Thoughts on U. Wisc. Madison (for out of state student)

[Anonymous]

"BS...there are a hell of a lot more UVA grads in front office wall-street positions or strategy consulting positions than UW-Madison alums."

Uh, and this is supposed to be a good thing?

In my career, I have worked with a number Wall Street bankers and strategy consultants and have come to the conclusion that if they are supposed to be Masters of the Universe, it must be of some incredibly small, make-believe one. Each time, I'm impressed less and less with their "insight" and advice. Not much added value. However, they are very good at putting together project schedules and PowerPoints. One reason why this country has been on the skids for some time is that we produce many more self-styled "financial engineers" than engineers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"BS...there are a hell of a lot more UVA grads in front office wall-street positions or strategy consulting positions than UW-Madison alums."

Uh, and this is supposed to be a good thing?

In my career, I have worked with a number Wall Street bankers and strategy consultants and have come to the conclusion that if they are supposed to be Masters of the Universe, it must be of some incredibly small, make-believe one. Each time, I'm impressed less and less with their "insight" and advice. Not much added value. However, they are very good at putting together project schedules and PowerPoints. One reason why this country has been on the skids for some time is that we produce many more self-styled "financial engineers" than engineers.[/quote]

Amen to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

In every other respect UW-Madison is in a very different class. UW Madison is ranked higher both as an undergraduate institution (which should be your child's main interest at this point) and as a world class research institution (important for some grad programs). Madison, WI consistently ranks at or near the top for quality of life (the main negative being the winter cold). Wisconsin is far more progressive than any other Midwest state - Milwaukee was the center of the American Socialist movement and Madison was the birthplace of the Progressive Party (La Follette). The UW Madison campus was second only to Cal Berkley in anti-War protests. UW-Madison is among the top 10 in the nation in terms of population of Jewish students and I think you'd be hard pressed to find an evangelical on campus.

Yes, and Wisconsin also has given the nation Sen. Joe McCarthy and more recently Gov. Scott Walker, not to mention Paul Ryan (not to equate Walker and Ryan with Tail Gunner Joe). So a pure Progressive paradise, it is not.

McCarthy was a horrible person. Just imagine how bad he would have been if his accusation that many in government and Hollywood were communist sympathizers had not been proven correct when the KGB opened its files.

Madison is VERY different from the rest of the state. The German Socialists have disappeared from Milwaulkee, but the Irish legacy of MCCarthy persists.

[Anonymous]

If your student is considering Linguistics, Indiana's program is highly regarded. Illinois also has a great program, especially their EALC concentration (East Asian Lang & Cult). Agreed on Champaign-Urbana, it has changed radically since the late 90s but it is not like AA, Madison or Bloomington.
CAS (Center for Advanced Study) @ UIUC is an awesome interdisciplinary thought fun factory which I loved being a part of. If your student is at all considering any Engineering majors, just Google Grainger Library and prepare to be very impressed. Many TJers at the the most recent accepted students event.

[Anonymous]

Read the new rankings OP. Not considered UM or UVA. Or others for that matter.

[Anonymous]

Is Wisconsin on par with Michigan, UVA, UNC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"BS...there are a hell of a lot more UVA grads in front office wall-street positions or strategy consulting positions than UW-Madison alums."

Uh, and this is supposed to be a good thing?

In my career, I have worked with a number Wall Street bankers and strategy consultants and have come to the conclusion that if they are supposed to be Masters of the Universe, it must be of some incredibly small, make-believe one. Each time, I'm impressed less and less with their "insight" and advice. Not much added value. However, they are very good at putting together project schedules and PowerPoints. One reason why this country has been on the skids for some time is that we produce many more self-styled "financial engineers" than engineers.

This may be true, but a kid can go to either UW or UVA and yet not end up in finance or consulting.

[Anonymous]

My nephew is going there next year to study computer engineering. UW-Madison has a great engineering program. Twin Cities residents get in-state tuition as well. I am jealous! I love the fact that the student union is on a lake! How awesome. I'd take that any day over some urban university in a bad neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Wisconsin on par with Michigan, UVA, UNC?

Who cares? It is a great school! People are too caught up on this stuff... Bleh.

[Anonymous]

Similar to Michigan . Better in the hard subjects than UVA or Unc . Unc / UVA are better in the easier disciplines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similar to Michigan . Better in the hard subjects than UVA or Unc . Unc / UVA are better in the easier disciplines.

I don't have any ties to michigan, but I think Michigan is better than UVA in the so-called 'easy subjects' too. Michigan is a super school for a kid who isn't fazed by a big population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar to Michigan . Better in the hard subjects than UVA or Unc . Unc / UVA are better in the easier disciplines.

I don't have any ties to michigan, but I think Michigan is better than UVA in the so-called 'easy subjects' too. Michigan is a super school for a kid who isn't fazed by a big population.

Michigan (and Wisconsin) have far better global reputations than UVA or UNC because of their size and research, but you wouldn't know it from listening to those in theDMV bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar to Michigan . Better in the hard subjects than UVA or Unc . Unc / UVA are better in the easier disciplines.

I don't have any ties to michigan, but I think Michigan is better than UVA in the so-called 'easy subjects' too. Michigan is a super school for a kid who isn't fazed by a big population.

