<p>Anybody have a feel for the student population at AU? I read somewhere that students are concerned with how much money one has, and that status (in that regard) plays a big role. Is it really al Louis Vuitton (you can tell by my spelling that i don’t follow these things)? What about kids who are more alternative types? Also, on some list (PR?) Au was listed amongst the schools where students almost never study. What do you all think? My D was admitted, but we haven’t visited yet. In many ways, it may be a good choice for her (internships, great city, communications school, nice size), but i am concerned with how well the school really is academically, and whether the students are serious enough.</p>
<p>Being that it is a private school, there are many "rich" kids here who care more about what brands they are wearing than their studies... But at the same time this school is very politically motivated because of the large amount of students who are international studies/political science and related majors. So that leads to a pretty diverse student body, especially with our high percentage of international students.</p>
<p>I, for one, study all the time and I know most people definitely are very into their classes - because it's college and people are learning what they are interested in. Last year before I accepted admission, I was a bit concerned whether the academics were up to par with what I wanted - and they are. I think you get what you put into it - the professors are amazing and always open to talking in office hours, etc. There are tons of events and lectures and things happening on campus to take advantage of - I saw several ambassadors speak last semester, John Glenn, the governor of Puerto Rico, Andrei Cherny, Ari Fleischer, and experts on Sudan, Taiwan, etc. Plus, I've been to a forum at the IMF and Woodrow Wilson center. So, if you want to learn and are serious about your studies, then yes, this school has great opportunities - you just have to be motivated to take part in them!</p>
<p>lg08 ~ What made you choose AU? I believe you said you were an IR major. My son is trying to make that decision now or in the next few weeks. Any thoughts on the the IR program?</p>
<p>I think the IR program is excellent! I knew I really wanted to be in DC for the opportunities of the city, along with internships and jobs. I also wanted a strong IR program with a lot of options for classes. AU provided that as well as a nice campus for a more "college" feel and also gave me some merit money.</p>
<p>I believe AU has the largest School of International Service in the country, and it's very active with events and very into what its students are doing. I have taken a lot of classes that will count for my major already and they have been extremely interesting and stimulating. My professors all have a lot of personal experience in what they teach as well. </p>
<p>If you have any more questions on AU or IR, you can email me! <a href="mailto:lg9421a@american.edu">lg9421a@american.edu</a></p>
<p>Thanks, Ig08. I did like the fact that AU has a reputation for kids who are politically involved- even if that is not a strong focus for my daughter right now. The international flavor is also a plus. Seems like it is a very active and fun campus, so I guess it is time to figure out all the details of a visit. Thanks again for your input :)</p>
<p>lg08 ~ Thanks for the info...I passed it on to my son and he may email you. This is a crazy time for seniors and he seems to be at school almost 12-13 hours a day right now with all the activities he's involved in. Was AU your first choice school? My son didn't apply to other DC schools but really liked AU. He has acceptances into others across the country so it will be a tough decision. The merit money at AU is awesome though and the location is great for majoring in IR. How's the dorm life? He's a pretty serious student and not a party goer...will he fit in? Thanks for the info!!! JM</p>
<p>My S was accepted to American ED.He's a very political kid, having volunteered for a candidate for the last presidential campaign & volunteeering for the mayoral election in our city , Los Angeles. In high school , he's written tons of articles & opinion pieces for the paper, done Model UN & has taken English & history AP. Last summer he attended the Junior Statesman summer program @ Northwestern & loved it.
( He's abysmal in math). He's not a party guy & is very much
looking forward to being in a political environment. I don't speak from firsthand experience, but we've heard that different types of students chose different dorms- from very social to more academic.</p>
<p>AU was my second choice - Georgetown was my first, but I was stupid to think I actually had a chance of getting in (and even if I had, there was no way to afford it since they don't have merit money). But I am definitely glad now that I didn't get into Georgetown, AU is such a better fit for me.</p>
<p>There seem to be stereotypes about "south side" (anderson, letts) and "north side" (hughes, mcdowell, leonard) dorms - that north side is the people who study and south side is the people who party. This isn't really true, since there are all types of people on both sides of campus. However, the south side dorms are larger, so there are more people on that side, and that does lead to more noise in general (and more fire alarms). I chose Leonard, on north side, because I am not a big partier and didn't want to take my chances being in an environment I personally couldn't function in, and have liked this dorm a lot as it is also the international/intercultural dorm.</p>