Accepted to AU Spring + WMP, need help and advice

Colleges and Universities A-Z American University
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<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I apologize if my questioning seems silly, but I’m not initially from America, so the whole University process is entirely new to me.</p>

<p>First off, I saw and read a few posts in the Washington Mentorship Program thread, but I wanted to ask for personal advice. I don’t know if I can necessarily afford WMP, I would probably only try to go if I felt it was something I just couldn’t miss out on. From reading their brochure, it seems a bit intimidating, but amazing! But of course, it’s their brochure, so it would have to be portrayed that way.</p>

<p>Can anyone tell me a bit about their experience, whether it seemed like a waste of time or not, whether it was easy to make new friendships in the program, and if the experience was successful?</p>

<p>Also, I’m a bit confused as to what the alternative option is, if you do not choose to assist in WMP. I’m OOS, so would my alternative option be taking classes in a non degree pursuing way, like said in the brochure?
Would I be able to travel instead of taking classes, and come back for Spring? Or do I need to be taking classes during the Fall Semester if I’m not in WMP?</p>

<p>Also, if you don’t apply for financial aid, does anyone have any tips on how to manage and afford AU? Do they help students find jobs or anything like that? I’m a bit nervous about student loans.</p>

<p>What about housing, are we allowed to choose our roommate by our own means? Is there many a facebook page, or something like that I could check out?</p>

<p>Lastly, if anyone who was accepted into WMP, Spring semester, or Fall semester at AU, would like to talk, it’d be a joy to discuss with people I might be on the same campus with in the future!</p>

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<p>i also got accepted to au for the spring 2013 semester with the wmp… i think i might do it… mostly cause of the internship opportunities and stuff. plus, if you’re in the program, apparently you’re housed in a building near the main campus with the upperclassmen - at least that’s what i’ve read. But yea, if you ever decide to do the program, we’ll be in touch i guess</p>

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<p>I’m really interested in it, but it’s so expensive! To pay that, on top of AU tuition, I’m just not sure if I can…which makes it all very complicated for me to figure out what my decision is gonna be :/</p>

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<p>Doesn’t it cost the same as a normal term at American, and give you similar credits toward graduation? I do understand that they don’t provide financial aid for it, but if you aren’t receiving financial aid the rest of the time, how would this be different? (They also gave you a money saving approach that many other students wouldn’t have, which is to take course through your local community college or elsewhere, which are transferable.)</p>

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<p>That might be the case, I’m really not familiar with how all of this works. Which is why I’m seeking for advice, I’m honestly clueless. For example, this may be a dumb question, but when it is said that AU tuition is 32K does that mean for a whole year? If I’m joining in Spring would I still be paying 32k?
The pamphlet for WMP has an estimated cost breakdown of around 27K (I didn’t put all the costs in a calculator, but it’s around that) so it’s not the normal AU tuition price.</p>

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<p>My son Will was accepted spring with the wmp–have to think re this also. Would be good if he could be in touch with you. (He’s adorable!!). Not that that matters of course. You girls figure it all out and keep me posted. Thought AU was awesome!!</p>

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<p>That’s great @crazymama! It’s a tough decision to make…I just PM’d you :)</p>

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<p>Nina, are you comparing things that aren’t comparable? I’m not all that familiar with WMP, but I think it costs approx. $27K for tuition, housing and dining, whereas AU costs about $37,000 per year (or $18,500 per semester) for tuition only. According to the “undergraduate cost of attendance” graphic in the bottom-right corner of this page ([Financial</a> Aid, American University](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/financialaid/]Financial”>Financial Aid | American University, Washington, DC)), the total cost of a semester at AU, including room and board, is about $26,800.</p>

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<p>@Sikorsky: Okay so then basically, attending a semester of WMP would be the same as attenting AU for fall semester if I had been accepted for fall. What I’m thinking, is that I could save the money for that semester, possibly, by not attenting WMP. That’s just one of the things I have to think about, cause AU tuition is so expensive, I don’t know how I’m gonna afford the four years, I know it may seem silly, but a semester less in cost is still something saved. But I don’t want to miss out on WMP if I feel it will be a huge opportunity for me…</p>

<p>Mainly I’m confused about what my choices are if I choose not to attend WMP in fall, I don’t know if I would have to enroll in some type of class somewhere, or if I’d be free to do what I want until Spring.</p>

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<p>Nina, I hope you have read the other thread on the WMP, especially the last entry. I’ll add that if you don’t take the program, you will simply enter AU in the spring and, in the normal course of things (that is, not counting AP credits, etc.), graduate 8 semesters later. You wouldn’t have to take classes elsewhere–in fact, you would have to check with AU to see if they would give you credits for such classes. You could work, volunteer, whatever you like.</p>

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<p>I read a few posts and tried to get a gist of what was being said, I wasn’t sure I’d find answers to my questions there, being that the origin of the thread was a bit different than mine. I don’t see it as a rejection or failure, to only be accepted in Spring, which kinda shocked me about that thread.</p>

<p>I’m glad to know I can do anything in the meantime, and wouldn’t have to necessarily take classes elsewhere. That’ll weigh heavily in my decision making…</p>

<p>Oh and I’d love if anyone could answer the other questions I posted about…or just give opinions about WMP or AU in general :)</p>

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<p>OK, I can answer another of your questions. Most of AU’s on-campus employment opportunities are limited to students with work study awards, which you won’t have since you won’t apply/qualify for financial aid. The remaining on campus jobs are very competitive. AU does maintain an online job board for outside positions (D has gotten several ongoing child care jobs through this means) and of course offers assistance with finding internships (few of which are likely to be paying positions, however), but beyond that I’m not aware of any help the school offers for finding undergraduate employment (hopefully someone will correct me if I’m mistaken). And of course there are a number of retail establishments in Tenleytown, Friendship Heights and further away which may offer part-time employment opportunities if your class schedule permits. But in truth, the amount of money that can be earned during the school year by even the most diligent worker is not going to make a big dent in the overall cost of attendance.</p>

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<p>I see what you mean, well I was hoping a part time job might at least help with other costs I would encounter, or just help continue savings for things outside of college. I’ll have to figure that out.</p>

<p>What year is your daughter in? Do you think those that come into the school in Spring have a harder time making friends and connections than those that come in fall?</p>

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<p>My D, a junior, was not a spring admit. It’s possible a spring admit may have to work a little harder (join clubs, etc.) to make social connections. You might want to contact Admissions to get a sense of how many non-WMP freshman typically start each spring (it would be a lot more comforting to know there are 100 of you versus 3 of you) and how the school assists the transition–I suspect their is some kind of orientation process, so all the spring admits can get to know one another. Also keep in mind that friendships are still being formed well into freshman year and beyond–many students take time to find “their” people and their preferred organizations. My D will be sharing a suite senior year with two girls she didn’t even meet until late in her sophomore year.</p>

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<p>I got accepted to AU also for Spring 2013. I didn’t do the WMP because my family felt it was just way too expensive. Did anyone else decide against it? I’m nervous about the transition and I hope, like someone said, there aren’t just a few of us transferring in</p>