UVa or Wisconsin?

College Search & Selection
41

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<p>If UW Madison isn’t crazy cold, what school is? Wisconsin’s probably the coldest major university in the country behind only Minnesota. Not that this should be a problem - I grew up in Minnesota and will be attending Madison next year and the weather won’t faze me at all - but if you’ve grown up anywhere other than Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicago, or the Dakotas, let’s just not pretend that the weather isn’t going to be a shock. </p>

<p>Wisconsin’s an amazing univesity and I highly recommend it, but you need to prepare for the cold.</p>

<p>Anyway, I envy the OP for getting to choose between these two universities.</p>

42

<p>Ops. Actually i havn’t got acceptance from any of the two universities. I’m still anxiously waiting for the decisions…</p>

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<p>It’s only that cold in Jan/Feb. And not all the time. Today was low 30’s which is fine for winter in the north. It’s maybe 20 days out of 365 with below 0. Big whoop. Dress right and you are taking off the jacket when it hits 40. You get used to it pretty fast.</p>

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<p>Does anybody really think the differences in departmental rankings of two such well-respected schools could manifest themselves in a tangible way? In other words do the chemistry profs at Wisconsin really know something that the UVa profs don’t know? Especially as it applies to teaching undergrad courses? If so, give me an example.</p>

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<p>Would you rather have one of the Top 10 chef cooking you dinner or have #50? Would you rather have a grad school rec from a NAS member or Prof Joe Blow? There is 10 times the research going on at UW in Chem. And they are getting a new facility ready to add more. Just across the street from the Chem building.</p>

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<p>They aren’t giving the undergrads their best gourmet stuff…a top-50 chef knows how to make meatloaf just as well as a top-10 chef. The differences would be much more relevant if you are talking about Ph.D. programs.</p>

<p>And this isn’t Wisconsin vs. El Paso College of Cat Grooming and Court Reporting (E.P.C.C.G.C.R)…this isn’t whom do you want to get stranded on a desert island with, Rhona Mitra or Kathy Griffin?</p>

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<p>Why have meatloaf when you can have steak–for less $$$? UVa sucks in science for the most part. I can send you the report they had done. Not a small gap–BIG GAP. UW not only has top Chemistry, but also biochemistry, mole bio, and micro bio. UVa not so much. For future lawyers and MBAs go to Uva. Scientists–UW.</p>

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<p>Barrons, I respect the hell out of you, and I know UVa folks really rub you the wrong way; I’m a simple Midwesterner, and they’d probably rub me the wrong way too if I was exposed to them as much as you are. But can you give me even a vague example of something a UW science prof might cover in an UNDERgrad class that a UVa science prof wouldn’t cover?</p>

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<p>I do think departmental strenght is important if you are pretty sure of your major. There will be more research going on to get involved with, especially as an upperclassman. Reccomendations for grad school will carry more weight. Madison gets tremendous funding in science research, one of the top in the country. Employers and grad schools will be aware of the departement rep.</p>

<p>My daughter is in grad school a UW-M. I don’t know too much about undergrad there, but she is really loving living in Madison, and this is a girl from California. She has only briefly mentioned the weather.</p>

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<p>Even the top liberal arts colleges don’t have many big-name professors or huge research budgets. Do you think their students get an inferior education because of these drawbacks?</p>

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<p>I would choose UVA. Wisconsin is blah…think ashton kutcher in that 70’s show</p>

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<p>barrons… that’s pretty ridiculous come on.</p>

<p>UVA and UW (for undergrad) are more or less the same in quality (both awesome schools), and both have ample research opportunities for any aspiring biologist/doctor/whatever</p>

<p>Between the two, pick for cost / personal factors</p>

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<p>Not really. Read their report. It talks if underfunded and depressed science depts unable to hire new faculty in 20 years. Behind in both facilities and research money as well as grad students to help do research and be tA’s. Can I think of one thing they would learn–sure–they would learn that UW has produced 19 Nobels to UVa’s–maybe one sortof. That UVa’s research funding has been virtually flat while UW’s grows by the 100 millions. Outside the Med School UVa does squat in science research. It’s comparing a thoroughbred and a pony.</p>

