<p>Opinions? I think this would be helpful for everyone trying to decide.</p>
<p>If you are studious and want to live with other studious types the RLCs are hard to beat. Each has a different focus and will have events tied to that that you are expected to partake in at least some of the time. These include dinners and talks with faculty, trips to museums and other events, and similar events both on and off campus. There is a small surcharge.</p>
<p>The Res Hall website has all of the information you could wish for. You can check on location, relative distances to places on/near campus, room sizes, lofting guides- so many details to satisfy. Only the individual can decide which type suits. other threads have addressed this issue many times- review them. Barrons advocates the learning communities, I do not. There are plenty of studious students to be found in all dorms, it is a personal decision if you want the group stuff or to be independent. Remember you will meet people in your classes, the Honors program and the honors science classes may provide the structure for many.</p>
<p>What exactly do you have against the LC’s? I have never seen anyone but you as an educated adult that had such a problem with them so much that would steer people away. The numbers are clear the LC residents do better academically and tend to have a better overall UW experience. What’s your beef?</p>
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<p>Just because you are a part of a learning community doesn’t mean you can’t be independent. Characterizing it as a black and white situation of independent or not isn’t accurate.</p>
<p>I will continue to warn people because barrons, not connected to UW, advocates this without either being a student or parent. I do not want students to think this is fact without proof. It goes along with the “everybody knows” with no proof when I know of many excellent UW students who did not choose the learning communities. I do not want students to feel the other dorms are not good for them. Many top students may choose them, but as many or more- check on this barrons- do not. The attitude I get from barrons is that of selling them when he knows no more than the published information. </p>
<p>The information provided by students is very helpful and would lead me to PM them for more information if it were a possibility for us. Thanks to students like badger2012 - I should have added “of it” to the line. Presenting opposite views causes students to not take things as truth when they are opinions without sufficient knowledge.</p>
<p>Actually, as I have noted in the past, I DO know more than the average parent or non-RLC resident because I go to several meeting a year on campus for the board that oversees the RCs as well as several other programs including the FIGS and undergrad research. We meet with real RLC students and their advisors at EVERY meeting and I have developed a friendly relationship with some of them giving career and grad school advice.
So what’s you beef again? Exactly–just my advocacy so you feel the urge to say the opposite because that’s your game? Unlike you I never say don’t live in the regular dorms. I just say positive things about the RLCs because they are very good programs for most students and we have the data to support that which is why new ones are being added every year.
The atmosphere is certainly quieter and more studious and a higher percentage of the residents are very serious about school. The enrichment programs are very good for most students who never have had dinner with a faculty member and engaged in normal conversations with them. Of taken field trips to the Art Institute of other cultural events. Does that mean students in the other dorms are not studious–no. But we hear pretty good evidence from residents that it’s harder to study in rooms at the other dorms due to noise and other distractions. If you really prefer to be left alone it might not be for you because some participation is expected. That’s fine. But otherwise these are great programs that you would find at most Ivy schools in every dorm because that’s the model–Yale and Princeton where the founders of the idea went to college.</p>
<p>So read and learn and quit making unfounded assertions when you don’t know what I know. Our next meeting is coming up shortly and there is going to be a grand meeting of all the various boards to discuss the changes at UW now in the news. Should be very interesting.</p>
<p>[Letters</a> & Science News & Notes | Pathways to Excellence Board establishes fund to honor Cronon’s legacy](<a href=“News | College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison”>News | College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison)</p>
<p>[Pathways</a> to Excellence - UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/pathways/programs.html]Pathways”>http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/pathways/programs.html)</p>
<p>Dear XXXXX,
Don’t miss the first-ever</p>
<p>All-Campus Board Summit</p>
<p>Kohl Center</p>
<p>Thursday, April 28, 2011</p>
<p>12:00–3:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Join university board leaders in an all-campus assembly to celebrate our collective Badger pride and address the university’s greatest challenges and opportunities. Over a celebratory lunch, you’ll have a chance to mingle with other valued board members and get an update on the State of the University from Chancellor Biddy Martin.</p>
<p>After the summit, please join us for an appreciation reception from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the new Union South, honoring you and your fellow board leaders and the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award winners.</p>
<p>The All-Campus Summit kicks off an exciting weekend in Madison. Join fellow Badgers for Alumni Weekend April 28 to May 1, featuring the All-Alumni Celebration, concerts and lectures on the arts, a Wisconsin-style fish fry and more! Arriving early for the weekend? Check out a free discussion on today’s media with Professor James L. Baughman and a panel of awarding-winning UW alumni working in the broadcast industry</p>
<p>If you selected a residential learning community as your first choice, and have paid your $250 deposit, you should have received an email this week with the link to ‘rooms-online’ to log in, view floorplans, and choose your room. Appreciated being able to pick which side of Chad to be on (not facing Park Street or University Avenue), and floor (low enough to take stairs), and near friends.</p>
<p>I just chose my room for Chadbourne! I got the e-mail that Madison85 was talking about.</p>
<p>barrons meets with RLC students, but not the thousands of other students who also do well at UW. RLCs are not the ONLY way to have a happy, academically successful college life at UW. btw- I’ll skip the junky meetings.</p>
<p>Never said it was the only way. Just a very good and positive way. Learn the difference. Sheesh. For one who otherwise advocates all the time for more serious study and less partying your stand on this is just out of left field. The stats ARE that RLC students have a better overall academic career and fewer drinking problems at UW. Better even than kids in the other public dorms. Just can’t get that through your head, eh?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/lc/LearningCommunitiesatUWMadison.pdf[/url]”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/lc/LearningCommunitiesatUWMadison.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://pace.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/naspa_brower.pdf[/url]”>http://pace.uhs.wisc.edu/docs/naspa_brower.pdf</a></p>
<p>And those “junky meetings”. It’s the best way by far for alums to gain input directly to UW admins and they take it very seriously from what I have seen. Or you can just sit on the sidelines and and talk out of your butt as you seem wont to do.</p>
<p>thanks to those who have used this thread to legitimately express their opinion rather than engage in immature arguments</p>