<p>I'm a current high school junior, and I'm trying to decide whether I should add Madison to my list. Any help would be very much appreciated.</p>
<p>ADMISSIONS:
My residency is OOS, but we own a condo in WI. I also have immediate family in the UW system (my sister went to Lacrosse). Will these things help me at all? </p>
<p>CAMPUS:
I know that Madison is a big party school, but what else is there to do around town? Any insights to student life? </p>
<p>ACADEMICS:
I'm planning on going into International Relations, Medicine, or Journalism. What can you tell me about these programs? From what I've heard, IR is really strong...
Is pre-med as impossible and cut-throat as people say? How hard is it to get into Journalism - aside from the required classes, will 4 years on the high school newspaper, plus an editor-in-chief role improve my chances?</p>
<p>Are professors and advisors typically helpful if you seek them out?
Is it true that acadmic quality is slipping? (That's what someone posted over on StudentsReview).</p>
<p>Owning property in Wis does not make you a resident. The application for UW Madison is separate from the other state schools and going to another state school is not the same- no legacy I'm sure.</p>
<p>A quote I've heard "study hard and party hard", you certainly will need to study but you don't need to party. The campus and State St have plenty to do, no need to leave the area. Student life will vary with the student- the school is big enough to have many diverse majors, personalities, activities ...room for many types. Like the blind men and the elephant you will hear many different things from different people. Spectator sports such as football, hockey and basketball get plenty of followers and you can participate yourself in many physical activities. Arts, drama, film, music-many choices. Greek life not important except to those who belong to it. There's even diversity in housing- many different dorms. The Memorial Union is great, being on the lake helps and many people use it; there are many reasons to not go home on the weekends. </p>
<p>Do go to the website, easy to navigate. You can read the booklets about the school and dorms online, as well as get a lot of other info, including the catalog and timetable. The map is interactive; it will give you which dept is in which building with a mouse click. Use Google Earth to see the campus from the air. I loved the place eons ago, it has only improved and son seems to like it; his experiences will be totally different.</p>
<p>Premed is an intention, not a major, you can major in anything you want as long as you take the required science (and other) courses and do well in them. You apply and get accepted to the university as a whole, regardless of your major. The catalog will tell you any specific requirements for majors and the schools with additional reqs. Many people change their major after entering college, the advantage of a big school like UW is that you can major in just about anything without needing to transfer.</p>
<p>Consider the Honors Program to get the toughest courses and most contact with professsors early on. College is what you make of it. Good luck.</p>
<p>Wisconsin is top 5 in journalism so the school of journalism is pretty tough to get into. Wisconsin is also #7 in the nation in chemistry so for premed it's tough as well. Definately doable though! It's great that you've decided to apply! I'm a freshman and love it here.</p>
<p>There are many chemistry courses to choose from, you don't need to take the same ones as the chemistry majors, likewise with math and physics. The quality of the Chem dept doesn't make being premed any tougher, but it makes you better prepared for med school biochem- been there, done that (Chemistry degree followed by medicine).</p>
<p>There is no pre-med--most people major in biosciences areas. The deepest and strongest area at UW. UW has slipped no more than other state schools. They have been very good at increasing private funding and research $$$ so the overall trend is stable to upward.</p>
<p>From a Chemistry degree physician- Look at the website for AP credits- a 4 or 5 will give you credit for Chem 103. If you want to go to medical school you are "premed", it is an intention, not a major- you can major in anything you choose as long as you take the required courses for medical school admission. The university has no "premed program" but does offer help in knowing how to meet requirements. You can attend any college, some will be better academically and therefore give you better preparation for post graduate work (do not be concerned with ranking differences between similar schools, choose the college that best fits you). Major in something you like, if you do go to medical school this is your last chance for a long time to immerse yourself in it and if you do not go you will be in your field. Take the toughest courses you can- they will best prepare you, with knowledge and ability to handle a demanding schedule; also, it "looks good on the record". Do not worry about other people changing their minds about medical school, only consider your goals. You do not need to join any premed clubs or activities to choose to be a physician, pay attention to the desired courses and activities as listed on Medical School websites.</p>
<p>FYI, mathematics and the physical sciences (chemistry, physics) are considered to be be liberal arts at UW and easily available to L&S students.</p>
<p>You'll need 4-5 semesters of college chemistry, through organic, to fit pre-med interests. It wouldn't hurt to have more. But future physicians can benefit from humanities classes, too, even if they're not on the MCAT.</p>
<p>The same approach is more likely than not since they all produce the same product- physicians. Of course you will be competing with many other hopefuls and you want to show interest in becoming a physician and you want to show you are a person, too; no two people are alike. All medical schools want you to be well prepared for the rigors of the medical school basic sciences, they do not try to run your life by telling you what to major in. Remember you need to think of yourself, not just getting into med school- you want to give yourself a good college education, including prerequisites for medical school if you want, this includes majoring in something you actively like, not what you think schools want and it includes getting a well rounded education. Concentrate on finding colleges that fit you for undergrad, get accepted to one (or more), go to the summer orientation, and then consider which courses to take with the goals you then have. Every college has advisors and they are used to many students wanting to meet premed requirements; try looking at online college catalogs or premed sites for more information. BTW, you do not need to take any courses that are part of the medical school curriculum, use your time to take other courses; they will teach you what you need and you will be able to handle it without having an undergrad course in a medical school subject. Finally, consider this- organizations of physicians have art /photograpy by physcians at major meetings and groups of physicians may perform musically in local venues- all sorts varied interests reflect all sorts of nonmedical skills...</p>
<p>It's stated right there in the undergraduate catalog: "Admission to UW-Madison does not necessarily guarantee admission to the major of a student's choice."</p>
<p>Does anyone know how this would work with an international studies major. I know IS is within the College of Letter and Science but I also know that some other schools (NYU, British Columbia, etc) do limit their IS/IR majors. Does UW? Or is it fairly wide open?</p>