Questions about Reed?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Reed College
1

<p>hello! Can you help answer any of my questions? thank you!!</p>

<ol>
<li>How is the strength of its sciences and math depts? Any specific examples and/or statistics would be especially helpful.</li>
<li>How artsy is Reed? To give you an idea... Oberlin, hampshire, and bard colleges are a bit too artsy for me. I am more in line with for example, Haverford, Hamilton, Bryn mawr etc.</li>
<li>What is a "typical" Reed student like? Obviously there really is no typical student. But if you had to describe one. </li>
<li>How liberal is Reed? I am an extreme democrat.</li>
<li>How is Reeds location?</li>
</ol>

2

<p>I’m just a freshman, but I can try to answer some of your questions :)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Reed is one of those schools where most, if not all, of the departments are strong, but our science/math depts are strong for an LAC. The fact that we run the only nuclear reactor operated by undergraduates is testament to this.</p></li>
<li><p>I haven’t gotten too too artsy an impression of Reed, but that doesn’t mean creativity doesn’t abound. There are poetry readings every Wednesday in the Student Union, a literary magazine, an art gallery, a weekly humor pamphlet, and a new performing arts building is under construction right now! I don’t know how artsy the schools you listed are, but I hope this helps put things in perspective.</p></li>
<li><p>Haven’t been here long enough to really say beyond what a pamphlet will tell you. </p></li>
<li><p>Very liberal. </p></li>
<li><p>Gorgeous. There’s a small amount of light pollution from Portland, but for the most part we’re tucked away in a nice area. There’s a freshly-restored canyon in the middle of campus with lots of wildlife, walking trails, and sitting/chillage areas (if you visit, ask about the Island). However, Portland is close by, so you can still take a bus or ride a bike into the city if the mood strikes you. Right now we’re having phenomenal weather, but for many months it’s cloudy/rainy/chilly, with pockets of sunshine in the spring (perfect for studying, I hear xD).</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Reed is definitely very liberal. The reason I say Reed is very liberal is that I was considering Reed for my son, because he belongs in a very intellectual environment, and Reed in many ways is a good fit. I mentioned in my post that while I don’t mind my son going to a liberal school, I didn’t want him going to an ULTRA left school, where they simply indoctrinate the students with politically correct thought.</p>

<p>I got back a lot of nasty posts calling me a neanderthal, etc. To me, the responses told me that Reed was a bit too far out for my son. Which in turn, may indicate that it is exactly what you are looking for.</p>

<p>In my view, however, you shouldn’t be worrying about the political orientation of your school. Why do I say this?</p>

<p>You are 18 years old.</p>

<p>To declare yourself an “extreme democrat” or “an extreme republican” at 18, in my view, is way too premature. You have no real life experience to come to such conclusions.</p>

<p>I know you may not believe this, but your views will change over time.</p>

<p>For example, George McGovern, when he was a bomber pilot in WW II, was a big supporter of Thomas Dewey.</p>

<p>And Ronald Reagan was an FDR man.</p>

<p>And these men were in their 30’s.</p>

<p>My own father was the head of the democratic party in my home town for 20 years, but eventually became a republican. Yet he still donated to certain liberal causes. So his views were kind of mixed. They were still evolving at the time of his death, probably back towards the left.</p>

<p>You should be open to other points of view. Benjamin Franklin, when he was in his 80’s, made a great speech at the Constitutional Convention. The Convention was deadlocked on various issues, and Franklin made a speech to the delegates, most of whom were in their 30’s or early 40’s, telling them that many of the views he had when he was a young man like them that he was so sure of he no longer was so sure about at age 80, and that the delegates might consider the fact that their views they were so sure about on the various issues might not necessarily be correct, and that just perhaps maybe the other guy’s point of view might have some merit.</p>

<p>I am a republican, but for this reason, I have no interest in sending my kid to a conservative school. (there are a few out there).</p>

4

<ol>
<li>Biology is Reed’s most popular major. I learned this during the information session, and I believe it is on their website, too. </li>
<li>I wouldn’t use the word “artsy” to describe Reed. “Intellectual” is a better fit. </li>
<li>Quirky, to stereotype. </li>
<li>Very liberal, with a small, small handful of conservative or religious students. </li>
<li>Portland is awesome, but realize that Reed is across the river from downtown. There’s a nice neighborhood of houses right across the street. The Woodstock area is nice and all, but not nearly as exciting as Downtown Portland, which is maybe 15 minutes away by car. And to get to the bridge, you have to pass through a not very desirable industrial area (not sketchy, just not pretty). Woodstock is to the east/south-ish of campus,'downtown is across the river to the west. I’ve also heard that the Alberta Arts district to the northeast is cool, although I’ve never been there personally. </li>
</ol>

<p>Definitely visit campus if you are considering Reed. It’s very quirky and to really get the feel of it, you have to see it for yourself (when school is in session), not over breaks.</p>

