Reed College — Attraction in Portland

I applied to Reed as a third year transfer student from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. I had an apartment that I liked in SE Portland (in the Hawthorne District), at that time and I was enjoying living and working there while I was on Academic Leave from Hampshire for a year in between my second and third years.

Ultimately, Reed didn't give me as attractive or lucrative a financial aid award package to transfer there as Hampshire did for me to go back, so back East I went to finish my degree and to do a semester of Field Study abroad in London as well. I would have had to postpone my Field Study in the UK for at least a year if I'd transferred to Reed instead of returning to Hampshire.

I would have been fine at Reed, but it was bit more pretentious and "little Ivy" like compared to Hampshire which was more quirky, bohemian and educationally experimental, but luckily Reed has elements of that also (including the use of narrative evaluations instead of traditional grading) although Reed also issues a letter grade and the student can request to see it through their Academic Advisor. Reed was more "traditional" in that academic sense than Hampshire was, BUT both colleges are at least narrative-evaluation based.

Hampshire issues no letter grades AT ALL, but, students do have the option of taking more traditional classes at four other neighboring campuses in the immediate five college consortium area where Hampshire is located for letter grading. Classes at Amherst, Smith & Mt. Holyoke Colleges, as well as at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst are available to Hampshire students. Reed had something similar set up with some other colleges and universities in the Portland area, which would have been interesting to investigate and take advantage of had I transferred colleges.

I also LOVED the feel of a small college campus within an urban environment though (Reed's campus is STUNNINGLY beautiful and I felt at home there), and I also really liked the idea of being able to keep my apartment and live off-campus in the city of Portland itself, which is what I would have done if I'd finished up my degree @ Reed.

At Hampshire because it was a more rural campus, you were required to live in on-campus housing (except unless IF you met certain, specific "criteria") for ALL four years until graduation. However, IF the $$$$ to transfer had been better from Reed, I would have transferred from being a Hampster to becoming a Reedie. My only other gripe about Reed academically is that it doesn't have an actual Film Program (and Hampshire does), however, at Reed you can study "Cinema" within the context of the Division of Literature & Languages, but I didn't like that there were no production classes nor the on-campus facilities to study the process of filmmaking itself.

That ALL being said however, there are plenty of options and resources within Portland itself to pursue film classes and working on film projects (such as the NW Film Center), but Hampshire ended up being the better option for me to return to at the point I was at in my studies. Reed also held the distinction of being the one college I applied to twice: the first time in 1992 (sight unseen), when I was first applying to colleges, (and I was wait-listed) and the second time in 1995, as a third year transfer student (after FINALLY getting to visit and tour the campus) and I audited two classes in the Theater Department, sat in on other classes, talked to faculty and just hung out with Reedies, one of which I knew since she was the girlfriend of someone I'd been attending Hampshire with.

Reed had come in 4th place for me (wait listed) initially behind Hampshire, Emerson & Sarah Lawrence when I'd originally applied to colleges to begin with, because I was "dead-set" (back at that time anyway) on college in New England. Overall, I don't regret not attending Reed per se, and I still went on to graduate school at the Ivy League level after Hampshire, BUT, sometimes I do wonder: what if I had gone to Reed? The two colleges OFTEN attract the...

Yes, I admit it. I graduated from Reed College 56 years ago, so I might be biased! However, I have traveled to many colleges and universities, both here and abroad, and Reed certainly has one of the most beautiful campuses of all. Of course the beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers play their part, along with the quaint "old dorm block" with its Sallyport and gargoyles, and historic Eliot Hall are a major reason for the beauty. Part of the reason also is that it is fairly small and very walkable in a couple of hours, and part is because of the unique canyon area below the upper formal campus.

Years ago, before it had been restored to its natural state, when I lived off campus during the summer and used to walk through the Canyon on my way home, I could stop and pick ripe blackberries along the way. Later, when I was an adult our children took lessons in the swimming pool in the canyon and we held family picnics there. Now, that is all gone so that the Crystal Springs Creek can be restored, the dams removed, and the fish can now move up the stream and all the way to the river and onward to the ocean. It has become a truly unique place in Portland, and certainly unique as part of a college campus.

If you are wandering around Reed and get hungry for lunch, the Commons (in the Gray Center overlooking the Canyon) has quite good food, with a lot of fresh seasonal choices. The prices are modest. The bookstore is also a great resource. I'm not sure if you can get borrowing privileges at the library, but you can certainly go there to browse and read. Be sure to enjoy the historic older section that houses the reading room.

But let me talk about Reed as an educational institution. When I arrived at Reed back in 1954, I felt immediately at home, and I have been at home there ever since, even though I had to move away from Portland almost 50 years ago. I return whenever I can, and almost every day I have a reason to thank Reed for the wonderful education they offer. I have checked with many people who know the students of today, and although things are obviously different now, since the world is different, I'm told that the same intellectual atmosphere prevails. However, don't get the idea that Reed students don't have fun. Yes, we studied, and discussed, and wrote papers, and toiled away in the library and in various labs, but we had lots of fun, and I can tell, when I see students today, and talk with them, that it's still fun to go to Reed. It is a different type of fun than the typical frat-sorority trip, the homecoming games, the rah rah atmosphere. The sports tend to be more individual and casual. My friends did a lot of rock climbing, for instance, and folk dancing was big back in my day. A lot of it is friendships, lots of frenzied discussion on every topic imaginable, and being able to go outside the boundaries of a major to be exposed to all kinds of ideas and activities with all...

The Reed College campus and Reed Canyon hiking trail are such a treat. One does not expect this Urban Oasis, but is grateful to find it. I've come here on a hot summer day with my pup to walk in the shade among the grand trees and a long the water many times. One can do about 4 miles at Reed without revisiting your steps. I love to walk the campus in the Spring and see all the beautiful manicured plants. On the same walk I can drop down into the canyon and see an amazing number of native plants. The habitat restoration they have done (and are still doing) in the canyon is amazing. Don't forget to find out where the fish ladder is! It is pretty cool. There are often concerts in the amphitheater in Summer. This is a real sweet treat...