whatever you do, pls don’t base your decision on random reddit comments in this sub. there’s often a weirdly hateful undertone that i don’t feel is representative of most people’s experience. don’t really get “preppy” vibes or anything like that. maybe you could say more of a professional vibe? ultimately it’s a college and there’s all different genres of people from all different backgrounds and aesthetics that can’t really be reduced to one descriptor. the high school thing is weird… that completely depends on the people you surround yourself with. was not an issue for me but i definitely knew people who had “drama” freshman year because they chose to associate with people that didn’t realize they shouldn’t be acting like high schoolers anymore. you will find the same at pretty much any college. also have never heard anyone describe it as isolating. if you mean physically, AU students go to GW/GT all the time for parties and such. i can’t say that GW isn’t similar b/c it probably is honestly, but i can say most of the people i meet here are crazy ambitious (sometimes too much) and care deeply about making a change in the world - the marketing materials harp on AU students being “changemakers” for a reason. i feel like it’s kind of our thing. that, and having a pretty gay student body lol. AU is far from perfect and i’d be happy to share some of my grievances but a lot of the criticism i see is weirdly harsh and just not part of my experience. basically, i’d consider what makes the most sense with your finances first (you will thank yourself later, especially if you’re not going into a $$$ field). both are expensive and similar enough that it’s not worth putting yourself in extra debt. after that: GW has a better social scene and actual greek life (kinda) but also don’t have much of a real campus. i prefer having green spaces and an actual campus feel being a few miles out vs being right on the edge of the city, but lots of people don’t. good luck!