Goucher College

I’ll bet you have probably never heard of Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. It is one of the best-kept secrets of the top coed colleges, located in a major urban area – Baltimore.

This college is set up so that students have the opportunity, regardless of their major, to find at least one study abroad program that will fit their schedule. They have 2 full semesters with two, three-week terms in January and May. The best part is that they make it so the study abroad program is at no extra cost.

How great is that?

What makes Goucher so special?

• Goucher has long had one of the most innovative, forward-thinking and effective career development offices in the nation.
• They have internships for just about every imaginable kind of job or enterprise in just about every part of the world.
• Supplementing this is a mentorship program that enables students to establish career contacts with previous graduates or friends of the college.
  • The mentors provide career advice and can open doors or offer jobs.

It gets even better!

Goucher gives merit aid to nearly half of their freshman ranging from $300 to full tuition. So it could be less expensive to attend this college rather than a public school with a lower sticker price. The many merit awards are bringing in more and more serious students of high academic quality, something needed for good discussion classes.

Freshmen get an introduction to a college course called Transitions that meets throughout the first semester to enlighten the students on things like:

• Time management
• College expectations
• Rules
• Their own responsibilities
• Social problems
• Study abroad opportunities
• Career options
• The Career Development Office
• Graduation requirements

This course has reduced bad grades quite a bit for this school. The efforts not only improve the college’s retention, but also the student’s own self image and satisfaction with college. If a student doesn’t realize his potential, he will tend to externalize his frustrations and blame it on the institution.

One student said: “There are no labels or stereotypes, but rather a sense of community where everyone is accepted and it’s not necessary to hang out with a specific crowd. Goucher encourages students to expand their horizons and interact with other students, and no one is disrespectful to students who don’t fit into their stereotype; everyone gets along.

After talking with other friends at private universities I realize how lucky I am to attend a school like Goucher.”

This is a college that helps students succeed and become more than just a cog in a wheel.

Finding a good fit school is important, I help families figure out what schools are right for them and what schools they will get paid to go to.

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**Information for this article came from “Colleges that changes lives – 40 schools that will change the way you think about colleges” – Loren Pope