Michigan (and Wisconsin) have far better global reputations than UVA or UNC because of their size and research, but you wouldn't know it from listening to those in theDMV bubble.

+10,000! There IS life outside of the DMV bubble!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does it compare to Indiana University or university of Illinois?

Very favorably in all the academic measures quantified by national lists (US news being the most infamous of this type)

Not on the radar of the Whitman crowd though. Indiana sounds "Midwestern."' Madison evokes lakes and adorableness and not farming -- so it is acceptable to people from the east coast, and in particular, Jews and self-described intellectual parents. That's not an anti-Semitic swipe: try an experiment today. Ask a practicing Jewish parent which school they'd pick for their teen, Ohio State or UWisc? Uillinois or UWisc? UKansas or UWisc? Even U Minnesota vs U Wisconsin, and they're about two feet away from each other and "ranked" about the same.

This experiment would probably work with any parents in Bethesda and Ward 3, of any faith. For some reason, Wisconsin gets a pass on the "flyover country farm boy hicks evangelical" perception. Maybe it's the lakes and the fact that there is a sailing team. Hm.

According to the College Bound article in the September-October Bethesda Magazine, 36 applied to U of W-M and 17 accepted from Whitman. Illinois-20 applied 14 accepted and Indiana 44 applied and 36 accepted from Whitman.

It would seem that the Whitman crowd is open to the midwest schools.

This is in the current issue of Bethesda Magazine

Whitman grad here - there are always a large number of kids that go to Wisconsin from Whitman (same with MI, IL, IN, etc) - there are around 450-500 or so seniors each year, and 95% or more go to 4 year colleges (similar types of stats in many of the local big high schools). Coming from an East Coast bias, Wisconsin is typically viewed as a tier a little below UVA and MI, but on par with the other BIG Midwestern schools (and very different than a small liberal arts school, although I know lots of students who applied to a range of different types of schools since you don't necessarily know where you'll thrive and many feel the pressure to try to get into a school they feel is as prestigious as possible - whether that is a healthy thing or not is another issue). Of course, in the Midwest itself, they would have their own feelings of how schools compare - and you get many of the most elite students from that area of the Midwest who go to Wisconsin (similar to how in Texas, a large set of the "best" students who stay in state and go to UT without thinking of going to a Coast). Every college and university has some stronger depts and facilities etc than others - but are generally fine across the board and many don't know what they want to major in before they actually go to school (although of course some do). Everyone I know who went to WI seemed to like it - one consideration is that if kids go to school in the Midwest, they may settle in the Midwest after college - although I do also know many who moved back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does it compare to Indiana University or university of Illinois?

Very favorably in all the academic measures quantified by national lists (US news being the most infamous of this type)

Not on the radar of the Whitman crowd though. Indiana sounds "Midwestern."' Madison evokes lakes and adorableness and not farming -- so it is acceptable to people from the east coast, and in particular, Jews and self-described intellectual parents. That's not an anti-Semitic swipe: try an experiment today. Ask a practicing Jewish parent which school they'd pick for their teen, Ohio State or UWisc? Uillinois or UWisc? UKansas or UWisc? Even U Minnesota vs U Wisconsin, and they're about two feet away from each other and "ranked" about the same.

This experiment would probably work with any parents in Bethesda and Ward 3, of any faith. For some reason, Wisconsin gets a pass on the "flyover country farm boy hicks evangelical" perception. Maybe it's the lakes and the fact that there is a sailing team. Hm.

According to the College Bound article in the September-October Bethesda Magazine, 36 applied to U of W-M and 17 accepted from Whitman. Illinois-20 applied 14 accepted and Indiana 44 applied and 36 accepted from Whitman.

It would seem that the Whitman crowd is open to the midwest schools.

This is in the current issue of Bethesda Magazine

Whitman grad here - there are always a large number of kids that go to Wisconsin from Whitman (same with MI, IL, IN, etc) - there are around 450-500 or so seniors each year, and 95% or more go to 4 year colleges (similar types of stats in many of the local big high schools). Coming from an East Coast bias, Wisconsin is typically viewed as a tier a little below UVA and MI, but on par with the other BIG Midwestern schools (and very different than a small liberal arts school, although I know lots of students who applied to a range of different types of schools since you don't necessarily know where you'll thrive and many feel the pressure to try to get into a school they feel is as prestigious as possible - whether that is a healthy thing or not is another issue). Of course, in the Midwest itself, they would have their own feelings of how schools compare - and you get many of the most elite students from that area of the Midwest who go to Wisconsin (similar to how in Texas, a large set of the "best" students who stay in state and go to UT without thinking of going to a Coast). Every college and university has some stronger depts and facilities etc than others - but are generally fine across the board and many don't know what they want to major in before they actually go to school (although of course some do). Everyone I know who went to WI seemed to like it - one consideration is that if kids go to school in the Midwest, they may settle in the Midwest after college - although I do also know many who moved back.

I don't think anyone disputes that UVA is perceived above UW within the DMV bubble, but outside the bubble it's not close. Consider this: Wisconsin probably draws more DMV students each year than UVA has drawn from Wisconsin + Illinois + Minnesota (the upper Midwest) in its entire existence. UVA is not well known at all in the upper Midwest, where Wisconsin is under appreciated in the DMV, but certainly known. Internationally, it's not even close.