<p>Ogg and Smith are not mostly upperclassmen. Most upperclassmen live off campus. As wis75 said, all dorms are at least 50% freshmen, but most of them have a much higher percentage than that. </p>
<p>Sellery and Witte are both huge. Most people who put those two as their first two choices get into one of them (almost half the freshman class could fit into both of them). I’d put Ogg and Smith as your next two choices since they’re in a similar location, but I wouldn’t worry too much about not getting into Sellery or Witte if that’s where you want to be.</p>
<p>Also Sellery is not the place you want to be if you want a serious yet “party” dorm…there are a ton of temptations Thursday-Saturday, and it’s really hard to get work done, because it’s loud all the time. Sure, you could go into the common study room, but there’s usually people goofing off in there and it’s really easy to get distracted. College Library is nice to study in but Chad is quite a bit closer, so if I were you mtpyankee, I would choose Chad (partied in there a couple times, it was alright) for a serious yet party dorm.</p>
<p>If you live in Chadbourne, you do not need to be part of the Chadbourne Residential College Learning Community ($300 fee, financial aid to pay this fee is available).</p>
<p>If you put down Chad as your first choice, AND you want to be part of the Learning Community (again, $300 fee), you will be assigned to Chad AND you will be able to choose the exact room you want to live in around March. For example, you want a view of the lakes and the Capitol? Then choose a high floor facing that east. You don’t want to wait for elevators? Choose the 2nd or 3rd floor and take the stairs. You want to be roommates with a friend from high school? Both log in to rooms-online and choose the same room. Just want to be near a friend from h.s. but want a random roommate? Then log in to rooms-online and pick the rooms next to or across from each other. </p>
<p>What percent of Chad residents do/do not participate in the learning community? I was under the impression everyone in Chad and Barnard had to be in it. Looks as those who do not will get the worst rooms there.</p>
<p>Hmm, I lived in Chadbourne and I was under the impression that you had to be in the learning community. All that means though is that you have to pay extra, lol. The extra charges are added to your housing bill. I don’t really think it’s optional (paying at least), but you don’t have to participate in any of the activities if you don’t want to. There are lots of outings and extra classes and talks and stuff like that, but that’s all optional. I don’t think it has anything to do with room selection, either, though since I moved to Chadbourne midyear I didn’t get to pick my room online. Pretty sure if you sign up for Chad or Barnard you get to pick your room and you have to pay the CRC fee, no matter whether you’re planning to participate or not.</p>
<p>One plus of the learning community though, even if you don’t want to participate in organized activities, is that they like to put out a lot of free food I really recommend it if you want a lot of extra academic enrichment or structure, though it did feel a bit like a summer camp at times with all the activities, and if you don’t want to participate your house fellow might give you a little grief about it, nothing bad though. It’s also a bit stricter than other dorms, there’s definitely a “we’re CRC and we don’t drink because things like board games are more fun” mentality. Which you may ignore if you so choose, it’s not bad. I lived there and liked it in spite of all that.</p>
<p>I live in chad, and you do have to pay for the learning community. You don’t have to take part in it though. They have lots of different things there like guest speakers, book discussions, clubs, etc. Nothing that really sticks out though. I didn’t participate in it much. The free food is really nice though, especially during welcome week. CRC is just really nice because you have one of the best dining halls on campus just downstairs as well as tutoring, a computer lab, and the rooms are new w/ airconditioning (chad).</p>
<p>For people who are attending Madison now; where would you recomend a kid who wants to go out, be social (I love sports), and party on the weekends but also maintain good grades (im planning on going into engineering) to put as his top choice(s) for dorms?</p>
<p>Sellery and Witte are always good choices. Everyone here does study pretty intensely at least Sunday-Wednesday, so don’t think if you pick more of a party dorm you won’t be able to study. There are no dorms here that will prevent you from studying, and there are always libraries and such. If you’re cool with your basic cinderblock-wall highrises, go for Sellery or Witte (they’re identical and if you put them as your top two choices you’ll most likely get into one of them), otherwise if you’re willing to pay a bit more for a nicer place, try Ogg or Smith, they are in the same general area and have a similar culture.</p>
<p>Hi I am debating between chad and sellery/witte
I want to be able to study yet be able to socialize with other people.
