American University Top Questions

The best thing about American is the opportunities that are available to students. I am a freshman and I already have an internship with a congressman. Although American is located in D.C., it is in a residential neighborhood. President Neil Kerwin is doing great things for the school, such as the construction of the new SIS building and the renovation of Kogod. The most frequent student complaints are about the dining hall, which really does need a makeover.

I enjoy the diversity at American. The size of the school is perfect. Most people I've talked to from my home area don't know about American. I think American is trying to milk my family for all it's worth, especially with the JAMS program. I mean, what the hell? I'm already doing stuff ordered by the court anyway. The biggest recent controversy on campus was how Leonard's RHA was using money for bullcrap like Sleeping Beauty balet tickets and the Vagina Monologues. I will always remember dorm parties and getting busted by the police. Many students complain about the food at AU. I always complain about the high costs at the Eagle's Nest. Seriously, AU, why are you doing this to us? I spend most of my time on campus in my dorm. That's where the fun is.

It is a great size school, 5000 undergads. It is close enough to the metro that you can hope into D.C. in like 20 minutes, but far enough away that it is a safe neighborhood. There isn't much school pride, unfortunately. The library sucks, and their is a tone of beurocracy, but they are trying to change that.

I think the best thing about AU is that almost anyone can find a place to fit in here. The school isn't dominated by one religion, sport, club or anything else so there's no presure to not be yourself. There's really not much about AU I'd change besides the Housing and Dining program. The food's fine and the rooms are nice, but the rules and regulations Housing and Dining implement especially as a Freshman are really annoying I think the size of the school is just right, big enough that you for the most part can avoid people you don't want to see, and small enough that you never feel like you're friendless on campus. It's also possible to make it from one end of campus to the other in ten minutes if you powerwalk which makes it really easy to get to class on time, even if you oversleep. In DC AU is a well known and well liked school. It's not incredibly prestiegous but it's a good school and people know that. Back home however I have the problem of people going American University? Is that like National University? (which is a school that advertises in San Diego) On campus, outside my room and classes, I spend most of my time in the Tavern, which is an area that has food and tables which is still called the tavern even though AU is a dry campus and thus has no alcohol sold on it. They put on small shows and other events there. Like just last night the Residence Hall Assosiation (RHA) had a Karaoke night there that all my friends went to. DC isn't exactly a college town as it already has the whole capital of the united states and the seat of federal government thing going for it, but there are half a dozen colleges around DC that I can think of off the top of my head, so it is a very college friendly town. Certain offices in the AU administration are wonderful, such as their career center, that being said, most of the administration is annoying and slow, they've been known to loose forms and not reply to emails. You can get things done perfectly well, but you need to follow up on all emails sometimes by calling or going to the offices so they can't ignore you. Often times you end up beating your head against the wall when dealing with Health Services or Housing and Dining. As a whole, DC and AU are both highly democratic. There is a College Republicans group, but College Democrats has about 3 times the membership. That being said, the most well know recent controversy was when College Republicans invited Carl Rove to talk and the coalition for social justice (a bunch of socially left groups) lay down in front of Rove's car as a protest. Public Safety came, Police came it was a big deal. School pride is almost non-excistant at AU. There is the Blue Crew which is basically the pep club, but in my experience people love being at AU but don't feel the need to paint themselves in school colors at games or wear school sweatshirts everywhere. AU doesn't have any classes that start before 8:30 which is very much appresiated by the student population The most frequent student complaint I hear is how the food at our dining hall (TDR) gets miraculously better on preview days/parent days. If they can make better food why don't they do that all the time?

Perhaps the best part about American is its political activism. Ted, Caroline, and Patrick Kennedy all endorsed Barack Obama at a rally at American in our arena. The line started forming the night before and stretched all the way down through campus and down to the Law School a half mile away. I was lucky enough to be able to stand 20 feet from the podium and hear all 4 politicians give great speeches. It is an experience I will never forget. We've also had Ron Paul, Jimmy Carter, NBC White House Correspondant David Gregory, numerous Congressmen and women, Senators, Elizabeth Edwards, and more I'm sure I'm forgetting all speak on campus. I don't think there is a better city than Washington DC to study politics, and American does it right. On top of that, DC is a great city with so much to do on a given day. When friends and family visit and want me to play "tour guide," there is never a shortage of things for them to see. That being said, perhaps the one thing I would change is school spirit, especially when it comes to sports. We don't have a football team, which stinks, and attendance at men's basketball games usually top out at about 1500 on a given night. Other sports like soccer, field hockey, and even women's basketball have sparse attendance and often it feels like the only people watching are athlete's families.

DC is the most amazing place to live, ever. period. you want to be here.

I love American's size. I think it's just right -- small enough to see friendly faces on the way to class, but big enough to avoid getting claustrophobic. Most people in my home state of PA hadn't heard of American, and I had to specify that it was in DC. Others, though, were familiar with the DC area and impressed to hear that I was going to AU. I love American's location, and I think most students on campus take full advantage of all of the opportunities in DC -- just a short metro ride away. I'm off campus a lot, and I'm most excited about beginning to search for internships in the city. Because AU isn't big into sports, I think there is less school pride than on other campuses. However, students are definitely proud of their school, and we have somewhat of a rivalry with Georgetown and GW that makes us stick up for AU. Frequent student complaints center around bureaucracy, which can be frustrating here. It can be hard to get things done in Student Accounts, Housing and Dining, or the Office of the Registrar because there are so many hoops yo jump through. I had an annoying, complicated experience earlier this semester, trying to blue-card into a class after the class that I was in got unexpectedly cancelled.

AU needs more international openness. We say we are diverse, but we're not. The International Students keep too themselves, we aren't integrated, regardless of what we plug. The school is a nice size, but sadly people have never heard of the school. When you say "I go to American," they say, "That's nice, which school in America?". "what college town?" AU is way better under Kerwin, I wish there was a student on the faculty Senate.

The best thing about American is that everything is close on campus. I would change the dining options with the meal plan. The school size is just right, I spend most of my time in the dorms. DC is a college town. There is not alot of school pride.

American has all the benefits of an amazing city with all feelings of safety. There is a lot of red tape, but also ways to get around it. Get in good with professors and the faculty and they will take care of you.