Hard Decision!

Colleges and Universities A-Z American University
1

<p>Ok, as I posted this on University of Michigan’s page I felt it was only fair to also post this on AU’s. </p>

<p>I just learned I was accepted off of U of M’s waitlist, which I wasn’t expecting at all. I’m in a very hard position and I am not sure what I should do, in fact, I only have a few days to make a decision. Any advice would be appreciated. Here is the situation…</p>

<p>I am into politics. Not kinda into politics, I live and breathe it. I have dreamed about going to college in DC for years and decided to attend American University in May (over several other schools, including UCLA). I didn’t get into their Honors Program or the University College Program, suprisingly. And my interactions with the university haven’t been great (they lost my acceptance packet for 6 weeks, didn’t get much $$, and they weren’t really responsive to some of my requests for help or assistnace). And I have never visited the campus (not because I didn’t want to, but its a trek from CA to DC and my parents didn’t want to pay for it).
However, I was accepted off of UofM’s waitlist, and accepted into the Residential College. I know that UofM has one of the top Political Science Departments (particularly in American Politics), and is an incredible university. I would have small classes in the RC program, so that isn’t as big a fact being a public school. Oh, did I mention that though I live in CA now, I grew up in Ann Arbor until 8th grade? both my parents went to UofM (and two grandparents) and my mom worked there for 20 years. In essence, I am from Ann Arbor, though I now live in CA (I have to say, I really do miss Michigan and the midwest, I don’t like CA, which is why I didn’t go to UCLA).
However, AU still seems the like the better place to go for me. My questions are: 1) what (really) is the caliber of the students? 2) what is the administration like? Am I going to run into the major problems there, like I already have? 3) what is the social scene and the intellectual scene like? 4) is the campus super involvement oriented? does stuff go on alot or do I have to go into DC to find stuff to do? </p>

<p>Any advice or comments would be appreciated, as I am not sure exactly how to make this decision. Thanks!</p>

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<p>I'll post this again becuase i think that it is interesting and important</p>

<p>The School of Public Affairs has been churning out top-rate graduates since it was established in 1934 at the request of President Franklin Roosevelt. Now, 70 years later, SPA is garnering accolades it never before has attained.</p>

<p>The proof lies in more than just its eye-catching No. 10 ranking in U.S. News & World Report, higher than the likes of Georgetown, Columbia, NYU, and more than 200 others. SPA's successes are demonstrated every day in the corridors of municipal buildings in Washington and government towns large and small throughout the country, where its graduates routinely draw on their educations to enable them to effectively and efficiently serve the public.</p>

<p>for full article look here:
<a href="http://admissions.american.edu/publ...d=383&docID=244%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.american.edu/publ...d=383&docID=244&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>That aside you have to decide what school YOU think that you'll be happy at. Even though you may be a U of M brat, it doesn't mean that U of M is the place for you. You'll have to keep in mind that U of M is a big state school whereas AU is a smallish (well def compared to U of M) privite school. Yet there are many things at AU that you can NEVER get at U of M. For example, the internship possibilities, the ability of having DC in your back yard, the ability of having government leaders (for example of of my profs was a member of the UN security council) as your profs!!! </p>

<p>Even though you have had some bad luck w/ AU it doesn't mean that AU is all bad... i mean there are some things that i think AU REALLY messes up w/... but there are SO many other things that I love about AU and that is why i'm still here.. and counting down the days that I can return to my home in DC. </p>

<p>good luck in making you decision!!!</p>

<p>-Alyssa</p>

<p>P.S. remember you can always transfer... nothing is a cut and dry final decision</p>