Looking for some info from folks who go to either one or who have been accepted to either one.
My daughter was accepted to many schools. The one she’s really liked the most is Goucher but we are visiting Kalamazoo this week.
Thoughts on either one?
Thanks
Kalamazoo is more rigorous academically. Colder weather.
Both have an international emphasis, are outward looking.
Hi! So my last decision before committing to K was actually between Goucher and Kalamazoo. I made the decision based on the strength of my program, philosophy, the course offering which was better at K and the cost of living (given my situation was particular as I was going to be off campus during the 4 years.)
Both are great schools and I really hesitated hard, but I don’t regret committing to Kalamazoo. The programs are very strong, and the graduate school preparation is really good because of that rigor.
Being both a humanities and stem student, I feel supported on both ends and all of my classes have been amazing so far. Not once did I feel like I was in a weed out situation in my STEM classes, and the humanities department do not feel left out. My friends have had amazing experiences with language depts and study abroad.
I think you can’t go wrong with either, but I will say that Kalamazoo has a very tight relationship with the community outside campus and that was a real plus for me, there is a big emphasis on social justice and many programs require a hands on experience.
I think K is less quirky than Goucher, and very eclectic in vibes. Finally, the funding opportunities for volunteering and internships are great. I received a scholarship to volunteer this summer for an organization that I really like and admire, when I said where I was going to college I could feel that it was very respected. Same at my job interview.
These are very disorganized thoughts, but that’s really what comes to mind for comparing the two! I really made my decision based on finances and vibes: I maybe could have afforded Goucher, but I don’t think I would have fit that well!
I have been reading positive comments about Kalamazoo over the past couple of years.
However, one should visit both school in order to determine the better fit.
She’s seen Goucher, and we’re heading to Kalamazoo this weekend.
First impressions so far?
She likes Goucher - beautiful campus, great first-year dorms, excellent creative/professional writing program, quirky, progressive. My concerns - low endowment/not great financial rating from Forbes, low retention/graduation rate, 32% of students are graduate students, and female/male ratio is nearly 70/30.
Significant difference regarding retention rate (about 90% for Kalamazoo versus about 79% for Goucher).
Graduation rates are pretty disparate…
4 yr-76%, 6yr-86% Kalamazoo
4 yr-56%, 6yr-66% Goucher
in other words, more freshmen graduate in 4 years from Kalamazoo than from Goucher in 6? Wow.
Yes…that’s from the common data set.
I hadn’t checked the Goucher CDS in a while. Thanks.
Looks like my daughter is favoring Kalamazoo.
We had a great visit on 4/16-4/17, had a tour and really liked the city itself. The campus is compact, hilly and well appointed - nice mix of traditional and modern. I do hear it’s something of a stressful academic environment, but she thinks she’s up for the challenge.
She’s scheduled to chat with a student tomorrow there.
She’s been waitlisted to Wesleyan and Colby but isn’t terribly keen on playing a waiting game with them.
Drumroll…it’s Kalamazoo! She committed today.
My daughter spent some time talking to a Senior who is an English major and really got a good feel for the department and what it’s like to be a student there. She sounds very happy and excited! She’s considering the LandSea summer orientation program and very excited about the open curriculum.
Congrats on her choice, a wonderful school!
Thanks. We’re all very happy. She’s owning her decision and feeling good about it. Also I’m a little relieved the wait is over.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! 
If you find time, do report back to relate her experiences. It’s always useful for future readers. 
Congratulations! My son liked their open curriculum and the LandSea program, too, and we really got a great feeling about the culture at K. He also really liked the required physical wellness (called something like that?) classes because they had such a great variety that appealed to him - gardening, permaculture, hiking/backpacking, scuba, etc. He ultimately ended up choosing a different school (also with an open curriculum), but we all felt there was a lot to love about Kalamazoo.
Will do.
@nichols51 Yup. We really liked a lot about the school. Punches well above it’s weight class, so to speak. As a typical father I was hoping she would want to keep her name on the waitlist for Colby College and Wesleyan University. But, to be honest, she hasn’t demonstrated much interest in them and hasn’t visited either school, hasn’t spoken to any students there or attended any accepted student events (since she wasn’t invited to them) so it’s hard to drum up enthusiasm for a distant possibility. It turns out she’s much more excited about Kalamazoo than I imagined. And when we discussed it yesterday she was extremely enthusiastic and felt it has so many wonderful things to offer. Aside from Goucher she was accepted to Ursinus, Allegheny, Juniata, Susquhanna, Lycoming, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Oswego, CUNY Brooklyn College and CUNY Hunter College.