Freshman Year at Reed College

College Solutions student Ben is a freshman at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. We recently caught up with him to ask how he’s enjoying his first semester and what advice he would give to high school students currently navigating the college application process.

How are you finding college? 

Overall, college has been a really great experience for me. I thought the transition to living on my own would be much more difficult, but generally, it has been easy to handle. My classes are engaging in a way that high school classes never were, and I really feel like I’m making a lot of progress on the subjects we are covering.

What are you enjoying most at Reed? 

I’m really enjoying the people! I have loved getting a chance to meet a whole new group of people, and for the most part, everyone I’ve met at Reed has been really nice. The academics are great too, I enjoy my classes, but so far the social scene is the highlight.

I know you love Boston. Have you had a chance to explore Portland? Is it strange living in a very different region of the country? 

I have, though maybe not as much as I would like to. I spend a lot of time in the areas around campus, like the Woodstock neighborhood, and a couple of times I’ve been able to go further afield. It can be a hassle getting places with no car, but the area of the city which I’m in is very walkable. As to living in a different region, it is definitely weird, but not as much as I expected. You can feel the differences in culture, but the wildlife of the Northeast and Northwest aren’t all that different, so sometimes I forget that I’m on a totally different coast.

Is your experience what you expected from college?  

Mostly, yes! The work is about how hard I anticipated it would be, and living on a college campus has been basically what I expected. However, I didn’t expect the social scene to be as lively as it is for such a small college. Every weekend there are things to do, like balls in the student union, and various other things going on around campus. Nothing has shocked me too much, but that was a nice surprise.

Which of your classes are you enjoying the most? 

I have really loved Humanities 110, which is the required class for all freshmen. We have covered primary source texts from ancient Egypt, Persia, the Torah, and now ancient Greece. I love historical literature, and the small conference-style classes have promoted great discussions. 

Have you gotten involved in any extracurriculars yet?

Extracurriculars aren’t particularly big at Reed, so unfortunately no. I have friends who have radio shows at the college radio station and participate in clubs, but I haven’t found something for myself yet.

Do you know yet what you might want to major in?

Kind of. I think it will be one of history, anthropology, or religion, but I really don’t know which. I love learning about all of those things, and luckily I don’t have to decide until late sophomore year. Reed has great classes for all three of those subjects, so I’ll definitely be taking them to help me parse out what I want to do.

What did you find most helpful in researching and applying to colleges? 

I thought that attending the college info sessions and talking to interviewers gave me really critical information that I didn’t find elsewhere.

Any advice you could give high schoolers currently going through the college search and application process?

Remember you’re more than the self which you’re trying to advertise to these colleges. You contain far more than what you tell admissions officers. Also, demonstrated interest means a lot!  

I know I haven’t asked everything relevant – is there anything else about your college experience you want to add?

One thing that has been super important to me, and much different from high school, is that my professors’ office hours are really important. They want you to come in if you’re struggling, and generally, they are very available.