<p>Wanting to hear from a current AU student about the weekends on campus. Is it lively with most of the undergrads remaining on campus, do a majority of students head home to MD or VA? Is everyone stuck in their rooms studying or do you have time to enjoy the city? Looking forward to hearing back.</p>
<p>Not a student, but a mom of one that graduated last May. I know that whenever I visited my D on the weekend, there were plenty of people everywhere on campus, as well as full shuttle buses taking people back and forth to the Metro stop. I’d say very few students go home on weekends (I don’t think my D even knew anyone who lived close enough to do that). There’s plenty of time to enjoy DC, but of course that will vary with the individual, depending on how effectively you study, what kind of academic pressure you put on yourself, how demanding your courses are, etc.</p>
<p>My son just graduated from AU. Weekends he was way too busy to even think of coming home. He was in a fraternity–always something going on, official or not so much. Also on a club sport team and some intramural teams–again, always a lot to do.</p>
<p>He also had a lot of friends not in his house or on one of his teams–from his floor and his classes and other campus activities. So always busy.</p>
<p>Weekends would be a good amount of time on academics–time in the library to study, or to work on group projects. Time to work for his internships (one was with DC United).</p>
<p>He might go to University activity–a lecture or movie, or to a campus theater production or concert, or to a game–he knew a good number of athletes and liked to support them. He might go to one of the Smithsonians (free) or other museums, or to the Kennedy Center. In the evenings? Maybe a party, maybe out to dinner, maybe to a dinner party at a friend’s apartment off campus, or to a barbecue at an off campus house. Maybe even just hang around and watch a movie with friends.</p>
<p>AU is definitely not a suitcase campus, but it’s also nothing like a BIg 10 or SEC campus. It’s a real college campus, but with an urban flair.</p>
<p>Long story short/TLDR:</p>
<p>As a student, I don’t see students going back home regularly. Maybe some students who have family or live in MD/VA might, but hardly. AU’s not a commuter school.</p>
<p>If your student can manage their studies and fun properly, there is plenty of time to go out into the city.</p>
<p>We live in the VA suburbs and don’t see our sophomore daughter any more than families with kids much further away. It’s nice that we can run in and take her to lunch every once in a while, but she is having too much fun in D.C. to bother with coming home very often. The nice thing is that there are all the traditional college activities: frat parties, sporting events, other campus activities, but there are also so many interesting city activities as well. My daughter grew up here, but has seen more of D.C. in the year and a half she has been at American than in all her other years combined. For instance, she sent me a video the other day from National Cathedral. She was taking a study break, wandered over to that BEAUTIFUL old church and sat and watched a choir practice for a while. She and her friends routinely go to Adams Morgan to book stories, Dupont Circle to cool restaurants, Georgetown to wander through the shops, etc. etc. If you are bored in Washington, D.C., you will be bored anywhere you end up…it’s a GREAT city!</p>
<p>Current Freshmen here!</p>
<p>There are various crowds who do various things. Some people, like myself, go out to frat parties every weekend on fridays and saturdays. It tends to be the same crowd that always goes out. Other people explore DC, go to clubs, or just hangout on campus. A lot of people go to concerts since there are so many venues in DC. I’m taking two lab classes right now and I find time to go out and do fun things. Sunday is usually just study/hangover day. </p>
<p>I have a friend who lives in fairfax and he goes home like every week. If you live close to campus, I recommend you stay on campus and not commute home so often. You’re missing out on the college experience…whatever that may be.</p>