Goucher?

[zoosermom]

I've never heard of Goucher before but have seen its name twice today. I checked it out for my daughter and she was interested in the Historic Preservation programs. I searched here and there's not much info, so I was wondering if anyone knows anything about this school that might be of use to someone completely unfamiliar. Thanks much!

[NewHope33]

D#2 and I visited a year ago. Goucher is located on 300 largely undeveloped acres just inside the Beltway. The student body is small. Performing arts are very strong, and I'll go out on a PC limb by calling the student body "artsy." The college had just finished some new dorms, and they were lovely. The campus is roomy and quiet. D#2 was attracted by the riding program, and the academic stats of the student body. After visiting she felt the school was too small for her. Hope this helps.

[zoosermom]

Helps very much, thank you NewHope!

At the risk of sounding like even more of an idiot, do you think it would be possible to visit Goucher and Catholic on the same trip? I have absolutely no sense of direction or distance.

[bicoastalmom]

I graduated from Goucher in 1976. At the time it was an all-female school with a student body numbering 1000. I went to a large public HS in suburban NJ with a graduating class of 800. I truly appreciated the personal nature of the education - very small classes, caring professors, beautiful facilities. I also enjoyed the proximity to Baltimore, and spent a lot of time exploring the city. There were some adjustments when Goucher started admitting men, and I feel for a while their academic standards dropped a bit, but now it seems to be hitting full stride again.

Goucher is part of a college consortium which includes Towson University, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Loyola College, Peabody Institute, and a number of other area schools. Although Goucher itself is small, this connection makes it part of a larger academic circle. Goucher students have the option of taking one class a semester at a consortium school.

Baltimore and Washington, DC are very close - @ 45 minutes by Amtrak. Driving might be a bit longer depending upon the time of day (traffic issues). It would definitely be possible to visit both schools on the same trip.

I would be happy to answer any specific questions you have about Goucher and the surrounding area!

[NewHope33]

I presume you mean Catholic University in Washington DC. Yes, visiting both would be no problem UNLESS you decided to take in a show or two at Goucher (which we did, and the kids were very good). Mapquest says 75 minutes between, but I'd leave a little more time since DC traffic can be horrible. (At least you're on the lighter traffic-ed side!)

Alternately you may want to tour schools near Goucher. From North to South you have Goucher, Towson University, Nortre Dame (MD), Loyola of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins. And a little further down is Baltimore Inner Harbor, which is worth seeing IMO.

Good luck!

[kathiep]

zoosermom, You've got to make googlemaps your friend! According to them, it's one hour and six minutes between the two colleges. You might want to do a search on this forum for some more info on Goucher. If I'm remembering correctly Carolyn and a few other people from this forum also visited Goucher a couple of years ago.
from: 620 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20064 (Catholic University of America) to: 1021 Dulaney Valley Rd, Towson, M.D. 21204 (Goucher College) - Google Maps

[bicoastalmom]

I agree with NewHope, there are lots of schools to visit in the area, and also plenty of interesting sights to see in Baltimore. Zoosermom, where is home to you?

[cartera45]

I live about 5 minutes from Goucher and know the area very well. My D's high school graduation was in the auditorium, she has shown in numerous horse shows there and has a good friend there double majoring in French and music. It is a lovely campus in very safe area in Towson, the county seat for Baltimore County. Towson is a nice college town. I don't know how often the kids actually go into Baltimore city but it's not too far away. Kids seem to be very happy there. Study abroad is required. I would say it would take about 1 hr and 15 min to go from Towson to DC - if there are no traffic issues.

[Inthebiz]

A friend's daughter recently graduated from Goucher. She loved it. It's small, nurturing, artsy. The daughter had started at a far more prestigious LAC and hated it. She transferred after her freshman year and I've never seen a happier kid! Check it out!

[zoosermom]

Kathiep, you're so right about Googlemaps! I look at them gape-mouthed and get nowhere. Gotta work on that!

Bicoastalmom, I'm in New York City, so Maryland sounds like a good distance.

[northeastmom]

Zoosermom, If your D is interested in historic preservation, she might also want to look into the University of Mary Washington.

[zoosermom]

THank you Northeastmom. We ran searches on Princetonreview and Collegeboard, but there seem to be a lot of colleges that we didn't catch. Thank you for the suggestion.

[cartera45]

University of Mary Washington - another nice campus in a nice area - convenient to DC. One of my best friend's daughters loved it there. Another good choice. ZG, if your D ends up at Goucher, be sure to keep in mind how close I am if you ever need anything.

[northeastmom]

Your welcome. As cartera45 mentioned about Washinton DC, there is a train and it seems to be about an hour train ride into Wash DC. Some students set aside a day to do an internship in Washington. I think the school is a similar distance from Richmond. The immediate area seems very nice, and the campus is beautiful. It should also be an easy ride on Amtrak to get back home.

[zoosermom]

Thanks Cartera! I appreciate that very much.

Apparently Goucher is doing away with the Historic Preservation major, but is going to have the minor and the study abroad program looks quite compelling.

I never would have even heard of these schools without your collective input.