Liking Minnesota more than Wisconsin (long)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
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<p>Hi, I visited both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Prior to visiting, I have heard many say that Wisconsin has a better atmosphere, more personal, better school, better town etc. Meanwhile, I heard some say that Minnesota is not as good of a school, more impersonal, more boring, worse school etc. than Wisconsin.</p>

<p>Anyway, I visited both. I liked Minnesota pretty good at first. Than I visited Wisconsin- Madison. I was expected to be blown away by the school and town, especially with the sweet looking aerial shots, and others reviews of Wisconsin. It looked like a fun place to go to school, with the two lakes, capital, state street etc. Well, I was disappointed by the school and the town. Walking onto state street, I was immediately met by beggars for money. I saw some (in my mind) weird people walking the streets – sorry for the judging. It defiantly didn’t feel like the so called wonderful city people had boasted about. More importantly, I didn’t feel that safe on the Madison campus, a problem I never had when at Minnesota. This seems to defy the logic (Madison a smaller town with presumably less big city problems). I think what helps Minnesota is that it has 35W and 94 that cut it off from the rest of Minneapolis. So, you don’t really have the big city issues (safety, poverty, congestion) entering the Minnesota campus. </p>

<p>The Madison campus itself was well, anything but impressing. There were tons of busy streets running through the campus; Minnesota only really has two busy streets (Washington and University avenues). I thought Wisconsin would be more serene, with more green space. Instead, it was too me more hectic than Minnesota. In fact, when our tour guide brought us by the lakeshore dorms for Madison, he said that this had a more laid back atmosphere away from the city (than other dorms). But as he is saying this, cars are whizzing by us. Sure, feels laid back to me (rolling my eyes).</p>

<p>Also, the tour done by Minnesota was A LOT better. The guy giving the Minnesota information session was much more orchestrated and interesting than the boring lady giving the information session at Wisconsin. The admissions place at Jones Hall was much more inviting than the cold feeling armory (red gym) at Wisconsin. I felt close at the information session to the front at Minnesota. At Wisconsin, I was way farther back. Hmm, maybe the information session should be moved out of the long and narrow auditorium (at Wisconsin). </p>

<p>The guy doing the walking tour at Minnesota brought us through recreational places, libraries and the Memorial Union. The guy doing the Wisconsin tour had a lisp (which was annoying), and didn’t take us to any of the unions, recreational facilities, libraries etc. Instead, we did more walking and looking at buildings than looking INSIDE them. Wisconsin was way more spread out. Minnesota also seemed like a cleaner campus overall - maybe its just me. </p>

<p>It didn’t seem like you had to do as much walking to get between places at Minnesota. On the other hand, a walk from the lakeshore dorms to the Kohl Center seems like it would take forever.</p>

<p>Hanson Hall was more modern than the aging business school at Wisconsin (with ripped carpets and an old chalkboard in the classroom I was brought into). This is another plus for Minnesota, since I have considered business. I know Wisconsin has a better reputation for business, but Carlson is an up and coming school.</p>

<p>I guess the reason I post this is that my experiences seem to go against what many others say. Did any of you visit both and like the Minnesota campus more? </p>

<p>Anyway, the things I liked about Wisconsin were that the dorms seemed bigger and better. And the terrace (and Lake Mendota) beats looking at the Mississippi. But the rather exciting feeling on the terrace (with music, food etc.) seems to be a short lived excitement for a large chunk of the school year would be in snow (and cold), not sitting in short sleeved shirts looking at the lake.</p>

<p>When I visited both, I thought the only thing going against Wisconsin was that it was farther away than Minnesota for me. Now, I think that the only thing going for Wisconsin is its supposedly better academics. Is there a big difference in academics/reputation between going to Wisconsin vs Minnesota?</p>

<p>Long story short, the tour of Wisconsin made me like Minnesota more. Maybe Wisconsin and Madison is too liberal or too much in the city. Maybe, its that I know the Twin Cities more than Madison, and Madison was just a new place for me. Either way, I was completely turned off to Madison, and am now completely in love with Minnesota.</p>

<p>Maybe this could go on the University of Wisconsin-Madison forum too, but then they would all think I am bashing their school.</p>

<hr>

<p>Anyway, there were two questions from above. It would be great if you guys could answer them. If you missed them, they were:
1) Did any of you visit both and like the Minnesota campus more?
2) Is there a big difference in academics/reputation between going to Wisconsin vs Minnesota?
And then of course, it would be great to hear reactions to what I wrote.</p>

