<p>Most social life is off campus–house parties, bars, union, etc. Get to know one person and you will know 100’s soon.</p>
<p>There currently is a major push to improve the transfer experience. That should include dorms.</p>
<p>The Towers are okay. I know quite a few people who live there. They’re pretty nice and pretty social. Lucky is also really social and popular, though expensive (note: the first few floors is Lucky 101, which has RA’s and such, mostly freshmen. The upper floors - “penthouse floors” - are just normal apartments and generally have sophs and above) Then there are also the many other off-campus options, like apartments and such. It doesn’t really matter where you live, meet some people and you’ll meet many, like barrons said.</p>
<p>Housing assignments are done by lottery in May. It does not matter when you are admitted- the lottery determines the order in which students are assigned according to their dorm preferences. Res Halls will stop offering housing contracts to those admitted in spring if they feel they won’t have room for them during the school year (some get expanded/temorary housing until rooms open up- there are always those who choose not to attend despite paying all dfeposits et al). This means someone accepted in October has the same chance as a person accepted in March as being the first in line to get their first choice of housing if both signed housing contracts.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your chances of getting your first choice of dorms based on your acceptance date, it has nothing to do with the date of your UW application or acceptance (before sometime in March). You do have to make the decision of whether or not to accept a housing contract by the date specified in materials sent you- a binding contract if you do attend UW. Getting your first choice does depend on how many other students want it- ie the popularity and size (number of available rooms). Sellery and Witte are very large dorms and not half filled with returning students like some other dorms so chances of getting them are good as already stated.</p>
<p>@CrownOftheSea</p>
<p>I’m a transfer student, and really, the dorms are kind of a mixed bag in their current setup. Aside from the transfer house (which I put as my #1 choice but did not get into) there really isn’t any dorm a transfer student would probably feel more at home at than another. They are all pretty freshman oriented (with a couple exceptions, like Adams and Tripp) and for someone transferring, especially if you’ve been at your first institution for 2 years, this can be a pretty big negative, especially if you get a freshman roommate.</p>
<p>That being said, going into the dorms (which I did end up doing) can be a fantastic experience and it is a great way to meet people. My own dorm experience was positive, but I was also very lucky with the roommate I got.</p>
<p>At the end of the day though, I think it depends on the person in question, weighing the factors at stake. Are you going to be OK dealing with a bunch of freshman just starting college, wide eyed at the new freedom they have? If you got an annoying freshman roommate, would you be able to still find enough quiet time to study and get good grades (especially at Madison, where the classes are usually pretty difficult)?</p>
<p>All things being equal, I would probably advise against living in the dorms and aim for an off campus situation. You’ll meet people in class and there are plenty of clubs and events (especially at the Union) to goto that aren’t in anyway tied to living in a dorm.</p>
<p>UW is a terrific place to transfer to, but it is also a place that really doesn’t do much (i.e. basically nothing) for transfers in helping them acclimate to their new environment, which can be drastically different in subtle ways that can be just as frustrating as the big things that freshman first going to college face.</p>
<p>edit: And there are definitely some people from California, including a very good friend mine. I wouldn’t say there a lot though.</p>
<p>I have heard that students don’t necessarily get to attend football and basketball games…that it is a lottery. How does that work? Are students gauranteed any tickets or is it all just the luck of the draw?</p>
<p>Yes, there is a lottery for student tickets with a limit that is usually less than demand. However there Always are students selling tickets for games–some below cost and some above it–the week of games. There was some hub-bub because students that got Rose Bowl tickets tried to sell them right away to make some $$$$.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call it a lottery, it is first come-first serve. Students receive an email with specific instructions on how to register and log in to uwbadgers.com for ticket purchases. They are told the exact day and time to log in. If you are smart, you register/get set up in advance. Set your alarm, and open multiple internet windows and start trying to log in at the appointment time. My son has never failed to get his football and basketball tickets. Literally, if you snooze, you lose; as the football tickets usually go on sale in summer on a Monday at 7:30 a.m. CDT. Sleep in or forget the date? You won’t have season tickets as the football tickets for students sell out in 20 minutes. BUT, you can often buy a student ticket on game day near face value.</p>
