<p>I wanted to major in electrical engineering and I'm not sure which is better.</p>
<p>After having conducted some researches, I found it hard to make a decision since both are good and highly ranked unis.</p>
<p>Since it's so hard to make a decision base on academic excellence, I have tried to compare them base on the Student Organization that I wanted to join. Coincidentally, both unis have EcoCAR team (an organization that customize hybrid electric vehicle). Therefore I am left baffled between the unis again.</p>
<p>Can anyone give me opinions on the unis (any other factors such as location, weather, safety, transportation ... etc) and hopefully allow me to better make the decision.</p>
<p>I am an alum of UW-Madison and have never been on the U Washington campus, although I have visited Seattle many times.</p>
<p>These are two quite similar schools in size, mission, and reputation, and I won’t be able to compare the nuances of their EE nor wider engineering programs. However I would project that the three biggest differences you will find between them are (1) climate, (2) urban-ness, and (3) topography.</p>
<p>(1) Madison has a continental climate with wider swings in temperatures – warm-to-hot summers and very cold winters (July average high 82 F, Jan average low 9 F). Much of the winter is spent in sub-freezing temperatures. Seattle has a coastal climate which is more temperate (July average high 72 F, Jan average low 36 F). The two cities are surprisingly close in overall annual precipitation (about 33 inches) but Seattle is known for its constant intermittent rainfall whereas in Madison you are likely to get a good deal of the precipitation as thunderstorms in the summer and snow in the winter. Overall I’d wager you’d find the Seattle climate closer to what you know in the UK. You can decide if that is attractive or not.</p>
<p>(2) Seattle is a major metropolitan area. The city itself is about 620K in population and the wider metro area about 3500K. Madison is a medium sized city of about 230K with a wider metro area of 500K (but this is fairly widely dispersed). The Madison campus and population itself is big enough to be a distinguishing feature in the area but the Seattle campus, large though it is, is much less prominent. Seattle is fairly safe and clean for a city its size but I would say that Madison is less problematic in these ways, although not without fault. Assuming you are male, you will probably feel safe in most places at most times in Madison but there will be places in Seattle that might feel threatening.</p>
<p>(3) Seattle is situated on an ocean inlet and between two mountain ranges. The topography can justifiably be called dramatic. Madison is situated between two large lakes in the middle of farms built on rolling hills. I think of the scenery the sense of place here is more serene. In terms of extreme natural events, tornadoes are a sometimes occurrence in southern Wisconsin, although none have ever hit Madison that I can recall. Seattle has known earthquakes in past centuries but none of note in recent decades.</p>
<p>To me your decision is mostly a matter of personal taste. I hope you find this helpful.</p>
<p>It’s funny you have these two schools as your comparison because they were actually the same final choices for me as well so I have put plenty of thought between the two.</p>
<p>First off I would ask if you are in state to either school. They are similar enough in profile that if you were, then the significantly cheaper in state tuition might be a solid choice.</p>
<p>Academically you are right that the two schools are pretty equivalent. I’m sure their ‘rankings’ in specific engineering majors differ some, but both universities are huge research schools with great faculty. An education at either would be what you make of it.</p>
<p>Ultimately what it came down to for me was ‘fit.’ I visited both schools and used my feelings on the visit to come to a final decision. When I came to Madison it just felt right. As ambiguous and cheesy as that sounds it was just kind of a gut instinct and it worked out well for me. Weather wise Madison has a true four seasons where Seattle doesn’t have a classic winter per se- just lots of rain. They are both huge schools and subsequently have plenty of student orgs to go around. (I wouldn’t use one specific org to be a tie breaker in a big decision like this. Kind of minor in the grand scheme of things in my opinion) Wisconsin is right in the middle of the city of Madison (albeit a relatively small city) where as Washington is isolated on the outskirts of Seattle a bit. All these factors are a bit random, but help to come to a final decision based on your own preferences.</p>
<p>Job wise upon graduation you might also consider where you want to live upon graduation. Obviously it’s a long way off and difficult to think about, but both schools will offer more opportunities from employers within their respective regions.</p>
<p>Ultimately both schools are fantastic and I really don’t think you could go wrong either way. It’s just a matter of prioritizing what you are looking for academically, socially, and culturally.</p>
<p>If you have any further questions about either of the schools you can send me a message if you like. Good luck!</p>
<p>Btw, I’m an international student so I think I have no choice but to pay international tuition fee.</p>
<p>Also, I heard that Seattle is warmer than Madison? I have never lived in a place where the temperature has ever drop to below 0 degree so I am not pretty sure if I can cope with the cold weather…</p>
<p>Ditto on above responses- fit. Nephew chose U Dub, son UW, both grew up in WI. Really a matter of personal preference and finances. Don’t worry about activities, academics are the primary reason to attend college. Be sure to visit schools yourself to see if the campus feels right.</p>
<p>If you are into football or any sports, Madison will definitely suit you well!! And oh, we’re just voted as the number one school with the happiest students! </p>
<p>Hey JWisgod, looks like you’ve already gotten a lot of excellent and detailed advice from other people and I’m no expert on EE or The University of Washington (though I’ve heard it’s great) but I’d like to put a word in for the atmosphere of UW-Madison, which is incomparable. The community here is so vibrant, it’s infectious and campus is beautiful. Good luck with your decision and giving thought to all the various considerations that go into it!</p>
<p>Mostly though, I wanted to ask you an off-topic question… does JW stand for Joss Whedon? Because if it does, let me tell you, UW-Madison is overrun with Whedon fans. It’s great.</p>
<p>Weather is more than temperature. It includes depressingly cloudy days or cold sunshine in winter. You can cope with winter- and it may an experience at a good time of your life. College students know how to have fun with snow and there are many activities to try. Seattle is not that warm in winter and even can get snow. Global warming is evident in Wisconsin weather so winters may not be as harsh as in the past. The summer son spent in Seattle it was above 100 degrees- F many days- the only air conditioning was in the computer science building, not even in most academic buildings. You will have different US experiences at each school but both will be great. Both are the kinds of campuses you will live on or near and spend most of your time at, so transportation is not a major issue.</p>
<p>Chance of a 100 degree day in Seattle in summer is about = to having a 60 degree day in WI in January. True few homes in Seattle have AC–because you almost never need it. Even 90s are rare–maybe a few days per year and nights are cool. Rainy gray winter is by far the worst weather issue. Summers tend to be mild, sunny and low humidity. But don’t start until July. End early Sept. </p>
<p>Both schools on paper are very similar but very different experiences. Big city college life versus classic college centric town. Seattle has better post-grad local job prospects but UW has great recruiting on campus covering all USA</p>
<p>Global warming is occurring. Both weather anomalies are becoming more expected. Expect more hot summers. One can no longer use 20 or even 10 year old data to predict weather. </p>
<p>A real consideration is where you expect to be post college. barrons point about jobs is important. Madison would be the place to be for a great campus life but most will go onwards after college. Seattle is the place you may choose to settle for the rest of your life. Your college town does not need to be the place you expect to be later. You might consider Madison as the place to experience a lifestyle, climate, region and geography you otherwise will never do. When you choose a location for a job it is more complicated- you don’t get hired assuming you will leave in a couple of years.</p>
<p>Well global warming may be real but it has yet to have much impact in Seattle which lies next to a much larger weather influencer–The Pacific. Any warming is as likely due to the growth of the city heat sink as actual changes which have been tiny.And a LONG way from what is considered hot.</p>