<p>We have been trying to find more matches for my d. We seem to have safeties and reaches, but few matches. She is interested in drama, film, journalism. Stats: V 630 M 630; Sat2 writing 750 Sat2 us history 530 SAT2 Mat 1c 580.</p>
<p>We have american on our list, but i just don't have a strong feel for the culture there. Anyone with any knowledge of this school ( or others that may be good matches?) I have read that it is a school for privileged kids who didn't work hard enough to get into better schools, so that is a bit off-putting, to say the least. But it does have a communications dept, and is in a great city (which she would prefer), and it sounds like there are good internship opprtunities. But what are the kids and classes like?. DD is also applying to BU, Skidmore, Clark and Goucher. She wasn't too hot on the idea of Syracuse. I would like her to go to a more comprehensive school than emerson.<br>
All suggestions are most appreciated. She got deferred from her ED school today. it was actually a relief for me since i didn't think it was a good fit for her.</p>
<p>what about smaller LACs? or larger state schools...UMissouri has a GREAT journalism program if thats what you want...
i applied to american, got in, didnt go...you can email me for details...</p>
<p>Don't know if the rich kid characterization is fair. 66% receive aid--that's two our of every three she might meet. The graduate I know was impressed by the number of kids who were working their way through. She did not fit the lazy profile, btw.</p>
<p>It's a good school in a great city--but for film and drama? Not so sure it's that kind of environment. Heavily slanted toward politics, law and International relations.<br>
Terrific internships and study abroad programs for those interests. </p>
<p>Cheers' profile on American is a good start; I don't think drama/film is a good match for them. When my D was very young she was in a student film for Loyola Marymount and I can say their Project 1 class, or whatever it's called, seemed to be pretty good.</p>
<p>We visited American and I'll throw out a few negatives we took away with us: campus culture seemed more like an overgrown high school. "Academics" was only the seventh item listed by the Admissions officer during the info session...priorities seemed to be on discipline, safety, law enforcement issues, and student life. Among the worst dorms we saw in all our trips (about a dozen colleges).</p>
<p>I don't know about your D's chances and I don't know about Film, but I like Goucher and Skidmore.</p>
<p>I was accepted into American with lower SAT numbers than your D. I liked it a lot for its international relations program, great study-abroad, and internship opportunities.</p>
<p>Good point, theDad about the high school-y feel. I did feel somewhat more comfortable there than when I stayed overnight at Smith. I don't think the dorms aren't too bad, yes, the rooms are quite small! It did have a comfort zone for me- people dressed like me and had casual attitudes. Sure I could go there... but I told my mother that I felt... the atmosphere would be helpful in transiting to college but I think I'd outgrow it and then transfer out. Student body seems quite active and happy. The food was alright- apparently ,not too many people eat in the cafe because it was small. </p>
<p>I agree with the adcom's reply. Academics isn't exactly on the top. My hosts were more interested in hanging out with friends than in their homework. However, they were geniunely excited about the opportunities that they were/will be given and want to work hard for them. (They were in School for International Studies).</p>
<p>Maybe the student body in each school is different from the others? The other student I got to know well was in Commiunications and he basically set up his room with speakers and everything relating to communications!</p>
<p>Thank you all for your comments. I guess they confirm my feelings of american being a so-so place. I know dd wants to get away from the high school feel, so that was helpful to know. I had Arizona on the list at one point, but was not too sure about their level of academics. I'll take another look. What are the kids like there? DD is pretty averse to LA- was really hoping to go to east coast, but not a preppy place. So, the number of schools that fit the bill are not many (that she would get into, anyway). I do know u Missouri is great in journalism, but i'm not sure how she would do with the overall culture there...
