Reed vs Skidmore for Biology

I’m a senior in high school deciding between Reed College and Skidmore College. I want to be a biology major and i’m struggling to decide between the two which would be better?

Well - where do you want to be Portland…or near…or a bit away from Albany?

Both are fine schools.

Does distance matter? IS there a cost issue? I don’t know anything about bio per se but both schools are great but per Niche, Reed is much higher ranked in bio (67 to 140).

I think they’re two different environments and you need to find the right environment for you.

I like both location wise, price is not an issue, and my main issue is that I’m worried about Reed’s workload. My time management skills need a bit of work and I’m a bit intimidated by the academic rigor (although I also like the academic rigor of it). Skidmore has a better social environment but I’m worried about it not being as academic. (Not that they do not have good academics just maybe not as focused on it?)

You’re going to college. You’re going to life. You could go to the lowest ranked school ever and you will still need time management. In your real life as well.

Your ‘perception’ is not a legit reason to pick a school.

You can prob Be happy at both. Choose one and don’t look back.

It’s a tough choice. So many of these decision posts have students choosing between radically different schools. You are not doing that and I don’t think there’s a wrong choice here. I think you know yourself as a student and I think you will be successful both places. Have you visited either campus? What is your gut telling you?

Of course I am only a sophomore, so take my inexperienced and uninformed opinion with a grain of salt.

It’s a great take!!

Thank you!

If considered solely by the title of your topic, I’d recommend Reed based on the strength of its biology program. By student characteristics, Reed impresses as well, with a standardized scoring profile that would place it around average if compared to, say, the NESCAC LACs. Nonetheless, you might like Skidmore for its more relaxed atmosphere combined with its quite reputable academics.

As a basis to suggest that you can confidently put reputations aside and choose one of these schools using personal criteria, consider that the U.S. News rankings for Reed and Skidmore might have coincided at #38 if Reed had been evaluated fairly: