University of wisconsin milwaukee (Shorewood, Marquette: apartments, rent, crime)

[jds]

im thinking of attending here... i was wondering how the area of town is crime,traffic, safety and things to do in the night life im from iowa so any info reguarding the entire city is fine to.... let me know all you can thanks!

[ggaetti]

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is in a nice and safe area of town.

[Turtle]

I went to UWM and graduated almost 3 years ago. Though I did not live on, or near campus, I think in the three years I was there, there was one publicized incident of a girl being approached, but she was able to get away. UWM.edu actually gives alot of good information on the surrounding community if you take the time to check out all that is on the website. There is alot to do in the area. The East side has alot of neat little coffee shops and things, and there are some great parks and the beach is pretty nice in the summer. Plus, the Milwaukee County Transit System runs busses to UWM all day and as a student, you can get a UPass for free and ride the buses for free if you don't have a car. Be aware that parking anywhere around campus can be tough. If you can find parking, it is often a good distance away from campus, and around campus, everything is metered on the street, and UWM parking lots you have to pay to use, but they're nice because you don't have to keep going back to plug a meter...if you're going to be there all day, you can just pay it all up and be done with it and they offer a card that you can put money on and use like a credit card so you don't have to carry a ton of change with you everywhere you go. Traffic is just like anywhere...worse at certain times, but I used to drive to school every day, and rarely had any problems other than finding parking once I arrived

Good luck.

[dkmisol]

Originally Posted by jds

im thinking of attending here... i was wondering how the area of town is crime,traffic, safety and things to do in the night life im from iowa so any info reguarding the entire city is fine to.... let me know all you can thanks!

Please see here //www.city-data.com/forum/milwa...milwaukee.html

I wrote a long response to this person, and i think you'd find it helpful. Email with any q's.

[Mathead]

I'm from Iowa originally also, now living and working in MIL. I went to a state school in IL and enjoyed it. I'd prefer to be a college town where you dont have to worry about being robbed and can spend you years having fun and studying hard. UWM has had a string of robberies recently and a home invasion. You can research more on the Journal Sentinel website.

Many I've talked to did not like their years there. You only do college once, make sure its the right fit

[Nuclear_Art]

Crime is where you find it, as long as you use common sense it is easy to avoid. Even the boondocks of Iowa are home to many meth labs and its associated crime.

UWM is a good area, I live a block away from campus. Assuming you've done your homework and found that UWM is a good place for your major then go for it. There is plenty to do around the campus area and the lakefront is nearby. Downtown is a short 15 minute bus ride. Forget trying to bring a car here because it is much easier to get around without one. Most nearby apartments are next to impossible to find parking.

Assuming you are under 21, there is still plenty to do especially on campus.

[kmurphy]

Originally Posted by jds

im thinking of attending here... i was wondering how the area of town is crime,traffic, safety and things to do in the night life im from iowa so any info reguarding the entire city is fine to.... let me know all you can thanks!

I grew up on the east side of Milwaukee (lived 4 blocks from UWM) and I think it is a really nice area. I also attended UW-Milwaukee and also liked the college as well. I think you would have a great time at UWM!

With regard to public transport, there are plenty of buses near UWM so you can go pretty much all around the city without having to transfer to other buses.

[valesia08]

i think u should come 2 uwmilwaukee it is a very nice college where people will help u always.there are alot of things 2 do in millwaukee like go 2 a brewer's game alot of other things. i will be a incoming freshmen in fall 2008.

[7G9C4J2]

Our son thought seriously about attending UW-M when he was a high school senior, and wound up deciding against it after a visit there. Some of the factors in his decision included:

Extremely limited dormitory space. UW-M's enrollment is around 24,000 (or was when he checked it out), and they've only got space for around 10% of their students to actually live on campus. And according to the housing person we spoke to, the neighborhood nearby is not at all interested in having students live there (they even enacted an ordinance that prohibits more than three non-related people from living in the same residence), so most off-campus housing is several miles away from the campus. It's tough enough for many college freshmen to find a niche and hit their stride living in a dorm; it would be far, far worse to have to live miles away from campus and commute in each day.

The size of Milwaukee. We lived in a quite small town when our son was born, and lived there until he was 14. He does not like big cities AT ALL, and found himself very uncomfortable even on a visit there. Of course, this is not a barrier for everyone! Many people vastly prefer the bustle and excitement of city life, but if you're a small-town type, UW-M may be overwhelming.

Graduate assistants teaching undergrad courses. Like many or most very large universities, UW-M does not have actual professors teaching at the freshman and sophomore level.

The size of the university. With 24,000 students, the university itself is the size of a good many small cities, and it's easy to get lost in the crowd. Freshman and sophomore lecture sections will have hundreds of students. Don't expect a lot of personalized attention.

