<p>^Well that’s not true. As an actual student who actually attends the school, there are lots of people who don’t drink and lots of things to do for non-drinkers. I have plenty of friends who don’t drink and they are just fine. If your D wants to avoid drinking, suggest she live in the Lakeshore dorms or in Chadbourne and she will find LOTS of like-minded people. There are certain times where lots of people will be drinking like football games or once a year at the Mifflin St Block Party, but it’s definitely easy not to drink at UW, lots and lots of people do it. The drinking culture is prevalent, sure. But it’s not mandatory by any means. Lots of people drink very rarely or moderately as well if your D would be more into that.</p>
<p>Agree with RoxSox. I lived in some Lakeshore dorms for 2 years. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER saw people drinking inside the dorm or near the dorm. I have lots of friends who don’t drink or just a social drinker (aka never get drunk)</p>
<p>And novaparent I can’t understand how can you call your opinion “thoughtful” because your comments are based on your bias. Party school doesn’t necessarily mean that people drink a lot until they would embarrass themselves. Yes, we party hard but we work hard too. As a current student who has been a proud Badger for 3 years, I can safely tell you that drunk scenes are EXTREMELY rare. Don’t argue with me. I have been here for 3 YEARS and are very likely to encounter most of the situations happening at UW Madison. Don’t talk as if you are an expert and pretend you know the current situation unless you are only a current student or parents. I have no interests in knowing your background; but even if you lived at Madison, is an alumni, or parents of past UW Madison students, I sincerely invite you to come to this great place, get FIRST-HAND information and know what exactly is happening here before giving your “thoughtful” comments. Thank You.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad: As of today, all lecture sections of Chem 103 and Chem 109 are still open. (Some lab/discussion combos may be full).</p>
<p>Madison85, I’m not really sure how to interpret what you are saying. Are you saying that SOARS are all done and Chem 103 and 109 are not full? How do you take it without lab/discussion? Is this information something someone from the public can see? Can you post a link?</p>
<p>I appreciate the comments on non-drinkers living in the lakeshore or Chadbourne dorms. I certainly wouldn’t take the word of a perennial gadfly with no connection to the school.</p>
<p>^ UW Class Search:</p>
<p><a href=“https://portal.isispub.wisc.edu:7052/psp/public/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/COMMUNITY_ACCESS.CLASS_SEARCH.GBL[/url]”>https://portal.isispub.wisc.edu:7052/psp/public/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/COMMUNITY_ACCESS.CLASS_SEARCH.GBL</a></p>
<p>Just what I’m looking for! What date is the last SOARS?</p>
<p>Last SOAR dates:</p>
<p>[Student</a> Orientation, Advising, and Registration | University of Wisconsin?Madison](<a href=“http://www.newstudent.wisc.edu/soar/August/index.html]Student”>http://www.newstudent.wisc.edu/soar/August/index.html)</p>
<p>Fine, ClassicRockerDad, if you want support for my position from someone with real Wisconsin bonafides, then here you go:</p>
<p>“I go to (UW) Madison, and we get people from out of state; they don’t know how to drink at all,” Chelsea Krueger, 21, of Suamico said while tailgating at a Packers playoff game in January.</p>
<p>[Drinking</a> deeply ingrained in Wisconsin’s culture - JSOnline](<a href=“http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/31237904.html]Drinking”>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/31237904.html)</p>
<p>I keep forgetting that CC is just for school cheerleaders.</p>
<p>I’m a scientist with my B.S. degree from Madison, and I have learned that my biology education from Madison was top notch. I spent most of my waking moments in lab classes. And I worked in the Chemistry department during the year. I also spent my summers working in labs on campus and taking one class every summer. I did graduate in four years. I also had a senior research project. In this case, I approached one of my Immunology professors and spent my senior year working on that project. I was overly prepared for my graduate school years, needless to say. But only at a large research campus can you do what I did.</p>
<p>The drinking, etc. was easy for me to ignore. I stayed in the dorms on the lake until my senior year. And even on the coldest snowiest days, I trudged along to my labs because I had a goal. I did, however, attend all the football and hockey games. On Wisconsin.</p>
<p>My advice: Follow your passions.</p>
<p>The media picks up on NEWS- things to get people to pay attention, read their publication. Therefore the drinking will get more attention than the actual impact on most students. It is not newsworthy to report the campus area was quiet most evenings because everyone was doing the “study hard” bit.</p>
<p>State St is the go to area for near campus action (as well as for the entire city)- it only takes a small percentage of the some 40,000 students, plus others not UW students, to make it seem like huge numbers of the student body are partying. And don’t forget those who travel to Madison to be part of the party scene.</p>
<p>There are no longer the major disruptions of student life that occurred during the late 1960’s with anti Vietnam war protests et al. The only disruptions I know of last year were a major snowstorm closing classes (a rare event- be prepared for business as usual most snowfalls) and some building access shutdown for Obama’s extremely popular visit to the Library Mall. Any drinking parties are off campus and out of the way for most students.</p>
<p>Any student can find just about any lifestyle they want to. Son once told me how he was running near the stadium one game day Saturday and when going past a house party was offered beer- he declined and kept going. Friendly people and no pressure.</p>
