<p>Does anyone have thoughts about comparing these 2 schools? My s just heard from Goucher (was admitted) and he is waiting to hear from Hampshire. (he has already heard positively from New Paltz and Hunter and was wait listed at Northeastern). Thanks. (he is also waiting to hear from Sarah Lawrence, NYU, and BU)</p>
<p>We toured both last summer. I’d say the biggest differences we saw are:</p>
<p>1) setting: Goucher is a lush green enclave in a pretty built-up ring-road suburban area, while Hampshire is quite rural.</p>
<p>2) academics: Goucher has a fairly conventional curriculum structure with an extensive gen ed requirement, while Hampshire is the epitome of a “roll your own” open-ended curriculum.</p>
<p>3) emphasis: roughly speaking, Goucher seemed to have better arts facilities while Hampshire had better science labs. But this was just a brief impression and I wouldn’t want to be held to it.</p>
<p>4) culture: we toured in the summer when there weren’t many students around, so our impressions need to be taken with a grain of salt, but certainly Hampshire seemed ultra-crunchy, while Goucher seemed more like a place where crunchies and preppies would coexist amicably and both feel more or less at home.</p>
<p>My impression is that nightchef is right on all points. Goucher seems to have many different types of students coexisting very well, while Hampshire seems to attract a specific personality.</p>
<p>I think proximity to Baltimore is a plus, but Hampshire benefits from its college consortium.</p>
<p>Hampshire is about a 10 minute bus ride from Amherst, a cute college town, so it is not totally out in the boonies.</p>
<p>We drove by recently and admired the oreo-patterned cows in the front field.</p>
<p>It’s particularly hard to fathom Hampshire with a drive-by. Hampshire was launched in the l960’s as the fifth college by the four surrounding colleges, with the purpose of creating curriculum to encourage them onto the other 4 campuses on a regular basis. Hampshire students take some courses and EC’s on campus, but many more in Amherst, Northampton, Mt. Holyoke and University of Massachusetts by cross-enrollment. A free public bus shuttles among the 5 campuses all day and evening.</p>
<p>To drive by Hampshire is to see a farm; to research it and visit it in action is quite another story. It can’t be evaluated as its own place without that all-important context. That said, My D almost made it her first choice upon seeing that all freshman dorm rooms are singles, with social lounges at the end of each hall. She was ready to sign right up. I saw features on Hampshire’s campus that I never saw on other tours of small colleges; particularly a tool shop with resident advisor. Every person who managed to get to college without knowing how to handle a powersaw or vise can learn right there, even building their own bookshelves for dorms, with the helpful guideman right nearby to advise. Just like Dad shoulda been… I hope it’s still there, as our tour was already 8 years ago. </p>
<p>Minutes from Hampshire, I like the nearby cows, the National Yiddish Book Center and the Eric Carle (Children’s Book Art) Museum but really that’s just a drop in the bucket of what’s available to Hampshire students within the Five College Consortium l0 minutes away in 3 directions.</p>
<p>That said, I agree it attracts a certain type of student, original-thinking and (if the school works for them) self-motivated to craft and pursue a captstone project after taking distribution courses early on. </p>
<p>Goucher began as all-female sister college to Johns Hopkins U when JHU was all-male. Now both are coed and I’m not sure if there’s any relationship between them any more. I havent been there in years, but grew up in the City of Baltimore. I understand from reading here that Goucher now gathers a blend of arts and mainstream students, and I get the sense that the communication among them is very good and healthy. It’s located in the suburb of a genuine city with strong cultural offerings downtown and scattered through Baltimore, which has all kinds of neighborhoods to learn and a few to avoid, not so much near Goucher. Baltimore’s national-quality tourist attrractions can be reached by car or public transportation of 20-30 minutes (20 to JHU, 30 to downtown), but not as built in to everyone’s campus day as it is for Hampshire students to board to 5-College Bus. So I think one can understand Goucher on its own terms from the campus.</p>
<p>In its own way, I think either place would work well for a creative student who knows how to reach out and find what’s of interest, rather than wait to be spoon-fed. That’s all a big generality; I’m just saying I admire both schools for their reputations about students, plus what each location offers.</p>
