<p>From what I'm hearing, Reed is a lot like Uchicago in terms of academic strenuousness, which is I guess a good thing. The only thing preventing me from going there (if I get in) is the idea that its overrun with hippies who have idealogical oppositions to daily showers and non-secondhand clothes, and have never picked up a "Ball" of any sorts in there life. The stereotypical Reedie to me sounds a lot like the group at my high school which thinks they're better than everyone else because they've done shrooms, don't match their clothes, and one time read a Jack Kerouac novel. Please tell me that some people at Reed are actually smart, interesting people with hygiene and athleticism, who read On The Road because its a good book, not because their dealer on Haight Street said it 'blew his mind, man'.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people having different lifestyles, I would just hate to be surrounded by these kind of Pseudo-intellectuals.</p>
<p>They're smart, but that's not why I took Reed off my college list. I was a little concerned, I'm kind of a weirdo at my school, but not like socially isolated from the rest of the high school. I wonder if I'm too mainstream to fit into the Reed culture. I've never actually visited though, and I don't like to overgeneralize before I can see it firsthand.</p>
<p>thats how I feel too. I've always felt a little different, but am not like totally a social maverick. If i could just get an idea of the interests of other people applying there, itd be wonderful. And i don't doubt that people there are still smart, their alumni's achievement, as well as teh competitiveness and high rank of their applicant pool speak to that.</p>
<p>You might post this question on the parents board - there are at least two parents who are there regularly who have students at Reed.</p>
<p>I have never visited Reed but my daughter and I did visit Lewis & Clark which I thought was a little "out there" (Lots of kids with mohawks, piercings, strange clothes, etc.) At L&C, one student mentioned to my daughter that Reed was considered pretty wild by L&C students. Take that with a grain of salt because it's only a second hand opinion but the Reed parents laughed at that description (my daughter loved L&C by the way).</p>
<p>The guidebook that I got from Reed College did not interest me in the place at all. They seemed to be very full of themselves, and looked down on anyone who wanted to pursue an actual career. It also definitely did not seem to have the same intellectual vibe as a place like Chicago or Swarthmore.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman Reed student and can answer this for anyone who stumbles upon this thread. The people at Reed are strange. Lots of them like thrift stores, some don’t shower super frequently (but this isn’t THAT prevalent), and some certainly revel in their own idiosyncrasies (real or affected).</p>
<p>But Reed College is a fantastic place, and my experience has been nothing but positive so far. In my experience, the people are friendly and genuine and weird in the best possible way. People really care about learning and are some of the most intelligent, thoughtful people I’ve ever met.</p>
<p>It is absolutly true that Reed is one of the most difficult, and most intellectual colleges in the country. ***** recently voted Reed the #1 colleges that will kick your butt, and Princeton Review voted it #1 in best professors and #2 in students study the most. It’s a stressful place. It’s hard, but it’s great.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as some of you. I was always a little weird, but not incredibly “non-conformist” or “alternative” or anything like that. I’m a sports loving, patriotic Christian, political centrist. Definitely not the typical Reedie. But in my experience, the people at Reed respect others and their opinions and life choices. I’ve never gotten any grief for not being the typical socialist, atheist, hipster (of which there are plenty). I will mention that the hipsters at Reed usually actually know what their talking about =)</p>
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<p>jfar - You’re awesome! My pet peeve on CC is a student who says “I’m conservative so I need a conservative campus” or “I’m liberal, so I’ve got to be surrounded by other people who see things as I do.” It’s great to hear from a sports loving, patriotic Christian, political centrist who loves Reed. And why shouldn’t you? It’s one of the most intellectually-alive, passionately-thinking places on the planet. And if that describes you, then you’ll thrive there, regardless of your politics or how frequently you like to shower. :)</p>