Visit Report by golddustwoman (Member since April 04 2007 with 278 posts) Visit Date - July 2007
Visit to Reed College in July 2007 by golddustwoman (Student, HS Class of 2008)
Visit Activities:
Admissions Interview:
Yes - Yes - She asked random and interesting questions (IE, "Define consciousness. Can you have consciousness without creativity? Without knowledge?). It was refreshing. Information Session:
Yes - Yes - I pretty much knew a lot about the school already, so the information session didn't really teach me anything knew. Except the woman who did it called Reed "traditional"--wasn Campus Tour:
Yes - The campus is absolutely lovely. I've never seen larger trees, save the Redwood forests). Our tour guide swore a couple times, which was funny, and some of the rooms definitely smelled like smoke
Reed College Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 4 - Very Good -
There weren't many students on campus--only a few who stayed over the summer to do research. They were all very friendly, though, and obviously interested in what they're studying.
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 3 - Good -
They were nice, but not like "omgsuperfriendly." Everything was really laid back and comfortable.
Appearance of Campus: 5 - Excellent -
It's absolutely beautiful. I've never seen a higher concentration of green things in my whole life. Seeing the lawn made me want to roll around in the grass (I'm from Arizona--we don�
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 4 - Very Good -
It's a small, cute campus, and the buildings were in very good repair.
Dormitories: 4 - Very Good -
They've got divided doubles, so it's the same as having your own room. You also pretty much get to choose if you want a roommate or not. Plus they're building more dorms to be open for
Security/Safety: 3 - Good -
It seemed safe, I guess. I mean, when I was there random people were taking jogs on campus or walking their dogs. I didn't feel unsafe, though.
Overall Campus Impression: 5 - Excellent -
I looooooved the campus. It's really small, but in a good way (some campuses are overwhelmingly large, in my opinion). Nice buildings, nice dorms, nice grass.
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 2 - Fair -
It's not too great. It's in a housing neighborhood kind of area, and beyond that are some places to eat. There are better areas of the city, that's certain.
City/Town/Community: 5 - Excellent -
Portland has everything in the whole world. All the great indie bands come to Portland, there's loads to do (not that you'd have the free time if you come to Reed), but it's a great cit
Campus Visit Notes for Reed College:
Visit Description:
The entire experience was very laid back. It was only me and this other girl with her parents at the information session, so everything was very personal and comfortable. The lady just gave her spiel and we talked and it was nice.
The campus tour was interesting. It was filled with fun, random anecdotes about Reed. As I said before, the tour guide swore a couple times, but I thought it was funny. I'm not sure what the other girl's parents thought about it though...
The interview was likewise laid back. I interviewed with an intern who is a current senior at Reed. We sat in the grass and talked about some really random things (such as I mentioned before: What is conciousness? What is creativity? What is knowledge? Can we have consciousness without creativity? Can we have it without knowledge?). She also asked some more directly related questions that allowed me to talk about some of my passions and interests. It was really nice to hear her say, "I'm not interested in your SAT scores and your GPA. I want to know who YOU are."
I didn't get to sit in on a class or do the overnight visit--if I'm accepted and intend to attend, I'd do that before sending in my deposit.
Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:
There are plenty of places to stay within a reasonable driving distance of the college.
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
I saw the waterfalls in Portland (don't remember what they're called) and got ice cream there. It was nice. :P
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There weren't many students on campus--only a few who stayed over the summer to do research. They were all very friendly, though, and obviously interested in what they're studying.
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They were nice, but not like "omgsuperfriendly." Everything was really laid back and comfortable.
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It's absolutely beautiful. I've never seen a higher concentration of green things in my whole life. Seeing the lawn made me want to roll around in the grass (I'm from Arizona--we don�
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It's not too great. It's in a housing neighborhood kind of area, and beyond that are some places to eat. There are better areas of the city, that's certain.