tennisdude

One of the worst things about Reed, I think, is the hardcore 'conservative liberalism' that dominates the campus. It's all liberal, all the time. We tease a dormie about being super conservative, when really, anywhere else in the country, he would be considered a moderate. I don't think anyone will be mean to you (unless you start a fight or something), but you won't find much political diversity on campus, which is a bad thing. (Then again, as Tetra points out, being conservative is a flaw.)

Now, were you asking specifically about politics? Or do you feel like you're not going to find 'your people' like so many Reedies claim to have done. Because if you're worried about not being quirky, etc, I can advise. (I certainly didn't go to Reed to find 'my people.')

peter05

tennisdude,

what are five things you like and you don't like about Reed? also, do you think it exposes students to a nice balance of all political perspectives (essential for many social sciences to being able to learn from people of all political leanings)?

OniLawliet

Tennisdude, (and Tetra's opinion would be nice too, I guess)

Besides the liberal domination of the Reed student body, is there any other gripe you have about Reed College?

Reed is a school I've been looking at very closely. I'm attracted to it's academic philosophy (conference based classes, lack of focus on grades, intellectual atmosphere) and the location of Portland. I've always been one in school to enjoy my AP Literature class and various humanities classes, always engaging in discussion and criticism. Reed seems like a place where such people thrive and are happy. However, Reed's intense academic workload concerns me...I love Reed, but I don't want to spend 4 years locked away in my dorm room, studying and studying and studying...Granted, this is what Reed is all about; a devotion to academic success. However, in my eyes, I can see my college weeks being spent as Sun-Thurs with intense studying, and Fri-Sat being days I can just chill for a while, actually go into Portland, go skiing at Mt Hood (i love skiing), etc...Can this be afforded at Reed?

Now, this question is aimed at tennisdude in particular. You mentioned that you had a low GPA in HS but still managed to get into Reed. What, do you feel, made you stand out to Reed? I sent off my app to Reed a few weeks ago. I've visited twice, had interviews, done tours, etc. I wrote some spectacular essays, have some impressive ECs, but my GPA is not up to par (a 3.4) and my test scores aren't too hot either (ACT 27). Do you think I stand a chance? How, in your mind, did you get into Reed?

Thanks!

emeraldkity4

IMO
"Are Reed students sort of pretentious?"

My Reedie says: "Some of them.

THis goes along with social immaturity and most of them will grow out of it in time.

BandTenHut

I don't think it looks that way from a broader perspective. On an international scale we are more conservative as a people, so we just adjust the compass to fit our needs. Reedies range from moderate conservatives to far leftists from a European's point of view. Most Americans see this as ranging from moderate leftists to ultra-leftists. I think the political spectrum at Reed is wider than most people believe. At least from a political and economic perspective... Reedies are socially liberal, period.

I don't think a true social conservative would be comfortable at Reed.

IMO.

tennisdude

I have several gripes about Reed - the fact that it's not a research U, that it makes med school admissions quite difficult, its smallness (sometimes), and some others. But, all of my 'problems' with Reed come with a flip side: if it was a research U, I wouldn't get this kind of attention from professors; if it started catering to med school, it would lose some of its intellectualism, etc. I think that Reed does a particularly honest job of marketing itself. It is what they say it is. If you think you'll enjoy it, you probably will.

- - -

As far as workload, freshman year is great. You'll (assumingly) have a considerable amount more work than your high school friends, to make yourself feel hardcore. Yet, you won't have nearly as much work as the upperclassmen around you - so you'll secretly know that you have it easy. You can certainly go off campus during the weekends, and you'll have some downtime during the week, too. The workload is extremely manageable.

Sophomore year, apparently, the workload will hit you harder. Junior year will be easier than Soph year because you'll have learned how to handle the work. And Senior year is Thesis year. That's what I hear, at least.

- - -

I would tell you not to worry about admissions, since your application is already in, but from experience I realize that's never a useful thing to say. As long as you presented yourself as an academically oriented kid who loves learning, I think you should be okay. They like that.

