<p>Just got into Madison a few days ago. Although it is mostly a safety school for me, I would like to know a bit about student life. I am worried about Madison's reputation as a huge party school. I am not obscenely interested in getting lit every weekend. Will I fit in here? Also, I am worried about the huge numbers of people. Is maintaining a close group of friends feasible? Thanks for any insight!</p>
<p>Don't worry at all about the party rep. You don't have to party unless you want to- never let anyone tell you otherwise. College isn't like high school where peer pressure dominates. The campus is big enough so that there is a wide diversity of lifestyles. It was son's safety (he's there and loving it). You will fit in if you want to be there- attitude counts a lot. Like any place, the campus is really a set of overlapping smaller subsets. You live, go to classes and interact with only a small percentage of the thousands. You will probably find groups of friends in the dorms, your classes and any activities that interest you- it does take time so don't expect instant friendship no matter where you go. A nice thing about a big campus is that there are all kinds of people to relate to, you can have different friends for different activities. UW means different things to different people. Good luck with your first choice schools; I hope you like Madison well enough to have at least some ambivalence about them.</p>
<p>Most people have a small group of friends. Also once you get into your major you focus more on one building and the rest is just background.</p>