<p>um is the highest ranked, but I'm confused out of my mind and don't really give much thought to rankings.<br>
UM = somewhat close to my home, in miami! most people i know love it there.
AU = guaranteed internship, in washington dc! honors program. most people i know either love it or hate it there.
FU (lol)= in new york city!/lincoln center campus. i like the fact that it is a small school. i don't like the core curriculum that takes up 2 years. i also don't like that 50% are commuters. most people i know love it there.</p>
<p>undecided major, I already live in Florida. not a math/science person.
would like to go to a school with not a lot of grade deflation, for grad school admissions.</p>
<p>only visited UM and American...it just confused me more.
i want a change, and i originally wanted to go out of florida. but I liked UM when I visited.</p>
<p>CONFUSED CONFUSED. Please help, thanks! :)</p>
<p>oh and they all cost me about the same, so $ isn't part the consideration.</p>
<p>Don't worry about if other people love or hate it, YOU can weigh their opinions, but they are opinions. You need to take an I-95 road trip. Go up to Fordham, take a look, stop again at American and go back to UM in pretty rapid succession...easier to compare and contrast that way</p>
<p>I went to AU and transferred (this year) so I guess I was one of the people that disliked it. I will try to state the reasons I disliked it diplomatically to help you decide. I did visit the campus and "fell in love"- I thought, but it is quite different once you get down there.
-It is impossible to get away from politics. Many of the kids don't really care about helping people they just say they are liberal to fit in and look like a good person.
-It takes at least 45 mins to get into the city and that isn't even downtown. The campus is really disconnected from DC- so if you want a city experience, not the best place. The shuttle is inconsistent and does not run every 15 mins like it says. Sometimes it stops early too- not fun at 3am on a saturday in the winter.
-There are some good professors- but for the price tag, you are not getting what you pay for.
-Also, the university tries to get money from you anyway they can. They really try to cheat you out of money- like meal plans. The food is horrible and the workers are often rude to students.
-I am from NY and thought the weather would be better- it wasn't. It rains a lot and was pretty close to NY in coldness.
-It is hard to meet down to earth people, I found a few gems, but many are socially inept and horrible.
-NYC is a lot better for job opportunities unless you are 100% set on international relations. Even then, the UN in NYC!
-I heard so many people that say they want to transfer- a lot do, others stay out of convenience and are miserable.
-The dorms are horrible, they literally look like prison cells. Also if you have any trouble with housing, don't expect them to do anything. I was in a room with someone who stole my iPod and they "let" ME move (even though I didn't steal anything and had lived in that room for 6 months- she got put in with me second semester after my other roommate had to transfer to UMD due to financial reasons) only after my mom sent housing a firm email.
-I don't know many that love it- they are indifferent.
-The frat parties suck.
-The attendance policy is ridiculous- it only counts if you go and pay $15 to have someone at the health center write a note saying you are sick- even if you already paid for AU insurance (this goes with the money thing).
I hope I wasn't too harsh, but this is the real AU. If you want to do IR though, tough it out, it does have a good reputation and is a good location. If you want urban life- this is not it and it is hard to get into the city. I am transferring to NYC (NYU) so I am biased, but NYC is amazing and even though 50% are commuters at FU (haha, just got it) you would probably have an amazing time. I got in right out of hs but decided not to go (and made the mistake of picking AU). I strongly recommend not going to AU just because I did not find one redeeming quality (except that I met my wonderful boyfriend there and we helped each other through it and both transferred to NYC). Also, no men, I was the rare exception, most people I know are single or have to settle. The man scene at AU is not pretty!</p>
<p>I chose UM over AU honors and I honestly can't believe I even considered AU. I was so set on going there, but when I visited UM I fell in love. The sports thing is huge for me, so not having that at AU would have really ruined college for me. I would choose UM over AU for several reasons, but UM is definitely more respected. Fordham and American are both good schools, but neither are worth their price tag. Granted, Miami is super expensive and also probably not worth it, but it's a highly respected school and you will have an AWESOME four years.</p>