The theme in which this
interview is based on is In the Goucher Bubble.
In this interview I strove to find out what the Goucher bubble is and
what it may mean to my candidate. To achieve insight on this topic I chose to
interview a Goucher freshman in their second semester.
The Goucher Bubble, the way perceive it, is essence this
little invisible dome over Goucher College and where the schools borders are is
where the bubble closes. You are closed off from the world around you, whether
it is the surrounding community or world events. The Bubble is essentially a
separator between the college and the world. I find the bubble to be a stuffy
and suffocating place where I meet the same people over and over again. But
this is only my take on the bubble.
For the purposes of this paper I will refer to my
interview subject as Samantha Johnson. Miss Johnson is an 18 year old female
Goucher College student. She comes from Laurel, Maryland. She considers the
Goucher Bubble to be an area in which people with similar ideals and thought
processes cohabitate. Also she believes that we are not the only campus to have
this sort of bubble effect. This I find very interesting and insightful.
Throughout life we will be members of different communities and within these
communities other members will have similar philosophies as you, for the most
part. In turn this bubble effect that seems to be experienced on campus is a
natural occurrence. Though later in the interview she continues to say that
this effect is very present at Goucher because of its geological location.
Goucher’s main campus is located a ways off the main road and is surround by
woods. I agree with Samantha’s statement that the bubble is more pronounced
because of this location.
This further helps to back-up what she shares with me
about her life on and off campus. She tells me that she rarely goes off campus
because everything is provided for her here, these things being food, friends,
her room, and various activities that are sponsored on campus. This extends to
her contact with other students from other surrounding universities. She
acknowledges that there are interactions between Goucher and other schools she
just does not take part in them. By being in a somewhat isolated area with
everything needed provided for her it is no wonder that she often stays inside
the bubble. By being in this bubble she expressed that she had a lack of
knowledge on the community events in Towson, which is something I can see
happening. If one does not venture off campus often then how are they to know
what is happening in the community. Samantha tells me that it doesn’t help that
she feels Goucher does not push students to go off campus.
I found this to be an interesting statement; Goucher says
in their mission statements that they want their students to be knowledgeable
of their community and their world. When I voiced my interest and slight
confusion to her statement she replies that she thinks that’s exactly why
Goucher requires study abroad. She explains that Goucher probably knows that
most students stay on campus so in order to educate their students to what is
around them they require them to study somewhere completely different. Which makes
sense and addresses a valid point. People will eventually be required to pop
the bubble and go somewhere different.
Towards the end I asked her if she wished that this
bubble effect was not happening at all. She said that she wished that the
effect was less but she would not wish for it to be gone. When asked why she
answered that without the bubble she would not be able to form close bonds with
other people as easily as she would have without it.
When the interview with Samantha was over I found that
the bubble was not an entirely bad thing. Before I had negative feelings
towards this enclosed like effect. After I found that without this effect I
would not know people as well as I would in other places. The Goucher Bubble
has great qualities to it and it took this interview to see these great
qualities.
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