I don't think my admissions decision can help you at all, unfortunately. I had a low three overall (although I had a 4.0 freshman year, so my academic GPA soph and jr year was like a 2.1 or something), mostly because I didn't go to class because I was doing research and starting a company and random stuffs like that. I had high test scores (ACT high 30s and comparable SAT), and some pending research publications when I applied. I also had a good number of 5s on AP tests which I forgot to mention until they wait listed me.

And since you asked, I know exactly what got me into Reed; my admissions counselor called and told me. After I was wait listed, I sent them another Rec letter, a letter of interest, and my short UChicago essay about my favorite books. My counselor called to say, 'So... I got your package... you had some good books on that list.' So, yeah.

On a semi-related note, we *love* our books at Reed.

golddustwoman

Actually, I find that comforting. Want to know something funny? I have some libertarian leanings, too, which puts me at an even more opposition to socialism/liberalism. Haha. My four years at Reed would be interesting--or I'd emerge a hardcore communist. O_o

And I'm definitely quirky enough for Reed...I'm just afraid I didn't really communicate that enough in my essays. And I don't think I communicated my love of books enough. And I sent in my essays yesterday--oh well.

Thanks for answering the questions! I really hope to join you in Portland in the fall. =D

the_daydreamer

Hey there. So, I had a question that I was hoping you could answer...

I'm extremely interested in music (particularly voice), although I don't feel ready to commit to a conservatory. Although almost all of the schools on my college list so far (I'm a junior) either have a conservatory or have fantastic music departments, Reed has persisted on my list because it speaks to a different-- yet critical-- part of me: the part that adores reading and discussion-based classes, that wouldn't really mind being a nerd for four years and reading the great Western classics, and that yearns to be in an extremely small college environment. (Just for the record, the other major schools I am considering are Swarthmore, Williams, Oberlin, and Pomona.)

However, I truly love music and I think that that really may be what I want to do eventually-- but I'm just not sure yet. But, I was wondering whether you could speak to the quality of Reed's music department and its outside music opportunities, such as local choirs or opera companies or coffeehouse opportunities. Because as much a certain part of me adores Reed, I don't know that I could be truly happy completely without music in my life.

So, yeah. There's that. And also, how difficult is it to double major at Reed? -- because that would be what I'd want to do: double major in music and something in the humanities. Is that unrealistic?

Thanks so much, guys.

vossron

My guess is that few of us know much about music at Reed. REED COLLEGE | Music | Faculty & Staff shows that the department is small, but REED COLLEGE | Music | Courses shows varied course offerings. Double majoring Guidebook to Reed is considered very difficult in eight semesters (two theses!).

tennisdude

Yeah, I really don't know anything about music. One of my friends is in the orchestra? If you come to Reed, you certainly won't be without music. However, it's also very much not a music school.

And no, you probably won't end up double majoring (in four years, at least). The good news is, you really won't care that you don't have two majors. Trust me.

mackinaw

RECENT NEWS RELEASE ABOUT PERFORMING ARTS AT REED
http://web.reed.edu/news_center/pres...607Mellon.html

News Center
Features

Campus News
Reed College Receives $1.5 Million Mellon Grant to Boost Performing Arts

A major grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will enable the college to add faculty and expand academic offerings in theatre, music, and dance.

Portland, OR (September 6, 2007) – Reed College has received a $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to strengthen its performing arts departments. The grant is to be matched 3:1 by the college’s own fundraising efforts, leading to a total of $6 million in new investment in Reed’s performing arts program over the next several years.

Reed was one of 16 national liberal arts colleges invited to submit proposals to the Mellon Foundation’s “Centers of Excellence” program. Seven schools were selected to receive awards.

Dean of the Faculty Peter Steinberger said that the Mellon grant, combined with the college’s progress toward planning a new performing arts center, will add further momentum to Reed’s broader efforts to enhance performing arts education. “There’s a theory that underlies the entire project,” Steinberger said, “that by putting theatre, dance, and music under one roof, we can encourage the kind of cross-fertilization that we haven’t enjoyed hitherto.”

