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<p>Does that mean OOS students are accepted to UW later than WI students? Or that of the later accepted students, WI students are given priority for University Housing assignments? Or both? Sorry if I'm being dense - just trying to get an idea of how it works.</p>
<p>Students receive housing packets as they are accepted. So if you are a borderline acceptance (which far more OOS students are), you could very well not get in until much later in the year, after housing is full.</p>
<p>(Some people still get roped into housing contracts and are thrown into extended housing) which is crap.</p>
<p>Got it - thanks!</p>
<p>Wisconsin residents who apply for housing by mid March are assured of it, the same does not apply to OOS residents. I think this relates to instate parents at one point being upset about their kids not gettting in the dorms so the state passed some legislation to deal with the problem. Extended housing has been around forever- those students eventually get a regular room. Sure beats some private schools' practices of cramming 3 people in a double and other such conditions. BTW- despite the fact that apts advertise early, the end of the first semester is soon enough to make plans for the following year.</p>
<p>There are UW alumni associations all over the country- no need to be in a frat for post college connections, if one desires them. Different strokes for different folks.</p>
<p>I was not advocating for or against frats in general or any frat in particular. I was just arguing against wis75's blanket assertion that frats and private dorms are to be avoided and will lead to some truncated or limited college experience. That is utterly false. I'm for public dorms, private dorms, frats, sororities, apartments and even co-ops. Whichever you think will fit you the best.</p>
<p>The UW tried to add more dorms so they could offer first year housing to all freshmen. It was blocked by the state Legislature in the last final budget agreement. They will keep trying, I bet.</p>
<p>Call the admissions office/check University</a> of Wisconsin-Madison and get the real story, neither barrons nor wis75 have it right much of the time.</p>
<p>I challenge that statement. Outside opinion items--Will I get in with these stats--where have we been factually incorrect to any extent? The last thing the admissions office needs is 1000's of calls concerning matters of fact. I believe both wis75 and myself get the vast majority of our answers directly from the UW info sources. We might have different opinions on the best dorms and such but not about general admissions stats, info on majors, the city etc.</p>
<p>About Barrons posts- he is good at ferreting out news items. Not good at everything- such as interpreting other people's intentions. Devils Advocate position/opposite views often needed to get people to think. Opinions won't be found from the UW website on many issues, but, students- please explore the website. Most of your questions can be answered if you do your homework, the site is easily navigable or parents like me wouldn't have so many answers. Use our posts as added information/opinions as you "sift and winnow" (see UW site for complete quote).</p>
<p>I'm not really sure if most people really buy into the whole Coastie/Sconnie debate. Of course being on campus you ultimately catch on with the terms. It just gets a lot of publicity (notoriously so in Badger Herald Shoutouts a weekly submissions from mostly UW students, please see link for FUN, but don't take too seriously: The</a> Badger Herald - Shout-Outs) If you are from the West/East coast you have nothing to be worried about. Look at other things such as class size, majors, city etc. :)</p>
<p>Ya I figured it was just kind of a joke, I had just rwad some reviews of the school and it sounded a bit serious. Good to know its not much of an issue</p>
<p>Love the Shout-Outs section. Any other school papers have that?</p>
<p>Cryto,</p>
<p>You might want to consider public dorms your freshman year if your goal is to meet a diverse group of kids both geographically and socio-economically - that is if you decide to attend. My daughter is a freshman and joined a sorority this fall. She will get a taste of just about every living situation, except the private dorms, during her college years. I don't know about fraternities but in sororities, only sophomores and officers live in the house and then move to apartments off campus their junior and senior years. I was very surprised by that - don't know if that is the trend in greek living or if it is unique to UW.</p>
<p>Expenses may not matter to you, but for anyone considering living in a fraternity or sorority, the dues are expensive and not advertised realistically in the mailers they send.