<p>So the question I have for Rox and any other current/former UW students here is what the academics are really like at Wisconsin, in terms of classes, professors, difficulty, and how involved students are in their studies. Is it a “work hard - play hard” thing for most students, or does only the play part apply in general? And how much would those who care about their grades have to sacrifice social life for that?</p>
<p>For context, I’m a junior just looking around at colleges at this point, and Wisconsin really appeals to me for a number of reasons, though I would be OOS.</p>
<p>It’s definitely a work hard play hard environment. Of course there are people who gravitate towards one end of the spectrum, but most people study like crazy and still go out 2-3 nights a week. Academics are certainly important here, that’s one of the really great things about Wisconsin. Also I haven’t found a problem in balancing my grades and social life, but it will depend how long you personally need to study to understand material.</p>
<p>As to the quality of academics, I’m content with the classes I’ve had so far. I had one professor who seemed kind of incompetent, but she came straight from Duke. Other than that, everyone seems very knowledgeable. It’s pretty difficult imo, but of course you can always customize that with the classes you take. I know people who are taking hard classes who have to study quite a bit, most of their free time minus weekend nights, but they still go out regularly and can still be involved on campus. </p>
<p>Wisconsin is definitely a good school academically. If you choose to live in Wisconsin after graduation, employers will look at your Madison degree as a huge asset. It’s considered the pinnacle of education in Wisconsin, and in other places it’s definitely seen as a really good school. It’s also an amazing place to party and just be young, and that balance is extremely rare as far as I have seen.</p>
<p>How’s engineering there? (biomedical or chemical) Internship opportunities? (compared to schools like purdue)
Diversity?
How big are the classes usually? In some schools, I heard students can’t even see profs until 2~3rd year.</p>
<p>I have heard good things about the engineering program. I’m not a part of it, so I can’t really say, but I think it is very well respected. I don’t know anything about internships, really, as I haven’t looked.</p>
<p>Wisconsin is a very white state, and a very white school. There aren’t many minorities, though there are a lot of Asian people. They say it’s only 7%, but it seems like a lot more. There are people from lots of different places, but most of them do tend to be white or Asian.</p>
<p>It will depend on the class, as to the size. Many freshman intro classes are perhaps like 300 people. I had like two of those last semester. My other two classes were very small, like 20 people or so. Even in my large classes, a prof will lecture two or three times a week and then once a week you’ll have your discussion with a TA. I think that’s pretty standard procedure here so you’ll definitely see profs right away. Language classes are small, and there are lots of topics/seminar courses that are small as well. You can take these as a freshman and they will count for requirements, so if you’re creative you can take smaller classes if that’s something you really need.</p>
<p>Professors are available for office hours. The students who choose to can likely interact with their professor. This info is from the UW site- statements from past just before classes start all freshman welcome/lecture- students told to make use of office hours. UW is a place where the student needs to initiate things- you can’t expect professors/TA’s to seek you out, but they will be receptive if you seek them out. You can’t be a passive learner, the active learner who takes charge of their education will benefit most- ie, no spoon feeding.</p>
<p>RoxSox- I’m impressed with your evaluation of UW in recent posts. Sounds like you have observed a lot and noticed how different students have different experiences. It fits with my knowledge of my son’s recent experiences. Despite the party questions/answers on CC there are many students who lead a different college life.</p>
<p>Thank you very much, RoxSox and wis75.
Are the Asian students mostly Americans or internationals? What country seems to send the most international students?
Are freshmen allowed to have cars? (parking, I mean) public transportation?</p>
<p>Ummm, I don’t really personally know that many Asian people, but I think it’s a mixture of both. I’ve met a lot of people from China, though.
There’s no rule against freshmen having cars, but there’s zero parking. You really, really don’t need one. I don’t know anyone, freshman or not, who does have a car, even rich people. It’s just not necessary. Unless you need it for a job or you live far off campus as an upperclassman, you really don’t need it. You can walk everywhere and the bus system is quite good.</p>
<p>Thanks!
