<p>Would you rather go to UCLA or UW-Madison?
I know these are two quite different places in terms of location and lifestyle, but both places have great academics. I'm going into a science field and I heard UCLA is extrememly competitive. Is it the same in Madison? I could really do without the extra pressure of competition.</p>
<p>UW-Madison is a party school, but isnt UCLA too? I mean, it's in LA! And a party school should be fun, right? I do want to go to a school that i can do well academically too, though.</p>
<p>UW is not a party school for everyone, don't worry about that. Since both schools accepted you you can presume they think you can be successful. You can get an excellent science education in Madison, particularily some biological fields. There are Honors courses in math, physics, chemistry and biology. College isn't about competition, it is about being with like minded peers to learn as much as you want/can. You are not fighting for a class rank. Change your mindset into -which school do I want to spend 4 years at? Consider all the nonacademic factors- demographics, weather... Now is the time to either go it and realize you can always transfer if things don't work out.</p>
<p>finances aside, both schools would be equally as great for my PERSONAL prefrences. Both are great schools academically with a lot of school spirit in great towns. My deciding factor would be the weather....i live in wisconsin and i hate the cold so id go to UCLA....besides it is said the it is always better going further from home. But like wis75 said...its all a matter of personal prefrence...two schools that are on par academically and im sure you can succeed in both.</p>
<p>How easy is it to transfer out to another school anywany? Does it depend on how good your grades were in the university youre transferring out of?</p>
<p>Is it quite competitive in biological sciences at wisconsin? I've always heard horrible stories about competition in UCLA, but I haven't heard any about wisconsin (yet?).</p>
<p>Stop all the talk of competition! You are accepted, you are presumed capable of doing the work, the grades you get are up to you, not someone else. Transferring to other schools usually takes HS records into account for freshmen applicants (no worry if you are already accepted) and your college grades of course. People talk about competition for premeds vying for high grades to have a high gpa for medical school, otherwise- you get the grades, no one else needs to know or cares. There are so many different courses in each science one can take at UW. To get the most rigorous and most knowledge the honors courses are best; in those courses you realize how smart others are. You need to get over comparing yourself to others and decide what will be best for YOU when it comes to how hard you work/how much effort to put forth. In a place you like you will enjoy your classes and want to learn, pick the place that most appeals to you.</p>
<p>Folks have said enough about weather, academic and lifestyle. Another "important" factor to consider is deciding if you want to be part of the Big Ten or Pac-10. </p>
<p>For me personally, one of the best things being an UW alum is having that instant ice breaker with alums from other Big Ten schools (including the Wolverine).</p>
<p>The sports conferences each school is in. Important to people who follow football and/or basketball. The country's colleges are divided up into 3 (?) divisions, based on the level of their sports teams. Each division is then divided up into a number of schools in conferences, usually in a geographic region. The Big Ten was originally 10 large schools in the midwest, the Pac 10 in the states along the Pacific coast. This is just a rough guide.</p>
<p>While the Big Ten (actually it is 11 schools since Penn State was added,) is primarily an athletic conference there is also a substantial amount of interaction between the institutions through the Committee for Institutional Cooperation, CIC:</a> Committee on Institutional Cooperation - About CIC. The CIC also includes the University of Chicago. One of the first questions an administrator will often ask here when a major change is proposed is "What are the other Big 10 schools doing?"</p>