<p>sjc937- All credits taken at WMP are fully transferable. All 15 credits of them. You will not be behind and will graduate along with everyone else. Dont worry!</p>
<p>Just got this email from American. </p>
<p>“Your background of activities and outstanding academic record is very impressive and therefore, you are precisely the type of individual that I want to be a part of our elite Mentorship Program this fall.”</p>
<p>This is just insulting. “Elite” “outstanding academic record is very impressive”? It’s hardly elite if it’s only offered to those kids that didn’t make the regular cut. And if I have such a outstanding record why didn’t you let me in regular decision? This feels like a crappy car salesmen selling me a lemon. And failing. Hard. </p>
<p>Just be honest and say I didn’t cut the mustard, but there’s an option if you’d really like to attend. UNC-Chapel Hill’s rejection letter was really well done and should be a model for all other schools. This program is total cash cow (hence no scholarship or financial aid) and the language they use to describe it makes it seem like a scam. American U, if you’re out there, at least consider changing the wording and how this program is introduced. As you can see from these forums I’m not alone in my frustrations.</p>
<p>ilovgoogle, i can’t help but agree with you. i haven’t heard anything from american yet, but if i’m offered this program, i will turn it down without thinking twice. it’s basically the admissions office saying they don’t like you very much, but if you give them enough money, they’ll be willing to reconsider. no matter what this program offers, it clearly is not prestigious to be admitted to what is basically a rejected students camp. anyone who chooses to attend this program either has really rich parents or is willing to sacrifice his future for 4 years at the third best school in DC. </p>
<p>yes, this is an opportunity to attend the school, but it is also the next step down from being put on the wait-list. if you’re accepted off of the wait-list, you get fall admission and possibly even a little financial aid.</p>
<p>i actually do like american quite a bit (that’s why i applied), but this school really isn’t some amazingly prestigious school to attend and it certainly isn’t worth paying full tuition for unless you have no other options and you happen to be filthy rich. undergrad doesn’t matter that much, but finishing it with tons of debt does.</p>
<p>My son received a large envelope containing a folder from AU. His excitement mounted as he ripped the envelope and flipped open the folder. He saw a form on the left side entitled Welcome to AU – Your Enrollment Agreement & Housing Application. He began to jump around the kitchen, hugging my husband and me. After a very long week of waiting through the trickle out decision process (note to AU: not a stellar decisionnext year consider all in one day for the sake of the children), my son thought he had finally gotten the news he had been hoping for. Then, my younger son said, No, wait. You got rejected. Yeah, right. Stop joking around. No, really. Read the letter. The smiles turned to great disappointment and frustration. In his excitement, he missed the smaller typeface Spring 2012 on that form. Who would have thought to even look for that?
WMP may or may not be a good program. I dont know. What I do know is the way in which this was presented was extremely misleading, almost cruel. AU should have just sent a letter clearly stating the truth: no for fall; yes for spring, and said a packet with more detailed info would be sent in a few days. These kids applied for the Fall, not the Spring. This was misleading at best; intentionally misleading and self-serving at worst. Its a great way to fill in AUs holes in the spring, with no regard for the financial hardship it places on those in need. Fortunately, we are not affected by that in the decision process, but many are. Cruel, indeed.
I told my son to cool down before he makes any decision about AU. Its been a few days now, and he has just grown more disenchanted with AU. He feels duped and keeps calling WMP a holding pen for the second-class students. Maybe hes right; maybe hes wrong. Either way, AUs handling of the matter hasnt settled well with him. Fortunately, he has received other acceptances (some with merit scholarships at higher ranked schoolsso there you go), so he has choices.
To all of you students in the same boat: there is no right or wrong answer here. Each decision is an individual choice based on individual circumstances. Wherever you end up, Im sure youll be successful. If you end up at AU, I dont think youll see my son 
All the best to you all!! Monster Mama</p>
<p>All of you are entitled to your feeling and opinions about WMP and AU. Just as all colleges accept, reject, waitlist, AU is offering this WMP a bridge to start spring semester. If you like it, accept it or just discard the program invite just like a rejection letter. No big deal! No need to be bitter about it and just move on to another school.
This is a great option for people who want to go to AU and cannot picture themselves anywhere else and I do stress AU is not for everyone. Good luch to everyone wherever you end up!</p>
<p>While my son got this same lukewarm offering from his safety school (American), the analogy Ilovgoogle made of a job offering (one you really want, one you have to wait for and settle for less for…) Bad analogy, in this economy, that sounds like an amazing option!</p>
<p>Not sure what we should do about it either, but I like this thread – This and all offerings are all about what you make it.</p>
<p>Dear Monstermama, we got excited about the size of the envelope but since we read all print (fine and otherwise)and all pages we knew right away since the firsta letter said up front what was happening. Now I don’t believe everything I read this I did…</p>
<p>Ilovgoogle, please give us the wording of the wonderful letter from other university we’d love to hear it.</p>
<p>To Povertybeach – Yes, we will know better next time. It’s our eldest son, and, frankly, with all of the discussions we’ve had, we never heard of anyone receiving a large package like this, at this time of the year, without it being a regular acceptance. Has anyone else ever had this happen/heard of it happening?
