"It's too expensive." This is the first statement made by hundreds, if not thousands, of students who are admitted to AU each year. The university justifies the cost by emphasizing the fact that we are in D.C. and the opportunities for internships are endless. They also tell us that we are the "most politically active school in the nation," and have a highly ranked School of Public Affairs. The only thing they do not tell us is how much we will be in debt after we leave. Unlike some students at AU, I am paying for college completely by myself. A grant here, a scholarship there, and my cost of attendance per year has been cut to around $25,000 per year. Although it is a great deal compared to around $45,000 per year, it is still going to put me into debt for years to come, especially if you count the years of either graduate school or law school that I haven't even begun to factor in.
To remedy my situation I had a great idea. During the summer when I am back in my home state of North Carolina, I'll take classes at UNC or N.C. State so I can save a few thousand dollars. I called my dad and told him that I could possibly save myself $60,000 by just taking summer classes at an in-state school! I ran to my advisor and asked her what I had to do to take summer classes and she handed me a form with a smile and said all I would have to do is fill it out. As I read over the sheet I noticed one fatal flaw. AU students are only allowed to take six credits from an outside institution after they have started their program at AU. At this point I let out a sigh of frustration and asked what I would have to do if I wanted to transfer. To get a degree from AU, transfer student only have to complete 45 of their final 60 credits in residence at AU.
Students who have been here for four years can only add six credits to what they originally came in with? Am I the only one who sees something wrong here? If transfer students can take all of their classes but their final year-and-a-half at another school and it doesn't cheapen their degree from AU, what is wrong with allowing me to take classes over the course of three summers just so I can take a year off of my bill? We are being penalized for deciding from the beginning that AU is where we want to be. With the economy the way it is now, and enrollment dropping more than 6.5 percent, extending the amount of credits we earn away from the university during a summer program can only help with both AU's economic hard times, as well as the students'. President Kerwin has asked Financial Aid to monitor activity with regard for the need for emergency assistance. The best way to provide us with financial assistance without divvying out more money forcing the university to cut costs across the board is to allow students to take classes at our in-state institutions over the summer and get more credits out of the way. This way American University still gets their $45,000 per year; I get out of AU with less debt; and AU loses fewer students due to these tough economic times.
Ty Tillett Freshman, School of Public Affairs