Can a cell phone video get you into college? As of this fall, maybe. At Goucher College, prospective students will have the option to forgo transcripts and SAT scores in favor of a short video.
In the opening of the promotional video for Goucher’s new video application, a student holds up a high school transcript and calmly tears it into four pieces. “That’s it, no test scores! No transcripts!” he says. “At Goucher, you’re more than just a number.”
Goucher, a small liberal arts college serving around 1,500 students on almost 300 wooded acres near Baltimore, is rethinking how students apply to college. By offering the video as an alternative to the traditional application, Goucher representatives say they hope to attract a more diverse type of student and even students who might not consider going to college at all.
“There are lots of circumstances that would keep a person from reaching their potential in high school,” says Goucher President Jose A. Bowen. “We wanted to have an alternative way for those people to feel comfortable, and we want it to be clear and simple and transparent, as to how they could get into college.”
The video — a two-minute clip in which students explain why they are a good fit for Goucher — will be the crux of the application, supplemented with a brief application, a statement of academic integrity, a graded writing assignment and one of their best works from high school.
Out-of-the-box step
While the video application is a radical step, it is not unusual for an institution like Goucher. In 2007, Goucher went test optional in its admissions process, and all Goucher undergraduates are required to study abroad in order to graduate. Nor is the college highly selective. According to U.S. News and World Report, Goucher has an acceptance rate of 72.27 percent.
