Hi guys! I am recently accepted by Colby and Reed college, but I am not quite sure which college is the best for me. Academics are a top priority for me, and I may want to earn a Ph.D. in Pure Math in the future. I also love drama, art, and classical music.
Reed’s Acceptance Rate?
I’ve heard that Reed students are curious and value academics, but I am a bit confused about their acceptance rate which is about 45%, while Colby’s is only 9%. I might prefer to work with peers who have more academic rigor.
Colby
About Colby… I felt that Colby has a great atmosphere for athletics, while I am definitely not an athletic person, I am a bit concerned if I would fit into the majority. Compared to Reed, I don’t know if Colby values research and helping kids to go to graduate schools that extensively.
I guess I will study mathematics or philosophy in the future, which school has advantages in these two departments?
Both are fine schools. When you start, no one knows the acceptance rate.
Obviously one is in Maine and one is in Portland - so that’s for starters.
Reed rates higher than Colby in Niche for math - and I know, it’s Niche - but you need to start somewhere - but it’s 30 spots - it’s meaningless.
I would say - both are fine.
So which campus works better for you and that includes financially.
Assuming both, then I’d say - look at the curriculums - does one stand out to you over the other? Look at the facutly - does one have more than the other? Many schools offer a lot of classes in the catalogue but don’t always offer them - so things like that.
Have you visited? Did one work better for you. Maybe the campus or dorms or clubs or just kids you spoke to.
I think both are great and you’d be fine at either.
Have you visited Reed? It is a highly academic and intellectual place that will appeal to a certain type of student. Ignore the acceptance rate, people who apply to Reed are self selecting, the academics are stellar and can be very intense. I encourage you to visit.
I think Reed is highly intellectual, but non-academic side the school is less diverse. Most students may be similar to you. Not much athletic activities.
One of the reasons why Colby’s selective is that Colby takes more wholistic approach. So not just the academic criteria alone, the school is looking for unique individuals. School doesn’t want to consist of one type of individuals.
Even if you have a high stat, if there are bunch of student profile similar to yours they may reject you.
So if you are concerned about fitting in the majority, then you may feel more comfortable at Reed. If you want to meet many unique individuals with different thoughts and ideas, then you may want to select Colby.
There are 0% varsity athletes at Reed (no varsity sports), compared to about 40% of Colby students who play varsity sports. I would argue that is part of what brings Colby’s acceptance rate down. Fewer spots for non-athletes, as well was a higher percentage of class filled through ED (although I haven’t compared numbers on this, so would be interesting to look at ED percentage in the CDS). Plus Portland is still a little off the beaten path for many east coast students.
Reed’s big social event is their annual Renaissance Faire. Lots of indie kids, free thinking who pride themselves on being intellectual and outside the mainstream. I would imagine many drama, art and music lovers. No shortage of academic challenge. Thesis required of all seniors. A visit to these campuses would be illustrative. One more thing, I’ve visited many campuses including Brown,
Stanford, and Amherst, and Reed gives the impression of being the most academically intense. In fact, on the two Reed tours I’ve been on, the word “intense” was used multiple times and a tour of the thesis tower where all undergraduate theses are stored and can be accessed by anyone, anytime, is a big source of pride. I’ve not been to Colby, others can speak better to it.
Have you visited these schools? I strongly encourage you to do so, especially Reed which is more of a ‘fit’ school. (Which at least partially explains why it receives fewer apps than Colby, and has a much lower yield, which is the percent of admitted students who choose to attend).
Reed students are intellectual, and accomplished even though the admit rate is higher than Colby’s.Number of applications is often just a function of a school’s popularity.
At the very least do virtual admissions/admitted student sessions and read about each school at Fiske, Princeton Review, and Niche…it should be obvious which one fits you better.
The majority of students don’t play varsity sports at Colby, but the school does have relatively more school spirit than Reed, which has no varsity sports.
Colby has a lot going on all the time. It is a vibrant community in many ways, from athletics to arts to social activities. There is a wide range of students there.
Its large endowment makes many things possible for students. You might be interested in the Davis Connects program – many students do things that allow them to use their academic interests in the real world. There will be more going on than you can ever do!
I suspect you’ll have great teaching and good relationships with profs at both.
My kid went to Colby and had a great experience in and out of the classroom. Tried lots of new things, met interesting people, was challenged, had fun, etc.
I agree with most of these comments. If you want to be with intellectual students who are into studying and see yourself blending into the scholarly atmosphere, Reed might be better for you. Colby will have intellectual students too, but I think it’s fair to say that in general, Colby students are more mainstream but also smart and hardworking.
TLDR: Reed is probably more about a life of the mind college experience and Colby is probably a more well rounded and mainstream college experience.
Reed is undoubtedly in a great location if having access to a wonderful city is important to you. If you’re more interested in being outdoorsy, both will offer that, but it will be easier to access at Colby, which is in a stunning albeit more isolated location.
While Reed has a very respectable 88% freshman retention rate, Colby’s is 94%. Obviously there are happy students at both schools who return in their second year, but it’s fair to say that Reed is definitely more a fit school.
It also think it’s fair to say that Reed is very highly regarded as an undergrad institution that prepares students for post grad degrees. A higher percentage of students go on to PhD programs, more so than Colby.
Regarding acceptance rates, that should not factor into your decision. Students who apply to Reed in the first place are a self-selecting group who are well aware of the environment they seek. Colby is very popular. It is probably more well known than Reed, which could, in small part, be indicative of its steady climb up the rankings in USNWR. Reed decided in 1996 not to participate in USNWR rankings.
Both colleges will get you where you want in life. If you can visit Reed in particular, do so. Do plenty of research so that you have clear ideas of both while you make your decision.