I have appreciated the contributions to this thread very much. My son was accepted into this program – we had a heads up from the FedEx notification that specified ‘Spring Intl. Admit’ in the subject line. If he’d gotten the ‘big envelope’ without that preparation, I imagine there would have been some confusion so I sympathize with the posters here who felt somehow tricked. And I definitely feel the dribbling out of the acceptances was a form of water torture. But I’m grateful to AU for this decision. I’m not sure S will end up there as he has some other good options. I don’t want to post his stats but they were not really ‘in the range’: in terms of his SATs. CR was above the middle 50, math was below and writing was in the middle. His cumulative GPA is way lower than AU’s published minimum. But it showed a definite rising trend and everyone who read his essays said ‘don’t change a word.’ So I feel AU is taking a chance on my son – they saw he was lopsided, they saw he had a shaky start but is gaining in confidence and ability as a student and they saw something in his life story that appealed. As a family we’d always thought a gap year would be a good option so this program actually fulfils some of our needs. He’s going to the Admitted Students’ Day and will keep an open mind until then. I’m sorry some posters feel this program is a ‘holding pen’ - I see it as a transitional program which in the case of the one candidate whom I know very well might well be the perfect bridge into college.
I went through the WMP. I loved the program my best friend went through the program with me and two of my other good friends are former WMP kids as well.
While the letter AU sent out may have been deceptive, you were still admitted to AU. stop whining and get over it.
It's not a second class program or a scam. The teachers are good, and the experiences you will remember forever. I dont know if youll sit next to an ambassador your first semester at college but I did. I've also gotten to know the DC area extremely well because of all the site visits I went on during the WMP.
Also students on main campus are jealous that WMP kids get to intern first semester. It is a big part of what AU stands for.
You may be on a separate campus, and take separate courses, but doing so makes you bond with your fellow WMP members and it gives you the experience of a lifetime.
that being said it is an expensive program.
I'll always be a proud Tenley kid.
Last year, My D was offered WMP. The problem was that there is no financial aid to cover it, and at $25,000 for a semester, we couldn't do that! She is very happy at her chosen U, but it took a little while to get over the disappointment. My question last year was, if she was a good enough candidate to be in for WMP and spring admittance, was that better or worse than waitlisted for fall admittance? We had been told there was no chance WMP students would be admitted for fall, yet waitlisted kids still had that chance...
Last year, my D was confused as well with this offer. If the program is so great, why aren't applicants told about it as a possibility, and asked if they would like to be considered as a box to check on the application????? To be offered out of the blue, when the student applied for fall admission, but not be able to use financial aid because you are technically not a matriculated student yet, is tough to process!
Thanks DeskPotato for pulling up this thread. Ok teachandmom you need to put this behind you. I accept and agree with many of your thoughts but it's time to let go. Yes, my D was confused and somewhat insulted at first since AU should have been safe for her. If she had interviewed during our visit, she may not be in this situation now. However, she is strong, resilient and independent, and already sees the opportunity here. She loves exploring cities and not afraid to venture out, usually dragging a friend along. She has traveled the world and will continue to do so. I'm not posting her stats without her permission but they are high, in the 2000s, an AP scholar, lots of art/music/drama, good volunteer stuff, bright, funny, well-spoken. She is an excellent writer who creatively passes her wit and humor along in her writing. Everyone who knows her will tell you there is nothing 2nd class about her! I'm guessing that there was intense competition for the political science or related departments since the accepted scores I'm seeing are not what I expected. Does this happen? Amazing scores and deeds for RD apps (who are you people?!) so she will be in good company. Other than being expensive, I think the program looks decent. I like that they take the English requirement and get that done, as well as being able to take another general requirement or major class. This is huge. Tenley doesn't look so bad to me. In fact, the main campus is way over crowded, don't you all think? We really wanted to love AU but when we visited we were taken aback by the crowding and...let's talk about the whole housing thing! Do juniors and seniors have to move off campus? I'm concerned about this since I think my D would like to stay on campus and have her friends stay on as well. So, AU students who did WMP: 1) was it worth it? 2) did you find your classmates bright (or 2nd class indeed) 3) did you like Tenley 4) did you spend much time at the main campus 5) were WMP classes up to standard of main campus classes 6) what's the housing situation with Juniors and Seniors. Aside from that, Fall 2012 is big election year people, what value should we place on being in this program during this time and will they be able to tie in any study around that? My D has other choices, one right now not far from DC that gives her a valuable Presidental Scholarhsip at a school she likes. We will absolutely be going to the accepted students day. Afterall, she is an accepted student as are all WMP students, so don't lose site or self-worth!
Daughter got this WMP package yesterday....literature major, didn't interview on campus. She is awaiting many other decisions. I agree with other posters....how this was handled (no advance notice of the option, large envelope) is all a bit odd. Her grades and scores don't make her a second-class candidate, and writing is her best subject. She certainly doesn't need a remedial course in that subject.
We will wait and see how this plays out, but it does seem a bit unusual.....
