<p>What are the best and worst things about AU? I’ve heard of plenty of bad things about AU, and I was also just wondering whether there are pluses to offset the minuses. AU is my safety school, and I was wondering whether I should even apply here…</p>
<p>The obvious plus I can think of is its location. Of course, if you don't like the city-life, that may be a minus.</p>
<p>In no particular order:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Small class size</p></li>
<li><p>Beautiful, self-contained campus. Nice, safe area of town. True "campus feel." Campus not too big--you can walk from one end to the other in about 10 minutes.</p></li>
<li><p>Ongoing building construction and renovation. New arts center, new SIS building under construction, new school of communication planned, other miscellaneous projects. AU has made serious investments in facilities in the past 10 years and continues to do so.</p></li>
<li><p>Internship opportunities abound. Some of this is a factor of AU's location in DC, but AU's career center is known for maximizing student opportunities. This can't be replicated outside of DC--period--and AU's DC peers don't rise to AU's level in this area.</p></li>
<li><p>Class schedule is designed to allow students to take advantage of internships and other opportunities. Most classes meet on Monday/Thursday or on Tuesday/Friday. That leaves Wednesdays open for other stuff.</p></li>
<li><p>Increasingly talented student body. SAT/GPA of incoming freshmen has been rising steadily, acceptance rate has declined from 70%+ to near 50%.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>All these things are great, but in the end, you have to challenge yourself to take advantage of all the opportunities. No one makes you have an internship; no one makes you take tough classes taught by tough professors; no one makes you study abroad. The tools are available and you have to choose how to use them.</p>