<p>Hi Andrew - I read your other posts and saw your interest in Duke.</p>
<p>My two kids are at UW-Madison. Several of their friends had the ‘itch’ to go out of state (and cost was not a barrier) but transferred to UW-Madison after the first or second year upon realizing that everything they wanted and needed was here. </p>
<p>What is your intended major?</p>
<p>If Duke, probably biomedical engineering and if Madison, probably chemical engineering.</p>
<p>The biggest reason for someone from the Madison area to go elsewhere is to broaden horizons beyond the local, familiar area. I wanted to leave town but couldn’t afford OOS schools (eons ago there weren’t need blind admissions et al). The next best thing for locals is to be sure to live on campus freshman year instead of commuting. ED I presume is for another school, not UW- so many people are using the term for UW inappropriately. Andrew- you may as well spend your time doing the application essays instead of writing so many posts. A lot can change once you start college- it will be interesting for you to find out what direction you ultimately take for a major.</p>