<p>Ok, there are a couple of threads floating around concerning visits, but I didn't want to hijack someone else's so I decided to start a new one.</p>
<p>Next week I am going to visit Madison for the first time ever during one of their admitted student days. Its like a four hour long tour so I am hoping to see a lot of stuff, though I know there will be more to see. As I have never been to the Madison before let alone Midwest, is there anything on campus or the city I really MUST see that I probably will not see on the tour. At this point I know I am going to check out State Street a good bit to see what they have to offer and all the dorms. Also, I'm going to do my best to see the basketball game because I believe they are home next week. So with that, anything that comes to mind that I should see while there. This visit is going to be extremely influential in my decision process on whether to enroll so I want to make the most out of it. </p>
<p>Well, Cryto, we're in the midst of a warming trend (40-50 degrees) after a ton of snow & bitter cold. Unless Madison really gets socked with a big storm by the time of your visit, you'll still see piles of snow but not nearly what could have been the case. Probably you'll encounter a lot of slush & puddles as well.</p>
<p>Before the tour, get ahold of a campus map and get your bearings straight--it'll help a lot. On the tour, they'll probably show you one of the Southeast dorms, which tend to be a little more party-happy & thus more popular. If you get a chance, ask to see one of the Lakeshore dorms if possible for comparison. I assume you've already been admitted, so no doubt you've been receiving flyers in the mail about the privatized dorms llike Lucky 101 & Statesider. It's not for everyone & it is expensive, but you get some creature comforts not available in the dorms.</p>
<p>Another good idea would be to ride the campus bus on the loop around UW, to get a gauge on how far things are from each other. They say you can walk from one end of campus to the other in 20 minutes. That's a pretty brisk walking pace from my experience. But the distance seems to bother absolutely no one. Cold & snow either. They love that stuff here.</p>
<p>State St. is amazing, with the best ethnic cuisine in the state & something always going on, just a vibrant place.</p>
<p>If you like UW in crappy February weather, you'll probably love it in nice weather.</p>
<p>Have a great visit. Son and I were just there last weekend for the admitted students day and had a great time. We flew in late Thursday evening. Friday (day of tour) was freezing, but sunny, and we had a great day. Saturday was much warmer - like 30's.</p>
<p>We signed in and the information session lasted about 1 - 1 1/4 hours. Then the group was divided into two smaller groups by academic interest (engineering/ math,/science and humanitites/social science/ business). Current students led the groups to one of two dining areas for lunch in a dining hall. We ate at Gordon Commons in SE (I think other went to Liz Waters).</p>
<p>After lunch was the tour - parents and kids were separated which seemed to work well. Tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours - went into new business academic bldg, Kohl Center, sample dorm room in Sellery (SE), did go to Lakeshore area so you'll get a feel for there, Bascom Hall, Library Mall, and a few other areas. The one place we did not go on the tour, but that S and I saw in August when we visited, was the Memorial Union - so, I would definitely suggest visiting there on your own as a "don't miss." S decided not to attend a class, but that could be an option. We did go over to the SERF (rec bldg) later in the afternoon - you cannot walk around alone, but a student supervisor happily showed us around the facility which is amazing. We also visited the book store.</p>
<p>Friday night we had dinner on State Street. We just chose a decent Italian/pizza place close to the hotel, but there are tons of great ethnic choices. Later that evening son went over to walk around on his own and grabbed a cup of coffee at a coffee place. Unfortunately, we don't know a single person that goes there... he was hoping to get to go out with some students on Friday night and tried to make a few connections through friends, but was never able to work that out. </p>
<p>We were fortunate that on Saturday, some adult friends of mine from the area drove us up towards Picnic Point and through the medical center area and around some of the neighborhoods and by the Football Stadium. It gave a nice sense of the area, but I don't think it is absolutely necessary to make your decision. You could probably hop on one of the buses if you wanted to "explore" a bit more. </p>
<p>Hope that helps. S has pretty much made his decision (I'd say 98% right now) that UW-Madison is the place for him. We are all pretty psyched about it. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Wow thanks for the detailed responses above posters. Ya I will definatley be sure to check out the union as it seems pretty important. I'm really looking forward to it and hoping it will push me in the right direction haha. The bus idea sounded like a pretty good one to see the area so maybe I'll check that out. You are right about the warming, I checked what its going to be like and it seemed a lot warmer than usual for late next week. Thanks again.</p>