Wisconsin-Madison?

[Anonymous]

Adding Madison to our list, scratching Indiana. Thx OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wisky is all white.

Oh, of course this old DCUM favorite trope has to come up. So predictable. There are people from every state and all over the world at Wisconsin. There are people from every kind of background there is.

Except black people. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. Some applicants may want to know.

There are black students there, so you are wrong. Not a lot, but it is a state school in a state that is not very black. They do try very hard to recruit black students, and I am not sure what they are supposed to do beyond this. This country is only 12% black, so there will not be large numbers of black students at every single college and university in this gigantic country. What percentage of black students was your college BTW?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wisky is all white.

Oh, of course this old DCUM favorite trope has to come up. So predictable. There are people from every state and all over the world at Wisconsin. There are people from every kind of background there is.

Except black people. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. Some applicants may want to know.

There are black students there, so you are wrong. Not a lot, but it is a state school in a state that is not very black. They do try very hard to recruit black students, and I am not sure what they are supposed to do beyond this. This country is only 12% black, so there will not be large numbers of black students at every single college and university in this gigantic country. What percentage of black students was your college BTW?

NP you're very defensive about this. I went to UW and the culture shock was huge coming from Wilson. At the time 4% of student body of 40,000 were people of color. I had a really hard time there before eventually finding my social circle junior year. For some people this matters in their decision making process, for others not so much. But it's not criticism to point out the lack of diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wisky is all white.

Oh, of course this old DCUM favorite trope has to come up. So predictable. There are people from every state and all over the world at Wisconsin. There are people from every kind of background there is.

Except black people. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. Some applicants may want to know.

There are black students there, so you are wrong. Not a lot, but it is a state school in a state that is not very black. They do try very hard to recruit black students, and I am not sure what they are supposed to do beyond this. This country is only 12% black, so there will not be large numbers of black students at every single college and university in this gigantic country. What percentage of black students was your college BTW?

NP you're very defensive about this. I went to UW and the culture shock was huge coming from Wilson. At the time 4% of student body of 40,000 were people of color. I had a really hard time there before eventually finding my social circle junior year. For some people this matters in their decision making process, for others not so much. But it's not criticism to point out the lack of diversity.

When people say that there is a “lack of diversity,” though, it gives an inaccurate and myopic picture of UW-Madison. There are many types of “diversity,” it does not just mean lots of black people, as the media would have us believe. UW-Madison has students from all 50 states, 30 countries, big cities, small towns, different religions, backgrounds and life experiences, and you make it sound like they are just one gigantic monolith. Should they recruit more minority students? Yes, and they are doing that. But to argue that it is some vanilla place where everyone is the same and there is no “diversity” is ridiculous and paints a false picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Madison great. My kid is applying too and would be happy there.

PS. Take Indiana off your list. Sucks.

*Purdue has entered the chat.*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Madison great. My kid is applying too and would be happy there.

PS. Take Indiana off your list. Sucks.

*Purdue has entered the chat.*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wisky is all white.

Oh, of course this old DCUM favorite trope has to come up. So predictable. There are people from every state and all over the world at Wisconsin. There are people from every kind of background there is.

Except black people. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. Some applicants may want to know.

There are black students there, so you are wrong. Not a lot, but it is a state school in a state that is not very black. They do try very hard to recruit black students, and I am not sure what they are supposed to do beyond this. This country is only 12% black, so there will not be large numbers of black students at every single college and university in this gigantic country. What percentage of black students was your college BTW?

Curious what is done to 'try very hard to recruit black students"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wisky is all white.

Oh, of course this old DCUM favorite trope has to come up. So predictable. There are people from every state and all over the world at Wisconsin. There are people from every kind of background there is.

Except black people. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. Some applicants may want to know.

There are black students there, so you are wrong. Not a lot, but it is a state school in a state that is not very black. They do try very hard to recruit black students, and I am not sure what they are supposed to do beyond this. This country is only 12% black, so there will not be large numbers of black students at every single college and university in this gigantic country. What percentage of black students was your college BTW?

Curious what is done to 'try very hard to recruit black students"?

Same as any other school, scholarships, pre-college preparatory programs, college fairs, subsidized tuition for families under a certain income, academic support services.

[Anonymous]

I didn't attend UW but I went to a SLAC in the general area and have spent some time in Madison and the surrounding area. That being said, I know of the academics/student life experience only through conversations with other students and reputation. I also went to grad school at OSU (which, if you like UW, you should also consider for a few reasons I'll articulate).

