<p>so reed has been one of my top choices for a while, and whenever i researched it i mostly looked at the academic side of it, because at first i wanted to build my college list around schools i'd get a good education at (potential physics or biochem major). now that i (mostly) have said list built, and reed lies in the top region of my list, i can ask about the OTHER stuff.</p>
<p>i've heard two completely different sides to the story- that everyone at reed is happy, and that everyone at reed is depressed/hates it there/is on antidepressants because its just that unbearable. uh..which one is it? a complete, honest-to-god (yes i realize the irony of using that phrase when talking about reed lol, not a religious person just figured it was the most pointed way i could phrase it) answer is what i want. if it really does suck there and everyone is miserable, please tell me now before i fall into my "i love reed" stage again. if the contrary is true, however, tell me that!</p>
<p>i know the weather is.. well, Portland weather and it sucks. how frequent are sunny days? do people spend a lot of time outside? i can deal with cold as im a life-long MA resident, but dreary grey skies all year for four years.. idk about that, considering my other top choice schools are all in sunny Cali</p>
<p>whats the student body like? i know reed is renowned for its "quirkiness" and all, but how quirky is quirky? i would not by any means consider myself such; i'm not into art or painting, or huge into indie music or whatever other stereotypes i can think of about reedies that i've garnered from my research that i mean no offense whatsoever by if they're not true and only said by those apathetic reedies. would i be out of place there? and how does everyone spend their time when they're not studying (which i know is kinda infrequently cuz its reed)? do they go outside, party, go into portland..? </p>
<p>i really do love everything i've read about reed, and i really hope i can be convinced that it is the right choice for me..</p>
<p>I suggest you visit…it’s a vibe thing, in my opinion.</p>
<p>By the way, it was absolutely gorgeous the day I visited ;P, and everyone was outside laughing and having fun. The bad thing that stuck out to me was that a ton of people smoked cigarettes (although I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other…activities…going on elsewhere xD).</p>
<p>The word “quirky” does get thrown around a lot, and it’s hard to pin down. I think don’t think it necessarily entails painting, indie music, etc.; at least, none of my circle of friends were into that sort of thing. All I know is that when I visited campus, my reaction was “Oh. So THIS is where they’ve been hiding all my people.” That first impression turned out to be rather accurate. It’s definitely a vibe thing. Visit campus.</p>
<p>Reed can be incredibly stressful at times, but overall it was a great experience.</p>
<p>ooh nice. that’d be cool to do, idk how practical that would be though because i’m on the other side of the country (MA) so what would my dad (and sister if she comes) do when i’m staying overnight? and would i just stay with a student?</p>
<p>I read your question aloud to my Reedie, and asked for his response. He said: "I divide Reedies into three categories:
People who shouldn’t have gone there in the first place (and are therefore unhappy)
People who are academic masochists, and secretly enjoy being able to complain about the amount of work they’re doing and how hard it is. (These people look and sound unhappy, but on some level they’re not)
3.People who really, no-shirt-Sherlock really do enjoy learning for its own sake. </p>
<p>We also talked about how even for people in the last category, there can exist a threshold, a boundary past which you no longer enjoy the learning, and it has become <em>too</em> much, even for someone who loves learning. We decided that Reed helps people find the level of that threshhold, because Reed can offer even the most gung-ho student more learning than they want. </p>
<p>We also decided that one of the differences between Reed and schools like the one I attend (Big Non-Selective Public U.) is the average learning-for-its-own-sake threshhold level of the student body. At Reed, that threshhold is generally very high. At my school, it’s very low – most of my classmates want to learn material for their majors that they will use in the work world, but nothing else if they can avoid it. As a result, they approach almost every class with a sort of wincing dread about new knowledge. </p>
<p>WRT to a visit, you go and stay in the dorms with a student over night, while your family members stay at a hotel. There are hotels and motels that give discounts to people visiting Reed – that list is on their website. Portland is a beautiful and very approachable city, with plenty to do and see during a short visit. Also, the food is great. :-)</p>
<p>@plainsman- yeah thats very true lol, kinda forgot about that part</p>
<p>@trinSF- wow thanks for that! i never thought about someone being classified in that last part… i guess its because i don’t really know many people like that, save for myself. all of my friends rip on me for taking hard classes senior year, and i always respond with “well its interesting and i’ve wanted to take it for a while”. apparently, i’d be classified in the third catagory then the concept of a learning threshold is an interesting one that i never thought about really. i think it’d be interesting to discover mine… right now i find that mine is much, much higher than any of my friends’. and about visiting, wow places even give discounts to people visiting? thats sick! definitely want to visit there…</p>
<p>Portland weather: Summers are gorgeous (except this summer); winters are rainy and dreary. Nice sunny weather usually lasts until November, and then comes back off-and-on in March and April. The in-between months are mostly overcast and drizzly, but you have most of December and January off. Invest in a sun lamp or something.</p>
<p>The beach (which is gorgeous) is 1.5 hours away, ski mountains are 1 hour away, the Columbia Gorge is 45 minutes away. Reed organizes trips for interested students to all those places and I think even has its own little ski cabin on Mt. Hood.</p>
<p>The campus is beautiful, very traditional “Ivy tower” vibe and lots of green space, amazing nature-reserve canyon cutting across the campus.</p>
<p>The Reed “quirkiness”- hard to define. To me, students seem kinda geeky and bookish, not so indie/hipster as you are describing. But I’m sure there is a niche for everyone. Just visit and you’ll see.</p>
<p>People study in their free time, what else? Hahaha. That’s not totally true-- it seems like people work hard and party hard. There’s a tons of student-run clubs and campus activities, look into the Gray Fund. It does seem like people tend to stay fairly isolated in the Reed bubble and don’t get to experience greater Portland so much, but upperclassmen usually live off-campus so at least they have to… go to the grocery store? Of course it depends on the student how much they “get out.”</p>
<p>Visit. I can’t stress that enough-- you will probably be able to tell if it is right. Stay overnight with someone in the dorm, sit in on a class or two. Usually high schools’ spring breaks don’t match up with colleges’ spring breaks, so maybe you could go then-? But if it’s not right, don’t try to force a square peg in a round hole-- you’ll just end up miserable.</p>
<p>Reed has the most unique character of any school I know. I echo the advice that a visit–with classes in session–is the best way to get sense of the fit.</p>
<p>Maybe this has already been posted somewhere on CC. It presents a Reedie’s criticism of the place. Note his closing comment that he would choose to go to college somewhere else if he were making the decision based on what he now knows about Reed.</p>
<p>Yes, you have to know Reedies to know it would be in jest (but then Prairie is a Reedie!). There’s a bit of sports cross-town rivalry; L&C usually wins… I didn’t hear any criticism, just the usual (exaggerated or not) Reed stereotypes. ;)</p>
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the concept of a learning threshold is an interesting one that i never thought about really. i think it’d be interesting to discover mine… right now i find that mine is much, much higher than any of my friends’. and about visiting, wow places even give discounts to people visiting? thats sick! definitely want to visit there…</p>