<p>Thanks for the advice! I go to Simley in Inver Grove... yeah, I know my school sucks.</p>
<p>I'm the mother of a girl who may apply to Madison. We are from the east coast but live in the midwest now. My daughter and I both can't stand the kind of person who you seem to be talking about. We hate status symbols - it used to be $700 Prada backpacks and Tiffany jewelry but now I guess it's Northface jackets and Ugg boots. To me (although I'm old!) you look like an insecure idiot spending a lot of money and looking like a clone. Anyway, we have assiduously avoided these types (not moving to towns where they live on the east coast) etc. I also am avoiding certain schools like Syracuse where I've heard they are in droves. So Madison is in this category? I don't see her hanging out with people from rural Wisconsin either because she's pretty sophisticated and liberal.</p>
<p>This thread has been going for a month now so I'm assuming if this was a non-issue, people wouldn't be bothering to post. If you and your daughter have a strong aversion to this type of thing, I'd think she'd be particularly bothered once she was there. She clearly has a nose for it and would take notice more than other kids who are either oblivious or see it but don't care. Before applying, maybe she should visit and see for herself. A walk through campus or even an overnight can be very revealing.</p>
<p>Madison has everything. But fewer of the image-conscious than most schools at this level. Even farm kids can be pretty hip these days with mass media and easy access to information. I knew several big city guys who found their true love with a girl from small town Wisconsin.</p>
<p>I guess I wanted to know if there are more or less of those types than at other schools. Is that 2 different answers - more from gobluealummom and less from barrons?</p>
<p>Barron's absolutely hit the mark. A great deal of my friends here are Wisconsinsian natives, and I had a discussion with them on this. Many of them started laughing, <b>this is not that great of a problem here if you don't make it so</b>. They agree that the private dorm kids can be snotty and some arrogant, but there are generalizatons everywhere you go, class, race, culture, secuality, gender based, etc... Let me just name some top of my head, NYU is too liberal that recently they've been accepting too many homosexuals into the school, UCSB- everyone at this school is either an alcholic or a drugie, UT-Austin, cause its in Texas, these people have no laws. Ha, these are all beyong generalizations, but if you look at the bigger picture, all these schools give you a great education. </p>
<p>If you are too sensitive on any issue, I recommend you not wasting your time to college. Because let me tell you, no college in American is perfect unless you make it so. Becase you will meet people you will come to love and you will also meet people you will come to hate, but the point of being liberal is openminded and looking at all views. How can you say you do not like the people here, when there are 40 k other people, and you just haven't found your niche, becuase you didn't look hard enough. You hate one group, find another group of friends. My best friend in one of the best gamers i saw in my life here, and the other friend, she is an art history major. And we all love one another. The gamer is a conservative, but he doesn't show it, and art major happens to be liberal and she loves to give her opinions. Love them both to death, and we are from all different classes and backgrouds. </p>
<p>The people here are very friendly and cool overall, and if you can stand the cold like today, you will love this place. But if you are looking for a small liberals arts college, I advice you not to come here. Because this is a majr research institution, and you will come to come to love it if you work hard for it.</p>
<p>I wasn't attempting to answer whether there were more or less. There are strong opinions on this thread that go both ways on this issue. It's been debated here endlessly so, clearly, it's controversial. Since she sounds like she's particularly sensitive to this type of thing, go visit. Only you and your daughter can determine if the environment is an appropriate one for her.</p>
<p>amazon, college kids are not sophisticated, no matter where she goes it will all be undone. There are a lot of liberals in Madison, hence the reputation, but don't be mislead. There is a significantly large but rather quiet population of moderate-conservative students (mostly from the midwest). The easterners tend to be the "yuppie" liberal type, (as opposed to the "hippie type") but there are all kinds of students here, its an enourmous school, and your daughter will end up fitting in somewhere without a doubt. Politics aside, Madison is the best place I have ever been in, and the academics here are comparable with some of the best schools.</p>
<p>I'd just like to say to amazon that, of course, your daughter will fit in somewhere - it might just take more work than at other schools. There are people like me around, who are rather politically aware, worldly, and not from a coast, but they are definitely few and far between compared to the two other groups. I found people like this (who didn't fit into the two groups), but they were much harder to find compared to other schools. </p>
<p>I'm not some grumpy person who had a horrible college experience. I think anyone from the East Coast (or a coast) or Wisconsin who is getting rather defensive on this board really has no room to talk, because no matter where you went you always bumped into someone who you could relate to rather easily. And that doesn't mean you couldn't form friendships with people from the other group. </p>
<p>I think the other people on this board and myself are talking about two different concepts - friendships with others, and actually identifying with and feeling completely comfortable around others. I had tons of Wisconsin friends, but I just didn't feel like I could talk to them about more worldly issues. As for the coasties, I'd go out with a few of them, but none of them would let me into their group of "best" friends. So yes, it's easy to make "friends", but in terms of people I really identified with - well, it was hard. </p>
