<p>Hi! I am a current student who is happy to answer questions about AU.</p>
<p>Do students live off campus in the upper class years? Seems DC is tremendously expensive... also wondered what the social life is like (campus-centered, etc.)</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>How far is the nearest Metro stop -- in terms of minutes walking -- from the center of campus? And how safe is the neighborhood that you would walk through between campus and the Metro?</p>
<p>I don't know the exact figures, but a lot of upperclass student do live off campus. Many students live at the Berkshire, or "The Berks," which is a few blocks on campus. It is quite convenient. Other students may choose to live farther from campus to pay less in rent. I have been told that it can be cheaper to live off campus (and thus get off the meal plan). This year, AU didn't have enough housing, and so had to provide incentives for students to move off campus. One group's experience is here: Hotel</a> shuttle service limited - News</p>
<p>Let's face it... DC is expensive. It's $800 a semester for a parking pass, but the metro works fine too. But students love the opportunites found in DC. </p>
<p>Most of AU's programming happens on weeknights, such as club meetings, speakers, movies. Many students love watching the debates on a big screen. It's seriously like how some schools watch football cheering for the home team (Obama!). That said, we have no football team, but the women's volleyball team is quite popular because of the tallest twins playing volleyball. </p>
<p>On the weekends, most people do their own thing with their friends. This can entail hanging out on campus, going clubbing, going to a movie, going to a performance, or going to a frat/ sorority event.</p>
<p>The walk from campus to Tenleytown (where the metro is) is about a mile or 20 minutes. Most of the time the shuttle is faster. The area around AU is pretty safe, but it is a city. Common sense and city smarts apply. You can find AU's crime report here: ::Crime</a> Alerts ::Public Safety ::AMERICAN UNIVERSITY.</p>
<p>How are the dorms?</p>
<p>My son seems like a perfect match for American, he's a B+ student with 1910 SAT's, interested in history, politics- has been working for Obama since primaries, traveled abroad a lot , can find his way around a city very well etc. Things I worry about: no campus life, want him to have that college experience, he likes to be engaged with his teachers- will this happen at American? He can get unmotivated academically unless he loves his teachers! He's not super preppy- read a lot about very wealthy, some spoiled kids at American? Any info would be appreciated.</p>
<p>No campus life-
It is true that AU's position in a large city and a lack of football team, etc. leads to a less than stellar school spirit. However, it is a trade off. I never went to a football game, tailgated, or really felt a close AU community feel while going to school here (I am a senior). However, I also had three internships, studied two languages, went abroad to a third world country, volunteered on and off campus, took full advantage of speaker/lecture events in the nation's capital, and always had a laundry list of activities both on and off campus to do on the weekends.</p>
<p>To me, AU's "campus life" is in fact "DC life". The school is very supportive of students being active on as well as off campus. I think that the diverse interests of the student body added more to my classes than perhaps a stronger school spirit. </p>
<p>Engaged with professors-
Like any college, your son would have professors he adores, and professors he does not. I have cultivated excellent relationships with professors in my field at AU, and I know I will continue to keep in touch long after I graduate. The smaller class sizes at AU lends a great environment for getting to know professors. You will also never have a class taught by a TA. Professors at AU, while well respected in their fields, are also thoroughly committed to the students at AU. Unlike other institutions, you will not find professors at AU abandoning students during the year to finish publishing a book, etc. However, your son will inevitably end up with professors he may not like. Regardless of the school he chooses, he will always be expected to motivate himself. This will hold true in future internship/job experiences as well. </p>
<p>Spoiled kids-
AU, like any private school, has a fair share of wealthy students. However, a bulk of students at AU are there with financial aid, and the majority of students work during the school year. I am at AU with financial aid, I've had a job every semester, and I've never felt uncomfortable or out of place.</p>
<p>ha! my kid is certainly NOT one of the wealthy ones! and as is true for so much of AU, it's a mixed bag. she's about middle-of-the-road, with friends of extreme wealth, to those on complete academic scholarship and working. the shuttle is the way to get to the tenley metro...frequent and free.
dorms vs apartments...as i've said in other posts, the cost of DC is high as in any other city college. my d is in her junior year, in an apt., having been in it since sophomore year, with a LOT more for the same price as the dorms. most schools have their sophomores and juniors going into apts., which i think is a big part of a growth experience.
as Britty has said, the AU experience abounds with a very high amount of placements/internships in DC and environs. very few schools can offer this. so far my d has had 1 paid internship(DC), 1 unpaid(abroad) and plans at least 1 more. there are school activities, but most want the DC work, social experience. feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Hi. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. </p>
<p>The dorms are fine. It's standard city college fare, so think cinder block walls for underclassmen housing. I think my room might be 12 ft by 15 ft. One side of the room has built in shelving/ dresser drawers/ mirrors/ closets. Every floor has a kitchen/ lounge where there are couches, a tv, microwave, and a sink. Some dorms have study lounges on the floor. Dorms have a "computing complex" in the dorm itself, or very close to it. Pictures here: American</a> University Housing and Dining Programs | Choosing a Hall</p>
<p>1) How is the financial aid at AU?
