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[quote=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. [/quote]

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