When seniors look back at their time at American University, they don’t think about the test they bombed or the work-study position that filled their non-studying hours. They’ll think of the little things— the hours spent quadding, the pounds of tendah’s consumed, the library cram sessions in that distinct 3 AM atmosphere of tears and desperation. But now it is time to graduate, time to look at the future. Just because you’re leaving doesn’t mean that AU is just going to say, “good luck” and send you into the world alone. AU will keep in touch, and he’s how.
Alumni Education
Is there a class at American that you were never able to fit into your schedule? Alumni have the opportunity to audit one class a semester for only $100! Plus, $75 of this registration fee is then given straight to the Alumni Association Scholarship.
Additional education opportunities are also available through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which currently offers 62 different classes.
Alumni also have lifelong borrowing privileges in the Bender Library, as well as access to the building until midnight and access to the special collections by appointment between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
Career Resources
Alumni are able to make appointments for internship, career, and merit awards advised by appointment through the university website. Alumni will not lose access to the AU CareerWeb, which allows you to find and apply for jobs and internships, register for recruitment events, save your application details, appear in resume books that are available to employers, and receive updates on new positions that you may be qualified for.
The Office of Alumni Relations has a Linkedin directory and often hosts networking events that enable you to make and maintain contacts that could be valuable to your professional field. While no one likes to network, these events are planned so as to take away the stress of having to sell oneself and focuses on offering alumni the chance to get to know each other on a personal level. These events can be anywhere from a formal reception with President Kerwin to alumni meet-ups at a baseball game or an American University Super Bowl party hosted in your local bar.
The best part is, these events are located all over the country and in many other places around the world, so chances are wherever you end up after graduation, there will be an alumni chapter established to keep you involved in the community.
Discounts
After graduation, you can apply for an alumni ID card, which is what gives you access to the Bender Library and discounts in the Jacobs Fitness Center and Cassell Fitness Center and the AU bookstore. Other alumni discounts include:
- Washington National: 50% regular value games with the coupon code WONK
- The Washingtonian: 1 year prescription for only $18.00
- Alumni Insurance Program
- Geico Insurance
- Zipcar: $10 off membership
- SuperShuttle: Email alumni@american.edu for 10% off round-trip reservation
- Savings Portal: Exclusive AU deals for over 5,000 merchants
- Eagle Travel Club: Exclusive travel opportunities
Plus, the Office of Alumni Relations keeps track of all your accomplishments, so if you do anything noteworthy after graduation, like winning an award or becoming a partner in your law firm, the University will send you a personalized congratulations letter because you’re awesome and their proud of you.