<p>I was a grad student during the Statue of Liberty and flamingo days. It was quite fun. There were flamingos spotted throughout Madison for years. Also, Abe Lincoln often gets decorated on Feb. 12 with birthday hat and balloons.</p>
<p>As far as connecting with other intellectual type students, check out the learning community at Chadbourne Hall. It is a great place to live if you can get in.</p>
<p>Good point--Chad is the unofficial honors dorm and a residential college too with a great location. The main library, Bascom Hill, lakefront union, and State Street are all within two blocks.</p>
<p>We also visited recently and were very impressed. The lovely lakeside location, the bigness of it, the State Street strip and the tolerant atmosphere all combine to make it a "classic" major college setting. And as pointed out, it's heaven for an Undecided student since they offer darn near everything.</p>
<p>There are a lot of parallels between Wisc and Cornell, where my older one went. Both big schools with huge course lists; both have Ag and Human Ecology schools; similar vibe.</p>
<p>A recent article said that out-of-staters might actually have an advantage in admissions, which was music to our ears.</p>
<p>It's definitely on my son's list; in fact it's probably behind only Cornell and Michigan (which are super-reaches for him anyway).</p>
<p>Note: If you visit, I recommend the Marriott Residence Inn in nearby Middleton. Nice, non-exorbitant hotel next to a series of newly-built upscale malls that are like a little bit of Boca Raton plopped down in Wisconsin.</p>
<p>I have a photo at home of Lady Liberty that I took that first morning.<br>
I was living on the corner of Lake and Langdon and was on my way to class when I noticed a commotion behind the union. One quick look and I knew I had to turn around for my camera...this was way too good to not have a photo of.
It was a great setting that they used, out far enough to have snow all around, cold and sunny. Ah...the good old days.</p>
<p>Madison is still sort of like that..a little bit on the looney side. They study hard but they don't take themselves too seriously. I really enjoyed my time there. Even now, the spring band concert is a real show. This spring the band director 'flew' in from the balcony on a fiberglass Holstein....only in Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Madison is one of the schools that is on sons short list to apply to this fall so we'll see what the future holds.</p>
<p>Madison is an intoxicating place. (I'm not talking about the drinking culture, although there is that.) The campus is breathtaking in its setting and architecture. The school spirit and cameraderis are astonishing. If you ever want proof, go to Madison on a football Saturday; get there early, wander around the city and campus, go to the game, then watch the crowd flow into the neighborhoods afterward. Do not do this if you have any aversion to the color red! And yet there are also many students and professors so immersed in their own worlds that they barely notice all that. The breadth and quality of academic choices is mind boggling. The City of Madison, which was always somewhat energized by the University and State government (it is the Capital of Wisconsin), but was otherwise a blue collar town in the middle of a farm area, has in the last thirty years evolved into a high tech/services economic powerhouse, virtually unrecognizable to those of us who remember the "Purina Pig Chow" commercials on local television back in our student days. I could go on and on. </p>
<p>But like every school, it's not right for everyone. In my own case, I started at a different public "commuter" school, then transferred to the UW for my junior year, excited to finally be hitting the "big time." After one semester I transferred back. It just wasn't right for me. I came from a school where everyone went to school, went to their job to pay for school, went home to sleep and then started over the next day, to a school where it seemed like everyone was partying on daddy's dime. That wasn't really true, but at that age, and coming from where I did, it seemed true. </p>
<p>But it wasn't as though I had a bad experience there; it just wasn't right for me. And when, five years later, I decided to go to professional school, I wound up back in Madison, much to my surprise. And this time I caught the vibe, had a much better time and a great experience.</p>
<p>Now, everything full cycle, I have a son entering his senior year of high school. It looks like he'll apply to three good midwestern LACs -- and the University of Wisconsin. And it's not out of the picture that despite his academic qualifications and our better economic ability he'll end up at that same "commuter" school I went to, because I know that its "fourth tier" ranking notwithstanding, it's actually an excellent university fully capable of doing as well by any kid willing to put in the effort as Wisconsin or Macalester or even the vaunted Ivies. (I've dealt with -- and in some cases fired -- enough Ivy Leaguers over the years to have long since lost any quaint notion that an Ivy League diploma somehow automatically confers brilliance or even competence.)</p>
<p>I don't know if Madison will be right for my son. I know it's a great school that is right for a lot of kids. All I can say is if it's on your child's list, go see it, because it is something to behold. I visit it often, and every time I get to State Street, and look up Bascom Hill, I still feel a little thrill.</p>
<p>Dad,
Reading your post, as I got to the end I felt a little tremor run through me as I thought about heading up the hill with Abe up there at the top.</p>
<p>Hmm....it might be time for a little road trip this weekend....</p>
<p>The one thing that I am really thankful for about attending Madison is the huge breadth of the catalog. I had to make some changes to my major and with the number of courses offered it enabled me to switch without having to add an additional semester.</p>
<p>Sometimes I stand outside of Bascom and look down the hill and think: "D___ I can't believe they hired me. How cool is this."</p>
<p>For the oldies and the students.</p>
<p>Dylan here on Oct. 31
By Rob Thomas
Bob Dylan will be playing a Halloween show at the UW Kohl Center.</p>
<p>Promoter Ken Adamany said tickets are expected to go on sale on Monday, Sept. 11, for the show on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Other details, including ticket prices, will be announced shortly.</p>
