<p>My junior in hs is right now #1 in his class of 740, will probably be a semi-finalist for NM, and has a weighted average of 4.0. He is taking honors/ap classes, and is in art and band. He is a scout, in in NHS and is in a few clubs. We are right now going to start the process of touring/looking at universities. He doesn't know what he wants to major in in college but with his strengths I see him in Computer Science, Math or a science area. He is a smart kid but a quiet one so although he has good friends (mostly from childhood) it is not easy for him socially.</p>
<p>Because of this I think staying in-state might be the best option for him. We have not saved alot of college money and with the experience from S1 I don't think we will get much financial help for need. I expect my junior will get some merit money at private schools, but probably not enough to make it affordable for us. I've been looking at these threads and can't find much about Wisconsin State University rankings. Obviously Madison is #1 and although S2 would probably get in, it may be too big for him. How would you rate the following: UW-Milwaukee, UW-LaCrosse, UW-Eau Claire (full tuition for NMS), UW-Whitewater, UW-Stout, UW-Greenbay. Any good/bad experiences with these schools? Also if anyone know of a private school with good merit in Wisconsin, please let me know. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>LaCrosse and Eau Claire are #2 and #3 academically in the state - both rank highly in the Midwest and are masters universities rather than research universities. Whitewater is strong in music and business. Milwaukee is a go-to for kids interested in theater arts and most of the “average” local kids here. Don’t have personal experience with Stout. We visited Green Bay and were not impressed - seemed isolated and alot like a high school. </p>
<p>Another state school to consider is Steven’s Point - pretty campus, of the size your son might be looking for, and known for the arts. We have a friend whose son is going there concentrating on environmental sciences and LOVES it. His older sis went to Madison (she was the 4.0/math-science nerd/student senate officer/athlete type) - she is transferring out of the School of Engineering; Madison is too big and impersonal, no real contact between profs/admin and students, and she did not do very well her first year as a result.</p>
<p>From our own experience, finding the right fit is FAR more important than going to Madison just because of percieved prestige. Not everyone is cut out for Madison (many of DD’s friends are there - all 4.0’s in HS and several commented at xmas of getting much lower grades and really getting a reality slap 1st semester!). There is a reason why it is so hard to get in as a freshman and so much easier as a sophmore…</p>
<p>UW-Green Bay is a beautiful campus and has great housing but it is really isolated. D2 had 8 friends go there and all 8 have transferred out after their freshman/sophomore year even though they had major scholarships. The cafeteria is closed on the weekends. The campus is really dead on the weekends as most go home or to Madison. Look at Eau Claire or LaCrosse.</p>
<p>Stout is known for its excellent hospitality school, but I don’t think any of its other programs get the same respect.</p>
<p>Since your interest in staying in-state is largely financial, do consider the smaller state campuses in Minnesota, where you can get in-state tuition. He may not have childhood friends around, but an LAC type atmosphere might be a good fit. UM-Morris is the public LAC in Minnesota. The new and tiny undergrad program at UM-Rochester might also be one to consider if he decides over the next year that health sciences are a strong interest.</p>
<p>I agree pretty much with the above posts. I’d say that Oshkosh also is a nice school in a nice area. Many very capable students from our WI HS go to La Crosse, Eau Claire, Stevens Point and Oshkosh because of their specific programs. Platteville is known for engineering, but I’d agree that along with Whitewater, Stout and Milwaukee the general students there tend to be a somewhat lower caliber. Green Bay is somewhere in the middle. But all of them have top students who have gone for one reason or another.</p>
<p>I presume you are aware of the tuition reciprocity between Minn and WI? That gives you even more options. My D much prefers UMinn-TC to Madison; she does like city schools and feels UM-TC gives you a better city and a better campus life.</p>
<p>I don’t know of many private colleges in WI that give great merit aid, but I do know that the Iowa colleges often do. Luther, Cornell College, Coe College, and many others are worth looking into. If you think your son would do well in a small, nurturing environment, you might find they fit him well.</p>
<p>I agree that Madison isn’t for everyone. Many kids from our HS who were sure they’d transfer to Madison ended up staying at the smaller campuses because they were so happy once they got there.</p>
<p>S1 is in UMN and seems to like it. It is just so far away (6-1/2 hour drive) and big…okay for S1 but I don’t think a good choice for S2 although we will tour the campus with him. (Side note, I love UMN; everything we have encountered as parents so far has been fantastic, even paying tuition as they make it easy and understandable. Parent communications from there are great…other schools will have a hard time living up to UMN from a parent point of view.) Since I believe S2 is bright, I want to make sure whatever school he goes to has a honors choice so as not be to bored. I really haven’t heard of UW-Stevens Point so I will check into it. When I mentioned I was going to look at Eau Claire to my sister-in-law (from Chicago, a bit hoity-toity) she said it was a dive and had a bad academic reputation. I never heard that which is why I am posting…I actually thought Milwaukee had a lower academic reputation. Any impressions of these schools would be appreciated.</p>
<p>UW EC, UW-L, UW GB would be the top three except for business where UW-Whitewater is very good. There are lots of specialties–UW-Platteville for engineering and others already noted.</p>