Skidmore and BU are probably most desirable at this point. i think if goucher were a bit larger, and more male, it would move up a notch or two, too. :)</p>
<p>Actually I have always thought that American is a very good "name recognition" value and the academics are pretty solid. That it is in DC with GW and GT grabbing the upper stats kids has made it tough for it to get as many of them as they would like. The school has great accessability to DC without being in the city, has a lovely campus unlike GW, and has all of the benefits of being in the nation's capital for political science, international relations courses. The theatre program is not that well known, but it is pretty solid from what I can see. </p>
<p>I know two kids well who went to American. One was a B-C student at a prep school who did not score so well on his SATs either. He was definitely a late bloomer, and he did bloom there. Did extremely well and is now working at a pretty high profile job, prestigious for his age. The other was an excellent student with good SATs who was offered a very nice merit award along with generous financial aid which tipped the balance to American over some more selective schools. This young lady made law review at GT and is now an attorney in a great law firm. Both enjoyed their time at American immensely. Another DC option for her would be Catholic U which you may want to visit when you look at American, and Loyola in Baltimore along with Goucher. UMarylandBaltimore County is also a possibility as is Towson for some less costly alternatives. Mary Washington which is on the train line to DC is another choice, and Richmond sports U of Richmond which is a nice school as well. Also Philly might hold some possibilities for her with a number of catholic, private and state schools all within the city. Clark is a great school and you might want to check out Wheaton as well though like Goucher the ratio is not great. Suffolk in Boston is down the street from Emerson, and though I hear it is largely a commuter school, I also know a number of kids who go there who like it very much and they are not from Boston. I know nothing about the school culture and offerings, however. There are also a number of schools near NYC that are good deals for your D. Hofstra, Wagner, Manhattan all come to mind. Rider, Widener, Fairleigh Dickenson and some other NJ schools may warrent a peak as well. But for the SAT range, and location, I think American is the best deal for name value.</p>
<p>Our S was just accepted ED into American, w/ 1310 SATs & & 3.2 UW GPA from an academically demanding dual curriculam Jewish high school. His strengths have been in the social sciences & humanities, taking Ap & honors. However math & science have been challenging, bringing down his GPA & SAT
His EC's were strong in drama Model UN & politics section editor of the newspaper.
He also did volunteer work w/ autistic children & on a suicide prvention hotline, as well as working on the presidential campaign.
My S & my husband last spring & the previous fall visiting ASU & Uof Arizona last fall & DC area schools. ASU has a well regarded journalism , but is well known as party school. Uof A is considered more academic (but also has a party rep) & has the premier learning disabilities program-SALT, which requires 5 essays on it's supplementary application! On their trip to DC, they visited GW, American, & Goucher. He thought GW was too big & congested & did not like the lack of campus. He liked the American campus alot & felt positively about their freshman learning disabilites program. He met w/ a professor is friends w/ friends of ours in LA. He also loved Goucher . It's intimate 10 students in a class & beautiful. S ultimately preferred the DC political scene.</p>
<p>mommeleh - Ithaca is big into film, communications, TV, etc. It's about 5 - 6,000 undergrads. It's cold, but it has a beautiful location, both the scenery, and the proximity to Cornell (down the road) which opens up the social scene and the academic opportunities. ithaca likes solid B to B+ students.</p>
<p>I agree with Ithaca - would be a good match. And, if she wants to be on the east coast, Susquehanna, Fairfield, Qunnipiac would all be good backups for communications. I'd also take a look at U of Oregon for journalism. Gettysburg is another LAC with a journalism program.</p>
<p>I agree with the below. I spent a summer at American when I was in college, and loved it even though I normally attended an Ivy.</p>
<p>I also have had students who went to grad school there, and have had good experiences, and I have known journalism faculty there. It's a very solid university, nicely located in a city with lots to offer, including cultural events as well as adjunct faculty with excellent credentials in their fields.</p>
