<p>thanks all, your insight has been incredibly valuable. I did search for a while through blogs and such on livejournal, and will definitely contact students individually once I get accepted (if I am accepted).</p>
<p>spoonyj, I'd give you the secret handshake but when the Old Reed died, the handshake wasn't passed down to you young'uns. Your description of Reed in the 80's is pretty much spot on for the 60's, when I attended Reed. Sheesh, I can't imagine how anyone could question the Quest or, for that matter, think of Reedies as intellectual snobs. (I commented on this earlier on this thread, and also a bit on that now-banned Chicago+Kenyon thread.)</p>
<p>I emerged from suburban L.A. and arrived for the first time at Reed by train, which many of us had set out on from L.A. and then others had joined in S.F. About a half day on campus and off we went to Camp Westwind for orientation. I had no real idea what Reed was like other than that an uncle of mine (a Prof. at Caltech) had recommended it as one of the best. I enjoyed most every moment there -- even the moments, days that really weren't so good. It was an intellectual joyride at all times -- even when the amount of material to reckon with was overwhelming. A year of the classics -- what kind of modern education is that? (Fantastic, is what I say).</p>
<p>The food scavenging thing is a little off, I think. The deal is, the meal plan is required. Some students have money left over (my D had almost $300 left at the end of the semester) and some students aren't on board plan. Money doesn't carry over, so the students not on board plan ask for money from the students who are on board plan and have money left. My D bought OJ for fifty people the last day of the semester. </p>
<p>This is why she's in the food coop this year. No money wasted. The dining hall is about the worst part of Reed's management. Everything else seems to be handled pretty well.</p>
<p>I think if you visit while school is in session (as you are planning to do, if accepted) you will get a good feel for the campus. I did an overnight stay there, met some students, had an interview, and sat in on two classes, and walked away knowing it wasn't the right place for me. I think it is a great school in many ways, but I did get a little bit of the "I'm-a-Reedie-therefore-I'm-smarter-than-most-people" vibe, and that was the biggest turnoff. Also, people smoked too much, and that bothers me. </p>
<p>Of course, this was in the fall of '98, so things change. But I agree with previous posters that visiting (while students are there) is really important.</p>
<p>When we visited last fall, there was not just money changing hands in the dining hall. It seemed that the students that were on the meal plan bought more food then they intended to eat (probably knowing that otherwise the money will be wasted?), and then left their plates with relatively "clean" leftovers for others to eat. My daughter did not seem to mind (as long as she was not the one eating the leftovers), but to me it was a BIG turn-off. The campus is beautiful, but the building seemed somewhat run-down. Lots of smokers, and a lot of kids seem to cultivate the "unkept" appearance. My daughter liked the classes that she attended, but not the over-all feel of the school...</p>
<p>I am wondering which building seemed rundown?
I thought they all were in really good shape.
My daughter gets the very smallest meal plan , but would have points left over if she didn't share with her friends occasionally. She doesn't buy extra food for scroungers on purpose usually, but allows use of her card when others forget theirs. They reciprocate as well, so I think it balances out. She also has friends visit quite a bit and the extra points allows her to cover the meals without having to worry about it.
She plans to live in the RCAs next year- where you can opt out of meal plan, but I like to think she will be eating a hot meal once in a while instead of cold cereal so we are still undecided about that. Maybe Reed will make a even smaller option for point cards.
I should show them this thread!</p>
<p>In the Olde Days, our meal plan was one size fits all -- three meals a day, with the exception of Sunday evening when the Commons was closed and most people went off campus. The late-risers in this plan tended to subsidize the early risers, because the former would skip breakfast. There was no punch card or meal card in those days. I think it's reasonable to have a meal card, but either to refund money or allow people to spend it out in something (e.g., food, but why not books?) once they've paid in advance.</p>
<p>We saw an awful lot of smokers, too (it was December 2003), huddled around all the entrances, and my younger d., an asthmatic, couldn't stay in the student center because of the tobacco reek. To be fair, it was just September when Portland passed its ban on indoor smoking in public places. We were also put off by the student-run "stimulants table" in the library (it was the week before finals), and didn't think the self-flagellation ritual around the handing in of thesis funny. The music building was very, very rundown, with three out-of-tune pianos. (We checked carefully - my d. is a music major). The art center is beautiful, small, very new, but already extremely overcrowded. The auditorium is GREAT! We have gone there for summer concerts (last summer, my d. dragged me down there to hear music of George Crumb.)</p>
<p>Having said that, we met students who were EXTREMELY happy with Reed, liked the interesting and different atmosphere, and seemed to be thriving.</p>
<p>Aw, mini, you didn't enjoy the "thesis parade"? It's different every year, and believe me those students have sacrificed and flagellated themselves for months to complete those documents, so a little symbolic flagellation was certainly apt.</p>
<p>I might add that the thesis isn't just a paper turned in to one professor. It's "defended" just like a doctoral thesis, before a committee of (as I recall) three professors. I think I had an interesting thesis (on American Indian policy), but one of the professors offered the following faint and damning praise: "This is one of the best typed theses I have seen." Despite this, I passed and I was happy as all get out to participate in that parade.</p>
<p>I haven't been in Prexy ( the music building- used to be presidents house), the pictures though are gorgeous and I know they are recent cause I recognize the students ;)
Reeds website says that they have 20 practice rooms with 15 pianos for practice as well as the pianos used in concerts, were these the pianos that weren't tuned?
Haven 't been in the art center either- but what we liked about Reed was that art studios and music facilities were available to all students whether taking an art/music course or not.
My D has asthma also, and actually she doesn't have to use her inhaler in Portland although she does in Seattle- must be different pollen down there.
The stim table doesn't bother me- all legal afterall and probably needed to get through finals for some.
