<p>Well, as the time when I get to go to Madison creeps closer (Yay!!!) my parents and I have been discussing more of the plans for this fall and into next year. One thing that has come up a couple times without clear answers is about going home. We have discussed this because it is very important as I'm sure you all know to get tickets early for flights to keep them cheap.</p>
<p>I am the first person in my family to go to college far away from home where I couldn't drive home and we are unsure about how other people deal with going home. By this I mean, what occasions do you go home for? Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break? I thought it would be just Christmas and Spring Break maybe, but they are thinking Thanksgiving would be good because they'll miss me and all. So a couple questions....</p>
<p>Do the dorms close over Thanksgiving? How long is this break? (I thought it was only like Thurs-Sund) and do most kids who would have to fly home leave? If I did stay where would I stay if dorms are closed? Also, what occasions do your students/do you go home for?</p>
<p>I came here to ask because a lot of parents here have some experience to help show me the norm for UW and their breaks. Thanks for any advice I can get!</p>
<p>I think the dorms or at least some of them stay open over Thanksgiving. Going home then is tough–everything is so full. You might be able to sneak and extra day or two depending. That would be ideal. After I got an apt we always stayed and had a big Thanksgiving party with other OOS kids. Good times. So maybe plan to go home first year and not after that.</p>
<p>The dorm’s stay open for both spring break and thanksgiving although most people go home for both. During winter break, most dorms close and almost everyone goes home (it’s about a month long break). For dates, check out [Academic</a> Calendar - University of Wisconsin-Madison](<a href=“http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/acadcal/]Academic”>http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/acadcal/)</p>
<p>Thanksgiving in Fall semester, and Spring break in Spring semester. Only very few dorms are open during Winter break, but I believe all of them are open for students during Thanksgiving and Spring break. Very hard to get food, though. You need to go to State St or somewhere else I think.</p>
<p>We decided it was too long to wait until Winter Break. We will miss son, and he’d like to sleep in his own bed, eat home food, and see his friends so we did just purchase tix for him to come home over Thanksgiving. At least that is our plan for first year. After that, we’ll see. Deciding on the timing was tough, but he will fly home mid-late Wed afternoon (taking a risk he could miss a class or two) and return Sunday evening. He is not quite as far as you, but it is 2 flights - Madison to Detroit(or Chicago) to DC then an 1 1/4 hour drive. </p>
<p>I think it depends on finances and how you feel about it. I am sure there are other OOS kids who will stay on campus, but it may feel kind of empty. Another thing I’ve often seen/heard is that local kids (Wisconsin, Chicago) sometimes invite their OOS friends to share Thanksgiving with them. Maybe one of your buddies will live close by?</p>
<p>S just finished his freshman year. Lives on the West coast. Came home 4 winter and spring break and a very brief long weekend in November for a family function that was cut short due to flight cancellations… Getting out of Madison by air can be challenging at times!</p>
<p>Note that they DO hold classes on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving- there could even be an exam that day; they tell students to not plan on skipping that day of classes. The dorms will be open Thanksgiving and spring breaks, most or all closed at the end of the fall semester (but some opening up early in January for an extra fee then). Food service will be very limited during breaks if available. There is a bus service that runs from campus to Chicago O’Hare at break times- all of this info about transportation will be in the SOAR booklet, as well as on the UW website.</p>
<p>I would just like to add that as of this year, starting Fall 2009, *every *dorm will be open over winter break, starting in early January (January 2nd, I think), for an extra fee. It used to be just a few, but this year they all will be. They do close for that short period of time, though.</p>
<p>Of course they tell students not to leave early for break, But only a DH of a prof would schedule anything major that day. Lots of people leave early–always have, always will. I don’t think it impacted their academic life one iota. No I would not ship an exam–but anything else if I were going out of state for break–sure.</p>
<p>What barrons said is very true. All of my classes had about 20% of their usual attendance on the Wednesday before thanksgiving break. Just make sure to check your syllabus on the first day to be sure your professor didn’t schedule anything for that day.</p>
<p>Eons ago I couldn’t walk with friends to the Greyhound bus station when they were surprising a friend by accompanying him when he had to go to Milwaukee the day before Thanksgiving for his draft physical (another of his friends was protesting at the bus station- that was a few short months before they abolished the draft in the Vietnam War days) because I had a morning calculus exam. Skipping a class will depend on the class, especially when it becomes a higher numbered one and not a general survey course. I’m sure the travel time/hassles mean after freshman year students rethink their plans, especially as college becomes more of their homebase and home less.</p>
