<p>I am choosing between the two. I have always loved DC but am unsure about the social liberalness of American. If I went to American I would do the global scholars program and get a degree in international relations. If I went to NU I would major in economics. I’m pretty sure I want to study abroad and want to work in international trade. I’m fairly certain that I will go to grad school. Any opinions on which I should pick? I know overall NU is the better school, but AU is better, at least I think for what I’m into. The main thing at this point is campus and student life.</p>
<p>If international relations is what you want to do (especially in the Global Scholars program) and you leave that for Northwestern I think you made the wrong decision. But if campus/student life is so important to you, then choose Northwestern. </p>
<p>People have different ways of identifying what they like about campus and student life. Clearly, AU is a small school of 6k undergraduates. I don’t find anything wrong with student life considering DC in itself is a college town and if you’re looking to study hard and play hard you will find that here. Easily.</p>
<p>Student life can be interpreted in different ways, but if you’re looking for huge football/basketball games or a student life on campus where you feel like you’re a part of a huge student body then AU isn’t right for you. Then again, AU is not a school where you feel like you know everybody either. </p>
<p>Maybe you could ask more specific questions about what you want to know about at AU so that current students and parents can help you in making your decision?</p>
<p>An economics degree from Northwestern would open more doors, in my opinion. You can gain knowledge of international issues in a minor or selected coursework. I would also bet that the student body at NU is more internationally diverse.</p>
<p>Northwestern is not that much bigger than American, and it’s in a fantastic city to be a student. But you should visit both (if you haven’t already) and see which one fits.</p>
<p>A friend of mine just passed up Princeton for American’s Global Scholars program. </p>
<p>With NU and AU, it really depends what you’re looking for in college. For me, it would be difficult passing up any big name like Northwestern or Princeton for a school like American. But if you feel you could really succeed at AU and excel beyond your classmates, that could definitely be the right choice.</p>
<p>sally305, Northwestern is nearly twice as large as AU because of # of undergrad + grad population. Secondly, by proportion AU and NU have the same amount of international students (1300/2300). </p>
<p>I suggest prospective students do a little more fact checking and research in the future.</p>
<p>bk, Northwestern has about 2400 more undergrads than American (6000 versus 8400). Not everyone is on the Evanston campus–the law and med schools are in downtown Chicago. I agree with you that people should check their facts. :)</p>
<p>The OP is “fairly certain” about studying international relations and possibly going into law. Things change. That’s why I put in my vote for the econ degree at NU. But either would be a great choice.</p>
<p>There’s no question that NU is a stronger school and for me personally it would be hard to pass it up. However, AU is good for IR and living in DC would open doors too. NU is also good in IR as well, in addition to virtually every other field of study.</p>
<p>sally - reading comprehension must not be one of your strong suits considering i said both grad and undergrad since you don’t go to school with just undergrads lol. total grads for NU and AU are 19k and 10k therefore nearly “twice as large” like i indicated earlier. both of my points were correct lol</p>
<p>allcapella - you have the right idea, but you don’t acknowledge that AU is better at IR. the Foreign Policy magazine Teaching Research and International Policy survey is the best indicator of IR school rankings and AU places on both undergrad and grad at 10 & 8 respectfully while Northwestern doesn’t. look at methodology if you want more info. also dc offers over 50,000 ngo, non-profit, governmental, and private sector internships (that’s right… JUST internships) that you would never get elsewhere (well, maybe NY but different jobs than dc really)… going to AU as a top 10 ir program opens doors and being in dc opens doors and a career. like i said on an earlier post somewhere on this forum i’ve completed 2 internships and now work on a government intelligence internship… if you do a semester program here you won’t be able to get the internship opportunities and then build off of that to get better internships and better experiences. my 2 cents</p>
<p>sorry i typed in all lowercase just woke up feel lazy</p>
