The Professor’s Road Trip – Reed College

The Professor has landed at his last stop on his road trip at Reed College.  This small school of about 1,500 students is located in Portland, Oregon, halfway between Mt. Hood and the Pacific Ocean. Life at Reed includes either a residence hall or living off campus; they do not have a formal Greek System.  Student activities and organizations are plentiful and determined by the student body themselves.

Reed offers a vast range of majors, from chemistry and engineering to creative writing and theater.  http://www.reed.edu/academics.html When it comes to academics, Reed believes in hands on.  They are the only college in the country with a research nuclear reactor that is staffed primarily by undergraduates and said reactor has more female operators than all other research reactors combined.

Traditions http://www.reed.edu/apply/student_life/favorite_traditions.html are a large part of the Reed Culture.

Students at Reed recently celebrated Harvest Ball.  This is a Halloween social dance known for its witty costumes and great music.

In January, Reed’s curriculum is thrown out and replaced by Paideia.  For about one week, students can attend random classes that are purely for their own interest with no academic pressure.  These classes are general interest and are not sanctioned by the college.  In fact, instructors don’t even have to be an expert in their field of study.  Past classes include History of Lego, Scottish Country Dancing, Smokery and Meatcraft.  Recently though Paideaia has been garnering a lot of controversy http://www.reed.edu/reed_magazine/sallyportal/posts/2013/paideia-pandemonium.html on some of its offerings.

During spring semester, students participate in Renn Fayre.  Originally, started as a one day Renaissance Fair the tradition has evolved to a campus-wide end-of-the-year festival. On the last day of classes the seniors kick off the festival with a parade from the steps of the library to the registrar’s office to celebrate turning in their theses. A weekend-long celebration with music, food and drink, sports, arts and crafts, and fireworks, follows.

To learn more about Reed College’s application process and deadlines, please check out their website at http://www.reed.edu/.