This week is NACAC week (that’s the National Association for College Admission Counseling), and this year’s conference is being held in Baltimore, MD!
Follow along as I visit some beautiful college campuses in Washington, DC, and Baltimore this week. Yesterday I started with Georgetown, and today we’re going to:
American University
The Kogod School of Business is right there the moment you step foot on campus.
Why is this school awesome?
Olivia: American perfectly blends the traditional campus experience (as a registered arboretum with idyllic quads and beautiful gardens) with big city access. All AU students get a free U-Pass that provides unlimited use of the DC bus and metro system, which they make extensive use of, but they also have a peaceful yet vibrant campus to come home to.
Culturally and academically, the school offers another perfect blend: between mindful liberal arts exploration (no one enters AU with a declared major or school) and outstanding career preparation (one of our tour guides has had an internship every semester of her college career, including her semester abroad!).
Favorite spot on campus?
Olivia: Definitely the quad. It’s so clearly the heart of campus, surrounded by the student center, library, College of Arts and Sciences, Kogod School of Business (the oldest business school in DC!), School of Public Affairs, Kay Spiritual Life Center, and Hurst Hall, the university’s very first building. AU hosts loads of events here throughout the year, including a weekly farmer’s market and food trucks during the fall and spring.
AU’s quad is both the literal and metaphorical heart of campus—plus it’s beautiful!
5 words to describe campus?
Olivia: Classic, peaceful, sustainable (they were the first college in the US to become carbon neutral!), community-oriented, interdisciplinary
Just walking from class to class provides endless opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of campus.
Sustainability at AU is about way more than just recycling and composting—and all students do their part!
The "typical student" is...
Olivia: A go-getter who wants to take advantage of the myriad opportunities available on campus and in the city of Washington, DC. Students really embody the “Changemaker” ideal that AU promotes; they’re not willing to settle for what they have and are always searching and striving for more.
AU students are proactive and resilient as they explore a variety of academic areas and pursue internships and professional experiences. A lot of students are politically-minded and/or globally-minded (Over half of AU students major in the School of International Service), though less politically-minded students can also find their own community here.
International perspective?
Olivia: Similar to Georgetown, about 11% of undergraduates are international and hail from over 100 different countries, but what sets American apart are its exceptional international and global academic programs, including award-winning study abroad opportunities.
The School of International Service (or SIS) offers only one major (a BA in International Studies), but is home to about half of all AU undergraduates because of the sheer number of AU students who are focused on international issues and careers. The degree can be personalized in dozens of different ways for students to focus on the particular regions, languages, and issues that matter to them.
The School of International Service is the academic home for about half of AU students.
Special programs/offerings applicants should consider?
Olivia: One very cool major I loved hearing about was CLEG (Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government), which is an interdisciplinary major unique to AU that sounds perfect for any aspiring lawyer, politician, or policy writer.
For those many globally-minded students, AU offers some incredible niche programs and majors with an international focus, such as the 3-year accelerated Global Scholars program and Sakura Scholars, a joint degree partnership with Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan.
Applicants should also look into the variety of other special programs AU offers, including the Honors Program, Lincoln Scholars, Community-Based Research Scholars, and more.
The McKinley Building is home to the School of Communication but looks like it could very well be home to the US government.
Tips for the application process?
Olivia: One of the things I love about AU is how they balance liberal arts with pre-professionalism. When you apply to AU, you don’t need to commit to a particular school within the university (though you will indicate your current academic interests on your application) and all first-year students enter undeclared. Applicants are encouraged to showcase their variety of interests as well as their critical thinking and potential career goals.
American has a very interdisciplinary mindset, so be sure to emphasize this especially if you apply to the Honors program (which is all about interdisciplinary exploration). They are also one of few colleges that consider demonstrated interest to be very important in the application process, so if you like AU, let them know!
Although the university’s overall acceptance rate tends to hover around 30-40%, their ED acceptance rate is usually around 80%, meaning if AU is a reach for you and is your top choice, ED is a great way to demonstrate your interest and almost certainly secure your spot here.
Got a picture with the donkey statue inside the atrium of the athletic center. There’s an elephant as well!
Fun facts?
Olivia: There are a bunch of fun painted statues around campus that used to be placed around Washington, DC, and were later donated to the university. The classic donkey and elephant are in the athletic center, and a couple of pandas frame the entrance to the student center!
The Kay Spiritual Life Center (featuring some folks from our tour and our trainee tour guide, Zoe).
Next stop: