American University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Business and Entertainment
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m in a sorority, I’m part of the Fashion Club, and I’m part of the Undergraduate Women in Business Club.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public high school in New Jersey with a graduating class of about 400 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Business and Entertainment
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a sorority, I’m part of the Fashion Club, and I’m part of the Undergraduate Women in Business Club.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
They all have. Especially when I got to school, they helped me have a social life and meet new people.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
We have regular homework problems and it varies from class to class. For my statistics class, there are math homework problems, and for business class, there are case studies. Tests and projects tend to make up the bulk of the grade. In some classes, participation is a grade, but it’s rarely the biggest percentage.
Is there anything you feel the business school does especially well or poorly?
I like that you get to take business courses in your first year.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s pretty collaborative. In my two semesters being here, I’ve only had one lecture with over 100 students. All of my other classes have had 30 or less. It’s a lot of discussions, and people work together.
How accessible are your professors?
They are pretty accessible. They all offer office hours and most of my classes have TAs who also offer office hours. Every professor I’ve emailed has responded within a few hours. I’ve never had a professor that I was too afraid to approach with a question.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
I started doing homework in the library once I got to college, but I never reached out to a department asking for help. It was a pretty smooth transition.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m really happy with my choice so far. I might add a minor. I choose my major because I like the entertainment industry but don’t like performing, so I thought I should go into the business aspect of it.
Reasons to Attend
1) The city life is great, and the connections you can make through it are great.
2) The class sizes. [The average class has 22 students.]
3) We have a strong political science program.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) The dining hall isn’t very good. [See The Eagle article, “Fall semester ushers in a new wave of on-campus foods.”]
2) If you’re looking for a stereotypical college experience, this is probably not the place for you.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Centennial Hall with one roommate and two suitemates
How was transitioning from your hometown in New Jersey to Washington, D.C. in terms of location?
It was different. My town isn’t very city-like, but I enjoyed the transition.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I’ve felt pretty safe on campus. At night, if you’re walking across campus is sometimes a little scary, but I’ve never felt unsafe. We have the blue light system on campus, so it’s there if we need it.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at American?
Our school has Greek life, so fraternity parties are prominent. Washington D.C. does have a few 18+ clubs that you can get into before you turn 21. Sometimes we go night monumenting, which is cool because they’re prettier and not as crowded. We can get to the University of Maryland by metro, so we can go to a football game there. I’ll go out on Thursdays if I don’t have class Friday morning. Friday and Saturday nights are more so for fraternity parties.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife at American?
For me, it has been a big part. If you don’t want anything to do with Greek life or go to a fraternity party there’s a community of people who share that interest. I do it a lot, but I know people who don’t do it at all and they’re perfectly happy.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
You can go to other schools. We have sports, but there isn’t a huge presence. Georgetown has pretty good sports, and the University of Maryland does too so we can go to their games. You can go to the museums, but they close at 5:00 PM, so if you want to sightsee at night you’d have to go to the monuments.
How happy are you with the weekend options at American? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I wish we had more of a sports presence on campus, and that Friday nightlife is a bigger deal on campus.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
One of them was my roommate who I met through the random roommate process. I met my other closest friend in class, and I’ve met a lot of them through my sorority.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
I think it’s pretty good, and I think there’s a place for everyone. There are different people who like doing different things, so there’s definitely a place for you on campus. The people who party usually stick together, and those who don’t also stick together.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
All of the time. We’re a very diverse campus and people of all different races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations are always mixing. [The undergraduate population is about 7% Black, 53% White, 7% Asian, and 12% Hispanic.]
How would you describe the student body?
People are politically active, however, if that’s not your scene, it’s harder to find people who aren’t super into politics. We’re in D.C., so everyone has an opinion. Also, most people are very accepting and outgoing.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
I think it exists. I know some of the girls in my sorority have other friends not in Greek life, and they still hang out. We’re not allowed to rush until the spring of freshman year, so all of the friends I made during the fall of my freshman year decided to rush. Not a lot of my friends are outside of Greek life, but I know of people who have friends outside of their sororities.
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’s been great. I really like the size, and it was a deciding factor in coming here. Having a smaller undergraduate enrollment allows classes to be small. I wanted a personal connection in my classes instead of sitting in a large lecture hall. [The average class has 22 students.]
How has being in an urban environment impacted your experience?
I’ve liked it. It was nice going out to an urban area and meet so many new people. It changed my perspective of making friends, and I loved it. It’s one of the reasons I choose American in the first place.
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I took a class on career studies, which is about how to prepare for an interview and how to write a resume. I tried having them help me get an internship this summer and they were helpful with what I asked of them.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
My statistics class was Excel-based.