American University Top Questions

The stereotype of students at American University is that the students who go here either want to change the world or be the next president. It may sound funny, but when you really look at this stereotype it just means that the students at AU want to be successful. We have a very strong international relations program and a lot of students who come to Washington D.C. for school are interested in politics, so it is natural to have a stereotype like this. Students at AU get really involved in internships (AU is ranked as the number one school for internships in the country) and everyone wants to make a difference. I would say that this stereotype does fit a lot of the students that go here, but like any stereotype it cannot be a generalize for everyone at American University.

Passionate and actively involved in the local and global community, but often lazy. Yes, it is accurate for the majority of students, but a minority is very academically-driven.

All political science or international relations major. We are all "wonky"

Passionate about their beliefs and interests and not at all afraid to defend their opinions. Few AU students are apathetic

The general stereotype of AU students is that they are all either: 1) Kogod business students who think they're going to become CEOs of major corporations; 2) Government/Political Science Majors who are interning at Congressional offices and want to become senators from their home states; or 3) School of International Service students who all believe they're going to save the world someday. I would say that this stereotype is generally pretty accurate in that most AU students actually do belong to one of those three categories. There are a few, however, like myself, that do not fit in with that stereotype.

Before I came here, I was told that everyone was extremely politically active. I would say that is pretty accurate. It would be hard to avoid this characteristic seeing as the campus is in Washington, DC. I wasn't involved in politics at all before I came here, but as a result of all the different opinions I hear during some truly interesting classes, that has changed (for the better). I love the types of knowledgable and passionate people I have met here. I'm really excited to see what campus is like next year during election time!

Some people think of AU students as politics-obsessed Internal Relations students from New Jersey who couldn't get into Georgetown. Everyone knows a few kids who fit that stereotype, but for the most part, it's not true. The College of Arts and Sciences is actually the biggest school on campus (although the School of International Studies is pretty awesome), and most students are quite socially conscious and politically active, which I think is a good thing. But as a Literature major from Virginia who has never expressed much interest in politics, I've never felt out of place. (Oh, and many students here-- including me-- didn't apply to any other DC universities. We loved the smaller size, the campus, and the community feeling at AU and looked no further.) People have also jokingly called it "Gay Jew" instead of AU, simply because there are a lot of Jewish and gay students (although personally, I feel like the gay students are just more visible here because our environment is so open-- students are just less likely to be closeted here than at big state schools.) It's definitely noticeable that the campus is largely female, but not as much as some people joke.

The stereotype is that we're all obsessed with politics. It's not very accurate- though I would say the majority of students are politically aware, we're not all politically active. Being in DC makes it easy to get involved in politics (like interning on the Hill or volunteering at the White House), but AU students have a variety of interests.

American University students are renown for their political involvement both on and off campus. AU students In addition, liberal ideologies mark the general classroom experience as well as many of the student organizations. While the school is remarkably liberal, there is room for just about every political position under the sun and each, for the most part, is accepted with tolerance.

Since it is located in the nation's capital, a lot of students who are interested in politics come to American University. In 2009, it was rated to have the most politically active students by the Princeton Review. This is definitely accurate. Any political cause one could think of is represented in one way or another on campus. There are constantly rallies, protests, and political events that happen on campus, and AU students organize events off campus as well. If you're really into world issues and politics, AU is the school for you.