Pros: Excellent reputation nationally and regionally. Wisconsinites in particular are extremely proud of UW. It has a huge alumni network. Madison is a lively mid-sized city, and a state capitol, so it's well situated for students to get internships (I interned in the state house). You don't need a car to get around -- there are busses and most of the useful places are close to campus. That part of Wisconsin is quite pretty, with rolling hills and lots of trees, and Madison itself is also very pretty -- the campus is located between two lakes (more on that later). School spirit is amazing. State street has all of the college big hits (Urban Outfitters, small noodle restaurants, bookstores, etc) and is basically on campus.

Cons: My stereotype of Wisconsin education is that some of the lectures can be absolutely massive. This is fairly standard for big flagships, though. The physical campus is very large and you definitely need a bus to get from one end of it to the other, particularly if you're going to one of the special centers that are further from the central core. I live in Chicago and grew up in an even colder part of the country so weather is not a huge issue for me but the way the winds howl off of the lakes during the winter can be absolutely brutal. When I think of Madison -- and, remember, I went to college near Madison, I think of my eyelashes freezing as I walked from the bus stop to the Capitol. Someone said they don't get the lake effect snow... maybe that's right, but Madison definitely gets more snow than Chicago annually.

Also, Madison itself is nice, but kind of isolated. Yes, they have an airport. But... it's not a big one. You could fly out of Milwaukee or Chicago, but those are a bit of a trek to Madison. In any case, it's a healthy distance from the next major metro area. That being said, it has most everything you'd need. Bands do stop there.

Oh, and read about the Wisconsin state war on education. I know that hit UW hard, and faculty morale may not have recovered. There's quite a bit of anger.

There have been other threads comparing the two, but Columbus improves on Madison IMO in a few ways. The biggest is that Columbus (and Ohio) are much more diverse. Columbus is a larger city, although it doesn't feel huge. Columbus has milder weather generally AND the airport is much larger and better connected than Madison. You also can drive to it fairly easily from DC but it's definitely "a different part of the country." Columbus' area around OSU is definitely NOT as nice as Madison's, but Columbus is also a state capitol and has several large corporations based in town so has more job/internship opportunities.

Now, this info is out of date since I was in college ages ago, but I found OSU's facilities to be better than UW. The student center at UW is quite old, although it has a beautiful view of the lake. OSU has a brand new student center (2010) while UW has two (one around the same age and one much older) -- and the older one is undergoing renovation, which might mean it's not usable during your kid's time there. The gyms are comparable, but the libraries are not -- OSU's is also new and lovely, while Memorial Library at UW is an ancient, dark, somewhat terrifying building. It may have been renovated since I used it, but it doesn't look like it. That being said, I can't compare the dorms (no knowledge of either although I have heard OSU's suck) and I suspect most of the other facilities are similar.

I *think* OSU is easier to get into, so it could be a safety if you're considering UW.

Anyway. My two cents. UW is a great school and don't let DCUM people make you think it's a backwater that will doom your daughter to living in Wisconsin for the rest of her life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wisky is all white.

Oh, of course this old DCUM favorite trope has to come up. So predictable. There are people from every state and all over the world at Wisconsin. There are people from every kind of background there is.

Except black people. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. Some applicants may want to know.

There are black students there, so you are wrong. Not a lot, but it is a state school in a state that is not very black. They do try very hard to recruit black students, and I am not sure what they are supposed to do beyond this. This country is only 12% black, so there will not be large numbers of black students at every single college and university in this gigantic country. What percentage of black students was your college BTW?

Curious what is done to 'try very hard to recruit black students"?

Merit and financial aid and other support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Cons: My stereotype of Wisconsin education is that some of the lectures can be absolutely massive. This is fairly standard for big flagships, though. The physical campus is very large and you definitely need a bus to get from one end of it to the other, particularly if you're going to one of the special centers that are further from the central core. I live in Chicago and grew up in an even colder part of the country so weather is not a huge issue for me but the way the winds howl off of the lakes during the winter can be absolutely brutal. When I think of Madison -- and, remember, I went to college near Madison, I think of my eyelashes freezing as I walked from the bus stop to the Capitol. Someone said they don't get the lake effect snow... maybe that's right, but Madison definitely gets more snow than Chicago annually.

Freshmen classes at any flagship are going to be huge. But they have TA led discussion sections and the professor and TA's hold office hours.

You don't need a bus to get from one end of campus to another, and the fact is, a student is generally in the L&S area or the Engineering area. There isn't a lot of back and forth between the two.

Madison doesn't have the persistent winds and lakeshore effect that Chicago enjoys. It can get cold, but it is Wisconsin, not Mississippi.

