<p>My daughter, from NJ, is considering both schools. Aside from the obvious (one is closer to home than the other) can anyone comment on ways these schools are different/similar.</p>
<p>I am considering the same. I really like the feel of Madison however I have not been admitted into the business program but the Retailing program in human ecology. Penn State, I have been admitted into Smeal Business Porgram. </p>
<p>Penn state, is a much bigger school I think, and its ranked slightly lower than UW-Madison. However, Penn state has a great engg program very similar to Madison. </p>
<p>Madison, has a very well rounded undergraduate program and is strong in nearly every department, also it boats most Ceo's from the Fortune 500 List. </p>
<p>Apart from that, there isnt too much difference.</p>
<p>Would you say that the undergraduate program at PSU is well-rounded? MCHS: I noticed that at PSU the courses seem to be for 3 credits a piece, requiring that students take at least 5 courses per semester. At Wisconsin, the courses are generally 4 credits, so students take 4 per semester. At least that's how it looks to me as a parent doing some research. If I'm wrong, I hope someone will let me know. I wonder about how the work loads compare at these two schools. That may be a future thread...
My son has been admitted to Wisconsin, but we are still waiting on PSU's decision (I know we're not alone from all the disgruntled posters out there). We're going to go to a Real Wisconsin weekend so my son can get a feel for the place and go to some classes. Have you visited yet, MCHS?</p>
<p>My daughter also signed up for a "Real Wisconsin" weekend in March. She has not visited yet. My husband was a student there in its heyday (late 60s) and loved it, but when he went back to visit with my son, he described it as being a lot more football oriented than he remembered. But that may just be because he's at a different life stage.</p>
<p>I don't get the impression the workload at either school is a killer. We know kids at both and they say there's a good balance between work and social life.</p>
<p>Madison has more out of staters and internationals so the school is more diverse in that way. Madison is probably better in liberal arts and sciences with a tie in engineering and business. Both are fine places to go. I went to UW from NJ back in the early 70's.</p>
<p>How about Communications? I know Wisconsin has a great journalism dept., but how does it compare to PSU for Communications in general?</p>
<p>State college is much more isolated than Madison. I grew up in PA and did my undergraduate at Pitt, mainly because the city of State College wasn't what I wanted as an undergrad. Madison, I feel, has a lot of the qualities I enjoyed at Pitt: great parks, gardens, and culture. It doesn't have a few qualities I would like to have, but Chicago is a doable drive (did it twice the past week or so) and has everything you may want or need at closer drive than State College is to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia (though it is a reasonable drive from Harrisburg and Lancaster). </p>
<p>It appears that NJ is pretty well-represented here as oos students from the NE, so she shouldn't have too many problems finding students from NJ if she wants to hang out with students from the same area.</p>
<p>Academically (and socially) speaking, Wisconsin and PSU are pretty much dead-even, especially at the undergraduate level. I recommend visiting both schools and have her picking which atmosphere is more comfortable.</p>
<p>UW- classes- Many science are 5 credits with lab, calculus 5 credits, foreign languages 4 credits, many lit, humanities, soc science are 3 credits. # of credits = # hours/week of lec + disc + part lab, labs are more hours than credits... I remember the 9 hours of 2nd organic chem lab for 2 credits (2 4 1/2 hour sessions plus the homework...). You can easily access the UW timetable and catalog online to figure out credits.</p>
<p>UW's communications school is one of the best--much better than PSU.</p>
<p>barrons, if a student enters as undecided, is it hard to become a communications major? How competitive is it?</p>
<p>You need at least a 2.5. Check their website.</p>
<p>I'm a current communications (amongst 2 other majors) student. The comm. program here is ranked in the top 10 nationally for both undergrad/grad programs (as ranked by the national comm. association several years ago). The program is pretty easy to get into and to graduate on time with. There are all sorts of internships in Madison, Chicago, NY, LA (Badgers in Hollywood program). The professors are by far the best part of the department. They are all in the tops of their profession. I'm interested in political communications and the professors I have are consistently interviewed for national stories on various issues in communications. Also, outside the large intro courses, my jr-sr level classes have 10-30 kids. </p>
<p>Outside of comm, I think Madison at the UG level is in a different league than PSU. Madison competes with schools like Michigan and Berekley, while PSU maintains a spot in the middle of the Big Ten. I can't compare specifically to PSU, but Wisconsin has 70 academic departments in the top 10 nationally. That's almost unheard of. </p>
