which school would you rather attend? Why?
You haven’t provided much to go on. I’d rather go to Reed. It’s smaller and in what I consider to be a better location (Portland vs. the boonies of upstate New York). Academics-wise, they are basically equal.
I’d put Reed a notch above academically, just based on stats in collegedata. And there’s more than one Union College, but we’re assuming you mean the one in New York.
“the boonies of upstate New York” (1)
Union is in the capital district.
yes the one in New York. I was mainly wondering about academics and what each college specializes in
@kashkat : I thought your acceptances were in? Union appears to be an active option for you. Did you apply to Reed?
It seems to me that these two colleges have very different vibes and attract very different types of students. I’ve been to Union College many times. It’s has kind of a preppy vibe. Students are very well-put-together, many wearing expensive outfits. I think the student body tends toward the upper-middle class. Greek life is prevalent. I have never been to Reed, but I know that it is politically liberal, more of a hippie-type place. There are no sororities or fraternities.
Union is a hard drinking preppy school. Reed is quirky, weed is more the substance of choice, and has superior academics by quite a bit. I can’t imagine the same student could be happy at both places.
Reed is a breeding ground for PhD students. Look at this, you can see their strong areas from where they have a lot of PhD success:
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-colleges-where-phds-get-their-start/
Note that Union does not crack the top 10 in any subject.
One thing that recommends Union is Chad Orzel, a terrific physics prof and great guy.
It is possible to be both quirky and preppy and to like multiple kinds of drugs to prime one’s partying. In all seriousness - I am concerned about this idea that students fit a particular “type” and that they need to attend a school where other students also match their “type” in order to thrive there. First of all, people are more complex than this, and second of all, I doubt any seventeen-year-old’s personality is so set in stone.
That said, I still think I would choose Reed - because the atmosphere appeals to me far more (even though I wouldn’t describe myself as too similar to the common depiction of the Reed student - in fact, College-Me definitely leaned more “preppy drinking partier” than “hippie pot-smoking liberal”) and because of the strong reputation for a really intellectual, academic environment. Mandatory freshman humanities? Required senior theses? A low emphasis on grades, to the point that many students don’t even know their cumulative GPA at graduation? Oh yeah, sign me up. Also because of location - Portland sounds way, way more appealing to me than Schenectady, and the weather in Portland is a lot better than the weather in upstate New York.
But why the thread? What are you trying to learn? Reed is a college to which you do not appear to have applied.
“I am concerned about this idea that students fit a particular “type” and that they need to attend a school where other students also match their “type” in order to thrive there.”
I think it’s often true of small LACs. Definitely true of schools like Reed that are cultural outliers. I can’t even imagine being a straight-laced Republican at Reed.