<p>Yes, we are hoping that most Wed. afternoon classes will allow for some leniency although we understand it is a risk and that class is in session. He will be able to attend am classes. Son will double check the schedule/syllabus at the beginning of school, and we will adjust accordingly. While it may be possible for Wisconsin/Chicago students to wait through they day, it is not practical for someone needing 2 flights to one of the coasts to leave much later than mid-afternoon and still arrive home by late that evening.</p>
<p>When I was in college, school closed at noon on that Wednesday to allow for travel before the holiday. Some other schools, including IU, are closed on Wed. I wish that were the case for UW. We made an informed choice and will deal with it. Others may opt for a different choice. Having son 14 hours away (by car) will be hard, and we will all miss him - Thanksgiving will be his first time home after move-in in August so we feel it is worth it. Neither he nor we want to wait any longer. He is hoping for the best and we’ll change if we have to.</p>
<p>Just checked the Van Galder bus line website- they run a charter daily from Madison (UW campus stop) to both O’Hare and Midway airports at various times of day; they will have more runs around campus breaks, I’m sure. Saves the hassles of going to the Madison airport, changing planes…</p>
<p>Took the Van Galder many times. Pick up right at the Memorial Union. They also go to downtown Chgo and stop at Union Station for Amtrak - another option for some.</p>
<p>Oh they go to Midway? That’s good news! I usually fly Southwest because they have the best rates, but they don’t fly to O’hair. While Midway is farther, it’s well worth it for the cheaper fare, and the bus system should help out. Thanks for the information Wis.</p>
<p>Avoid the Madison Airport AT ALL COSTS on days that many students leave!!! It is too small and cannot handle that level of volume. While I could have flown home in 50 minutes, it took me almost 11 hours because of how disorganized the Dane County Regional airport was.</p>
<p>I live in Minneapolis, and I was going to fly home from the UW-Madison for Christmas break. (I have no car.) I know you’re not from Mpls, but all the flights to MN were like before 11 AM, and I was unable to be there that early that day. But my mom needed me home by that next day, since i was supposed to be a groomsman in a wedding that afternoon.
All the flights to Mpls were in the morning and the next one wasnt till like 2 the next day. So I got this horrible flight that went from Madison to Dallas/Ft. Worth, and then from Dallas/ Ft. Worth to Minneapolis. But it was cheap and would get me home faster than waiting overnight for the next direct flight to MN. I believe the airline was “northwest-compass.”</p>
<p>When I got to the Madison Airport, there were thousands upon thousands of college kids flying out, most to chicago.
My flight ended up getting for delayed 2 hours, because of “high volume”, and a tiny bit of snow. Then once I got on the plane, we sat on the tarmac for another hour.
When we got to Dallas/Ft. Worth, my Minneapolis flight had already left and the next flight to minneapolis was at like eleven the next morning. So my mom was talking to the gate attendant on the phone, and she went into mega ***** mode on them becase I wouldn’t be at the wedding.
So the gate attendant was on the phone with my mom for like 25 minutes and said there was a northwest-pinnicle flight to minneapolis like 1.5 hours after that would get me home by 7AM, but sure enough: it stopped in CINCINNATI. But I got a 500 dollar voucher, plus complimentary first class seating.</p>
<p>Lesson learned: if you have a connectng flight, as you do, don’t fly out on heavy volume days. I’d highly recommend leaving early if you don’t have exams.</p>
<p>I would take advantage of the bus service that wis mentioned, to ohare/midway, and then fly out.
The Madison airport just sucks, IMHO.</p>
<p>The SOAR booklet also mentions the charter bus service to the Twin Cities- never thought anyone would try to fly from Madison to them. Hint- a ton of useful information in that booklet- read it. One could also go to one of the Madison out of town trip bus stations to get to Milwaukee, but not directly to the airport to my knowledge. The nearest Amtrak station is in Columbus, 20 miles north and no good way to get to it.</p>
<p>For going back to the east coast, flying out of Chicago is significantly cheaper than flying from either Madison or Milwaukee. The Van Galder bus costs $27 to get to the airport and takes about 3 hours, with buses leaving throughout the day from the union. Still haven’t had any major problems/delays with O’Hare (knock on wood), as much as everyone curses that place. I’d recommend looking into flying thru Chicago if you want to save a couple hundred bucks for a little extra effort and time. Also, many more options for flights, especially if you have cancellations or missed flights, etc. </p>
<p>Another idea is taking the train. I haven’t done it yet but I want to. I looked into it last time and Amtrack could take me home (about 1,000 miles) for $120. It would take me a bus ride and 2 trains and almost 2 days of traveling, but if you like trains and want to see the country, it might not be a bad option if you aren’t pressed for time. Definitely cheap too.</p>