Sports

Abroad at AU students have access to the Jacobs Fitness Center, a state-of-the-art fitness center which features an Olympic-size pool. Students can also enjoy taking group exercise and mind/body classes at the Jacobs Fitness Center.

Students interested in playing a team sport can participate in intramural or club sports organized on campus.

Clubs

Abroad at AU students can enjoy a wide range of on-campus activities that include speakers, panel discussions, movies, concerts and plays. American University features the Kennedy Political Union (KPU), one of the premier student-run lecture series in the United States. KPU has brought such speakers as then-Senator Obama, Senator Ted Kennedy, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Senator and Presidential candidate Bob Dole, Robert F. Kennedy, and journalist Bob Woodward among hundreds of others. AU also has a variety of student-run clubs in which Abroad at AU students can participate focusing on topics ranging from international relations to cultural groups to political organizations.

Katzen Art Center

The Katzen Arts Center provides Abroad at AU students the opportunity to experience the arts while studying at American University. The Katzen Arts Center brings all the visual and performing arts programs at AU into one 130,000 square foot space. Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts, the new center provides state-of-the-art instructional, exhibition, and performance space for all arts disciplines. The Katzen Arts Center features the extraordinary 30,000 square foot AU Museum with a variety of gallery spaces for exhibition of exciting contemporary art from the nation's capital region and the world, along with AU's own Watkins Collection and the collection of Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen.

Student Experiences

Chloé Lailler

Science Po Lille, France
Abroad at AU Student: Fall 2010-Spring 2011

Chloé played rugby for two years in France and decided to join the American University Women Rugby Football Club as soon as she arrived at AU.  She wanted to continue playing, see how rugby might be different in the United States and to meet new friends.  The rugby team quickly integrated Chloé into the group and she enjoyed that the team was made up of girls from different years and with different experience levels.  The team practiced three times a week and had a game every Saturday morning. Outside of practice and matches the teams also spent a lot of time together just hanging out, laughing and sharing their different cultures.  Chloé believes that joining a club sport is a great opportunity to share a passion and to make American friends.  The rugby team was an important part of her experience at AU and in America in general.  It was a great way for her to fit in and understand American culture.

Elena Bomm

University of Osnabrück, Germany
Abroad at AU Student: Fall 2009

During her time at American University, Elena decided to join the Language Exchange Club. Already speaking four languages, she wanted to practice her language skills and possibly learn a new language. Elena found that the The Language Exchange Club provided a space for international and AU students to meet and build relationships with one another. Elena was matched with another student, who spoke German, Spanish and English. During trips out to dinner or to the movies, Elena and her partner would switch between learning Spanish and practicing German. "It is a great possibility to improve language skills, to learn about different cultures, and to meet new people", says Elena.