I adore Reed. It was just the right fit for me. The funny thing is, a number of people with whom I became incredibly close, decided that it wasn't the best thing for them, and have recently decided to take some time off and travel. All of them had their reasons, but their reasons never applied to me. Reed is a place that you should not stay at if you feel unhappy; it's too much money and you're missing out on a college experience you could enjoy. But from what I've seen, you don't just like Reed, you love it. There is no mid-ground. I think that Reed was right for me because the Academic department I chose (English) is excellent, therefore the work excites me, and the social atmosphere is one of so much vitality. There are people everywhere just wanting to express themselves, to sit out on the front lawn naked if they want, smoking a hookah, or spend a night in a library pouring over textbooks. It's your choice, and you can have both, which I love.

Academics are intense. At the same time, they are what you make of them. Do not go to Reed if you do not want to push yourself to learn, and if you are not enthused by reading, by writing long papers, and by discussing things in class. Class participation is important, plus more fun, and the professors really engage with their students. I was startled by the fact that all of the professors expect you to call them by their first names. But the thing is, you're not a baby, and you will never be babied. You are spending the money, so make the most of it, immerse yourself in your classes and relate to your professors with respect but humanity. they are not scary intellectual robots! I love it like this, at the end of the year we end up having dinner at professor's houses. I plan to email my advisor over my break, things like that make it worthwhile to me.

Diverse in some ways. I don't want to run over the stereotypes again, but of course at every college there are certain groups; there are the theatre kids, there are the kids who never leave the library, there are the frisbee team, there is senate. But honestly, these groups blend in and out of each other, and Reed is so small, I have seen little evidence of cliques alienating certain people. Perhaps this is because there is a certain fundamental similarity between most Reedies. In general, they like to talk, about everything from sex to drugs to philosophy and academia. You can find the people you will love, and then of course, you will also find the people who you merely interact with because you have to. But I feel a lot o goodwill and community at Reed, generally, if you put a smile on your face, you'll get a huge one back :)

It IS hard to balance activities, social life, and academia at Reed. But it is do-able. Sure, you have to be willing to take some late nights at the library, but so does everyone else. And I know there are those crazies who manage multiple activities and clubs. I don't know how they sleep....Myself, I've managed to do well in school and participate mainly only in theatre (which is actually a huge commitment) and still have enough downtime to have a close group of friends I can relax with. It's really not so bad if you're dedicated.

That they are incredibly brilliant and also incredibly into drugs. basically, that Reedies study hard and party harder. They are hippies, they are the future of the intellectual elite and the future of the free drug culture. The motto 'communism atheism and free-love' can sometimes be taken literally.

Not in a bold-faced black and white kind of way. Reed has a strong personality. I do NOT advise anyone to go to Reed without visiting first. Intuition about Reed is like intuition about a person; you have to go with it, and you either click or you don't. Reedies are, overall, incredibly passionate, enthusiastic and intellectual. True, there are quite liberal attitudes towards things like drugs, clothing, showering etc. But it is not the case that in order to come to Reed and have a fruitfull experience, you need to be a stoner hippie. I would say, the stereotypes do come from truth, like most stereotypes. But it is important to see them as such, and recognize that hippie can mean 'happy, nature loving person' as easily as it can mean stoner, and (unfortunately) intellectual elite can also mean pretentious jerk.

Just please, please VISIT! It's soooo much more important than anything, the media, the college counselors or I could ever say. Reed is not a college that will sit in the background while you attend it, it is in your face, so if you love it, great, but if not, then you might regret it. I feel sooo lucky to have found it, and the day I visited I knew it was what I wanted.