<p>Should I attend? The only time I visited American was during the summer when it was super quiet so I don’t know what it is really like. I am paying around 400$ to go. What do you exactly do since it is a overnight stay. I will be going alone without my parents.</p>
<p>Also, how hard is American University? I plan on doing a possible double major in International Relations and Accounting or Economics. I want to go to law school so a high GPA is a must. I had almost the 75th percentile scores when I applied but I’m not sure how much that matters. As a matter of fact, I actually received almost 50k in grants and scholarships so would attending American University be a great opportunity for my studies? </p>
<p>What does the social life revolve around? Is it predominately a “hipster” community or just very diverse? </p>
<p>I got nearly 50k in grants and scholarships as well and that has helped my parents out very much financially. You should know by looking around these forums that that is a great opportunity for you because many students aren’t offered that much money. Overnight stays are okay, but it really depends on who is hosting you and if they fit your interests. I say do it if you can afford it and really want to see life at AU… if you’re serious about AU. </p>
<p>There is a fair amount of students who succeed academically here and if you put in the effort no doubt you can get a very high GPA. My roommate has a 3.91 right now and he wants to be Magna or Summa Cum Laude lol. They have an early identification program here for students who really want to get good grades at AU. It’s totally possible, but it will never be easy. </p>
<p>There is a “hipster” community, but there is also a diverse community. I say that as a former worker at the international students office and as someone who is really involved in campus organizations/Student Government. If you want to avoid the “hipster” crowd, that’s very possible too. However, I’ve gathered that the AU community has lots of diverse interests. For example, there is lots of support for AU Students for Israel and AU Students for Palestine on both sides of the issue who are very active on campus. AU was named Most Politically Active in 2010 and 2012 by the Princeton Review so you should know AU is all about social activism and being able to express different views. </p>
<p>In my opinion, if I were you, I’d do the campus visit and see if you like it. If you like it, you practically have a full ride (sorta) and you can take advantage of that.</p>
<p>Thank you for the well thought out answer! I was wondering what the job prospects are for an IR major from American University if I decide to not pursue a law degree. Also, the political awareness on campus is great, but is it overwhelming at times? Thanks again!</p>
<p>Here is the AU “Outcomes and Statistics” provided by AU Career Center each year which details student outcomes after graduation from a majority of students (Kogod isn’t included, they have a separate report): <a href=“Error retrieving uploaded document”>Error retrieving uploaded document;
<p>Anyhow, page 6 and 7 detail SIS undergraduate and graduate student outcomes. Thus, on page 6 you can see that 89% of graduates at least are employed, employed and pursuing degree (probably part-time), or are pursuing a Master’s full-time. Looking at these 2 pages will be better than any other anecdote I can tell you. I will tell you some of my friends seem to have amazing jobs with great salaries right out of college and others struggle. I’m sure it is this way anywhere, but because the DC job market has such a great job turnaround rate of like 1-3 years, finding jobs are a little easier in my opinion. </p>
<p>Some people will tell you that the political chatter on-campus is too much and some will tell you the opposite. I often see this in The Eagle rants (a campus newspaper which takes rants and publishes them on their website each week) and this is a complaint you overhear sometimes. In my opinion, you can get away from the social activism and the political chitchat if you want… I wouldn’t worry about it. Many of us in SIS are more policy oriented and that’s fine.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. I know Washington D.C is a prime target for public non profit organizations and government institutions, if I was to double major in something like accounting/finance and international relations, would I be able to enter into a private sector company. From your personal experience and the people around you, what is the ratio between the people that go to private companies and non-profit organizations. Thanks again!</p>