<p>Interesting book review mentioning UW's sub-par graduation rate.</p>
<p>Our</a> Universities: Why Are They Failing? by Anthony Grafton | The New York Review of Books</p>
<p>NOT “subpar”- no mention of how all schools do- ie which percentage graduate more than 78% of students within 6 years… No data on numbers who transfer out et al. No discussion of WHy students don’t graduate in 6 years. Students and parents- don’t worry about graduation rates if you feel confident you/your child will choose to take enough courses every semester leading to a degree. I disagree that it is a failure for not all students who start do not finish at a school. Some chose not to get a degree but had a life enhancing experience while attending college. Better to have a lower graduation rate and have given students a chance to attend. I don’t see where this matters to most. Especially since UW has allocated more funding to undergrad teaching recently.</p>
<p>novaparent needs the - find any fault, and only post negatives- disclaimer on their threads, given no connections to UW (unelss a child was rejected a few years ago) and not trying to help.</p>
<p>supply and demand the less people who have UW degrees the more valuable they are!!!</p>
<p>geez i’m so sick of you novaparent</p>
<p>so PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS AND PARENTS:
i’m a junior now. i plan on to do my 5th year, doing triple major in the business school.</p>
<p>i’m having a 3.9 GPA and had 2 solid internships (F500) before. i’m basically inspired by my Econ101 professor telling us to treasure the time at Wisconsin to explore different options. This choice is 100% personal. I have no difficulties getting into class (yes, I did have 7:45am lab before. that sucks but think about this: i woke up at 7am everyday for my summer interns. so no bid deal tbh) I have no troubles setting up meetings with my career advisors (yes, you have to make appointments. you don’t just walk in to the career center and the career advisors are always sitting there waiting for you)</p>
<p>and noted that I have no APs coming in, but I manage my course load well - i averaged 15-16 credits per semester. I’m on track to complete my double major in 4 years.</p>
<p>So stop worrying you can’t graduate because “you have a hard time getting into class” or “no one is taking care of you at Wisconsin”.</p>
<p>My son will graduate from the business school in four years with a double major and a semester studying abroad.</p>
<p>ajde and minnie dad: I wanted to let you know that your responses were very helpful. My son and I were just discussing last night whether or not a private school would be a better option in terms of getting appropriate classes and graduating in a timely manner. (He is also interested in business). Thank you for taking the time to respond to this forum and reassuring us that UW Madison would be a great choice.</p>
<p>While Novaparent is known to be biased, it is still a worthwhile topic for a discussion. My S is a freshman at UW. Based on what I know, there are plenty of opportunities to be successful and there are plenty of distractions that could potentially make you fail. I have a few friends’ son attended UW in the past, coming in with stellar records with plenty of AP’s under the belt. However, both boys failed miserably. Not smart enough? Hardly! The distraction is just too much and they were not ready mentally to be at UW.
One thing for sure: those who come in the door needs to be mentally prepared to deal with the drinking and partying culture here at the university.</p>
<p>Yes, UW is the only college in the country with drinking and partying. Amazing really. That book must have been using data over 5 years old. The 4 year rate is over 53% and the 6 year 84% and climbing every year. Figure the transfers to other schools and you are close to 90% in 6 years. Those friends’ kids must have been ahhh, in that small group we call losers.</p>
<p>With my D as a junior pursuing a double degree at UW-Madison, who will graduate with two BS degrees in 4 to 4 1/2 years, and also because I’ve been posting in this forum for three years now, I feel I’m on solid footing by saying that it is FAR more often the student’s responsibility if he/she doesn’t graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>Curriculum-wise, this ain’t a cookie-cutter university, folks. There are so many offshoots & permutations to every major, and opportunities to boot, that the 4-year graduation rate–whatever it is presently–is in no way representative of the calibre of education. I will assure you that the enjoyment level percentage being experienced by the students is off the charts here, much higher than any dated 4-year graduation statistic brought up by someone with an axe to grind.</p>
<p>A 53% four-year graduation rate is hardly something to cheer about. And for a school that likes to include itself in the top tier of American universities it’s pathetic. There’s just no way of getting around it.</p>
<p>Oh, and as to wis75, the article does indeed give the “data” you mention:</p>
<p>“Consider the public universities that offer the vast majority of places in bachelors degree programs. A few of themthe University of Virginia, William and Mary, Berkeleygraduate 90 percent or more of their students within six years. Another fifteen or so have six-year graduation rates of 80 percent or higher.”</p>
<p>UW appears not even to crack the top 20 among public universities when it comes to graduation rates. How can it consider itself a top public school when it lags so far behind on such a basic measure?</p>
<p>The UW 6 year grad rate is 83-84%. That is over 80% for the math-challenged.</p>
<p><a href=“http://apa.wisc.edu/RetGrad/Students_RetnGrad_All.pdf[/url]”>http://apa.wisc.edu/RetGrad/Students_RetnGrad_All.pdf</a></p>
<p>NOT pathetic. You need to find something worthwhile to do with your time instead of bashing schools. I detect a lot of envy- you keep trying to find fault. Perhaps to justify your child’s lack of acceptance at UW? UW obviously must have too many flaws and it’s a good thing he didn’t end up here kind of logic.</p>
<p>You present a problem. Where’s your solution? How can you correct the situation? Give suggestions. Make all students who start promise to finish, and in 4-6 years? Don’t give iffy students a chance? Omit minorities whose ethnic group has a poor track record of success? Allow no transferring out? Allow no mistakes? I suppose UW admissions could screen applicants and make sure they fit the mold (Berkeley seems to have success with a huge Asian American student body- not enough Asians living in Wisconsin, though). Maybe eliminating students who challenge the system would work, but that negates the Wisconsin idea of sifting and winnowing (and for some, gasp, deciding to drop out of college).</p>
<p>It seems more than 8 out of 10 students do graduate. Those who do earn the UW degree seem to have a worthwhile diploma in the eyes of others. </p>
<p>A lot of food for thought. What is important in a good school? I don’t think this is the reason to not go to UW, I would choose many other criteria in ranking school choices.</p>
<p>If some high schools are coined as ‘college prep’, then UW-Madison should have the moniker ‘life prep’. Sure, a student can enter as a freshman, take the minimum requirements, scope out an ‘easy’ major (if that exists), and graduate relatively easily in 8 semesters.</p>
<p>But why would a student DO that, unless it was for purely financial reasons? College is for trying out different fields to determine if the student likes it & has an aptitude for it. In the process, it’s entirely possible that some ‘not necessary’ classes are taken. Big deal. I’ll continue to state that for a bright 18-year-old heading up to Madison, the experiences at this university will show them that the world can truly be their oyster.</p>