Also, Madison itself is nice, but kind of isolated. Yes, they have an airport. But... it's not a big one. You could fly out of Milwaukee or Chicago, but those are a bit of a trek to Madison. In any case, it's a healthy distance from the next major metro area. That being said, it has most everything you'd need. Bands do stop there.

There are buses that go from the Union or downtown Madison to O'Hare and Milwaukee that cost like $10. It is pretty easy. Or you can fly from Madison through Detroit or Chicago to DC or any other city in the world.

Now, this info is out of date since I was in college ages ago, but I found OSU's facilities to be better than UW. The student center at UW is quite old, although it has a beautiful view of the lake. OSU has a brand new student center (2010) while UW has two (one around the same age and one much older) -- and the older one is undergoing renovation, which might mean it's not usable during your kid's time there. The gyms are comparable, but the libraries are not -- OSU's is also new and lovely, while Memorial Library at UW is an ancient, dark, somewhat terrifying building. It may have been renovated since I used it, but it doesn't look like it. That being said, I can't compare the dorms (no knowledge of either although I have heard OSU's suck) and I suspect most of the other facilities are similar.

The Memorial Union has been totally renovated and is a crown jewel on campus. Suggesting it is old and thus a negative is to miss its prominence on campus, the beauty of the building and the backdrop for the Terrace.

Memorial Library is dark and terrifying? Since when? And it is one of like 20 libraries on campus.

All of the dorms at US have been renovated or built new in the last 5 or so years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't attend UW but I went to a SLAC in the general area and have spent some time in Madison and the surrounding area. That being said, I know of the academics/student life experience only through conversations with other students and reputation. I also went to grad school at OSU (which, if you like UW, you should also consider for a few reasons I'll articulate).

Pros: Excellent reputation nationally and regionally. Wisconsinites in particular are extremely proud of UW. It has a huge alumni network. Madison is a lively mid-sized city, and a state capitol, so it's well situated for students to get internships (I interned in the state house). You don't need a car to get around -- there are busses and most of the useful places are close to campus. That part of Wisconsin is quite pretty, with rolling hills and lots of trees, and Madison itself is also very pretty -- the campus is located between two lakes (more on that later). School spirit is amazing. State street has all of the college big hits (Urban Outfitters, small noodle restaurants, bookstores, etc) and is basically on campus.

Cons: My stereotype of Wisconsin education is that some of the lectures can be absolutely massive. This is fairly standard for big flagships, though. The physical campus is very large and you definitely need a bus to get from one end of it to the other, particularly if you're going to one of the special centers that are further from the central core. I live in Chicago and grew up in an even colder part of the country so weather is not a huge issue for me but the way the winds howl off of the lakes during the winter can be absolutely brutal. When I think of Madison -- and, remember, I went to college near Madison, I think of my eyelashes freezing as I walked from the bus stop to the Capitol. Someone said they don't get the lake effect snow... maybe that's right, but Madison definitely gets more snow than Chicago annually.

Also, Madison itself is nice, but kind of isolated. Yes, they have an airport. But... it's not a big one. You could fly out of Milwaukee or Chicago, but those are a bit of a trek to Madison. In any case, it's a healthy distance from the next major metro area. That being said, it has most everything you'd need. Bands do stop there.

Oh, and read about the Wisconsin state war on education. I know that hit UW hard, and faculty morale may not have recovered. There's quite a bit of anger.

There have been other threads comparing the two, but Columbus improves on Madison IMO in a few ways. The biggest is that Columbus (and Ohio) are much more diverse. Columbus is a larger city, although it doesn't feel huge. Columbus has milder weather generally AND the airport is much larger and better connected than Madison. You also can drive to it fairly easily from DC but it's definitely "a different part of the country." Columbus' area around OSU is definitely NOT as nice as Madison's, but Columbus is also a state capitol and has several large corporations based in town so has more job/internship opportunities.

Now, this info is out of date since I was in college ages ago, but I found OSU's facilities to be better than UW. The student center at UW is quite old, although it has a beautiful view of the lake. OSU has a brand new student center (2010) while UW has two (one around the same age and one much older) -- and the older one is undergoing renovation, which might mean it's not usable during your kid's time there. The gyms are comparable, but the libraries are not -- OSU's is also new and lovely, while Memorial Library at UW is an ancient, dark, somewhat terrifying building. It may have been renovated since I used it, but it doesn't look like it. That being said, I can't compare the dorms (no knowledge of either although I have heard OSU's suck) and I suspect most of the other facilities are similar.

