<p>Hey everyone, I got accepted to the Spring term at AU, with an option to join the Washington Mentorship program. Does anyone know anything about that? Pros and cons would be very helpful!!</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat, and I think I’m going to accept the offer. From what I understand about WMP:</p>
<p>Pros:
-smaller, more individual classes
-one day a week in which classes are field trips/talks
-two days a week (instead if classes) in which you work an internship for a DC based company (some offers include ABC radio, Fox News, NIH, etc…)
-same accepted students day/treatment as full students</p>
<p>Cons:
-you aren’t technically a fall student
-you are housed on Tenley campus, not the main campus, as so as to be closer to the city and your internship</p>
<p>I have read a ton of great reviews of the program and I am seriously considering taking it. A great internship your first semester of college? That’s exactly the kind of thing I want from my school.</p>
<p>Thank you!!! Are the dorms in the Tenley campus nice? And do you stay on the Tenley campus in the spring too?</p>
<p>I’m not sure about moving during Spring semester actually, that would be a good question to ask the admissions office. I’ve heard (again, all of my info is coming second hand through things I’ve read) that the Tenley dorm is more modern/spacious than the main campus dorms, plus it’s like a 5 minute walk from the muni into the city and half a mile from the main campus</p>
<p>I really wonder how that’s going to happen starting next year though (im a current student even though I’m transferring next year) because they’re tearing down tenley campus to make it the law school.</p>
<p>:o That is a good question! i’m going to call.</p>
<p>Just spoke to someone in undergraduate admissions. Students in the program will be staying on main campus this year, all housed in the same dorm. I think this sounds like an amazing opportunity, and I feel like the friendships here will be tight being that we’d all be living in the same area doing the same program. She said it does not interfere with graduating on time, and you can still major in anything. She said the only con is that aparently you can’t get financial aid. She also said it’s really intense but that 95% of the people she knows who came out of the program, came out LOVING it and loving the experience it gave them.</p>
<p>My daughter got the WMP as well, which was described in their letter as “prestigious” and based on her “academic record and EC’s”. I’ll be honest with you…she’s a great kid and has pulled herself out of a deep hole, but I would not describe her stats in either of those as being stellar. She also applied to Northeastern and I know that they often slot the weaker students toward their international program for the first semester (but for the record, she was not accepted to NU). She has other acceptances but American is closest to home. Just wondering what to make of it.</p>
<p>If there are any past students, is this program somehow “less” than normally accepted students? Like is there any stigma that we are less prestigious than normal AU students? I think it sounds pretty great, the internships really sell me on it, but I am wonder about what other people think.</p>
<p>D also got the spring acceptance/WMP. Also accepted at GWU. Northeastern as well with good merit $. Given $0 merit at AU and the perceptual downsides of spring admit, I don’t think she’ll be considering it especially when it’s competing with GWU and NEU. Anyone else in a similar situation?</p>
<p>citygirl: I’ve been nosing around at previous threads (from last year) on this. In general, the people who have done the program seem overwhelmingly positive. Especially now that the students won’t be living on a different campus, it may be hard to tell who is who. The negative reactions seem to come from students who haven’t done it yet and feel as if it’s second best. For some, the drawback is the financial aid piece, but that was not on our radar so much.</p>
<p>If they have room to put all the WMP students in regular dorms, why keep them segregated? Program would be more attractive if they were better integrated.</p>
<p>This question about WMP comes up every year. My D is now a sophomore and here are some relevant excerpts from my post last year about my D’s experience in the WMP program:</p>
<p>1) was it worth it? - My D gives it a resounding YES. Instead of coming in new to the campus in the Spring. She went to AU with a friend who was a regular admit in the Fall. They both attended the new student welcome together, wearing the same AU shirts and were treated the same way (same access to all AU facilities and resources, AU ID, joined clubs, etc.). Her regular admit friend was jealous that my D could do an internship at the Smithsonian while regular admit freshmen could not (most regular admits are not eligible until sophomore year). That internship made such a big difference in my D’s life. It really is what going to school in DC is all about. The WMP program helped her build a wonderful core group of friends because they lived and took classes together. Her regular admit friend spends most of her time at Tenley with my D’s friends. She is now taking her Spring classes and she isn’t branded as second class in any way. She has the same credits the regular Fall admits have and feels like a regular AU student with the perks of Tenley.</p>
<p>2) did you find your classmates bright (or 2nd class indeed) - My D finds them not only very bright but outstanding individuals with a strong sense of self and and character.</p>
<p>5) were WMP classes up to standard of main campus classes - D says yes. The professors are AU professors who also teach main campus classes.</p>
<p>Even when WMP was on Tenley… you really cannot tell who is in WMP or a regular Fall admit. There is no stigma at all. It was a wonderful way for my D to begin her college experience.</p>
<p>Hi everyone! I’m seriously considering accepting my offer into the WMP (I haven’t committed yet because of financial issues) but am really worried that it will fill up before May 1st. Does anyone know how many people they offer the program to and how many they actually allow to enroll?</p>