<p>Dylan last performed in Madison in 2004 before about 12,000 fans at Warner Park as part of a co-headlining show with Willie Nelson. Earlier this summer, Adamany had been talking to the Madison Board of Park Commissioners about bringing Dylan back to the park in early September.</p>
<p>Dylan and his band will be touring behind his new CD "Modern Times," which arrives in stores next Tuesday.</p>
<p>The Foo Fighters, featuring Dave Grohl, formerly of Nirvana, will open the show with an all-acoustic set</p>
<p>Told my son about Lady Liberty and the pink flamingos last night. His eyes lit up. Sounds like his kind of place. :)</p>
<p>Bob Dylan will be playing UW? And the Foo Fighters too! No way! I want. =(</p>
<p>I live in a SMALL, rural Minnesota town. One of the grads from our school went to Madison and graduated last year (he is now in law school at Hamline). I was concerned when I heard that he was going to attend there that he might be overwhelmed by the size of the university, but he LOVED it there. His parents (one of whom is a dentist and the other who is a faculty member at an area college) were both extremely impressed with the education he received at Madison. I would describe this young man as very intellectual while excelling in the "social" arena as well.</p>
<p>I distributed several pink flamingo magnets to folks at NASA today. I'm a sub-contractor to someone from a women's college who has a contract from NASA. I'm the one who actually know how to do what NASA is supposed to do. Something that was mandated by Congress. I never would have thought it--tsdad: Federal government consultant; beltway bandit. And, btw, the money is not great, and I have to take leave from UW to do it. But it should be interesting. We will be on-site at another Big 10 school sometime in October looking at issues involving females in engineering. If this works out we could possibly also be at a UC campus and a major state institution in the west later this year or next.</p>
<p>You only live once and it sounds like fun too.</p>
<p>Wisconsin-you've said it all, can't add praise without repetition. But- it's an honors program, not an honors college- a way to get more out of the standard fare. The college of engineering states its courses are so rigorous there's no need to have honors courses/sections. Also Chad is a learning community- nothing to do with the honors program. Please don't make honors students think they should live in Chad- there are so many other good choices! Madison was white collar in the 50's and 60's- a sharp contrast to Milwaukee- the only "factory" I was aware of as a kid was Oscar Mayer. Two major employers- UW and state government related. Also,the campus is large enough and diverse enough I would never worry about the party school rankings et al, there are plenty of serious students. Like the blind men and the elephant you can get entirely different views of the campus based on whose memories you search-the common thread would be that most of us loved the campus, despite (or because of) such diversity.</p>
<p>You are incorrect about Chad not being the de facto dorm for honors students. It is not the "official" dorm but....</p>
<p>Is there an Honors dorm?</p>
<p>There is no Honors dorm at the UW-Madison campus. The L&S Honors Program does recommend that students interested in participating the Honors Program consider residing in one of the university's residential learning communities. The residential learning communities on campus include: Chadbourne Residential College, the Bradley Learning Community, Women in Science and Engineering, and the Multicultural Learning Community. To learn more about Residential Learning Community opportunities on campus, please visit the UW's Learning Community website at <a href="http://www.learning.wisc.edu/communities/res.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.learning.wisc.edu/communities/res.html</a>.</p>
<p>My understanding is that many Chad residents are in honors. For some reason UW bends over backwards not to have anything that smacks of elitism and exclusion. I think that's why they don't want to do a full honors college. I think that is a mistake.</p>
<p>My son is in Liz and in the Honors Program. I know residential communities can be suggested, but no one should live in Chad unless they want a high-rise. Please don't stereotype based on book knowledge. "barrons" can be helpful but sometimes reading the literature is different than fact. I'm pointing this out so future students don't get misled. Remember UW is big enough and diverse enough, as are honors students so EVERY dorm can be appropriate. The big word is CONSIDER , not even suggest.</p>
<p>My information on Chad being the de facto honors dorm came from students--not any publication. I have heard from several Chad residents that a large portion there are in honors. That's all.
I think Liz is a prime dorm and now that it's coed it is even more attractive. But I think an honors student would likely enjoy and appreciate the extras that come with Chad.</p>
<p>Well, what are the housing options for freshman at Madison (not necessarily honors folks, just students in general)? All we saw were the big high rise type dorms near the student union. Are there other, smaller, options somewhere? And, I'd love some first hand reports about the sizes of introductory classes in particular, the humanities (English, philosophy) and social sciences (economics, sociology). I'm assuming intro science classes are large, but correct me if not. Thanks!</p>
<p>The Lakeshore Dorms are all smaller and even elegant. Elizabeth Waters is one that just was opened to men. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.housing.wisc.edu/ewaters/%5B/url%5D">http://www.housing.wisc.edu/ewaters/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.housing.wisc.edu/bradley/%5B/url%5D">http://www.housing.wisc.edu/bradley/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.housing.wisc.edu/halls/tripp/%5B/url%5D">http://www.housing.wisc.edu/halls/tripp/</a>
<a href="http://www.housing.wisc.edu/halls/adams/%5B/url%5D">http://www.housing.wisc.edu/halls/adams/</a>
<a href="http://www.housing.wisc.edu/kronshage/%5B/url%5D">http://www.housing.wisc.edu/kronshage/</a></p>
<p>Plus the new dorm looks nice</p>
<p><a href="http://www.housing.wisc.edu/halls/smith/%5B/url%5D">http://www.housing.wisc.edu/halls/smith/</a></p>
<p>Intro to econ micro is the biggest-avg of 450/section. But you can take the "advanced treatment" version with only 35 students-- you have to wait until soph year though.
Chem intro has about 270/class, Psych intro-340, Soc intro 378. All have discussion sections of about 20.</p>
<p>Intro to Brit Lit--157 1 section with disc.</p>
<p>Intro to Philo-5 sections avg 80 each. with disc.</p>