5

<p>Thank you for the responses! All were helpful and I appreciate your willingness to try to answer rather vague questions.
Floridadad55- I think that you read me wrong. First, I did not ask Reed’s political affiliation because I wished to be closed minded or not “open to other points of view.” I am actually very accepting of other views (I am a Quaker and that’s one of our biggest values). I asked because I want to find a school that I will fit in with. Because I am liberal minded, don’t believe in god, am pro gay rights, pro choice, against regressive taxing, very environmentalist, believe in aid to the poor etc. I know that I simply wouldn’t fit in very well at a conservative school. I believe that my views may change but at this point it really doesn’t matter what party I’ll be in 20 years. Right now i’m liberal and now (not in 20 years) I am choosing a college I’d be comfortable at.</p>

6

<ol>
<li><p>Reed’s science and math departments are extremely good. Like Francaisalamatt said, we’re the only college in the country with a nuclear reactor operated by undergrad students. I took Intro Bio last year and it kicked my butt in a good way. You learn a lot. I’ve been told the math department focuses heavily on teaching you the why’s of math and that there are a lot of proofs.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m not really sure what you mean by “artsy”… The student body is definitely a creative bunch and awesome art installations and stuff pop up around campus once in a while, but I don’t think that qualifies us as “artsy”…? You don’t have to do that sort of thing if you don’t want to, and in fact, most people don’t. </p></li>
<li><p>There’s no such thing. There are stereotypes of Reed students (We all chain smoke and sit around discussing philosophy while eating tofu and we’re all into bands that you’ve probably never heard of) but that’s pretty far from what it’s actually like. There are students like that here, to be sure, but the student body is so much more than that. There are all kinds here and there’s absolutely no mold that you have to fit into in order to fit into Reed. I guess unless you say that you should be eager about learning and willing to work hard. But that’s about it. </p></li>
<li><p>Liberal in its “politics”, conservative in its approach to education. I put politics in quotes because you may be surprised to find that they’re not a big part of Reed. The vast majority of the student body will share your political views, but apart from a few activist groups, politics aren’t spoken of much. Everyone’s very respectful of each other. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Floridadad, I’m surprised you had that experience. Where did you make that post? Reed certainly does not “indoctrinate students” with any kind of thought. In fact, the opposite is true. Reed teaches you, above all, to look at things critically and to make up your own mind. One of the biggest things you learn here is how to think for yourself and to not buy in to a belief system just because other people do.</p>

<p>This article might help explain why I say Reed is conservative in its approach to education: [Old</a> School – Arts & Entertainment](<a href=“http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/issues/archives/articles/reed-college-centennial-september-2011/]Old”>Old School | Portland Monthly)</p>

<ol>
<li>Beautiful! The campus itself is gorgeous with a lot of trees and wide open green spaces (and can’t forget the canyon!) Portland is a great city and although it drizzles for a lot of the year, a lot of people come to find beauty in that as well. If you don’t want to go into downtown (which really isn’t much of a hassle to get to at all) there’s some great shopping districts nearby (Hawthorne and Belmont streets) and some really good restaurants/stores/a Safeway within walking distance.</li>
</ol>

7

<p>^ This is why I love Reed. I ditto everything above. (I’m not a student there… Yet!) :-)</p>

8

<p>^Good luck to you! Class of '16?</p>

9

<p>Yep. Hopefully applying ED II. Not sure though, because I’m graduating HS a year early and need to get all my tests taken and stuff. ED gives me less time to do that but Reed is for sure my first choice!</p>

10

<p>Others have answered your questions well enough so I want to ask a few of my own:</p>

<p>1) You are an atheist Quaker? Is that like being a non-practicing Jew?
2) What does it even mean to be an extreme Democrat? What you listed were merely the general views of the leftists, but to express extremism is not a good thing.</p>

<p>The second is obviously the serious question. You will find that many ideas carry across the political spectrum. It’s great to believe in those things; I’m all for the causes. However, many of my political views have become more moderate since coming to Reed, and I have come to the realization that many of my former ideologies are simply impossible taking into consideration where we live. If you really are open to contrary ideologies, I would avoid any form of the word ‘extreme’ when discussing your political beliefs. Why is liberal extremism okay while conservative extremism is not?</p>

<p>Reed is more than a liberal haven for the academic masochist; Reed is thinking critically about any and every topic.</p>

11

<p>My gosh- I didn’t realize that people would start attacking my beliefs. For one, I NEVER said I wasn’t open to “Extreme Conservatism.” What did I say that gives you this idea zchryevns? And my religious views are none of your business. If you didn’t realize- many Quaker sects do not acknowledge the existence of a god. And by “extreme democrat” I meant that I am extremely liberal. Not that I am extremely intolerant or think that “extreme conservatives” are extremely stupid- I don’t. I asked if Reed is liberal because I would simply rather go to a more left leaning school. Not because that’ll make or break my decision. Why did a simple question provoke so many people into acting so judgmental?</p>

12

<p>How did I attack your beliefs? I simply asked a question and expanded on that idea; and clearly my first question was a joke. I was simply suggesting that you think about what it means to be “extreme xyz.”

