Getting To Know: Goucher College (MD)-Again
This past fall I had the privilege to revisit Goucher College, thanks to the well-organized team at the Baltimore Collegetown Network. Located in Towson, Maryland, less than ten miles outside of Baltimore, Goucher is now celebrating its 125th anniversary.
A women’s college from 1885 to 1986, Goucher moved from Baltimore to its current campus in Towson in 1942. Eighty years later, the college unveiled its latest campus plan. The plan includes an ambitious, but impressive Science Innovation Center. I updated my Goucher Pinterest page and found a segment about the school on The College Tour. I invite you to check those out and read on!
Goucher College was founded by Dr. John Franklin Goucher, a Methodist minister who later became the college’s first president. He and his wife, Mary Cecilia, were also instrumental in the founding of Morgan State University, a Historically Black school that grew its presence in Baltimore. Today, Goucher is about two-thirds female. Nearly 40 percent of the undergraduates are athletes. Goucher is also a minority majority undergraduate school. Fifty-five percent of the undergraduates are students of color.
I previously visited Goucher in 2014.
Back then, Goucher had approximately 1,500 undergraduates and welcomed approximately 400 freshmen. The college also had 600 graduate and Post Bacc students. As of Fall, 2023, the last year published data is available, Goucher had just over 950 undergraduates as well as more than 500 graduate students. This year, Goucher welcomed 310 freshmen, 50 more than there were in 2023. During this recent visit I also learned that Goucher is also quite transfer friendly for students who have completed an Associates degree.
Goucher is a school of firsts and seconds
- It was among the first colleges in the country to introduce independent study, field work, early admissions, accelerated college programs, and individualized majors. .
- The college developed one of the first political science internship programs in the country and later expanded it to all academic areas.
- It is one of the original Colleges That Change Lives.
- Goucher was the second college in Maryland selected to host a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
- This school is a pioneer in in-vitro and in-vivo animal research.
- Most important, in 2005 Goucher became the first college to require that all students complete at least one study abroad. Goucher students can Study abroad for as little as three weeks or as long as a year.
Goucher has interesting academic options.
These start with Goucher Commons, the undergraduate curriculum requirements, regardless of major. Unique requirements include:
- Complex Problem Exploration: These are first-year cross-disciplinary group problem solving classes on topical social and scientific issues, among others, that conclude with personal projects.
- Courses in two Common Inquiry Areas, race Power & Perspective and Environmental Sustainability.
- Study aboard during a break, semester or year, depending on the academic program.
- Proficiency in three distinct areas: writing, data analytics, and foreign language and culture.
- Micro-internships for sophomores over January break.
- Credit-bearing internship opportunities are built into all majors. The College plans this step by step over four years.
Goucher also makes it easy to double dip, meaning that a chosen major and/or minor (s) can be used to develop proficiency in at least 3 credits in each of the following areas: Arts, Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Biological and Physical Sciences. Those serious about the sciences or the health professions should check out and consider the Summer Science Research Program. The college’s majors include several cross-disciplinary programs and there are also interesting accelerated and 4+1 programs, including partnerships with Johns Hopkins University. The college also offers a Post-Bachelor’s Pre-Med program as well as several graduate degrees.
I found a lot to like about this campus.
Goucher’s physical site is just over 300 acres, though over half of the campus is wooded. This is one of the few liberal arts colleges that can have its own cross country path and equestrian barns on campus–and the school is right by a multi-story shopping center! It’s very easy to walk this campus from end to end. Academic and residential centers are very well laid out. However, I felt that the student center could use an interior update. I dropped a couple more campus photos below.
Goucher can house over three quarters of its undergraduate student body though I would believe that transfer students from the Baltimore area community colleges might commute. Goucher has neither fraternities nor sororities.
The vibe of this place reminded me of Sarah Lawrence in terms of interest in liberal/progressive issue positions, visual and performing arts as well as sports teams that are not dominant players in their conference. Both campuses are on the outskirts of large cities, though Goucher students have easier and less expensive access to Baltimore than Sarah Lawrence students have to New York. There is alsooverlap between the graduate programs offered at both schools. However, I felt that Goucher’s campus is better maintained, more pedestrian friendly, and an easier place to have a car.
Goucher College has achievable admissions.
This school accepts about three quarters of all freshman applicants, But if you like this school after your visit, apply Early Action. Goucher admits students on a rolling basis, and those who apply Early Action receive earlier consideration for scholarships. To my surprise, less than half of the Class of 2027 was admitted through Early Action. The yield rate, the percent of students who decided to come, was a low 11 percent. This, too, surprises me, given Goucher’s many assets.
Much like other Colleges That Change Lives, Goucher has had test optional admissions well before the Great Pandemic. Applicants do not need high ACT or SAT scores to get in, nor do they need them to qualify for merit-based scholarships.
Goucher is trying to become more affordable.
The college charges over $53,000 tuition and fees for the current academic year. However, merit awards can be as high as full tuition. Approximately half of all scholarships are merit based, 40 percent are need based. Goucher also offers talent-based awards as well as Leadership Awards. The college was able to meet, on average, 86 percent of need for the Class of 2027.
My sense from seeing the yield rate is that the percentage of costs covered through merit or need-based aid must get higher to improve freshman retention. The college reported a freshman retention rate of 77 percent in its most recent Common Data Set. Recent four-year graduation rates have been below 60 percent.
Just over 60 percent of the Class of 2023 graduated with student loan debt. The average amount borrowed was just under $31,000. Interesting to me: no one had to take out private loans, The combined degree programs and transfer friendliness of the school might have something to do with this.
Conclusions
Goucher College has much to offer for students who want a liberal arts education, especially if they are interested in international affairs, performing arts, public service or the health sciences. There are many strengths to this school that should make students want to come and want to stay, but the numbers have not shown this. The campus and surrounding area are nice, and access to Baltimore is easy. But the costs really need to work out.
The Report Card for Goucher College
- Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: C+/C
- Freshman Retention: C
- Costs: C+
- Comforts: B
- Community: B+
- Curriculum: A
- Connections: B+(Baltimore/Washington)/C (elsewhere)
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