<p>I would say that your desire for “laid-back” would be more than sufficiently fulfilled at Reed, at least socially. I’m not sure however, if you can wish for a college to value academics over everything else and yet at the same time desire for them to be laid-back with academics. I get the gist of what you’re saying, but if your first statement was true, then the latter doesn’t seem to fit.</p>
<p>Evaluate the type of person you want to be. The environment you spend the next four years of your life in will weigh heavily on who you will become; be sure to make your choices fully conscious of the inevitable shaping that will occur.</p>
<p>Thus, I would suggest that you don’t fear the workload. If Reed is the place you see yourself being (VISIT!), then apply and give that application everything in you. You are going to change.</p>