<p>I am looking at American University in DC as one of my top schools. I was wondering if anyone could give me information on the school. What are the students like? Is it easy to find your niche at the school? What is life like on campus and in the city? Thanks for any input!</p>
<p>Those are very broad questions and they can be tough to answer. You say American is one of your top choices, why? What are you thinking about for a major? I can tell you what I have read and heard as a parent who was very involved in helping my daughter make a decision (she is a entering freshman): AU students tend to me more liberal than conservative. They tend to be aware of political and social issues. They like being close enough to a city to easily access what it offers but also have a more typical campus feel. They are attracted to the opportunities for internships that a city like DC offers. If you look at number of degrees granted, there are more students studying political science, international service and business, than chemistry, engineering, or advanced mathematics. There is a very inclusive and accepting atmosphere on campus. Students enjoy small class size and personal relationships with professors. I hope this helps. My advice is to read everything you can find about a school and make sure that you visit if it is possible.</p>
<p>My son just graduated from AU. He found the students to be very diverse…from all over, and all over the spectrum on any given issue. Judgmental people probably don’t fit in real well. Students tend to be very intelligent, ambitious, and focused. Many don’t have a set direction freshman year, but exposure to so many possibilities generally helps students find what they really want to pursue. Students on campus are the type that thrive on being busy and tend to develop impressive time management skills. Students tend to be rather independent compared to some at other schools–because so many students develop off-campus interests volunteering and working in internships, there is very little of moving across campus in a herd after the first few weeks of the first year. My son always had close friends that he spent a lot of time with, and also pledged a fraternity ( to which not all of his best friends belonged) but he also didn’t mind going to the dining hall solo when that was what worked with his schedule. My son was active in his fraternity and on the campus fraternity board, played a club sport, played on several intramural teams (his grades go down when he doesn’t have a lot of physical activity), was active in one campus group and one volunteer activity (all 4 years–and had leadership positions in it), and had internships all semesters after first year (actually, beginning the summer after first year). He was a B+ student at AU; he was also a B+ student in high school. I am not sure when he ever slept.</p>
<p>I’ll chime in. My D chose AU strictly for an arts program that she abandoned after her freshman year–and there was really nothing else about AU that had particularly attracted her other than its urban location. Yet she found a home there. Interestingly, none of her friends were in the best known majors (poli sci, IR), but were, like her, Arts and Sciences types with little interest in politics–so I guess you can say she had no trouble finding her niche. She became a member of the co-ed service fraternity (definitely not the sorority type) and enjoyed that very much. She was happy enough to consider attending grad school at AU, though she ultimately found a better academic fit elsewhere.</p>
<p>As for life in DC, well, it’s a big place where, as in any big city, you can find as much or as little as you like in a myriad of areas–clubbing, music, shopping, sightseeing, etc. The public transportation system is excellent and makes it easy to get around. But if you prefer to stick around the campus and be oblivious to living in a major American city, you can do that, too.</p>
<p>My info is old, but I was a graduate student there in the mid 90s, and really loved the place. Before I went to AU, I used to think of it too expensive for what it offered, as I did my undergrad and previous graduate work at big state flagships, and was used to the value for money you get at state schools. I chose it for grad school because I was already living and working in DC, and you could get there on the metro. The more I immersed myself in AU, the more impressed I became. Id walk across campus and run into many people who knew me, thats a big deal when you are used to being a number at a big state school. My grad school classes were small and the professors were really accessible, and caring. I think the same thing was true for undergrads, as some of the advanced undergrads would occasionally appear in my classes. I remember going to parties with a mixture of grad and undergrad students from the department, sometimes at a professors home. It was really warm and nurturing. At least for graduate school, they get an amazing caliber of student for their ranking. I was in classes with people who worked for various government agencies, and foreign grad students who also worked at the World Bank or an embassy, and since classes were small you could learn a lot from your peers. I also had positive interactions with many of the people in the administrative areas of the university, many of them are grad students themselves, working for the tuition remission. I did miss some of the resources you have at a bigger school, but not in a way that effected my education, just occasionally Id notice that we did not have a big football weekend with tailgating or something, but being able to pop down to the Smithsonian more than made up for that.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the information everyone!
pushydad, to answer your question, I am interested in American University because of its International Studies program and its location in DC. I am interested in State Department, and having already been exposed to embassy life while living overseas, I am eager to work abroad after college. Also, I have heard that American has great internship opportunities due to its location in DC.
I will definitely continue my research but your responses have been helpful! Thanks!</p>