<p>My S has been accepted to Miami (OH) and Madison. He is still waiting for responses from the 4/1 decision schools he applied to : ND, USC, BC and Stanford. Working at a large bank in Chicago, I know both of these schools are well represented in both middle and upper management circles - I would call it a draw. However, S is undecided liberal arts and could be pre-law, pre-med or business. While UW-Madison is rated a little higher, Miami is known and highly ranked for its undergraduate education. We have visited Miami and S loves it. We will be going to Madison soon. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>As the name implies we are OOS for both schools - Miami has given S a very nice grant which makes it about $5K less than UW-Madison.</p>
<p>Great choices. As a former Chicawgoan and Badger I can only speak to the Wisc experience. My impression is at Madison he’ll have tons of opportunities on a dynamic campus with loads of top rated departments. Want to major in History - it’s great. Psych? Awesome. Geography, English and down the line. The bus. school has loads of cash. All very very good. It’s sort of a bargain in my opinion. One of the world’s great research institutions, great numbers of national academy members and a sort of free spirited student body - who by the way loooove their school.</p>
<p>If he’s interested in the liberal arts there are ways to make the larger campus smaller through various residential colleges like Bradley or taking classes within the Integrated Liberal Studies Program.</p>
<p>We’ve toured both schools and the “feel” is totally different. He really has to see Wisconsin. Even though it’s a good school, we didn’t feel the “fit”. We had two “memorable” experiences while there that may have colored our opinion. Our Lexus got “keyed” in the mall parking lot:( and my youngest, age 12 at the time, pointed out a group of cross-dressers during our tour of campus:)</p>
<p>We live in Ohio and many students from our local high schools go to Miami; we are from Minnesota and many students go to Wisconsin. Both are great schools but I’d choose Wisconsin in a heartbeat, for myself or for either of the 2Kids_</p>
<p>The schools are very different, have a VERY different feel to them. You have to visit both.</p>
<p>(Wisconsin would be more likely to broaden a student’s horizons.)</p>
<p>Miami of OH is still a very regional school that draws most of its students from OH and the midwest (UW-Madison is regional too, but to a lesser degree). Miami OH may be very well represented in Chicago, but I doubt if you moved to the East or West Coast it would be as well recognized. Both are large public schools. </p>
<p>No contest, in my opinion. Wisconsin. Miami is OK, but Wisconsin is one of the leading universities in the country. The sports scene is much more fun, too.</p>
<p>I think that is very accurate. MO is more pre-professional and conservative. If that’s what you want it’s great.<br>
Sorry about the keying. I HATE that.</p>
<p>I’ve never visited Wisconsin, buy my son adored Miami…loved the size, the campus, the brand new business facility. They are totally focused on the undergraduate. I think the right choice is the school where your son is most comfortable.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be so quick to jump towards UW-Madison. It really depends on the feel your child is going for, as has been mentioned, the two are very different. UW-Madison isn’t so far above Miami academically (and in some areas it isn’t quite as strong) that it warrants completley neglecting your sons wishes. The academic experiences should be comparable at the two schools, so you should really let your child decide. Especially when considering a grant that has Miami being cheaper, I would personally lean towards Miami unless your child decides they prefer UW more. Just a caveat, this comes as a high school senior with no experience with either school besides friends applying and general hearsay, so take that as you will.</p>
<p>LOL!!! (same goes for all them N’Western rejects, too… :D)</p>
<p>Anyways, another point that I would like to make is that you should look heavily into the opportunities that each school can and will allocate to your child. For instance, there is no question that in a variety of cases Wisconsin is the hands-down pick. However, Miami(OH) may offer opportunities that Wisconsin won’t, like Honors acceptance, research opportunities, etc.</p>
<p>I personally applied to 30 schools, with very decent results as of now (keeping fingers crossed for rest), and yet will still attend Miami (OH). I received acceptances from places like U Rochester, Tulane, Denison, and Depauw, all with significant merit money to put the price at an attainable level, but they simply did not offer the programs and resources that Miami could. I’m now an Honors admit, obtained many additional perks, and doubt highly that even an Ivy could afford me the connections or resources that Miami U has offered.</p>
<p>To be honest, despite the perception on here that non-ivy = failure, it is simply not true. The resources a school offers is where its rep. is based, and thus why the Ivies consistently have such well-performing students. A Big 10 school can be every bit as good as an ivy so long as you have the connections to distinguish yourself from the pack and take opportunities that will afford you experience that will set you apart from the crowd. So please, look into what each school will specifically offer for your child.</p>
<p>For most, UW-Madison easily offers a better education than Miami. For some, it may not. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the great comments and responses! They basically confirmed my thoughts that Wisconsin has the higher overall academic standing and a great location, but that Miami has strong programs with an undergraduate emphasis and a definite “fit and feel” for certain students. I guess my S will know what he wants in a few weeks after a visit to Madison. The next few weeks will be interesting for sure.</p>