American University Top Questions

The school contains the most driven and passionate people I have ever met. Sometimes this can be intimidating and overwhelming because you never know who you'll offend.

I love American University. Everyone is so friendly and involved in the school and the community as a whole. The environment is one of encouragement and that is very important to me as a student because I feel that students need to compete but also raise up one another. American University is the perfect size school! Campus is not too big or small and class sizes are very practical. The best part about it is the professors who are really involved with their students.

In spite of the pretentious "saving the world types," which includes me, natch, I really do love AU. I do credit my time at AU for giving me a clearer path to a career choice and helping me focus my interests. AU is expensive -- the tuition, the cost of living, on-campus food, everything. That comes with living in a tony area of an East Coast city and attending a private university. Take advantage if they give you scholarships/financial aid. DC is a fantastic, diverse, complex, gorgeous city with loads of opportunities. Get to know all of it, even the parts with (gasp) black people. Caution: AU is filled with SWPL types who pride themselves on their "tolerance" but clutch their bags in the Metro when they see a homeless person. That being said, both the city and this school are internship central, and the "right" internship is kind of a status symbol among students, regardless of what you actually do during said internship. We do have an excellent Career Center. There are plenty of networking opportunities, but it's up to you to take advantage of them. This is not the school for you if you want to tailgate at the games and such. There are sororities and fraternities, if that's your thing. It's not really my cup of tea, personally.

Overall, I have a very positive opinion of AU. The best thing about the school is how much it prepares you to be in the real world and how much the other students around you push you to be ambitious and get out of the classroom and into the city. I believe the school size is just right, however, recently AU has been accepting more and more students, so I believe that in the near future it could become a little too big. Another amazing aspect of AU is its location in Washington, D.C. As the nations capital, there are so many wonderful opportunities for internships and other experiences outside the classroom that will make your resume more appealing than another students. Washington is also a great college town that is thriving with young people who are also driven for success. AU's campus is in a great location because it is very close to downtown but still has a wonderful campus to sit and relax. The quad in the center of campus is one of my favorite places to hang out. However, I would have to say the one aspect that makes me dislike the school a bit is the administration. AU is very expensive, and the financial aid office can sometimes be less than helpful. There have been quite a few controversies involving the President and his salary compared with what he has actually done for the school. Yet each controversy at AU is a unique experience because the students are very involved and not passive at all. As a side note, the dining hall really sucks too, but there are other options nearby to get food that are great.

The school is in a good location in D.C. because it is not loud and right in the heart of the city, but if I did want to go to the heart of the city, it is only about a half hour away on the AU shuttle and metro. If I could change one thing about the university overall, it would be to add a lot more housing because not all juniors are guaranteed housing, and I do not think that is fair. Upperclassman have a very slim chance of getting housing.

Although American University may not be the social, partying mecca of Washington, DC (as some misinformed frat guys seem to think), an AU education is definitely an asset for the future. AU students and professors are extremely motivated and innovative. It is the type of school where you should try to remember everyone (from your finance professor to that quiet girl who sat next to you in World Politics) because everyone is destined for greatness. Chances are that quiet girl will create the next big I-gadget. Comparatively, AU has a small campus and some may complain it feels like high school, but AU's location in Washington, DC definitely supplements the small campus feeling. Washington, DC is a great city and most students get internships around the city, gaining the chance to explore different parts of the city. The most recent controversies on campus have been surrounding the quick-selling tickets to the Founder's Day Ball at the Library of Congress and President Bill Clinton's visit. AU does not have much school pride when it comes to athletics. An AU student could probably name the past three AU student government presidents faster than one of the current AU men's basketball team members.

I like AU for many reasons and there are also a number of things I would change. I think the location and convenience of getting into the city is great and provides students with a plethora of internships that other schools don't offer. It is also awesome to be in a city with some of the most socially engaged people in the country. I also like that AU has a campus feel that some city schools don't have. And the abroad program is great, everyone should go abroad! As for things I wish we could do differently. I wish that we had a football team and a greater sense of school pride because there isn't a lot of support for AU athletics. And though I love the fact that AU is kinda small, sometimes it is frustrating because you can't go anywhere without knowing someone. It also is not a college town, so if you are looking for the state school vibe, AU is not the place. But overall, I think I've gotten a great education here.

