<p>I am completely torn between the two colleges. I'm planning on becoming an engineer and minor in fine art. Want to row for a few semesters, but I also want to try ultimate frisbee (if they have a team). I also love a big nightlife, such as concerts and bars and a variety of activities, which seems to be more in Minnesota. My friends say my personality fits the excitement of Minnesota more, but Madison has a frisbee team and they seem to have more college spirit. Also, I love working out on my own, so which has easily accessible student gyms? And if there is any difference in ease of job placement after graduation? I really need some help and opinions on the vibes! Please help! </p>
<p>Madison has plenty of clubs and bars…more than you would need. For concerts, you may have to travel to Chicago on occasional weekends. I definitely think that Wisconsin offers a better overall experience. As for Engineering, the two are roughly equal, with Wisconsin having the slight edge in most disciplines other than Chemical Engineering, where the two are roughly the same. Personally, I think campus life and environment is key in deciding between those two universities, and on that front, the edge goes to Wisconsin.</p>
<p>My student is at UW – he certainly has plenty of music to attend – take a look at the schedules for the Orpheum, Majestic, Overture Center, and Alliant Center to see what comes through town. With campus on the lake there is a lot of water sports (and ice sports too), though I don’t know about crew specifically. Engineering is certainly highly respected there. </p>
<p>My student loved that Madison is urban, but not huge. It is the capital, so a lot is going on, but it is not overwhelming. Both are great schools. </p>
<p>Madison is one of the great college towns, and it has plenty of bars, nightlife, and music. Overall Wisconsin has an edge academically, though it’s much closer than many people realize, and in engineering or business it’s a push both in academic quality and in job placement opportunities. So for an engineering major, it comes down to a question of which atmosphere you prefer, and that’s a matter of personal taste. Some people prefer the college-town atmosphere of Madison where pretty much everything revolves around campus life, spilling over into the student-dominated residential neighborhoods and business strips surrounding campus. Minnesota is located in the heart of a major metropolitan area of 3.5 million people, between the two downtowns and now connected to both downtowns by a convenient, inexpensive, shiny new light rail service. That tends to pull more students off campus and into the life of the city. Certainly there’s still a lively campus life–big-time sports, a Greek scene, parties, student-oriented bars, restaurants and business strips, student-dominated residential areas, all manner of on-campus extracurriculars–but more students choose to live farther off campus, many have part-time jobs or internships off-campus, and many choose to spend their leisure time (or part of it) at off-campus bars, restaurants, music venues, concerts, theatrical productions, museums, professional sports events, etc., enjoying all the urban amenities that a major metropolitan area (and in this case a relatively high-income metropolitan area with a high cultural IQ) has to offer. I don’t think anyone can say which is better for you.</p>
<p>As someone who used to live in the area, I don’t know that I’d describe the location as “between the two downtowns.” I am sure bclintonk knows this (I think he works there, though I may be mistaken), but the part of campus on the West bank of the Mississippi River is about a mile East from Minneapolis downtown (walking distance if temp above 0 F), and the part of campus on the East bank of the river is about seven miles West from St. Paul downtown. A student on campus feels like he/she is in the middle of Minneapolis, not between the two cities.</p>
<p>That is correct. The West Bank essentially butts up against the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis. But St. Paul is also very assessible now via light rail.</p>
<p>go spend overnights at each. you should know after those visits which scene is likely to fit you better.</p>