Reed College Visit Report by Lyre

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: No - D had already had an interview many months earlier.

Information Session: Yes - An admissions counselor led the info session, which was extremely informative. Started with having us all introduce ourselves and then state what we'd had for breakfast.

Campus Tour: Yes - Our tour guide very personable, but his style was a little disorganized. He stopped 4 times to expound upon the "Honor Principle" and still fretted that he hadn't properly explained it.

Classroom Visit: Yes - D was assigned to 2 classes. Unfortunately, one had been canceled (she discovered when no one showed up) and in the other she chatted with a student who said she didn't really like Reed.

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Campus:

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I have certainly been on friendlier campuses. D thought students were pretty friendly and during her stay one passing student bought her ice cream.

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Everyone in the Admissions Office was nice.

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Reed is beautiful.

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Everything seemed well-maintained.

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Our tour guide insisted he was going to show some average dorms ... not the ones Reed Admin wanted us to see. But they were perfectly nice.

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Hard to say ... but seemed good. Nevertheless, D was nervous walking at night alone, after being abandoned by her host.

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Reed seems beautiful; a small college with a very intellectual and unique student body and culture.

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Off-Campus:

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Not much to do in the immediate area, but certainly a fairly nice part of town.

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Portland is a big city, but feels quite safe. There are lots of interesting things to do in the city.

Campus Visit Notes for Reed College

Visit Description:

Well, we went to Reed really wanting to love it and came away scratching our heads about it. Our tour said it first, "Reed is in a bubble ... it's not the real world." And while it might be intellectually stimulating to be in a "bubble" of supremely intellectual and interesting academics, it isn't necessarily going to prepare students for the "real world." There was no talk of internships or study abroad. This school could be the perfect place for a few individuals; Reed has more than its share, it seems, of students going on to PhDs and to write books. We are still wondering if Reed could be the right place for D. Certainly, she would come through matured, changed, and highly educated.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

Stayed at the Residence Inn/Lloyd Center because we had a large party traveling together. It was great. Not all that close to Reed, but not too far either. Free prkng, WiFi, b'fast, and evening

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

We did not care much for the restaurants near our hotel. We did have a good meal downtown at the Embassy Suites.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

We made a pilgrimage to VooDoo Doughnut, also went on the aerial tram, and to the Science Museum, which was popular with younger kids. All recommended. Chinese Garden not very exciting in February.