<p>Next on our tour stop was
</p>
<p>GOUCHER COLLEGE -- Goucher and Drew were the safeties: both small schools at which a male from California would be a slam-dunk acceptance. Goucher couldnt match Drew. </p>
<p>Beautiful campus, huge dorm rooms (40% air-conditioned). A new dorm will be ready in Sept. 05. 90% live on campus, and housing is guaranteed for 4 years. All students can have cars, but only juniors and seniors can live off campus. </p>
<p>Students can take classes at other schools in the consortium (Johns Hopkins, Towson State, etc.) to which there is regular shuttle service. 64% acceptance rate. 32% male, 68% female this year and a freshman class of 399, up from 350 the year before. Internship, study abroad, community service or independent research is required. 80% do internshipsGoucher is a pioneer in this field. Computer science, wellness and PE required. Two courses, Frontier (intro to liberal arts) and Connections (sort of an intro to Goucher) also required. Generous merit aid. Global citizenship awardminimum 3.0 unweighted, 1100 minimum SAT, $8500-12,500/yr. Deans Scholarship (10 awarded) full tuition, 3.8 unweighted and 1470 SAT. Varsity sports only, no club or intramural sports. </p>
<p>Our male tour guide had transferred from a public Texas college and loved Goucher. Both S and I felt that the academics were more limiting and probably not as challenging as Drew. </p>
<p>Goucher was the first school we visited which asked us to complete surveys of our visit.
I was impressed. Brochures and publications are professional and well-designed. This is a school that invests in itself and its image. </p>
<p>Drew bumped Goucher off the list as the safety school. </p>
<p>JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY-- Instead of a tour followed by an info session or vice versa, JHU started with an interview at 10 a.m. S said the interviewer was a recent grad working in admissions. If you were a drink which one would you be? S said diet Pepsi. If you could switch shoes with someone, who would that be? JHU has a quirky side. Even the application has an off-the-wall $10 essay question (if you had $10
.). </p>
<p>The adcom conducting the info session was the best yet. He was likeable, knowledgeable, and up front about what JHU is and isnt. JHU is a research university. If youre not interested in research, dont come here. JHU was the first college we toured which did not have a printed course catalog. Its available online. The student has control over the curriculum. Flexibility and exploration are the key words. There are no core courses, only distribution credits. </p>
<p>There are four kinds of students at JHU: engineers (1/3 of students), natural science majors, social and behavioral majors, and humanities majors. All majors involve research. Credit is granted for internships, study abroad and research. Qualities of a successful JHU student decisive and independent, and interested in research.
96% of freshman return for sophomore year, and 84% graduate on time. 90% do post-graduate work within 7 years, and 45% of graduates do post-graduate work immediately following graduation. </p>
<p>Freshmen are graded the first semester, but grades are covered. No GPA is reported, which deemphasizes competition and allows freshmen to explore social life. </p>
<p>The adcom was bluntly honest about the application process. Of 11,000 applications, JHU can admit about 30%. 80% of applicants are admissible; that is, they have the stats and personal qualities to succeed. When reading an application, he asks himself, Is this student brochureable? a word hes created to help him decide. Is this a student who can represent JHU? Does JHU want him/her to represent us? Hes looking for interests outside the academic sphere. GPA and SATs are not the sole factors in admission. In fact, hes worried if a science student, for example, has ONLY science related ECs. Scores are evaluated differently depending on a students intended major. Math scores are not as important for an international relations major as for a BME major. </p>
<p>The adcom warned about dual early decision applications. This year JHU broke ED agreements with three students when it discovered they had submitted ED applications to another school as well. </p>
<p>We liked the campus. Red brick, lots of grass, a unified look to the buildings. Wed heard negative comments about the campus and we were pleasantly surprised. </p>
<p>The biggest drawback to JHU was Baltimore. S and I went to the aquarium later (dont miss this!), wandered around Fells Point and watched the Orioles lose to the Twins. He was disappointed in the city. Maybe if JHU had been in Boston or New York, it would have ranked higher on his list. S also did not like the higher male to female ratio.
Definitely a possibility, but it didnt grab us like BU.</p>