Reed is a West Coast version of Grinnell or Oberlin, mixing nonconformist students with a traditional and rigorous curriculum. Sends huge numbers of grads on for Ph.D.s. Students who were square pegs in high school often find Reed a square hole. Annual springtime Thesis Parade symbolizes Reed’s culture of quirky intellectualism.

Reed College is one of the most intellectual colleges in the country. It’s the place where the late Steve Jobs-cofounder of Apple-attended for a semester before dropping out to rule the world and where students complain that the library, which closes its doors at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, shuts down too early. Letter grades are de-emphasized as a form of evaluation. Instead, students receive lengthy and detailed commentaries from professors, which fosters continued dialogue and eliminates grade inflation. “Reed is the absolute best place for someone who likes to think, to read, to question, and to work,” says a student. “It’s a community of scholars.”

Located in Southeast Portland, Reed’s 116-acre campus boasts rolling lawns, winding lanes, a canyon creek, and protected wetlands. A fish ladder was installed to help salmon reach their spawning grounds, and nonnative plants are being removed from the area to protect the natural habitat. Two thousand majestic arbors shade a mix of original campus buildings, constructed of brick, slate, and limestone in the Tudor Gothic style, as well as lodges in the homey Northwest Timber style and some more modern facilities, such as the Performing Arts Building. Recent construction includes the $27 million, 180-bed Trillium residence hall-the college’s largest-on the north end of campus.

Founded in 1908 and named for a pair of Oregon pioneers, Reed emphasizes personal freedom and responsibility, especially through its Honor Principle. Nevertheless, the curriculum and academic requirements are remarkably traditional. Freshmen must complete Humanities 110, a yearlong interdisciplinary course focused on society and culture from classical Greece and the ancient Mediterranean to the Harlem Renaissance. The course, which has been taught for more than 50 years, was updated in 2018 to make it “less Eurocentric and more inclusive,” according to a junior. Designed to create a shared intellectual experience for new students, the class draws on instruction from 25 professors, including some of Reed’s most senior and distinguished faculty. Students must also take courses in three “breadth” areas: literature, arts, and languages; history and social sciences; and mathematics and laboratory sciences (including psychology). Seniors must submit a research-based thesis to graduate. On the due date, just after spring classes have ended, seniors march from the library steps to the registrar’s office in the Thesis Parade. This marks the beginning of Renn Fayre (originally “Renaissance Fayre”), a weekend-long celebration that involves a hot-pepper-eating contest, Glow Opera, live human chess, music, and fireworks.

“The academics here are very rigorous, but not highly competitive,” says an economics major. Reed’s most popular majors include psychology, biology, English, physics, and math. A major in comparative race and ethnic studies draws from sociology, anthropology, history, and the arts. Dual-degree (3–2) programs are offered in engineering, forestry/environmental science, and visual art. Students take full advantage of the range of academic options, which often keep them tethered to their computers and study carrels. You’ll never find a TA at the lectern here or leading a group discussion, so students rarely attend class unprepared for the lively intellectual banter that typically ensues between inquiring and active minds. A psychology major comments that professors “want to be at Reed, meaning that their top priority is teaching.” Reed has improved its retention and graduation rates considerably in the last decade or two by becoming more selective in admissions, increasing on-campus housing for a stronger residential community, and bolstering student support services, including a popular peer tutoring program.

Despite Reed’s small size-71 percent of the courses taken by undergraduates have fewer than 20 students-the school offers excellent research opportunities in the liberal arts and sciences. Budding physicists and environmental scientists can work with college staff at the 250-kilowatt Triga nuclear reactor after passing an Atomic Energy Commission examination. “It’s grueling, but physics here is legendary,” says a junior. Reed also has a tradition of respect for calligraphy that, among other things, inspired Steve Jobs to build first-rate graphics into Apple computers and, in the process, shape the look of all computers that followed. Fifty-two exchange programs attract 25 percent of each graduating class, taking students to 23 countries, from Germany and China to Ecuador and Russia. Reed also offers domestic exchange programs with Howard, Sarah Lawrence, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Three-quarters of Reed’s grads go on to graduate school, and a quarter eventually earn Ph.D.s.

