Outreach Programs

Young Scholars

 

Throughout its history, Reed College has been dedicated to providing a challenging education for academically gifted and motivated students. The Young Scholars program, developed in 1980, extends this opportunity to selected high-school students who are ready for part-time, rigorous college study. This highly selective scholarship program allows seniors to take one college class at Reed for the academic year while concurrently enrolled in high school.  It is open to students from the metropolitan area who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and a commitment to serious study in a particular field of interest.
 

Download printable forms:
     

Who Qualifies?

Students must be recommended to the college by their high schools and must successfully complete the admission process described below. The following qualifications are required:

  • An applicant must be a high-school senior. (If spaces are available after all qualified seniors have been accommodated, junior applicants occasionally may be accepted to the program.)
  • An applicant must have exhausted high-school curricula options in the subject he or she wishes to take at Reed, or have demonstrated a serious and sustained interest in a subject not offered at the high school.
  • An applicant should present excellent academic and personal records.
  • An applicant should be enrolled concurrently in high school.
     

Course options

If accepted, the Young Scholar will meet with a faculty adviser or the director of special programs regarding course selection and placement. Most typically, students enroll in first- and second-year classes in mathematics, the sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics), foreign languages (Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Spanish, plus Latin and ancient Greek), the arts (theatre, music, dance, and art) and the social sciences (economics and psychology).  If space is available, students also may be able to take classes in political science, philosophy, and religion. While applicants may apply to more than one qualifying subject (example: physics and mathematics), Young Scholars may take only one course per semester, for which Reed College credit will be granted. Continued participation in the program for the second semester, however, is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the first.

The courses taken by Young Scholars are regular Reed College classes, taught by members of the Reed faculty for undergraduate degree students. Most Reed classes are offered as small seminars that involve a good deal of interaction, as well as extensive reading, writing, and preparation. The courses at Reed are significantly more challenging and time-consuming than high-school classes.  As such, Young Scholars are advised to plan their senior year curriculum and extracurricular activities accordingly.

Please note: The Reed courses may not be used to meet high-school graduation requirements. We therefore recommend that they not be listed on the student's high-school transcript.

What does it cost?

The Young Scholars program is funded in part through the generous contributions of Jean and Howard Vollum and the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, with additional contributions from Reed. The individual student is expected to contribute $100 per semester. (Some school districts may cover part or all of the student contribution. Students should consult with their school counselors about their district's policy.) Students also are responsible for the purchase of books and class materials, and for arranging transportation to and from Reed.

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Taking classes at Reed showed me how much knowledge exists in the world. By my junior year of high school, I felt that classes had no more to offer me. Reed proved that feeling wrong. The political science class I took first semester was more work than all my other classes combined. But the studying I did was engaging, entertaining, and enlightening. My professor gave me or pointed me in the direction of all information I desired. I couldn't think of enough questions, but all got answers. As I pursued knowledge my own way, Reed gave me a needed perspective on what I wanted to do in college and how it could help my life.
         -Thomas Craig '08 Reed B.A.
                    YS in political science

Until my Reed course, I viewed mathematics as primarily a calculational subject, requiring the mechanical learning and application of various techniques. My Young Scholars class changed my entire perspective. Math took on a deeper, more unified feel. Problems and proofs required a unique kind of intuition and a creative approach and insight. The professor challenged us to be active participants in what became our collective quest to discover mathematical ideas.

Thanks to this strong mathematics training, my subsequent study of physics has been much enriched. By having a firm, intuitive grasp of the mathematics, I have been able to better understand and appreciate the physics that it describes. In non-science courses, particularly humanities, I believe that my training in formal reasoning and the inquisitive spirit that I acquired have been invaluable in analyzing authors' works and articulating my own arguments.

The Young Scholars program prepared me for college education-especially for a Reed education-not by words, but by experience, making my transition from high school to college immensely smoother. I truly believe that my college years would not have been as rich and rewarding had I not had that head start as a Young Scholar.
      -Christopher Lee '00 Reed B.A.
                          YS in mathematics

Biology at Reed was much more interesting because of what we had access to. For one lab, we trekked through the Reed canyon to catch fish while wearing hip-boots! I liked how the data we collected in lab was real. By workig on the labs, I actually understood how my data had an effect in the real world.
                        —Jessica Tran '12,
                           anticipated Reed B.A.
                                       YS in biology
   
 
     

How do I apply?

Admission to the program is highly competitive. The admission process requires completion of the application form by the stated deadlines. Applicants should forward the following required components directly to the Reed special programs office:

  • Application for participation and personal statements.
  • A graded paper or exam from the field, or related area, that the student wishes to pursue at Reed.
  • One high-school counselor recommendation.
  • Two teacher recommendations. (Students should obtain recommendations from teachers who have taught them in a subject related to the course they wish to take at Reed.)
  • Current high-school transcript. (Students should request their high schools to send an official sealed copy directly to Reed's special programs office.)
  • Transcripts for any college work completed, if relevant.
  • Scores of SAT, ACT, or PSAT tests, if available. (If the test scores are not recorded on the high-school transcript, the college counselor may note the scores on the recommendation form.)

After all forms have been received, the director of special programs will contact the applicant to arrange a required interview.
     

2009-2010 Deadlines

Preference is given to applications received and completed by April 1, 2009, for admission to fall, 2009 semester courses. Notification of acceptance will be mailed in early June. No applications for fall semester will be accepted after June 30, 2009. Occasionally there are openings for spring semester enrollment; interested students should complete an application by December 1, 2009 for entrance in mid-January, 2010.

An application will not be evaluated until the special programs office has received all required information.

  

My Reed classes were slightly more challenging than I expected them to be, and I expected them to be very challenging! They were very different from most of my high school classes because they depended almost entirely on the students, as opposed to the professor. They depended on the students not only having read and understood the material, but also on our ability to question and discuss the material in depth. I felt much more involved in my Reed courses because I felt it was truly necessary for me to participate and be engaged.
                          -Amelia Jensen '07
                                  YS in religion

The opportunity to participate in classroom discussions around a conference table made the educational experience very personal. I felt that my ideas and opinions were heard and regarded much more than I experienced in my high school classes.
                              -Phung Phan '07
                                      YS in Latin

The Young Scholars program was my saving grace. Surrounded by interesting and intelligent college students, I had no choice but to remain engaged. I would hastily complete the "busy work" required for my high school classes, so I could move on to the intellectually stimulating and challenging reading that would be discussed the following day in my first semester political philosophy class at Reed. Second semester, I would yearn to be in my Reed class, discussing constitutional law around a conference table with seven other students, guided by our professor.
            -Misha Isaak '05 Reed B.A.
                     YS in political science

 

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For Further information

Further information on the program is available from the director of special programs, 503/777-7259. We also encourage potential applicants to visit the campus; weekday campus tours may be arranged through the admission office, 503/777-7511.

Contact

Office of special programs
503/777-7259
special_programs@reed.edu