<p>You keep using the word “mistake,” which says that you just don’t get it. A “mistake” is getting pregnant at 16; abusing drugs; committing a crime; failing out of high school, etc. Electing to go to your local college isn’t a “mistake.” It’s a reasonable choice for everyone unless you hate the school you’re going to, it’s not offering the classes you want, and you wrongly think there are no other options available.</p>
<p>You can encourage others to go away to college and see the world, sure, but to suggest that they’re making a “mistake” if they don’t – and that you want to make sure they don’t make the same “mistake” that you did – is arrogant and condescending. Sorry.</p>
<p>You might not think so, but for some people it is, and it can affect them negatively for the rest of their life. To go into further detail I would have to start divulging personal information of others I know and of course I’m not going to do that online, so I guess you’ll just have to take my arrogant word for it.</p>
<p>edit: But I suppose I could give a vague, over arching reason, and that is essentially that the opportunities afforded to someone at a better school aren’t present at other “lesser” schools.</p>
<p>73… You need to realize that many students do not share your goals. Many are satisfied to stay close to home and become college educated nearby. Not everyone thrives in UW-Madison’s atmosphere, some prefer a smaller, less intense, et al- ie different- place to get a degree- one within their comfort zone. Your perceived “negative…life” doesn’t matter to them. Not everyone strives to theoretically be the best they can be. Many are content to go with the flow, take an easy path… UW-Madison is different than the other state schools and attracts a different student.</p>
<p>Just curious if the “mistake” label or “easy path” applies to those Madison/Middleton/Surrounding Area kids who get accepted to Ivy but choose to go to their local college (UW) instead? What about being accepted to an equal top/upper tier university but choosing UW? I’m confused as to whether the argument is based on a student attending their “local” University or any Wisconsin school other than UW-Madison. Either way it’s a silly argument. People choose different schools for all sorts of reasons some of which are certainly better than others but to call them ‘mistakes’ without taking a closer look at the rationale behind them is unfair.</p>
<p>I don’t know about that, annoying dad. It does strike me that SOME Madison folks need to practice a little more of the liberal “live and let live” philosophy that they preach. Their mantra seems to be more of a “it’s ok, but only so long as it’s the Madison way” kind of thing. But I think 73’s attitude isn’t limited to Madison students. Lots of college kids think their way is the only way.</p>
<p>“live and let live” does not always work in righting society’s wrongs. However, in this case those who choose a different path most often do so for good reasons and those who should choose differently but don’t regarding college choices only affect themselves, and therefore shouldn’t be of concern to others. Their problem, not yours, and they won’t be a major part of your life by virtue of their choices.</p>
<p>I am bothered by the ability of Madison area residents to easily get into UW-Madison after taking (former) MATC courses. They lose incentives to get out of town, thus remaining provincial. If at all possible it is best to leave home/hometown for at least some of the college experience, best time being that irreplaceable freshman experience. The down side of growing up in Madison and its suburbs is not being able to leave town to attend UW-Madison, although campus life is very different than HS life. Those willing to take less rigorous courses should attempt to do so at another UW campus and not forgo the mind expanding chance to see how life is elsewhere.</p>
<p>Regarding arrogance and condescension- those who choose UW-Madison do so because they feel it is the top school in the state and are bound to be accused of this elitism. It exists before college and is not needed to be taught.</p>
<p>“Those willing to take less rigorous courses should attempt to do so at another UW campus and not forgo the mind expanding chance to see how life is elsewhere.”</p>
<p>Annoyingdad, I see exactly what you mean. Who ARE these people who purport to tell others how they should live their lives? Wis75 is the most condescending adult poster on the UW board.</p>
<p>Wis75 and 736 are just posting opinions. There is no condescension in believing that a Madison resident might be better served going to a school outside of Madison. Believing that upper-WI residents are better served by attending Madison rather than UW-Superior is almost the OPPOSITE point of view. How are they BOTH arrogant? Is it arrogant to hold opinions on where someone should attend college–is this your point? Fine, I counter that it’s arrogant to call another person arrogant for having an opinion.</p>
<p>If you think the opinions are one-dimensional or just plain wrong, fine. Offer a different perspective. Why are Madison residents better served at Edgewood, MATC or UW Madison over UW-LaCrosse or Whitewater? Or why is the reverse not a reasonable opinion?</p>
<p>Bashing other people without explaining why you disagree with them is just trying to bully posters from thinking and posting opinions. If someone believes high school students should leave their town when going to college, and your reply is that they’re condescending, then you have no thoughts on the matter. That’s MY opinion.</p>
<p>The problem is, nova, that you’re not trying to debate the pros and cons of a Madison HS student attending MATC or UW-LaCrosse. I don’t blame you; it’s hard to live in VA and still know much about lesser known Wisconsin colleges. I suspect that’s the reason some posters think you don’t belong in the forums–you simply don’t have enough knowledge to back up your opinions about UW. </p>
<p>Instead, your posts often try to discredit UW, its alumni, or its student body–a group that doesn’t deserve to be discredited, because the average UW student or alumnus is not more or less arrogant than anyone else. So even if you succeed in angering some posters or making them post comments better left unsaid, it’s a sad accomplishment in life.</p>
<p>First, you’re assuming quite wrongly that I have no connection to and know nothing of Madison, the state of Wisconsin, UW, or any of the other universities in the UW system. </p>
