Other than the obvious, i.e, urban v. rural setting, how do the two schools compare? I’ve visited both campuses and like each (although Sewanee’s campus is prettier). I’m from the North Georgia mountains and am fairly liberal, but I’ve got some concerns that political correctness has run amuck at Reed. Thoughts?
These are two schools that probably don’t get compared very often. I know something about Reed, not so much about Sewanee. Some points of comparison:
- Reed students have significantly higher grades and test scores. For example, in 2015-16 the Composite ACT range was 26-30 at Sewanee, vs. 29-33 at Reed (from the Common Data Sets).
- Sewanee is significantly more regional. The Sewanee Class of 2019 profile indicates that 62.7% of students were from the South. Reed is more likely to draw students from different parts of the country; only 15% of their students were from the Northwest.
- Based on College Navigator data, there is significantly less ethnic diversity at Sewanee (82% white) than at Reed (60% white).
- Reed has a long-standing reputation for political correctness; only you can determine if it is excessive. On the other hand, Reed allows students to wear T-shirts to class. Sewanee, in contrast, is known for its dress code; only you can determine if this is excessive.
- You already know this, but Sewanee is one of the most rural LACs, while Reed is one of the most urban. Portland is a magnet for twentysomethings, and it is quite accessible from Reed. The off-campus entertainment options are probably a lot more limited at Sewanee.
By the way, if you are looking at northwestern LACs, you might want to consider Whitman College, as well as Reed. Whitman is a lot more like Sewanee than Reed is, in all of the respects listed above (no dress code though).
D attends Sewanee, is from a large midwestern city, and is very liberal on some issues, while more moderate on others. She finds that there is a good mix of opinions/activism/etc on campus.
She grew up in New York and the midwest, but feels at home on campus. Her friends on campus are from Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Greece, Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, etc. Her professors are from all over the US and the world.
Sewanee is rural in the respect that the campus is huge (13,000 acres on a mountain top), but it is not isolated (7 or 8 minutes off the interstate).
One of the biggest factors for you will be how much time you want to spend travelling back and forth to school on breaks.
Also consider Lewis and Clark, which is less PC in reputation at least, and in the same general area as Reed.