<p>sw3, to be honest with you, Madison is not that great of a city. I went there this summer, and I wasn't impressed. It's a small, sleepy city. (Maybe I'm saying this because I'm biased against small cities. I only like big or medium-sized cities.)</p>
<p>Besides state street, there's really not that much to do in Madison. If you want to actually have fun or go out, then you will have travel really far away from the UW campus. Transportation can be very expensive in Madison.</p>
<p>However, Madison is a safe city. The crime rates are really low, and you can pretty much walk around at night without the fear of something happening bad to you. People there are also very genial, and they are willing to help you out.</p>
<p>The one thing that I LOVE about UW-Madison is their libaries. The school has over 40 wonderful libraries that are full of information. The librarians, especially, are very helpful.</p>
<p>Vtoodler, I once thought as you do, but then the emperor showed me the true nature of the force....I MUST obey my master. Wait...wrong movie! hehe </p>
<p>Seriously, I was a sucker for large amalgamations. And when I chose Michigan, I knew Ann Arbor was qiant and that I would love my life on campus, but I did not think I would ever really love Ann Arbor. However, once you get to know a small city well, you realize it has a lot to offer. By the time I graduated from Michigan, it was clear to me that Ann Arbor was one of the most special places on Earth. The same goes for Madison I am sure. My point is, smaller cities require more time because their offerings are usually hidden and require time to find.</p>
<p>There's much more to Madison than State Street. Monroe St, the zoo, the arboretum, King Street nightclubs, Willy Street. Once you get past the undergrad level the really cool bars and clubs are there for those with more refined taste. Opus Lounge, Montmarche Club, Kit Kat Lounge, Luther's House of blues,The Cardinal, Blue Iguana are all away from the State St scene and cater to the slightly more mature crowd. So do a bunch of top quality restaurants around and near the Capitol Square and the new $200 million performing arts hall brings top concerts and shows on a weekly basis.</p>
<p>There is much more to Madison than State Street. However, you have to travel far away from the UW campus to actually experience most of these places. Transportation can be quite expensive in Madison.</p>
<p>Actually all the places I named are adjacent to the student neighborhoods on the near east and near south sides of town. Walking or easy biking distance. The Arb is the farthest out and many students ride bikes and go for runs there--it's only a mile or so from campus on Lake Wingra. Same for the zoo which is an easy walk from campus and a popular cheap date place. The only distant places are the major malls but there is regular bus service to them that is free for students. Also busses to Chicago run several times a day from the Union and the price is reasonable ($36 RT). I did not have a car most of my time there as a student and had little trouble getting around the entire city core area within two miles of campus. That includes all the good clubs and restaurants as well as downtown shopping. I did get in very good walking shape as I lived a mile east of the Capitol most of the time. The only thing absent was a complete grocery store but we had a decent food co-op plus I ate most meals out anyway.
Another popular alternative is the Badger Cab which uses a zone system with most rides under $5. Good for cold late night rides home after a few cocktails. Most people had the number memorized within the first month in town.</p>
<p>Visiting in the summer, you often don't get the true flavor of a place, especially in a town where the University is such a dominant presence. I've heard wonderful things about Madison.</p>
<p>As for the UIUC thing, this was mandated by the state. Public universities in Illinois have to set the tuition for each class when they enter, and keep it at that level.</p>
<p>I am biased because my daughter will attend Umich next year. But I was many years ago an accomplished athlete that was recruited by all three schools. I did not go to any of the three, but have the most regret not looking at Michigan more seriously. (I was raised in very Northern Illinois). Umich is truly a national university, with international renown and a geographic diversity of students. UMich just has a panache, if you will. </p>
<p>However, as stated in above posts, UW and U of I are not far behind. A negative note about U of I - I traveled to Champaign-Urbana to compete for years and I could never escape the impression that it sits in the middle of a cornfield. Maybe this impression is all the more indelibly imprinted because the drive from Chicago down I-57 South has to be one of the flattest, treeless, and most boring treks in the Midwest. I still can't shake that impression, and it seemed like a bleak place (unless one got involved in the party scene - something I could not do as an athlete and succeed). </p>
<p>In any event, unless one of the three schools has an extraordinarily strong program that stands out significantly from the others, if you are in-state with respect to any of the three, go to the in-state school. Can anyone really state that they will be disadvantaged because they studied electrical engineering at Illinois vs. Michigan vs. Wisconsin? No. It's what one does while at school that matters. And the money saved will come in handy if graduate school is a desired pursuit (or if your parents ever want to retire).</p>