2) How big a part of the campus life is politics?</p>
<p>Financial aid- absolutely wonderful or absolutely not. It seems to me that the people who have "merit" aid are happier with their package than those who have "financial" aid. AU does not have a particularly large endowment. </p>
<p>Most people at least have a political opinion, and many are into politics. There are a lot of future lawyers here. On election night, students got so crazy about Obama's victory that public safety had to shut down the quad. No, I don't know more specifics because I was watching the news coverage "safely" from my dorm lounge. AU does get inauguration day off though in January, if that reveals anything.</p>
<p>The title of this article about election night at AU ("This is our Super Bowl") pretty much sums it up: politics at AU is big-time. American</a> Today</p>
<p>But by no means is it all-consuming. While it may be impossible to avoid it completely, it's not as if AU is all politics, all the time.</p>
<p>Since American is in DC, how much is it 'in' DC? I've been there twice, and still am planning on visiting the campus, but what I would like to know is how it compares to George Washington. Does American have the same 'DC feel' and location that GeorgeWash. have?</p>
<p>I was looking between the two and was comparing them. What are the schools strong and weak points?</p>
<p>This is a frequent question on this discussion board, one that brings out the good, the bad, and the ugly. Rather than starting from scratch, here are links to previous discussions (remember...good, bad, and ugly):</p>
<p>Does anyone know about ED notice </p>
<p>I see last year on this forum applicants were getting notice by the 15th of Dec</p>
<p>was last year ED deadline the 15th of Nov or was it earlier?</p>
<p>This year they say notice by the 31th of Dec..</p>
<p>does anyone know stats how many students applied to AU for ED this year?</p>
<p>Unlike GW, AU actually has a campus. The area surrounding campus has more of a suburban feel. Students take a shuttle (that runs with varying degrees of frequency depending on the time of day) to the metro stop (Tenley Town- American University). It is about a 15 or 20 minute metro ride to Union Station. I didn't like the feel of GW's urban campus when I visited, so I didn't investigate GW any further. I feel that AU is often over shadowed by GW/ GT, when AU has many strengths of its own.</p>
<p>Unlike GW, AU actually has a campus. The area surrounding campus has more of a suburban feel. Students take a shuttle (that runs with varying degrees of frequency depending on the time of day) to the metro stop (Tenley Town- American University). It is about a 15 or 20 minute metro ride to Union Station. I feel that AU is often over shadowed by GW/ GT, when AU has many strengths of its own. I didn't like the feel of GW's urban campus when I visited, so I didn't investigate GW any further.</p>
<p>I was just accepted to AU as a transfer student for the spring semester. I got a pretty good package with the honors program and a scholarship. First off, thanks in advance for answering my questions! </p>
<p>With regards to AU honors, how is the program? Is it much different from the regular academics of the college? I really want to be challenged in college and am hoping AU honors offers this. Have you taken many interesting courses with engaged professors? I know AU has a very strong career service center and there are tons of internship opportunities. This is definitely important to me, I really need to get moving since I want to go to law school (probably like everyone else at AU haha) My question is, how strong is the AU network in New York City? While I would definitely want to pursue DC internships while I am in school, I will want to return to NY for summer internships and probably to eventually practice law. Do you think I will be able to find strong summer internship opportunities in NYC from AU? Also, the housing situation. I may be making this up, but is it true that AU has separate housing for honors? If not, it may be too late for me to dorm on campus and I'm not sure I would want to. I really want to make friends and become a part of the community, do you think by living in an apt this will be impossible? I hear a lot of students live in the berkshire? From reading the online reviews this building seems pretty bad. I really don't want to live in a dirty roach infested building. If I am taking these reviews out of context, I am sorry and just ill informed. I don't mean to offend anyone. If these reviews are true, are there other buildings I should consider where lots of AU students live? I definitely don't want to live in some obscure building where I am the only AU student. Also, do many students take courses at georgetown or GWU through the consortium? This sounds like a pretty cool opportunity.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help! It is much appreciated!</p>
<p>You should call housing and dining. They can also let you know if there are still AU sanctioned options for living at the Holiday Inn and at some apartments. You should also see if you can get housing at the Tenley campus, because that is within a shuttle/ walking distance. On campus, honors housing is an honors floor of a regular dorm. Finally, check the AU facebook groups/ market place to see if anyone is looking for a roommate. </p>
<p>Some of my friends are more happy with the honors program than others. The two honors courses required per semester (on average) can make scheduling difficult. It can also make it harder to go abroad. The honors consortia classes are biased towards AU's largest majors. </p>
<p>I have had some excellent professors at AU, but I have designed my schedule that way. You may have a hard time getting good classes your first semester because the freshmen are registering already.</p>