<p>Overall which is better?</p>
<p>You need to visit both. But let me repeat you have a feeling by the time you turn 16 that schools like Reed might be for you.</p>
<p>trinity in texas or trinity in connecticut?</p>
<p>I assume you mean Trinity College in Hartford, CT, because there are a few “Trinity” schools.</p>
<p>Overall better for what? “Better for you” is the real question.</p>
<p>You could start with an apples-to-apples comparison using their respective Common Data Sets:</p>
<p><a href=“http://web.reed.edu/ir/cds/index06.html[/url]”>http://web.reed.edu/ir/cds/index06.html</a>
<a href=“http://www.trincoll.edu/orgs/planning/publicdata/CDS2006_07.pdf[/url]”>http://www.trincoll.edu/orgs/planning/publicdata/CDS2006_07.pdf</a></p>
<p>I know a little only about Reed; hopefully someone will post who knows both.</p>
<p>Both Trinity (CT) and Reed are good schools. The schools are polar opposites socially. Reed is very liberal and attracts a hippie sort of crowd. Trinity attracts alot of wealthy kids from northeast prep schools.</p>
<p>Both are good schools, but Reed is more intellectual.</p>
<p>Yeap I am talking about Trinity College -Connecticut.</p>
<p>Overall as in social life, academics and intellectually.</p>
<p>Reed is the more intellectual of the two–it’s known for its rather intense program of study. The student bodies, as others have said, are really different: Reed attracts a more alternative crowed, while, as faras I know, Trinity has a “preppier” student body. Which would be better for you is entirley a personal decision. </p>
<p>Why are you deciding between these two schools in particular?</p>
<p>Well I was looking at a few LACs. And I was shortlisting my college list. Someone suggest Trinity so I thought of asking.</p>
<p>The typical Reedie is not a hippy or alternative in Portland. They are normal. Indie band teeshirts and jeans are considered dressy.</p>
<p>My daughter likes them both. We’ve visited both, here’s the impressions of them.</p>
<p>Things in common - LAC, nice campus, near big cities, small classes, fairly selective. Trinity is about 2400, Reed 1300</p>
<p>Trinity - very preppy, polo shirt kind of a vibe, but everyone we spoke with was very nice. If you look at the admission stats, a high proportion come from prep schools. Attractive campus - much of it looks plucked from the English countryside. A mile or so from downtown Hartford, accessible on public transport. </p>
<p>The academics seem very good - a real focus on nurturing freshman - they have some programs in freshman year that let you have the “colloquium” experience, and help you to get up to speed on writing if that’s an issue for you. Also a strong internship/community volunteer vibe, at least when they give you the admissions spiel. </p>
<p>Reed is fiercely proud of how intellectually rigorous it is. Everyone does a senior thesis. There was almost a perverse pride in how hard it all is. All freshman take the same broad liberal arts course, so that every is grounded in the same ideas. The vibe was very funky, bright, articulate witty. If that vibe sounds good, you should probably also look at Wesleyan (in CT).</p>
<p>At the parents session they stressed that due to the senior thesis, you should come in with a plan of what you want to study. Very much a “Reed bubble”. I asked about internships, and got a fairly perfunctory answer about it. Doesn’t sound like people interact “outside” of Reed much. Campus is nice - pseudo east coast ivy. </p>
<p>Pros & cons per my d
Reed - might be too small - 1300 can get pretty incestuous. Portland is a nicer town than Hartford. The intellectual rigor sounds great, but may be too much a bubble/stressful. Unsure about all that rain. Loved the witty humor</p>
<p>Trinity - a little small - liked the programs, internships and feel of the place. Challenging, but not a burnout kind of challenging. Less of a “wow” on crazy intellectual humor, but a nice place that felt right. </p>
<p>Of course, it all depends on what’s good for you… but I can definitely see why you are looking at both.</p>
