Hi, I’m an admitted student to AU’S SIS for the class of 2020. I was surprised to find that I was not accepted into any of AU’s learning communities, especially given that I was awarded the Deans’ Scholarship. I also applied to the Honors Program and the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars, but was less surprised by my rejection to those given their selectiveness. However, from my understanding, AU invites approx. 874 students to its learning communities.
While I’m attracted to the strong faculty, abundant resources, renowned program (SIS), and the city aspect of AU, I have repeatedly been disappointed by its student body. Having sat in on a few classes, I’ve found students to be apathetic (not doing their homework, very reluctant to speak in class, and lacking any desire to learn.) That’s why I was somewhat depending on being accepted to a learning community, where I had the hopes of finding more driven, passionate students like myself.
I’ve received offers from other universities with scholarships up to $22k, so I think I can use that as a bargaining tool. But my question is, what is the possibility of AU reconsidering you for one of their learning communities? I have an ACT of 31, an unweighted GPA of 3.9, have taken almost entirely AP/Honors classes, lived abroad for many years, and I’ve shown what I believe to be very impressive leadership in one of my major activities. Can anyone provide me any insight or advice?
I will be visiting campus tomorrow and the day after that for an overnight and Freshman day. Should I go straight to admissions and politely ask them about reconsideration for the Research Scholars, AU Scholars or University College? I think I would be a great addition to the program, as I embody many of their values, so I want to try everything I can to be accepted.