By Katie B.
American University is known for its location in DC, and for taking advantage of that location. 85% of its students participate in at least one internship while in DC, and 60% have two or three. Not surprisingly, AU is known for its public policy majors, including CLEG (communications, legal institutions, economics, and government), political science, and data science for justice, law, and criminology and for political science. Students in these majors have an exceptionally wide array of internship opportunities related to the government and the judicial system. But students in other majors have great opportunities as well. For instance, the sciences as a whole are the fastest growing field at the school (a new science building was completed in 2020), and many students have traditionally interned at places like the Smithsonian, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institutes of Health. In terms of career services, many of AU’s alumni stay in the DC area (about 62,000 of them), and starting sophomore year, the university’s career office will connect students with an alumni mentor.
AU is in a quiet, suburban-feeling part of DC. There's a small shopping center about half a mile away, and a larger commercial center (Tenleytown) with a Metro stop and lots of shops and restaurants a little more than a mile away. The Metro connects students to Capitol Hill and other busy parts of the city, and the school provides a shuttle bus to Tenleytown. The campus is green, leafy, and serene. It’s actually a 98-acre arboretum with over 5,000 trees, oriented around a couple large, grassy quads surrounded by a mix of historic and modern buildings.
The CLEG program, mentioned above, is one of AU’s signature programs. This major requires that students participate in an internship, and in general AU places a strong emphasis on experiential learning. Students can also get a degree in international studies through the School of Foreign Service. AU also has three 3-year scholars programs—Global; Politics, Policy, and Law; and Public Health. These require a separate application, and include classes during the summer so students can graduate more quickly. The new science building has 30 different research labs, including one to study the chemistry of cooking. Students who do research with professors become published co-authors. Finally, AU has a School of Communications; students in that school need to double major in a different school (for example, majoring in PR/marketing along with theater). The school includes advanced production facilities for TV, radio, and other media.
The campus includes two student-run coffee shops, and a variety of dining options, including Starbucks, Panera, and poke bowl and sushi stations. Housing is guaranteed for freshmen and sophomores; by senior year, most students live off campus. The school is in the Division I Patriot League, and all games are free to attend. Ten percent of students are in Greek life; a lot of socializing tends to happen off campus, in DC’s restaurants and bars. In terms of mental health, the school provides a good deal of support, with 8 therapy sessions per semester available to each student, and then group therapy after that.
The school’s Mock Trial and Model UN teams have been number 1 on the continent for 5 years running. AU has a Center for Entrepreneurship which any student (not just those studying business) can use to develop products. Our student described it as “kind of like Shark Tank.” Students who successfully create products there keep any proceeds.
AU looks for students who thrive on experiential learning, and provides many opportunities for that to its students, building internships and research into its curriculum. Our tour guide pointed out that the experiential learning carries over into the classroom: most professors are working professionals who tend to have great contacts in their fields. All are required to have office hours to meet with their students. Class sizes average around 23 students, with the largest classes capped at 60. Many students at AU are focused both inward on their classes and outward to Washington, DC, with its plentiful internship opportunities and thriving restaurant and theater scenes. While AU is in a quiet corner, DC’s energetic center is within striking distance and is an integral part of the AU experience.
AU appeals especially to students who are interested in public policy and want the chance to be involved in real-world work throughout their undergraduate experience. But unlike other city schools like GW and NYU, it has a quiet, very defined campus that’s a bit removed from the action. Students who want all that a city has to offer but who also want the feel of a traditional college campus would likely find themselves at home at AU.
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