<p>Do learning communities work differently from the general lottery? Are the learning communities in Chad or Bradley difficult to get into?</p>
<p>I live in Chadbourne right now, and I think it is one of the best out of all the dorms for freshmen. Ive talked to people who have lived or are currently living in Lakeshore, and while they are ok with it, they say it is a pain to commute everyday. Lakeshore really is far off from everything . It may seem pretty, but it gets old really fast.
The wait for the elevators is not really that bad. And from the dorm rooms, there is no bright lights or noisy streets that bother you. It’s actually pretty peaceful. You also have an amazing view of the capital from the study room.
But other than that, Chad is really close to all of your classes, you could walk or even take the bus (there’s like 3 stops surrounding the dorm). There are even discussions sections that are held just downstairs in the classroom. There’s a bunch of activities. Our dining hall has the best food and there’s even a convenience store just downstairs (super convenient. It’s like a 3 minute walk to statestreet or the freshfood market. There’s tutoring at nights in Rhetas and its right next door to the Law Library and just down the street from College. And there’s airconditioning!</p>
<p>Yes learning communitites do work differently. I believe once you pay the 2nd advanced payment for housing, they will send you an email. Then you get to choose your own room for that community. Once you have chosen, you are guaranteed that room. If you go random roommate, your roommate will be whoever else picked that room. So you don’t have to go through the stress of random assignment with a learning community</p>
<p>I lived in Witte (upper floor) facing the major street (Johnson) and noise was not really a factor that I recall. If there was a really big demonstration going on I could hear that and go down to see what was happening on the Library Mall (usually). </p>
<p>I think the learning community dorms are great.</p>
<p>There is NO “commute” from the lakeshore dorms- they are also on campus. More convenient to the west end of campus. Somehow the students all get sorted out. btw- make sure your first 5 choices are in the area you want to be in, you can change your mind next spring.</p>
<p>Rousse: Our kids have lived in Witte, Kronshage, and Elizabeth Waters. They adjusted to their dorm life, and each place has its advantages as stated by others. I would say that lakeshore area has been the favored spot. Elizabeth Waters was ideal for its location and in-house food. Although Witte was not a choice, it turned out okay, many friends from there still. The issues of “distance” and “commute” were of no significance. Walking on campus is the best! Remember, they are young and have all the time in the world. You can eat in any residence hall dining room, so if you live on the Lakeshore and have classes in Humanities, you can eat lunch at Chad. It all works out.</p>
<p>Yeah, I wouldn’t say that there are any dorms that are a far walk to class…the two areas of dorms (Southeast and Lakeshore) are kind of on opposite sides of all the class buildings. The only thing that will be sort of far if you live in Lakeshore is State Street/the rest of downtown…and that’s not really far per se, just a bit of a walk, and probably one you won’t want to make when it gets really cold. So if being near shops, restaurants, etc appeals to you, maybe consider the Southeast area. Chadbourne and Barnard are great if you want a quiet dorm, the others are great if you’re into partying (perfectly fine to live there if you don’t party though).</p>
<p>I would say the best-located dorms are Chadbourne, Barnard, and Liz Waters. Not in any particular order, they are all close. And by close, I mean five minutes to most classes…other dorms will run maybe like ten so it’s not a huge deal.</p>
<p>However, if you plan to be in CALS, you might want to consider Lakeshore just because the CALS buildings are closer to Lakeshore (really close, actually). If you plan on doing communications, history, or art (probably some other things too but I can’t remember) then Southeast is closer to those buildings. The rest are sort of in the middle, I feel like. It doesn’t matter too much though since your classes (especially freshman classes that people from lots of different majors take) will be all over campus. Nothing is ridiculously far, though.</p>
<p>The trip from the lakeshore dorm area to State St is not that much extra. The tradeoff is the walk to Picnic Point is shorter. On some college campuses (Michigan and Minnesota, for example) a commute may be necessary from a dorm area to another campus area. UW has everything contiguous and within walking distance (they allow 15 minutes between classes and this is doable from one end to the other if you hurry)- no bus needed and walking could be quicker than waiting for a campus bus.</p>
<p>thanks for all the great feedback! I ended up listing Slichter as my first choice. Does anyone know anything about Slichter that I should know?</p>
