Minneapolis versus Madison (for a Student) (Appleton: insurance, schools, university)

[hrearden]

I'm on this forum because my wife got a new job in St. Paul, and we'll be moving there in August. Neither of us has lived there and we really only know about the school & the cities from reputation (mainly) and some friends and relatives. We are very excited to be moving there, as we both grew up in (different parts) of WI, and it'll be a bit like "moving home" after having spent 10 years in CA, TN, & MS.

Having said that, we both graduated from Madison in the mid-90's. Neither of us would trade our time there for anything, and we would love to go back if job opportunities allowed for it. (My wife is a Professor, so job openings are very few & even further between...)

The original question had to do with the arts, things to do in the Winter, and general "quality of life" issues. UM may be bigger, and there may technically be more things to do, but I can say that I was never once bored in my time in Madison - there were always plenty of choices as to what to do, what kinds of groups to be involved with, etc.

I think of it like this, and since you're a computer guy I think you'll get what I'm saying - my wife prefers Macs, I prefer PCs (running Linux, of course!). While there are significantly fewer software options available for Macs than there are for a dual-boot PC like mine, the real question is - does the Mac offer all the programs you need? For my wife, the answer is an emphatic "yes", so she chose the Mac.

"More" choices may or may not mean "better" choices, and no one can determine what will be "best" for you - other than you! Obviously I am biased here - I say go to Madison as I'm 99% sure you won't regret it. But based solely on reputation, I'm fairly confident you wouldn't regret going to UM either.

You've got two excellent schools to choose from - just make the decision your heart tells you to, don't look back, and make the most of wherever you end up. Enjoy!

[huggybear28]

Originally Posted by pepe1

May I ask which specific engineering discipline you are persuing/obtained? Many of Wisconsin's Engineering programs are very highly regarded in the engineering community.

I graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in 2004. I moved to Milwaukee for two years after college to work for a private firm there. Then I moved back to the cities as I received a good job offer here and I really wanted to get back. My younger sibling currently goes to the UofM as a freshman so I tend to get many questions from him and he tends to report on how much it has changed in just a few years. I have not actually been to campus in a long time. Some weekend I will head over there when there isn't snow outside.

I noticed the Madison and Minnesota are both pretty evenly matched now when it comes to civil engineering. That was not the case a few years back. I would say in engineering in general both programs are highly regarded.

[cbeley]

Wow, I thought this thread died actually until I got an e-mail saying I had replies to my post! I sort of stopped checking it after no one posted on it for a week. Anyways, thank you for all the great replies, but I sort of read them after I made my decision....but first, I would like to make a few comments.

This can be attributed to the fact they do not have minors compared to Minnesota where they do.

Well, madison has "certificates" which are pretty much the same thing as a minor.

As for the funding issues, I sent a little e-mail to "the angry badger", who is an individual running a blog trying to make a difference on the UW campus. Being someone making posts about the full depth of the situation every day, he said it isn't as huge as he and some others sometimes make it out to be, but they are just trying to make a difference, because it is still a big problem to begin with and something should be done still before it gets even worse. What he did say is that it's a department other than engineering that is the biggest deparment losing the teachers...I can't remember which department.

Also, as someone else said, there is a TON of construction going on on campus at the moment. I was just there and the tour guide even commented how there is much more construction than usual. They are building a few new buildings.

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As for my "final" decision I chose Madison. Why? I went there and I thought all the chalk messages were neat....that's...about it. I like both campuses, both campuses offer great academics for what I want to do, intership and co-op opportunities will be the same from all the people I have talked to (difference is, I'll probably have more variety of places to go in madison, which I liked.), both atmospheres are neat, both have lots to do (especially in the arts), etc. etc.

However, there is particular event that could change my decision in the next few days (hopefully today) and cause me to go through the giant call maze of declining Madison (after I accepted them) before May 1 and going to Minnesota. It is really something quite "sily", which means something to me, but I would never let it affect my life negatively. It just goes to show you how much I like both schools and how little preference I have between them.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Both are great universities, but U of W offers a much better, well-round experience. It's sports teams are much better and have a much better following, and even with Tubby you can't count on that for you guys. Furthermore, food is WAY more varied and WAY more accessible. On campus alone there are about 6 middle eastern restaurants. State Street alone has well over 100 different food establishments, and that is only about 5 blocks long.

