University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

I love UW Madison! I have had the most amazing experiences during my four years here. I've met amazing friends and have been challenged academically. I have received a well rounded education and as I interview for graduate school admission I find that I am prepared and knowledgeable and can speak confidently about my career area.

It's sorta kinda perfect. As Ders from Workaholics (a Wisco alum) put it, "I had the perfect college experience". FYI, he is the commencement speaker for the graduating class of Spring 2013.

The vast majority of stereotypes for the University of Wisconsin-Madison center around the "Bro" stereotypes for the boys and the "Coastie" stereotype for the girls. When I say BRO I mean your average white, young man who is often seen at parties any day of the week. He is loud and obnoxious and loves to get with as many 'easy' girls as possible. Or he stands around holding a red cup, waiting for something to happen where he can start screaming. He typically wears a baseball cap or a Print T-shirt with something like "Mount and Dew me" on it in the font/color scheme of the Mountain Dew soda company. On the other side of the spectrum are the Coastie girls. These young ladies are from New York or California and not only do they think that they are the best things to happen since spray tan, they also cling to one another like the well-known "Plastics" from the hit movie "Mean Girls". Typical "Coastie" wear includes sweatpants or leggings, coupled with UGG boots and topped with a very messy bun located on the tops of their craniums. Also, many Coasties talk with a very thick Valley Girl droll and they assume that the tanner their skin is the better. Some of them will wear Bucky Badger T-Shirts and cut the sides out revealing their waists and neon colored bras. These two categories of stereotypes have definitely been the most prevalent that I have heard from everyone I talk to; including the students from other states and sometimes even other countries. I am pleased to inform you that, while these stereotypes most definitely DO exist, they are not nearly as profound on campus as I was led to believe. I'd say the vast majority of students here are really individuals who don't fit into any category or stereotype completely. Of course there are those that play those stereotypical parts, there will always be those, but it's not something to worry about here, at least based on my experience.

Madison has it all! I absolutely love this university. It has a lot of school pride; the whole state of Wisconsin loves the Badgers! Game days are a must--the city is flooded with red attire and everyone is always in a great mood. One of my favorite places on campus is State Street. It has many ethnic restaurants and cute clothing stores and is always bustling with both locals and visitors.

I love UW-Madison. I grew up 20 minutes away but never understood the magnitude of the school's overall amazing impression until I became a student. Everyone is very nice and even though the school is giant with over 42,000 students, it is a very tight nit community. There is always something to do with events and clubs for anyone and everyone. The party life is great but not bothersome, if you wanna go out you will have the time of your life but if you wanna have a chill night in, its possible. There are plenty of student centered areas and buildings around campus including two rec facilities, student unions, student centers, and state st. State St has restaurants, bars, shopping, and all around a fun atmosphere. Madison is both a college town and a general urban town. If you are downtown, it is a complete college town but the city expands out west, east, north and south with neighborhoods, shopping, restaurants, and much much much more. There is so much school spirit, GO BUCKY, and students often get involved in political movements. Seriously the best place to go to school, if you have any doubts, check out the UW-Madison memes Facebook page! If you wanna be a badger then come along with me :)

UW-Madison is awesome. The camp is is beautiful and the people are beautiful. Te academic standard is amongst the best in the world, but the social life is also amazing.

I absolutely love having the privilege of being a student at the University of Wisconsin Madison. I can't imagine feeling more comfortable, stimulated, or accepted at any other college or university. Madison may seem intimidating because of its size, but once you get the hang of the campus, it is very easy to maneuver, and you really only attend certain areas that apply to your field of study or interest. Madison is so diverse and holds a vast amount of opportunities for every single student that attends the university. The whole city has a unique college town feel of school pride and acceptance. As a prestigious university, I am proud to tell people that I am a student here, and I can tell by their equally impressed reactions that they automatically see some sort of promising quality that I must have if I go to such an established school. The campus has so many cool areas that attract all different kinds of people, from the well known Union Terrace on Lake Mendota, to the great Camp Randall stadium that radiates school pride on gamedays. UW Madison is one of the most fun, inviting, challenging and diverse campuses in the world, and I can't imaging going anywhere else. It is so easy to find where you belong, people to fit in with, and opportunities to pursue that apply to each and every unique talent and interest. The students are well informed of current issues and encourages to contribute opinions and make their voices heard. The university is very research oriented, but every field has so many experienced staff members that it is a privilege to attend a lecture with such prestigious professors. The school pride here is unbelievable, and its easy to tell that every student is proud of where they have made it to, and even more driven to make the most out of their college experience.

