So this is kind of a general post that might be useful for a lot of us waiting for decisions. I’ve been going through the RD thread from last year and I’ve found some info that might help relieve anxiety next month.
Last year special program acceptances went out around March 3rd for a select few.
AU (annoyingly) releases the rest of the decisions in waves, so people should start receiving packages in the mail around March 16th, and everyone will have received their decisions by the end of the month.
In past years, checking the mail box obsessively for an entire month waiting for a decision wasn’t sitting well with people, so they found a way around it. Once AU starts releasing decisions in mid-March, people are able to get a pretty reliable indicator regarding whether or not they have been accepted by creating a New Student Account. If you go to my.au.american.edu you can set up a New Student Account using your AU ID. If you are able to create an account, you’ve been accepted (probably). If you are not able to create an account, you’ve been rejected (probably). It sounds a little fishy, but apparently has been a reliable indicator of your decision for multiple years.
Anyway, I found this info very useful and interesting, so I thought I’d share. Hopefully it will reduce the amount of time spent waiting for the mail man in March.
@anothermuggle Awesome tips, thank you!
Now I have to decide whether or not I want to try to set up a new student account mid-March. Do I want to find out myself, or when they tell me? Too much pressure!!
Did anyone else get that email a week or two ago that said “If you have already made a commitment to another college or university, could you please let us know today? We want to consider for admission only those who remain interested in attending American University.”
The wording of the question on the document where you answer them was a little bit confusing so I’m kind of worried. I’m pretty sure I did it right though-- I wouldn’t want to be rejected for something as silly as not understanding the wording!
My daughter received the email, and after reading it, I expect every RD candidate received it as well. Based upon the wording of the email (“If you have already made a commitment to another college or university, could you please let us know today?”), I do not think there was any need to click on the link and tell AU of your plans unless you had decided on another school. My daughter took the opportunity to email the admissions counselor she had interview with and convey her continued interest.
@Themclos@TheAtlantic There is a yes or no question at the bottom of the form that asks “Have you already committed to another college or university and will not be attending American University?” and you pick the one that applies to you.
When we first clicked on the “Tell Us Your Plans”, an option to withdraw comes right up. But when we keep reading, we now see the question regarding commitment to another university. My D is on the fence about AU - too close to home, plus with EA decisions from other schools already in place, I’m not sure she is on board for waiting until 4/1 for this one. But a great school for sure.
American is worried about accepting too many. Last year’s class was too large and the class before that was large too. As it is, all freshman will be in triples to start until the sophomore housing is opened later this fall. It was supposed to be ready by the start of the school year but due to weather and neighbor complaints it has been delayed.
I think the sophomore housing will be ready mid semester so the forced triples are for a short amount of time. As it is, juniors and seniors are being strongly encouraged to move off campus. All forced triples are usually resolved by the second semester.
My daughter was in a forced triple all last year - they did have an opportunity to detriple at one point but none of them was interested in moving to the different floor with the ‘unknown’ person so they stayed together. It was tough - all three nice girls but too many people in one small space - but it was a good learning experience for them and they all survived it. And my daughter really appreciates the ‘luxuriousness’ of having a double this year!!
So just to confirm this: I was correct to answer the question about whether or not I had committed to another college by saying “no” if I really really really want to go to American?
Today I spoke with one of the Global Scholar professors/Co-Directors. He advised that in evaluating the candidate they do not consider SAT/ACT scores (they don’t see the scores). The candidate is evaluated based on the essay. I also asked about the “triple” dorm rooms. While some global scholars may be in triple rooms, it won’t go beyond a semester and one floor is dedicated to global scholar students only. He also said one of their candidates graduated in 3 1/2 years with a B.A./M.A.!!