<p>i’ll try to answer both of you…
dmla: AU is one of the oldest, if not THE oldest school in the nation for IR and international topics. AU is like a sibling of it’s city-slicker GW. both are high on things international, with basically identical admission requirements. AU is,tho still in DC, in the wealthy suburbs.
sushi: AU like most schools, especially competitive ones, becomes more selective every year. AU focuses on numbers, ie GPA,SATs it would look good to show excellence in anything…SATIIs, etc. but those are more for placement, not admission.
yes, standardized testing is seriously looked at to level the playing field amongst a wide range of high school offerings.( some overinflated, others not.) merit aid is what i think you mean, and it is strictly determined by the class within which you apply and your numerical cut-offs, found in their guidelines.</p>