<p>Title says it all. </p>
<p>Main considerations: </p>
<ul>
<li>Prestige</li>
<li>Academics (Top-tier grad school placements?) </li>
<li>Financial Aid </li>
<li>Drug/Alcohol Culture (Preferrably minimal.)</li>
</ul>
<p>Oh, and can I just say I’m really enticed by the number of students that end up enrolling in PhD programs post-Reed. Do students pursue research (and land publications) while in college?</p>
<p>Prestige? if you’re planning to go to an LAC for prestige, then you will be very disappointed. That said, Haverford is more prestigious in the northeast, Reed in the west, Mac in Minnesota, and Grinnell in the midwest, generally. Prestige is mostly regional unless it comes to grad school admissions where all these schools are viewed in equal light.</p>
<p>All of them have superb academics. </p>
<p>All of them have superb financial aid.</p>
<p>Yes, Reed is known much more for its drug culture than the other schools but alcohol consumption is pretty much the same in all four. </p>
<p>It is silly to make college decisions looking at PhD production rates. While I’m pro-Reed, I can tell you without any reservation that any of these schools would do a very fine job at preparing you for grad school. I think the main considerations here should be 1) fit 2) location.</p>
<p>The issue is I’m international, so I won’t be able to visit any of these schools to get a sense of their locations and whether they’d be a great fit.</p>
<p>I’m on the introverted side and very academic. My ideal Friday night is going (on my own) to an art gallery or sitting in a cafe reading.</p>
<p>I have a completely unironic enthusiasm for learning for the sake of learning. I’d love to go to a college that could cater to my interests in sciences, social sciences, and humanities (although obviously I’d end up majoring in just one area). </p>
<p>Based on that information… any recommendations?</p>
<p>Do you need financial aid?</p>
<p>You don’t need to visit those schools to find out if you’re a good fit for them. You just need to do your research :)</p>
<p>Yes, unfortunately. :(</p>
<p>Note that about one in ten internationals needing financial aid are accepted:
[International</a> Student Guide](<a href=“Apply - Admission - Reed College”>Apply - Admission - Reed College)
But then need is fully met. </p>
<p>I think this describes Reed well:
[Reed</a> College Paradoxes](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/apply/news_and_articles/reed_paradoxes.html]Reed”>http://www.reed.edu/apply/news_and_articles/reed_paradoxes.html)</p>
<p>If you need financial aid, then I say forget trying to decide which school to go to/apply to. It is entirely possible that you may not get into any of them. Just apply to all of them and figure out where to go later. More often than not the decision is made for you.</p>
<p>As a current Reed student who plans on attending graduate school next year, I will address your considerations in regards to Reed:</p>
<ul>
<li>Prestige: Reed is pretty well known within specific field of science. Personally, I know that Berkeley and UCSF biology PhD programs view Reed graduates quite favorably.</li>
<li>Academics: At Reed, just like anywhere else, you will find people who study very hard and people who don’t. But in order to do well in your classes, you need to put in some efforts. It is easy to find friends at Reed who share strong commitment to academics at Reed, if that’s your concern.</li>
<li>Financial Aid: A lot of international students are on financial aid. I think of the 85 current foreign national students, 45 are on some form of Reed financial aid.</li>
<li>Drug/Alcohol Culture: Reed has a reputation for drug/alcohol usage, but I highly doubt that it is more prevalent than any other American college. People at Reed respect others’ life choices, and there are plenty of people I know who do not drink heavily on weekends or use drugs.</li>
</ul>
<p>OP, as others have noted, they’re all really great schools, but if your ideal Friday night is sitting in an art gallery or caf</p>