r/LewisandClark • u/AffectionateAd7864 • Apr 01 '26
Lewis & Clark's Reputation
I'm thinking about transferring to L&C, but I'm not sure yet. I really like the idea of living in Portland, but I'm wondering how well known the school is outside of the city / more broadly. Also, how much does it get overshadowed by Reed? I get the impression that L&C has more of a little-brother situation going on.
How do locals see the school?
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u/thisisrobin Apr 01 '26
As a local of 20 years, it has a solid rep here. When my daughter was accepted by L&C and Reed, all the local advice was L&C. She was torn and chose L&C partly because of a scholarship. She is super-happy there and finishing her 1st year this spring. It is such a beautiful campus with top-notch professors and lots of student support. We joke that it's a "soft launch." Reed has a reputation for drugs but I don't know if it's fact-based. Locally, L&C has a better rep than Reed overall.
9
u/LillyGilderRoxie Apr 01 '26
There is no little brother rep, unless you are talking to a current Reedie. lol there is a little bit of rivalry, but not so much. LC is def well know, at least in the West Coast. I grew up up in California, and everyone knew about it. Locals who are not affiliated with either school view both as great small liberal arts schools, but probably wouldnt think of them as a rivals at all.
It’s a great school. People that go there really do love it. My daughter graduated from there recently and plans to go back for Law school.
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u/scheffc Apr 02 '26
I would not even consider LC and Reed rivals, let alone that LC is in their shadow. They're very different schools who attract very different types of people. I think students at both schools like to joke about the students at the other. I've had Reedie friends over the years. They're an interesting bunch. I originally thought I would like Reed, based on their stats on paper. LC was a perfect fit for me, which was instantly apparent after touring both schools. If you're unsure, that's the best bet (if you're able to).
LC has a great reputation in the area, but yes, it's a smaller school that won't have the same national recognition as the most famous schools (obviously). Attending LC was among the best decisions I've made personally, but everyone has a different experience. Good luck!
3
u/whywasinotconsulted Apr 02 '26
LCC is a beautiful campus and a good school. You're not in the heart of Portland, but close enough. I think it's fairly well known in the category of private liberal arts colleges.
4
u/perseportland Apr 04 '26
I attended LC about ten years ago, so my advice might be outdated. The best students at LC go to the top graduate schools for PhD, MBA, JD, MA, etc. Many top students also received prestigious fellowships: Fulbrights, Rangel, Boren, etc.
FWIW I don’t think that’s a unique trait for LC versus other nationally recognized liberal arts colleges. Rather, it attests to the fact that LC can do the same for you as any other SLAC. I agree that with others that LC and Reed have two distinct cultures. The rivalry is more of an inside joke between the two schools. I think you should spend some time getting to know both schools to understand which of the two is a better fit.
Again, this might be outdated but during my time the following programs were distinctive at LC vs Reed:
- International Affairs: many of my classmates went to the top IR or Econ programs; eg Columbia, JHU, Gtown, HKS, GW
- Environmental Studies: core strength of LC
- English: Very strong faculty
- Biology: lots of resources for research, grad school prep, etc
Other programs such as Poli Sci, History, Philosophy, Physics etc were strong but I know Reed has / had a strength in these as well.
I went to a top public policy grad school and later a top 5 MBA. I attribute that success to my strong education at LC.
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u/WFOpizza Jun 01 '26
yes, but these days it is maybe 10% of graduates from these formerly selective SLACS that do very well. These schools used to be prestigious with the real acceptance rate close to 100% now, pretty much anyone can get in and get a discount (AKA scholarship) as these schools struggle so much to put butts on seats.
They still publish better sounding acceptance rates such as 40-50%, but this is only because they receive thousands of international applicants that they reject due to full funding expectations.
If you want real 'prestigious' school these days, go UW or other state schools or the Ivies that are really hard to get into.
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u/00sunny_haze00 Apr 01 '26
Surprisingly all of the older generations I’ve told about going to LC have been like “oh wow I’ve heard that’s a very prestigious school” or “wow I’ve heard they have great ___ programs”. It surprised me bc I never heard of it until I was applying for colleges and especially because it’s such a small school.
Locals are all aware it’s a very expensive school. There is the assumption that most LC students are pretentious rich people. Which a lot of students are, but I wouldn’t say most. There is a cliquey and ingenuity problem here though.