Hi Folks,
Our DS has gotten admission into the Honors Program at American and the Leadership Scholars Program at OSU. Both of them have offered him some scholarship and at this point, we do not want that to be a factor in the decision making. Seeking some advice - DS leaning towards American due to location, opportunity for internships and smaller class sizes relative to OSU. However, we are not sure if at American, he will have the opportunities to get enough exposure to the Sciences (Environment) or Statistics which are the two areas that he may want to minor in.
Thanks
American University does offer statistics courses:
https://catalog.american.edu/content.php?filter%5B27%5D=STAT&filter%5B29%5D=&filter%5Bcourse_type%5D=-1&filter%5Bkeyword%5D=&filter%5B32%5D=1&filter%5Bcpage%5D=1&cur_cat_oid=12&expand=&navoid=2203&search_database=Filter#acalog_template_course_filter
Also, environmental studies, some (but not all) of which are science-emphasis:
https://catalog.american.edu/content.php?filter%5B27%5D=ENVS&filter%5B29%5D=&filter%5Bcourse_type%5D=-1&filter%5Bkeyword%5D=&filter%5B32%5D=1&filter%5Bcpage%5D=1&cur_cat_oid=12&expand=&navoid=2203&search_database=Filter#acalog_template_course_filter
Or is there concern that access to some of the courses of interest may be limited (e.g. to those majoring in the subjects)? The class schedule at https://eagleservice.american.edu/Student/Courses/Search suggests that STAT and ENVS courses are not completely full (seats available > 0 in spring 2020).
Be aware that more advanced statistics courses may have math requirements significantly higher than what a political science major may take. More advanced environmental science courses may have science (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics) prerequisites that may be harder ones than those typically taken for general education by non-science majors.
You may want to ask the departments directly if you have more questions.
Although I don’t know many details about how it works in practice, also note that AU offers cross-registration options at other colleges in the DC area, so this is also an option.
https://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/studentservices/consortiumregistration.cfm
@ucbalumnus
Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful response. This has certainly allowed me to understand the breadth of the offerings at American. Seems pretty significant. My DS also saw that there is a BS in Data Sciences and he is considering a Dual Major. This certainly does put my mind at ease with respect to the rigor of education at American.
Any idea about internship opportunities for an undergraduate at American - I am certain that it is pretty competitive to get a good internship at Capitol Hill but is that realistic?
Thanks again
@SJ2727
Thank you. This is pretty cool that they can take classes at a nearby University if a similar class is not offered at American. This also helps with the breadth of knowledge and perhaps in building a network outside American also.
On internships- my daughter toured 3 colleges in DC - and the general impression we got (and were told explicitly by one of the colleges) was that the only students who don’t get internships are those who don’t want them. Sure some are a lot more competitive than others, but it seem there are more than enough to go round. For Capitol Hill specifically we were told it “runs on interns”. One advantage DC area students have is the ability to do these internships during the school year.
@SJ2727
Thank you - this is very useful in our son’s decision making. Appreciate it a lot.
I have a degree from AU’s School of Public Affairs. I had access to paid positions on Capitol Hill and have always worked in the field. The adjunct professors are experts from think tanks, the hill, campaigns, etc. It is great going to a school where the majority of students are interested in public affairs and international relations. There are plenty of environmental science opportunities (I recently had an intern from AU who studied this), and statistics is a major requirement, as it is a prerequisite for a required class. I had friends who took some classes at other schools in the DC Consortium. I can’t recommend it enough.
I am sad that my daughter just decided to attend somewhere else, but we do live locally and she really wants to go away.
What is your son’s anticipated future? Politics or academia, or…
If he has ANY expectation in involvement with politics, American University, located in the heart of US politics has an exponential increase in his potential internship, fellowship, volunteership exposure to the political world. Sorry, OSU is a good school, but there is NO comparison to OSU’s opportunities for experience in political affairs as opposed to those at AU.
@QuietType
Thank you - each response of this nature and the support at CollegeConfidential has helped us parents in coming to terms with his firm decision that he is going to American. Yes - he is indeed motivated to be in Government in due course and it is these opportunities that he is seeking.
Thanks a lot.
@mindfulmom
Wow - this is awesome to hear from an alumna of AU. All the insight on Stats, Environmental Science and the Consortium are helpful. I guess my son may be knocking at your door some day 
Thanks
tOSU is in a state capital. There are lots of opportunities for internships.
@esriniv my daughter will be at American next year as well. She picked the school for the access to DC and all the opportunities they have available for the student body to thrive and succeed post graduation.