Freshman dorms at Madison?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
1

<p>The housing stuff came out today, and I'm realizing that I really don't know much at all about housing at Madison, but I'd like to get my stuff in soon.</p>

<p>I know there are the two main dorm areas, Lakeshore and Southeast. I've also heard that Sellery and Witte are party dorms... but beyond that, I don't know much.</p>

<p>Personally, I'm not a partier. I don't want to sit in my dorm and watch TV all night, but I'm not interested in partying--or at least, I want to have the option of being at my own dorm and not being surrounded by partiers. </p>

<p>So, any recommendations based off that? Any advice about the dorms in general? Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Read old CC threads- plenty of info on the UW site from last year and prior years. It is an individual choice- many different options and all have pros and cons. Make a list of your priorities. Location, building type/age/size, cost. All dorms with freshmen have at least 50% freshmen. What works for you may not work for someone else. Same food service. Your classes will not necessarily be close to your dorm.</p>

3

<p>Checkout the various learning communities and see if any are of interest. They have lots of non-party activities and tend to be more studious but with lots more interaction among residents than typical dorms.</p>

4

<p>Everyone has an opinion. My favorite residence hall is Chadbourne. Others will chime in with theirs.</p>

<p>Do your own research. What are you interested in?</p>

<p>[University</a> Residence Halls | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/residencehalls]University”>Residence Halls – University Housing – UW–Madison)</p>

<p>[Learning</a> Communities | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/lc]Learning”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/lc)</p>

<p>[CRC</a> | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc]CRC”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc)</p>

<p>[CRC-Global</a> | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc/global]CRC-Global”>Global Café is Back for Spring – University Housing – UW–Madison)</p>

5

<p>Another parent just adding – remember, there is no actual advantage to submitting your housing contract early because UW does not assign dorms/rooms based on who signed up first. If you want to get things done and off your “to do” list, then great. But there is no substantive advantage to submitting housing contract in January vs. any other date by the deadline. I have a freshman, so this was last year, but I think the site for ranking your actual housing preferences does not even go “live” until after the date for submitting the housing agreement is due, next spring. </p>

<p>So, educate yourself about the housing options by reading the UW housing site and reading through old housing threads here, as the 3 experienced UW CC posters have noted. But do not worry about coming to any firm conclusions on housing for now. </p>

<p>Enjoy your acceptance, and enjoy the time to learn more about UW!</p>

6

<p>Also, after you submit your ranked choices you can change them until May 1st or so. Usually you would choose the major area, Southeast or Lakeshore, first and rank most dorms in one or the other ahead of the other area. I like Lakeshore. Honors Program students live all over, there are no special dorms for more serious students- too many other factors.</p>

7

<p>False. Please, you just have no up to date info on this.</p>

8

<p>If you’re thinking Lakeshore, you’d be foolish to pick anything but Hall 32 (newly opening next fall), Dejope (colloquially known as the “Taj Mahal”–it’s essentially a hotel/union building) or Liz Waters (for its prime location near the center of campus). </p>

<p>Don’t know much of Southeast, but I’ve heard Sellery is good and Witte is bad.</p>

<p>Chadborne is sort of an anomaly. It’s kind of a geeky culture from what I hear, but it’s got a nice location downtown by all the action.</p>

<p>PM me or reply here if you have further questions.</p>

9

<p>Parent, chiming back in. My son is in Southeast, and I get the sense from him that students have a love/hate thing with each neighborhood. Some students love the lake-setting, the smaller dorms of lakeshore neighborhood (and cannot imagine living in southeast neighborhood) or they love the more urban, busier, large (1000+ plus students) dorms of southeast (and cannot imagine living in lakeshore). </p>

<p>So, most students will start with that neighborhood preference, and then go from there. Or, if there is a living learning community (LLC) that appeals to you strongly, that might determine your preference. </p>

<p>Take your time, no rush. Housing preferences are not due on-line until May 1 or something, and you can change them up until that deadline.</p>

10

<p>barrons is wrong- he is not a parent or recent student, he has second hand knowledge. Honors students will live in the dorm they choose for many reasons. The learning communities attract some students but not all want those amenities. Many diverse personalities and many diverse living situations. One size/place does not fit all, regardless of your intended major. btw- trying to live close to your classes may not work as sections of courses can be held in buildings other than their own field.</p>

<p>Lakeshore- cost can be a factor in choosing the newest dorm and again, some like a different location and style. In the end you will find the pros and cons of each dorm can even out. All are maintained. You are renting a room for 9 months, not buying it so make your choice and relax knowing that no matter where you live you will be part of the campus. Some want the closeness of the Lakeshore path and Picnic Point to decompress, others want the nearness of State St and its activities. Both ends of campus are easy to walk to for typical college students.</p>

11

<p>You do have until May 1st to realign your residence hall preferences (however Learning Community Room Selection begins April 24, 2013). Here is more information:</p>

<p>[Hall</a> Preferences | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/residencehalls/preferences]Hall”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/residencehalls/preferences)</p>

<p>Hall Preferences
Living in a residence hall is a slice of the college experience that you will remember the rest of your life…no matter where you live on campus. We offer a variety of coed living options and room types to accommodate the various interests of students.</p>

