<p>I just visited for the first time, and I thought it was so ugly that I downgraded UW to my #2 choice rather than #1.</p>
<p>It just seemed like the buildings were too modern, everything was chrome, and it wasn't clean. And the fact that there are stop-and-go lights on campus is just weird.. you literally have to cross a highway to get to the south side of campus. And the construction is RIDICULOUS. And I didn;t like the open fields on the west side of campus.
I DID like the area by memorial union, the terrace, the lake shore path, and that big hill though. But those were all confined to a small area.</p>
<p>Does anyone agree? Are they trying to make it better?</p>
<p>Nope. Most see new buildings as a sign of progress and keeping up with other top schools. I don't know where you see much chrome. Most everything is just brick of varying colors. With 40,000 students and cars going through campus you need some lights. It's a big busy campus. You want sleepy go to Grinnell but they have a RR through the middle of campus.</p>
<p>Construction = progress, as barrons said. I don't understand why it would be enough of a turn off for you to downgrade UW to your second choice, but you should google the School of Business/Grainger Hall, deconstruction of Ogg, Residence Hall/Dining Master plan etc. to see what all this construction is yielding. The university originated on Bascom (the big) Hill, that would be why the buildings have a more historic appearance down that way. Likewise, the Lakeshore dormitories are the oldest on campus. I also can't say that I know where you're seeing all this chrome....</p>
<p>I saw it a lot on that one road, where you cross by the railroad tracks and the stop-and-go lights (walking south), and the engineering building is ahead of you. (just east of Babcock) Everywhere between there and union south was chrome. Like the whole engineering area+chemistry. And so was the area north of there.</p>
<p>But I'm not that concerned about the chrome. I just don't like how modern it's looking.</p>
<p>It is interesting that you have put so much emphasis on the school's appearance and are not considering more important factors like academics, location around the school, etc. Interesting...</p>
<p>We took a tour with our son last Saturday and were absolutely blown away by how stunningly gorgeous the campus was. UW is a very large campus, and the South and SE parts of it are "urban" in the sense that city streets run through, but the buildings in those areas are mostly modern (and like all the other buildings on campus, very well kept). The other (bigger) part of the campus, from the Union west over Bascom Hill, along the lakefront and south to University Avenue, is very different, and ranges from the calm beauty of the lakeshore path to the stately old buildings (the Armory, Science Hall, Music Hall, the Union, Bascom Hall, the State Historical Society library, Lathrop Hall, and so many more) with their beautiful lawns and gardens and wide pathways, to the great recreational facilities near the lakeshore dorms and the exceptional new biosciences buildings. </p>
<p>Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, and you are certainly entitled to your opinion. But I have seen a lot of university campuses all over the US and Canada, and as we crested the hill on Observatory Drive near Liz Waters and looked out over a shimmering blue Lake Mendota, I remarked to my wife and son that the only campus view I have ever seen that surpasses it is the view from the rose garden at UBC in Vancouver. And by the way, the view down Bascom Hill, up State Street and to the State Capitol comes in a close second.</p>
<p>If you really think the UW campus is "ugly," I wish you luck finding one that isn't "uglier." ;)</p>
<p>One other thing, lest anyone get the wrong impression from your post: no highway bisects the campus. I assume you are referring to University Avenue, which is simply a wide street. The magnificent new business school, several new dorms, and the engineering campus (also mostly new) are south of University. On the far west side of the campus University Avenue becomes elevated, but it's not a highway. The only highway in Madison (called the beltline) is miles away.</p>
<p>MilwDad's post is a good description of the campus. </p>
<p>I also was puzzled by the "highway" as the nearest one is definitely miles away. If you mean the Campus Drive bypass of University Ave at the western edge of campus... or do you mean the many laned one way University Ave ruled by students between classes? That "small area" is a lot larger than you think- did you get out of the car and walk the campus? Many students spend most of their time in the grassy area buildings, inaccessible to cars.</p>
<p>You may not realize that there are two distinct flavors to the campus, you missed the walk around the grounds part with plenty of historical buildings and hit the southern fringes. Traffic lights are a blessing on a large campus, especially on the fringes where the campus has grown into the city. Having modern buildings is an excellent sign of the health of the campus- progress instead of stagnation. They also have much better heating, ventilation and air conditioning than the oldest buildings can retrofit. There is no such thing as "too" modern when it comes to amenities. You probably didn't go inside the undergraduate (Helen C. White) library- a horrible place to concentrate if you sit near the windows overlooking the lake.</p>
<p>I personally detest many of the traditional campuses I have seen, viewed in print/online- Stanford is boring, I despise the Gothic architecture of the U of Chicago (they have traffic lights, too), there are some with ugly red brick buildings that all look alike (my preference is for contemporary)... I went to UW eons ago and am pleased the place keeps moving forward, some of my mother's landmarks disappeared and the campus will be different after my son leaves. I have seen the master plans on the UW website, they are excellent, they are getting rid of some of the past mistakes and increasing the green space.</p>
<p>There will be some lucky student who gets your place if you choose another school.</p>
<p>Okay. There must be parts of campus that I did not see because this is all news to me.
