<p>What are some strong points and weak points, or good and bad, of each school? </p>
<p>I just want to find out varying facts about them so that I can compare and see which one I would like better.</p>
<p>Both are excellent large state schools. Minnesota is in Minneapolis (a major metro area) while Wisconsin is in Madison (a small city with the capitol and the college). Both locations have their pros and cons. I would give Minnesota a slight edge for business and Wisconsin a more significant but not insurmountable edge for the humanities.</p>
<p>Both schools have great hockey cultures, but the Gophers have been terrible for the past few years.</p>
<p>You will likely hear strong opinions from both sides on this forum. I would recommend ignoring the hype. You should apply to both and then compare the two after you have all the information on program admissions, financial aid / scholarships, and after you have visited.</p>
<p>Already covered on this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-wisconsin-madison/947075-umn-uw-madison.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-wisconsin-madison/947075-umn-uw-madison.html</a></p>
<p>UW offers a better overall school in a more concentrated college enviroment. It has a better undergraduate academic reputation and is know for a high level social and sports scene to go along with the academics. UM retains some commuter school aspects with many students coming from the surrounding area and not living on campus or in the immediate area. The student life is more absorbed into the city so you have less of a college town feel. It has been working on improving the undergrad academics by getting rid of the relatively open admissions options and other improvements. UW still has more of a national feel and the grads go to work all over the US to a greater extent than at Uminn where many stay close to home after graduation.</p>
<p>Of course the thread linked would be the one in the UW forum…</p>
<p>Anyway, here is my opinion (current student at UMN, that turned down UW-Madison).</p>
<p>Campus: Visually, UMN’s campus feels an awful lot more like a campus than UW. Outside of the Lakeshore area UW’s campus will make you feel like you’re in the middle of a city. But, hey UW has that great lake right? Not sure if it’s really clean enough to swim in, but that’s beside the point. UMN’s campus extends on both sides of the Mississippi River with the East Bank being the larger campus. There is also the more agricultural campus in Saint Paul which is awesome if you ever just want to go for a walk and feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. The city of Madison is nothing terribly special, as stated above the city revolves around the college and capitol. The nice thing about that is how much pride the city has in its university. On the somewhat other end of the spectrum is the Twin Cities metro (roughly 3.5 million people) filled with literally endless things to do. I have a friend who attends UW-Madison and has told me quite frequently that there is nothing to do there, but drink (anecdotal evidence, sorry). UMN does have a more commuter feel, but not nearly as much as before. The Cities do take away from the campus somewhat, but there are still very distinct student neighborhoods around campus. Football is bigger at UW-Madison, mostly due to the UW’s recent successes.</p>
<p>Academics: It depends who you ask. Some posters will rant and rave that the UW blows UMN out of the water is on par with Michigan, Cal, and known as one of the best universities in the world. Others will say they are very comparable. I am going to have to say both schools are very comparable academically, with the UW having a few more higher ranked programs, but overall very similar. Check out the NRC rankings for specific programs.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, both are Big Ten party schools located in some of the Midwest’s best cities. UMN is located in a much more cosmopolitan area, while the UW resides in a city built around it. Take a tour at both (preferably during the school year) and see how you feel on each campus.</p>
<p>Well, saying outside the Lakeshore area is like saying outside the main campus–the campus…The main focus of the campus is the entire lakeshore area.<br>
Most people find Madison very sufficient in terms of things to do. With the Farmer’s Market, numerous eclectic bars and restaurants, stores geared to students and several performing arts facilities inclduing the fairly new Overture Center within walking distance of campus any person who can’t find anything to do besides drink has problems. None of these things require a car or even a bus ride as they are within a mile of the campus. That does not include the myriad well-attended UW sports events and winning teams in great facilities. A football game at Uminn is a sad thing indeed compared to the 80,000 plus who make Madison electric on game days. But don’t take my word for it–many others have spoken on it:</p>
<p>[SI.com</a> - SI on Campus - Best College Sports Towns - Thursday September 11, 2003 10:59AM](<a href=“http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/sioncampus/09/10/top_ten0916/index.html]SI.com”>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/sioncampus/09/10/top_ten0916/index.html)</p>
<p>[America’s</a> Best College Sports Town](<a href=“http://www.uwtke.com/bestcollegesportstown.php]America’s”>http://www.uwtke.com/bestcollegesportstown.php)</p>
<p>[Madison</a>, Wisconsin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison,_Wisconsin]Madison”>Madison, Wisconsin - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>MyCanon:</p>
<p>I’d respectively disagree with JotaJota and its always hard to argue with Barrons regarding UW Madison.</p>
<p>I’ve got a strong Badger bias as well. The UW is a superb school with social, whip smart kids, outstanding academics, a strong campus vibe, great sports and an eclectic downtown. Many, many, many things to do. We’re MN residents and have lived in the Twin Cities. Our S chose Madison over the U of MN (and UVA among others) and loves it there. U of MN is also a great school. Just a different, more urban environment. Good med, law and MBA professional programs. Agree with other posters that you should tour each campus, study each school extensively and make the choice that feels right for you.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>