We toured campus and loved the academic flexibility, location, diversity, and DC opportunities for interns, etc. We are curious about the social life. It didn’t seem to have a very strong sense of community. Can anyone provide feedback? Daughter is pretty social and would live on campus and would be fine going Greek if it helped to create a more typical college experience (some parties, trips, etc). Thanks!
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Hi! Were you able to get any sense of what the community at AU is like? We also visited and liked what we saw, but it is hard to get a sense of campus life.
Nobody responded.
Oh, well! Maybe they have a “shadow a student” program, or something like that.
I have a freshman there in SIS. They love it so far, are social but not a partier. But have found friends and things to do. Sounds like quite a few girls go to frat parties at Georgetown on the weekends. Mine goes to music venues, bookstores, cooks with friends, and out to eat off campus. But not into the frat party scene. Rush for frats at AU doesn’t start until next semester so I wonder if the social stuff on campus will change.
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Thanks! Feel free to update about rush. My son really liked AU when we visited. He’s not a partier, and is hoping to find friends willing to form intramural teams, go to museums/concerts, volunteer, outdoor club, etc. He’s still a junior so will look into visiting again if AU remains on the top of his list. Looks like they accept a significant number of students ED.
Hi there, my son is a sophomore at AU and has been having a great experience. He plays club volleyball, as well as joined a soccer and futsal intramural team. There are parties on and off campus (he is off campus this year because the fire alarms his freshmen year were just too much) and some people do attend frat parties and go to clubs on the weekend. And of course, all of the great museums and fabulous restaurants are easy to access, as AU provides free metro passes for all their students.
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Greek life is extremely small at AU, only about 10% of undergrads.
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My daughter is a sophomore and loves it, very social!
My daughter was accepted ED1 and can’t wait to get there! She intends to go greek, so I’d love to see what people have to say about the Greek System there.
Congrats to your daughter!
For greek life, AU definitely follows the “presence not pressure” model. About 10% (800 students) of the undergrad student body is involved in greek life, and there are more frats (11) than sororities (8), but sororities have about 500 members compared to 300ish frat members. Some sororities have better histories than others, so I’d advise your daughter to do checks on which groups have been suspended for hazing/racism/etc. AU also follows the “delayed rush” model which means that first years cannot rush until after they’ve completed their first semester, which gives your daughter a whole semester to learn about the different orgs.
AU is pretty transparent about most of their greek organizations, but here’s some quick links:
FSL homepage: Fraternity and Sorority Life | American University, Washington, DC
Panhellenic Council: Panhellenic Council | American University, Washington, DC
Organization Conduct Status: Student Org Conduct Status 3 | American University, Washington, DC
Spring 2022 FSL Grade Report: https://www.american.edu/ocl/student-involvement/upload/fsl-academic-report-spring-2022.pdf
FSL Annual Report 2022: https://www.american.edu/ocl/student-involvement/upload/2021-22-annual-report-2.pdf
I’d also keep in mind that AU has a large activist student body, and anti-greek life movements pop up about once a year, so it’s important for anyone considering greek life to know the history of the program at the school. Here’s a story from the student newspaper from last year: The rise, fall and rise of the abolish Greek life movement - The Eagle
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Sounds similar to my kid, thanks
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HI there, I am considering AU but want a typical college experience and was wondering if your daughter ended up joining a sorority and what her experience was like? Or, if anyone else greta2000 can share whether their experience or their kid’s experience has been positive there? I really love DC but I worry that there won’t be enough social opportunities in the typical college sense. thank you!
People with more direct experience will likely chime in. We have family friends whose son transferred to AU because he was done with typical college social life. His first school was heavy on Greek life, tailgating and partying, and was in a location without a lot more to do. He loves AU! He and his friends go to concerts, museums, restaurants, and rallies, and are involved in intramurals, community events, internships, etc.
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My S is a sophomore. AU does have a greek system, but it has not been central to my S’s experience (by choice, although he has gone to a few parties as a guest). There is definitely a section of students who go out in DC a lot – there are several popular under 21 clubs, I believe. However, compared to my other S at Tulane, the party/greek/social scene at AU seems much more chill. This was actually a plus for my AU kid. Also, especially compared to big state schools, school spirit around athletics is pretty low.
I think where AU shines is with respect to student clubs (there are a lot, including intramural and club sports). And, of course, DC sites, shopping, restaurants, etc. My S is involved on campus and gets out in DC a ton.
So, I wouldn’t say AU offers an “atypical” college experience – I’m fact, it’s pretty typical in a lot of ways and perfect for some kids – but may not the best choice for a student who wants big greek life, crazy sports fans, etc.
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This is very helpful, thanks! I’m touring AU this weekend. I’m excited.
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Have fun. Report back. I also noticed you were interested in dance as an extracurricular. Although I have no personal experience, everyone at AU raves about AUIM (AU in Motion) which is a club (not part of the dance department) with about 200 dancers. There is also an AU dance team (and cheer team) through the athletics spirit program.
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We toured today and I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did, mainly because I am looking for a school with a lot of school spirit and sense of community on campus, and I am not sure if AU provides what I am looking for. (sadly, even after touring, I am still not clear. ugh! this is really hard). But, I generally loved our tour. There’s a lot to love with the academics. The campus is beautiful. I like how close it is to everything in DC while still having a traditional college campus (unlike GW, which we also toured). All the buildings and flowers were beautiful and our tour guide was awesome. I learned that you can do their study abroad program for no extra tuition cost and that is very appealing to me!
I do wish they had a stronger greek system with actual houses. I guess I’m worried about jumping in with both feet and ending up at a school known more for its activism than joyful college life and so far I haven’t seen a ton to help me answer these questions about the social scene.
If I apply, I will look into their dance team - and if anyone has experience with them, or know anyone who does, I would love to connect more. Thanks!
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Did your S end up going to AW? If you don’t mind my asking, if he did not, can you share why he chose another school and where he ended up?
Thank you!
My son decided he wanted a smaller school. I think you should ask the posters on this thread whose kids do go to AU and love it. You could also contact the school and ask to talk to a student.