Is American University a good school and how does it match up

Colleges and Universities A-Z American University
1

<p>Hey all,</p>

<p>So I was wondering. Is American a good school? And how does it match up to George Washington, Penn State, Temple, and Swarthmore.</p>

<p>Furthermore, which of the above list (including American) would you attend if you were accepted?</p>

2

<p>Purely academically:
Swarthmore is slightly above AU and GWU.
George Washington and American University would be tied for second.
Penn State being only slightly below them, but an entirely different atmosphere.
Temple is in a tier below Penn State.</p>

<p>Where would I attend?

  • Not Swarthmore: Too small, it’s the size of my high school at 1,500 undergrads. Also because their career center is not rated as high, and I would lose out to DC graduates who had anywhere between 2 and 11 internships during their four years.
  • Not GWU: Has no campus, dorms are expensive, and I am a Political Science Major. If I wanted to go for Engineering/PreMed/Hard Sciences, I would attend here.
  • AU: It’s where I would go, top ranked career center, most politically active campus, and top ranked Communication, International Relations, and Political Science – as well as an active and engaged alumni base.
  • Not Penn State: Too Big and relatively isolated – I would only come here if I was a business major.
  • Not Temple: I just wouldn’t. Not academically on par, in a relatively sketchy area of Philly, prepares people for grad school but not the real world.</p>
3

<p>It all depends upon what you want to study, and what type of environment you are looking for.</p>

<p>AU is very good at many things, but not in others. </p>

<p>For public policy, AU would be the top choice.</p>

<p>If I wanted to study engineering, I’d go to Penn State.</p>

<p>If I wanted to study pure liberal arts and maybe go into academics, I’d choose Swarthmore.</p>

<p>Temple’s immediate neighborhood has greatly improved over the years. However, don’t walk 10 blocks to the east or the west.</p>

4

<p>If you’re studying business or communications, don’t rule Temple out. Fantastic programs for both. Plus if you can get into the other schools you mentioned, you will probably get major scholarship money from TU.</p>