<p>Reed is easier to get into than UChicago, but the holistic approach to admissions and the self-selective nature of the applicant pool make it an unpredictable school for many.</p>
<p>The academics are indeed hard, and they only get harder as time goes on. Freshman year hasn’t been unmanageable so far, although all of my classes have been challenging, but I know many upperclassmen whose workloads make mine look embarrassing. If this is a serious concern for you, I think you should visit and see for yourself if the academics are too intense for you. I’d advise you to talk to an older student because freshmen are unlikely to have a good idea of how hard Reed really is; Reed’s low graduation rate comes, among other things, from a high attrition rate after sophomore year.</p>