I have applied for both universities and got accepted for International Business. 1st of May is nearing, and I still haven’t made a choice whether to go to AU or USD?
AU is a stronger university in general, but in business, USD is stronger. I am an international student, so I don’t know what state is better to live in and all. Can someone please inform of which university is a better choice, and what San Diego and Washington like (if you have been there ever before).
Please, someone, answer me as soon as possible.
Thank you.
I have never been to American University and I did not study at USD, but I graduated from SDSU and lived in San Diego for 15 years. I have to say that San Diego is a fantastic place to go to school. Excellent weather, winter and summer. The USD campus is beautiful, up on a hill overlooking the Mission Valley area. It is a Catholic school but I am not sure how religious it is. Hope that helps a bit.
We attended admitted student day at USD. DS, while accepted to several more highly ranked schools, has decided to attend. I do not know American, but can share some USD observations.
- USD on-campus housing is available through senior year. It is nice to have the on campus option. Not all schools guarantee housing beyond freshman year.
- The climate is the best in the US, in my opinion.
- The campus is clearly delineated, not co-mingled with the general city. It is a quick Uber to downtown.
- The food is good and the dorms are nicer than some schools, but not brand new (I would request Missions A).
- This is not a real party school. My sense was that the underage drinking etc. will be off campus. If you are a hardcore party person, I think you might be disappointed a bit.
- Per non-Catholic students interviewed, Catholic beliefs are not forced on those of differing world views. If you find the existence of religious emblems and statues on campus troubling, USD would not be the school for you, though. Half of the student body is non-Catholic.
- Abundant on-campus security. But, I stress, wherever you attend school in the US, DC or SD, be aware of your surroundings and stick with those that know the area when venturing off campus. Don't worry but exercise caution.
- Be aware that the schedule is 4-1-4. The '1' is Intersession, which occurs between Fall and Spring terms. It optional to attend the Intersession in January and take one course, for which you pay tuition and room and board. Otherwise, you have a few weeks off to visit home etc. This is an atypical schedule.
- I think the business school is a great choice for US students. I can't speak to its suitability for international students.
- They said the average admitted GPA was 4.0 this year (must be weighted), average ACT I believe was 30 - they rejected about 7,000 applicants (If I remember this all correctly). So, there are some bright students definitely. i was satisfied that DS will get a good education and be challenged academically.
All the best!
Where do people get the idea that AU is “stronger” than some generic private (outside of IR and polisci, where it is strong)?
Well, from what I have read online, AU is more prestigious with a lower acceptance rate than USD. But AU focuses more on politics.
Thank you for those who answered! I really appreciate your help. But is USD a serious university or a fun one? Because I would like to commit myself to studying and working hard during university years, and attending a “fun” university is not going to help obviously lol
Since you are international, you should at least consider the convenience of travel to either. One of these will be much closer and more convenient for travel wherever you live (unless in Central or South America). And take a look at cost of flights, direct flights, etc.
USD is a serious university. I cannot comment on American University.
to be honest, flight costs and flight duration don’t matter at all, compared to comfort, flexibility, weather, university life, degree and so on.
A couple other things - at admitted student day they had a club fair. The Outdoor Adventure club attracted a huge crowd. I think this is very popular. Hiking, rafting, outdoorsy stuff. My impression was that this is a popular club for fun if you like that kind of thing. On dorms - you are required to live on campus thru sophomore year at USD. After that, some of the students rent apartments at this huge, gated community across the street from campus which is popular. USD has engineering. DS is in that and the academics are quite serious as the require dual Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science for those students. So you will find focused students there. With any school you really will learn if you make it your goal to do so. This is less about grades than it is about growing various skills in my opinion.
any other people wishing to contribute their thoughts on this topic?? :)))))