You said you are in Greek life; is it popular in UW? What are some advantages? Would you recommend freshmen to join; and how does it work?</p>
<p>The Greek system is not huge at UW, but it definitely exists. You can rush or not and have a completely fulfilling social life either way. It’s a great way to meet people when you first get to campus, it’s a great way to get involved and do community service, there are great parties/socials and if your frat/sorority has a house (almost all of them do) it’s a good place to live sophomore year; it is usually very reasonable pricewise.</p>
<p>I would recommend anyone interested to rush. Fraternity and sorority rush are very different, sorority rush is very formal and lasts the week before classes start, while fraternity rush is much less formal and lasts over a period of weeks, I think. All the houses here at UW are great and I would recommend anyone interested to check it out. If you rush you’re not committing to anything, so don’t worry about that. I think it’s a great experience.</p>
<p>RoxSox is one of the more or less 10% involved in the Greek system and knowledgeable about it. Most of the campus is totally unaffected by them, meaning you can easily spend your time for years on campus without really being aware of their existence. The houses are generally on Langdon St, close to campus but not on the way to anything. Not to disparage them, but they don’t need to affect you. However, if it your thing, persue it. The UW campus is large enough to accommodate many diverse interests. </p>
<p>I want those who are not interested in Greek life to be reassured that it does not dominate the campus social life like it may on some campuses. Sports may seem to dominate the campus but you will find many who don’t care about that either. You can find your niche with or without these. College is not like HS with its social structure- popular/unpopular people. You choose what works for you, there is no “in crowd” in charge. Every student has his/her own unique experience.</p>
<p>Everyone seems to be in agreement about cars. Allowed, but definitely not worth it, especially for freshmen living on or near campus. You would only use a car to get away from campus. Since there is so much to do on/around campus you won’t want to be leaving it, most students stay weekends. Some do have scooters or bicycles to get around- and there is the free campus bus plus a free pass for the Madison city bus system. Count on using your own two feet to get around campus.</p>
<p>There are few Asians, reflecting the Wisconsin population. Recent decades brought many Hmong, the largest Asian group, but it takes time for an immigrant group to attend colleges in large numbers, especially the elite campus. Likewise the Hispanic population has grown tremendously in recent years, but again this group is traditionally not well educated in their home countries and it will take time. The number of instate Indians has increased so there will likely be more state residents of Indian origin as years go by. Native Americans are yet another minority, as are African Americans- both not well represented at UW. A state’s college population reflects its demographics- the ethnic groups that dominate the middle and upper classes are the ones that dominate college classes. One nice thing for the locals is the exposure to people from other parts of the country and world.</p>
<p>What if you do not want to party much?</p>
<p>Can you be in a dorm with other people from your majors? Does the school do a good job in helping you make lifelong friends with the 40,000 students?</p>
<p>How bad is the traffic on the campus? Is it always so busy?</p>
<p>Just don’t party if you don’t want to- say no. Res Halls does not assign dorms by majors. There are special interest group houses- see the website for info. Most freshmen are undecided or may change majors. They have had some classes held in dorms- a way to be with others taking the same course. Nice to have people from all sorts of backgrounds and majors in your dorm.</p>
<p>It is NOT the university’s job to find friends for you. Moving to a new town/city, do you expect it to find you friends??? YOU meet people and make friends through the dorms, your classes and your activities. They become lifelong friends if you continue to keep in touch. You can’t expect to be friends with the entire campus, or even all of those starting the same semester. There is no sense of class of 'xx like there is in HS. Don’t worry about meeting people- they all chose UW like you did, and likewise those in your dorm and classes have that choice in common with you. Presuming you chose UW because it is a good fit for you you will find friends. The friends will change as you change during the year. It takes time to develop the strong friendships that last years- don’t worry. Some friends will be met in your second year and beyond.</p>
<p>University Ave is the main street (one way) running through campus. NOT recommended to drive it during the 15 minutes between classes if you can help it- too many students. Of course, as a student you will be part of the foot/bicycle/scooter traffic at those times. You will not be driving a car on campus- no available parking. Other major roads edging campus- use your common sense and follow the rules- crosswalks, lights… UW is surrounded by city but most of the academic buildings are within an area where walking dominates car traffic. You will find ways between buildings cars can’t go.</p>