Chance

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
21

<p>I’ll join the ****ing match and agree with MilwDad. I lived in Madison the first 12 years of my life many moons ago and all but 4 of the last 49 years in the Milwaukee area. I get to Madison a couple of times a year and am struck by how provincial it seems in many ways. As wis75 says, UW dominates much of the city along with state government which to me gives Madison a not real world, fantasy kind of feeling. Mostly west of the Isthmus, the east side is more real world. </p>

<p>MilwDad articulated the diversity and advantages of Milwaukee very well, as well as the different missions of UW and UWM. UWM and Marquette add greatly to Milwaukee but don’t dominate. Much of the diversity in Madison seems like more of a ‘just passing through’ variety.</p>

<p>DrKhan, the Rutgers plan could work for you if really good junior and senior year grades are followed by a successful freshman year. If it saves you some money all the better.</p>

22

<p>“The difference in the number and quality of professional theater troupes, ethnic restaurants, spectator sports, etc., is quite substantial.”</p>

<p>There might be more, but does that equate to better? I don’t think so. For instance, I love going to Miller Park to watch the Brewers play, and it’s great that Wisconsin has an NBA team to cheer for (even if they are usually abysmal), but I don’t think either is all that awesome. This, more than anything, is a matter of opinion of course.</p>

<p>“And the racial and cultural diversity at UWM is simply leagues beyond what you will find in Madison at UW. That is also attendant to its location in a metropolis, as well as a function of the lower selectivity of admissions. UWM has an urban mission, as I said, and its student body looks a lot more like the real world.”</p>

<p>I really don’t see how you can say that UWM is more diverse than Madison. From foreign students from places like China and Singapore, to things like the French House with fluent French speakers, Madison has a global reach and global appeal that bring in a wide array of different people, as well as from around the nation as well. Milwaukee has 97% of its student body from in state, Madison has 64%.</p>

<p>“That is also attendant to its location in a metropolis, as well as a function of the lower selectivity of admissions. UWM has an urban mission, as I said, and its student body looks a lot more like the real world.”</p>

<p>So lower selectivity in admissions is a good thing? I’m not trying to be crass, but come on… Student body that looks like the real world? What on earth does that mean? You say calling Milwaukee a blue collar city is pretentious, but then talk about having a student body that looks more like the real world? Does that mean fewer Asians or more in state students or something? Please explain, because “the real world” does not have some sort of student body that best represents it, unless you have a very narrow outlook of what the world is.</p>

<p>(originally posted by annoyingdad)
“As wis75 says, UW dominates much of the city along with state government which to me gives Madison a not real world, fantasy kind of feeling. Mostly west of the Isthmus, the east side is more real world.”</p>

<p>I don’t see how the state government, where laws are formed and legislation passed for the entire state, or UW-Madison, where research is conducted on a variety of topics not limited to but including agriculture, one of the most important industries in the state, is part of a “fantasy world.”</p>

23

<p>We are talking about where to attend college, not other times of your life. You want an academically stimulating environment, not the “real world”. You want exposure to internationally known professors and students from other places. Milwaukeee is at least as provincial as any other place- so many have never experienced anywhere else. A downside to living in Madison if you are not a student may be the major effect UW has on the town- but when you are that student it is a terrific place to be. The combination of lakeshore and State St is hard to beat.</p>