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<p>UW is a better place for producing scientists (I agree), but at the undergrad level there can’t be a significant discrepancy between the two…</p>

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<p>The OP is an international who may someday go back to his home country after graduation. The international reputation of Wisconsin is much better than that of Virginia. (#17 vs #91 according to ARWU 2009). </p>

<p>Weather is usually not a problem; we’re more adaptable than we think. </p>

<p>Size might be a consideration: One has a larger student population (and chemistry department) than the other. The atmospheres are also different: UVA has a Southern preppy feel, whereas Wisconsin’s students are more down-to-earth. Both student bodies are mostly smart and motivated. Do you prefer (or think you can learn better) in one environment over the other?</p>

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<p>How many Nobel prizes at Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Pomona? Do you think Badgers get a better science education than those at the top LACs? No, because whatever cutting-edge stuff won the Nobels is not going to be covered in an undergrad course.</p>

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<p>I realized the fact that undergrad courses are more or less the same everywhere, but i am also concerned about the exposure that I can get during the lectures. I don’t know if i am right: attending lectures by experienced researchers, I am expecting to hear about something beyond the syllabus, such as their research experiences, new scientific discovery or some practical scientific knowledge, which I find them interesting and inspiring.</p>

<p>Travel across the globe to study in US, I hope that I can experience something different; not like classes I am attending now, where lecturers just come in & read the powerpoint slides and rush to finish the syllabus.</p>

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<p>Wisconsin Madison has 5 chemsitry faculty members selected into the prestigious national academy of science (NAS), plus 8 biochemistry faculty members selected into NAS. For comparison, University of Virginia has 1 NAS member in chemsitry, 0 NAS member in biochemsitry.</p>

<p>In total, Wisconsin-Madison has 42 NAS members, while University of Virginia has 4 NAS members. So in science, Wisconsin-Madison is a tiger, while University of Virginia is a lamb.</p>

<p>The following are the Wisconsin-Madison chemistry and biochemistry faculty members in NAS, 13 in total, with selection years.</p>

<p>Charles Casey<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chemistry
1993 </p>

<p>F. Fleming Crim<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chemistry
2001
chemical dynamics, elementary reactions, energy transfer, photodissociation (all in both gases and liquids) </p>

<p>Lawrence Dahl<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chemistry
1988 </p>

<p>Laura Kiessling<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chemistry
2007 </p>

<p>Howard Zimmerman<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Chemistry
1980
organic chemistry, synthesis and photochemistry, theoretical organic chemistry, physical-organic chemistry, reaction mechanisms </p>

<p>Julius Adler<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1978 </p>

<p>Paul Ahlquist<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1993
molecular mechanisms of virus replication, gene expression, evolution, virus-host interaction and pathology </p>

<p>W. Wallace Cleland<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1985
enzyme kinetics and mechanism </p>

<p>James Dahlberg<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1996
microRNAs, RNA transport, RNA processing </p>

<p>Hector DeLuca<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1979 </p>

<p>Perry Frey<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1998 </p>

<p>Paul Kaesberg<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1991
structure and synthesis of small viruses </p>

<p>Henry Lardy<br>
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biochemistry
1958
steroid research, prostate cancer, respiratory distress syndrome</p>

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<p>OP wrote:
" I am expecting to hear about something beyond the syllabus, such as their research experiences, new scientific discovery or some practical scientific knowledge, which I find them interesting and inspiring."</p>

<p>I am not sure whether the distinguished faculty members at UW would be teaching undergarduate courses. If however, you are somehow able to collaborate with one of them, their mentoring, access to cutting edge research, and letter of recommendation for Ph.D. placement would be invaluable.</p>

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<p>Still waiting to hear if anybody thinks students at the top LACs get a crappy education because they don’t get taught by Nobel prize winners and don’t get involved in huge research projects…</p>