I *think* OSU is easier to get into, so it could be a safety if you're considering UW.

Anyway. My two cents. UW is a great school and don't let DCUM people make you think it's a backwater that will doom your daughter to living in Wisconsin for the rest of her life.

First, there is nothing wrong with living in Wisconsin, and I wish that people would stop characterizing it that way. It is a beautiful state with wonderful people and a lot to do. We moved back after many years in DC and we are loving it and have never looked back. Also, the “old union” you talk about is an absolutely gorgeous 1920s building that was just fully renovated, so you are giving a bit of a false impression there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't attend UW but I went to a SLAC in the general area and have spent some time in Madison and the surrounding area. That being said, I know of the academics/student life experience only through conversations with other students and reputation. I also went to grad school at OSU (which, if you like UW, you should also consider for a few reasons I'll articulate).

Pros: Excellent reputation nationally and regionally. Wisconsinites in particular are extremely proud of UW. It has a huge alumni network. Madison is a lively mid-sized city, and a state capitol, so it's well situated for students to get internships (I interned in the state house). You don't need a car to get around -- there are busses and most of the useful places are close to campus. That part of Wisconsin is quite pretty, with rolling hills and lots of trees, and Madison itself is also very pretty -- the campus is located between two lakes (more on that later). School spirit is amazing. State street has all of the college big hits (Urban Outfitters, small noodle restaurants, bookstores, etc) and is basically on campus.

Cons: My stereotype of Wisconsin education is that some of the lectures can be absolutely massive. This is fairly standard for big flagships, though. The physical campus is very large and you definitely need a bus to get from one end of it to the other, particularly if you're going to one of the special centers that are further from the central core. I live in Chicago and grew up in an even colder part of the country so weather is not a huge issue for me but the way the winds howl off of the lakes during the winter can be absolutely brutal. When I think of Madison -- and, remember, I went to college near Madison, I think of my eyelashes freezing as I walked from the bus stop to the Capitol. Someone said they don't get the lake effect snow... maybe that's right, but Madison definitely gets more snow than Chicago annually.

Also, Madison itself is nice, but kind of isolated. Yes, they have an airport. But... it's not a big one. You could fly out of Milwaukee or Chicago, but those are a bit of a trek to Madison. In any case, it's a healthy distance from the next major metro area. That being said, it has most everything you'd need. Bands do stop there.

Oh, and read about the Wisconsin state war on education. I know that hit UW hard, and faculty morale may not have recovered. There's quite a bit of anger.

There have been other threads comparing the two, but Columbus improves on Madison IMO in a few ways. The biggest is that Columbus (and Ohio) are much more diverse. Columbus is a larger city, although it doesn't feel huge. Columbus has milder weather generally AND the airport is much larger and better connected than Madison. You also can drive to it fairly easily from DC but it's definitely "a different part of the country." Columbus' area around OSU is definitely NOT as nice as Madison's, but Columbus is also a state capitol and has several large corporations based in town so has more job/internship opportunities.

Now, this info is out of date since I was in college ages ago, but I found OSU's facilities to be better than UW. The student center at UW is quite old, although it has a beautiful view of the lake. OSU has a brand new student center (2010) while UW has two (one around the same age and one much older) -- and the older one is undergoing renovation, which might mean it's not usable during your kid's time there. The gyms are comparable, but the libraries are not -- OSU's is also new and lovely, while Memorial Library at UW is an ancient, dark, somewhat terrifying building. It may have been renovated since I used it, but it doesn't look like it. That being said, I can't compare the dorms (no knowledge of either although I have heard OSU's suck) and I suspect most of the other facilities are similar.

I *think* OSU is easier to get into, so it could be a safety if you're considering UW.

Anyway. My two cents. UW is a great school and don't let DCUM people make you think it's a backwater that will doom your daughter to living in Wisconsin for the rest of her life.

First, there is nothing wrong with living in Wisconsin, and I wish that people would stop characterizing it that way. It is a beautiful state with wonderful people and a lot to do. We moved back after many years in DC and we are loving it and have never looked back. Also, the “old union” you talk about is an absolutely gorgeous 1920s building that was just fully renovated, so you are giving a bit of a false impression there.

That was said facetiously to address other commenters. Based on my many positive comments about UW and Wisconsin and Madison, I thought that was clear, but apparently not.

When I was there, Memorial Union was old. The website for it now does not talk about the renovations as though they were completed (nor does Wikipedia), but apparently they are according to you, so sorry, my bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wisky is all white.

Oh, of course this old DCUM favorite trope has to come up. So predictable. There are people from every state and all over the world at Wisconsin. There are people from every kind of background there is.

