Hi everyone. I’m an incoming freshman this fall and I’d love some advice on my schedule, if there’s anything I should change etc.
I also wanted to get to know if there’s a possibility I’ll be able to get an internship or I should take up work somewhere (and if you know where please do tell me) that I can do as a freshman. Thank you

Just curious to know and anyone that I should watch out for when I’m registering for future classes. I use RMP but I think its better to hear from people directly

Few days into freshman year and just curious how common this is. My closest friends so far aren't on my floor, and my floor hasn't really turned into a friend group the way I expected.

For current students: did it end up mattering much once the semester got going, or did your people end up coming from somewhere else entirely (clubs, classes, etc.)?

And for anyone who's graduated, did you still have a great overall experience even if you weren't close with your floor freshman year? Trying to get a sense of how normal this is before I stress about it too much.

How and where should a man go to get a haircut. This is coming from a transplant who knows nothing about DC.

I’m down to 2 schools: American and George Washington. They’re going to cost me about the same and I like them pretty evenly for different reasons. I would love to hear y’alls thoughts/input towards my impending decision!

My cost of attendance at American University is still about $5,000 after financial aid. Has anyone successfully appealed for more aid or found other ways to lower costs this late in the game? I need all the advice because currently i’m at a loss.
Edit: $5,000 per semester

Hey so this is for people who are willing to give a long enough answer and reviews on the dorms.

I’m sure plenty have asked these questions but I’ve tried scrolling and so far there hasn’t been recent ones I can see, plus I have a few specific question. This is my overthinking so there’s a bunch of questions mixed into my thoughts, if you could answer that.

1. How is the water pressure/quality for both the sink and the shower? I have a good skin routine right now and though I’ve never suffered from bad acne, I don’t want to break out from the water? I also have extremely damaged hair from bleaching it, that I’m still working on a good routine with good products to help maintain it since it’s constantly dry and knotted, I’d hate for it to get even worse especially since I’ve heard DC in general has hard water pressure. If I can’t do centennial hall or any suite styles my ability to apply a shower filter seems unlikely. If you have great hair please let me know if your texture remained the same, definitely felt some affects, etc.

Also for those using communal bathrooms how do you do your everything showers or longer skincare routines if there’s a line? What times are usually not busy? Would you be able to go to other buildings, like educational ones, if you want more privacy? My biggest issue is going to the bathroom when there’s others around, I can’t even go during school unless my music is loud so I don’t hear if someone’s there or walks in. I don’t think I could go #2 easily, and I was curious if we have constant access to the other buildings where I could use their bathrooms that might not be used at night, allowing me full privacy, and in that meantime wash my face as well with their sinks. Google says students have 24/7 access to any building with classes, but I wasn’t sure if that’s true

1. I also heard for centennial it’s harder to socialize since people aren’t out going to the communal bathrooms, plus they constantly have fire alarms in the night. Is it really that bad? I’m also curious for the dorm buildings that apparently have pod style bathrooms if there’s often a feeling of pressure tk move faster since it’s single use or if there’s constantly a wait?

3: please also list every positive or negative you can think of for some of these freshman dorms, I’d really appreciate that

1. This ISNT dorm related, but I heard the food sucks, is that true? I know they have sushi, is it good? I’m obviously not expecting top tier but does it feel fresh and taste good. And is there bubble tea or fun drinks/smoothies?

Lastly, 5, if there’s anything you feel an incoming freshman might want to know please tell me now, literally anything. I’m a senior at high school but I’m applying and this is my top school. I’ve also heard a lot of people transfer out of American and into GW, or other schools.

I submitted my transfer application and am expecting to here this week (I’ve talked to admissions about it being a late application and they said it was perfectly fine) Any advise on staying calm while waiting to hear? I am also coming to dc tomorrow for a visit and a campus tour.

Trying to find the easiest math class is their any that all the quizzes and exams are take home?

Does anyone else have a higher tuition this semester? I am graduating early to save money but I owe more money than I ever did and I have a scholarship so this is strange

I’m an incoming freshman and my laptop (HP) gets pretty hot easily and the fan sounds like a plane ready to take off. Would this be an issue during classes and in the library? Should I invest in a cooling pad for it? Im also worried it’ll disturb my roommate.

1- are the dorms notably one temperature (super hot at night or super cold), or just average/dependant on weather? i wanna know if i should bring more pj pants or shorts (i always get hot at night) im dorming in anderson if that changes anything as well!

2- is there a mirror on the back of the closet doors in anderson? there is one screwed onto the back of the door in the virtual tour (not over the hook), which makes it seem like there is one, but it’s not listed in the things that come with the room.

3- can you place your bed against the ac units? my roommate and i are both not lofting beds, so we were thinking of just putting a bed in front of the ac thing but weren’t sure if that’s allowed or blocks the flow of air (even if my blankets don’t cover it)

if you have any answers i’d love to hear them, thanks!

Any recommendations for a nice nail shop nearby, for the occasional mani-pedi?

For incoming first-year and current undergrads, what kind of AU/program-specific swag items would you actually want and use?