<p>Very good points about both schools. Only know about Goucher from years and years ago but Hampshire is a great place if the student fits in to a place were self-motivated study is what is offered and required.</p>
<p>The Amherst area has the Five College group (Amherst, UMass, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and Hampshire) which provide extended resources available to Hampshire students. Drop dead gorgeous area most of the year and even in Winter if you like the cold.</p>
<p>Another difference - - geneds.</p>
<p>Goucher has A LOT of requirements, more than any other school D considered - - 13 different categories, I believe. Hampshire has a much more open curric and is more “free-wheeling” in many regards. </p>
<p>Also, since Hamp doesn’t have a traditional curric, students interested in grad school have to make sure to take traditional prereqs at the other 4 nearby schools. This need to supplement the Hamp curric is probably one reason Hamp students take more off-campus courses than do students at the neighboring schools.</p>
<p>Finally, while both schools are coed, Hamp is fairly balanced (58% female?) and the women at Goucher still outnumber the men 2 to 1. But remember, at Hamp, once you factor in the all-female schools nearby (Smith MHC) the “balance” tips more heavily female.</p>
<p>I suggest you look at the academic offerings at both schools. Also, not 100% sure, but I think there is a bus that goes from Goucher to the main train station that connects to Washington D.C. if that is important in your case.</p>
<p>Thanks for all these great insights…they are helpful to us. S received the 40K GC scholarship, so we are thrilled about that. He also got into New Paltz, Hunter and is wait listed at Northeastern.</p>
<p>Congratulatios on the scholarship. That certainly makes Goucher even more attractive.</p>
<p>What does your son want to study? If he wants Engineering, Northeastern has a really good co-op program which provides work experience along with studies. If he is more into liberal arts style program, then the Goucher offer is fantastic.</p>
<p>He is interested in creative writing, psychology and chemistry</p>
<p>Why not take the Goucher scholarship?</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents: I must emphasize the that the 2 schools are VERY different. Hamp, like Sarah Lawrence, Reed, and New College in Florida REQUIRE that you be very self directed. If you cannot create your own curriculum, and sometimes, even individual classes, then it is not for you. My D1 is a Soph at SLC, and even though she fits that mold, it is difficult and daunting being that responsible. My D tells of the kids who either intentionaly, or not, abuse the system and shortchange their education ( Just because you can do anything, doesn’t mean that you should). She is doing a lot of questioning this semester, but is taking difficult courses and learning lots. Her classmate in HS went to Hampshire, and seems to be doing quite well. Goucher is in a more traditional mold, but the student body is pretty free spirited. D2, who has been accepted there, commented after her visit, “Lots of the kind of kids that didn’t fit well in HS”. I saw some of those, but it semed a pretty good mix to me. My only reservation about Goucher was the academics. It is not as highly rated as many of the other schools D2 has been accepted to. After the visit, and speaking to some profs, I was less worried. If you want a good education, you can get one there.
About the consortium, Goucher is a member of the Baltimore Consortium. You can take classes at Towson University, Johns Hopkin, and a few others. There is a shuttle bus that goes from campus to campus as well as down to Fells Point (the night life area) and the Inner Harbor (tourist stuff). The reality on taking classes at other campuses is that it is often difficult. transportation and class over lap makes scheduling dificult, and classes are often filled by the host school students first. That said, it can work, if you make it a priority.</p>
<p>S just got acceptance from Sarah Lawrence. (He got wait listed at NE). Am awaiting Hampshire. So hard to figure this out.</p>
<p>It seems like Goucher, Hampshire and SLC are very different schools from Northeastern.</p>
<p>What was the appeal of Northeastern?</p>
<p>He liked the idea of “working” mixed with school.</p>
<p>He got into SLC, Hampshire and Goucher (and BU, Hunter and New Paltz). He is thinking SLC or Hampshire.</p>