I am currently deciding between Hobart and William Smith Colleges and American University, so two very different schools.
Can anyone tell me about the psychology program at AU? Are the professors engaged in their undergraduate classes, or are they just concerned with research and grad students? Have people had a positive experience with this program?
I would really appreciate any feedback, whether you are an AU alum, a parent of a student, a friend of a student, a current AU psych major, etc. This is the last piece of information I am hoping to get before I make my decision, so anything will be helpful!!
hi @jcr1518, my daughter is finishing up her sophomore year as a psych major at AU and is very happy. There are pros and cons like at every school, I imagine and we don’t have anyplace else to compare to, of course…
She finds the professors very approachable and is enjoying her classes very much. She is finishing up her first internship at a nearby elementary school working with autistic children, although she doesn’t feel it’s been as helpful as she would have liked. Because of the location there will be many other internship opportunities she feels so is reserving judgement on that aspect for now.
She thought about minoring in communications but now has decided on a marketing major. She’s exciting about that although the entry level marketing courses are very popular and because she had a lousy time slot for choosing classes, is currently wait listed for 2 of them and hopes they open up.
AU isn’t particularly known for its psychology department but in summary, she is happy with it so far, finds the professors and course selection to be good and loves the school and the city. Hope that is helpful and good luck with your decision!
I want to go to this school so bad but it’s very expensive. Did you guys receive a huge amount of financial aid and is the school worth studying criminal justice there?
Thank you so much @myjanda, that was very helpful! @American13 I personally did not receive a large amount of financial aid, but one of my friends from school and a bunch of prospective students that I have talked to received enough to make any major worth it. I would suggest trying to get in contact with a student studying criminal justice at AU to get an inside perspective, but I would imagine it would be worth it do the school’s proximity to DC and focus on public relations/public policy, etc.
@myjanda This is an unrelated question, but how has your daughter liked the campus vibe thus far? When I visited the students seemed very laid back and friendly, yet engaged in their academics. I was also wondering about how much there is to do on campus because it seems like most students go off campus during their free time. This both a plus and a minus (Mostly a plus in my book), but it something that I am considering. Has your daughter had a positive experience with all of these things?
@american13 - we were lucky - D14 got a merit scholarship that made the school affordable for us. D16 also got a scholarship there but for less money. Financial Aid due to having two kids in college at the same time filled in most of the rest but would go away when D14 graduates. However, D16 has decided to blaze her own trail and go to a different school.
AU IS expensive and there is a good amount of people who transfer out after freshman year because of the cost so be sure up front that you can afford it before committing. Good luck!
@jcr1518 - my daughter has been busy beyond belief, both on and off campus. She joined a sorority which surprised all of us, but greek doesn’t have houses at AU so the kids still live and mix with non-greeks and there are always things to do. There are a lot of events on campus - concerts, movies, lectures, studying etc. However, she really wanted to be in or near a city and AU suits her perfectly in that regard. She thinks nothing of meeting friends for dinner or grocery shopping in Tenleytown at 10pm any night during the week (free 10 minute shuttle bus) and she said people practically consider Tenleytown to be campus… She also goes into DC probably almost every weekend via metro or bus, to do errands or check out museums or flea markets. I like that there seems to be a good mix of on and off campus things to do and one thing she’s never mentioned is being bored… I have a good friend who lives nearby so have spent random weekends visiting the school and there are always tons of kids on campus at all times.
That’s great to hear, thank you for the input! @myjanda