Admission

9,437 Things to Do When You're Not Studying

Study, eat, sleep, study: this does not a complete lifestyle make. That’s why there are exactly 9,437 things to do here, both on and off campus, when you aren’t studying. Or sleeping.

No one has ever done all the things on the list—maybe you’ll be the first. But here are a few examples:

As you’ve seen while clicking around the site, Reedies love to create events and activities that fill the year, from the Halloween Social to Canyon Day, from Paideia to Renn Fayre. So even if you did nothing but annual Reed events, you wouldn’t be a shut-in.

Then, as you’ve discovered, there was the generous gift, from a wonderful woman named Betty Gray, that created the Gray Fund—or, as Reedies call it, "the opportunity to go somewhere cool for free just about every weekend." The Gray Fund supports non-academic-yet-mentally-physically-and-culturally-stimulating activities for Reed students, faculty and staff. Check out a sampling of Gray Fund Events at the Student Activities site.

So, between the Fun Fund and the regular events, your social calendar is as full as you want it to be—and we haven’t even begun.

The Gray Fund also brings several speakers and musicians to Reed’s beautiful Kaul Auditorium each year, so you can alternately have your mind and your ears challenged. And speaking of speakers, Reed is a magnet for some of the nation’s and the world’s leading thinkers and scholars—there is always a thought-provoking lecture on the schedule. Recent notables include Arun Gandhi, Howard Zinn, Barry Lopez, Elinor Langor, and Sherman Alexie. Reed's visiting writer's program also brings nationally known writers to campus to speak and conduct workshops with students.

Want something more physical? Try one of the "rock trips." We don’t mean music—we mean, well, basalt. Actual rock. Reed’s Outdoor Club sponsors rock-climbing trips around the state, as well as evenings at local climbing walls. There are also cross-country trips to the Reed ski cabin, hiking trips and much more. Visit Portland & the Northwest and Sports & Recreation for Reed’s really great outdoors.

And when too much studying has you climbing the metaphorical walls, it’s just a short walk to some relief. Head for Paradox in the Student Union for good coffee and tea. Go over to Commons and commiserate with your friends. Step downstairs to the Pool Hall, a favorite student hangout. Some people even meet socially in the library lobby—which sounds like studying, but isn’t really. It’s just that the library, to mix metaphors, is the beating heart of the Reed campus and has a sort of magnetic attraction.

Want some time with Mom? You’ve seen how Mother Nature runs right through campus in the form of the canyon. And right next to campus is the park-like Crystal Springs Rhododendron Test Garden. What are they testing them for? And do they have to study? No one is quite sure.

You could easily have a rich, complete life without ever leaving campus, but that probably wouldn’t be healthy (remember Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"). And a short jaunt off campus opens up Portland’s great music, arts, entertainment and restaurant scene. The area's arts scene has a heavy emphasis on "independent." There are indendent art galleries, bookstores, record stores, bars and restaurants and movie houses. Of the 60+ movie theatres in the Portland area, several handfuls are independently owned, showing cheap or alternative movies. Every February, Portland's Northwest Film Center screens 100 films from 30 countries, giving film buffs a rich snapshot of world cinema.

Eats? They say no city other than New York has more restaurants per capita, and who are we to argue? From breakfast to late night cafe, from vegan to sushi to every culture that cooks, you can eat it here. Reedies favorite nearby restaurants change faster than the answer to whether carbs are good or bad, but some current calls are: the blackened catfish at Delta Cafe; the pasta at Gino’s; the noodles at Yoko’s; the sushi at Saburo’s; anything international at Queen of Sheba. Or you can just walk along nearby Hawthorne Boulevard, where you’ll find a dozen good restaurants from funky to upscale. Whether you're catching a late-night snack or entertaining your parents in high style, you'll find the perfect venue on Reed's handy restaurant guide.

Coffee culture began in the Upper Left Corner, and Portland has just slightly fewer coffeehouses than Seattle, which means just slightly fewer than there are stars in the average spiral galaxy. Off campus but close by, Reedies like Papaccino’s, The Ugly Mug, Limbo, The Daily Grind, Pied Cow, Common Grounds—the list goes on.

Music and the arts? Portland has everything from a respected symphony orchestra, ballet and opera to a huge jazz and blues scene. Outdoors and indoors; national acts and local bands; performance artists and modern dance; major venues and tiny clubs. Reedies seem to gravitate to the smaller clubs with upcoming local bands and, like restaurants, favorites change fast. But clubs and theaters like Meow Meow, Crystal Ballroom and the Aladdin, with bands including As Hope Dies, the Regurgitations, Ivy League Dropouts, Stonecreep, Oliver, Woven and Cast from Eden, are current. This week. And new sounds are coming up all the time, like acoustic Afro-Cajun punk-hop metal waltz. (We think we made that up.)

Have you been counting? After what we’ve just told you, there are 9,286 more things to do at Reed when you aren’t studying. We just don’t have enough pixels for the entire list. How do you discover them all? Live (here) and learn.

And live (here) and play.