Once you see in very large print: “Welcome to AU – Your Enrollment Agreement & Housing Application”, well, … Lets just say I think it was a very fair assumption at the time for my son to think it was a regular acceptance. A minute later, we all learned a valuable lesson. I’m sure he will hold his excitment on any future packets he receives until he reads through the entire thing. I know my husband and I will.
I’m glad you didn’t experience the same thing, povertybeach. It’s such a stressful time for these kids, and seeing my son go through that needlessly was upsetting. Other kids went through the same thing, too.
Best of luck to your son and all the other students! Hang in there, students…May 1 is just around the corner, and then you’ll be able to focus on your future college and enjoying the end of senior year! Best to you all!</p>
<p>Monstermama, While I understand emotions are running high at this time, and nerves can be stretched thin, I think as the parents the appropriate response is to take a deep breath and frame our response so it leaves an open door.<br>
My D applied to many schools requiring an audition for her choice of major. She was academically accepted to every single one; however, in many cases she was not admitted into the program she had auditioned for (admission rates in the single percentage points).</p>
<p>At several schools, we got “the big envelop” with congratulations across the front! Several we had to read the fine print (and in some cases go online, and in some cases wait for a later later) to find out “sorry, pick another major”. So while I empathize that this was not the fall acceptance you had planned, I know I personally reframed the issue for my D. “The school does want you!, They didn’t reject you, Let’s see who else wants you, the pros and cons of each school, then decide.” </p>
<p>Yes, your heart bleeds a bit that we cannot protect them any longer. Some of these kids don’t have a lot of experience handling delaying gratification or not being at the top of the class or not getting what they want. Approached in the right manner these are the types of things that help one grow up. </p>
<p>Best wishes. I am sure your child will end up where he will bloom.</p>
<p>homomma: very well said!</p>
<p>Well, I don’t know about WMP acceptees having low ability. My D scored 710 on the writing portion of the SAT, writes great essays, is an AP English student, and got a 1960 on SATs, right in the range of accepted stats (or on the upper end according to the web site). She definitely is not in a “holding pen” for those with poor writing/analytical skills. If the WMP program offered the financial aid, she would jump at it. I think that would be the case for many who are complaining about it. Without aid though, it is out of reach for my D.</p>
<p>Thank you junior_mom for the information. I appreciate it.</p>
<p>bhmomma, that is exactly the same tack we took with our daughter. Well said.</p>
<p>I have appreciated the contributions to this thread very much. My son was accepted into this program we had a heads up from the FedEx notification that specified Spring Intl. Admit in the subject line. If hed gotten the big envelope without that preparation, I imagine there would have been some confusion so I sympathize with the posters here who felt somehow tricked. And I definitely feel the dribbling out of the acceptances was a form of water torture. But Im grateful to AU for this decision. Im not sure S will end up there as he has some other good options. I dont want to post his stats but they were not really in the range: in terms of his SATs. CR was above the middle 50, math was below and writing was in the middle. His cumulative GPA is way lower than AUs published minimum. But it showed a definite rising trend and everyone who read his essays said dont change a word. So I feel AU is taking a chance on my son they saw he was lopsided, they saw he had a shaky start but is gaining in confidence and ability as a student and they saw something in his life story that appealed. As a family wed always thought a gap year would be a good option so this program actually fulfils some of our needs. Hes going to the Admitted Students Day and will keep an open mind until then. Im sorry some posters feel this program is a holding pen - I see it as a transitional program which in the case of the one candidate whom I know very well might well be the perfect bridge into college.</p>
<p>I went through the WMP. I loved the program my best friend went through the program with me and two of my other good friends are former WMP kids as well.
While the letter AU sent out may have been deceptive, you were still admitted to AU. stop whining and get over it.
It’s not a second class program or a scam. The teachers are good, and the experiences you will remember forever. I dont know if youll sit next to an ambassador your first semester at college but I did. I’ve also gotten to know the DC area extremely well because of all the site visits I went on during the WMP.
Also students on main campus are jealous that WMP kids get to intern first semester. It is a big part of what AU stands for.
You may be on a separate campus, and take separate courses, but doing so makes you bond with your fellow WMP members and it gives you the experience of a lifetime.
that being said it is an expensive program.