Our tour guide didn't take us to a LOT of areas because he said that we'll "never have to go there." (everything WEST of Bascom hall was skipped) Maybe those areas were the ones that are more attractive?
We pretty much stayed south of university ave, except for going to the terrace, which was done via car.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say that UW is particularly ugly but you should consider that it is as another poster indicated - "urban". Its at the center of a downtown for better or worse. That means crossing traffic between class, no affordable/convenient parking, bums. But it also means easy access to everything Madison has to offer. By virtue of the lakes, its an attractive campus.</p>
<p>WishWash, didn't your tour guide at least take you up Charter Street to Linden, or up Observatory Drive and over Bascom Hill? If not, your exposure to the campus would have been extremely limited. Any student in the humanities or sciences would be likely to have classes west of Bascom Hill in Social Studies or Van Hise or the many science buildings. Did you at least get to the Observatory Drive overlook near Washburn Observatory (currently undergoing restoration) or the Carillon Tower? There are some impressive newer buildings south of University, but you're right, that's not the pretty part of campus by a long shot.</p>
<p>Anyway, good luck in your decision. UW and U Dub are both fine schools.</p>
<p>Milw Dad, no I didn't get to see those areas. I have a map handy, and this is where we went:</p>
<p>Started at Union South. Walked South on N. Randall down to Spring, and went East to N. Park St. Walked north one block to Park and Dayton, and got in a car and drove to Memorial Union.</p>
<p>That was it, and looking at the map, we DID skip a LOT.</p>
<p>There is no campus south of University ave. All that is buildings that were added later on. The main campus is all north of University. Eventually they'll tie in the south areas more but hat's the urban part of the school and nobody considers it the main campus area.</p>
<p>There is a campus south of University, and it was there in the '70's. That is the urban part of the campus, the place to go to classes only back then, now there is the Kohl Center and SERF near the SE dorms, and an improved engineering campus setting on the SW end with more attention being paid to aesthetics in the master plan for future development. Your tour guide should be reported and lose his/her job, please do so. It is unfortunate that you traveled so far and didn't see the campus - did you have an official tour???</p>
<p>This is a reminder to all who visit college campuses- do your homework in advance, have an idea of what a campus covers and a list of places not to miss. Also plan time to see things on your own after any official tour. Wandering around on your own helps you get a better feel for areas, especially if you study the map and check out places you think sound good. The lakeshore area may sound good, walking in that area and liking it may make you want to be at UW even if all of your classes are in the busy part.</p>
<p>We thought the UW-Madison campus was stunning. In the end, my S decided not to apply, and it was tough for the whole family to accept that we wouldn't be gazing at Lake Mendota for the next four years. Your tour guide was not doing a good job.</p>
<p>Take a deep breath and start listing what's important to you about the colleges on your list. You have to feel a good vibe, and that's a personal thing. But if appearance is at the very top of your list, and if new buildings = bad, I recommend that you think about your priorities. You might miss out on some great schools.</p>
<p>Ditto to wis75's advice about preparing for college tours.</p>
<p>The tour was by the representative that came to my school last fall. There were a lot of people from my school in my tour group.. and yeah it was "official."</p>
<p>Just crappy. </p>
<p>We were enroute to Chicago, so I never saw anything else of the Campus. I'll go back.</p>
<p>Seems very odd tour package. Most of the area there is not even UW property and it's very urban. I doubt this was the normal tour route which always includes Bascom Hill and the main campus area down to the lakeshore dorms.</p>
<p>Doesn't sound like the usual tour - those are led by students, I believe. Sounds like you may have had an alumnus give you his take on the campus, unfortunate for you. Please let UW know what happened, this person does not sound like a good representative of the school.</p>
<p>Wis75, i was VERY pleased with HIM. He was extremely friendly and willing to answer any questions. And he was really good at explaining.
It was just the "if you come here, you'll never have to go to main campus" thing that was weird.
I'm not gonna report him. I'm going back in October to see it again... and I'm not getting a tour.</p>