I received my acceptance letter from American University this morning but I’m not sure what the campus “vibe” is. If anyone who attends AU currently could shed some light on the social scene at AU I would really appreciate it! (greek life, dry campus) Thank you!
There is a social scene at AU, and while I would not say it is as big as say University of Maryland or other big fraternity schools, it is still pretty evident. While actually getting into frat parties will depend on the frat in question and your connections, there are frat parties almost every weekend. For those times that you cannot get into frats or there are none happening, there are nightlife options in the city such as Town (a nightclub) and Ultra (another nightclub) along with some people knowing of other parties at UMD, Howard, GW, or GU.
On alcohol, AU is officially a dry campus. If you are caught with alcohol, it is a conduct violation and you will have to go to the Conduct Board. However, the university also has a policy that operates under the presumption that “your body is not an open container” - which effectively means that you can be drunk in the dorms, you just cannot be seen with any actual alcohol. This translates to a lot of people drinking in their room but being careful to not open the door too fast or do anything that would allow an RA to search the room. The policy also allows for people to get drunk off-campus who then can come back to campus to sleep or whatever without fearing punishment.
If you have any more questions or want more clarification, feel free to ask. Welcome to AU!
thank you!