American University

Date: Oct 16 2011
Major: PreLaw and Legal (This Major's Salary over time)
First of all, I said I would write a StudentsReview review to myself on AU when I came to AU because I had read practically every review on this website and it really helped me make my college decision… so here goes. To address concerns:

The first thing I would like to make a point of is that AU has just switched more of their aid from merit based to need based financial aid just like every other school in the nation. Lots of rich people come to AU so when you see the comments about financial aid getting cut… that's what it is. The university is not corrupt or some sort with your financial aid.

Secondly, a lot of people seem to be offset by the campus dining options and how far away the city is. There is only one dining hall but plenty of places to use your meal swipes like the Tavern, McDonalds, Eagle's Nest, etc. Not to mention that there is a Whole Foods, CVS, Safeway in Tenleytown and food all over the place in Tenleytown and Georgetown… so I don't' see this as a big deal. Also, transportation is a plus at AU in my opinion—the metro is close in Tenleytown and you can take it anywhere albeit sometimes it takes awhile to get places but you can plan around that. Not a big deal to me as some others have made it out to be on StudentsReview.

To sum up my experience at AU thus far—I would say it was the perfect place for me to come in order to get an education in International Relations. The SIS program for International Studies is great and I feel challenged by all my classes already and feel like I'm getting a world class education. Looking at the numbers, AU's undergraduate program ranks 9th and its grad program ranks 6th. Those are pretty good numbers and you will definitely have a career/job coming out of SIS. In terms of campus life, I've been very surprised to have met Robert Gibbs (White House Press Secretary), Janet Napolitano (Security of Homeland Security), Jane Goodall (UN activist & world figure), and next week we will be hearing and seeing from John Legend (artist) and this has only been my first MONTH at AU.

AU is not as recognized as other schools if you come from places like I did… like California. But in DC and the New England area AU is definitely recognized and growing in prestige and academics. AU has plenty of opportunities from what I can see in IR, Social Sciences program in our School of Public Affairs (SPA), and Kogod School of Business. Also, I work at our International Students program and I see many royals from Arab speaking countries come here along with many international students. AU's grad programs are really doing well and offer much more in my opinion.

AU will be expanding more with its 2011 Campus Plan to its Tenley campus and WCL will be expanding more if your concern is that AU is too small. Honestly, I enjoy the 15-30 people classes and the fact that I can get from my dorm to any class in max 10 minutes.

I think AU is right for anyone who is considering a world class education at the most diverse university in DC who is also looking for internships and study abroad. AU has the highest amount of interns in the country at 81% and many students do study abroad here. It's a place full of opportunities.