American University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Law and Society
Minor: Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m a member of a sorority, a professional pre-law fraternity, I’ve been a teaching assistant (TA) multiple times, and I have an on-campus job.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Homeschooled in New Jersey.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Law and Society
Minor: Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a member of a sorority, a professional pre-law fraternity, I’ve been a teaching assistant (TA) multiple times, and I have an on-campus job.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I’d say that being a teaching assistant did because being able to teach others allowed me to understand I wanted to continue with the subject I was teaching. Being in my sorority allowed me to meet a lot of people and changed how I fit in at American University.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
It’s more readings and articles, and less weekly homework that we turn in. The classes are very participation heavy, and if you haven’t done the reading you won’t know what’s going on. In a lot of my classes, we’ll get cold called on. The bulk of the final grade is usually a paper. There will occasionally be an exam, but it’s less common.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I think the surprise “cold calling method” is done well. It can be intimidating at first, but you’re guaranteed to be learning because you have to actually do the readings, rather than skimming or ignoring them. The issue with having so many papers is it sometimes can be biased with the grading. Especially with the Law and Society, it can be biased in that the subjects deal with philosophical issues with law and if you hold an opposing view of the professor they may give you a lower grade.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I’d say it’s more competitive. It’s not an environment where you can work together, especially with readings.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yeah, I’d say so. Especially being in a philosophy heavy major, there are good discussions because not everyone has the same school of thought.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible. Most of my Law and Society professors have been accessible through office hours or email. A lot of them do seem willing to help you if you don’t understand the reading.
What has been your favorite part of American academically?
The opportunities it gives. Not only do I feel that I’m learning a lot, a lot of times you can make good relationships with professors. Most professors genuinely want people to learn, especially in the smaller classes. You’ll make some good connections through that.
How was transitioning academically from being homeschooled? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
It was hard at times. During my senior year of homeschool, I took community college classes, so I had been in a classroom setting. It was still odd having gone from no classmates to larger lectures. It’s not that difficult as long as you work hard.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m happy with my choice. I choose this major because it’s basically pre-law, but it has more policy involved. I wanted a pre-law major with practical application.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s a really good school for international services and public affairs.
2) A lot of the professors are great and you’re going to make connections with them if you put in the effort.
3) The location. AU’s campus is beautiful, and being in Washington D.C. brings a lot of opportunities.
4) It’s fun and has a good social scene that you can choose to be part of or not. You don’t have to be in Greek life to have fun and know people.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It can be a very competitive and driven environment. If you don’t want to be working while taking classes, that’s fine, but maybe don’t go here because many people do that.
2) It’s very expensive and the financial aid office isn’t always the best. [Undergraduate full-time tuition is about $27,000.]
3) If you’re worried about mental health or accommodating services, it may not be the best fit. [See The Eagle article, “AU students express concerns over new Title IX regulations,” and article, “Staff Editorial: Email on mental health aid reveals out-of-touch view of administration.”]

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Anderson Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Cassell Hall with three others
Junior: On-campus apartment with three others
How was transitioning from your hometown to Washington, D.C. in terms of location?
I came from the middle of nowhere, so it was a great transition. Tenleytown is a really accessible area, and it’s not overwhelming. If you want a city feel you can get it by going about 15-minutes into D.C.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It has been pretty good. There was one point last year where there was construction going on which made our blue light system inaccessible to students. But other than that, it’s been great.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at American?
At this point in my junior year, I like spending the weekend at a friend’s house and watch movies. There is access to other things, but at this point, I’m not doing as much. I work and have homework, so I’m pretty busy. At the beginning of college, my friends and I would go out to parties, but being under 21, we never really went to clubs. The parties were usually at the fraternities on Friday and Saturday nights. AU doesn’t have fraternity houses, so they were off-campus.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife at American?
It’s a big part of it. If you’re just hanging out with your friends it doesn’t really matter, but if you’re a freshman it’s one of the only things to do on the weekends because you can’t go to the clubs in downtown D.C.
What have been some of your favorite times at American?
AU has had a few good speakers come, so that’s interesting. It’s just sometimes hard to get access to the events because everyone wants to go. Doing random things in the D.C. area with friends has been fun, like going to the mall, different museums, or exploring the Maryland and Virginia area.
How happy are you with the weekend options at American? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m fairly happy with it, but I don’t really participate or party as much.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Some of them were people I lived with by chance. I met the others through working my on-campus job. A lot through work, and less often through classes. Joining clubs and organizations does help a lot. If something interests you, you can try it once and if you don’t like it no one will notice.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It’s pretty good. If you’re expecting a big party school, that isn’t going to happen, but if you’re not looking for that, it’s good. You’ll find friends and people to hang out with that have your specific interests. There are a lot of niche interests at AU.
If at all, how does the urban environment impact the social experience?
I think it does after your freshman and sophomore year because people start moving off-campus and are further away.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
To a fair extent. It’s a pretty diverse and liberal school, so people are more aware of the issues in diversity. [The undergraduate population is about 7% Black, 53% White, 7% Asian, and 12% Hispanic.]
How would you describe the student body?
There’s a big culture of always doing things, whether it’s working, interning, or taking extra classes. It’s a very competitive and driven student body. It can be a little toxic. There was one year I was working three jobs and trying to find internships. Even when I was interning, I was working 16 hours a week, had a full course load, was in two Greek organizations, and still tried having a social life.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
I think they mix a fair amount.
How do you like the size of American in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has that impacted your experience? [American has about 8,300 undergraduate students.]
It has a weird feeling between you either know everyone’s business but there are also people you’ve never met. It’s not that big, but I didn’t meet some people in other schools until through other ways such as an organization.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
My sorority’s alumni network has helped me. I got connected to an alum because she posted in our Facebook group and shared an open internship opportunity at her company.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I went my freshman year to have them look over my resume. I went to a few career fairs, but I found them overwhelming and hard to make connections with.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I don’t think they’re responsive or easy to work with. My scholarship wasn’t showing up on my account, and after contacting them many times with no response, I eventually was told they had put the wrong number on it and basically lost it. They eventually fixed it, but it feels like it shouldn’t have happened.