Again, what does that mean? It’s a more difficult question to answer than you might think.</p>

<p>Read the last sentence of my previous post again and reevaluate what I said. You should see that I was not aggressive at all.</p>

13

<p>Degrees of political leanings are hard to define because they really are so relative. My mom tells me that her friends in Mexico, where she grew up, would think she is very conservative for supporting the imperialist machine that is the United States by living here. Meanwhile, our friends, Chicano/a or otherwise, think we’re both extremely liberal for supporting the likes of Chavez, Castro, and so on. It’s an endless spectrum.</p>

<p>That said, the U.S. media and subsequent societal norms have defined “far left” (Noam Chomsky), “left” (Hilary Clinton), “right” (Jon Huntsman), and “far right” (Bill O’Reilly) pretty clearly. Simplifications aside, Emma’s not necessarily fallacious in identifying as far left, especially relative to the “average person”. </p>

<p>Anyway, to answer part of Emma’s question: I’m just a prospie, so this might be a premature assessment, but the assistant admissions dean who interviewed me openly expressed disdain for Bill O’Reilly and agreed with my assertion that all U.S. media that isn’t independent is bought off by corporations or government interests and thus sucks (she uses the BBC for the same reason). From that interview and the few alumnus I’ve spoken with, it’s my understanding that the Reed community leans pretty left and is accepting of just about any set of political beliefs, so long as as you can back them up. I think your politics would fit in just fine.</p>

14

<p>The Reed community is clearly on the left of the political spectrum. Any review would emphasize that.</p>

15

<p>I think what Zach was getting at is the fact that in a lot of liberal circles, it’s considered fine and dandy to identify as an “extreme democrat” while to most people with liberal beliefs, extreme conservatism is a really negative thing. The reality is, extremism in any form is generally bad. That’s where we get terrorists and radicals. I believe Zach wanted you to think for a second about so easily identifying as extreme, when a more apt label would be “I am very liberal”. The word extreme carries certain connotations and isn’t something most people want to be considered as.</p>

<p>To be honest, extreme conservatism IS stupid. So is extreme liberalism. Anyone who thinks in such stark blacks and whites has more to learn about how the world works. (Not saying I am exempt from this. I don’t have it all figured out by any means.) Reed is about learning to do so. Yes, it’s a left leaning school. Yes, homophobia, racism, sexism etc are all extremely looked down upon here. You will fit in perfectly fine with leftist views. But if you come here, you will learn over the course of your time here, that you can’t go about trumpeting your beliefs without thinking about them first (again, not pointing fingers at you in particular, I’m speaking more generally now. Everyone learns this eventually.)</p>

<p>Also, don’t be so quick to call “so many people so judgmental.” It was only one person that said anything at all to you about your beliefs, and I can assure you, he didn’t mean for it to offend you. The type of questions he asked will be the type of questions you will be asked at Reed and you need to learn not to become defensive or offended when someone asks you, honestly, to define what you believe or evaluate why you believe it. That is what Reed is all about.</p>

<p>Sorry this is so long and sorry if it only offends you more, but please realize we’re not out to get you…</p>

16

<p>^Word.</p>

<p>10char</p>

17

<ol>
<li>How is the strength of its sciences and math depts? Any specific examples and/or statistics would be especially helpful.</li>
</ol>

<p>Any interest in earning a Ph.D? The only schools that being Reed in percentage of students who graduate and go on to earn a Ph.D. were CalTech and Harvey Mudd last I heard.</p>

<p>Also, science and math are extremely well renowned for a liberal arts college.</p>

<ol>
<li>How artsy is Reed? To give you an idea… Oberlin, hampshire, and bard colleges are a bit too artsy for me. I am more in line with for example, Haverford, Hamilton, Bryn mawr etc.</li>
</ol>

<p>There are amazing artists here. Really, truly amazing ones. From dancers to singers to painters to sculptors to writers to poets to all of the above, Reed is an extremely talented school. However, most of these artists are also interested in something academic, or interested in their art in an academic fashion (most of the really good artists I know want to major in some permutation of science).</p>

<ol>
<li>What is a “typical” Reed student like? Obviously there really is no typical student. But if you had to describe one. </li>
</ol>

<p>There are a few traits that are much more common at Reed than they would be otherwise. There are above-average proportions of left-handed individuals and synesthetes, as well as alternative thinkers in every sense you can imagine. It’s a place where that kid across the table from you overhears your conversation about metaphysics, and lends his or her own opinion, and before you know it you’re debating the concept of rationality. </p>

<ol>
<li>How liberal is Reed? I am an extreme democrat.</li>
</ol>

<p>Liberal, but I’ve met a few conservative individuals. The trick to surviving is understanding that people choose their beliefs for a reason, and learning how to respect the reasons even if you don’t agree with the beliefs. </p>

<p>5.How is Reeds location?</p>

<p>Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there a Quaker meeting place across the street from Reed? Also, there is an amazing fruit stand and a seven eleven (useful for late night study parties ;)) very close by, and a public garden. As for the city of Portland, it’s amazing. Enough said.</p>