<p>Not in the current sense where you charge $5 for beer. We did not want all that mess in our house. Had a few parties but only with actual friends and in the summer when you could be outside..</p>
<p>Lucky is a joke. That's not how you're supposed to live when you're in college. One of my friends lives in a penthouse in Lucky. He has stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and a bathroom the size of my bedroom. It wouldn't feel right, as a college student, to live in a place that is ten times nicer than my house back home where my parents, who work full time, live. It's so exclusive and really is the opposite of what true Madison/Midwest should feel like. I don't need or want a doorman to open the door for me when I get home. I'm a college student for crying out loud, not some elite international businessman.</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with living well, at any age. If you or your family can afford it. Believing there is a certain way to be a UW student is just as wrong as thinking all UW students must be white beer-drinking louts.</p>
<p>Back to your concern about the split between "Coasties and Sconnies"..my brother graduated this winter from UW (we're from the East Coast) and honestly isn't even letting me consider applying elsewhere, and one of his main reasons for that is the people that attended the school with him. He met some incredible people, both from the Midwest and the coasts. He is actually living with one of his Wisconsin buddies in California now. Though I'm very outgoing and can meet/ get along with people easily it was also a question of mine, but my brother reassured me. There's no doubt in his mind that it's the best all-round campus hah, so from his words don't let what you hear about a school effect your decision, you just have to experience it to know. Good luck on both schools, I would LOVE to go to Berkeley but unfortunately coming from Mass it's quite a reach for any California school</p>
<p>uwbball: Don't sweat the material stuff. Think about it as part of your education for after school; some people with a lot of $ have inexpensive cars or homes and others over extend themselves. Some people have money for a while and lose it later.</p>
<p>I met really rich kids, poor kids and in between when I was there. Some live fancy some don't. Overall I think UW is still a pretty down to earth place compared to many privates or Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>I got this email from a old friend of mine in the Philly area I had not talked to in a few years. Sounds fine.</p>
<p>"I have no idea how she chose Wisconsin. She applied to a wide variety of schools. Her first choice originally was Boston University. After a long visit there and seeing what other options are out there, she chose Madison. She wanted a big campus. She likes the athletics, for the event more so than the sport. Madison has a top 10 bio-chemistry department and that is what she likes. Last year she was at Sellery Hall, across the street from the Kohl Center. This year she is living near Park and Regent...just a short walk from Rocky Rococos and Greenbush Bakery....usually our first stops in town. </p>
<p>She is finally getting excited about the Hoofers. At the beginning of school she went sailing with some guys. She is hoping to spend some time there next summer to take some sailing classes. At the same time she wants to get a job around us in a lab at a pharmaceutical company. She did a short intern at one a couple of years ago and enjoyed it."</p>
<p>Hmm, sounds like very positive things Summer and Barrons thanks for the imput. On the other hand, if someone wants to rant about Lucky, dorms etc, please do it in the appropriate thread. Anyways, happy to hear how much fun your brother had summer.</p>
<p>From my experience, if you ask most people at UW-Madison, they will tell you that they do not like Lucky or believe that it belongs on or near the UW-Campus. I understand that economics drives it, and that there is a demand for that type of housing and that's what made it happen. For me personally (not anyone else...just my personal feeling), Lucky is not what college is all about. For those who want to live in luxury during college, go for it. Even the new dorms, Smith and Ogg, have a luxury apartment feel to them. Its a far cry from some of the other dorms, both Southeast and Lakeshore. Read the Badger Herald shout-outs...they sum up a lot of the sentiments of the general student body.</p>
<p>I don't have a problem with people who live more lavishly than I do. There will always be people with fancier homes etc. than me. I'm from a small, rural town. I don't like that they've put in a couple new subdivisions with McMansions in the last several years. I want to be able to live my life without being near by that stuff. It seems like its getting harder to escape it. But that's today's world...</p>