Ask a current AU student

<p>It is very difficult to transfer into an Ivy League school from any university, and AU is no exception. I have seen students get into top 20/top 30 schools. One of my friends transferred to Johns Hopkins(although ironically, he does not like the school), some students transfer to Georgetown, and I knew of a few kids who transferred to Boston College. I was accepted as a transfer to the University of Virginia, William & Mary, and Michigan but I chose to stay at AU. AU is a very good school, but often gets a bad rap for its lack of reputation. I think what is important to look at is AU’s room for growth. From where it came from in the 1980’s, it is amazing to see how good the school has become and I expect it to continue to improve. </p>

<p>I originally came to AU with the intention of transferring and I now fully regret that decision. I didn’t really give the school a chance my freshman year and for that reason I didn’t do as much as I wish I had when I first arrived. </p>

<p>The great thing about going to AU vs. going to a top 20 is that you won’t get lost in the shuffle here. If you are intelligent and work hard you will be rewarded for it. If you are intelligent and work hard at a top 20, you will just be like everyone else.</p>

<p>Those were three REALLY good answers!!! Thank you.</p>

<p>As for me, I never said I was thinking of transfering, my bad I should have given the background of my question, naa I’ll complete my Bach’s at AU and see if I can do me Master’s at the Top. My uncle was tellin me the otherday how someone he knew transfered from AU to Columbia. So I was thinking , does this happen often, and do AU students have a better chance once they are at AU to aim for the Top… :)</p>

<p>awsm answers again, very encouraging</p>

<p>I’ve been reading all the GW/AU threads and I was wondering are the schools are pretty much the same when it comes to internships?? I really don’t care about location I’d just like to know if we have the same access to internships</p>

<p>Hello Guys~~I am a new user and I would like to ask you guys a question about my college decision. Either University of Washington at Seattle or American University
First of all, thanks you for providing such a detailed information about AU.
I am an international student from Asia and I am currently a senior student in high school now. I got accepted by AU’s WMP in Fall and Spring for Kogod School of Business and I have already paid the deposits. However, I am still waiting for the other school’s(top-choice) waitlisted response -University of Washington at Seattle.
Overall, does AU and its Kogod School of Business have a very good reputation in the U.S? Can Kogod’s students’ achievement be well recongnized by the business companies in the U.S? </p>

<p>University of Washington at Seattle has a lot of international students from all over the world, especially from Asia countries. The school is ranked #41 in 2009 Best National Collegs by US NEWS Report. However, the overall ranking of AU is 83 this year.
According to the Businessweek, University of Washington’s Foster School of Business is ranked #25 this year. And Kogod School of Business is ranked #28 this year.I can tell that Kogod really has a big improvement. And honestly, I really love their business school. </p>

<p>I visited AU last month and I actually loved their business school and the campus so much!!!Before I visited AU, I was pretty sure that UW-Seattle was my top choice. But after I visited AU, I totally changed my mind. AU’s internship programs, the active campus, and the great location in DC really attracted me. If I get into UW-Seattle and if I end up going there, I can’t directly go to their business school and it’s not even for sure to be accepted by their business school after my sophomore year. If I go to AU, I can directly go to Kogod School of Business and plus they have very good internship programs.
But there is a problem. I love both of the school but UW is more well-known in my country. If I go to AU, will I have a better chance to get employed in the U.S. after I graduate?
Would you guys please give me some suggestions…My brain is going to explode now and I really need experienced sudents’ advice. </p>

<p>Can anybody give me some suggestions?Please…
Thank you so much…</p>

<p>Coolmago</p>

<p>do you know how long it takes to hear back on a fin aid appeal?</p>

<p>a2009: I appealed FA for my daughter (twice actually). We received an answer within approximately 3-5 days both times.</p>

<p>I hope my questions are not redundant. </p>

<p>Dorms: Do ALL the dorms have the wall of built-ins? Is the closet door a standard size single door, or is it a split door with two narrower doors? I’d like to know if standard “over the door” storage hooks will work. Also, if all the dorms have the wall of built-ins, is there more storage available than typical dorms? Are plastic storage bins under the beds useful or not necessary? </p>

<p>Are the rooms carpeted?</p>

<p>I believe there is only one window in each dorm room? Is there a window shade/curtain on it?</p>

<p>Are the dry erase boards on dorm room doors still used? Does each student have their own, or is one board used by both roommates?</p>

<p>Where can a bike be kept? Is a bike useful on campus?</p>

<p>What kind of cooking can be accomplished in the kitchenette? Is there a toaster oven, microwave, etc?</p>

<p>Also, do the dorms come with microwave/mini fridge? If not, I assume this is coordinated with roommate? Also, does AU have a rental program for this stuff, or should we buy our own?</p>

<p>Thanks so much.</p>

<p>Coolmango,
What can you tell about the math placement exam that students need to take at orientation?
thanks!</p>

<p>@boysx3</p>

<p>I just posted sumthing u might find interest in on another topic. The Math Placement Topic.</p>

<p>Hi! I’m a current AU student. I’m a rising Junior and I have lived on campus for the past two years. So feel free to ask any questions and I hope that I can help answer them.</p>

<p>ksabbo:

  1. All dorms that freshman will live in have the built in wall unit (Letts, Anderson, McDowell, Leonard, Hughs). Nebraska and Centennial halls are for upper-class students and while they don’t have the wall units they each have their own forms of built in storage. The closet doors are split doors but I was able to use a standard “over-the-door” rack on mine. I really do think there is a lot more storage than the typical dorm room. I didn’t use all my space my freshman year. plastic bins can be used if you would like but a lot of times not necessary. I would suggest not buying those types of storage items until you actually move in. That way you can find out exactly what you need.</p>

