Goucher College Admissions

Earlier in the summer, we asked a few of our students to comment on what diversity means to them.  At Goucher, we recognize that diversity goes beyond what you look like – and we also know that when a student asks how diverse Goucher is, we need to talk about more than just our statistics!  Though numbers can give us a framework for that conversation, we think that the actual experience is what’s most important.  We could have the most racially, socioeconomically, or geographically diverse campus, but if everyone thought the same way or was interested in the same things, none of those statistics would matter.  Therefore, to give students a better sense of the actual experience, we host Expressions of Diversity each fall.  This program focuses on the common concerns of multicultural students, in the context of a Goucher education.  Read on for more comments from the program coordinator, Kimberley Gordy ‘06:

Expressions of Diversity Day (EDD) is an especially meaningful part of my job because I attended the program as a prospective student.  I vividly remember being a shy, somewhat nervous high school senior with a clear interest in Goucher, and now I am tasked with organizing the program.

In planning EDD and seeking participants on campus to help out with panel discussions, tours, and other features of the program, I find it important to acquire a variety of perspectives and experiences. In no way do we want to present a contrived picture of Goucher by featuring only multicultural students, because that does not lead to a well-informed enrollment decision or a happily enrolled student. But, we realistically present our diversity-related statistics in several categories to honestly discuss the college’s progress in increasing the diversity of our community. We present Goucher as it exists and through the eyes of those who are currently engaged in it. Maybe most importantly, through this program we want to push the boundaries of how our prospective students think about diversity. Goucher is a campus that is diverse in many ways and we’re definitely working toward improvement in every category. And, diversity has come to mean so much more than physically identifying characteristics – in the world AND in our community, as a microcosm of society. So to me, to effectively present Goucher in its best light to prospective multicultural students who value their race and ethnicity at varying levels, it is best to first hear what happens for all students at Goucher as a result of their own interests and motivation, because those opportunities completely transcend any racial or ethnic means. Then, we enter into discussions about the various shades of diversity among our student body and what that means to individuals who represent religious, racial, ethnic, geographic, gender, cultural, ideological diversity and more.

This fall, I was especially pleased that an enthusiastic group of students from a college prep program in NYC attended and all had a wonderful time! There were also a number of students who attended with whom I’d had memorable interactions during my earlier fall recruitment. That’s another rewarding part of the recruitment process – the sense that you connect with students and see results of that connection in their maintained communication and interest in Goucher.  My fondest memory of this fall’s EDD was seeing almost the entire group of NYC students approach and introduce themselves to our president Sandy Ungar during EGD, then gather chairs upon his invitation to sit and talk to him.  I happened to walk up and heard him sharing parts of his career journey with them, so even I learned something new!