Reed College is one of the most unusual schools in the country, a fact that is reflected in the prevalent stereotypes about its student population. “
Reed is a school full of hardworking hippies who do a lot of drugs, sleep very little, and are all bizarre individuals in some respect,” writes a freshman when reflecting on how the outside world views his college. While these tags of course don't accurately describe each individual student, most agree that pretty much everyone at Reed is interesting and unique - and most importantly, extraordinarily bright. “
Once at a friend’s house I met a Reedie who grew up with his dad in a teepee," writes a recent alum. "
This sort of experience isn’t that uncommon. In addition, there are all sorts of student groups building and fixing bikes, brewing beer, fire dancing, ‘buildering’ (aka climbing buildings as well as [taking] outdoor trips), planning a Cascadian revolution, you name it.” No matter how different or quirky, or how varied their interests, Reedies are united by their self-professed “weirdness,” curiosity, and intellectual fervor.
There are no two ways about it: Reed is heaven for the academically obsessed. There are few other colleges in the country, Ivy League included, where the bar for academic excellence is set so high, and where students are as committed to meeting those standards. “
Not studying is not an option," explains one student who claims to hit the books a minimum of five hours a day. "
Not studying enough is also not an option. The workload and academic expectations are enormous - prepare for the onslaught or you WILL be crushed. No, really.” Students often cite reading assignments topping 300 pages a night, 20-page papers, and the “stress culture” that these rigorous demands breed. "
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,” writes one junior. The workload may often seem overwhelming, and it probably is, but students are bolstered by their professors, who treat them as peers and insist that students refer to them on a first-name basis. “
[My professors] know who I date, they know how I really feel about those people,” writes a junior majoring in religion. “
They know my strengths and my weaknesses and whether I am, at any given moment, strong, weak, or falling apart.”
Reedies concede that they are essentially being prepared for a life in academia - they’re trained to think critically and analytically, to dissect large tomes of text, and to be master researchers - as opposed to learning the tools of a trade. All Reedies start their college education with Humanities 110, a survey course in the classical foundations of Western society focusing primarily on ancient Greece and Rome. The lecture-style class is taught by several professors and broken up into smaller, conference-style discussion groups. The curriculum provides a good cultural foundation, though many students feel it is a little too conservative for a school as liberal as Reed. “
My major complaint concerning Reed's curriculum is the lack of diversity across cultural, gender, and ethnic lines,” writes one freshman studying political science. “
There is no African-American studies department, no women's studies, or Hispanic studies, and the curriculum within the only required course, Humanities 110, is particularly Eurocentric.” For science majors, Reed offers research facilities that are at times unparalleled among liberal arts colleges of its size. “
Undergraduates operate a research nuclear reactor," explains a senior biology major who is quite enthusiastic about the tools at his disposal. "
I myself have utilized 400 MHz NMR multiple times without the supervision of a faculty member. My lab alone possesses seven microscopes and three 100W burners for fluorescence microscopy. There is a confocal microscope down the hall, thermocyclers on every bench, and a fancy quantitative real-time PCR rig.” Independent study is encouraged and students spend their senior year working on a thesis which they must then present before a board of professors. As one senior describes the process: “
Next week I will defend my thesis in front of 4 of my professors. They will ask me any question they like, about any subject they feel I should have an understanding of. And you know what? Because of the rigorous teaching at Reed, I'm excited for this oral."
On any given day, the library, affectionately nicknamed the Hauser Fundome, is the epicenter of social life on campus. There are plenty of nontraditional student organizations (you’ll find no sports teams or Greek organizations here), but students don't typically commit to them with the sort of dedication they reserve exclusively for their studies. When Reedies do let loose though, they don’t hold back, and the college graciously sponsors many activities to help students to unwind. “
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,” writes a sophomore studying mathematics. “
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.” The apogee of the collective Reed experience is an infamous celebration known as Renn Fayre, held every spring over the course of a three-day weekend just before finals. A senior English major explains, “
Renn Fayre begins when the seniors burn their thesis drafts. There's a parade, and other students spray the seniors with champagne. The next day there are fireworks and glow opera (this cannot be described; you have to experience it for yourself), and a giant feast. It's the culmination of an entire year's hard work, an orgiastic catharsis. It's amazing. It makes all those nights you spend working in the library until 2 a.m. worth it.”
The legendary bacchanalia that is Renn Fayre has earned Reed a reputation as a school with a prevalent drug culture, but students claim that this stereotype is blown out of proportion. “
Yes, drug use occurs, but no more than at any other college,” writes a senior psychology major. “
It's just that the drug culture here is much less underground, and as a result, it's generally less seedy and dangerous. It's also more experimental. You have science majors taking acid not because they want to get ‘fucked up’ but because they're interested in the neurochemistry that's taking place in their brains. In sum, most students don't do drugs, but the ones that do are pretty adventurous and open about it, and that's where the reputation comes from.” The openness associated with drug use is also in part due to Reed’s Honor Principle, which governs every aspect of Reed life and enables the administration to take more of a hands-off approach to governing the student body. A sociology major explains: “
Instead of having a long series of penal codes and regulations, we have the Honor Principle. Basically, it asks that students be considerate. Reedies are to consider their actions and not do anything which may bother or harm another. The campus is pretty free of litter. People rarely cheat on tests, even when professors allow us to take them home and do them on our own. Reedies will follow the time limit, not use notes, etc.”
Reed is certainly not for everyone. It is staunchly liberal, academically driven, and attracts a breed of student that tends to be inquisitive, eccentric, and perhaps a little socially awkward. Those who like to be challenged by an intellectually fulfilling environment where they are free to be themselves - whatever that may be - will likely find Reed a welcome sanctuary from the outside world. But, as one student writes, “
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.”
