ohh yeah I mean I only know one person who applied to AU in my school and I dont think a lot of people applied other than her, last year no one in my school applied to AU.
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Sorry to hear about your father and grandparent. That is certainly difficult. I’m glad you made a connection. You never know - things might work out. It’s good you’ve made that effort.
So I often look at things financially - AU had a huge budget shortfall (they under enrolled) so I wonder if they’re willing to spend.
Can you share your budget (what you are able to pay) and state of residence?
Thanks
Yeah my dad before he passed left behind some money for me to be strictly used for school I don’t know how much is in there but I believe it is north of 150k so that is how much I am willing to spend and my mom makes around 55k a year right now and I am from Miami Florida
AU considers level of interest to be very important. But, generally, level of interest tends to be more important for “overqualified” applicants than for applicants reaching for that college. “Reaching” applicants are very likely to matriculate if admitted, while “overqualified” applicants may be using that college as a “backup” and be unlikely to matriculate.
If you applied binding early decision, that is the strongest expression of interest that you can make.
So the solace to start is your in state publics - FAU maybe a reach, FGCU. Not sure about N Florida, W Florida etc
At $40-50k, how about Stetson or Flagler types. You can also look at schools like Ole Miss (has the well regarded Croft Institute for Intl Politics), Miss State, UAH and more. I’d have to dig to see if you are admirable. U Kansas is mid 40s. There’s smaller schools that are under $40k full pay like Tn Tech. I believe Ga Southern and Valdosta give Florida student discounts. So you have to figure which fits your stats. W Carolina, Central Michigan and Southern Illinois are all under $30k.
But first thing’s first - don’t assume $150k. Check with your mom to see how much she’s willing to spend per year. And report back for some ideas. Thanks.
sadly i did not apply ED because of money but now looking back at it I should have.
I mean honestly if I dont get in I am planning on doing A year or two of FIU or community college then transferring so I dont really think I really am shooting for another school outside the DC area to be honest my profession is hyper specific in policy and I feel like I could fast track in DC so I’d just take the two years on the chin and move along but I honestly thought coming into all this admissions jargon my ECs could carry me through my one or two bad years of High school but now i am realizing more and more how much grades really matter and I guess that is my bad but if you’d have to give me a chance to get into AU or Temple or GWU what would you think because my SAT is in range don’t you think?
No you shouldn’t have. They don’t meet need. You need to get your arms around the budget. They have ED2 though if you are sure you can afford the cost.
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I dont think I can apply if I get denied for EA right? also I got straight A’s and B’s in my classes first quarter and im lined up to do the same if not better second quarter of senior year does that not amount to anything?
You can change EA to ED but understand the money first.
In an hr ill respond to your other text -when I get on laptop. I disagree btw with needing to be in DC. Will tell you why. And don’t think you’re a given for FIU but perhaps I’m wrong. Your test is way above but only 3% have a gpa of 3.25-3.49 and per CDS no one below
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thanks for the help, I will be waiting.
So - I know that people think this is the case - but I’ll disagree. My daughter started wanting AU. We did the half day thing. I set up a budget. They didn’t make the cut after merit so it was gone. Interestingly enough, it was a great visit because this is where my daughter discovered International Studies during the SIS school presentation. After I heard the curriculum, I questioned the prof on its viability - and not good in front of all those “customers” but she acknowledged, yeah you need more.
Anyway, mine ended up at College of Charleston - likely out of your budget. Now, in her case, she was in Honors and then a sub group of Honors called Fellows - but they had multiple guest speakers that were ambassadors, staff and more. She had a mentor (she had 3 or 4) who was an alum that was a speech writer in DC. She did the DC semester (you can do that anywhere - whether through your school or AU) and she had 7 internship offers. She worked at a think tank but it was surprisingly easy to get a job. Now, as a student, she wasn’t doing research. She was transcribing speeches and ended up not liking DC.
But the point is - you can get to DC from - pretty much anywhere. If you watched the Trump hearings a year or two ago, I heard a lot of Christopher Newport (small public in VA) and Kent State.
Yes, you have a desire and it’s great. You might consider a dual with health policy or public health.
Your first, second, and third priority is your budget - so talk to mom. Don’t just assume you have $150K - that might need to be used for grad school too. It’s likely you’ll be attending grad school.
And don’t assume that you can’t get to DC from - pretty much any school.
When we visited W&L, a school my daughter considered but there was no merit, the prof running their DC program said that they were second in per capita in DC employment. You know who they said was first? Sewanee - in the mountains of TN.
True, I don’t know - but I do know you don’t have to be at AU/GT/GW for a career there. Mary Washington is a public a bit south - it’s low in cost (relative), halfway between DC and a state capital (Richmond) - and you’d get in.
Or how bout very large VCU in Richmond.
DC is loaded with kids that didn’t go to school in DC - and many NGOs, think tanks, and other organizations aren’t even in DC.
Great city - if you can get into AU and afford it, I say wonderful. But if you don’t, I don’t, for a second, believe that your career trajectory is altered in any way - and I’m sure you’d find health care policy opportunities all over the country anyway.
Best of luck.
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PS - you mentioned Temple - I believe well known for Healthcare Policy Analysis. And yes, you’d get in. You can do poli sci with the Healthcare Policy and Analysis Minor. I think this would be wonderful for you, maybe better than the other two.
I don’t see GW or AU or neither affordable but that you have a great rapport with your AO helps.
Run the NPC. Keep a copy. If you ED and can’t afford, then you can break the contract, if they don’t meet the stated cost from the NPC.
But if you can afford Temple, that’s a great landing spot.
Great news - great program.
Good luck.
Not sure if you’re completely closed to suggestions outside of your previous, and I do hope you can get into American. I do have one thought though–
I’m no admissions expert but I am a public policy major at UT-Austin, and I would recommend Arizona State for your interest in health policy. It has a well-known public affairs school with a health policy concentration. I have no personal experience, but based on my search, ASU appears to automatically admit students with over a 1180 SAT. Phoenix is a major city with a state capital’s opportunities for internships, and you’re a flight away from DC. (They have a pretty well-known DC program as well.) The application should be pretty simple. Undergraduate Degrees | School of Public Affairs https://washingtondc.asu.edu
Your interests and outlook are admirable and I think you’ll do great wherever you end up. Good luck!
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AU is probably finalizing ED1 decisions now (mid December notification), although it is possible that it may allow changing EA to ED2 (1/15 deadline, mid February notification) now. Note that EA notifies by mid January, so changing to ED2 may delay notification (although if EA results in deferral, notification will be in April). See https://www.american.edu/admissions/first-year/decision-plans-and-deadlines.cfm
Yes ED2
It will delay notification but potentially give better odds as it’s binding. AU needs $$ tho. So whether someone paying $40k will suffice, I don’t know. They’ve got money issues - like so many.