<p>When people compare Reed to UChic, they mean academically, not socially. Reed’s weather is also NOTHING like Minnesota’s…It’s mild here (doesn’t get below 30s, really), with grey and drizzly weather a lot of the time. It’s been gorgeous this year though, so don’t be down about it! (If it helps, 96 kids out of around 440 in the freshman class are from Cali).</p>
<p>Trust me, Reed kids have social lives (although maybe not as much as their Reed careers progress). I definitely have a lot of time as a freshman for hanging out with friends and just relaxing, and I’m still doing decently well.</p>
<p>Your ECs seem just fine for Reed. What admissions focuses on is passion: passion for learning, passion for Reed, and passion for life. So, write really strong essays that demonstrate those things (if you have them, obviously), and you’ll have a solid application :)</p>