<p>The reality is that Wisconsin has a drinking culture- blame it on the many immigrants who brought it with them and passed it along through the generations. The reality is also that many do not do that lifestyle. New freshmen will sort themselves out into those who seek the parties, those who try them and those who don’t bother. With nearly 6000 freshmen even a minority is still a substantial number of people- the newsworthy drinkers or quiet nondrinkers. It only takes a handful of noisy students out of 60 or more on a dorm floor to get noticed.</p>
<p>Regarding the class availability. UW has addressed this recently with an extra student fee to help hire more teaching staff, including professors, for courses many freshmen want. This is unlike some schools with layoffs. We noticed the significant decrease in the number of math grad students at several top math grad programs in recent years- fewer TA positions means fewer class sections in lower level math courses- but not at UW.</p>
<p>No school is perfect. Expect the tone of UW-Madison to be very liberal politically although there are conservative student groups as well. Many students will come from conservative Wisconsin towns but get exposed to many new ideas. OOS students help broaden their world and those from other parts of the country broaden their world by exposure to the Midwest.</p>
<p>One issue we had not touched on in this thread is the cost and potential increase down the road. I guess the country is heading towards a darker ages with state after state sliding down the slope. How fast the cost will rise over the next few years? Who knows. From this perspective, UW is not alone, I have to admit. For OOS students, would the cost go up faster in comparison to another comparable state school, like Michigan, UVA, UNC, UIUC, etc? For me, it is too late to change course,as my S is on his way to Madison. For OP, there is still time to think and explore.</p>
<p>BREAKING NEWS: UW Madison did not recently apologize for its use of slaves, mainly because it didn’t use slaves.</p>
<p>On the other hand, UVA, did apologize for its use of slaves between the years of 1819-1865. 86-87 years after they stopped using slaves, they admitted their first two black students. Encouraged by that bold experiment in human rights, UVA admitted two more black students a mere 17 years after that. That was about the same time they became fully coeducational. Imagine that–girls in college!</p>
<p>Strangely, UVA founder Thomas Jefferson’s own grand children would not have been allowed to attend the university he founded.</p>
<p>So why would I bring up this dusty and unseemly topic? Because, to quote from novaparent:</p>
<p>“…my only “agenda” is to contribute balanced and thoughtful information to the board.”</p>
<p>No UW profs shot by drunken students. Back in the day of mob of drunk UVa students shot a professor.
“Professor John A. G. Davis was shot to death in an attempt to quiet a disturbance on the Lawn”</p>
<p>This is what a ■■■■■ does to a board, and this is exactly why mods have to crack down on trolling which they have not done here.</p>
<p>kxc–I think you’re right to be concerned with cost increases down the road–it’s a’comin’, it’s here. D2 is a junior & we’ve seen at least a 10% overall increase in two years. But I knew the scenario going in.</p>
<p>I think that in 2009, UW-Madison was a tremendous value OOS compared to the likes of UM-Ann Arbor, UIUC, and yes, even Northwestern. Currently, it’s true that costs at UW have jumped a little faster than some of the other Big Ten schools, but that’s OK considering the payoff that my D is getting in Madison.</p>
<p>I’ve observed a lot, but I’ve never seen a university that, for a kid that really wants it, prepares students better for post-graduate employment than UW-Madison. Club, job & research opportunities abound, all line items in that crucial resume to be submitted. A degree here really means something, and the alumni network is very strong. Not a slam-dunk by any means to a great gig, but certainly a leg up to my way of thinking.</p>
<p>Factor all that in before making a final decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>The temporary tuition surcharge (Madison Initiative for Undergraduates) ends after the 2013-2014 academic year (in that 4th year, the surcharge will be $1,000 for Wisconsin residents and $3,000 for non-residents, excluding MN residents). I hope it is not wishful thinking to assume that there will be a small tuition decrease from 2013-2014 to 2014-2015.</p>
<p>I believe that average annual tuition increase is generally about 5.5% (Barrons? Wis75?).</p>
<p>+5.5% tuition increase for the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year. </p>
<p>[The</a> Badger Herald: Regents approve System-wide tuition hike](<a href=“http://badgerherald.com/news/2011/07/18/regents_approve_syst.php]The”>http://badgerherald.com/news/2011/07/18/regents_approve_syst.php)</p>
<p>To be more exact:</p>
<p>For upcoming 2011-2012 academic year, the UW-Madison tuition increase is 5.5% of last year’s tuition excluding last year’s applicable MIU surcharge ($500 for WI residents, $1,500 for nonresidents):</p>
<p>PLUS the 2011-2012 scheduled MIU surcharge:</p>
<p>$750 for Wisconsin resident undergraduates
$2,250 for non-Wisconsin resident undergraduates</p>
<p>(MN residents are not affected by the MIU surcharge).</p>
<p>Undergraduate students may receive a ‘Hold Harmless’ grant if AGI is under $80K - this grant offsets the MIU surcharge.</p>
<p>They will NOT end the surcharges on tuition unless some crazy in the state government forces it. Those surcharges are part of the continuing base for each school that has used them. They just have to renew them every 5 years. If they lost that money it would be a disaster.</p>
<p>The surcharge is used directly to help fund undergraduate teaching as I understand it. No use debating the fairness/pros/cons of it.</p>