Fuck me, where to begin?

Reed will drive you crazy. If it doesn't, you didn't do it right. It's small, it's intense, and it's lovely. It's a haven for displaced and disenchanted intellectuals and we like it that way. Portland is a funny town that prides itself on housing wackjobs. The most wackjobs in any given place anywhere in the world. We like it that way.

The big picture is simply that... Reed is crazy. I can't emphasize that enough.

Academics at Reed are hard to describe. I am a religion major. I study with some of the top intellectuals in my discipline. All of them know my name and know a lot about me. Almost more than you would want your professors to know. They know who I date, they know how I really feel about those people. They know my strengths and my weaknesses and whether I am, at any given moment, strong, weak, or falling apart. They are sensitive to these concerns.

Competition is mostly personal. If you are a science major, of course you're competitive because maybe you want to be a doctor. If you're a religion major or hum or something like this, you mostly compete with yourself and your demons to try and beat your own status quo.

You will be overloaded with work. You will have standards set for you which are completely impossible to meet. You will (hopefully) strive to meet them anyway. Sometimes you will fall apart because you just can't. This is good. It's part of the learning process.

Reed will drive you crazy.

The student body is insane. Altogether we are politically aware and politically apathetic. We are not what you would call ethnically diverse. Rather, we are regionally and intellectually diverse. We have more African students than African-American students. If you are a minority student, don't let this deter you. You don't need a minority crowd to chill with, you need an intellectual bond with people who think differently than you. You'll find that but again... it'll drive you crazy.

Social life at reed is, like many other universities, multifaceted. You can fall into any number of situations. You might find yourself sitting alone in your dorm and writing e-mails to the girl you left back home. If you leave your door open, your dormies might come in and drag you out for a beer, or just a game of Dance Dance Revolution. You might find yourself in the poolhall (highly recommended) where you will be continuously challenged to game after exhausting game of the best game in the world. You will be offered many a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon as it is our beer of choice. Learn to like it. It's not so bad and it's very cheap. If that's not your thing, you can hang out with the beer nation crowd or just a handful of Westcoast kids who appreciate a good microbrew. Happy, down at the seven-eleven on the corner, does not check ID's so very thoroughly and is a complete and utter sweetheart, even if she doesn't smile so often.

We have a dance party coalition. I have nothing to do with it and know very little of it but if you like the occasional rager filled with sweaty geeks in a small room listening to prince... it might be your thing. I undersell it... it's fun for those who like it. There is an annual talking heads dance party where we just play "stop making sense" in the SU and that's a damn good time, even if dance parties aren't your thing.

We have a lot of good events, if you want to bring a speaker or an artist to perform, you can get money for it. We allocate a shitton of cash to student interests and you just have to put yourself out there and grab it. This school is rich, if you want something, you can get it. You just have to ask hard enough.

We have no frats, no sororities and we're damn proud of it. That said, the rugby team is something like a frat.

House parties are commonly thrown by upper classmen. They're fun, but if you're an underclassman you might find yourself standing in a corner with other underclassmen. This is ok. Learn to love feeling awkward. Reed has a very awkward social scene and it will drive you crazy.

Reed will drive you crazy

Reedies use a lot of drugs

Reedies are brilliant and poetic and creative

Reed is too small

Reed has an excellent poolhall

Reed will drive you motherfucking insane

A particular crowd within the student body at Reed use a whole helluva lot of drugs (mostly psychedelics and research chemicals, as well as good ol' herb, but there is also a seedy heroin and cocaine scene that you won't notice unless you look for/fall into it.)

All reedies are brilliant in their own funny way, most are quite poetic, and Reed as a whole is one of the most creative places I've ever been

Reed is, in fact, very, very small. If you don't like small places it can be too small. If you like them, it could be just right.

Reed has a sublime little basement area with a fantastic jukebox and lots of murals that is known as the poolhall.

No holds barred? My god...

Ok. So I'm writing this from the foot of Songshan in Dengfeng, Henan province, China. I left because... well, Reed drives you crazy. I love it though. Not China, China's ok. Reed, is amazing. It's a beautiful, brilliant, sublime little shining light in the world and I hope it always stays that way. If you want to be stretched in every direction you never considered possible, it might be the place for you. You will meet crazy druggies, crazy poets, crazy intellectuals, and just crazies... they all have a right to be there and they are all part of the Reed experience. Love them all. They are all equally fascinating and all have something to add to your education in the subject of... everything.

I miss reed. I miss having my ass kicked everyday by a workload that is simply not do-able. I miss the beautiful insane people I interact with on a daily basis. I miss those awkard interactions with people I know, and those I recognize, but don't know. It's a good place but it will drive you totally insane... in a very good way.