Congrats! You made it to American University, the place full of changemakers, as AU admin so graciously puts it. The people drawn to AU are a pretty odd bunch, believe it or not. Everyone thinks they are gonna change the world, and trust us when we say nobody’s ego is in check. So students, please get prepared because the next few years of your life are going to be crazy, and we here at The Rival want to make sure you are all as prepared as possible. 

Freshman year is a lot.

Starting college can be a really scary experience. It may take time, but chances are American University has just the right people for you. Now granted, it’s probably not your welcome week group, but please don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Join clubs and talk to people in your classes; sooner or later you’ll find your people. AU has so many clubs, and one of our biggest recommendations is that you join at least one. Clubs are a total cheat code to finding students on campus that have the same interests and passions as you, and they’re also an excuse to socialize, which isn’t always easy here at American.

AU is tiny. And when we say tiny, we mean really fucking tiny. With just under 7,500 undergraduate students, you are definitely going to see friendly- and unfriendly- faces while walking around campus. 

Urban Dictionary: Liberal Arts 360

– When students of a liberal arts college do a 360-degree scan to make sure that someone they know doesn’t sneak up on them and eavesdrop on a conversation (read: gossip) about them, since apparently liberal arts colleges are tiny and you’re always at risk of someone you don’t like running into you

The Liberal Arts 360, or the liberal arts turn, is not to be taken lightly. The last thing you need as you’re starting college is to be talking shit with your friend just to find out that the topic of your discussion was sitting at the table behind you at TDR (us when that’s happened to us too many times to count).

The Dictionary

• The first word you need to learn is wonk. If you can’t already tell, ‘wonk’ is the word ‘know’ spelled backwards, and well, you guessed it, it means ‘know-it-all.’ Get ready, because AU is full of them. That person in your class who can’t shut up to save their life? That’s a wonk. The kid on your floor that’s already talking about internships one week in? That’s a wonk too. Our advice is this: please try not to be a wonk because AU is already swimming in them. “Wonk” doesn’t just refer to people, though; it also refers to the campus shuttle, AKA the Wonkbus. The blue line of the Wonkbus circles around campus and takes you to Tenleytown, while the red line goes up and down Massachusetts Ave and takes you to the Spring Valley building. 

• AU is a queer community to its core, so there’s no guessing how we have come to be known as GayU. Now that’s not to say that straight people don’t exist here, but the majority of the people you meet are most likely some level of queer. This means that there is absolutely no shortage of crazy gay drama ranging from the queer situationship to the queer polycule on your floor. 

• Another facet of wonk culture here at AU is the Hilltern epidemic. A Hilltern is a DC college student who, you guessed it, interns on the Hill. And when we call it an epidemic, we mean it. Take one look at LinkedIn, and there will be absolutely no shortage of posts about an AU student’s summer Hillternship. Signs there may be a Hilltern in your class are as follows:
  • Someone in your class shows up in a full suit and tie.
  • Someone in your class sprints to the Wonkbus the second class gets out
  • You are a SPA or SIS student.

Use Your Resources

Unless you think $70,000 is cheap, we recommend you use your tuition to the fullest. Utilize on-campus resources, take advantage of your meal plan, and just try to make the most out of your (or your parents’) money because your tuition pays for a lot more than you may think. Just this summer AU made many campus upgrades, including but not limited to updating the East Campus market, installing a new ice cream station in TDR, and finishing construction on the Meltzer athletic center. 

AU is Weird.

American University is, to put it lightly, a very interesting place. We have a lot of different types of people, a truly asinine faculty turnover rate, and an administration that loves to take our money for their own administrative spending, but it’s home. Our campus is a beautiful arboretum, and you truly can’t beat the DC location for educational and professional opportunities. The last thing we will say is this: “Once an eagle, always an eagle.”