<p>mini: Yes, I am finding this site to be most unhelpful with regard to American. It seems that people either hate it or love it. I generally find with anecdotal comments that you have to know the source. How closely do the students who love American resemble my child? How closely do the students who hate American resemble my child?</p>
<p>What most worries me is that my son scored 760 on his Math SAT and 35 on his Math ACT and a 5 on the Calc BC test and is taking AP Stats now, but because of his relatively weak GPA (3.7) and a C in college Physics (with calculus) this past quarter he won't get into schools in the top 30. Son is perfectly happy now to go to American because school prestige means nothing to him, but what will happen when he gets there and finds the math classes to be a joke?</p>
<p>swmass: Hookah is popular here in northern CA, too. My older son (19) and his friends sit around our picnic table and smoke. I try to discourage him from participating, but to no avail. Younger son doesn't want any part of it. Very different kids.</p>
<p>happycollegemom: I understood what you were trying to say about UCSB. I was trying to give you more information so you can pass it on to future applicants. It's so difficult to get a feel for the true atmosphere at a college and I think UCSB gets a bad rap for being a party school when there are so many different types of students there.</p>
<p>In the interest to newcomers, I think I need to present a balanced view. As an IR major, I have experienced nothing but generosity on the part of the professors. Yes, the SIS is a huge program. It's nationally and internationally known. But that in no way takes away from the professors willingness to connect on a one-on-one with their students. I find personal attention at all levels at AU especially if I am willing to seek them out.</p>
<p>I took a class with a graduate level SIS professer (class was 200 level) and she was as helpful and willing to talk to students as any 100-level professer I've dealt with. Although I'm no AU "cheerleader" I do agree that the professers (for the large part) are incredibly helpful and approachable.</p>
<p>to mini and others,
My S is a Freshman at AU and incredibly happy. During our college search I discovered CC and was concerned with the negative bent of AU comments. Thankfully we ignored them. Bear in mind probably 95% of AU students pay no attention to CC. For whatever reason the threads tend to be unhelpful in general. DC is an amazing location, and AU, at least in the experience of my son, has been the right choice.</p>
<p>saranac~ thanks for your input! we all seem to be saying the same thing...the kids who are needed here probably don't even know about this! anyway, here's hoping more folks come out to speak their positive experiences at AU!</p>
<p>Hello HCM. Yes, it's good that most AU students are out enjoying life, but it would be helpful for prospective students and parents to hear more from current students. It would also be great if AU would put an adcom on this board - I don't know if they've considered it.</p>
<p>saranac~ i agree with you on all your points, hence my "reflections" comments. the WORST thing that could happen would be for prospectives to think lack of AU participation on CC means a negative for the school. there is no correlation for those who know. funny you ask about an adcom...i DID ask in AU's office of Dean of Students and office of Admissions last year, especially when there were some really weird folks posting. they said they'd never do that ( even when i mentioned both UVA and JHU did this) as it was all about students and their free speech, regardless of the erroneous comments! i give them credit for what they are and stand by. as always, i, as well as others are here for PMs. take care, saranac!</p>
<p>There's nothing "erroneous" about people's comments. They just share their experience at AU. Just because people mention negative aspects of AU, it does not mean that the comments are "erroneous." Some love AU, some don't. Listen to both opinions. They both all some truth.</p>
<p>For the sake of high school kids who are on this thread, I am not here to debate. I have no intention of turning this thread into how so many threads at CC become, but I feel a need to respond very simply because earlier posting information was HIGHLY erroneous and other posters felt a need to contact AU even though AU supported freedom of speech regardless of the clearly faulty information going out on AU.</p>
<p>Connies - people's opinions about the school, even if they differ from yours, are not "erroneous." They are different. An erroneous statement would be something like, "AU is located in Puerto Rico." Its is simply incorrect. A statement like "I don't like that the professors are inaccessible" is a statement of opinion, and isn't incorrect.</p>
<p>i believe connies is referring to a time before you all were posting...one or two unhappy kids were truly posting random untruths. this had nothing to do with personal opinions. it had to do with deliberate attempts to slander the school, which is why AU became (only marginally) involved. they were disgusted but wouldn't intervene out of a desire to uphold free speech.</p>
<p>Ah, ok, thanks for clearing that up. I think this is great forum becuase people can share what they know, the good, the bad and the ugly. But if people were posting things that were just simply untrue (AU shoots people who violate the drinking policy), then that's a problem.</p>
<p>Mini, Horsegirl and others - I suggest you do a search for a thread entitled something like "AU student ready to answer questions". It started about 2 years ago, and has many, many posts in it.</p>
<p>Things were rather benign for the first year. A then-freshman girl started it, and generally waxed poetic about how wonderful AU was, though her responses were often a bit immature (to paraphrase: "living on the northside is for losers with no social life"). Then about a year later, a then-freshman boy wrote several detailed posts describing his unhappiness with AU. His posts were admittedly caustic at times, but they were also impassioned and well-articulated. In no way did he ever say anything that could be remotely considered slander. </p>
<p>This did not sit well with a couple of current posters - you can guess who. These posters had, and still have, no tolerance for opinions that are not favorable to AU. You have already seen one whose regular response to negative opinions is along the lines of "love it or leave it". The boy who made the controversial post that started the firestorm was defended by many people who said they appreciated his honesty.</p>
<p>I could say more, but frankly, I don't have the strength for this battle again. Feel free to send me a private message if you want to hear more. For the record, I'm the parent of a 2007 grad who loved his time at AU.</p>
<p>You have no idea how uninterested I am about people's attitudes toward threads posted two years ago, or the people who answered them. I just thought folks might want to share their current loves and hates, and move on.</p>
<p>I guess I'll have to PM you, though I hoped that whatever you have to say might have more universal relevance.</p>
<p>jkazoo - frankly i am tired of your comments back to me. I thought it was offensive when members were writing discriminatory comments about students (race, etc.) and degrading the professors to a point of using them when needed to transfer to another college. His "supporters" were his roommates, which later came out. I took great offense to such comments as "all the girls are ugly" and "all the boys are gay." Sorry, but that is NOT what this forum is for. Hateful, discriminatory remarks go far beyond the typical negative posts. I guess your values are far off than most. I would appreciate your stopping the attacks on every post I write on. Move on!</p>
<p>mimi - i couldn't agree more. AU doesn't have many students who come on and therefore it is difficult to access the school based on a few students responses. </p>
<p>There are always positives and negatives to everything in life. I am not here to glorify AU. I do feel, however, feel that based on my personal experiences at AU, I can comment on both the positives and negatives. If it is a negative comment, and I had a positive experience, I will comment on that. If it is something that I have not experienced, I will leave it alone. I wish more students would do the same.</p>