Questions about Univ. of WI-Madison (Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells: trip , job, houses)

[MitchArk87]

I am an Arkansas native who is interested in attending out-of-state universities. Although I got accepted by every school I applied, I want to learn more about the University of Wisconsin and how it ranks among other Big 10 schools such as Minnesota, Michigan, and Ohio State. I plan to major in History with a possibility of minor in Secondary Social Studies Education for state teaching licensure.

I know UW is an awesome school, but I am concerned if I would be able to make friends easily especially with its large student population and with their heritages of being German/Scandanivian, which has the reputation of being unfriendly and cold towards non-Wisconsin natives.

How is the area surrounding UW Campus? Is it safe or dangerous? I am curious because I know it's practically next to Downtown by the lake. If it's a dangerous area to live, what are the boundaries of the bad area? Is the campus safe or not?

Most importantly of all, I am very concerned about Wisconsin's economy. According to Forbes' Best Places to Live, Madison ranks very high, but my best friend who is Wisconsin native told me that the economy is declining and many people are leaving Wisconsin. People who stay tend to complain alot about Wisconsin. Is this true at all? This could affect me because I would hate not being able to get a job after my graduation from college.

Anything you can tell me would be very helpful and deeply appreciated.

[karfar]

Originally Posted by MitchArk87

I am an Arkansas native who is interested in attending out-of-state universities. Although I got accepted by every school I applied, I want to learn more about the University of Wisconsin and how it ranks among other Big 10 schools such as Minnesota, Michigan, and Ohio State. I plan to major in History with a possibility of minor in Secondary Social Studies Education for state teaching licensure.

I know UW is an awesome school, but I am concerned if I would be able to make friends easily especially with its large student population and with their heritages of being German/Scandanivian, which has the reputation of being unfriendly and cold towards non-Wisconsin natives.

How is the area surrounding UW Campus? Is it safe or dangerous? I am curious because I know it's practically next to Downtown by the lake. If it's a dangerous area to live, what are the boundaries of the bad area? Is the campus safe or not?

Most importantly of all, I am very concerned about Wisconsin's economy. According to Forbes' Best Places to Live, Madison ranks very high, but my best friend who is Wisconsin native told me that the economy is declining and many people are leaving Wisconsin. People who stay tend to complain alot about Wisconsin. Is this true at all? This could affect me because I would hate not being able to get a job after my graduation from college.

Anything you can tell me would be very helpful and deeply appreciated.

I didn't go to UWMad, but both my parents, my sister, & a bunch of friends did. They loved loved loved it!!!! Seriously, you cannot go wrong by attending Madison. You will have absolutely NO problems meeting people, Madison is a very liberal school & people there are super open-minded. Don't be scared by the german heritage here, there's tons of out-of-state people that go to Madison, it's got a great diverse student body. As far as crime goes, I don't know about that, but I wouldn't be worried too much. I say go for it, you'll have an awesome time. By the way, the Badger football team rocks, along w/their marching band so if that's your thing, you'll be happy. I hope you choose that school, you won't be sorry.

[gallon]

Mitch,

Come to Madison, worry only about your next four years and not your lifetime after. UW is a great place for history and for social studies. UW is not cliqueish, it doesn't pretend to be an ivy league school. Yes it is safe around campus, and pretty active at all hours. Not a perfect place though, bad stuff can happen, like anywhere else.

Overall, I'd say to quit worrying about all the things you mentioned, UW would be great for you.

I have seen it expressed this way: "there are five great public universities in this country, UCLA, Cal-Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia, and UW-Madison."

In summary, Madison rocks. Except at exam time, then drink lots of black coffee and study hard! You will remember Madison the rest of your life.

A gallery of Madison and some of UW.
Madison that great town Photo Gallery by gallon at pbase.com

That university lakefront you were concerned about?
The memorial union terrace is the heart and soul of Madison. A hallowed place.


the terrace, quiet week


the terrace is great for families too



quiet now, on the lakefront, waiting for the students


these shots taken on a Labor Day weekend, just days before the students return


This guy is obviously a grad student, they never go home for holidays. The Rathskeller in the Memorial Union


The Rathskeller in the Memorial Union on the terrace.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by gallon

A gallery of Madison and some of UW.
Madison that great town Photo Gallery by gallon at pbase.com

Wow, good stuff there. I used to work about a block from the Union. Ate lunch at the Rathskeller and on the Terrace many times.

[gallon]

Originally Posted by Bowie

Wow, good stuff there. I used to work about a block from the Union. Ate lunch at the Rathskeller and on the Terrace many times.

The terrace in the evening is the essence of Madison.
Had an out of town visitor stop by recently. He could only stay for a few hours, so we headed to lower state street and ended up on the terrace. The grill was open so we had a couple of brats and a pitcher of Spotted Cow. The sunset was just perfect and in general the whole crowd seemed to be quietly enjoying a magic moment. I will work on getting some good shots of that.

[MitchArk87]

I thank you very much for sharing information and pictures with me about the City of Madison and the University of Wisconsin. I am leaning toward UW-Madison. It looks very stunning and the campus seems very active all time. I also heard alot about the Badgers and how popular the team is like it is one of Big 10 Powerhouses among Michigan, Ohio, and Penn State. If Madison is missing anything, I can always take a short trip to Milwaukee or Chicago and to Wisconsin Dells or Door County for recreational opportunities/water parks.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I am an alum of the University of Wisconsin - Madison. I had a great experience there. It is a huge campus, one of the largest in the country, but I found that its huge size helped me find my niche and helped prepare me for the rigors of the "real world."

I talk to a lot of young people and many of them who are heading off to college share a lot of your reservations about going to a huge, impersonal college in a strange region. When I hear these concerns, I break it down like this: there is nothing like the experience of a place like UW Madison. When you first step foot on campus as an 18 year old Freshman you very well may feel overwhelmed. You'll be sitting in intro classes with 500 other students and you will feel like a number. Your only direct contact with academia at first will be grad student teaching assistants who are students themselves. But over time you will find your group of friends with like interests, you will find your academic and extracurricular niche, and you will begin to feel less like a number and more like a full member of the community. By the end of your four (or more) years you will know parts of the campus like the back of your hand, but there will be other parts of campus you still have never even stepped foot in.

I personally felt that the process of finding my niche and scratching to the "front of the class" to be taken as more than just another undergrad by my professors was the best preperation for the rigors of career and "real life" I could have ever asked for. There are no "advisors" out there to help you in your first job, no one is going to hold your hand, and no one is going to truly give a crap about your degree or your GPA when you're out of college. To get ahead and do what you want to do in life you'll have to put yourself out there and show that you're not just another face in the crowd. UW Madison taught me how to do that.

[gallon]

Hey Mitch,

Speaking of History, did you know that Stephen Ambrose was a UW grad?

Other notable UW grads:

The inventor of the transistor John Bardeen. He won two Nobel prizes, one for the transistor and one for the BCS theory of superconductivity.

John Muir, the naturalist.

James Thomson, has made profound breakthroughs in stem cell research. Expect him to collect his Nobel prize while you are at UW.

See? You will do fine at UW. Just be great.

UW has a reputation for partying and playing very hard. Not so well known is that the students also work very hard. Your job as a freshman will be to recognize that and find a balance that allows you to survive your first year.

[Alt Dach]

I am an alum of both Minnesota and Wisconsin.Schools are 6 of one half-dozen of other academically.
A liberal arts grad will however find VASTLY more opportunity in the Twin Cities than
Madison.

[radraja]

I think Michigan is technically probably the best school, to be honest. In terms of prestige and such.

You wouldn't go wrong with any of them though.