<p>Hopefully, this helps others considering both schools too. But obviously, visit both, since you may have different reactions.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your post. We’re looking at Marquette, but are intrigued by state schools in the surrounding areas. I was considering looking at UW Mad, because I too fell in love with that beautiful lake photo, but I am partial to the Mississippi River, being from New Orleans. I’ve actually been to Saint Paul for a wedding and loved it. Anyway, interested to hear any comments. Maybe son will apply to both, maybe neither. Oh, my, the list goes from 15 to 25 every day. By the way, we’re looking at Biomedical Engineering, but would also like a school with a strong computer engineering or computer science as well.</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>I have not visited Madison, only driven through once on the freeway, so I am in no position to comment on its campus. However, I think that people vastly underrate the U of M campus. Beautiful campus and setting (along the Mississippi) and in the heart of one of America’s greatest cities… not to mention the new football stadium =D </p></li>
<li><p>It depends on what program you’re looking at. But no, there isn’t really any significant difference in the academics. While Madison is a great school, I think it’s overrated by about 5-10 spots, and I think the U of M is underrated by about 10. They’re both very comparable as far as academics go, so it’s best to compare the specific program(s) that you’re looking at. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Go Gophers!</p>

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<p>I have a sibling that went to Wisconsin for Freshman year and then transferred after that year to UMinn.</p>

<p>Both schools have their pros/cons.</p>

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<p>We visited them both and D liked Minnesota better, also. I liked UW because it is only two hours from our house, but UW is notoriously stingy with financial aid and Minnesota is relatively generous. That made a big difference to us as she was OOS for both. We were just on the campus at U of M and it looked beautiful. The whole school seems marginally better kept than UW. I don’t think that UW is ranked so much higher than UM that it would be worth it to go there if you don’t like it. Also, if you want to go into business and stay in Minnesota, Carlson has great contacts for jobs. In fairness, my nephew who just graduated from the business school at UW also got a great job offer from a big accounting firm in Mpls so UW business school has contacts there also.</p>

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<p>Both good schools. We are Twin Cities residents. I think Wisconsin has a better reputation. D1 accepted at both, attended UW. Business schools are similar, but more national recruiting done at Wisconsin. Both engineering schools are very good.</p>

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<p>1) Did any of you visit both and like the Minnesota campus more?
2) Is there a big difference in academics/reputation between going to Wisconsin vs Minnesota?</p>

<h2>And then of course, it would be great to hear reactions to what I wrote.</h2>

<ol>
<li><p>Yes I visited both campuses (actually Minnesota twice) and I thoroughly enjoyed Minnesota’s campus more. I mean sure Wisconsin has the gorgeous lake, but the rest of the campus is quite mediocre. I loved how Minnesota is in a legitimate city, however; it didn’t feel nearly apart of the city like Madison. In other words Minnesota felt like its own little “island” of a campus within the city. As stated above, I too was not a fan of the busy streets running through UW and all of the construction. As for how you portrayed the actual visit itself, make sure not to ENTIRELY judge a school by the visit. Because, 9 times out of 10 you won’t deal with any of those people again. I used my visits to see how the campuses felt to me visually and mentally. As for the terrace, Minnesota has Northrop is busy nearly every day throughout the year. Quite impressive. Bottom line: IMO, I loved Minnesota’s campus. I found it more appealing than UW-Madison in most regards. That was one step in helping me choose the U over Wisconsin.</p></li>
</ol>

<h2>2. The academic reputation of each school is normally top notch. However, for some reason Wisconsin seems to have a larger national/international rep. I will be a student this fall at Carlson and one reason I chose that over Wisconsin was because it was freshman admitting and I wanted to get into my business classes as soon as I could. Carlson has slipped in recent years (rankings wise), but I’m sure it will eventually get back to it’s previous power. When choosing between schools I found it smart to choose where you want to work after college. For example, Carlson will get you great job opportunities in the Twin Cities while UW-Madison sends most (not all) of its graduates to either Milwaukee or Chicago (Source: my brother in-law who graduated from UW-Madison’s business school in 2004). However, each can get you a job anywhere in the country due to alumni networks with Wisconsin getting a little bit more of a nod in that category. All in all to me the schools are pretty equal academically. As far as business goes generally in rankings Minnesota gets the nod for a Grad. School while Wisconsin is SLIGHTLY better for undergrad.</h2>

<p>Naturally my arguments would mostly be for Minnesota since that’s what I chose for my own reasons. I know a large amount who made the same choice as me while others who have chosen Wisconsin instead. Both schools are pretty equal and you can be happy at either school, but if you’re like me and you feel you will be happier at Minnesota by all means pick their. </p>

<p>If you have anymore questions let me know. Sorry for the length and I hope it helps in your decision!</p>

