<p>I heard that only about 55% of Reed students are able to graduate within six years - is that true? I know how intellectual it is, but that still sounds like a long time. I love a lot of the school's characteristics, but I absolutely cannot pay that much tuition. Can anyone help me out with that one?</p>
<p>Reed's four year graduation rate for the most recent class was 58%. The six year grad rate was 75%.</p>
<p>The methodology for determining these rates understates the real grad rates by a bit. Students who transfer out of a college count against the rates, but students who transfer into a college do not help the rates (they are not counted at all).</p>
<p>Reed's graduation rates are a bit low given its high median SAT scores. That's not necessarily a bad thing; it could simply mean that the school is demaning academically. CalTech's grad rate is low, too, and nobody is suggesting that CalTech would be a better school if it had more gut courses.</p>
<p>However, I think asking Reed about it's grad rate and hearing what they have to say is a legitimate question. It would be a good question for an interview or during an admissions info session -- good in the sense that you've done your homework about the school and can ask specific questions.</p>
<p>One issue has been that some students have been surprised when they arrive at Reed, a unique school (as are many others). Reed has been trying hard to reduce that element of surprise by encouraging candidates to learn all they can about the school, to interview on campus and spend the night, and to be aware of Reed's heavy reading and writing components. Freshman Hum 110 is challenging, and candidates should either love to read, or be very good at it. They payoff is great, however. "Based on a national survey of graduating seniors at 34 private, liberal arts colleges, and over 10,500 responses, 2005 Reed College graduates are 44% more likely to be very satisfied with their undergraduate education than the national average, and 51% more likely to say they definitely would attend the same institution again." <a href="http://web.reed.edu/ir/seniorsurvey.html%5B/url%5D">http://web.reed.edu/ir/seniorsurvey.html</a></p>
<p>But remember that 25% of the students who didn't graduate aren't in the survey. Therefore the 25% who didn't like it or couldn't do it don't have their opinion expressed in the above survey. If you do a survey at a baseball stadium you'll find lots of people who like baseball</p>
<p>Also don't forget that Reed used to accept 75% of applicants because they HAD to. Now that more people apply, they are more selective in choosing people who won't drop out (who really want to go there). So the graduation rate is improving YEARLY.</p>
<p>"But remember that 25% of the students who didn't graduate aren't in the survey. Therefore the 25% who didn't like it or couldn't do it don't have their opinion expressed in the above survey. If you do a survey at a baseball stadium you'll find lots of people who like baseball"</p>
<p>hahaha</p>
<p>My cousin told me that Reed has a really high student suicide rate...I have no idea if this is true. I guess it could make sense since it's so intellectual and kind of high-powered, but if the above statistics are accurate, then it wouldn't make any sense.</p>
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My cousin told me that Reed has a really high student suicide rate...
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<p>No offense to your cousin, but that's the kind of "I heard" stuff that is really unfair.</p>
<p>If that is an issue, you owe it to Reed to call them and ask for the real data. Based on a large survey of suicide rates at Big-10 schools I've seen, a "normal" suicide rate for a school Reed's size would be, on average, about one every ten years, keeping in mind that with numbers that low, you could get some fluke statistics if you looked at any particular short time frame of a year or two.</p>
<p>The average college suicide rate is about 5.5 per 100,000 students per year, half the rate of same-age non-students. That would put Reed at about one every 13 years, essentially the same as idad's number. I can't find a reference in Google to Reed's actual rate.</p>
<p>My nephew attended Reed. He had a really tough first semester. When he met with the Dean of Students, it was recommended that he take a semester off. However, he was also told that he would be welcome to return to Reed at any time after second semester. He ended up taking a year and a half off. When he returned, there was no problem with his readmission and he was very much welcomed back by the school. He was told that his is not an uncommon circumstance. I think the fact that students can start at Reed, take time off, and then go back without any penalty or problems speaks well of the institution and probably affects the 4 year grad rate quite a bit.</p>