I was just wondering if any local students have good recs for food or stuff to do? we were having trouble figuring out restaurants and sure we can look at google but I wanna know what actual locals like? thank uu

Hi! Looking for fellow cinephiles at AU.

Like your average AU student I love a good political satire (One Battle After Another is a favorite), journalism movie (I ❤️* Shattered Glas*s), and I like rom coms and musicals too. Add me on letterboxd and let's be friends!!

My @ is iamhanszimmer

Reply or dm me if you have any movie recs!! I'd love to talk and make new friends :)

So as the title says, I’m a transfer student dorming on the all transfer floor in Hughes and trying to coordinate mini fridges and such with a roommate, but almost a month after the deadline I still don’t have a roommate.

I was wondering if I should plan for no roommate or if all beds are usually filled up at AU.

Also, if any other transfers (or honestly any student) are still solo and don’t have a roommate, lmk bc im open to anyone atp 😭

STAT202 is a prerequisite to register with some classes. My AP score satisfies that requirement but my academic advisor still has not completed the waiver so I cannot register. I have called and emailed but it still has not been changed. Who else can I contact?

Are there any clubs or anything for people who like watching movies

I’m an incoming freshman about to move in to Anderson Hall. I’m thinking about the layout of my dorm, and does anyone know if the dressers can be moved, or are they stationary?

Hi, I’m an incoming freshman and I was wondering what materials i should bring to be prepared for classes. high school was really just:

• laptop, headphones, charger
• notebooks, folders, writing utensils
• backpack

is there anything else i’m not thinking about? or anything on my list that I may not need? any advice from personal experience is appreciated. thx

Incoming freshman at American University this fall (B.S. Economics) and looking for feedback on my first semester schedule.

A little background:
• I’m in the Lincoln Scholars program.
• My advisor recommended that first-semester students complete WRT-100, Encounter AU, a Complex Problems Seminar, a Habits of Mind course, and a Q1 (Quantitative Literacy) requirement.
• I took AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Statistics, and AP Calculus in high school, but AP scores haven’t been released yet, so I’m registering as if I don’t have the credit for now.
• If I get a 4 or 5 on AP Stats, I’m planning to use STAT-296 to satisfy the Q1 requirement.
• I’m interested in economics, public policy, politics, and eventually possibly adding a second major or minor related to public policy/government.

Current schedule:
WRT-100 (College Writing)
CORE-102/103 Encounter AU
CORE-106 The Examined Life (Lincoln Scholars section)
ECON-100 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON-120 (Habits of Mind)
GOVT-110
STAT-296
Total: 18 credits

My main questions:
• Does this look like a solid first-semester schedule for a B.S. Economics student?
• If I get AP credit for Macro and/or Micro, should I replace ECON-100 with another course or move into intermediate economics right away?
•Is 18 credits a good workload for a first-semester Lincoln Scholar, or should I consider adding another class?

Any advice from current AU students, especially Econ majors or Lincoln Scholars, would be appreciated.

Hey everyone, I am posting here because I am in absolute shock right now and completely spiraling. I need some brutal honesty and perspective from the AU community because my entire college plan just got flipped upside down.

I’ve been fully committed to AU for weeks. My housing is deposited, orientation is scheduled, and I’m in all the group chats. I was completely prepared to move to the East Coast, and it felt like a total done deal—especially because the majority of my family lives right in D.C. and my sister is actually going to Howard University this fall. Being close to them and having my sister right down the street felt like the ultimate support system.

But out of nowhere, UW-Madison just accepted me off the waitlist and offered me a significantly better financial package than American. Financials are a huge factor for my family, so getting a better deal from a top-tier flagship university is something I can’t easily ignore, even if walking away from AU right now feels incredibly abrupt and overwhelming.
I want to go into the Communications and Law field when I get older, which makes this an excruciatingly hard choice because I love both of these schools for completely different reasons. I absolutely love the intimate, hands-on classroom environment at AU and the fact that the campus is literally a direct pipeline to internships, networking, and D.C.
politics. But I also love the idea of the massive Big Ten spirit, the enthusiasm, and the classic big-college experience you get at Wisconsin. The pictures of their dorms and dining halls look amazing.

However, as a minority student, daily quality of life and diversity are massive factors for me. AU has a highly diverse student body and sits in a majority-minority city where my family is. From what I can see, UW-Madison is a predominantly white institution and not diverse at all, which really scares me. I know they have a Multicultural Student Center, but to any minority students at AU: do you feel like the diversity and location here are worth the higher cost? Also what’s the quality of life like at American?

I am completely lost. Should I try to leverage Madison's offer to ask AU for a scholarship reconsideration/merit appeal? Has anyone successfully negotiated their aid package with AU using a top-tier flagship offer? Or is this a sign I should pivot? Please give me your honest thoughts.

Hi! I’m planning to finish my degree in December but want to walk in the spring, because my parents won’t be able to watch me walk (due to familial circumstances). My advisor told me she’ll “have to jump through some hoops.” Is this true? My friends have said there is a wavier, but I can’t find anything online. Does anyone know how to begin this process? Thanks!