<p>PS: Madison isn’t all its cracked up to be. All of my relatives (including UW alumni) told me I did the right thing in picking Minnesota. Twin Cities>>>>Madsion</p>

<p>Hail Minnesota! ;)</p>

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<p>I myself went to Wisconsin for my freshmen year and then transfered to Minnesota. That being said, I have to say I think the Minnesota campus is hands down a better campus than Wisconsin. I also love the Twin Cities far and above Madison. To the point where I plan on staying and working in Minneapolis when i graduate. </p>

<p>As far as academics/reputation goes again it depends on what your majoring in. For the most part both schools are highly ranked and will get you a good job pretty much anywhere you want to go. For example most of my friends, who have already graduated from Minnesota, got great jobs all over in cities like; Minneapolis, Chicago, LA, New York, Boston, ect.</p>

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<p>OP: I visited both schools this spring and your post captured what I felt ONE HUNDRED PERCENT! (Except for the fact that I think the Mississippi is cooler than the lake). I was expecting one hundred percent completely the opposite before visiting. That is why I think Minnesota is now my top choice over Madison, but I think i would like to get a little farther away from home. Of course if I get into BC I won’t need to make that decision, but that is a big IF.</p>

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<p>The UW school of business building is hardly aging. The “old” part is just 15 years old and a large new addition was completed last year. </p>

<p>[Wisconsin</a> School of Business’ Grainger Hall addition almost done - JSOnline](<a href=“http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/29566824.html]Wisconsin”>http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/29566824.html)</p>

<p>As to social life–go to State Street any Friday or Saturday and compare to Uminn. No comparison–in Madison’s favor. You hardly see anyone around UMinn compared to Madison.</p>

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<p>Nice post. Here is my 2 cents:</p>

<ol>
<li>I have visited UWaM several times when my cousin was a grad student there but not once since my Junior year. I loved the Madison campus and think it is somewhat prettier than UMTC. Just a personal opinion. </li>
<li>In just about every ranking I have seen, UWaM is ranked marginally higher than UMTC - that can not be a random statistical aberration. To me it doesn’t matter a lot but to others it might.</li>
<li>I did not apply to UWaM even though some of my closest friends did. I will be a Carson student this fall. My reason for not applying - if I am not going to the east coast, I would rather stay closer to home which is MN. Besides, overall I like UMTC and Carlson.</li>
<li>In case you care to know - My parents found both the schools equally unsafe compared to some other schools we visited (that includes NYU!!) but generally acceptable from the safety perspective. Also, my parents were not too excited about me driving from Madison to MN every so often. </li>
<li>At least for business majors, there are lots of jobs in the Twin Cities and they do not necessarily prefer UWaM students over Carlson – regardless of the rankings. I hear the same about the employers in Chicago (although I have not seen the stats). Some say that Madison has a better national reputation than Carlson but again I take that with a bit of skepticism.</li>
</ol>

<p>You can’t go wrong with Carlson/UMTC especially if it is cheaper. </p>

<p>Hope it helpds. Good luck.</p>

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<p>barrons, do you happen to get paid by the UW? You’re a constantly typing all out UW machine!</p>

<p>just kidding haha</p>

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<p>@jotajota- Hail Minnesota? Learn Ski-U-Mah before you come to the cities this fall.</p>

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<p>The Cool Part that you need to know:
[YouTube</a> - Golden Gopher Hockey Goal](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0o_9StEIF8&feature=related]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0o_9StEIF8&feature=related)
and
[YouTube</a> - Minnesota Chant](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAzZoKWP5H0&feature=related]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAzZoKWP5H0&feature=related)</p>

<p>(I know you aren’t supposed to post youtube clips, but this fits the thread well.)</p>

<p>And Dinkytown may not be better than State Street, but it ain’t far behind.</p>

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<p>I think Wisconsin’s campus is something you really come to appreciate once you actually go to school there. Although it is a lot more urban UMN, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Who wants to live in green space for 4-5 years, especially when its a solid white brick of snow-ice for 4-5 months? A “campus feel” is important, but you will tire of it after the whole college shock wears off and you settle in. Not being “trapped” in college will be something you deeply appreciate after your first two years of college, when those freshman start looking like total idiots.</p>

<p>Downtown Madison is also probably one of the densest areas in the midwest in regards to retail/restaurant options. State Street alone - only about a half mile long - has over 200 businesses. If you choose to live around State Street, which most do, you will never have to walk far to get something to eat or have fun with friends. Oh, and your options are pretty much unlimited. Because of its long history with students from the coasts, UW feels a lot more eclectic student-body wise, too, even if it is less racially diverse. </p>