<p>2) All the dorms are carpeted.</p>

<p>3) There is only one window in each room and a curtain is provided. My freshman roommate and I wanted to spice the room up a little so we bought decorative shower curtains and shower curtain rings and hung them up over the curtains. :)</p>

<p>4) Almost all students still use dry erase boards. It is up to each individual room as to how many they have on their door. Most rooms use only one but it is all personal taste.</p>

<p>5) Bikes are kept outside of the dorm buildings. There are bike racks all over campus and they are usually really safe. Bikes are not really necessary for movement across campus. Campus is only about 80 acres so it is easy to walk. But some students like to use bikes to get around the neighborhood on their own. It is also pretty easy to take your bike downtown and take a bike trip around the mall and the sights.</p>

<p>6) Any type of cooking can be done in the lounge kitchens! I know it sounds crazy but I was able to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal. I sadly was not able to roast a turkey or anything like that but I was able to do the rest! There is a microwave, stove, oven and sink. </p>

<p>7) The rooms do not actually come with a mini-fridge. It is up to the roommates to coordinate bringing a fridge. There is a Micro-Fridge combination that you can rent through the school. It is a refrigerator, a small freezer, and a microwave all in one unit. This is the only chance you have to get a microwave in the actual dorm room. </p>

<p>I hope this was helpful!</p>

<p>^thank you for the detailed informations!! very nice of you!</p>

<p>To answer some of your questions, 09HuangS, Kogod has an outstanding reputation, especially for international business. It was the first business school in Washington, DC. They have excellent resources, like their own career center, their own study abroad programs to places like Hong Kong, and the opportunity to compete in case competitions.</p>

<p>Also, being in DC offers some unique benefits, like internships at international organizations such as the World Bank. It’s definitely a great place to study business. Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Do students have to leave campus during the school year over breaks? (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.)</p>

<p>Do you keep the same room/roommate between the fall and spring?</p>

<p>Are there a lot of concerts in DC that AU students go to? Does AU give discounts for concert tickets?</p>

<p>What do students do on the weekends?</p>

<p>Do many students take classes over the summer?</p>

<p>Does AU give much grant-based fin. aid?</p>

<p>AUGirl,
Here are the answers to your questions:</p>

<ol>
<li> Students can stay in the residence halls over Thanksgiving and Spring breaks but normally have to leave for winter break. The school does offer temporary housing during winter break for students unable to go home or travel elsewhere.</li>
</ol>

<p>2.You do keep the same roommate between semesters unless you want to switch.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>There are plenty of concerts going on in DC including a daily free performance at 6pm at the Kennedy Center, plenty of shows on the mall as well as more traditional venues like the 9:30 club (cheap tickets). Also, major acts come to the Verizon Center downtown and to the Merriweather post pavilion which is right outside the District. AU has the second largest venue in the city, after the Verizon center, and so becomes the host of a number of concerts that are at most $5 for students to attend. I’d say AU students have pretty eclectic tastes but its normally very easy to find something to match your interests. </p></li>
<li><p>Students normally try to take advantage of the city on the weekends by going to festivals and parades in the city, exploring new neighborhoods, or just hanging out with friends.</p></li>
<li><p>Not too many people take classes over the summer, unless you need to catch up on credits. Instead, students tend to work, intern, travel, or study abroad over the summers. Online classes are growing in popularity over the summer so this might change over time.</p></li>
<li><p>AU has a 26% tuition discount rate meaning that it gives out grants and scholarships worth 26% of all tuition. Of course some students get more of this than others based on need with pell eligible students typically having 100% of need met. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hope this info is useful.</p>

<p>AU junior,
hey i have a question I’m hoping you could answer since you will be a junior at AU in the fall. I am transferring in as a junior, my first choice for housing was Nebraska and I don’t remember what I put for numbers 2 and 3, I’m just wondering do you know if they save any rooms in Nebraska for transfer students? What about in other dorms? I understand you may not know but if you do I would appreciate it!</p>

<p>Nic89, I don’t believe they reserve any housing in Nebraska for transfers (it’s definitely the most demanded residence hall) so I think your chances of getting in right off the bat would come down to someone deciding to leave housing last minute.</p>

<p>Thanks, that’s what I figured I was just hoping I was wrong I know transfers don’t have priority so at this point I’m just hoping I gethousing at all. I know they say they may not have housing for some but do any current students actually know of any transfers who wanted housing but couldn’t get it?</p>

<p>I know the polisci department has a good rep but why? What seperates it and makes it better than other schools political science departments?</p>

<p>blakebengals,
I would say there are a few things that make the polisci department unique. One major thing is that its located in DC meaning that not only do you have plenty of internship opportunities to put what you learn in the classroom into practice (while earning credit) but you also get many people active in the field come teach classes as adjunct faculty or campus speakers. The focus on experience extends back to the classroom as well with many classes requiring you to go out into the city either as a class or separately for projects. </p>

<p>Finally, I think your ability to easily double major across schools provides the opportunity to build a well-rounded education which is increasingly valuable in today’s economy. Employers want someone who not only knows science but might have a business, communications, or international studies degree on top of that. Most of my friends either majored or minored in another school in addition to the School of Public Affairs.</p>

<p>How does buying used books at the bookstore work? Do You get to choose your own copy so you can choose one with/without highlighting, depending on personal preference?</p>