<p>well i know a lot of people who LOVE this school. every school has it's downsides, i'm sure when you transfer you will come to realize that for yourself. going to a school for a weekend doesn't tell you what it is like. the school is what you make it. you are in control of your life. nobody is forcing you to stay here. nobody is forcing you to read the "positive" things people say about this school...try going to William and Mary and getting phone calls from admissions, and close contact with your professors... try getting an e-mail response within a day. you aren't gonna get that. you will see it is a commuter school with tons of parking lots and lots of students. plus the highest suicide rate in the nation. (thought i'd throw that in there). AU is what you make it. the city adds to the school, of course. and for every one person who doesn't like AU there are 10 more who are so glad to be there.</p>
<p>i have a lot of smart friends who go to AU too. so don't make it sound like we are a bunch of idiots. i have worked my ass off to get to the point where i am... i'm not a good test taker, thus my sat scores are low. so don't assume anything. i'm just saying that you don't have to have a 1200 like you said to get in and have money. that is full of assumptions. 1285 average sat isn't low by any standards. i'm really sorry you didn't have a good experience here, but as i said above it is what you make it. if you don't like the school, there is always the city. and connections thrive in there. did you do an internship, something worthwhile in the school? idk. it's your opinion ryan. but you make it seem like it's the worst school ever when it really isn't.</p>
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well i know a lot of people who LOVE this school.
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<p>I do as well, but they are in reality a certain breed. I completely agree with you here, I just feel that most of the people that enjoy this school are not competitive students. </p>
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every school has it's downsides, i'm sure when you transfer you will come to realize that for yourself. going to a school for a weekend doesn't tell you what it is like.
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<p>Exactly. That is why im not sure why you are making positive assumptions about AU before you have actually stepped foot for a class on this campus. I expected college to have its downsides, just not an overwhelming number of downsides. </p>
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the school is what you make it. you are in control of your life. nobody is forcing you to stay here. nobody is forcing you to read the "positive" things people say about this school...
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<p>That wasn't my point. My point was that Alyssa's comments were completely unrealistic and that I felt a balancing out approach was necessary. I wasn't forced, but it doesn't mean comments on these forums don't influence people. </p>
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try going to William and Mary and getting phone calls from admissions, and close contact with your professors... try getting an e-mail response within a day. you aren't gonna get that. you will see it is a commuter school with tons of parking lots and lots of students. plus the highest suicide rate in the nation. (thought i'd throw that in there).
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<p>First of all, I am not even 10% sure I will be going to william and mary so this seems to be a little irrelevant. Second, if you are trying to say that William and Mary is worse than AU, I think you may be hitting the weed a little too hard. Ive been to William and Mary, and I know many people from the university and have been very impressed. Not just because the students are more intelligent but not spoiled rotten like every rich, privileged underachiever at AU. Again, while there are exceptions, many kids are like that here. </p>
<p>If you think William and Mary as a commuter school is a bad thing then you are not going to like AU(nearly every junior and senior commutes from a surrounding suburb). </p>
<p>As for the suicide rate, I don't think your stats are right(I believe Uchicago and MIT are worse.) But even if it is, it just goes to show that academics are serious at William and Mary and they don't take any ****(as any good institution shouldn't. </p>
<p>William and Mary also has a top notch debate team which the school actually SUPPORTS. Therefore I wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for tournaments(like I have to do at this cheap school). </p>
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AU is what you make it. the city adds to the school, of course. and for every one person who doesn't like AU there are 10 more who are so glad to be there.
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<p>Again, I provide you with concrete evidence of problems and you respond with vague positive statements. I agree its what you make of it(and thats why I think its still worth even discussing), but I see it basically only having the city as an advantage. It's good that AU says "American University in DC" because without it I don't know where this school would be. </p>
<p>And you are probably right, there are people that do like it here. These are also people that try to convince me that Arizona State and my flagship state U, UGA are "great" schools.</p>
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i have a lot of smart friends who go to AU too. so don't make it sound like we are a bunch of idiots.
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<p>Everyone has different judgments of intelligence. You probably view intelligence from a paradigm of getting good grades. I view intelligence on the basis of what people value and more importantly how people view the world. Unfortunately I have only met a handful of people at AU who enjoy having a philosophical discussion. Maybe im being unrealistic here, but I feel like a freshman in high school, not college. </p>
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i have worked my ass off to get to the point where i am... i'm not a good test taker, thus my sat scores are low. so don't assume anything.