There are also *WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY* more out of state and international students at Wisconsin. Tons of people from every state in the US that you can think of, especially New York, Connecticut, Jersey, and Massachusetts. Some of them are really, really smoking hot girls too, although they typically have quite the attitude. There is a pretty significant undergraduate Asian population too. My UMN friends said it's pretty much just the dakotas and Wisconsin, with some Iowa and Illinois, at UMN. Here at UW I wasn't even that social and I met undergraduates from Africa, all throughout South and Central America, China, Korea, Japan, Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, etc etc.

People also seem to be much more extroverted, happy, and social at UW, and not just for drinking. The students (in my experience) at UMN are a bit more chilly and cold. Housing at UW-Madison is very expensive, although it is in Minneapolis too. Most people live in apartment towers now, as they line University Avenue one after another.

As for how they are funding all the construction, I have no clue. U of W, for 2007, was the biggest public research institute in the entire world. Most of the construction you see on campus is on the science buildings since that is really where UW-Madison pulls in the dough and federal research funding. I don't believe they are building things out of debt or lending, so I'm not sure why they don't increase the salaries of their professors.

Also, don't get too excited about the bus service. If you want to go as far out as one of the malls or anything, it will take a very long time. There are some cool slightly off campus neighborhoods like Monroe St, Williamson, and so on, however. Currently, Madison is developing a plan to build light rail that would make transportation very quick, but it is still in the earliest stages.

[ben222]

I attended both schools; I spent my first two years at UW and transferred back home to the U of M after the (surprise!) birth of my child, so I can't speak to a huge degree about student life at the U of M since I lived off-campus the entire time. They are fairly different environments. Wisconsin is more parochial - more out-of-state kids on their parents' dime, and seems less diverse. The social life at both schools is centered on partying, but at Wisconsin life can seem oppressive by sophomore year without a fake ID; at least in Minneapolis there is something to do if you are still under 21 and it's a Friday night.

Minneapolis has a larger degree of commuter students, mainly because the city exists in spite of the university instead of because of it, and there are many places to live outside of the university. This has an impact on a number of things, even down to the time of day most students do their work. At Wisconsin, College Library filled up at 9:00 every weeknight, whereas group work and on-campus studying seems to be more business hours at Minnesota.

The higher proportion of commuter students can also create a more sterile atmosphere in Minnesota, epecially in the realm of sports. If you're looking for a great football environment, go to Wisconsin. Minnesota may be getting a brand new stadium, but Wisconsin's football program has soul. If you're a hockey fan or basketball fan, it's more of a toss-up (ok Wisconsin still wins, but barely).

I never took any courses in IT at UW, but I took a few here at the U, and I would actually really recommend the pogram. I loved the classes that I took. Remember that Minnesota is legitimately colder than Wisconsin in the winters, and that you should really spend the money to visit both schools before making a choice.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by ben222

The higher proportion of commuter students can also create a more sterile atmosphere in Minnesota, epecially in the realm of sports. If you're looking for a great football environment, go to Wisconsin. Minnesota may be getting a brand new stadium, but Wisconsin's football program has soul. If you're a hockey fan or basketball fan, it's more of a toss-up (ok Wisconsin still wins, but barely).

Wisconsin wins for hockey? I suspect the women Gophs and UMD women would beg to differ. It's been a tight race the for the past decade between those three. And don't forget that the men's hockey Gophers have some serious recruitment competition these days, unlike Wisconsin -- don't forget that UMD, St. Cloud, Mankato, and Bemidji are all Division I teams now in the state, and they all mainly tap from the same MN high school talent pool. As do the Badgers, I might add. :-)

[ldeep]

okay, so this is a long thread and i didn't read the whole thing, but i lived in madison for 5 years and went to UW for 1.5 years (as a special student)....and i moved to minneapolis in january to go to U of M. i had the choice of going to UW or U of M, and I chose U of M primarily because I wanted a change, but I am glad I made the decision, and here is why:

in Madison, UW dominates the social and art scene. In Minneapolis, there is something more to the city other than the big university. in Madison, if you love Bucky Badger and binge drinking, you are a happy camper. in Minneapolis, you will be more inclined to "grow up" and see what larger cities have to offer. At U of M, there is less of a frat mentality and less school spirit (sports-wise). There is more of a snobby atmosphere at UW Madison.