Except black people. And it’s ok to acknowledge that. Some applicants may want to know.

There are black students there, so you are wrong. Not a lot, but it is a state school in a state that is not very black. They do try very hard to recruit black students, and I am not sure what they are supposed to do beyond this. This country is only 12% black, so there will not be large numbers of black students at every single college and university in this gigantic country. What percentage of black students was your college BTW?

Curious what is done to 'try very hard to recruit black students"?

two minutes on the school’s website will tell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't attend UW but I went to a SLAC in the general area and have spent some time in Madison and the surrounding area. That being said, I know of the academics/student life experience only through conversations with other students and reputation. I also went to grad school at OSU (which, if you like UW, you should also consider for a few reasons I'll articulate).

Pros: Excellent reputation nationally and regionally. Wisconsinites in particular are extremely proud of UW. It has a huge alumni network. Madison is a lively mid-sized city, and a state capitol, so it's well situated for students to get internships (I interned in the state house). You don't need a car to get around -- there are busses and most of the useful places are close to campus. That part of Wisconsin is quite pretty, with rolling hills and lots of trees, and Madison itself is also very pretty -- the campus is located between two lakes (more on that later). School spirit is amazing. State street has all of the college big hits (Urban Outfitters, small noodle restaurants, bookstores, etc) and is basically on campus.

Cons: My stereotype of Wisconsin education is that some of the lectures can be absolutely massive. This is fairly standard for big flagships, though. The physical campus is very large and you definitely need a bus to get from one end of it to the other, particularly if you're going to one of the special centers that are further from the central core. I live in Chicago and grew up in an even colder part of the country so weather is not a huge issue for me but the way the winds howl off of the lakes during the winter can be absolutely brutal. When I think of Madison -- and, remember, I went to college near Madison, I think of my eyelashes freezing as I walked from the bus stop to the Capitol. Someone said they don't get the lake effect snow... maybe that's right, but Madison definitely gets more snow than Chicago annually.

Also, Madison itself is nice, but kind of isolated. Yes, they have an airport. But... it's not a big one. You could fly out of Milwaukee or Chicago, but those are a bit of a trek to Madison. In any case, it's a healthy distance from the next major metro area. That being said, it has most everything you'd need. Bands do stop there.

Oh, and read about the Wisconsin state war on education. I know that hit UW hard, and faculty morale may not have recovered. There's quite a bit of anger.

There have been other threads comparing the two, but Columbus improves on Madison IMO in a few ways. The biggest is that Columbus (and Ohio) are much more diverse. Columbus is a larger city, although it doesn't feel huge. Columbus has milder weather generally AND the airport is much larger and better connected than Madison. You also can drive to it fairly easily from DC but it's definitely "a different part of the country." Columbus' area around OSU is definitely NOT as nice as Madison's, but Columbus is also a state capitol and has several large corporations based in town so has more job/internship opportunities.

Now, this info is out of date since I was in college ages ago, but I found OSU's facilities to be better than UW. The student center at UW is quite old, although it has a beautiful view of the lake. OSU has a brand new student center (2010) while UW has two (one around the same age and one much older) -- and the older one is undergoing renovation, which might mean it's not usable during your kid's time there. The gyms are comparable, but the libraries are not -- OSU's is also new and lovely, while Memorial Library at UW is an ancient, dark, somewhat terrifying building. It may have been renovated since I used it, but it doesn't look like it. That being said, I can't compare the dorms (no knowledge of either although I have heard OSU's suck) and I suspect most of the other facilities are similar.

I *think* OSU is easier to get into, so it could be a safety if you're considering UW.

Anyway. My two cents. UW is a great school and don't let DCUM people make you think it's a backwater that will doom your daughter to living in Wisconsin for the rest of her life.

First, there is nothing wrong with living in Wisconsin, and I wish that people would stop characterizing it that way. It is a beautiful state with wonderful people and a lot to do. We moved back after many years in DC and we are loving it and have never looked back. Also, the “old union” you talk about is an absolutely gorgeous 1920s building that was just fully renovated, so you are giving a bit of a false impression there.

That was said facetiously to address other commenters. Based on my many positive comments about UW and Wisconsin and Madison, I thought that was clear, but apparently not.

When I was there, Memorial Union was old. The website for it now does not talk about the renovations as though they were completed (nor does Wikipedia), but apparently they are according to you, so sorry, my bad.

I am not sure the renovation is complete, but the Union is open and available. And of course it’s old. It was built in the 1920s. But it’s good old.