American University

[Anonymous]

I went to American University in the 90's and have lived in DC since graduating. Don't listen to AU haters. It's a lovely campus, has easy access to all of DC, and offers a fun college experience.

It's an excellent school for public affairs, international relations, communications, and media (as well as other fields). Employers in the DC area respect the school, as graduates are usually ready to hit the ground running, as they've had real-life experience with DC internships.

[Anonymous]

AU is well-respected for international relations, political science and communications/media, and does a great job with internships and post-grad placement. Great place for a politics or news junkie to go to school. For a kid who wants something more preprofessional than liberal-arts focused, it’s a solid choice.

[Anonymous]

Interesting to see the real fallout of a drop in rankings and that they're thinking of requiring two years on campus, etc.

https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2024/12/american-university-navigates-budget-shortfall-for-2026-budget

[Anonymous]

AU is back on the way up with a new President and new leadership. Beautiful neighborhood can be at the White House in 20 min.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is American's reputation in the D.C. area as bad as one might believe reading DCUM? How is it looked at in your experience in the D.C. area? I want to know if it should be a school to consider or whether even going to it as a safety measure would be looked at negatively.

I think the huge advantage of AU over big state universities like UMD/GMU/ is the potential for individual attention from professors, especially if the student is driven and hard-working. Our class size is very small, especially in junior/senior years. My previous undergrads who did independent studies with me after taking the courses have gone to very good graduate schools and got very good jobs in national labs, etc. I am in the STEM field. However, if the students are not driven, I agree that the average students' abilities might not be as high as those of some more selective colleges. But for those who love to learn and take advantage of the professor's research, the educational experience and outcomes can be very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is American's reputation in the D.C. area as bad as one might believe reading DCUM? How is it looked at in your experience in the D.C. area? I want to know if it should be a school to consider or whether even going to it as a safety measure would be looked at negatively.

I think the huge advantage of AU over big state universities like UMD/GMU/ is the potential for individual attention from professors, especially if the student is driven and hard-working. Our class size is very small, especially in junior/senior years. My previous undergrads who did independent studies with me after taking the courses have gone to very good graduate schools and got very good jobs in national labs, etc. I am in the STEM field. However, if the students are not driven, I agree that the average students' abilities might not be as high as those of some more selective colleges. But for those who love to learn and take advantage of the professor's research, the educational experience and outcomes can be very good.

Forgot to say I am an AU STEM faculty. The university is also investing in STEM, which will lead to changes over the next 2-3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to American University in the 90's and have lived in DC since graduating. Don't listen to AU haters. It's a lovely campus, has easy access to all of DC, and offers a fun college experience.

It's an excellent school for public affairs, international relations, communications, and media (as well as other fields). Employers in the DC area respect the school, as graduates are usually ready to hit the ground running, as they've had real-life experience with DC internships.

Agree with this post. Excellent school in these areas. It is also located in a lovely part of DC. The AU Honors program offers a great opportunity for additional services and attention. AU is definitely expensive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is American's reputation in the D.C. area as bad as one might believe reading DCUM? How is it looked at in your experience in the D.C. area? I want to know if it should be a school to consider or whether even going to it as a safety measure would be looked at negatively.

I think the huge advantage of AU over big state universities like UMD/GMU/ is the potential for individual attention from professors, especially if the student is driven and hard-working. Our class size is very small, especially in junior/senior years. My previous undergrads who did independent studies with me after taking the courses have gone to very good graduate schools and got very good jobs in national labs, etc. I am in the STEM field. However, if the students are not driven, I agree that the average students' abilities might not be as high as those of some more selective colleges. But for those who love to learn and take advantage of the professor's research, the educational experience and outcomes can be very good.

I completely agree with this assessment. --humanities professor

[Anonymous]

American is one of those rare Goldilocks "just right" size unis in a perfect college city. All the benefits of DC with a cozy campus.

It's high on my DS's list and he wants to study poli sci!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach there but would not send my child there

I teach there and would send my child there. I wasn't going to comment, because I feel like I'm obviously biased. But figured I'd reply to this point to give a different perspective. I see my students get terrific internships and grad school placements. We have smaller classes so I get to know my students well. I think it's a great blend of smaller classes but also R1 research opportunities. So, obviously biased, but I wanted to say that I would send my kid there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid did a year there and we thought it was overpriced and underwhelming. I would avoid

Where did they end up after a year? Were they there for undergrad?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It is on the rise!

How so? Another concern I had was the ranking. I thought it would be at least t70-80 but it's not.

It was until recently but the USNWR methodology change moved it down. Most of the chatter about the methodology change is negative but I haven't followed it that closely. I think AU is a cute little campus in a good location, safe suburb but easy to get to downtown DC. Students seem to do well with internships and have good outcomes. It compares well to GW but not to Georgetown, at least generally. Like most other T-100 schools, lots of faculty with PhDs from Ivies (the one benefit of the oversaturation of the market with PhDs). I'd check out the program your DC is most interested in, but it's a solid school with a perfectly good reputation. Has strong academic areas and weak ones, like most other universities.

one this it does not have is a "cute" campus

Have you only driven by? The parts not seen from the street, like the quad and dorms, are great. I would definitely call is a cute campus.

my kid went to AU for a semester and thought the campus was soulless. I'm glad it's a good fit for your kid.

Can you elaborate? What were kid's expectations and what was the reality after they set foot on ground?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach there but would not send my child there

Your kid may not want to be near you. Just sayin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AU is well-respected for international relations, political science and communications/media, and does a great job with internships and post-grad placement. Great place for a politics or news junkie to go to school. For a kid who wants something more preprofessional than liberal-arts focused, it’s a solid choice.

Add business to this. Their business school has been really taking off.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It's $90k a year and ranked 91. You can do
better

It costs in the high 70sk. Not cheap but not 90k, like Georgetown.

It also ranks 10th or so for IR and top 50ish for political science. I might not be eager to send my kid there for something else but for those it would be a reasonable choice.

Any thoughts on their newish environmental programs within Kogod?

How is it going in this era (under current white house)? What effects if any for graduating seniors?