I’ll always be a proud Tenley kid.</p>
<p>Pulling up this thread for Class of 2016 people getting invitations to participate.</p>
<p>Last year, My D was offered WMP. The problem was that there is no financial aid to cover it, and at $25,000 for a semester, we couldn’t do that! She is very happy at her chosen U, but it took a little while to get over the disappointment. My question last year was, if she was a good enough candidate to be in for WMP and spring admittance, was that better or worse than waitlisted for fall admittance? We had been told there was no chance WMP students would be admitted for fall, yet waitlisted kids still had that chance…
Last year, my D was confused as well with this offer. If the program is so great, why aren’t applicants told about it as a possibility, and asked if they would like to be considered as a box to check on the application??? To be offered out of the blue, when the student applied for fall admission, but not be able to use financial aid because you are technically not a matriculated student yet, is tough to process!</p>
<p>Thanks DeskPotato for pulling up this thread. Ok teachandmom you need to put this behind you. I accept and agree with many of your thoughts but it’s time to let go. Yes, my D was confused and somewhat insulted at first since AU should have been safe for her. If she had interviewed during our visit, she may not be in this situation now. However, she is strong, resilient and independent, and already sees the opportunity here. She loves exploring cities and not afraid to venture out, usually dragging a friend along. She has traveled the world and will continue to do so. I’m not posting her stats without her permission but they are high, in the 2000s, an AP scholar, lots of art/music/drama, good volunteer stuff, bright, funny, well-spoken. She is an excellent writer who creatively passes her wit and humor along in her writing. Everyone who knows her will tell you there is nothing 2nd class about her! I’m guessing that there was intense competition for the political science or related departments since the accepted scores I’m seeing are not what I expected. Does this happen? Amazing scores and deeds for RD apps (who are you people?!) so she will be in good company. Other than being expensive, I think the program looks decent. I like that they take the English requirement and get that done, as well as being able to take another general requirement or major class. This is huge. Tenley doesn’t look so bad to me. In fact, the main campus is way over crowded, don’t you all think? We really wanted to love AU but when we visited we were taken aback by the crowding and…let’s talk about the whole housing thing! Do juniors and seniors have to move off campus? I’m concerned about this since I think my D would like to stay on campus and have her friends stay on as well. So, AU students who did WMP: 1) was it worth it? 2) did you find your classmates bright (or 2nd class indeed) 3) did you like Tenley 4) did you spend much time at the main campus 5) were WMP classes up to standard of main campus classes 6) what’s the housing situation with Juniors and Seniors. Aside from that, Fall 2012 is big election year people, what value should we place on being in this program during this time and will they be able to tie in any study around that? My D has other choices, one right now not far from DC that gives her a valuable Presidental Scholarhsip at a school she likes. We will absolutely be going to the accepted students day. Afterall, she is an accepted student as are all WMP students, so don’t lose site or self-worth!</p>
<p>Daughter got this WMP package yesterday…literature major, didn’t interview on campus. She is awaiting many other decisions. I agree with other posters…how this was handled (no advance notice of the option, large envelope) is all a bit odd. Her grades and scores don’t make her a second-class candidate, and writing is her best subject. She certainly doesn’t need a remedial course in that subject.</p>
<p>We will wait and see how this plays out, but it does seem a bit unusual…</p>
<p>Actor123, it is behind us, and my D is doing really well at her chosen U. However, I believe others deserve to have information, and that is what I am doing, simply sharing our experience with AU in the process; questions we had while considering briefly WMP, and that unless you search the website, it is not something many applicants know about. You can see from other’s inquiry about WMP that they too have been taken by surprise and are somewhat confused - the more who share this, the more typical is seems. The more who share their experiences, the more info will be out there for others.</p>
<p>@Actor123,
I can’t comment on the WMP, but can confirm that housing is not guaranteed for juniors and seniors–a lottery system is used, some get in, some don’t. (My D has been fortunate enough to get into the Nebraska suite-style dorms for the current year and next year because in each case one of the four suitemates had a low lottery number). I believe this is not unusual for an urban campus, where there is plenty of alternative housing available. Many students welcome the opportunity to live in apartments. As for crowding, I have visited AU many times and never got that impression. In fact, compared to other colleges located within the borders of a major city, AU has a more spacious, traditional campus than many.</p>
<p>Actor123, as you can see from this thread from last year, my D went through the same emotions as everyone here last year. But she decided to take the WMP option and we all firmly believe she made the right decision. Based on my D’s experience, here are some answers to your questions:</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>3) did you like Tenley - My D ended up with the largest dorm room I’ve ever seen so she opted to stay in that room for the second semester. Her regular admit friend’s room was a fraction of the size. As mentioned by others, Tenley is actually more convenient than main campus for accessing the city via metro and for accessing eating/shopping places in Tenley town.</p>
<p>4) did you spend much time at the main campus - D took one class on main campus in the fall and this spring all her classes are on main campus. There is a shuttle that frequently connects the two campuses.</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>6) what’s the housing situation with Juniors and Seniors.- as mentioned by MommaJ, housing for junior and senior years is by lottery but a number of students like to live off campus by then so my D is hopeful that she can snag a room. But even if she doesn’t, I’m sure she won’t mind living off campus.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>