The overall best thing about UW-Madison is the opportunities you have here. Nearly any major, club, or sports team you can think of exists on this campus. If I could change one thing about the university, I would change its advising system. Advising is something you have to be really proactive about, no one is going to chase after you and get you to come into an appointment. Overall, however, the campus has a great atmosphere, game days have to be seen to be believed, and any opportunity you can think of can be found here.

Let's get into it: Wisconsin. Cheese. Beer. Brats. BADGERS. These things were all a bit strange to me. I come from southwest Florida, so the whole cold thing was a shock too. The best thing about this school, hands down, is the academics. UW was recently ranked 17th in the WORLD for scientific research. That's some heavy stuff right there. My chemistry professor is actually a theoretical chemist and leading expert on chemical bonding. He just teaches intro chem (103) for fun. Clark Landis: he's the man. Let me tell you a secret. There's no such thing as a "big school" where everyone is just a face in the crowd. There are way too many ways to make this university smaller for yourself. There's a greek system. There are hundreds upon hundreds of student organizations. There are religious organizations. The school has so much to offer that one should never feel alone. The best part about a large student body is that there are definitely people just like you. People usually act with surprise when I tell them I go to this school, but that's mostly because I'm from Florida. They usually follow up their surprise with a "have fun being cold" or "that's a really good school." I prefer the second one. Weather shouldn't steer anyone away from this campus. I spend most of my time in the library. I'm a biochemistry major on the pre-health (med) track so I'm plenty busy most of the time. There's a great student activity center (SAC) where I also study. I'm also in the chemistry building a whole lot. If I'm not at any of those places or asleep, I'm at the SERF (South East Recreational Facility) working out. It's a fantastic gym and it's open to any student with a wiscard (our student ID) This is the best college town of all time. Ann Arbor is boring. Gainesville is a dirt road. State College is sequestered in a valley, and Berkeley is straight up strange. Madison, WI is the place to be. It's a very real place. This is a center of political activity (very liberal), there is a financial district, there is a large professional community, and above all Madison is home to a lot of regular citizens. On top of all that an exciting state capital can offer, there is an amazing sense of school pride and spirited atmosphere that surround this campus in the heart of downtown Madison. Game days are unreal and wild, but during the week there is a true environment of learning. I don't quite know how to explain it, but it just feels like you're in a place where big things are happening. Whether the music school (which is excellent) is putting on a concert, or the engineering school (that out-ranks Harvard) just created something that would make your head spin, something academically amazing is happening. The administration is very friendly and helpful. This is characteristic of the entire state of Wisconsin. People look for reasons to trust you rather than not to trust you, and they truly help you when you are in need. The recent political rallies over Governor Walker's stupidity were pretty outrageous. That's some campus controversy. The most unusual thing about this school is, I think, that it exists. The probability that such a fine institution of learning would exist in America's dairyland is just unusual and delightful. When most people think "Wisconsin" they don't think engineering or big-time business, skyscrapers, or particle accelerators. They think farms and cheese and cows that go moo.

UW--Madison is a well-established, well-balanced part of the community, and is a source of love and pride for its students and alumni. Since we're the biggest UW campus, we contribute a tremendous amount of research to many academic fields, and we're known to be a rigorous, well-rounded school. Overall, I personally love Madison. School spirit is everywhere--when I was studying for finals this semester, Bucky came dancing through the library late at night, and lots of clapping and cat calling accompanied him. I love the social atmosphere on and around campus; I can't imagine a better college city than Madison, which is consistently named one of the best cities in the country in terms of health, crime, unemployment rates, happiness, etc. I also love the academic opportunities here, which are broad and varied for each major. There's an atmosphere of ambition and determination that applies not only to academics but to life in general. The time I spend in the library is substantial, but so is the time I spend with friends, whether it's at a party or the Union or the terrace in the warmer months. Madison is definitely a large school, which might be intimidating to prospective students, but I've never felt overwhelmed or lost in the crowd here. The more time you spend on campus, and the more people you meet, the more it feels like home. In spite of the large campus and the large student population, there are definitely ways of making it feel smaller. Personally, I like that there is always someone new to meet and always a group of friends to go back to--it seems like the best of both worlds. One thing that surprised me after I started classes here was how, despite how many students there are here and the high expectations we have for ourselves, we aren't cutthroat or competitive. The atmosphere is one of collective determination, and collaboration and individual effort are combined to make classes fun, not scary. I always know, going into a difficult class, that my classmates and I will get through it together and I will probably make friends because of the effort we put in. Overall, I think Madison's size and reputation work for it, rather than against it. Badgers know how to party, study, and make their way in a big school by working together and staying focused.