<p>I would be happy if S wanted to go there, but, unfortunately, S does not like D.C.</p>
<p>"Actually I have always thought that American is a very good "name recognition" value and the academics are pretty solid."</p>
<p>I visited GW and American, and liked both. I liked GW more than American, and ended up getting accepted ED 1 there. </p>
<p>Both are good schools, but I felt that GW's academics were much stronger than AU's. GWU's programs in journalism(with CNN television studios on campus), the elliot school of IA(all the embassies on campus and awesome profs with high-profile jobs), and the cool Econ and poli. sci. opportunities topped AU. </p>
<p>AU has a very nice campus in a residential area of DC. GW has a distinct campus in a neighborhood called Foggy Bottom, however it's VERY urban, being 2 blocks from the white house. I think the GW campus is pretty, with all the townhouses and rooftop gardens, but I guess I'm an urban kinda gal. It's very fast-paced and has a lot of hustle-and-bustle which makes it an urban campus. There are pools on the rooftops of dorms, and cherry-blossom trees planted throughout the campus, and nice parks on One-Washington Circle and the area with the hippo statue. However, don't expect to find students throwing frisbees and pic-nicking on the campus grounds. There's homeless people everywhere. I guess GW's campus just "fitted" me better, while AU's could "fit" others better also. </p>
<p>A negative I found with AU was how the tour was centered more around the location/amenities than the actual academics. My tour guide pointed out places where people got drunk at night, and how much fun DC is. Well, I assumed that DC was fun and all, that's the reason I was looking in the first place. I wanted to know what made the campus work, and what could the academics offer me other schools couldn't.</p>
<p>Wow. I really feel lucky to have access to this community of people with great knowledge on so much!
I think we will keep American on the list- it does seem to have a reasonable amount to offer. Since i think my d will learn best by doing, the opportunity for internships will be great for her.<br>
We did visit ithaca and d didn't like the feel very much. Emerson, while great in her chosen areas, we felt was too narrow in scope. We are not eligible for financial aid, and i feel like we have to draw the line somewhere - GWU's tuition is out of this world, though i'm sure the academics are, too.
I hadn't thought much about name recognition, but i think that that's a good point. Hubby and I have backgrounds in science, so neither of us knew anything about American. But d is interested in study abroad, too, so maybe american is a reasonable fit. </p>
<p>I guess what i am taking away from this is that AU may not be top notch academics, but it is solid and there are many opportunities to get involved. Plus it's in a great city. Alot of those things sound good for DD.<br>
btw, she did apply to U Oregon. We thought about U Md., and will revisit that idea. D has some real geographic prejudices, and won't even think about Arizona. That and the party school thing sorta cross it off the list. Thanks for the other suggestions, too. Now, if i could just get her to make some headway on her supplementary essays. Vacation is drawing to a close and she is getting a bit more cranky about the whole thing!</p>
<p>mommeleh - I was thinking about your situation, and touched base with someone who is very interested in drama/theater (more production/direction, etc. rather than acting). She seconded carolyn's suggestion of Susquehanna. She also added that Muhlenberg, Skidmore and Dickinson have good programs for an LAC.</p>
<p>But she also mentioned that American has a very strong program!</p>
<p>I go to GWU, but AU is still a really good school. I have friends going there. From the way you describe your daughter, AU sounds like a better fit, even if you disregard her stats(which aren't bad, I might add). AU seems to be more artsy, and GW is more Econ/Poli. sci/Int. Affairs. GW has an awesome journalism program, but AU's is not too shabby either. Really, don't worry about prestige. AU is pretty hard to get into, and has some incredible programs. I wish I had given it a thought, even though I am beyond thrilled with GWU. </p>
<p>Also, I think that Emerson and Northeastern in Boston are worth looking into.</p>
<p>DSTARK: Our S had good experiences on both ASU & U of Arizona tours. He was impressed w/ the Cronkite School of Journalism @ ASU. The SALT LD program @ UofA was a plus.We're Jewish & both schools had active Hillels. of the kids we knew, more academic kids (such as the regional director from his synagogue youth group) were choosing UofA. Both schools do have party reps. Our S also preferred the political environment of DC @ American University.</p>