<p>I will be living in the dorms next year and narrowed my choices to Chadbourne and Sellery. I am having a hard time deciding. I love partying, which I know Sellery is known for but is Chadbourne also a party dorm? What are the good things about each of the dorms? Is Chadbourne worth the extra 300 for being a residential college? Any help would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Do you want to be involved in the Residential College activities? This should determine your choice. Choose Chad if you want to be involved in its activities, otherwise go with Sellery. Both are high rise dorms in a similar location- the big difference is the program.</p>
<p>Sellery for sure. Even Witte. From what I’ve gathered chadbourne is houses the socially awkward. Again, just from what I’ve gathered.</p>
<p>chadbourne is known as totally the opposite of sellery from what i’ve heard- it’s quite and probably really good if you just want to focus on your studies</p>
<p>I think UW needs a few less Sellery’s and a few more Chadbournes.</p>
<p>Some students are very independent or the programs don’t meet their needs so it is good to have many different kinds of dorms.</p>
<p>I know this is off topic, but I did not feel it warranted its own thread. Are there any differences between Witte and Sellery? As long as I am admitted, which I am fairly certain I will be, I will put these down as my first and second choices.</p>
<p>Only location. Witte has less street noise. They are mirror buildings.</p>
<p>I live in Chadbourne now and it’s full of squares. I’m moving to Sellery next year.</p>
<p>^Yessss on the squares. I’m moving off campus next year, I can’t handle the dorms. I literally know like 5 people who live here who aren’t totally lame. And they’re so strict on alcohol :/</p>
<p>I’m actually really concerned about this. I like to party and I don’t consider myself to be a square or lame. I wanted to live in Chadbourne over Sellery because I thought I could still go to all the parties but have a quiet place to study/sleep. I’m also not used to the cold and it would be nice to take a class or two inside my dorm. I also like that they have their own dining hall (in the cold it’s very convenient) and that Chadbourne is just newer. However, I don’t want to risk my college experience on a few positive amenities. I have heard the rumors but I thought that there was no way that others would not share my reasoning for why I wanted to live at Chadbourne. Am I totally wrong?</p>
<p>Also about the room sizing… I originally thought Chadbourne was bigger than Sellery but the more I research it, the more unclear the sizing is. I know both the dimensions but the layout is so different, it is hard to compare.</p>
<p>I would personally throw my vote in for Sellery or Witte which are essentially identical. Be it right or wrong people are sometimes stereotyped for living in Chad which is known to be nerdier or “square”. If you want to party at times Sellery is great for that, but had the quiet spaces too. You can always head down to the basement which has silent study or one of the 40 libraries on campus. I know tons of people from both and while I have heard no regrets from Sellery residents I have heard some Chad residents. Take it for what it’s worth…</p>
<p>almostfree, there are a few people who have the same reasoning you do, however you will have to look to find them. I moved to Chadbourne to live near my friends, who did have similar reasoning. You will be frequently annoyed but the Chadbourne atmosphere, but the positives you mentioned are good and I personally am okay with being annoyed in exchange for those benefits. I lived in Witte one semester and Chad another, which I thought was interesting, but good as I got the experience of both.</p>
<p>Also Chadbourne’s rooms are VERY small. Much, much smaller than Witte, which is identical to Sellery. You can’t really have a couch or anything in your room unless you loft your bed (which seems okay at the beginning of the year but you will HATE IT, especially if you drink and then it’s hard to get up to bed, lol). Chadbourne has nice common areas however and most people aren’t in their rooms a lot. But yes if you go for Chad be prepared to have a small room (though there is adjustable AC/heat, which is a godsend for me personally)</p>
<p>Regarding food service. It may be convenient to have breakfast/lunch and supper in the building. However- the distance to the snack bar et al is much further from Chad. Also- very easy to stop by a different building for breakfast on your way to class. Plus- you are likely already out for lunch. The distance to Gordon Commons is not that far (I’ve seen where dorm food service facilities are far for every student on some small campuses). Take any supposed eating convenience out of your equation- there are pros and cons to every dorm in this.</p>
<p>Consider what you want. It is very important to consider whether you want the Residential College lifestyle. Unless you are committed to that you should not try to live there. Live in the dorm that seems to best suit you and you will find like minded people around you. </p>
<p>You live on a campus- your world extends far beyond where you sleep. You will find yourself eating at many more places than the closest dining hall. You will also find the largest dorm rooms on campus will seem small/confining after awhile. Look at the overall atmosphere. The major reason to make the first decision- Lakeshore or Southeast. You chose Southeast. Next you need to decide Residential College or not. THEN decide which of the other dorms seems best, rank them and don’t be disappointed if you get your second or third choice.</p>
<p>^There’s a snack bar/convenience store in Chad. It’s just like Gordon Commons. Most people tend to eat lunch in the dining hall near their dorm. More than likely you’ll be coming back to the dorm between classes to study, eat, nap, whatever. That’s what most people I know do. If you are a big partier I wouldn’t recommend Chad - I got lucky by finding people who are similar to me here, but I found them in a rather convoluted way. I think most people do live in a “dorm bubble,” and that’s even more present in Chadbourne and Barnard.</p>
<p>Wis75 got some things right, but just note that you should pick a dorm in accordance with what is important to you. If that’s convenience, go for it. One of the things I like about Chadbourne is the convenience to classes and to food. You don’t have to participate in the programs, either, btw. (And you do get a lot of free food to be honest.)</p>
<p>Also note that if you want to go to all the parties, you’re most likely going to want Sellery or Witte. Don’t worry about it being loud, it’s pretty quiet Sunday-Wednesday and it’s not as lawless as you might imagine - people are fairly considerate. You’ll meet people who party and therefore you’ll actually be able to go to parties…here you won’t know anyone who parties so you won’t know of any parties to go to!</p>
<p>If anything I think my floor/the floor above me in Chadbourne is actually louder - it’s just loudness of the playing-board-games-and-hyped-up-on-sugar variety rather than the drunk variety. Which sounds exactly the same in my opinion. And the people above me seem intent on rearranging their furniture like seven times a day…</p>
<p>Thank you for your insightful comments. Right now I am leaning towards Sellery or Witte over Chadbourne. I’m still really unsure and confused as it is a very difficult decision.</p>
<p>EXACTLY! I’m in the same situation. Have you made a decision?</p>
What did you end up going for almostfree? I’m an incoming freshmen this year and am deciding between the same dorms
I’m an incoming freshman and my roommate and I listed Chadbourne as our #1, as well as two high school friends of mine who are living together next year. I wouldn’t say any of us are ‘squares’, we are actually all pretty social and love to have fun (without alcohol, that is) and I know we all plan to go to as many sporting events as possible and join plenty of student organizations. My reasoning behind picking Chad is that I want to be able to GO to the ‘party’, not always BE at the ‘party’, as that seems to be the case for a majority of Witte and Sellery residents. I want to minimize distractions and put myself in a situation where I can focus on my academics (also utilizing the libraries) throughout the week and whatever other times I need to, but also be in close proximity to the Kohl Center, Camp Randall, and Bascom (essentially just the hub of campus) so I am encouraged to get out and about during whatever free time I can find.
If you can handle distractions and temptations while still succeeding academically, I would say put Sellery or Witte as your #1. Though the social atmosphere of Madison (especially of Witte and Sellery) seems enticing and is easy to get swept up in, you should remember you are there to go to school and learn, everything else is just a bonus of going to a freaking awesome school.