends, he wants to make sure that he finds a similarly good fit. He actually applied to Carleton but was denied. He wasn’t sure that Carleton itself was his best choice anyway because of his major interests anyway but I think does use Carleton as a point of reference for a great campus environment.
Good luck to all in your decisions!</p>
<p>I think some people are being a bit unfair toward Reed in this thread. I visited both schools, and I found students to be very good-natured and affable at Reed, and not pretentious at all. I think some people caught that overbearing vibe from the school’s advertising campaign, which does make the school and students sound like some sort of exclusive bastion of intellectualism. However, the campaign betrays the real attitudes of the students there, which I found to be very pleasant, just like Carleton. I think there are great advantages to both schools, so I wouldn’t discard Reed so quickly.</p>
<p>My daughter wouldn’t consider Reed (even though I urged her to) because she’d read about its reputation as a pressure-cooker full of stressed-out druggies. Now, whether that’s true or not, I surely don’t know. I DO know that Reed’s probably a wonderful school for the right kind of person. But that’s probably true of most schools.</p>
<p>I’m a Reed graduate from 1983. Reed was the right place for me. I didn’t consider myself above athletics, I just knew in college that I wanted to focus on academics. I am surprised top hear that Reed comes across as self important. One reason I liked Reed was that it was so unpretentious. Reed isn’t for everyone, but for the right student it can bring out the best in them.</p>
<p>I recently spent some time with a friend of mine, a circa 1992 graduate of Reed. He has a PhD in economics now and is a professor at the University of Washington. More importantly, he’s also a stand-up comedian–the “world’s first stand-up economist.” He was on break and doing gigs in the midwest and south last week, and stayed with us for a few days. I asked him about Reed and it’s reputation as an academic “pressure cooker.” He laughed it off. Loved the school … everything about it. But he’s also the most laid-back person I’ve ever met. The choice between Reed and Carleton really depends on where you’d best fit. Good luck!</p>