<p>I have recently been referred to American University and am currently considering adding it to my list as a “safety” so to speak, but I would prefer to gain some opinion and insight on the school directly from those who have attended/visited/etc. </p>
<p>Specifically, what is the campus like in terms of aesthetics and such?
Also, are the academics and classes rigorous? I know that American is a top tier school according to USNWR, but are the academics their competetive and rigorous enough for students qualified for top ten schools?</p>
<p>Any other insight on the school would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Hey,
I applied to AU as a safety school last year. I was admitted to several top tier universitys (UCLA, Tufts etc.) but AU actually ended up winning out against those schools for a few reasons. First, in terms of rigor, if you’re qualified to go to a top ten school, you will probably be placed into the Honors program (as I was). This allows you to take special, honors only classes which are more rigorous, etc. Also, if you’re qualified to go to a top ten school, AU gives out great merit aid, far better than a lot of top universities. These two (along with an amazing social atmosphere and access to D.C. for internships, etc.) made it a great option not only for applying, but also for going to. I strongly suggest applying here, even as just a safety school.
The campus is beautiful as well, very modern, very nice. Also, depending on your major, they’re building some new buildings.</p>
<p>Thank you! I really appreciate the input. AU definitely has the intrigue of Washington D.C and all of the opportunities that the city encompasses, and luckily I live close enough to visit. I will be visiting in the near future, but I was just looking for some prerequisite opinions and you provided me with just that. </p>
<p>Is the honors program a seperate application or considered along with your regular application? And also, what is the social life at AU like?</p>
<p>I’m applying this year to AU as my first choice. I’m probably more on the lower side of their admissions pool, but hopefully I’ll get in.</p>
<p>When I visited AU, I LOVED it. The campus wasn’t too big or small and the people were really friendly. It seemed like everyone was genuinely happy. I also visited Georgetown, Princeton, and Columbia on that same trip (for my friend)… and no one seemed very happy. Those three schools turned both me and my friend completely off of the ‘top, prestigious’ schools. American was by far the better school.</p>
<p>But I’d warn you about making it a ‘safety’. According to reports on here, a lot of people were put on the waitlist at AU but given admission to much bigger schools. One that comes to mind is someone got into Cornell but not AU. And some reported that they applied to AU expecting scholarships but ended up on the waiting list. If you even look at AU’s reports, they have denied admission to people with really high SAT scores and people with 4.0 GPAs.</p>
<p>Hope we both get in. =)</p>
<p>AU’s had a bigger pool of applicants this past year and got more selective. So it is tougher to get into.</p>
<p>Even though AU is not a new school, as was stated, most of the buildings are modern so the campus doesn’t have the charm of an old school (e.g., UVa). The campus does have wonderful plant life - it is a designated arboretum and garden.</p>
<p>The honors program is filled with kids who have stats for top schools - AU gives lots of merit money for top students to get them to enroll. My son’s RA last year was an example - he got a full ride, planning on finishing in 3 years (because he brought in enough AP credits) and is going to go to med school with no debt from his undergraduate degree.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input everyone. I will hopefully be visiting AU, along with Georgetown, at some point this summer. Hopefully I like the college and campus as much as each of you.</p>
<p>I am reluctant to use the term safety, but if I am well over the 75th percentile for test scores and such, and AU’s acceptance rate is relatively high, wouldn’t it be a viable conclusion to make that my chances are very high?</p>