<p>i have trouble deciding which campus I like better. What are the most important things you should look into about different campuses?</p>
<p>First- compare academics. Both overall and in probable majors. A check of grad school rankings in fields of interest may mean better upper level courses in your fields. Check the requirements to get into your majors and to graduate with them. Check Honors and general reqs as well. If one has a clear edge your decision is made.</p>
<p>If not, look at the intangibles and other factors. Does one make you feel better? Anything really grab you at one? Clubs and other activities? Dorms/food plans? Campus buildings, surroundings? Revisit each campus if you can.</p>
<p>Still undecided? Travel time and costs? Anything else? Go with your feelings and don’t look back. Have no regrets. We all have to make choices and give something up when we choose. It doesn’t matter what works best for someone else, it matters what fits you.</p>
<p>By far the best, most unbiased response in this thread yet. Well done wis75.</p>
<p>And about as useful as a phone book in getting a real feel for the life of colleges. Which means not much. Most people are looking for that fit and feel that are hard to quantify but they know it when they see it. Going through some checklist might be good for picking a TV but college is where you will live and find friends for life–even a person to marry in many cases. There are plenty of places to get an education but relatively few to have the experience of your lifetime–at least the first 20-some years.</p>
<p>^ Really, barrons?
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<p>I am not the type to suddenly fall in love with a college/campus. Out of the colleges I have visited, none have gave me the feeling that I have to go there. Sorry, but Wis75 has better advice. Do most people usually revisit campuses after being accepted? Like Wis said, a checklist or a list of pros and cons would definently be a good idea.</p>
<p>Clubs, food pans and all that are not what I was talking about. Every big school has lots of clubs, decent food plans but if this is what you think it’s all about you are missing the big picture. I am talking about a spirit, an energy, a point of view. Yes you might call these feel by I think that is understating the biggest thing which is the basic philosophy and traditions of the place. Looking at a bunch of lists is just noise. There is no Big Ten school that does not have lots of long lists of this and that. But only one has the spirit to put a sea of plastic birds on the center of campus, start an Onion, and still produces lists of top depts, CEOs and all that. Either you get it or you don’t. Most alums who dis not spend the entire time with their nose in a book know what I am talking about. Jane K from Malcolm in the Middle summed it up pretty well during an interview on BTN.</p>
<p>The flamingos are not my view of UW, fortunately- students were more concerned with the injustices of the Vietnam war in my time. The lakeshore path is, the chemistry building is… Consider The Blind Men and The Elephant story. Each person will see different aspects of the campus and needs to determine if what is seen is desired. A second visit gives time to check out things missed, especially as a large campus can seem overwhelming at first.</p>
<p>Barrons and I had different majors, different years on campus, different home states, different living places- we see different campuses in our memories and yet both of us love UW with passion. The little things add up and make daily living a good or bad experience. UW has diverse students and a liberal atmosphere that allows many different types to feel good. Many DO spend their time with academics- and remember the majority are in L&S, not the business school. One can have a full life without needing to spend much time on State St or attending sports events, and a person can thoroughly enjoy those aspects of campus life while also spending more time enjoying other aspects of the campus and city.</p>
<p>Others will prefer the details of another campus and choose it over UW, then be equally passionate about their choice.</p>
<p>I would say the B school is as or more demanding than most L & S majors which do include the social sciences and some other pretty easy as in no math required majors. And actually sporting events and State Street were not at the top of my list. It was things like seeing Allen Ginsberg in the basement of a church or seeing most of the French New wave films and the early works of John Waters in various campus and off campus venues or talking in the Gordo Commons rec room restroom with blues legend Hound Dog Taylor or seeing the live show of Kentucky Fried Theater before they went on to film fame and riches. That was all part of an education. Then maybe I was not your typical B School student.</p>
<p>Let’s not get into an argument over business school versus L&S course difficulty- different styles of learning and students gravitate towards fields they have strengths in (writing good papers for social science and humanities courses can be a lot of mentally demanding work). Remember, the intro courses in any field are not as demanding as the upper level courses are.</p>
<p>Future students- details show the diversity of experiences. You can explore the currently popular music scene as barrons did. Or you can do totally different things. The current business students I know are active club distance runners. Throw out many stereotypes you may have. Another view is to think of those Venn diagrams everyone learns- think of many overlapping circles of activities and interests. Common classes, living spaces, clubs, entertainment et al all lead to meeting different people. Just as a large city is made up of many neighborhoods a large campus is a collection of smaller units. There is overlap (those Venn diagrams) so a student is not stuck in any lifestyle secondary to the major chosen.</p>
<p>Apply the above information to other schools. Do you see yourself able to find your desired lifestyle there? Check out activities that interest you and see what is available (online, of course). Visit libraries to see what their reading materials are- books, magazines (both fiction and academic) for leisure/fun reading. College libraries can have the materials a good public library has as well as the items needed for academics- UW seems to.</p>
<p>Think there’s more than enough material here, I better quit now.</p>