<p>I have attended numerous summer programs at other schools, and every school has its problems - but it's hard to be away from home when you don't feel like you identify with too many people and you really only have a choice between two stereotypes that seem to take over UW and UM's campuses more than other schools.. And I'm not saying that I did not receive a great education at Madison, because in my mind the education I received was amazing. UW-Madison is a great school, but I do think tha it is for some people and not others. Just, your daughter does sound like she's in a situation very similar to mine - and I know people are saying this isn't a big problem, but these people are all from either Wisc or the Coast. If you go to visit UW, make sure you talk to someone who is from a different area (and not in the Greek system, because that can make things much easier, as well). Your daughter can still make friends like her at UW - but I think it will be more of a struggle than at other schools.</p>
<p>I attended both Wisconsin and Michigan (back in the stone age) and I have nothing but fond memories of the place and the people. I do keep in touch with a number of students currently attending. These are oversea students from a very urban city. Believe me they would notice if the Coasties vs locals problem were serious or wide-spread. As far as I know, they are all happy where they are, both academically and socially, and they blend in quite well.</p>
<p>I agree with Swamifez and packrbackr that in a school with 40,000 students and a fair amount of diversity, you shouldn't have problem making a lot of friends and finding your niche. All you need is an open mind and friendly attitude.</p>
<p>NicoleT,
I found it even harder to believe that Michigan has a similar problem. The local student body is more sophiscated. And we draw a lot of students from neighboring states. All incoming freshmen are guaranteed a place in the dorm. So where are the "Towers"?</p>
<p>I went back for homecoming last year. Like tsdad, I couldn't tell who were the Coasties and who were the locals, as most of the students wore blue jeans.</p>
<p>Do you know this from personal experience? Care to share some facts?</p>
<p>
[quote]
There are strong opinions on this thread that go both ways on this issue. It's been debated here endlessly so, clearly, it's controversial.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>GoBlueAlumMom,
I don't think there are two camps here...yet. So far there is one person with strong opinions on one side, and several people (a Coastie, a Midwesterner and a few alum) with strong opinions against. I would like to hear from more people, preferrable current students, if this is indeed a wide-spread problem.</p>
<p>I don't think just "visiting" the campuses will really solve this problem - because I honestly didn't notice it when I visited. It's a matter of more deeper issues in terms of identifying with the Wisconsin kids - not just being friendly or an experience you would get on a visit. All I'm saying is that I recommend talking to a good handful of students who are not from a coast or Wisconsin/Minnesota. I do not recommend discussing this issue with someone from Wisconsin or a coast, as, understandably, this issue seems a bit offensive because in order to be discussed some stereotyping often is involved. And I especially don't think anyone who hasn't attended these institutions more than 5 years ago has any place in commenting on this unless you have a child who goes to the school.</p>
<p><a href="http://arnot.blogspot.com/%5B/url%5D">http://arnot.blogspot.com/</a> (read the december 8, 2004, article)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kduck.net/?p=448%5B/url%5D">http://www.kduck.net/?p=448</a> (and here there are a lot of comments on this)... just so that no one thinks i'm going crazy and making this up out of the blue. i'm not saying don't go to wisconsin, i'm just saying be aware of this because it can impact some individuals</p>
<p>Yuck, this whole rivalry is really turning me off from this school.. which was actually tied for first place. I don't think I could handle how high school it is.</p>
<p>NicoleT,
Any references on Coasties vs locals on the Michigan campus?</p>
<p>"...And I especially don't think anyone who hasn't attended these institutions more than 5 years ago has any place in commenting on this unless you have a child who goes to the school."</p>
<p>Nicole: Both you and Swamifez have labeled Michigan as a school having a so-called coastie problem, yet both of you have not "attended these institutions." Do you have "any place in commenting" on Michigan any more than someone who actually attended the school "more than five years ago?"</p>
<p>UW Madison is perhaps more tolerant than these posts indicate. </p>
<p>Down at the end of State Street where it runs into the Campus at the base of Bascom Hill is now walking only, mall like. Karlton Armstrong, the mad bomber of Sterling Hall / murderer of father of 3 ?David Fassnacht?, has a juice bar there.</p>
<p>BEPREPN</p>
<p>Coasties and a mad bomber/murderer turned juicer? This is starting to sound like a freak show.</p>
<p>I don't honestly have any place or room to talk about Michigan. Someone had mentioned it earlier, and I had heard that Michigan experiences a similar problem. Like I said before - both my parents attended Michigan - so I'm not out to get the school. This is the UW board, and that's my main point of focus.</p>
<p>Vicky it's not a rivalry, its more like a personal preference in choice of friends. Its not like there are two gorups of people ponting fingers and shouting, but personal differences between two individuals may affect how good of friends they will be. It's a personal decision, I don't think there is any pressure to think one way or the other, and all my posts have been personal opinions, not necesarily the opinion of everyone at the school (its a big school, and it takes all kinds)</p>
<p>All schools will have some sort of issue where some students dont identify with others. It's not a angry crazy fist fight though. Nobody gets angry, insulted, or physically harmed. </p>
<p>As far as alums go, I don't see why someone would think your opinion is worthless, but you should recognize that times do change. </p>
<p>That said, don't let this deter you from coming to Wisconsin. If you are from the East Coast and want to make a bunch of Wisconsin friends, I am sure there are Wisconsin people who want friends from outside of the midwest. But do be aware that there is a culture difference, and everyone is has to adapt a little. (And this will likely be true no matter where you go)</p>