Colleges and Universities in Madison (credit, home, transferring to)

[luv80s]

Hi.
My husband and I and our little boy are thinking of relocating but haven't decided where yet. Madison is one of our options so far since we've heard many good things about it and looks like an ideal place to raise our family. We are from Houston and are sooooooo ready to leave this crappy city.

Anyhoo, I am a stay at home mom and go to college part time. Can you tell me about the colleges there and how competitive are they to get in. I have heard of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, no doubt, but what about the other local schools, are they any good? I have had some bad grades in the past that brought down my gpa and put me on academic probation and I am afraid that will count against me. I have been going to community college part time for the past few years and took some time off after I had my son. The bad grades were from slacking off and just not having my priorities straight. Needless to say, my priorities have changed after having a kid. I am doing great this semester in school- Making A's in all my classes so I know that will bring my GPA up.

I'm guessing I could always finish my core classes at junior college if we move there and then transfer to a university.

Any info on colleges there would be great! Oh yeah, do the colleges offer childcare?

Thanks!

[Drover]

UW-Madison is a pretty competitive school and your prior grades may prove to be difficult to overcome. Nonetheless, you might want to try anyway. The worse they can do is tell you no. If you are considering UW, you should probably finish up at community college first so that you have a longer history of good grades to present to the admissions committee.

The only other institutions in Madison that offer bachelors degrees or higher are:

Herzing College: small school with an online program, it is regionally accredited (a good thing) with a heavy focus on tech degrees. They also offer a bachelors in business administration, legal studies, health care management, graphic arts, and public safety. Website: herzing.edu

Edgewood College: a regionally accredited small traditional liberal arts college that offers a full plate of degree programs including masters degree programs. I believe their admissions standards are fairly selective. They do not provide child care but they base their cost of attendance on a student's reasonable expenses, and child care expenses is one factor they take into consideration. Website: edgewood.edu

As for your situation... your mileage may vary, but I was in the same boat as you. I did not take my undergrad studies seriously, and my GPA shows it. But I was still able to get into a graduate program after I explained in my admissions essay that my priorities have changed. Having a 10-year work history between my departure from college and my application to grad school also helped a lot. One thing you've got going for you is a noticeable change in your grades. That will give the admissions committee concrete evidence of your claim that your attitude/approach has changed. When it comes right down to it, though... if you think you're going to consider any of these options, or if you think you're going to consider transferring to a different school altogether from the three in Madison, what you really should do is talk to an admissions advisor at the school you're considering attending. Best of luck to you!

[luv80s]

Drover,
Thanks for the helpful information. I will look at the school websites soon. In the meantime, I'm just going to have to keep up with the good grades and staying focused. I wish I was focused when I was younger. After I graduated high school, I took a year off before I started college. When I started, I would overload myself with 4-5 classes and work fulltime. Then I'd just drop/withdraw from classes or not show up (which sometimes resulted in F's). Or take a semester off and then start back up with only 1 or 2 classes. This fall is my first time back in school after having my son (who is 17 months old) and I want to do better for myself and my family. Anyhoo, its not that I'm not smart because I know I am I'm 27 now and hopefully will finish in the next 2 years!