University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

The academics are rigorous. You can expect to be challenged academically. Those of us who easily got a 4.0 in high school found that it is not that easy at UW Madison. Professors challenge you to critically think about yourself and the world around you. Expectations are steep and graduating from UW Madison is quite an accomplishment.

Academics as I mentioned are very challenging. I can't speak for everyone, but as a business student its very difficult to get an A. I would say that the hardest courses require 30+ hours per week of studying outside of normal lecture.

The academic life at UW-Madison is perfect for me. If you want to get to know your professors, most are open to creating a first-name basis with you but if you prefer to sit back and take in lectures without personal attention, you can have that too. The TAs are usually great as well, and sometimes I like my TAs much better than my professors. I enjoy most of my classes probably because there are so many to choose from, you can pick the class and professor you want to enjoy your class. Most classes are time consuming and require A LOT of work but it is so worth it and definitely a part of going to this University. The work load is easy to accustom to and once you have, it seems awkward to not have homework or studying to do. If you manage your time well, you will have plenty of time for fun as well. There is a distinct difference between discussions or labs and lectures. Most participation is done in discussion where there is minimal participation in lectures. Although some professors make a strong effort to increase participation or at least encourage questions in lecture. Students are generally not competitive and many grab opportunities to work in groups UNLESS there is a class curve. If the class has a bell curve where a certain percent of students get an A and a certain percent has to fail. This is not very common anymore. The most unique class I have taken was Human Sexuality (Psych/soc 160). Many people fight to get enrolled in this class and it is VERY VERY interesting!! Personally, I am a psychology major and am also working towards a business certificate. The psych department is going through a curriculum change but the department offers many awesome opportunities such as research experience as a research assistant. I currently work in an Infant Learning Lab that studies how infants and toddlers aged 7-28 months learn language. This is one way to interact with a professor outside of class. Otherwise many students find it very helpful to go to office hours!! Overall, I can tell I have learned a lot and my education seems to be useful for applying to graduate school for my future. Not really sure if it is preparing me for the career world but I am only a sophomore!

The classes are generally large, so there is not a lot of personal contact with the professors. I have had many inspiring professors, especially later on in my undergraduate years. I am majoring in zoology and have minors in both environmental studies and German. Zoology is really interesting; you get to learn about animals! The environmental studies program is great--I wish I had taken more of these classes when I was a freshman and sophomore. The department changed my perspective of the world and how we use it. I highly recommend students take at least one environmental studies course. Madison has many opportunities for studying abroad and ensuring your credits transfer back correctly. I studied abroad in Germany and had an amazing time! Classes at Madison are challenging and require many hours a week studying, but all the students are in the same situation, so you won't be the only one spending late nights at the library!

I really enjoy going to class and learninnbg at UW Madison. We have some brilliant professors many of whom are world renowned. Ttghere are many academic resources available to us and we have a over a 90 percent retention and graduation rate.

The academics at UW Madison are extremely top-knotch. The administration as well as the student body recognize the standards of excellence and intelligence that they are held to and strive to achieve. While the lecture sizes may appear intimidating, it is equally stimulating, and it is easy to seek help when needed with material. The discussions for classes are much smaller and allow for one on one time with about 15-20 students and a knowledgeable teaching assistant. The teaching assistants are highly qualified, and are usually doctorate students that can make time available for you if you need it. There are also many different resources on campus that can provide further assistance like tutoring programs, study groups, and the Writing Center; it's really up to you to make the most of your resources and seek out what help you need. And don't think that using these resources is discouraged because everyone does it, and in such a competitive atmosphere it is encouraged for you to do whatever fits your personal needs to achieve the most you can. Most professors don't know your names because the lectures are so large in many classes, but if you make the effort to attend their office hours, most really reciprocate the effort by remembering your name and providing as much help as they can give. It also helps establish yourself and make some useful connections. I remember how scared I was to go to my first office hours with a very prestigious english professor I had freshman year, but the payoff was insurmountable. In a 350 student lecture the professor now knew my name, and I felt that I had established myself as a dedicated student, and from then on I was encouraged to come to him for any further questions. My first year, I took mostly general classes, and I was very happy with my decisions to get a taste of different types of classes so I could narrow down what career I would like to pursue in my future. I specifically remember taking general chemistry, and while my high school course prepared me well for it, I realized that at the college level, chemistry is definitely not something I want to pursue. My first year was a huge change from high school, because classes demand so much more, but it really helped me realize what my strengths are and where my true interests lie. I recently declared myself an english major, and I couldn't be happier with the decision because I discovered that my strengths lie in reading and writing, and I truly enjoy the challenge of english classes. At such a competitive and large university, it is essential to stand out from the crowd, and while it is completely up to you to establish yourself, there are so many resources at UW Madison that can help you discover your strengths and how to shine.

