Will I fit in at Reed?

keffkollective
Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:25:14 +0000

I’m a current Reed sophomore… (I realize it’s been a while since you posted this, I hope you see it). Reed’s nonconformism/quirkiness comes in a very wide variety of flavors, many of which do not seem (on the surface) to be exceedingly weird.

On outgoing Reedies – about 2/3 of Reedies identify as introverts. That being said, we are pretty social/confident among our own friends, once we get to know them. I regularly interact with maybe 40 people in my on-campus job and classes, and have 3 close friends; I am fairly comfortable around this group. To an outsider, I’m sure I would seem quite outgoing and self-confident, but that’s totally not true of me around strangers. Also, most Reedies feel really nostalgic when they see prospies – I see myself in every nervous prospie I see on campus, and this makes it really easy/not awkward to strike up a conversation.

Of course, it’s hard to know until you find yourself at a school, but I think you would certainly be able to find friends and fit in at Reed. Reed has many subcultures, and nobody identifies with all of them – I think most people find some place where they feel comfortable, though.