<p>Is there a reason that there are so many more women than men at American? Is that a deliberate choice the university makes? I know it’s the case at many LACs but I think it’s odd for a university of this size.</p>
<p>A few things contribute to this, but keep in mind I’m primarily talking about the undergraduate population, except where noted.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>First, remember that AU is not <em>that</em> large of a university. On most systems that categorize colleges and universities by size, AU falls on the smaller end of the “medium” category, or the larger end of the “small” category. </p></li>
<li><p>Many of AU’s strongest programs are in the social sciences and humanities, both of which attract large amounts of female students, who are graduating from high school generally with higher scores than males and are attending college in greater numbers than males over the past decade. </p></li>
<li><p>Across the board in higher education today, the only programs that are typically male-heavy are engineering, business, medicine, etc. Of these, AU only has a business school. Even in the pre-med program, most of AU’s natural science majors are female. </p></li>
<li><p>If you break it down by school, AU’s business school is the only one with more males than females, and it’s about a 55/50 split. </p></li>
<li><p>AU has a legacy of being female-friendly. AU’s law school was the first in the nation to be founded for women. AU’s business school is ranked by the Princeton Review as a top school for women (at the graduate level). </p></li>
<li><p>The School of International Service, one of AU’s largest programs, puts a lot of emphasis on subjects such as conflict resolution and peace studies, both of which tend to attract more women. Other schools of international relations, of which there are a handful in DC, might instead call those topics “security studies” or something that would appeal more to males.</p></li>
<li><p>AU doesn’t have a football team (go AU basketball!). This tends to keep away males who are looking to spend their weekend mornings at the football stadium (and possibly some females as well). </p></li>
</ul>
<p>All of these contribute to the female majority. It is worth noting, however, that in my time at AU (just going on four years now) the percentage of males in the incoming freshman classes has increased by about five or six percentage points, so the demographic is changing slightly. Ultimately on campus you rarely notice the difference (there are plenty of guys), unless you’re in certain classes that tend to be female-heavy.</p>
<p>Thanks for your very thoughtful explanation. I appreciate your taking the time to answer my question so thoroughly.
Do you think this gives males a bit of an edge when applying? In other words, would AU be looking to add more men?</p>
<p>No. At least, not historically. AU has been maintaining this male:female ratio with each incoming class. They’ll admit the best candidates, whether you’re male or female, but they are not aiming to even out the ratio. </p>
<p>Though, when in my classes at AU, I have to say I rarely notice the ratio. It’s more noticeable in my general education classes – where there is about a 50/50 split. However, in my upper-level government classes, I’m routinely 1 out of three or four girls in the classroom.</p>