<p>Eau Claire and La Crosse have the highest entry stats for admitted freshman. My son toured both and vastly preferred Eau Claire. You’re sister-in-law is wrong. The campus is very pretty along the Chippewa River. Most dorms are on a bluff above so there is ‘the hill’ that keeps the freshman 15 off. Eau Claire also has the best honors program of the smaller campuses. Both specially designed colloquia and honors sections or labs of regular classes. La Crosse discontinued their honors program while Eau Claire is growing theirs. You need top 5% class rank and 28 ACT to get into honors as a first semester freshman. Your son would also be a great candidate for a Blugold fellowship. The dollar amounts aren’t that big but these schools are a good bargain to begin with. Check it out at the website. And, as you said, NMF get free tuition.</p>
<p>With his stats DO NOT consider most of the UW campuses. Make U of Minn his second choice. La Crosse, then Eau Claire have the next best student stats. He should go for the best academics. None of the other state schools are in Madison’s league- therefore the U of Minn recommendation because of tuition reciprocity. Math and comp sci are excellent at UW. For math he may want the honors calculus series- this will give him a 4 semester sequence with less than 50 students all taking the same courses. Eventually he can take grad level math courses while an undergrad at the about 15th ranked math program in the country (son did math and comp sci majors there). Not all schools give equal amounts of material in their courses- PM me for an example. </p>
<p>He should consider private schools ranked higher than UW for possible aid- no reason to settle for something less. Encourage him to explore math and comp sci at UW-Madison to develop some comfort with the school. He will find many of the same students taking the same courses.</p>
<p>I have to disagree. If a large school, UW-Madison / U Minn, is going to be socially difficult or otherwise less appealing for the OP’s son then I see no reason NOT to consider the other state schools. </p>
<p>Both UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire will give him a good foundation and a solid education. He will find individuals just as smart as he is at these schools. Some of the other campuses may also work. They are state schools and they do give less stellar students opportunities to go to college but that doesn’t mean they won’t provide a good education to the OP’s son.</p>
<p>If you want another MN state school option you could look at U Minn-Duluth</p>
<p>I like UW-Eau Claire for students who don’t see Madison as a fit, unless they are interested in environment/ecology - in that case I like UW-Steven’s Point or perhaps Northland College (“The Environmental Liberal Arts College”) in Ashland, WI.</p>
<p>I chose Eau Claire not knowing that your son is likely National Merit or that Eau Claire gives NM tuition scholarships; that would certainly be a tip in Eau Claire’s favor.</p>
<p>wis75, you have absolutely zero personal knowledge of this student. And as a physician you appear to not need to worry about finances either. The OP should certainly pursue private options and see what aid would be provided, FA and merit. For many though, given the COA and the amount of loans as part of aid, it winds up not being doable.</p>
<p>We are talking undergrad here. Madison has seen the need to start an undergrad initiative to improve undergrad education. IMO there is much to recommend good undergrad focused schools.</p>
<p>OP, is grad school possibly in this student’s future? Many high performing students at the other state schools are accepted to grad schools around the country.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read and heard it seems that Eau Claire has a strong relationship with both Madison and UMinn from a grad school standpoint and with the Twin Cities area for employment opportunites.</p>
UMN-D operates one of the top summer math REUs for combinatorics, graph theory and number theory. It primarily draws students from the likes of Harvard, MIT, and UC-Berkeley. Now, I’m sure that the program is successful in no small part because of the outstanding caliber of its students and the advisors who are involved with the summer program. But I think it still says good things about the quality of the faculty at Duluth, especially the program director Dr. Gallian.</p>
<p>Marquette seems like a school the OP should consider. It’s private, and I know some smart people who went there for engineering. They were out-of-state, so they must have been fairly impressed with it. </p>
<p>I don’t know what the engineering education is like at UW-Madison, but I do know that they take undergrad education seriously.</p>
<p>UW Eng. is excellent–Top 15 undergrad by US News and not as large as some similar school’s engineering schools so it has a more personal feel. They also have lots of activities such as participating in many engineering contests.
And I think trying to portray an undergrad supplement program into some sort of a negative is reaching.</p>
<p>Private schools are viable ONLY if he gets a lot of merit money- an option that should be considered. He may be the one with a mega scholarship to a top school. I am VERY conscience of costs- worked food service at Res Halls eons ago. Also aware that many don’t even think about some schools because they aren’t aware of scholarship opportunities. Something worth some time investigating at this stage. I may not know this student but I do know it is imortant to get the matching peer group- found at UW. Better to not be the top student there than the bifg fish in the small pond.</p>
<p>UW-Madison is large enough that it doesn’t matter how social one is. Plenty of others not into big time socializing so a math/comp sci person would feel at home. He can find his niche and not have to worry about what others are doing. Not sure there will be as many of his type on a smaller campus. </p>
<p>UM-Duluth has an excellent summer REU, but probably has less offerings than larger schools (UW-Madison students do that REU) during the school year. Consider the probability of attending grad school- top schools have an edge for that.</p>