I have been reading these forums on AU, and some posters have explained how there is a middle class at AU, but i'm still skeptical of the general political attitudes of the students.
I'm also under the assumption that GWU is the more liberal, moderate version of AU. Is this the case?
How does "political climate" have anything to do with the presence or absence of middle class students? What exactly are you "skeptical" of? And how can GWU be both "more liberal" and "moderate" at the same time? AU students as a group are as liberal as those at any east coast college. The president of the student body just came out as transgendered in an op-ed in the school paper, and nobody blinked an eye--that certainly indicates a socially liberal environment. But I guess I don't understand what your concern is. Perhaps you can clarify?
Is a majority of students @ AU a part of the conservative upper classes? But what you said by your example, i can obviously see that is most likely not the case.
I just don't want to feel like the classic example of the one poor kid who goes to (elite school) and doesn't fit well because most everybody else is a rich, conservative elite.
"more liberal and moderate" only makes sense under the assumption (my assumption) that AU's climate was much more conservative than it is. Placing it on a ideological scale basically.
I'm sorry i wasn't clear.
I'm coming from a high school whose students can barely spell the word politics much less understand their importance.
I don't believe that i could handle a very conservative environment with students from much different backgrounds than myself.
Okay, I understand now. No, I'd be willing to bet that even the kids from the most affluent backgrounds are pretty darn liberal. No one would ever characterize the AU campus as a very conservative environment. And your sense that the student body is overrun with rich kids is also off the mark. Like any other private school, AU has its share of full pays--somebody has to pay the costs of running a university--but plenty of students receive financial aid. Personally, as a parent, I've never gotten a rich kid vibe from the campus, and D actually complains that some of her friends can never afford to go anywhere that isn't free. My S was a student at GW some years ago, and he felt that a lot of kids there had endless funds for designer clothes and weekend clubbing. But in any event that had nothing to do with their politics, and I think it's a mistake to link income level with political views.
You also shouldn't be fearful of being with a lot of kids with backgrounds different from yours. College is a great equalizer in many ways. All the freshmen will be living in the same dorms, eating the same food, adjusting to college life and a new city at the same time. That's a very strong basis on which to form relationships. And getting to know people who aren't like you is one of the many positive, broadening experiences of going away to college.
"You really need to get out of the mindset of the lower class being liberal and free-thinking and rich being conservative and elite.
It's ignorant and destructive. And if you can't function without being surrounded by clones of yourself you should probably work on that too."
Really wish i knew how to quote -.-
Anyway, I know that. Its thats bias attitude from the question that i hoped would shed light on what I wouldn't enjoy @ AU.
And the whole clone thing, I really wish i could meet a clone of myself. at my large, "poorly performing" "inner city" public high school the closest thing i have to "peers" or clones are the two or three people who bother to do their AP Lang & Comp hw.
Quite frankly, i almost feel as if i'm jumping from freshman year of hs to freshman year of college.
MommaJ, you talked about meeting different people from many different backgrounds. And that's awesome.
But Gherring, what i've never experienced before is meeting people with intellectual backgrounds or people (on a large scale) who care about the more pressing issues and intricacies of the world.
Thanks Again,
Now lets hope i get in next year? ... then find a way to pay for it?
4.6 wgpa 3.93 uw gpa mostly most rigorous
28 ACT
Officer of two School Clubs
From what I can tell, this is a place where American tends to be very uneven. Some people are really happy with the aid they get from American, but a lot of people go elsewhere because their families can't make the contribution that AU would require of them. Good luck. I hope it turns out well for you, but you might want to brace yourself for the possibility that it won't.
As for how to quote:
1. Type a square bracket, then the word "quote" (but without the quotation marks), and then close the brackets.
2. Copy and paste the selection you want to quote.
3. After the quotation, type a square bracket, then "/quote" (again, without the quotation marks), and then close the brackets.
American is very liberal, or at least about 85% of the 1200 students on the class of 2016 facebook page are. Additionally, out of the consortium of DC schools, AU gives the most need-based aid, per student, on average. Most students seem to be concretely middle class.