The college has already raised more than one third of the $4.5 million it will need to solicit from private donors by 2011 to meet the Mellon Foundation’s challenge grant, which, according to Mellon’s funding criteria, is designed to “address a major priority, leading to a long-lasting, positive educational and financial outcome” for the college.

The increased financial support for Reed’s performing arts program coincides with the establishment of a committee to select a theatre consultant and architect for a proposed new multi-million-dollar performing arts center. The facility would provide classroom, rehearsal, workshop, and performance space for all three departments; currently, the performing arts are scattered in antiquated facilities in several locations across the campus.

The academic departments will add new faculty positions, including one FTE (full-time equivalent) position in music, and one half-time FTE each in theatre and dance (specific staffing configurations have yet to be determined). The grant will also support a performing arts librarian position, as well as programmatic improvements in the dance department.

Dance professor Patricia Wong said she is “delighted” with the added staffing. “We hope this will be the beginning of establishing a true dance major at Reed,” she said. “Until now, only joint majors—for instance, in theatre and dance—have been possible because of the limited course offerings in dance.”

Music professor Virginia Hancock ’62 said the small size of the music department has so far limited the number and range of courses. “In recent years,” she said, “as the area of musicology has expanded to include the serious academic study of fields other than classical music, other colleges have begun to offer courses in these non-traditional subjects. Although we don’t yet know in which direction we want to expand, three areas we mentioned in the grant proposal—all of which we think would interest Reed students—are popular music, music and technology, and world music.”

Theatre professor Kathleen Worley said the Mellon grant “will allow the department to provide students interested in design with the level and quality of coursework now enjoyed by those interested in acting, directing, playwriting, and theatre history."

The Mellon Foundation has supported Reed College in the past with grants for faculty development and to further the use of computing in the humanities.

vickious

@ tennisdude
why reed over uchicago?

tennisdude

Chicago didn't accept me (wait list). If they did, I would have gone.

I decided to stay here rather than transfer because looking at the situation now, I realize that Reed really will give me a better education. Chicago is a somewhat easier school (or at least can be, if you're seeking that), and more competition-based (meaning there are curves and the like). I got the impression that at Reed, a professor might give a really hard exam and you'll get a C. At Chicago, a professor might give an exam, and you'll get an 85, but after the curve, it will turn into a C (ahem, Gen Chem, cough cough). The schools are difficult differently in that regard. Reed seemed to be more focused on student learning, and Chicago on student evaluation.

Also, the quality of teaching and mentorship from really, really bright minds is unparalleled. I didn't really factor teaching quality / caring about undergrads into my college search, but now that I'm a student, I realize how important it is. (Think about how your favorite high school classes were influence much more by the teacher than the actual material - now imagine if you could have an awesome teacher in anything you were interested in.... Reed). I don't think I can emphasize this enough, even people who dislike a class will readily admit that the professor teaching it is a baller, just not their style. The teaching really is AWESOME.

Go to Chicago if you're looking for more to do outside of school (although I still hear that nobody has fun there... not sure how true that is anymore). And if you don't mind compromising a little (learning from TAs, potentially poor teachers, etc.). If you're big into research, or want a research U type environment, you might want Chicago.

Go to Reed if what you really, really, really want more than anything else is an unreal undergraduate eduction with a bunch of accepting, slightly strange individuals. There are drawbacks to this choice, but for me, it was worth it.

(And I'll negate everything I just said by telling you that wherever you end up going you'll probably like. I spent a lot of time hanging around universities in high school and developed pretty specific interests - I even applied based on the recommendations of my mentors (who were U profs). I applied to Reed two weeks past the deadline on a whim because I heard it was the most intellectual school in the country, which sounded badass. Never prospied. Never visited, ever. Love it.)

mackinaw

tennisdude: I think your comparisons of Reed and UChicago are very apt.

Here's a link to something I wrote here a couple of years ago. I went to Reed, my son went to Chicago (I also taught as a visiting faculty member at Chicago for a year).

Reed v University of Chicago