American University has experienced professors, a beautiful campus (it's a designated arboretum!) and is located in Northwest Washington, D.C. — far enough away from touristy hotspots to not get annoyed by the selfie sticks tourists lug around, but just close enough to the heart of the city to keep things interesting.
Thinking of applying? Like any college, American University has a unique personality that some students may not instantly click with.
Be aware that American University might not be the college for you if...
1. You Are a Diehard College Football Fan
If you live and breathe by the Gator Nation and you're enrolled in AU for the fall, you might want to consider transferring as soon as you get the chance.
See, at American University, there isn't much competition between AU and our rivals, as American University's football team has gone undefeated for years.
In all reality, at one point, American had a football team, but AU voted against bringing "big-time" football to American in the 1940s. RIP.
2. You Don't Appreciate the Fine Art of TDR Cuisine
As your tour guide will tell you, the Terrace Dining Room has it all. There are healthy options, pizzas, desserts...all you can eat! Perfect for any starving college student.
It looks amazing when potential freshmen come to visit--there are tablecloths, elaborate centerpieces, music.
In all reality, on an average day in the life of TDR, there are no white tablecloths, no centerpieces, and sometimes students end up eating from paper plates.
The raspberry lemonade is gone by noon, the omelet line is often capped 30 minutes before it closes, and carbs make up most of the options, but that's okay--this is college!
People love to hate TDR, but at the end of the day, despite its flaws, students really wouldn't know what to do without it.
Besides, Mac n' Cheese Wednesdays at TDR is where it's at.
3. History Is Your Least Favorite Subject
If you hate American history, don't bother applying.
At any time, students can see the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building, visit the living history museum of Ford's Theater, where Abraham Lincoln was shot in 1865, and visit 11 of the Smithsonian Institution Museums on the National Mall.
It's a history buff's dream.
4. You Don't Consider LinkedIn Endorsements from That Guy You Just Met "Flirting"
At AU, students like to keep things professional—internships, classes, relationships. Don't be surprised if everyone you meet wants to add you to their professional network so you can stay connected in the years to come.
You know it's getting pretty serious when you get added on LinkedIn before receiving a Facebook friend request.
"Do you want to endorse Scott's Social Skills?"
5. You Don't Want a Unique Learning Experience
AU offers students opportunities unlike any other college in the USA. Some classes take students to brunch with the International Committee of the Red Cross to talk to judges and professors about cyber-crime and "hacktivists," on a trip to conduct research in the Library of Congress, or usher them right into a full tour of the Pentagon.
6. You're Not a Fan of Walking/Biking/Uber/Metros/Buses
Only a handful of students actually bring their cars to AU because parking in Washington, DC is not only next to impossible, it is ridiculously expensive.
The rest of us who don't bring their cars to AU walk, learn how to get around via Metro, or drain our bank accounts by spending $6 to travel about a mile back to campus in everyone's favorite, personal chauffeur—Uber.
7. You're Looking for an "Easy A"
AU's grading scale can take a toll on your GPA, since an A- (getting a 93 percent in a class) can bring down your grade point average. It's never fun to walk away with a 92. percent, since most professors don't round up.
AU professors are (usually) pretty straightforward about their expectations the first day of classes, and they know their stuff—they're practicing lawyers, published mathematicians, and award-winning journalists, so they expect students to come prepared to give it their all.
They don't care if you stayed up till 5 a.m. on the silent floor of Club Lib because you were out all weekend and are now desperately trying to finish up your final essay, and they expect you to give them quality work each and every time you hand something in.
8. You Hate Politics
If the thought of talking about the primaries makes you shiver, AU isn't a good place to further your academic career. At all.
American University is located in the nation's capital, and even the people who aren't into politics are into politics. Vice President Dick Cheney, First Lady Laura Bush, and President Obama have even spoken at AU in the past few years.
At American University, everyone has strong political views, and almost everyone will want to share them with you (whether you want to hear them or not!)—it's just part of AU's culture.
9. You Don't Learn the Lingo
From "tendahs" to having strong opinions about everything imaginable, AU students just have their own way of, well, communicating with each other. Click the image above to see the full video done by AU's Mission Improvable for yourself!
At 43,617 views and counting, it barely surpasses the cost of one year's tuition!
10. The Thought of Being Forced to Take a Snow Day Is the Stuff of Your Nightmares
Even if it only snows for 10 minutes around 4 a.m. -- American University completely shuts down in the winter.
Pros of a snow day: You get to sleep in.
Cons of a snow day: Some professors schedule online exams "in the event of a snow day," so you might have to set your alarm either way.
On particularly blustery evenings, the tag #KancelitKerwin starts trending on Twitter and Facebook as students vie for the attention of the University's president to cancel classes.
11. You Want the "Traditional" Greek Experience
If you're interested in joining a fraternity or sorority because you grew up close to a school that boasts of all the things television claims Greek life to be, then AU isn't the place you want to go Greek.
But if you want to raise money for a great cause and do it with the help of other members of the Greek community, then be sure to sign up for rush or recruitment.
At AU, Greek organizations on campus typically put a large focus on philanthropy. From Lambda Chi Alpha's Watermelon Smash and Sigma Chi's Derby Days to Chi Omega's Sand Slam and Alpha Xi Delta's The AmaXing Race, there is always a Greek event on the quad or in MGC.
12. You Hate Recycling
At AU, you're basically taught how to properly throw out your trash before you figure out how to navigate the student portal. #GreenEagles!
The downside? They are often packed with yesterday's trash that everyone forgot to toss out. Best of luck trying to shove some pizza boxes into the bins during the end of Welcome Week! Speaking of pizza boxes, does that go in the paper bin? Or the organic waste bin?
Beware the stares the staff and environmentally friendly students will give you when you toss a banana peel into the paper/cardboard bin because you're simply too lazy to walk over to the proper bin.
13. You're Not Passionate
Whether it's divesting from fossil fuels, starting a campaign about why people need feminism, or an interest in musical theatre, everyone at AU is passionate about something, and students aren't afraid to share their ambitions.
As much as students roll their eyes at the WONK campaign (a WONK is AU's way of classifying someone who knows something backwards and forwards) American University students truly are driven and they take the time to fully understand every cause that they're passionate about.
AU students take on internships on Capitol Hill, write for various newspapers, work in PR for entertainment companies in the city, all while keeping up with their coursework.
Choosing to attend a press conference over a tailgate on a Saturday night might not be the "traditional college experience" that most people expect of a college student, but it's the one that AU students love.
- - -
Whether it's the way the air conditioning seems to switch back to heat at random times in the spring or the recycling bins at every corner reminding students to separate their plastic from their organic waste, most students love the little things that make American University, American University.
So we don't have a football team and we are all a little wonky...whether students love it or they love to hate it, American University is a beautiful, amazing place to learn, and is a university that any student can be proud to call home.
#OnceAnEagleAlwaysAnEagle.