The best thing about American University (AU) is the endless amounts of opportunities to get involved. Although very liberal, AU has groups for just about anything you can think of. American as a whole is a very politically active university. Being in the nation's capital just makes opportunities to stay involved even more prevalent. AU is the perfect balance between a small and large school. What first attracted me to AU was the fact that it has a small school feel, but is located in a very active city. That being said, I wouldn't necessarily say AU is located in a "college town." DC as a whole is kind of the university's college town. Most DC residents know about American University and are kind/respectful of the students. In the end, I think American University is a great school, but it really comes down to what you make of your college experience. Compared to smaller liberal arts colleges that I visited, AU has a much different feel. It's just big enough that you can't really "know everyone," and you always tend to wonder where everyone was hiding when the warm weather hits and there's suddenly a maze of students on the quad.With that said, the school is also small enough to stay involved. Clubs tend to be fairly reasonable in size and class sizes are small as well. This makes it easy to stay involved and to meet people if you take the initiative to do so. AU is also top-rated for the amount of students involved in internships, so it's very easy to stay busy if one has the drive/will to do so.

Plain and simple, I love American. I applied as an early decision student and still think that the day I was accepted was one of the best days ever. American has a great campus feel, while also having a perfect location. It's rare to find a great city school that also has a traditional college campus like AU does. I knew when I picked a school that I wanted a medium sized university so that I would not have huge classes and that is something AU definitely offers. My largest class was around 50 people and most of my classes are no bigger than 30. It offers a unique experience to get to know professors and other students well. All of my teachers have been really helpful. One example is when I took a theory class for Sociology and I was completely lost. I went to my professor for help multiple times during her office hours and she really helped me understand the material. I wound up getting an A in the class! Besides the academics, AU has so much to offer both on and off campus. There are so many clubs and organizations to get involved in, or students can volunteer out in the city. Washington D.C. has the perfect mix of fun, free things to do on weekends and great opportunities to help the students prepare for their futures.

The School is very cutting-edge and up-to-date with resources and infrastructure. However, sometimes it takes a long time for them to change and remodel new buildings so that students can see the value of their tuition dollars at work. The school needs to get a larger donor base and endowment to help alleviate the burden of attending this institution.

"Location, location, location" - that's really the best thing about American University, its location in Washington, D.C. It offers the best of both worlds, as it resides in a clearly pretty and suburban section of the district yet is only a twenty-minute metro ride from the center of the city, and with access to dozens of opportunities in the capital, AU certainly has a great advantage for practically any major. What drives it apart from other D.C. institutions like Georgetown and George Washington, other than its suburban locale is the fact that it has very campus-like feel to it and is perfectly sized. It is not so small that it'd be unable to offer you the best resources for academics, but it also isn't so large that it'd make you feel tiny compared to the rest of the school.

I really enjoy being at AU. The people here are great- they truly care about what they are studying, instead of just getting wrapped up in grades. Sometimes I wish the school was a bit more well rounded, but the sciences are improving here. This school is constantly getting better. Also, I can't really ask for a better area. Living in NW DC has been great. I do think the tuition should be lower. It does not have the prestige Georgetown has and yet we're paying almost as much, which is a little weird. The money has made out campus look quite nice, but more of it needs to go towards dorming. The population is outgrowing the space here.

I really enjoy being at AU. The people here are great- they truly care about what they are studying, instead of just getting wrapped up in grades. Sometimes I wish the school was a bit more well rounded, but the sciences are improving here. This school is constantly getting better. Also, I can't really ask for a better area. Living in NW DC has been great.