<p>Walking is actually significantly less of a problem at UW-Madison than at the UMN campus, too. All the areas on the UW campus are well “clustered” so you can generally live near where you go to class if you’d like. Madison will also probably have light rail in 4-5 years, and you will be able to hop on a train and get from the Kohl Center to Camp Randall in only 3-4 minutes.</p>

<p>And I don’t know what you mean about the “old” business school. I spent most of my time at Grainger Hall and one of the two business buildings is less than a year old. The other is about 15 years old, I believe, and still looks brand new. Madison’s graduate and undergraduate programs are both ranked a little bit better.</p>

<p>And UW has a much more spirited community and atmosphere, too.</p>

<p>But I’m biased. It sounds like you are too.</p>

<p>And like I said, when you are looking at colleges, you think you want all that pretty green space all over the place. Once you are in for one or two years, you start realizing that its actually pretty pointless. I think Wisconsin mixes public spaces with the city perfectly.</p>

<p>You really have to go here to understand it. Madison is like a big, cosmopolitan city that is actually a small city. It has a very real, unique energy to it, and that is why you were expecting to be blown away - because so many people have LOVED it here and raved about it. If you are an extroverted person, you will have a lot more fun at UW-Madison.</p>

<p>But anyway education-wise it doesn’t really matter where you go. They are both great schools.</p>

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<p>As for Grainger Hall, yeah I didn’t see all of it, so maybe it was premature for me to judge it based on what I saw. I was just brought in a small room with ripped carpeting, and an old looking chalkboard. I am sure I just saw an older room, but keep in mind I was comparing it to Hanson Hall.</p>

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<p>Grainger Hall was nice- it was one of the few buildings on UW that I was impressed with. But Hanson Hall is unbelievable - Grainger ain’t even in the same league.</p>

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<p>Are we really bragging about the physical buildings and using such hyperbolic words as “unbelievable.” Can you really not believe it? </p>

<p>Grainger Hall is classy and inconspicuous… I think it is perfect as a business school. And externally, although not beautiful, it has a unique design - it doesn’t look like some typical suburban brick-and-glass office building like Hanson. Plus, UW-Madison’s business school is ranked better, rising fast (Carlson has fallen over the past few years), and just received a $80 million donation to keep the name “School of Business” (as opposed to a guys last name), as well as hire professors and increase opportunities for students.</p>

<p>Let’s admit at least this: You are both biased and are making these topics mainly because you feel like telling yourselves that UMN is so much better in this or that regard than Wisconsin. It’s a rivalry thing. I’ve done the same thing at some points so I know how you guys feel. Perhaps I’m even doing the same thing right now. </p>

<p>With that said, the facilities at UW-Madison are actually becoming top notch, especially the research buildings, which is probably partly the reason why Madison was the #1 public research university in the entire US last year.</p>

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<p>It’s also worthwhile to mention that Madison’s graduate business program is ranked higher than Minnesota’s and yet costs a whopping $15,000 less a year!</p>

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<p>^Yes TheDesertFox I guess everyone here is trying to brag up “their” school (I’m not sure where you attended exactly). I am just starting to get annoyed by CC in general. Every person will brag up their school and have very little open mindedness to other schools. If you ask me if you look at the top 75 schools in the nation they’re all amazing schools and we’re lucky to live a country with so many quality educational opportunities.</p>

<p>IMO, UMinn and UW-Madison are at the same level. One is hardly better than the other. I was accepted into both schools and had a hard time choosing. It eventually came down to me liking the campus at Minnesota more, Twin Cities>>>Madison and the thought of getting a solid job in the Twin Cities. Most pro-UW posters on here always try to brag up Madison. After living in Madison for some of my life as well as living close enough up to this point in my life where I am there once a week anyway I still don’t quite understand what’s so great about it. The city as a whole appears to be going downhill on the south and east side. Some Madison residents contribute that to the “rougher” people moving in from Beloit, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Sure State Street and the Square are nice, but there is honestly nothing special about the rest of Madison compared to any other city.</p>

<p>^^Haha at arguing about building appearance! The Carlson building, Hanson Hall, and Grainger are all very nice, but of course I like the first two more ;). To each their own.</p>

<p>Some like Madison more, others like Minnesota, still others for some odd reason would want to go to Illinois (jk haha). They choose a school that’s better for them and in the Big Ten they’re is hardly any variance in academic quality. For me it’s Minnesota and I’m fine attending there over Wisconsin even though Minnesota is ranked 22 spots ahead in USNEWS. Minnesota to me is just as “good,” however, that’s just me being biased I guess.</p>