American University Top Questions

American university is special in that it is at the heart of the nations capital which makes for a fun evening out. Georgetown, downtown, and chevy Chase, MD are all good choices for shopping and a night out to the local hot spots. Anywhere you go, you are sure to run into fellow American University students. Students at my school party pretty often but they also prioritize their academic before their social lives.

The political organizations & volunteer groups are definitely the most popular on-campus activities. AU has a dry campus, but that certainly doesn't stop people from drinking anywhere, really. I write for student publications and volunteer pretty frequently off-campus. I also am a part of various social justice groups. I have never been to a game or an on-campus play. However, if the right political speaker comes, people will flock to the event. I got to meet Dan Rather thanks to an event by the Kennedy Political Union, which organizes most of the on-campus speaking events. A freshman year tradition would be waiting for a frat bro to give you a ride to a party, since you can't just walk into the frat houses at AU. (They're all off campus.) Not sketchy at all! I admit, I did it for a semester, but then I found real friends who were 21 and willing to help a girl out. If you're underage, like to party/drink, but don't have any way to buy alcohol, this is your best bet. If you didn't want to drink on a Saturday night, you could go out into DC and do...anything, really. You could go to a museum, a play, an open-mic night, an athletic event, a concert...there's loads of (free and/or low-cost) things to do in the city.

I would say the most popular student groups include political ones, environmental ones, and then Greek life (both social fraternities/sororities, and professional fraternities). Greek life at AU is something that is big, but also totally avoidable if you don't have any friends involved in Greek life; basically, it is there if you want it but you don't have to be consumed with it if you don't. I am involved in Phi Sigma Pi National Co-Ed Honors Fraternity, which is an amazing organization. Athletic events are overall not very popular, however, guest speakers populate AU all the time. The theatre puts on multiple shows each semester, yet is about a 15 minute walk from main campus. The dating scene can be a bit tricky, as AU's male population is about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, and of that 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} a lot of men are gay. However, DC is a college town so if dating at AU is not working out, there are plenty of other schools to check out. In general, I feel that people have a great mix between partying and studying. Since AU is a dry campus, none of the partying is actually done on campus, making it easier to get work done if you need to. DC is a very 18+ friendly city, so students can often be found at clubs, and once 21, bars. On a Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking, many times there is a concert or event on campus sponsored by a student group, and there is also The Perch, which is a hang out/coffee shop with games. I think it is very easy to meet people at AU.

American University (AU) has a variety of popular student groups/activities on campus. I'm always amazed to walk out onto the quad and constantly see something going on. Whether it's a table for a fraternity/sorority, a farmer's market, or an African drumming session where students are flinging paint all over each other, there is always something going on. Throughout my years as a student, I have often shot photographs for AU's yearbook. These have included things from the school's annual breast-cancer awareness festival (breastival) to music artists such as Matt & Kim, Eric Hutchinson and Matt Nathanson who play for free in the school's tavern. There have also been a number of amazing guest speakers such as Bill Clinton, Gloria Steinem and the Dalai Lama. At AU, there is always something going on. Although the university identifies as a dry campus, there is honestly always going to be students who drink. Greek life is large and prevalent, but the campus does not have greek houses. Students also often have a choice between which side of campus they want to stay on. Northside is notoriously quieter and Southside is often known for the more rowdy bunch. In the upcoming years, AU is also implementing a substance-free dorm for students who wish to room together with other students who are not involved in a drug/alcohol scene. There is also going to be gender neutral housing in one of the larger dormitories, which allows for students to room with a member of the opposite gender. This is largely to provide a safer and more accepting environment for members of the trans community and is an option for all students. There are also dorms with honors floors, Residential Community Clusters (RCC) which tailor themselves to specialized groups and many other communities to engage in. Weekend activities can range from going out to one of DC's many clubs, to going to a nice restaurant with your friends. There are lots of free things that go on if you have a little extra metro fare, or feel like walking a few miles, so it's nearly impossible to get bored.