<p>It is also a different feel. Madison is more urban than State College, and in my opinion much cooler ;) A more midwestern feeling than PSU but has a good deal of east/west coast students, so the mix is unique. I think only Michigan and Indiana can match Wisconsin on that midwestern state U/nationally diverse ability.</p>
<p>For me, the combination of top academics along with the political connections (being in a state capital for a poli sci guy is pretty neat), the large OOS population, and UW was cheaper compared to schools ranked around the mid 30s on the US News (CWRU, NYU, etc) even after financial aid.</p>
<p>I think it's interesting that UW actually admission EASIER for OOS students - I think this is quite unusual. See quote below from a online article psoted in 2006:</p>
<p>While their standardized test scores are similar to those of in-state students, these out-of-state students have been entering UW-Madison with lower class ranks and grade-point averages. During the last school year, Wisconsin freshmen had an average high school rank at the 91st percentile and an average GPA of 3.8. Non-resident freshmen, by contrast, had an average high school rank at the 87th percentile and an average GPA of 3.5.</p>
<p>Regarding the difference between PSU and UW - I think they're very close in academic and social profile. So it comes down to difference in preference and location. State College IS pretty isolated but it's a nice college town. The school does have a significant OOS population (around 25% - many from NJ, NY and other NE states). Wisconsin is a LONG way from jersey so some of it comes down to how far away you want to be and comfort level with a different regional culture. Of course, being far away also adds to the expense.
My son is at PSU - majoring in business. And he loves it. It was an easy choice for us since he's in state, got into the honors college, and got mutliple scholarships. He has many out of state friends. Most kids really love it there - the school spirit is AMAZING.
Bottom line - visit each school for a few days and go where it feels right.
By the way, the Communications school at PSU is quite good. Our neighbor is a grad and is doing very well!</p>
<p>That MJS article is so overdone. It's just not true. Yes, there is merit to the fact that OOS students had 4% lower class rank and a nearly insignificant lower SAT/ACT breakdown, but this is explained by the fact that the OOS students come from some amazing high schools. To be top 15% at New Trier HS outside of Chicago, or Harvard-Westlake (I know maybe... 20 kids combined from these schools @ UW) is A LOT more difficult than a normal Wisconsin high school. Seltzer and others have made it very clear they do not have "easier" standards for OOS students. That was cheap reporting.</p>
<p>Also, the Schryers (sp?) college (honors college) @ PSU is one of the best in the country. It is a far cry from the normal PSU expierence.</p>
<p>BTW it is easier to get into State College out of state as well. The Penn State system is somewhat similar to the Wisconsin system where there are numerous branch campuses and many students tend to transfer to the 'main' campus after a few years. Wisconsin does seem to have more independent 4-year schools in their branch system though.</p>
<p>The main way for an average (and above average) student in Pa to get accepted to State College is if you declare a major right off that is only offered at main (i.e. architecture, golf management...).</p>
<p>ophiolite - I was just reacting to what I read - didn't know it was so controversial. Do you have evidence regarding the easier standards for OOS for PSU? I always have heard that the standards are roughly the same (unlike UNC and others).<br>
The advice to apply to a major at PSU that is not offered at a branch is not quite right. We have a friend who (a very good student) who was rejected from the architecture school at PSU (very limited spots so they get to be more selective). It IS getting more difficult in general to get into the main location at PSU (B+ and 1250 or more is likely to get you in - otherwise, you're in at a branch ).
Regarding the original Post, I just think it comes down to personal preference. UW may have an edge in the formal rankings, but IMO, it's in the same "band" as PSU although there may be some differences in program strengths.</p>
<p>toneranger:</p>
<p>No I don't have any hard evidence, just through experience of my own and through my friends. However, all of the students I know that applied to special programs at Main did get accepted as freshman and those with somewhat similar stats did not. Also, I'm going off of experience from 7 years ago, things may have changed since.</p>
<p>UW is in another "band" entirely with the other top few state universities. It is among the top 3 research schools in the US, the faculty win FAR more major awards and NAS memberships, even the library is nearly 50% larger.</p>
<p>Definitely check out the UW website- I find it full of information and easy to navigate. You can learn a lot about the dorms, use the interactive campus map, check the catalog and timetable, see photos...Classes start again next Monday. Remember to make use of the PDF style booklets on line in the admissions and residence halls sections. The place has only improved since my day, I loved it then.</p>