@Midwestmomofboys We’ll see in a few years if UW is all it’s made out to be. Donations are for specific purposes of the donors, and don’t count towards what the budget cuts do. Faculty leaving, UW not being able to afford hiring new librarians, courses being cut, it’s all going downhill from here. I’m concerned more about getting a job after graduation, and when all the prestige is lost from UW, employers will favor me over someone who went to Rutgers or something. 30% OOS is hilarious. That’s absurdly high and it really shows their desperation for OOS money. I’ll pay a stupid price to go to a failing university for one year, then I’ll transfer to another public university that is actually thriving.
Why don’t you start out at another public university?
@Madison85 My options are Wisconsin, Rutgers, Maryland. I really do not like anything about the Rutgers campus except for the Au Bon Pain there which is pretty nice. I am still contemplating Maryland with Wisconsin but it’s probably smarter to go to Wisconsin and then transfer. I also don’t like the Maryland campus and much about it. But I don’t really know.
Don’t believe all the b.s. you are reading about the downfall of Wisconsin. Most of that rhetoric is political. Professors are not leaving in droves, and accepted students are still good students. If you were accepted to Maryland and Wisconsin, you are a strong student. Wisconsin, Rutgers and Maryland are all excellent schools. Pick one and get excited. The biggest challenge I see is your attitude.
@cornguy The Morgridge $100 million match (which is now over $200 million) was specifically given to support faculty retention – that means, a pot of money to use to increase faculty salary and other benefits when a faculty member has a better offer at another institution. So that is the donor’s intent. News reports say that UW has spent $8 million this year on faculty retention, and that its retention rate – 85% of the faculty targeted by other schools – have chosen to stay. So there is no flood of departures. Chancellor Blank has been quite clear about the impact of the state cuts, and noted that the increase in OOS tuition over several years, will help on an on-going basis. As an OOS family, we concluded that $26-28k a year for UW was a bargain. Now, at $32, and increasing to $36, it is still $12-15k less a year than Michigan, Berkeley, and private universities. For full pay families not eligible for financial aid from privates, those savings are significant, even with the increase in tuition.
Have you visited campus? If you don’t value a UW education and experience, and are only considering it is because it is presently ranked higher than your other admissions, then you should choose the campus where you will be happiest for 4 years. As far as transferring, keep in mind that UW is tough academically and no walk in the park, especially for freshman. From the many distractions from football, State St etc., to the challenges in the classroom, there are many bumps along the way. If you really want to max out your gpa and transfer somewhere else, then pick the school where you are at the highest range of students so you can maximize the possibility of a high gpa to get out.
@cornguy I have some experience with UMD and Rutgers, and have a DS at UW right now. Don’t kid yourself about UW being slaughtered financially and the others untouched. Rutgers is facing many financial challenges (across the board but the most publicized being in the athletics departments) and UMD is introducing a unique approach to raising tuition by field of study. Rutgers campus is ugly, unless you are in the middle of the old original college quads of Douglass and others. You will spend a tremendous amount of time on shuttles, as the campuses are not really contiguous. This year, UMD didn’t have enough spaces in their required freshman seminar for the new students. A friend’s son showed up to move into his dorm room and found a third roommate despite the fact that they paid the fees for a double. The process of dealing with housing was exhausting.
Of course, there are other features of RU and UMD that set them apart – being near major large cities (NYC, DC), having great diversity (less than 50% white at RU and slightly higher at UMD), deeper job market prospects, a steady stream of interesting adjuncts from government and private sector, etc.
In the end, go to the one that you can easily afford, where you have the best chance to graduate within four years, and where you will not complain every day that you “coulda, woulda, shoulda” gone to another school.
cornguy- save yourself a lot of trouble and go to the school you intend to graduate from. You will learn one campus and make friends you will be able to see again, not worry about credits transferring, likely save money and with your attitude enjoy your freshman year so much better at a place you respect. An added bonus- a student who wants to be at UW will get in.
I must say, after a few days of taking the time to calm down after not getting into my #1 school and being an emotional teenager, I’m really excited for UW. I’ve done more research into UW and my options and I think I’d be foolish to not go to UW. Reading back on my previous comments, I it’s really all just random gibberish and me insulting this school. I was feeling like I had to settle for a school, but I definitely don’t feel that way anymore! I’m sorry to get on top of my high horse and feel like UW is less than what it is. I cringe at what I wrote a few days ago, but I guess that’s how us teens work. I’m excited to be a Badger next year!
I’m definitely regretting my earlier comments and take back what I said.
@cornguy – glad you are feeling more excited. Spring of senior year is an emotional roller coaster, so don’t worry! Congrats on your decision to be a Badger – as a parent, I think you will have a phenomenal experience. If you are ready, send in your deposit, sign up for your SOAR (summer registration program, where you meet with advisors and select your fall classes, get your ID etc), and enjoy the season of “lasts” that is coming for you and your family as you prepare to go to college.