“Students who attend Reed are ridiculous, silly, cerebral, passionate, critical, and questioning,” says one observant Reedie. “If we have one thing in common, we are people whose lives center on learning.” While Reed is located in Oregon, its quirky brand of intellectualism means only 7 percent of the students are in-staters. Ten percent hail from other nations. Seven percent are Asian American, 10 percent are Hispanic, 2 percent are African American, and 9 percent are multiracial. “The Multicultural Resource Center provides resources-guest speakers, lecturers, Tuesday Talks, and more-to keep diversity an ongoing discussion on campus,” says an English major. A junior adds, “Reed has a prominent queer population.” When it comes to political and social issues, a linguistics major remarks, “The school is pretty rigidly liberal.” All financial aid at Reed is need-based, and the school covers 100 percent of admitted students’ demonstrated need.

Sixty-two percent of Reed students live on campus in comfortable rooms, some of which feature such homey touches as fireplaces or balconies. Reed’s new “neighborhood” housing model groups residence halls into distinct neighborhoods with specific programming, like workshops and social events. First-year students live together in designated neighborhoods, sophomores select neighborhoods based on their interests, and juniors and seniors live in upper-division neighborhoods. There are six language houses (French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic), each of which is staffed with a native speaker. Freshmen and sophomores are guaranteed housing; upperclassmen seeking a taste of post-college independence must contend with Portland’s pricey rental market. In the Commons dining hall, a student says, “The food is surprisingly good and diverse, and the kitchen is happy to help with any particular dietary needs.” Campus security receives positive reviews, and as part of the school’s strategy to prevent campus sexual assault, a junior explains, “Conversations about consent are woven into the culture of Reed.”

“On campus, there are always small parties, or plays, or giant Student Union dances, or fire-dancing shows, or bands playing,” says one student. The annual Talking Heads–themed dance is always a big hit. Students describe Reed’s drug and alcohol policies, guided by the college’s Honor Principle, as effective and well enforced, but something of a drug culture persists on campus-although in a pressure-free way. “I have never been pushed to use substances I am not comfortable using,” says a junior. Students look forward to Paideia (“education” in Ancient Greek), a weeklong program of wacky, noncredit alternative classes before spring semester begins. Past Paideia workshops have ranged from Bollywood dance and the history of Batman to how to speak with a French accent. “Other traditions are#8230;hard to explain,” muses a junior. “You’ve got to see them to believe them.”

“Portland, Oregon, is one of the coolest, weirdest places in America, so of course it’s a good social scene,” raves a senior. The city boasts a diverse range of live music, literary events, and film screenings, as well as an eclectic array of shops, bars, and restaurants. Many students get involved in community service projects organized by SEEDS (Students for Education, Equity, and Direct Service). The mammoth Powell’s bookstore downtown is about a 15-minute drive, and Oregon’s coastal beaches, mountains, or high desert are all about two hours away-although finding time for road trips can be a challenge. The school also owns a ski cabin on Mount Hood that sleeps 15.

The closest thing Reed has to a school mascot is the Doyle Owl, a 300-pound concrete sculpture that dorm residents regularly plot to steal from one another. While Reed doesn’t have varsity athletics, club teams in basketball, rugby, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee do compete with other clubs in the area. A variety of intramural and recreational sports are available for the less competitive, such as mountaineering, rowing, and curling.

Reed attracts seriously intellectual, unconventional students, but it is not without a sense of humor-the school’s unofficial, tongue-in-cheek slogan is “Atheism, Communism, Free Love.” If you’re a lover of learning who prefers to start Saturday nights with your nose in a book and end them at an all-school dance party, this Portland school is definitely worth a look.

-Fiske Guide