Improve your chances of getting into college,

The math department at Reed is truly excellent. Come to Reed if you want to struggle with the most beautiful ideas in mathematics. The curriculum is very rigorous. Expect to prove every theorem. Don't expect to get much practice computing things, or learning applications. You won't be prepared for a career in accounting, but no one comes to Reed for a career in anything. You come to Reed because you want to learn.

With the exception of the economics department, which is currently experiencing growing pains, the entire academic experience is phenomenal. Expect to work harder than you've ever worked before, but also expect to be inspired by one-on-one talks with brilliant professors, have lucid conversations with other students, and read works of genius. The senior thesis is a pretty huge deal. Some students do theses that would be admissible at some graduate schools.

Classes are generally small, though bigger than I expected. Twenty students would make a large class at Reed. As a result, students have great interactions with their professors.

Reedies are not a homogeneous group. If you make an effort, you will find people you with whom you fit in. Queer kids in particular are welcome. There are some militantly atheistic students at Reed, but my Christian and Muslim friends seem to feel comfortable. The one exception: vocally intolerant bigots are generally unwelcome.

There are apparently a lot of very sensitive students at Reed, and as a result, every bit of political incorrectness incites an uproar. I view this as a sign that Reed welcomes students of every possible background. Politically and religiously conservative students are rare, but won't have trouble feeling welcome as long as they are assertive (but not aggressive!).

A few common threads among Reed students: they are unmotivated by future earning potential, they want to make a difference in the world, and they are very, very bright.

Reed spends prodigious amounts of money on cool shit for students, and the student body has an enormous discretionary fund. As a result, there are fascinating speakers, hip concerts, intense dance parties, and free off-campus trips every weekend. The school also subsidizes tickets to major concerts in town. Last year the school paid for me to go rock climbing five times, skiing four times, surfing once, and I don't remember how many other awesome off-campus trips.

1. Reedies do tons of drugs

2. Reedies don't have social lives and spend all their time in the library

1. No. Some Reedies do tons of drugs, but that holds of a subset of the students at most universities. Psychedelics are possibly more readily available than at other schools. The big difference from other schools is not the frequency of drug use, but the general attitude toward drug use. Drugs are out in the open here. A minority of my friends use drugs with any regularity.

2. This is closer to the truth, but still misses the mark. Most people have a lot of work, and so spend most of their time doing it. Most people don't get much sleep. However, the majority of students find ways to relax - student organizations, parties, etc. There is a lot to do on campus pretty much every weekend. Reedies probably work more and socialize less than students at most schools, but that comes with academic excellence.