<p>But even if you were right about that, you’re wrong that these other folks are really “debating the pros and cons of a Madison HS student attending MATC or UW-La Crosse.” They’re debating more generally how other young people whom they don’t even know should choose to live their lives, and they’re arguing that they should lives their lives like they did. If these same posters lived in the DC area they’d be expressing the same opinions on whether a kid is better off attending George Mason U and living at home in Fairfax County instead of going to William and Mary or some college out of state. There’s nothing so unique about Madison, Wisconsin or the University of Wisconsin-Madison that qualifies anyone who lives there or goes to school there to tell others from the same area how they ought to live their lives or approach their education. To offer these opinions anyway is condescension almost by definition. </p>
<p>On your specific question, I can think of many reasons why certain Madison residents might conclude that they are better served attending the various other colleges that you mentioned over UW: Edewood because they’re Catholic, maybe, or prefer a MUCH smaller educational environment in a compact campus at a fraction of what many other liberal arts colleges might cost; MATC because it’s smaller, cheaper than all four years at UW-Madison and perhaps easier to get all the courses you want; Whitewater because it’s in a smaller town and where admission to its business program (one of the more reputable in the system) is less of a crap shoot, etc. I just don’t presume to tell other people that these choices are right or wrong or that folks are making “mistakes” because I myself chose or might have chosen differently, that’s all.</p>
<p>^Wis75 was not saying that Madison residents should choose UW Madison over MATC or Edgewood. He/she was clearly saying to leave your hometown when going to college and get a broader view. This means choosing Whitewater over Madison, or choosing LaCrosse over MATC, etc., You’re dumbing down his/her opinion.</p>
<p>There is nothing pretentious or condescending about believing that Madison high schoolers would be best served by leaving the city and seeing new sites during college.</p>
<p>“* am bothered by the ability of Madison area residents to easily get into UW-Madison after taking (former) MATC courses. They lose incentives to get out of town, thus remaining provincial.”</p>
<p>Oh, please. Is the world off limits after college graduation for Madison high school students who stay in town to go to MATC and then UW? Last I checked the average student gets another 60 years on this earth after they graduate. And how exactly is going to Whitewater or Stevens Point over UW so “mind expanding” and “irreplaceable” that it’s something that a Madison high school graduate simply must sieze? Is getting drunk with Wisconsin residents from outside Dane County that much different than getting drunk with kids from Madison? And aren’t these other schools MORE “provincial” than UW because they attract so few out of state students? </p>
<p>It’s fine to give informed opinions on the strengths of a particular college’s academic offerings and social environments, but beyond that let’s let people live their own lives without presuming to know what’s good for them.</p>
<p>Right. Please stop talking about condescension. </p>
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<p>Maybe next time you should lead with this, instead of telling people what to say in a public forum. This is the only meat in anything you’ve posted lately.</p>
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<p>You seem to know what’s NOT good for them: apparently the opinions of other Wisconsin residents who frequent this board?</p>
<p>I’m not telling anyone what to say in a public forum; I’m simply offering the opinion that what’s being said is pretentious and condescending. And what does being a Wisconsin resident have to do with anything? Is one of the inalienable rights of being a Wisconsin resident the right to tell other Wisconsinites who they know nothing about – other that that they’re from the same state – that if they don’t leave their home town for college they risk being forever provincial or losing out on irreplaceable experiences?</p>
<p>On issues like these state residency has nothing to do with the validity of the opinions.</p>
<p>It just happened to be that the people you’re bashing are Wisconsin residents. (Well, that’s a loaded comment, it didn’t exactly “happen” to be–you have a bit of an agenda). </p>
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<p>You seem to know what’s NOT good for them: apparently the opinions of others who frequent this board? </p>
<p>I believe UVa has had far more drinking related deaths than UW Madison. So the attempts to smear UW with the drunk tag is hardly more than pot meets kettle. They probably drink too much at both places but that’s college and another debate.</p>
<p>Barrons, when I brought up drinking I was being flippant and not really talking about drinking. I agree pots meets kettle (although I think in the case of UNDERGRAD, rightly or wrongly, the party reputation of UW detracts from its academic reputation more than is the case with U-Va). </p>
<p>The point is simply that there’s plenty of good reasons for a Madison high school graduate planning to make his way to UW eventually to stay local rather than go to another school in the UW system before making the transfer – and the notion that they risk becoming provincial if they don’t is silly. </p>
<p>And justtotalk, as I said before, this has nothing to do with being a cheesehead but you’re never going to give on that so why don’t we just agree to disagree.</p>
<p>Many from Madison will choose to stay there to live and work the rest of their lives- it’s that great- but instead of going to MATC a 4 year college away from town before a possible UW-Madison transfer would give them a chance to be in a different place. College is an ideal time to experience life away from the area you grow up in, get a different perspective on the home town. That’s one reason so many MN and WI residents choose the other state’s flagship- getting away from the twin cities area or Madison area. For those not getting into either flagship but still wanting a 4 year degree starting out of town gives a better college experience than MATC. Of course there will always be those for whom the costs matter too much to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to leave town. Most Catholics who want a Catholic school would choose Marquette over Edgewood- academic caliber vastly different.</p>
<p>nova- you need to give more personal details/credentials as to why you should be considered at all aware of our state or just stop being obnoxious and condescending- how does living where you do give you any better insights to anything? Your WI knowledge base is poor.</p>
<p>In my experience many of the MATC transfers either lack the money to go away or are non-traditional students; older or single parents. Many are minorities.</p>