<p>Reed is an ‘elite liberal arts college’ too, given its impressive track record in producing successful graduates, especially academics. What makes Vassar better, and what gives Vassar that ‘distinction’ and not to Reed? How does a Vassar education take you further than a Reed education? Is Vassar Harvard, a school whose name can open countless doors? You have said nothing more to add to your claim and are saying things that expose your unfamiliarity with liberal arts colleges, like ‘so the caliber of the student body is greater than at Reed’. Vassar has a lower acceptance rate, yes, but the quality of the students who choose to attend these schools is same when comparing average SAT/ACT scores. What is more important in understanding who go to a school: those who we kept out or those who are here?</p>
<p>It just never fails to amuse me when people bring up acceptance rates to validate their claims. In that case, everyone should be lining up to go to College of the Ozarks, which has an acceptance rate lower than Vassar’s, because the lower acceptance rate must mean that ‘it’s harder to get into [College of the Ozarks] and so the caliber of the student body is greater than at Vassar’. <em>facepalm</em></p>
<p>To OP: I recommend you apply to Vassar not because it is an ‘elite college’ and is ‘better’ than Reed but because you feel that it is the better fit for you. It’d ridiculous to compare LACs, especially those like Reed and Vassar, because neither can take you further than the other in the long term.</p>