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<p>Gee, congratulations on your academic accomplishments. Ill give you this, tests are not everything. This is one reason why I came to this institution. I felt the students may just all be bad test takers. Well they are bad test takers, and bad at many other things. You may be different, I'm just giving you my first hand experience. </p>
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i'm just saying that you don't have to have a 1200 like you said to get in and have money. that is full of assumptions.
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<p>Find me a person that has been rejected by AU with a 1200 +, over a 3.4 and is willing to pay full and ill give you a cookie. This argument isn't getting you anywhere. Maybe ill lower my standards to 1150+ and a lot of money to accommodate people like yourself. </p>
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1285 average sat isn't low by any standards.
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<p>You are right, its a decent average. I'm glad I helped pad their stats, but i'm still waiting for them to come around on their end of the bargain instead of hitting me up for more money all of the time and telling me that I can only have 30 hours of AP credit instead of 60 earned hours simply because they want me to pay more money. </p>
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i'm really sorry you didn't have a good experience here, but as i said above it is what you make it. if you don't like the school, there is always the city. and connections thrive in there.
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<p>The connections do come later. However, see my post about how its pretty limited to government work. For people looking to work in the private sector or maybe go to a top 10 grad school, this school doesn't really give you an advantage. </p>
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did you do an internship, something worthwhile in the school? idk.
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<p>I'm on our schools debate team(yes we have one) and have done pretty well on the circuit(btw, we are the worst school on the circuit). Our team is incredibly small, we have no dedication from the members outside of 3 people(myself included) and we don't get any type of substantial funding from student activities. It's funny how this school stifles one of the more intellectually stimulating activities on campus. </p>
<p>I spend my weekends trying to find ways to praise AU at tournaments, it's pretty damn difficult. </p>
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it's your opinion ryan. but you make it seem like it's the worst school ever when it really isn't.
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<p>I never said this was the worst school ever. That's an unfair extrapolation. I merely am saying this school isn't as positive as it was portrayed earlier in this thread. </p>
<p>I remind you of the positives ive mentioned about AU:
-Great opportunities in D.C(as with Maryland, GU, GMU, and GWU)
- Good dorms
-Usually good professors that are approachable
- Small classes
- Great social scene in D.C
- School is in a nice area</p>
<p>In addition, if you are a socialist or a homosexual I would consider this school a dream come true.</p>
<p>wow. good job on commenting on everything i say.</p>
<p>i really don't have time to read all you wrote, but... my friend who had a 2200 sat, 4.0 gpa, ethnic, president of 3 clubs, did tons of e.c.s got rejected from AU.</p>
<p>ha found you a person!</p>
<p>i win. (atleast that one)</p>
<p>"i really don't have time to read all you wrote, but... my friend who had a 2200 sat, 4.0 gpa, ethnic, president of 3 clubs, did tons of e.c.s got rejected from AU."</p>
<p>WHAT?!?!? OMG pplzzz tell me your're lying, cuz now i'm scared!!!</p>
<p>the school likes if you show interest, he wasn't all that interested in it. the whole college admissions at every school is a crapshoot tho... :/</p>
<p>Just wondering how someone shows an interest, besides the obligatory campus tour? Doesn't just applying sort of imply an interest?! ;-) Or do you have to call once a week to check on your app to show them that you're really interested? Any advice appreciated.</p>
<p>And what's up with Ryan? He sounds really angry about the whole college experience. Chill, dude.</p>
<p>Collegepa: From what I've heard and read, a college often interprets "showing interest" by such things like a prospective student visiting the campus(keep in mind when you go to one of the info sessions, you usually check in at a reception desk &/or fill out an info card--from what I've heard colleges keep track of that), interviewing, and even stopping at a particular college's booth at a college fair and filling out an info card/info--I'm sure colleges track things like that, as well.</p>
<p>Showing interest at AU I think makes a pretty big difference when it comes to merit awards. However, it is not very hard to get accepted in the first place(even if you don't show interest). The same stats that would make you competitive for a school like Penn State(in state) would apply to AU's admissions standards. </p>
<p>Other tips:
- AU loves people with diverse cultural experiences
- AU loves community service</p>
<p>Collegepa - I'm not angry about the "college experience", I am just giving you some insight as to what I have experienced. If it makes everyone feel better, I will say that most of the people at AU are extremely friendly.</p>
<p>AU is actually a pretty good school, and Ryan sounds like it just doesn't fit him. I have to take exception to his statement about alums "working in low paying government jobs". First, many government jobs are not low paying, and yes, many of our alum CHOOSE public service. AU is a service oriented school, and government work is just one way our students express that. </p>
<p>Second, many go on to work in private industry-- many major employers (Adidas, Deloitte, IBM, to name a few) are actively recruiting our students and many seniors already have offers. So, yes AU has positive outcomes, especially if students take advantage of all it has to offer-- AU Abroad and internships to name a few. </p>
