Colleges with academics similar to Reed

College Search & Selection
1

Hey everyone!

I just toured Reed today, and while I loved the school academically, I don’t think I would fit in so much socially. Can anyone recommend a school that has a similar academic structure? Here’s what I did and didn’t like about Reed specifically:

What I liked:
Learning for learning’s sake
Emphasis on intellectual and personal growth
Connections with professors
Feedback instead of grades
Small class sizes
Discussion based classes
Thesis requirement
People weren’t just straight-A-parent-pleasers

What I didn’t like:
No sense of community (??) It seemed like many people were individualists and a little standoff-ish
People focused a little too much on school, low involvement in clubs and extra-curricular activities
Admissions presented the school in a way where it appeared as if everyone wanted to stay in academia forever
Didn’t appear very welcoming
Although I consider myself to be a creative type who isn’t afraid to break away from the norm, Reed seemed to draw people who were a lot farther than me on the quirky/individualist spectrum

Any other reccomendations for schools would be very helpful! In anyone is wondering I plan on going to grad school to pursue an architecture degree, but I definately want a broad liberal arts education for undergrad.

2

Schools such as Pitzer, Colorado College, Vassar, Williams, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, Swarthmore and Carleton offer many of the academic attributes of Reed while collectively offering a range in campus atmospheres. To this group, however, most prospective applicants would want to include some less selective options. In the PNW, you might want to look into UPS.

3

Check out Grinnell in the Midwest.

4

New College of Florida

1 Like
5

Agree especially with Carleton and Grinnell. If female, Smith would definitely be worth checking out. And Northampton is a cool college town. Another one is UNC-Asheville. It is a public LAC, not a large, non-flagship state university. Asheville has a vibe similar to Portland. And it’s also in a beautiful area.

Bates in Maine is another one. I think of it as kind of an East Coast Reed. Founded by Abolitionists, real Abolitionists.

http://www.bates.edu/about/front-page/mission/

And read about the Williams College Tutorial Program: one professor and two students,

https://catalog.williams.edu/tut/

6

Yes, I’m female and Smith is definitely on the list. Their resources seem skewed towards STEM for some reason, which is odd. Maybe it’s a website thing? Thanks for all the other suggestions, though. I’m digging through all their websites right now. :slight_smile:

7

Check out Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Vassar, and Bard.

All are intellectual and have different vibes from Reed.

8

I think that you will find many small liberal arts colleges with rigorous academics and intellectually curious and academically committed students. LACs tend to have distinctive personalities, and by researching on line and hopefully visiting, you should be able to put together a list of schools at varying levels of selectivity that are good cultural fits.

If you think you may eventually pursue a career in architecture, you should also consider how your undergraduate education will help you achieve that goal.

You may be aware that in order to become a licensed architect in most states you will need either a Bachelor of Architecture or Master of Architecture. To be admitted to a Master of Architecture program you can major in just about anything as long as you fulfill the program’s entrance requirements, which are generally speaking, courses in art studio, art history, physics and calculus. You will also need to submit an art portfolio, which is a major factor in admissions.

MArch programs can take between 1.0 and 3.5 years depending on your undergraduate experience and the individual MArch curriculum. There is a big variation! MArch degrees tend to be expensive. Although grants are available, funding is less easy to come by than it is for undergraduate studies, so you really have to plan ahead financially.

For undergraduate you can either get a Bachelor of Science in architecture or a Bachelor of Arts in architecture, art or really anything else. BS Architecture programs tend to be narrower in focus than BA programs, but may shorten the time that it takes to get an MArch. I don’t know of any LACs that offer the BS architecture, but many good medium sized privates do. Top MArch programs admit students from a wide range of educational backgrounds, so find a school that fits you culturally.

My son graduated from Williams College with a BA in art history and art studio. He worked for a few years after graduated then went back for an MArch. Williams doesn’t have an architecture major, but they do have a very strong art studio and art history department . They also have an excellent track record for MArch admissions and arts related internships and job placement. My son would agree that a strong liberal arts education is beneficial to a career in architecture, and I believe that Williams would offer a lot of what you’re looking for.

Some other schools in addition to Williams that I would recommend would be Wesleyan, Middlebury, Conn College, Smith, Haverford, Hamilton and Brown. There are plenty of others. Just be sure to consider the aggregate cost of both undergraduate and graduate school when making your list.

9

You may want to consider: Whitman, Lewis and Clark, Gonzaga, Claremont McKenna and Occidental College. Those are some options that are not on the other side of the country. They also all have very different college cultures.