<p>I lived there eons ago (as well as Cole- had a choice of dorm or commute from home). Four stories, U shape with the den/lounge in the middle. Bathroom in each of the wings. Built in dressers as in Kronshage. You can see more of room interiors by looking at lofting guides for each dorm. A bit closer to classroom buildings than some other dorms. Across from Carson Gulley with the convenience store/snacks but a touch further now from dining hall. Mailboxes in the Tripp Gatehouse. Likely to be a mix of (mainly) sophomores with the 50% or more freshmen as it is desirable by returning students in recent times (know someone who moved from Kronshage to there- his parents insisted on 2 dorm years). The students who choose it will have the same wish to be there and the character changes with each student body. Res Halls in the basement (separate entrance) was a nonissue I discovered.</p>
<p>Memory lane. Back in my day we could paint rooms (Res Halls paint and colors) plus our floor painted the hall walls in vibrant kaleidoscope scenes between the rooms- early 1970’s. Dorm shape seemed quieter than the long halls. I had a south facing, sunny room.</p>
<p>I too was looking a lot in to the Lakeshore dorms, the only problem that I would have with them is that I wouldn’t want to be as non-social as a lot of people make it seem. Does anyone know if lakeshore still have their own parties or are they tend to party with Southeast a lot? Aside from that, Lakeshore looks totally awesome!</p>
<p>This is my first semester at madison but after almost one full semester i have only met one kid out at a party from Lakeshore. He said he hated Lakeshore because no one on his floor goes out.</p>
<p>According to my freshman daughter, who lives in one of the Kronshage houses, her dorm is full of fun kids who like to go to house parties and also are very social in their dorm. She always has a group of kids to go out with and they travel in a group which make me feel better. I truly think it’s all about the mix of kids and how much you fun you try to have. They have some friends from other Lakeshore dorms that also hang out there because this particular house seems to have more fun. Look around and find your definition of fun…</p>
<p>When you think of your dorm think of it as your neighborhood or your local HS socially. When you do things you most often do them with people close at hand and not those across town. You typically find it easier to get together with people it takes the least effort to do so with. As a new freshman those will be the others down the hall… Later you will develop friendships with people you meet in classes or activities.</p>
<p>Only you can decide your priorities. Rank your dorms on what is most important to you. Some want to be close to State St. Others want to be able to be near the lakeshore trees and grass when they step outside. Some don’t relish the though of being in a highrise, some don’t want the oldest architecture… You will find the social life you want if you seek it. You may decide that being in the more densely populated highrise will give you more opportunities for parties and make that your priority. Others may want to destress without the worry they can’t escape parties… btw- every year there are different students in each dorm so the floor character will change.</p>
<p>^True about the character of the dorms changing from year to year. I have a friend who lives in Barnard currently and she also lived there last year. Barnard is known for being very quiet, but last year there were LOTS of people there who went out/partied…it was pretty lively there all last year. This year though, the partiers have moved out and now it’s back to being quiet. I’m sure other dorms have similar things happen, especially in quieter dorms in the Southeast area.</p>
<p>I haven’t yet applied, I’m planning to apply mid-January when my recommendation letters are done. Is it unlikely that I will be able to get into the lakeshore dorms by then?</p>
<p>^Nope, as long as you submit your housing contract by the date they specify (it will be noted on your contract, everyone gets a different date depending on when they send it to you), everyone has an equal shot. You rank your preferences and can mess with them as much as you want until May, and then they take everyone and put them in a lottery. As long as you apply to the actual university on time, you can apply for housing and have the same chance to get into your first choice dorm as everyone else.</p>
<p>I think the Lakeshore dorms are less popular than the Southeast ones though, so that could help you.</p>
<p>Don’t wait for your letters to submit your application, get it done over the winter vacation.</p>
<p>I am trying to fill out my “top 10” and I know that Sellery and Witte are my top two. After that I don’t know. The factor I am most concerned about is the percentage of freshman in each of the dorms. I would consider Ogg and Smith but I hear they are for mostly upperclassman. Any thoughts on how to consider the rest of the residence halls?<br>
*I am a serious student but also want a “party” atmosphere.</p>
<p>Every dorm with freshmen has at least 50% freshmen. Some will have far more as returning students will choose other dorms. When making your current list be sure to first figure out whether you want Southest or Lakeshore and rank dorms in that area before those in the other. You will have until May to revise your list so don’t worry about mistakes/changes now.</p>