Colleges Reed College

Reed College www.reed.edu

Founded in 1908 in southeast Portland, Oregon, Reed College is an independent liberal arts and sciences college. At Reed, students can select from about 100 student organizations and can compete on intramural and club sports teams. Downtown Portland is about 5 miles away from campus. To enjoy Oregon’s outdoors, students can join in on planned Outing Club trips or organize their own. For fans of winter sports or water sports, Mount Hood and the Pacific Ocean are about 90 minutes from campus. In addition to being one of the greenest cities in the US, Portland is known for its progressive urban planning, its innovative music scene, weekend brunches, and coffee. Freshmen do not have to live on campus, but they are guaranteed a dorm room. Referred to as one of the most intellectual colleges in the country, Reed is known for its high standards of scholarly practice, creative thinking, and engaged citizenship. Small conference-style classes allow faculty members to truly mentor students and engage with them in individual discussions. Steve Jobs is an alumnus of Reed College.

Academics

Reed College students pursue the Bachelor of Arts degree in 40 majors and programs. The curriculum includes a yearlong humanities course, broad distribution requirements, and a senior thesis. Reed is one of the few undergraduate institutions where every student writes a thesis in their senior year. Following its tradition of a liberal arts undergraduate education, Reed offers a master’s degree in liberal studies as well. Graduate students do not have to specify a track of study and can create their own broad curriculum as they wish. Undergraduate students may enroll in five-year dual-degree programs, completing a liberal arts degree at Reed in three years and a specialized degree at a cooperating institution such as UW, Caltech, or Columbia, in two. The student-faculty ratio at Reed University is 9:1, and the school has a large percentage of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Popular majors include English, Liberal Arts & Humanities, Biology, Arts, and Mathematics.

Special Highlights

The Honor Principle. The honor principle allows Reed to develop our values as a community. Coming to find what you think honorable behavior is and what the Honor Principle means is a morally and intellectually challenging part of your Reed education. It is up to each person to engage with the trust, as well as responsibility placed on them by the Honor Principle in order for the community to support everyone.

Language Houses. In conjunction with faculty, Residence Life supports six language houses that represent six modern languages: French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. Each house is staffed with a Language Scholar, who is a native speaker hired to support language development in and out of the house. Each house sponsors a variety of programs during the year that enhance the opportunity to learn about the various languages and cultures each house represents.

School Mission & Unique Qualities

At Reed College, you’ll cross academic disciplines in your pursuit of knowledge, discovering new questions along the way. Professors assign challenging material, then serve as resources and facilitators as you and your classmates discuss ideas with thoughtfulness and compassion. If you’re ready for an intellectual challenge and a fun, close-knit community, you’ll thrive here. Reed’s 116-acre campus, in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, features Tudor-Gothic style architecture similar to Ivy League campuses, and a forested canyon nature preserve at its center. The Reed Canyon bisects the campus, separating the academic buildings from many of the residence halls. The canyon is filled by Crystal Creek Springs. Canyon Day, a tradition dating back to 1915, is held twice a year. Students and Reed neighbors join canyon crew workers to spend a day helping with restoration efforts.

Student Reviews…

“I received a wonderful liberal arts education from amazing professors. Reed offers a rigorous academic program, but also has a quirky and liberal culture and social scene. Students have lots of autonomy, most campus dorms are nice, the campus is very safe and scenic, good food.”