<p>@nightchef:
My suitemate/best friend is actually a music major and loves it! I know she gets a TON of personal attention since there aren’t too many music majors. So her advisor, as well as each professor she’s had so far, has really helped her to figure out what direction she’d like to go with music and what she needs to do at Goucher to reach her goal. She’s also branched out and performed in musicals, taken private voice lessons (which I think is required for the major) and then performed in concerts, and also participated in the orchestra on the side which she did back in high school. Academically I’d give the music department an A+! I’ve personally taken a Computer Music class to satisfy a gen-ed requirement and it was SO interesting! It was something I had never tried before, but now it’s something I can’t wait to get into again!</p>
<p>The Gopher Hole, our late night coffee house type place, is constantly hosting local bands, student bands, solo performers, etc.- so there’s alway’s something to see. I LOVE the a capella groups on campus- we have Red Hot Blue which is co-ed and The Reverend’s Rebels which is all girls. Goucher is great about bringing a really diverse group of musicians to campus as well: a few weeks ago we heard throat singers who were in America only for two weeks, and before that we heard this really crazy band called Telesma- not my style but interesting nonetheless 
And on the far end of the spectrum, it’s not uncommon to see a student playing guitar on the quad or even ukulele (I think we have 2 ukulele players that I’ve seen regularly…) So overall, Goucher is definitely a fantastic place to explore music!!!</p>
<p>To everyone else: I’m sorry to hear about the retention rate, this is something I was unaware of… I couldn’t give a good reason for it either, but the people I know here LOVE the school and all the opportunities they have, as do I. I believe that there is a school for everyone out there, and if Goucher doesn’t match a student then it’s not worth all of the money to stay. So I would take the retention rate as a sign to really do some serious research- both personal research and learning about different schools- to try to make sure you make a great choice… as opposed to viewing it as a turn-off. </p>
<p>@Elephantsweaters:
I LOVE the theatre department at Goucher. I work for the head of the department, Allison Campbell, and I was just in Goucher’s presentation of Pacamambo last month. The professors are very involved in the students’ interests and work. Basically I could say the same things I said about music above. The theatre majors are all interested in different areas as well: musical theatre, acting, set design, lighting, costume design, dramaturgy, etc. To complete the major though, they are required to, and have the opportunity to, test the other areas and graduate with a great background in everything theatre!</p>
<p>If you had your interview already, I hope it went well and you enjoyed your visit! Since it is SAT optional, I would just see how happy you are with your scores. If you are uncomfortable with them at all- don’t worry about it! That’s why it’s optional… Not submitting them won’t hurt you at all, but if you think that they scores might hurt then just use your best judgment. </p>
<p>THANK YOU all for your questions! I apologize for taking a while to reply- I’m much quicker if you send me a personal message because it goes straight to my email. Good luck with your college searches and apps, etc!!</p>