<p>No, bk, you are not correct. At least 4000 students are in Chicago and not Evanston, meaning there are no more than 15,000 in Evanston (versus approximately 10,000 at American’s single campus). So in other words, NU’s main campus holds 1.5 times the number of students as American’s. Anyway, the size of the student body is YOUR issue, not the OP’s. Northwestern is hardly a “huge” school. </p>
<p>To the OP, since you are familiar already with American and DC, I would strongly encourage you to visit Northwestern before making your decision. I think you will get a better sense of campus life and the overall “vibe” there.</p>
<p>I am going to both of their admitted student days before I decide</p>
<p>Northwestern’s a great school but I personally would find it too hard to pass up the opportunity to study in Washington DC for four years.</p>
<p>If you planning a career in IR, where are you going to get an in-term internship in Evanston?</p>
<p>I want to do international trade and I guess you have a point.</p>
<p>My d. graduated from American, and wanted(wants) to do international trade - got a degree in business/accounting, with lots of languages, etc., and got a very high-paying internship with KPMG, the world’s largest international accounting firm, which she parlayed into a high-paying full-time job. She also had summer internships in India and Jordan. </p>
<p>Find out what the NU people are doing during term.</p>
<p>Hmmm. I have a BA in Economics from NU (although that was 25 years ago). D currently attends American. I combined my undergrad with an MBA in International Finance (Kellogg) and worked all over the world in int’l banking. The “Northwestern” name opened doors. But, I think AU has a great reputation for all things international - and the opportunities for internships in Washington are outstanding. I’m not sure you can really go wrong with either choice. </p>
<p>Personal opinion: I think the intellectual environment at NU is a little more stimulating - just based upon my D’s experience. She doesn’t find the classes to be that difficult. </p>
<p>Oh - While I was at NU, I had an internship with the Federal Reserve in Chicago and with Quaker Oats working in their government relations dept. - basically as a lobbyist on trade issues. So, internships do exist in Chicago.</p>
<p>mini,</p>
<p>NU is a top target for even the biggest and most elite consulting firms such as McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte, and Bain. Other than studying and playing, NU students participate in internships, research (NU is a major research U), residency/practicum (education/journalism), and co-ops (among the best and most established engineering co-op in the nation). Students take subway to go from Evanston to Chicago.</p>
<p>I have no idea why some here act like Chicago has only few internships. This is a city of almost 3 millions (city alone, not the metro area) and where CME Group, the world’s largest futures exchange company, is headquartered. If you are in downtown, you may even think it’s bigger than NYC! The main difference is DC has a lot more government and non-profit internships while Chicago has a lot more with the private companies.</p>
<p>[Sample</a> Internship Organizations - Chicago Field Studies – Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences: Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.internships.northwestern.edu/program/in-the-field/sample-organizations.html]Sample”>http://www.internships.northwestern.edu/program/in-the-field/sample-organizations.html)</p>
<p>And the number of international relations-focused internships in Chicago is… And the percentage of students who have them is…and the academic calendar is organized to make it possible to do it by…</p>
<p>^I don’t even know if there’s an industry in international relation. Where and what exactly are the international relations-focused internships available during Fall/Spring (summer ones are available to schools outside of DC)? Even if there are some, the success rate in competing against not only your peers but those from Georgetown, George Washington, and Maryland is… </p>
<p>One can always imagine an internship where one is asked to assist in drafting what to do with North Korea. That would be so cool except it exists only in an imaginery world. Actually, now that I think of it; let it stay in the imaginery. I wouldn’t want the handling of N. Korean given to any 19/20-yo…</p>
<p>Even for students out of Georgtown SFS, <a href=“Cawley Career Education Center | Georgetown University”>Cawley Career Education Center | Georgetown University, most ended up in financial services or management consulting. I don’t see many getting work at “international-relation focused” organizations.</p>
<p>OTOH, the feeder schools to Department of State are elite privates that don’t even bother to offer bachelor degrees in IR…</p>