<p>I've been accepted at each, and as May approaches I'm becoming more nervous. I feel that each is full of a studious and quirky student body with challenging academics, but that the main difference between the two is a differing atmosphere, pretty much typical Midwestern vs. West Coast. Would you say this is accurate? Right now I find myself leaning towards the environment and escape of Oregon, but I'm all full of self-doubt.</p>
<p>If someone could help me clarify the differences between each I would be very appreciative.</p>
<p>Okay, I don't know anything about Carleton except what I read in the papers. Reed, I know. Reed is in Portland, a big vibrant West Coast city. It rains all the time but doesn't get really cold. Roughly 60% of Reed graduates go on to graduate study.
Carleton is in suburban Minnesota. That's pretty far from the Pacific Ocean, which some of us need to be close to. It snows there, eh? And roughly 22% of Carleton grads go on to graduate school. That strikes me as a significant difference in the academic culture.
Students I know at Reed are focussed on graduate school and intellectual pursuits. Spring break D & her boyfriend spent a little time at the beach but mostly read & discussed math & physics (for fun).</p>
<p>yeah, what you have to know about Reed before making your decision is that it ranks 3 for the percent of alumni who go to grad school (after Caltech and Harvey Mudd) and that they are really focused on academics. Professors do not give grades, but comments (and you can see your grades if you want too)
Oh and if helps, it is the only college to have a nuclear reactor :D
Carleton - I know it is well known for its academic reputation.. but I think that's it.
Hope it helps</p>
<p>Wow celloguy, you sure don't know anything about Carleton. In fact, you are just plain misquoting statistics. In actuality, 75% of Carleton students go on to graduate school within 5 years. 23% enroll the fall after they graduate (must be what you were thinking of). Carleton is also the liberal arts college that sends the most students to PhD programs in the physical sciences. So double check the statistics next time before making claims on a public forum.</p>
<p>It's certainly possible that Carleton has surpassed Reed in future Ph.Ds since study. Regardless, I think it's clear that both schools have strong academic programs. Visiting the campuses would probably give you a much better picture than statistics at this point, anyway.</p>
<p>LACalum, you're right about that -- as I said, I don't know anything about Carleton. But I did check a few legit sources. College Board has this for Carleton:
"Percent of graduates of four-year programs who typically continue their education within one year of receiving their bachelor's degree:
Law school: 3%
Medical school: 2%
Other graduate or professional programs: 22%"</p>
<p>For Reed:
"Percent of graduates of four-year programs who typically continue their education within one year of receiving their bachelor's degree:
Law school: 4%
Medical school: 6%
MBA programs: 2%
Other graduate or professional programs: 60%"</p>
<p>If you chase down CDS figures, you'll see this is supported. Reed produces more PhDs in biology than any other undergraduate school in the country. And as spitfire notes, results are similar in other disciplines.</p>
<p>So, again, I'm not claiming one or the other is better. But stats (and my own experience) support the notion that Reed is very, very, very focussed on academic excellence. It's not a place for students who don't thrive in that environment.</p>
<p>Both are excellent schools. You will get a great education at both of them. The difference is also more than midwest vs west coast and the statistics surrounding graduate schools. I wouldn't choose based on location alone. Reed's environment centers around the intellectual adventure and Carleton's atmosphere might be a bit more broad...with added emphasis around social and physical activity not rooted solely around the intellectual. Best way to choose the right school for you is to go to both, stay overnight and see where you feel more comfortable. Statistics are just that, don't make a decision based on them alone. If you want to get a Phd then you will get one..regardless of which school you go to.</p>
<p>Carleton is an excellent school and also among the tops in the country in percent who go on to earn PhD (not at Reed's or Swarthmore's percentages but high nonetheless).</p>
<p>One impression that we had is that Carleton recruits NMS winners a lot, while Reed doesn't make a special effort in this respect. What this meant to my son (who was accepted at Carleton and Reed and Williams, but ended up attending Chicago) was that the Carleton students were more "career oriented" and more driven by grades/tests than Reed students (who, btw, DO get grades for the transcript, contrary to what might be implied above).</p>
<p>But these are both fine, fine colleges with different atmospherics and learning cultures. You have to visit both schools to get the flavor.</p>
<p>It is true that 22% of Carl grads go on to grad school the first year after graduation, it is just that the CDS also says that 75% go to grad school within five years and it sounded like you were saying that 22% go at all. It could be that Carleton students are more "career oriented," but in my purely anecdotal experience, this is due more the the large number of students who are spending 1-2 years after graduation doing Americorps, Teach for America, Peace Corps, or jobs in labs and the like. About 20% of Carleton students typically go into actual business fields immediately after graduating.
I also wonder if the fact that almost all Carleton students graduate in only 4 years (90%) contributes to the fact that they often take a year off before graduate school.
But despite all this, the two schools have a different feel, but at the same time, I really don't think there is a bad choice between these two. You are going to get an exceptional education in an intellectual environment either way.</p>
<p>Both Reed and Carleton are at the very top of per capita PhD production (top 5, top 10, depending on how you slice and dice the various fields). Both are also particularly strong in future science PhDs. Those are based on actual numbers of graduates, not the numbers of entering freshman.</p>
<p>Be careful with thes grad school percentages. The percentages "within one year" and the like are usually taken from the exit surveys given to seniors before graduations. That data is not terribly comprehensive or accurate. </p>
<p>I'd call it pretty much a wash academically. The choice between Carleton and Reed probaby needs to be made based on bigger picture criteria.</p>
<p>As always, the advice is to visit and communicate with faculty and current students to augment the statistical research. #'s don't have personalities.</p>
<p>do you like progressive thinking? do you like being close to oceans, mountains, or deserts? do you like art and music? do you value discourse which challenges one's posture towards life? i'm an oregonian now living in the midwest and dearly miss all the above. carleton's reputation is outstanding, as is reed's, but the lifestyle experience of oregon is unmatched.</p>
<p>do you like progressive thinking? do you like being close to oceans, mountains, or deserts? do you like art and music? do you value discourse which challenges one's posture towards life? i'm an oregonian now living in the midwest and dearly miss all the above. carleton's reputation is outstanding, as is reed's, but the lifestyle experience of oregon is unmatched.</p>
<p>Just to repeat something very important and said before:</p>
<p>Visit both schools, overnight. Talk to everyone possible on the campuses. These are both top schools; you can't go wrong at either if you end up loving both. It still may be hard to decide, but you'll have gathered the best criteria.</p>
<p>Also read both web sites from top to bottom; there may be hints there.</p>
<p>I thank you all for your advice, and I've visited both... to be honest I probably have all the information available and have gone with the gut feeling. </p>
<p>confusedasallhel is unlikely to be monitoring this forum seven years later. You would be better off starting a fresh thread with your question – possibly linking to this one. </p>