I know this sounds skewed towards U of M, but UW is a great school, and I really liked Madison up until the last year, only because I was getting a little older (25) and I just got sick of the whole party-it-up-way-too-much mentality, and I had already explored everything I thought worthwhile in the city. Politics-wise, there is much less extreme left wing fringe propaganda at U of M than Madison, if that's something that irks you, lol

Both are great schools...UW feels like it's more part of the city...U of M is a city within a city...

[jzak1972]

Madison campus is laid out better, especially with State Street shops/bars etc. Has a more community/small city type feel to it. Much more liberal than U of M in terms of politics.

Twin Cities campus of U of M is a campus that you drive through and doesn't afford as many walking opportunities. Also most people who go to U of M are commuters, so it has a more transitory feel to it.

[ComfortablyNumb]

I disagree to those who say all you can do at UW is drink. Movies, live music, concerts, plays, tons of different social groups... I have gotten through five years here and haven't been much into the bar scene, and still had things to do every weekend. If you aren't having fun, it's because you aren't fun. Plain and simple.

I also disagree that UW-Madison is less diverse. It has less black and hispanic people, but barely... both schools are both very white. Madison has a lot of Koreans, Chinese ,and some Japanese, while UMN has almost none. When it comes to diversity within this group of 90+% white people, UW-Madison is WAY more diverse. Kids from all corners of the nation, as well as a sizable European population. Furthermore, there are a lot of nerds, punks, frat guys, stoners, hippies, hipsters, super-motivated personality-less future CEOs, and so on. Only about 60% of the graduating class at UW is "in state," meaning Wisconsin or Minnesota, so it is a good thing for the college experience, but actually a pretty bad thing for the state of Wisconsin. Also, UW-Madison has a gigantic Jewish student population. One of the biggest in the US. Hillel, a Jewish student organization, is spending millions on building a new pretty flashy building on campus.

UW-Madison seems to be WAY more group-oriented. At UMN, I just got the feeling it was a ton of kids from suburban Minnesota who just stayed friends with the people they hung out with in HS. It wasn't the "college experience."

The girls are also better at UW-Madison. Minnesota girls are better looking than Wisconsin girls, but don't come close to a lot of the certifiably gorgeous out-of-state girls who go here.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Originally Posted by Debral

OK, I am just going to add a few comments. My daughter graduated from the U of M-TC last May and I believe she got a far superior education than she would have gotten at UWM. The U of M is one of the top research universities in the country, has world-class medical facilities, almost any type of recreational/activity you want, since it is the second largest college in the country (after Ohio State), and has dorms or at least floors on dorms with specialized interests for students (such as art, honors dorms, diversity, French, etc.). Also, it only costs $50 per semester for a full bus pass which will take you ANYWHERE in the metro at any time of day that the bus goes. The campus bus shuttles are free to students. Bigger isn't always better, but the quality of the education at a top research university like the U of M is huge when the cost is the same. Class sizes are a big thing, especially if you need extra help. As a parent, I found the U of M to be very responsive to the one issue I had with one of my daughter's classes. They bent over backwards to allay my concerns. Even though not all of the sports are the best, there are lots of cultural events (yes, at student discounts) not available in a small city, and there are all kinds of special interest groups for students to join. It is a city within a city and I am very proud of my U of M graduate who landed her first job at one of the four major television networks!!!!

Are you serious? First off, UWM is UW-Milwaukee. In that case, your daughter did get a superior education. However, the University of Wisconsin is a research POWERHOUSE that can match any other institution in the entire world. It ranked #1 in the WORLD last year for public universities in research.