We found out after rush that the dues were twice what the Panhellenic flyer showed. I sent an email to the panhellenic advisor letting her know - hopefully they will change that for next year. </p>
<p>You don't need to join a fraternity to find your place, but speaking from my own experience (at another college) and my daughter's, it can be a very positive way for a student to find a community.</p>
<p>Wow thanks for the thorough response there liz. Its odd that you mentioned juniors/seniors move off campus though because I've never heard of that. I would do public housing (Barring thats even possible, I heard its more difficult for OOS) for the experience.</p>
<p>Nearly all UW students live off campus after their first year. It's a way of life in Madison. There are all sorts of off campus housing options. Always been that way at UW.</p>
<p>Barrons,
Is it common for the greek students to live in apartments off campus?- this really surprised me for several reasons: it seems it would make living in the fraternity house more expensive and I would think it would create less of a feeling of community within the fraternity or sorority.</p>
<p>Liz. In sororities, the houses aren't large enough to hole the entire chapters. They usually hold 25-50 girls depending on the house. Most are of a sophomore PC (pledge class). </p>
<p>It seems to be a great experience here for most, dorms or private res halls freshman year (most of those who rush sororities come from private res halls, although many in public dorms, too). Then sorority house sophomore year with your whole PC, which establishes that community, and then house/apartment (usually with your closest PC friends) during Jr/Sr year, unless you do exec board for your house. </p>
<p>Community in a sorority is mostly established within your PC anyway. There are too many people in them to possibly have strong connections with older/younger members. Usually you'll have a family, pledge mom or big sister, and there's some connection there, with gift giving and mentoring and such. But for the most part, you'll make the strongest connections with those who entered the sorority at the same semester as you (your pledge class).</p>
<p>If you're at all thinking about rushing, I always recommend this: Do it. You can always drop should you decide you don't like it. If you stay wanting to do it you have to wait until spring (where there are fewer houses you can rush--those that didn't meet quota in the fall), or fall of your sophomore year. If it's something you may love, why put it off?!</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Interesting info on Greeks. Just saw in the UW site that about 10% of students are involved in the Greek system. I remember as a parent attending SOAR hearing an OOS mother telling someone how her D was going to live in a private dorm next to the sorority she had been in and that her D would join. This would explain how some of the "coastie" separatism would evolve- rich, OOS students choosing an uncommon path without attempting to mingle with the majority. I must emphasize that not all OOS students choose this path, most are mainstream, to get back to the OP's question about acceptance of people from the coasts. You are not automatically separated by being OOS, it is a choice some students make. A campus large enough to have many lifestyles you can choose from.</p>
<p>I just want to comment on "it is a choice some students make."</p>
<p>Yes, but there is a long history of why the separation exists. A lot of historical coverage has been done on OOS students, and primarily, OOS Jewish students. Langdon used to be the only area around campus that would house Jewish tenants before our more liberal landlord policies today. Regardless of the history, to say it is simply a choice that is made does not give the correct picture. Many OOS students face criticism the minute they get here from the more ignorant, small-town masses on campus. Just by the attire some OOS students choose to wear, the label of "coastie" is applied.</p>
<p>We all know how communities work, and in many cases, people choose to stay within communities that they are most comfortable to be a part of. Whether "sconnie," "coastie," or some hybrid assortment of folk that MANY find, yes, it is a choice which path you take, but there are some pretty serious stereotypes that influence those choices.</p>
<p>I can think of how many in-state students only stick with people from their high schools during their time here. Especially in first-year housing. How is that any different than OOS students staying with what they're comfortable? I'm not saying either decision is okay, just that OOS students bear the brunt of that criticism because they're perceived as "rich" or "elitest." (Most OOS students aren't even that "rich" --or if they are, it's only by midwestern perspectives-- just have different cultures and priorities established from early on).</p>
<p>OOS students choose to sample the Wisconsin culture by choosing to attend UW, most immerse themselves in it and have fun with the idiosyncrasies that differ from their own (some things you never forget- like a discussion of who says pop and soda, etc). Your example of Jews doesn't make sense- I had a Long Island Jewish roommate in Res Halls eons ago and they recently opened up a kosher dining hall area in the public dorms which doesn't explain why some people (of who knows which religions) choose to avoid public dorms- in fact I would have thought the frats and sororities would have been the bigots historically. The discussion was of choosing public dorms versus off campus ones as a freshman, not of which areas of off campus housing were discriminatory in the past. Those who come the long distances from either coast have made the choice to leave their familiar local cultures, the few who avoid the masses are the ones who probably got outside their comfort zones. Notice the emphasis on few/most. This is not lumping all OOS students together, or all from either coast, but those who choose to maintain a separateness. It is seen as snobbery (social elitism, as opposed to academic) when people do not deign to associate with the rest of the students, especially as those who do so are the ones with more money since they can afford the more expensive private housing. Yes some students cling to their familiar HS friends initially, but they can only choose one friend to room with and the system won't allow them to take over a dorm floor. BTW, it costs significantly more for most OOS students (MN residents being the exception), UW doesn't typically pay for any to come here, so OOS students need to be able to afford more than a WI resident. I wonder how many local students in other states would comment on the "hick", unfashionable dress of some students from a different area. For every viewpoint flip the coin as it were and see things from the other side. Ask students in May about how they have changed from September and how their horizons have been expanded. Thank goodness most OOS freshmen choose Res Halls so the instate students can benefit from learning about life in other states as well as other areas of their own state. MNB- as a Minnesota resident I'm sure you notice differences in those from the Twin Cities area and the rest of your state (if you have encountered both). Plenty of material for a sociologist.</p>
<p>MNBadger,
I agree that it is your own pledge class where you make the most friends but I also believe, based on my own experience thirty years ago, that living with juniors and seniors creates a more well rounded community living experience. I'm really curious if this is unique to UW.</p>