I know about thesis parade could you explain the self flagellation?
It sounds sort of Monty Pythonish :eek:</p>
<p>I know a few schools do offer the option to a thesis as part of honors- I didn't realize that all Smith seniors do a year long published thesis also. That is pretty cool, cause I have heard parents at other schools in the consortium question their kids about why they aren't doing a thesis, but since it is optional, many don't want to put in the extra time/work even given the rewards.
I beleive that you defend your thesis in front of all profs in dept/had a class with? ( correct me mackinaw) It also seems that some students have to defend their thesis from those in the field?
I recently met a neuropysch from the UW who loved to talk about his thesis ( still!) and said that the knowledge and work ethic that he developed during his time at Reed made medical school easy.
I doubt it was "easy" but it is good to see that some can look back on it and :)</p>
<p>"Aw, mini, you didn't enjoy the "thesis parade"? It's different every year, and believe me those students have sacrificed and flagellated themselves for months to complete those documents, so a little symbolic flagellation was certainly apt."</p>
<p>Honestly, I thought it was sick, and if that's the way, even in jest, that students think about their college education, to me that indicates a problem. But it was also clear that THEY like it, and since it is their education, not mine, who am I to judge? We met quite a few VERY HAPPY students.</p>
<p>I just think that folks interested in Reed should visit (and not in the summer). (P.S. I did a thesis at Williams, defended before a committee of 3; my d. expects to do the same at Smith - actually she may do two, if her minor turns into a double honors major; it just isn't that unusual any more. I even went up to the library and looked at some of them! Hey - maybe I saw yours!)</p>
<p>(The out-of-tune pianos were in the public rooms in the music building - we didn't go into the little cubicle practice rooms.)</p>
<p>Again, mini, you are reading this wrong. You may not like the self-deprecating humor, but don't misinterpret what you saw. Most students at read loved their education there, but it was hard and demanding.</p>
<p>As I said, I saw quite a few happy students (and I know happy graduates as well), and I thought the humor was indicative of the place, and I know humor when I see it, and I know the students thought it humorous as well. (I think you do, too - so I don't think we differ.)</p>
<p>(The theses at both schools are optional - the engineering school, for example, has "design clinic", a real-world design and management project. My own thesis was on the first Mexican novel - "The Itching Parrot" - a TERRIBLE piece of work -- both the novel and, especially, my thesis -- as I remember dimly; oddly enough, I feel I only learned how to write later, at Oxford, not from the thesis, but from having my writing ripped to shreds weekly by my tutors - Williams is now instituting this as a model, though I don't know about the "shred-ripping". If I had to do it again, I wouldn't do a thesis, but would have looked for more opportunities for real-world practicum, as a writer. But it is great that students have choices!)</p>
<p>Let's not get into another U of Chicago scenario here! I think we can all agree that Reed is a terrific college for some kids but not right for others. Hope no one whose kids attend Reed will take offense to the reactions of others who visited but found Reed not to their personal preferences. Gosh, I'd hate to see another lock out!</p>
<p>Oh, I don't think we are anywhere close to that! I have actually recommended Reed to some folks I know. I think it can be a wonderful place, for the right student. (And, not to compare, I think you can get a great education at West Point, but I wouldn't recommend it to pacifists.)</p>
<p>I hope not Mini - after that thread, I am becomming increasingly cautious about not offering my subjective views on various schools --- too many interested and invested parties around and you never know who you might "insult" unwittingly.</p>
<p>carolyn,</p>
<p>please don't feel like that! Your views have always been so interesting to me and valuable.</p>
<p>Actually, sometimes even the "interested and invested" parties would like to know what the other side of the coin looks like. What people think about their colleges, or their son's and daughter's colleges. An open discussion gives a lot of perspective on that and opens ones eyes..even when it temporarily hurts their feelings.</p>
<p>I think that Reed requires that a student go in with eyes wide open. Very little academic coddling. They have a lower graduation rate than they should, given the students they accept, and a higher transfer rate than they should. I think this relates to both the academic standards--esp. the requirement for junior qualifying exams and for a senior thesis--and the lack of guaranteed housing after freshman year (although Diver (the new pres) is trying to change that). </p>
<p>I think Reed has a LOT going for it, and I think the thesis is part of it. Reed students graduate, from what I've seen and the Reed graduates I've met, knowing how to put a serious long-term, in-depth project together and present it well. This is an amazing skill. It used to be considered an essential part of the degree from any college, but it has long since been dropped as a requirement by most colleges. The existence of this requirement helps to explain why Reed grads are relatively successful in graduate school; it also helps explains the relatively low graduation rate. (Their 6-year graduation rate for the class entering in '98 was 70%.) (<a href="http://web.reed.edu/ir/ReedCDS200405.html#SecB%5B/url%5D">http://web.reed.edu/ir/ReedCDS200405.html#SecB</a>)</p>
<p>When my D looked at colleges, she looked primarily at colleges that had a senior year project/thesis, because it appealed to her as an aspect of learning. She has been working to define what she'll do for her thesis since she entered. For her, the thesis requirement is an asset.</p>
<p>Carolyn et al - I have always enjoyed reading subjective comments about colleges (and I've written a few, too). To me, these are opinions that could merit further investigation.</p>
<p>My daughter and I read about a year's worth of livejournals about Reed (and doing other research) before ultimately deciding it wasn't quite right for her. With the understanding that livejournal is used most for venting. </p>
<p>Similarly, we both liked everything we researched about Centre College (a truly unknown gem). But it didn't "feel" right to daughter after visit. Why? She can't really say. </p>
<p>These are the opinions of one individual. I'd still recommend both colleges, but I do expect people to do their own research/visits.</p>