By Iyla Brown and Lahja Hamilton, 11th graders at Norwalk High School

Goucher College, formally an all-girls school, is an excellent private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, close to Baltimore. A group of individuals funds the Baltimore College Town Association to help students obtain the resources needed to access opportunities that are not readily accessible at Goucher but are available at other institutions. Goucher has many different D3 sports teams and a Top 10 equestrian team. It was intriguing to see the horses as we toured the campus. Students who are part of the equestrian program can receive horseback riding lessons.  

Goucher employs Discussion-Based Learning, or the “Harkness Method.” This learning style challenges students to take responsibility for their education's success. Students gather around a table and are expected to find new information together, discuss it, and think for themselves. 

The school is diverse, with 45% of students being African American. A first-year seminar (interdisciplinary work) offers the option to build your major by picking three majors and/or minors.

Goucher is well known for its internships. For example, in your first year of college, you can visit employers and organizations to learn about different internships, scholarships, and jobs. In your second year, you can get micro-internships or short-term internships and be compensated for doing projects. Most students apply for internships to gain different experiences and to earn academic credits.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1, Goucher would be considered a small school. This allows for interpersonal relationships between students and teachers. 

We liked seeing our tour guides, Tristlyn, Sophia, and Matt, presenting and interacting very down-to-earthly and witnessing everyone on campus being so connected. When entering as a freshman, you live in Freshman Village. This allows everyone to know other incoming students and learn about campus life. You are also allowed to have a car on campus as a freshman.

Upon admission to the school, everyone is eligible for scholarships. There are many different ways to earn money and help with your tuition. One of those ways is student government positions or becoming a Resident Assistant, available during your sophomore year and up.

This school is test-optional, but if you decide to send in your scores, it may boost scholarship money. The acceptance rate is about two-thirds of admissions, and 37% of students are Pell Grant recipients. One of the things that caught my attention was the holistic admissions process and the support given to the transition of high school students into their new college life. 

Professors at Goucher are required to have at least two office hours per week to provide students with the help and resources they need to succeed in school. The classrooms are on one side of the hall, and the professors' offices are on the other. This ensures easy access to quick check-ins with professors.

It is a requirement that you do a senior capstone project demonstrating mastery of any major and minor. All the classes are either lecture-style or seminar-based. This interests us because it allows us to connect with peers in a close environment, enabling us to bounce ideas off each other and have deeper conversations. There are different requirements you may need, like art. You also have a Complex Problem Exploration (CPE) requirement, through which you can explore problems in the world through your major and connect with other students. 

Overall, our experience at Goucher University was very pleasant. We learned that studying abroad is a required program, and we can go to our home country of Jamaica. They care for the students and ensure everyone can make their time at Goucher worthwhile. We enjoyed the school and can’t wait to see what the future holds.