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<p>Yes, I understand that Reed offers several majors. I, for instance, am not a prospective humanities- or social sciences-related major candidate. However, I did glean that Reed is more of a humanities-focused school – even by liberal arts standards – and that if one’s academic aptitude is pretty well slanted away from the humanities and social sciences toward the math/science spectrum, Reed probably isn’t the ideal place to attend. According to the College Board’s profile on Reed, humanities and social sciences major outweigh math and science majors by a 75%/22% margin. (I assume the unaccounted 3% is due to interdisciplinary and/or unpopular majors that can’t be neatly categorized.)</p>
<p>One thing that is very unique to Reed is that the college provides its humanities foundation by requiring the taking of a single class by every first-year student with the HUM110 requirement. Having sat in on lecture and in section, I can imagine a requirement like HUM110 being mind-numbingly boring for those with absolutely no interest in the topics covered. Other colleges and universities typically differ in that credit distribution among departments can be fulfilled by selecting among a large range of options that may be more appeasing and accommodating to a non-major’s academic tastes, like a course in the history of science or bioethics for a science major’s humanities requirement(s).</p>
<p>At Reed, I found the types that love the humanities but have a general distaste or lack of interest in the math- and science-related realms to be relatively common. But I did not meet any math/science focused students who did not enjoy balancing their schedules with humanities/social sciences courses. If you feel I did not gain the correct impression or if it’s faulty even in a relatively general context, then please advise. </p>
<p>Also, the conference-style format of courses is attractive and unique to Reed. Granted, other universities have this to some degree, but rarely to such a near-exclusive extent. Nonetheless, it’s not a style that is suitable for everyone. If one is more reserved and feels most comfortable soaking in a PowerPoint or blackboard lecture where the expectation to express one’s thoughts, opinions, and reflections is absent (especially in a student-led format), then Reed may not be the best college option. </p>
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<p>My first priority (and closing statement) in post #4 was to qualify the accuracy of my impressions given that I am speaking from an outsider’s perspective, as I’m not a current student nor have I spent any considerable amount of time at Reed. If you have the time, it would be helpful if you could poke holes in any of my statements that you feel are perhaps off-base or unjustified based on your own experiences. As mentioned, I am a prospective student, and I do find perceptions from current students to be invaluable pieces of information. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>