Actor123, it is behind us, and my D is doing really well at her chosen U. However, I believe others deserve to have information, and that is what I am doing, simply sharing our experience with AU in the process; questions we had while considering briefly WMP, and that unless you search the website, it is not something many applicants know about. You can see from other's inquiry about WMP that they too have been taken by surprise and are somewhat confused - the more who share this, the more typical is seems. The more who share their experiences, the more info will be out there for others.
@Actor123,
I can't comment on the WMP, but can confirm that housing is not guaranteed for juniors and seniors--a lottery system is used, some get in, some don't. (My D has been fortunate enough to get into the Nebraska suite-style dorms for the current year and next year because in each case one of the four suitemates had a low lottery number). I believe this is not unusual for an urban campus, where there is plenty of alternative housing available. Many students welcome the opportunity to live in apartments. As for crowding, I have visited AU many times and never got that impression. In fact, compared to other colleges located within the borders of a major city, AU has a more spacious, traditional campus than many.
Actor123, as you can see from this thread from last year, my D went through the same emotions as everyone here last year. But she decided to take the WMP option and we all firmly believe she made the right decision. Based on my D's experience, here are some answers to your questions:
1) was it worth it? - My D gives it a resounding YES. Instead of coming in new to the campus in the Spring. She went to AU with a friend who was a regular admit in the Fall. They both attended the new student welcome together, wearing the same AU shirts and were treated the same way (same access to all AU facilities and resources, AU ID, joined clubs, etc.). Her regular admit friend was jealous that my D could do an internship at the Smithsonian while regular admit freshmen could not (most regular admits are not eligible until sophomore year). That internship made such a big difference in my D's life. It really is what going to school in DC is all about. The WMP program helped her build a wonderful core group of friends because they lived and took classes together. Her regular admit friend spends most of her time at Tenley with my D's friends. She is now taking her Spring classes and she isn't branded as second class in any way. She has the same credits the regular Fall admits have and feels like a regular AU student with the perks of Tenley.
2) did you find your classmates bright (or 2nd class indeed) - My D finds them not only very bright but outstanding individuals with a strong sense of self and and character.
3) did you like Tenley - My D ended up with the largest dorm room I've ever seen so she opted to stay in that room for the second semester. Her regular admit friend's room was a fraction of the size. As mentioned by others, Tenley is actually more convenient than main campus for accessing the city via metro and for accessing eating/shopping places in Tenley town.
4) did you spend much time at the main campus - D took one class on main campus in the fall and this spring all her classes are on main campus. There is a shuttle that frequently connects the two campuses.
5) were WMP classes up to standard of main campus classes - D says yes. The professors are AU professors who also teach main campus classes.
6) what's the housing situation with Juniors and Seniors.- as mentioned by MommaJ, housing for junior and senior years is by lottery but a number of students like to live off campus by then so my D is hopeful that she can snag a room. But even if she doesn't, I'm sure she won't mind living off campus.
Honestly, I've let this all sit with me and am actually kind of glad I got offered it. It is kind of cool to be doing an internship right away, and I think the experiance will be great. I'm not sure if I'm going to American or not but I'm definately considering it. American is a great school and I think good things can come out of this. I'm trying not to look at it so negatively 1) because I really want to be in the DC area 2) because American is a good school so getting in one way or another was a blessing.
AlohaTM your comments were really helpful. Do you know how many classes can be taken on main campus during the WMP?
newenglandie27, the WMP students can take only one class on main campus because Tuesdays and Wednesdays (all day) are reserved for the internship and they have to take three classes on Tenley. So schedule-wise, it is difficult to take any more classes.
Glad my comments were helpful. We found this thread really helpful when my D had to decide last year.
It is what it is. There are schools (Mount Holyoke immediately comes to mind) that offer a large number of applicants spring admission because they know more students are away on study abroad in the spring, as well as there being some students who leave after a first semester. So AU does the same, except has created a program whereby students can get AU credits, acclimatize to DC, experience their first internship, without waiting for spring. It comes at a price, and folks are welcome to decline it and simply begin spring semester if they choose. AND transfer in credits from elsewhere.
It's a free country. It's just another available option.
Matth94: Sorry, but I think it's above being waitlisted. Hope you get off the waitlist!
I got this offer on Friday. I was initially kind of annoyed, to tell you the truth. The big envelope was deceiving. This was a target school for me. I have a 2090 but very low grades, probably around a 3.0 or less.
However, I really started thinking about it and being offered WMP has actually made me reconsider American. I had actually decided in November after visiting that I would probably never go there, but being allowed to intern your first year of college is an amazing opportunity. Seeing as networking and hands on experience is practically the only reason I would go to American, this made the school much more attractive to me. So, congrats to whomever decided this was a good strategy to get money, because you're right: it is.
Also, thanks to all the moms out there who post on college confidential, but it would be nice to here from a real student. Also, it it really that hard to type out 'daughter'?
Lastly, does anyone know if you can still do the four-year B.A.-M.A. in Political Science if you do WMP?
