<p>I didn’t read the full collegeguide.org review for Reed College (you have to pay for it), but I would assume that Reed gets big points for its traditional curriculum, despite its reputation for hippie students.</p>
<p>For example, Reed requires all freshmen to take a rigorous full-year course on the Foundations of Western Civilization. This kind of mandatory “core curriculum” is a huge plus for many conservatives; they see Reed as a model for other LACs in this regard.</p>
<p>The opposite approach – which conservatives tend to view as a huge minus – is the “open curriculum”. It may not be coincidental that three of the four “red-light” NESCACs (Amherst, Hamilton, Wesleyan) are “open curriculum” schools.</p>