Not many options. Basically, there are two affordable and popular options for off-campus housing for AU students: Berkshire apartments and Avalon apartments. Both buildings are full of AU students. The Berkshire has very low prices, but it makes sense because most of the apartments have old appliances and the rooms aren’t very large if you want to spend less than $ 900. However, the Berkshire does include utilities, which is great. They also have a shop in the basement which is very convenient and the building has a gym. The Avalon is across the street and is much nicer. Each apartment has a much larger kitchen and the apartments are equipped with a washer and dryer. However, utilities are not included in the rental which is inconvenient. The Avalon has a rooftop pool which is great in the summer with humidity. Expect to pay more if you live in Avalon above Berkshire. Most students live in these buildings as commuting to the AU can be tricky and the walk from these two condos is only a 7 minute walk. Some students choose to live in houses, but I would say that only about 5% of students do.

Campus life at AU is quite comparable to most college dorms. Anderson and Letts are the most common dorms, the latter being newer. (Anderson was the first renovated, making it the last “second” renovated.) Even though Anderson is older, it was always clean and the rooms were very large. I stayed in a double room on the fourth floor and it was lovely. Shared apartments weren’t always my favorite just because we didn’t have our own bathroom, but as I said the rooms were very spacious and clean. My roommate and I were also lucky as we were dominating the “LA Quad” (green/road between Anderson and Letts) so we have a nice view. The living room was nice too, as was the office. Nothing really stood out, but they served their purpose and were very helpful when it came to cooking a home-cooked meal, catching up on a TV show, or finding a quiet place to study.

Small and Safe Campus – American University has a very small campus, with additional buildings in the area, and I have never felt unsafe quad biking at night. Even at 2am after a long night in the library, I feel very safe. It’s not often that a student doesn’t come across a public security officer here at the AU day and night. AU offers a shuttle service to all of their additional buildings in the surrounding neighborhood and a service that will pick you up if you don’t feel safe. Of course, the AU suffers library theft when unattended laptops are left to the public, or if you decide to leave your dorm room unlocked, but lately public security has been trying to be vigilant about such acts (it’s not uncommon for an agent asking you to view an unattended laptop in the wild, is their way of preventing theft).