<p>Easy Steps:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Submit your University Residence Halls contract though the “My UW Housing” portal.</p></li>
<li><p>Check the email address you submitted to UW-Madison for an invitation from us. (our email address is <a href=“mailto:assignme@housing.wisc.edu”>assignme@housing.wisc.edu</a> – you might want to add us to your contacts so you don’t miss anything)</p></li>
<li><p>Log in with your Net ID and password to the “My UW Housing” portal.</p></li>
<li><p>List your hall preferences choices; you can make changes up until May 1, 2013.</p></li>
<li><p>Review our helpful tips* to assist you in submitting your hall preferences.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>*Helpful Tips:
[Tips</a> for Submitting Hall Preferences | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/residencehalls/preferencetips]Tips”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/residencehalls/preferencetips)</p>

<p>Helpful Tips for Submitting Your Hall Preferences
The following tips can useful as you rank your hall preferences in the My UW Housing portal. For more information on the steps in this process, you can return to the main Hall Preferences page.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Preferences can be updated until May 1, 2013. Be certain to hit submit to save your preference changes.</p></li>
<li><p>Two students wishing to become roommates must list their hall preferences in the exact same order and preference one another in My UW Housing. </p></li>
<li><p>Students interested in living in a Residential Learning Community or the Substance Free Community should rank it as their #1 preference, and make their $250.00 Advance Payment. Learning Community Room Selection begins April 24, 2013 and will continue as space allows. </p></li>
<li><p>University Housing has two residential neighborhoods – Lakeshore and Southeast (see our Residence Halls map). If you would prefer one neighborhood more than the other, be certain to list all of the halls in that particular neighborhood at the top of your preference list. </p></li>
<li><p>Rates and room types vary throughout the residence halls and neighborhoods. Students interested in a particular room type should list all of the buildings with that particular room type at the top of their preference list. Residence Halls that have the standard double room rate include *Bradley, Cole, Elizabeth Waters, Kronshage, *Sellery, Slichter, Sullivan, and *Witte.
*Note: All of Bradley and designated floors in Sellery and Witte have a required Learning Community fee. </p></li>
<li><p>Single rooms are available primarily in Adams (as part of the International Learning Community and Transfer House) and Tripp, Barnard (as part of Chadbourne Residential College), Merit, Smith, and Susan Davis (non-first-year students only). Students interested in a single room should preference these halls at the top of their list. You should also check the box which states, “I would be interested in a single room if one is available for my room assignment. I understand that this is not a guarantee, and that single rooms have an additional cost.” </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Items to note:</p>

<p>University Housing will use your preferences to determine your hall assignment.</p>

<p>University Housing cannot guarantee placement in a particular building or room type. </p>

<p>University Housing hall assignments are not made on a first-come, first-serve basis due to rolling admissions at UW-Madison. Assignments are randomly computer-generated, based on your submitted preferences. </p>

<p>The Division will not discriminate in assignment to University Housing on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, national origin, or ancestry.</p>

12

<p>As a current freshman, i live in Witte and love it! In general, the daytime is fairly quiet, as many kids are at class. At night it may get a bit louder but not out of reason. This year Sellery has the reputation of partying a bit harder than Witte but both go pretty hard. But I hear that switches based on the freshman class. (Witte is also coed by wing and sellery every other door switches.)</p>

<p>In your case I would recommend Chadbourne or Witte. Kids are nice and the atmosphere is fun. I would not suggest lakeshore even if you want a quieter atmosphere. Most kids don’t enjoy it much… there is even a twitter account called lakeshoreprobs.</p>

13

<p>I’m a freshman, as well, but I do live in Lakeshore! I actually love the location - the way I look at it, if I’m looking for the more crazy, party, downtown-city atmosphere, it’s super easy to find, but it’s also relieving to be able to escape it if I want. I’ve really enjoyed the location, and contrary to what even I thought starting the year, it’s really NOT that far away from classes. This past semester I could walk to most of my classes in under 10 minutes, easily.</p>

14

<p>I’m planning on putting sellery as my first choice followed by witte, but I’m not sure what to put for my third. What is another dorm similar to sellery and witte meaning freshmen dorms and more social dorms, most likely southeast?</p>

15

<p>My son did Ogg and Smith after Sellery and Witte; Ogg is more expensive than Sellery and Witte, but across the street from Sellery. Smith is down half a block from Ogg, and has singles and, like Ogg, has a surcharge as compared to the base rate for Sellery and Witte. My sense is that Ogg and Smith have more upperclass students.</p>

16

<p>Last year you had to list something like 13 or 14 choices in order of preference. Its my understanding that most people will list all SE dorms if they’re most interested in SE and then list Lakeshore dorms. Vice versa if you’re most interested in Lakeshore. Last year, housing told me that if you’re a Freshman and request Sellery and Witte as your top choices, you’re likely to get in one of them. Last year, Sellery was more requested than Witte due to the number of Learning Communities in Sellery. </p>

<p>Keep in mind, as pointed out some dorms cost substanically more than others. The more expensive dorms tend to have nicer rooms but some say a different feel as well.</p>