The above factors do not have to be deal-breakers, of course. But if you're thinking about attending there, you're smart to inform yourself about what to expect. One of the best pieces of advice our son's high school counselor ever gave him was to point out that wherever he goes to college, he'll be living there for at least four and possibly five or six years. You're a lot likelier to succeed if those four or five or six years are spent in a community that you like. Good luck!

[Empidonax]

Originally Posted by MidwesternBookWorm

Our son thought seriously about attending UW-M when he was a high school senior, and wound up deciding against it after a visit there. Some of the factors in his decision included:

Extremely limited dormitory space. UW-M's enrollment is around 24,000 (or was when he checked it out), and they've only got space for around 10% of their students to actually live on campus. And according to the housing person we spoke to, the neighborhood nearby is not at all interested in having students live there (they even enacted an ordinance that prohibits more than three non-related people from living in the same residence), so most off-campus housing is several miles away from the campus. It's tough enough for many college freshmen to find a niche and hit their stride living in a dorm; it would be far, far worse to have to live miles away from campus and commute in each day.

It's true that there's limited dorm space on the campus itself, but the surrounding residential area does attract a lot of students. UWM used to be more of a commuter school, but now, more than half of all undergrads live on campus or in the adjacent neighborhoods.

Some sections adjacent to UWM are more student-friendly than others. Undergrads tend to congregate more in the zone bordered by Kenwood, Maryland, Bradford, and Bartlett. East of Maryland Ave. you'll find plenty of students also, but in lower proportions. This zone has more of a mix of students with families, young professionals, faculty, etc. Many (but not all) of the town-gown tensions surrounding student noise and activity come from this section. Advanced undergrads and grad students are found all over the place near UWM, but tend to cluster in quieter areas such as southern Shorewood (the suburb that borders UWM to the north).

I honestly don't think the housing thing should be a deterrent for people who want to attend UWM. Though many homeowners still reside in the area, and though some hostility has arisen due to an encroaching student presence on some owner-occupied blocks, the whole UWM area (bordered by Capitol, Lake Drive, the river, and North Ave.) is heavily rental-oriented, and houses and apartment buildings that rent to students are found all over that area.

Some sections are very noisy, others are very quiet; some are very student-oriented, and others are very family-oriented. You kind of have to explore the area in order to get a really good feel for what the best places are for you and your needs. But if you're not able to do that, talk with other students. There are a lot of "micro" neighborhoods in the UWM area, each with its own personality.

The size of Milwaukee. We lived in a quite small town when our son was born, and lived there until he was 14. He does not like big cities AT ALL, and found himself very uncomfortable even on a visit there. Of course, this is not a barrier for everyone! Many people vastly prefer the bustle and excitement of city life, but if you're a small-town type, UW-M may be overwhelming.

Very true--urban living is not for everyone. The good thing about UWM's neighborhood, though, is that it is relatively safe, quiet, and well-maintained. Most sections of the UWM area down to North Ave. feel more like an urbanized suburb rather than a big city. In fact, many faculty, staff, and students from other colleges (such as Marquette) live in the UWM area in order to have a more relaxed environment.

Graduate assistants teaching undergrad courses. Like many or most very large universities, UW-M does not have actual professors teaching at the freshman and sophomore level.

This isn't entirely true--I'm a professor at UWM and I've taught frosh/soph courses before, and most of my colleagues on campus have, as well. However, it depends on the courses the student takes. Large lecture classes will usually mean that the student has more contact with TAs. However, there are plenty of smaller courses taught only by profs that students can take. The catch is that these courses are not mega-popular, like Intro to Poli Sci or Organic Chem. But if frosh/soph students want more courses with profs, they may choose many language and lit courses, some history and philosophy courses, and many others.

Also, I might add, it's not an entirely bad thing to have lots of primary contact with TAs. The TAs sometimes relate to the students (and their culture and experience) a lot better than do the profs with PhDs.

The size of the university. With 24,000 students, the university itself is the size of a good many small cities, and it's easy to get lost in the crowd. Freshman and sophomore lecture sections will have hundreds of students. Don't expect a lot of personalized attention.

Again, this is true for students who sign up for the same courses that everyone else signs up for, but there are scores of small and personalized courses offered to frosh/soph students. Some of these courses are specially designed Freshman Seminars, and most of these courses are taught by profs. Sadly, I know that a couple of really interesting Freshman Seminars have been cancelled in the past because not enough students signed up. (Technically, an undergrad course needs 10 students to go ahead, but sometimes that rule is waived. A Freshman Seminar is capped at 20 students, and most have around 15.)

I should also note that professors and TAs are always available for students, during office hours or at other times. I'm a very approachable professor, yet I rarely get students dropping by my office hours--even when I explicitly invite them! Sometimes the students really need to take the initiative if they want personalized attention.