<p>Our Career Center works hard to make sure students have successful, substantive internships-- it is not just the DC location that enables great internships, but advisors who take the time to ensure hat an internship includes real work and not envelope stuffing. </p>
<p>I know many students who had very high SATs (1400+) who chose to come to AU. Yes, merit awards help, but that is a tool many comparable schools use to attract kids away from the Ivies (AU is full of those who are Ivy capable). </p>
<p>So, if your student is considering AU (my child is!), don't let Ryan's negativity over being in a school that doesn't fit him get you down. They can and will get a good education here! </p>
<p>Oh, for those who may be wondering I don't work in admissions and what I know about admissions is based upon my own child's college search, so I won't be able to help you there!</p>
<p>The career center is pretty good. If you need personalized guidance I think this school would be more for you than a big state school like Maryland. However, Advisor Mom, I don't really see how this school is distinguished from any other school in the area. Those job opportunities that you listed(yes in the private sector) are the same jobs that you could get at Georgetown, GW, or even a substantially cheaper school in Maryland. Every college has a few students that become wealthy or "make it" but that isn't necessarily a reflection of the overall quality of a university. For example, there are big time professors in this country who did attend community college at one time. That doesn't necessarily mean that the community college is a good school, just that the student is exceptional. </p>
<p>I would agree that if a student is good enough in the long run then he/she will make it. However, I don't think paying 44K a year for really no added benefit is worth it(not saying I pay that, but a lot of kids here do). Getting a full ride at AU is one thing, but for all of the kids that do not, I would advise that you do a cost-benefit analysis of this school vs. your local state school before jumping to conclusions about where you want to go.</p>
<p>In no way am i defending ryan, but I think we should thank him for providing some of the negative things about AU, which are equally important as the positives.</p>
<p>ryan, you can tell you have a debate background. Your assertions are backed with facts as you see them rather than vague "feelings" and you acknowledge the other side. Your comments are appreciated. While the use of adjuncts in a city like DC with the incredible amount of experienced people is certainly understandable, I think anyone seriously considering grad school would want to investigate the possible heavy reliance on them. This could be a major negative. It appears that you are a more intellectual type person and hoped college would nurture that part of you. Apparently, American has not done a good job of that for you. I must admit, very few supporters in this thread describe American as an exciting place intellectually. And the lack of support by the administration of more intellectual types of teams is disheartening. </p>
<p>I do not believe your comments will drive anyone away from American but rather give those people who plan to do grad school or who, like yourself, just find an intellectual atmosphere exciting a basis for asking some valid questions about American. This is especially important when merit money jumbles the picture. Feedback, good or bad, is important when your talking the kind of monetary and time investment a private school education entails to make sure you find what is best for you. Your comments seem honest and heartfelt rather than just being negative to create tension. I, for one, appreciate the fact that you were able to articulate exactly what you found disheartening about your education at American rather than just saying Don't come here cause people are mean.</p>
<p>"Showing interest at AU I think makes a pretty big difference when it comes to merit awards."</p>
<p>One of the admissions officers was talking about (on his blog) how important showing interest is. A visit was not financially possible for me, and American University did not come to visit anywhere in my state. I don't think it is fair that this will be held against me ... especially if it makes a difference in merit awards. I am 100% interested, just unable to visit...</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>There are other ways of showing interest. You can phone the admissions officer for your region, and ask very specific questions that cannot be answered on the website, also, taking time to write a killer essay definitely show you have interest.</p>
<p>B407 - </p>
<p>I thought about that, but I honestly don't have any questions that can't be answered on their website. Their website is incredibly informative. I did, however, attend one of their chat's on financial aid. But other than that, there aren't any questions that can't be answered by theier website. And I'd feel a bit silly calling my admissions officer for no real reason, if I don't have any questions. You know? Lol. </p>
<p>I WISH that they had come to a college fair in my area. I would have gone...</p>
<p>Maybe the Admissions Office monitors the number of times you log onto their portal and check your app status?! If thatwas a mesaure of interest, my D would be in, because she probably checks several times a week for changes! </p>
<p>I was disappointed that they don't have any overnight visits in the Winter; they only have them in Apr, after you are accepted. The Fall didn't work with my D's courseload or she would have scheduled one then. There is another chat coming up, guess it can't hurt to logon and show more interest.</p>
<p>how do you check app status for AU???</p>
<p>you log into your interactive student portal account, there is a button to click that says check application status, that is, if you submitted it online.</p>