Would Chad be a safer choice, or is it too quiet?
Thanks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I927 using CC App</p>
<p>Chad is social, but not really in a party way - if you’re cool with that, it’s probably ideal. People usually would rather play board games than go out…of course there are plenty of exceptions and people do party in Chad but it’s less prevalent than other dorms. It can actually be downright noisy in Chad sometimes, but it’s more like people hopped up on sugar and playing charades than drunk partying noise.</p>
<p>You will be able to study wherever you go. Sellery and Witte have lots of study areas and it’s fairly quiet during the week. If your idea of socializing includes partying/drinking, go for Sellery/Witte. If not, then go for Chadbourne. I think that’s a good way to look at it.</p>
<p>I’d say Ogg and Smith are more similar to Sellery or Witte, maybe a little quieter since they do have some sophomores. It’s still mostly freshmen by far, but there will be less of that freshman dorm-party feel in some places because most sophomores will just go over to their off-campus friends’ houses.</p>
<p>Chadbourne is just different because it’s a learning community and has a special reputation as being kind of a nerd dorm. That being said, I did live there and I definitely partied hard, so reputations don’t matter all that much. Whatever you want to do or not do, you can do it regardless of where you live.</p>
<p>Most non-freshmen live off-campus. Sellery and Witte are not specifically all-freshmen but most sophomores, if they do stay in the dorms, want somewhere a little nicer, and they have first pick, so they often are in Ogg or Smith. Most sophomores do not live in the dorms though. There is a rule that all dorms are at least 50% freshmen, and almost all of them have way more than that. I feel like Sellery and Witte, while not specifically for freshmen, have a culture that is extremely freshman-oriented, and after a year there most people want something a bit less freshman-party feeling, so they don’t stay there again. I’m sure there are a couple sophomores in Sellery and Witte, though I’ve never met any.</p>
<p>Since most non-freshman don’t live on campus, why–from what I’ve read–is it so hard to get into Liz Waters? Is that the first choice of a lot of people who choose to live on campus?</p>
<p>Liz Waters does have a pretty great location, arguably the best in terms of class buildings. It’s farther from restaurants and shopping, but it’s less than five minutes to most of the buildings where your classes will be. Plus, it has a pretty good dining hall inside it, which most dorms do not have. Rooms are pretty big too. It’s a bit isolated after the school day though, walking back to your dorm at night can be a little creepy. I also think there are a fair number of non-freshmen (not a lot at all, but maybe more than your typical dorm) there because it’s pretty nice. I think the main draw though is the location. It’s probably the most popular Lakeshore (though it’s not quite in Lakeshore, it’s kind of by itself) dorm…I think Sellery and Witte are more popular overall but it’s probably third in popularity.</p>
<p>Liz is popular and many returning students choose it over their freshman dorm. Closer to the 50% freshmen ratio than most dorms because of that. List it first if you want it but don’t count on getting it. Every dorm has pros and cons. Choose the one you like for building, location, room style and you will find like minded students making the same choice.</p>
<p>I am going to be a freshman in the fall and Chad is currently my top choice. Is there any benefit of Chad over Barnard? Which one is nicer inside? Is it true that Barnard residents get to use all of the Chad facilities and all the events since it is part of the residential college? Since both are learning community dorms, is it beneficial to make sure and turn in housing right away? Wow, that is a lot of questions. Sorry!</p>
I really recommend it if you want a lot of extra academic enrichment or structure, though it did feel a bit like a summer camp at times with all the activities, and if you don’t want to participate your house fellow might give you a little grief about it, nothing bad though. It’s also a bit stricter than other dorms, there’s definitely a “we’re CRC and we don’t drink because things like board games are more fun” mentality. Which you may ignore if you so choose, it’s not bad. I lived there and liked it in spite of all that.</p>