<p>This will proly not help u but i live real close to reed, But in oregon reed has a very prestigous name, since many kids goto oregon state etc. I know reed has no engineering department. Portland is also an interesting city, kinda hard to describe. Really liberal, but still a few conservative pockets. Tona of bikers, very green and wet. Most amount of strip bars per capita in the entire nation. Lot of hippies, and weirdos in dowtown, but prolly one of the safest cities in America. Hey location of the college matters too.</p>
<p>Portland is not very diverse, unless you’re speaking of the difference between democrats, libertarians, and anarchists. Lots of eco-smugness and self-congratulatory pats on the back. Save a bridge for bikers and pedestrians to use–in an affluent area–rather than save the money to build a more efficient bridge or work on better schools. The city is moving up, if you consider lots of upscale buildings downtown a positive step. Portland is very accepting of difference, which is great. Decent bar scene, but police force is to be feared–lots of police shootings. Alternative, techie-geek cool is in. A good thing because tans are hard to come by except during the summer. Rain is the usual. Like it though. </p>
<p>As for Trinity and Reed, I like both colleges but for different reasons. </p>
<p>Trinity is more preppy, but it’s students are more balanced when it comes to work and play. The internship program is huge, and students volunteer through outreach programs. Besides the one course in each discipline (5 in total), Trinity has no core. The financial aid office meets 100% of need, if you turn in your paperwork by the deadlines, and student debt is low upon graduation. More drinking than at Reed. Trinity is surprisingly diverse for it’s reputation as a prep school kids haven. IMHO, 30% liberal, 30% middle-of-the-road, and 40% conservative. </p>
<p>Reed is happy in it’s non-conformity, although it is somewhat conformist, if the comparison is with its Portland home. Extensive core & great reputation. Lots of tats, piercings, long hair–the norm for the area. More of a drug scene than Trinity. Stingy with aid. Kids not so much into sports, unless it’s ultimate frisbee, hackysack, or soccer. Portland does have a good scene although it is predominantly white. IMHO, 10% anarchist, 20% libertarian, 40% liberal, 20% middle-of-the-road, and 10% conservative.</p>
<p>Might want to look at Earlham, Connecticut, Grinnell, Macalester, Carleton, Oberlin, Pitzer, Bates, Haverford, Beloit, Vassar, & Colorado College if you like Reed.</p>
<p>Look at Hamilton, Colby, Middlebury, Union, Colgate, DePauw, Rhodes, Gettysburg, & Davidson, to name a few, if you like Trinity.</p>
<p>Like Trinity better overall.</p>
<p>Just an opinion.</p>
<p>These schools couldn’t be more different. I would second IsleBoy’s summary and proxy schools and would add Swarthmore and UChicago to the schools that are similar to Reed.</p>
<p>Trinity is FAR less selective than Reed–at the bottom of the NESCAC. It has a reputation as a jock school.</p>
<p>In addtion to intense acdemics, Reed=drugs.</p>
<p>I also agree with IsleBoy’s summary, and gellino’s additions (UChicago and Swarthmore very much have an intesity like Reed;s) and would also add Wesleyan, Bard, Hampshire, Skidmore, Lewis+Clark, Evergreen State, Goucher as some other options if you like Reed (some harder to get into than Reed, some easier).</p>
<p>Anyone at Reed much into drugs would flunk out the first semester; drugs and academics don’t work well together.</p>
<p>Here’s Reed’s drug usage and perception data:</p>
<p><a href=“http://academic.reed.edu/psychology/psy322/pluralisticignorance2/drugsalcohol.html[/url]”>http://academic.reed.edu/psychology/psy322/pluralisticignorance2/drugsalcohol.html</a></p>
<p>E.g., 66% of Reed students use marijuana once a month or less. Does anyone know how that compares to other schools?</p>
<p>Not sure…but friends that attend or have attended say that pot is the drug of choice, and that the majority inhale. Been there on a handful of weekends, and it did seem the air was hazier than at Trinity.</p>
<p>A side note: Some of the major artists were high on drugs when they composed poems, painted, etc… Not that I’m advocating anything.</p>
<p>Old thread, but I think it’s important to note that they’re likely using hallucinogens and hallucinogens would NOT cause you to flunk out. #twocents</p>
<p>old thread but the answer is Reed.</p>
<p>Portland>>>>>Hartford</p>