<p>Although I like American and George Washington, American is not the “safety” for me. Yes, I have a better chance of getting into AU, but I like it for its own reasons. I like them both and there are many similarities, but I would not consider AU my “safety”. I love AU because it is a campus inside a city. I love AU because with a campus, it has more of a college-y feel. I love AU because its grad school and its undergrad school are almost equal in terms of size. I love AU because I have read numerous stories about patriotism AND school spirit. I love AU because they give out a lot of need-based aid AND merit-based aid, so they are no doubt socioeconomically diverse. I could go on. I think there are a lot of people who apply to AU and not to GWU, as well as vice versa.</p>