<p>I've heard from several people that the financial aid at Reed is pretty lacking... can anyone validate this, or elaborate, perhaps? Thanks.</p>
<p>From what I hear, Reed can be pretty stingy on financial aid, but it would depend on how much you needed.</p>
<p>Reed's endowment per student is less than that of some well-known schools that can afford need-blind admissions. In the academic year 2003-04, Reed's percentage of Pell Grant recipients (19%) compared favorably to schools like Oberlin (16%), Amherst (15%), Haverford (12%) Grinnell (12%), Carleton (11%), and Pomona (10%). This suggests that Reed spreads its available aid dollars to enable more students to attend, as opposed to funding fewer students at a higher level each.</p>
<p>Using the Pell Grant percentages, consider that about 120 more Reed students receive aid (and are therefore able to attend) than if Reed matched Pomona's percentage. So if you could know that you were one of the 120, you might be happy, even if your family felt like they could barely afford it.</p>
<p>I don't know what the amounts are like at the higher EFC levels, but our family found Reed's aid to be very generous. More importantly, the financial aid office is very friendly, helpful, and responsive -- far more so than any of the other aid offices we dealt with. The ease of dealing with Reed's financial aid staff was one of the big deciding factors in choosing it. At one point someone I know tried to scare me about the Reed aid package by suggesting they reduce aid after the first year. I sent concerned email and got back an almost immediate response from the head of financial aid, addressing my concerns and giving me information about Reed's policies.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who responded! =)</p>
<p>sorry for being off-topic, but I don't want to start a whole new thread just to get an answer to my trivial question :D Is it true that the Reed Supplement, including the supplemental essay, must be sent via air mail, not electronically? I got this from my friend, who applied to Reed last year. But I do not find that on Reed website. Besides, the supplement form status in my CommonApp account still says "not yet available". So, is what my friend told me true? :(</p>
<p>I don't want to belabor the obvious but there is exactly one authoritative source for your answer: Reed's admissions office. Email them, or call them. Why rely on the rumor mill when you can get an answer directly from the people who are responsible? Then please let everyone here know the answer.</p>
<p>yeah, I emailed them yesterday, but still haven't got the answer yet. Hope that they won't disregard me for asking such a question :(</p>
<p>You can always call. If you really emailed yesterday, well, I doubt they respond to email on weekends, and today was a holiday -- I think the office was closed. </p>
<p>Yes, last year, the supplement and essay were mailed.</p>
<p>Wow, I got the answer! They're so quick!
"You may send your essays electronically, no problem. Our supplement will be up on the
Common Application website, but they have it in progress and I don't know when it will be available there." (From Ms Kathy Hoblitt, Assistant Director of Administrative Operations)</p>
<p>The quickness thing is one of the things I really liked about Reed. Minimal beaurocracy, very responsive.</p>