If you are intending to do Letters & Science, rather than engineering etc., watch your email for info about applying to the Honors program. If it is the same as in the past, the Honors deadline is specific to you, and there are some short essays to write. All admitted students are invited to participate in Honors, as the view is, everyone is qualified to do it, but not everyone WANTS to do it. My kid has done Honors, and has really enjoyed taking Honors sections of classes. For instance, if you are taking an Intro History class, the lecture, as always is taught by the Prof, and the discussion section, in non-Honors, is led by a TA (Ph.D. candidate in the field). The Honors section, however, is taught by the Prof – so you and 15-20 students work closely with the Prof. My kid has developed close relationships with a number of amazing faculty by taking the Honors sections, and those are the professors writing his recommendations for internships etc.
Outside the classroom, my kid has so many great memories, from his first Jump Around at the stadium for football to the time Men’s Basketball team made it to the Final 4, and thousands of students spontaneously flooded State Street for a celebration.
Congrats, and enjoy the spring of your senior year!
@Midwestmomofboys : Is it true that UW-Madison is increasing its tuition fee over the years?? That’s definitely a worry for me… I really want to go here, but my folks can’t afford it… :((
Yes, there is a scheduled tuition increase for nonresident and for international tuition next year.
You were expecting tuition and fees to stay the same for the next 4 years?
@adwaya UW announced a year or more ago, in response to the legislature’s cuts, that it would be phasing in OOS tuition increases, in roughly $2000 increments, with planned increases taking OOS tuition to $36,000 in a few years. This year, tuition was $29,600. I believe it is scheduled to increase to about $32,000 next year, then to around $34,000 in '17-18, and $36,000 in '18-19.
As a full-pay family, not eligible for financial aid, we still consider tuition a bargain, compared to the current $47-52,000 a year tuition at many private schools. UW room and board can also be modest compared to many schools, probably under or at $10k a year, vs. $12-14k a year at some other schools. A $2000 increase a year at UW is not dramatically different than at privates, as the ones we know are announcing 3-5% increases in tuition for next year, which, if a school had a regular tuition increase of 4% on a $48,000 tuition, that would be about a $2000 increase for next year, basically the same as UW increases for OOS families. Prior to this series of increases, our OOS tuition went up less than $1000 a year.
On the other hand, for a family which is eligible for financial aid, UW concentrates its financial aid resources to serve Wisconsin residents, not OOS families, which is the way most public schools operate, except for U VA and U NC, I believe, and perhaps Michigan. An OOS family eligible for substantial financial aid could do better financially at private schools.
A good idea to sit down with your folks and walk through financial considerations.
Yes this is true The Uw is 250 thousand in debt the tution for out of states is going up,3000 this semester with 2000 every year after it Our governor Walker does not care about teachers. THE MADison schools are defunded professors 3 of them left with a huge grant to MinnesotA they said larger class sizes and longer to finish won’t be done in 4 years do to over crowding. MANY of the graduate programs are costing more also . Lived in Wisconsin for 45 years never saw a governor destroy the university like this .
Only the first 2 years of the proposed 4 year tuition increase passed. For now.
Madison85 is right, I had forgotten that only the first two years of increases to OOS tuition were approved. As an OOS family, for our own internal budget, I was operating on the assumption that the later increases would go through so that we wouldn’t be surprised later.
We paid $29k this year, a bargain for a world class institution such as UW. If you read the news reports, some faculty have left but UW is keeping most of the faculty who have with competing offers (85% of them). UW has warned the legislature what could happen if the most funding cuts proposed by the legislature go through, and that is where the warning about taking longer than 4 years etc. comes from. Personally, I abhor Gov. Walker’s priorities and his politics. But as a current parent of a UW student, I want prospective students to realize that the sky is not falling at UW.
^ Speaking of politics, your UW student can vote on campus. ID is now required even if already registered. The ordinary UW student ID is not valid for voting, but UW makes voter IDs for students who request them. Free at Union South. Need also to show proof of enrollment/residence at the polls. In the Student Center is’ Voter Enrollment Verification Letter.’ Sufficient to show it on smartphone.
Presidential primary is 4/5. Also a crucial WI Supreme Court election on the ballot.
Umm…250 thousand in debt? Not sure what you are talking about Badger2. UW financials are available online and there is plenty of surplus. Total revenue from all sources is over $60K per student - they will be fine. My daughter will graduate in 3 years without any problems getting the classes she wants/needs so far. This semester she has 17 credits with no classes on Friday and no class until after noon on Monday. She is enjoying a nice long weekend visiting us in Michigan this weekend. The UW has successfully stepped up the fundraising which is a more reliable and sustainable source of funds. In the long run, the more private funding, the less politics = good thing.