There are over 200 different clubs and organizations that students can get involved in on campus, so it's hard to choose which ones to pursue. I am a huge part of the AU Ambassadors, a group dedicated to helping prospective students decide if AU is the right school for them. During my Sophomore year I was the coordinator of campus tours, which means I ran the campus tours part of Ambassadors. We have a large number of students who are Ambassadors and have lots of fun together! Some of the other major organizations that students are involved with are the Kennedy Political Union which helps to bring public speakers to campus. Two weeks ago we have Bill Clinton come! The Student Union Board focused on getting major bands and artists to perform concerts on campus too. About 23{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students get involved in Greek Life, whether it be a social or professional fraternity. Even if the social Greek Life scene is not for you, the professional frats are a great way to get involved, meet new people, volunteer, or do stuff that is associated with your major.

There are over 200 different clubs and organizations that students can get involved in on campus, so it's hard to choose which ones to pursue. I am a huge part of the AU Ambassadors, a group dedicated to helping prospective students decide if AU is the right school for them. During my Sophomore year I was the coordinator of campus tours, which means I ran the campus tours part of Ambassadors. We have a large number of students who are Ambassadors and have lots of fun together! Some of the other major organizations that students are involved with are the Kennedy Political Union which helps to bring public speakers to campus. Two weeks ago we have Bill Clinton come! The Student Union Board focused on getting major bands and artists to perform concerts on campus too. About 23{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students get involved in Greek Life, whether it be a social or professional fraternity. Even if the social Greek Life scene is not for you, the professional frats are a great way to get involved, meet new people, volunteer, or do stuff that is associated with your major.

There are over 200 different clubs and organizations that students can get involved in on campus, so it's hard to choose which ones to pursue. I am a huge part of the AU Ambassadors, a group dedicated to helping prospective students decide if AU is the right school for them. During my Sophomore year I was the coordinator of campus tours, which means I ran the campus tours part of Ambassadors. We have a large number of students who are Ambassadors and have lots of fun together! Some of the other major organizations that students are involved with are the Kennedy Political Union which helps to bring public speakers to campus. Two weeks ago we have Bill Clinton come! The Student Union Board focused on getting major bands and artists to perform concerts on campus too. About 23{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students get involved in Greek Life, whether it be a social or professional fraternity. Even if the social Greek Life scene is not for you, the professional frats are a great way to get involved, meet new people, volunteer, or do stuff that is associated with your major.

Student Government, Kennedy Political Group, and Women's Initiative. Also, Greek life seems to grow every year.

There are a lot of activities on campus to choose from. We have an active frat/sorority scene, however that is by NO MEANS the only option. Only about 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of AU students join a frat or sorority. Other groups to get involved with are RHA, Student Government, and Model UN - those are perfect for the aspiring politicians/ambassadors who go to AU. There's also several theater groups - AU Players and the Rude Mechanicals (a Shakespeare troupe that I'm in!). Sports are all very popular. AU's basketball team is pretty good and the games are always packed. AU also has tons of amazing guest speakers that come to the University. Lots of politicians, world leaders, etc. A couple years ago, the Dalai Lama came to speak! The LGBT community is also very active on campus, as are various multicultural groups and the Women's Initiative. People at AU do party, but not extremely. I've had friends who go out every night and friends who have never gone out drinking in their life. Most people save their partying for the weekend, though many go out on Tuesday night as it's fairly easy to arrange your schedule to have no classes on Wednesday. Basically, there's a lot for people to do no matter what their interests are. People at AU tend to find their niche and do their own thing, whatever that is.

There are tons of groups at AU that in some way deal with politics - whether it's by representing a particular group of people on campus or by promoting the awareness of some social or environmental issue. These are the most popular student groups along with fraternities and sororities, but there are many other groups at AU and there is always room for more; for example, the one my friend and I founded this semester. It's called the Student Historical Society of American University - or "SHS" for short, and it's geared towards promoting the study of history on campus as well as volunteering at various places dealing with history in the city, like the National Archives. Additionally, the club also organizes trips to historical sites in and outside of the area, and hosts screenings related to historical events. Along with student groups, guest speakers and theater are very popular here. We've received lectures from Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security (whose building is right across the street from AU), Dan Rather, Colin Powell, and plenty more. There are at least a dozen performing arts groups on campus, whether they are relating to theater, singing, or instrumental performance.