Goucher College, which is focusing on increasing its diversity, reported that 52 percent of the GVA applicants self-identified as students of color.
The preliminary results of the experiment are in. Back in September, Christopher Wild, Goucher admissions counselor, told Diverse that the college would consider the Goucher video app (GVA) a success if 25 to 40 students were admitted to the Towson, Maryland, college through it.
Bennington College in Vermont made a similar decision to eschew high school transcripts this fall, albeit to lesser fanfare.
Goucher reports that, as of the Dec. 1 admissions deadline, the college will have a pool of 64 students to choose from who applied through the GVA. According to a press release, Goucher will admit 75 percent of the students who applied using the GVA, indicating that the goal of 40 students will be exceeded.
“We took a risk with the Goucher Video App, and we are optimistic it is paying off,” Goucher president Dr. José Antonio Bowen said in a statement. Earlier this year, Bowen touted the GVA as a means to reach out to students who might not otherwise apply to Goucher and increase diversity.
Goucher also revealed the average GPA of the 24 GVA applicants who submitted their high school transcripts. Their 3.11 average is almost identical to the 3.18 that traditional applicants averaged.
The GVA also met Goucher’s goals for increased diversity: 52 percent of applicants self-identified as students of color, and 39 percent self-identified as African-American. Among traditional applicants, 18 percent were African-American.