I absolutely love AU. I was never one of those kids that was excited about going to college-- in fact, I dreaded it right up to the day I left home. I never liked the idea of the typical college experience, with the hordes of students, giant lecture classes, football-obsessed mania, and more interest in partying than academics. From the very first day of orientation, I knew I had picked the right place, and what I had dreaded for so many years became even more enjoyable and enriching than anything I'd experienced before. The best thing about life at AU is definitely the location. It's possible to find just about anything in DC, and you can live here for years without ever feeling at a loss for something to do. There's just so much to explore, and so many educational opportunities as well-- no wonder we're #1 in the nation for internships. I usually take the metro into the city at least twice a week. Plus, DC is really good about providing discounts to college students. There are always deals online for free or inexpensive food and the Smithsonian museums are free. I love seeing Shakespeare Theatre Company shows, which provide $15 student tickets for shows that normally cost above $50, and many other local theatres have similar deals. Because most other students here are so curious and eager to explore, I always have people to join me in my adventures. The metro's pretty easy to navigate, too. If I could change anything, it would be the way the administration sometimes seems to ignore the students' wishes in their quest for improving the school. Lately, AU's been advertising with the so-called 'WONK' campaign, which has been hugely unpopular among students. I personally don't feel too strongly about 'WONK,' although I have heard that it was really expensive. A lot of my friends say they feel like the school doesn't care about them when they keep on promoting 'WONK' despite the student outcry. Still, AU takes very good care of its students in other ways. I've never felt like just a number. My other biggest problem is one that they're remedying as best they can-- there often isn't space for events or classes. That's because they're renovating and expanding, so I know that'll be fixed sooner or later. I have actually loved every class I've taken at AU. All of my professors have been knowledgeable, engaging, helpful, down-to-earth, and generally cool. The classes have been small, the workload challenging but not overwhelming, and even the Gen-Ed classes turned out to be really positive experiences. The University College program lets freshmen take special seminars and do activities and trips together, and mine was on the Nature of Evil. As disturbing as the subject matter was, the professor was brilliant, we had some fantastic opportunities (including touring the Crime and Punishment Museum and visiting the Supreme Court), and I made some of my best friends there. The campus is really nice. It has a distinctive look to it that's especially gorgeous in spring and fall (I toured in the winter, when it was gray and dreary, and wasn't too impressed with the appearance until I came back to move in). I like the small size of it, because it makes it easy to journey from class to class or from dorms to the dining hall. It's compact but never seems cramped. The school's really the perfect size, because you do tend to run into the same people, but there are always new faces, even in a smallish department like Literature. Because AU doesn't have a football team, we don't have as much overt 'school spirit' as many other schools, and most students consider displays of 'AU pride' to be cheesy and unnecessary. That said, there's a lot of support at many other events. Basketball and volleyball games are pretty popular, and so are a capella groups and student plays. I believe literally anyone will be able to find a niche at a school like AU. Even though most students have strong personal opinions, they are usually open-minded and appreciate that college is a time to experiment with new ideas and question their own views. A huge chunk of the population studies abroad at some point-- I'm planning on going to London next year-- and there are clubs on campus for basically anything that could interest anyone. My family can't believe how busy I keep, since I perform with the Rude Mechanicals (a student-run Shakespeare troupe) and improv team, participate in all kinds of events with the wonderful United Methodist student organization, help out with some Queers & Allies events, volunteer as a classroom assistant at a preschool, contribute to the literary magazine, and still have time for both schoolwork and a social life. Fraternities and sororities are visible, but it's very easy to be extremely involved without joining one. I don't see AU as fitting the normal cookie-cutter college mold, and I love that about it, but there are all kinds of people here, from every walk of life.

American's Career Center offers a highly comprehensive job and internship placement service. My freshman year, I met with a Career Center adviser who literally sat with me for about one hour and helped me reformat and change some of the language in my, then existing, resume. In addition the Career Center also has a small library that has books on various topics from the finding government jobs in international relations to office etiquette. I would definitely rank AU's Career Center among the top in the region. While AU has an excellent Career Center with numerous opportunities for internships and co-ops, many students do complain about the lack of need-based (and even merit-based) financial aid that the school offers. I've a few friends that actually had to leave the school and transfer to a local state school because they did not receive enough funding to stay at American.

I'm really happy with my experience as a student at AU, though I think a lot could be improved within the administration. AU is a well-known school and carries a prestigious reputation, but I don't think classes always live up to that reputation. Most of my professors have been amazing experts in their fields, but I've had a few classes that seem frustrating and irrelevent. However, the location in Northwest DC is unbeatable, and AU's class schedule is set so you can easily have a 3-day internship or part-time job. Since there's no football team, there's not much school pride. Students complain about the cafeteria and the dorms a lot, but realistically, we have very new buildings and the food is ranked the most vegetarian-friendly in the country.. so I think we're doing alright.

American University is a great school for a lot of reasons. It has a top notch international studies school as well as very highly renowned communication and public affairs programs. The student population is small (around 6,000 undergraduates), and the professor to student ratio allows for a lot of personalized attention. Socially, AU is interesting. It's a mix of political nerds and greek life. If someone wants a traditional college experience where frats and sororities rule, and everyone's lives revolve around football, AU is definitely not the school for that person. However, I have really enjoyed American University. The quality of education is very high, and it will be a definite advantage to have it listed on a resume.

Good for political science and international affairs, OK school of communications, ok business school, everything else crap. Rich kids who aren't necessarily smart combined with some smart kid who are poor and needed the fin aid. Most bureaucratic school ever.

American University has a great reputation and many different departments at American consistently rank highly. However, American University is a private school, so it has a much different atmosphere than a public school, naturally. The classes are often much smaller at private schools such as American and there is often greater access to instructors. On the flip side, though, there tends to be a lot more limitations in terms of the breadth of classes offered and the diversity of the student body.

I love the location of AU. If you want to be in a bubble and not leave campus at all, you can, but if you are the adventurous kind and want to explore the beautiful city that is Washington, DC, you are just minutes away.