Often at Madison, as a freshman/sophomore you just have a number of large lecture classes, with 300 students and complete anonymity. Some people love this, some hate it, but it's a very different atmosphere from a small class. Students study every weeknight, and also in between classes. There are over 50 libraries on campus, and they're always filled with students studying. I'm a Psychology major, and Madison's undergraduate psychology program is one of the best in the country. As a senior, nearly all of my classes are small in nature, and you get really good face time with professors. People tend to form friendships within their major a lot of the time, because you end up taking classes with the same group of people over the years. Academic requirements are strict and difficult, but as long as you choose a major you're passionate about, the work will be interesting and you'll be motivated to do well.

Academics at the University of Wisconsin definitely vary. There are programs that are stronger than others. From what I see, the sciences, education, business, and school of agriculture are the true strong fields that this school serves, but any degree from UW Madison will look great on a resume to be honest. Students DO study here. It's a big boy school and the degrees don't come without a little bit of elbow grease. Libraries are ALWAYS brimming with students studying and working. Just a tip: College Library is cool, but it is also overrated. Memorial library is a great place to study, and most large buildings (chemistry, education, business) have libraries of their own. The Grainger (business) library is fantastic. Although there is (somewhat of) an academic vibe at UW, students tend to be laid-back and encouraging rather than cutthroat and competitive. My FAVORITE thing about the University of Wisconsin is that students do have intellectual and meaningful discussions outside of the classroom. Hearing conversations about agricultural techniques and quantum mechanics on the way to class is great. Above all, when I talk to a current student of alumnus of this institution, they always sound, and are, educated. Even our athletes, an academic gray-area for a lot of big schools, sound educated. Current Badger star running-back Montee Ball is always well spoken and polite during interviews; however, I can't say the same of all of this year's Heinemann candidates.

Since Madison is a large school with hundreds of majors, classes vary greatly depending on what you study and the amount of coursework you choose to do each semester. This being said, I think that classes in general are challenging, but also rewarding. Introductory and survey classes usually consist of lectures, taught by professors, and a discussion or lab led by a TA. I've never had a TA teach a lecture; professors lecture, answer questions, and even administer tests. In discussions and labs, TAs help us understand lecture material, and we often do exercises and activities to expand upon the material we learned that week. This is true for most of the classes I have taken for my English and psychology majors thus far. In my literature classes, discussion is a time for closer examination of text, advice about writing essays and taking exams, and group discussion of things we touched on in lecture. The same is true for many of my psych discussions, in which we discuss possible social implications of lecture topics, TAs answer questions and give advice about the material, and students work together to thoroughly understand tough concepts. As you get increasingly specialized within your major, classes generally get smaller and more specific--which provides ample opportunity to interact more with professors. Psychology is the biggest department on campus, with more students choosing to study how the mind works than anything else. One of my favorite classes was Introductory Psychology, the basic class required for all psych and business majors. It was a lecture of about 200, and a discussion of 15 students and 2 TAs. Discussion was helpful because we did hands-on activities to understand things the professor said in lecture, and I remember giving and listening to presentations about specific topics. In this way, you get the professor's lecture, which usually matches the textbook and emphasizes material on the test, and you also get help from your peers and TAs in a more concentrated environment. Class participation is central to discussions and labs, in which group discussions are the main focus of the 50-minute classes. Professors encourage student questions in lecture as well. For psychology in particular, students discuss topics outside of class all the time. We see things that we study at work in real life, and it's fun to be able to talk about it with a friend in your class and see that your work has paid off. Overall, classes are challenging yet interesting, and I have found professors and TAs to be very helpful and available. Students are not overly competitive, and we get through tough classes by utilizing the resources available to us and by working together.

Class sizes are generally pretty big at UW-Madison, but certain majors have small class sizes or else you can make these large classrooms feel small. This, however, requires that you be proactive in your education (sitting in the front of the class, talking to professors after lecture or at office hours). When you show initiative the professors love it, but the responsibility is YOURS. As an English major, I can testify to some of the shortcomings of these large class sizes. It is difficult to get a professor to critically review your writing in a class 300, and often the TAs simply cannot offer the same perspective. There are venues such as the Writing Center where you can bring your work for good critique, but again this requires that YOU make the first step. Competitiveness is not much of an issue here, mostly the students want to help each other, compare notes, and get good grades together. Quite often, we get together for study groups, which also is a good place to make friend with people who share your academic interests--the community at UW-Madison is one that will keep you afloat when you fall on a particularly hard semester.