Colleges Reed College

Reed College www.reed.edu

Founded in 1908 in southeast Portland, Oregon, Reed College is a coeducational, independent liberal arts and sciences college. 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. In addition to being one of the greenest cities in the country, Portland is known for its progressive urban planning, its innovative music scene, weekend brunches, and delicious coffee. Reed students are creative, self-propelled, passionate, and analytical. They have a boundless enthusiasm for learning and an unexpected ability to embrace paradoxes.

Academics

Reed 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. A 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and small conference-style classes allow faculty members to truly mentor students and engage with them in individual discussions. 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. 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

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. Skiers and snowboarders may want to take advantage of the Reed ski cabin, a lodge in Mount Hood where students, alumni and faculty can stay. The ski cabin is less than 90 minutes from campus by car. Water sports fans can also find surfing and sea kayaking options in the Pacific Ocean about 90 minutes from campus. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer, also attended Reed but did not graduate.

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.”