Madison obviously has a huge reputation for being one of the nation’s leading party schools. But how easy is it to find others who would rather not party every weekend and instead go hiking, for example? I love the opportunities I could take advantage of at Madison but am a little hesitant with the social side of it. ANY feedback is greatly appreciated!
Large enough school there is a wide range of students- not all into parties. Look up Hoofers, the outdoors club, on the UW website. It doesn’t matter what anyone else does, you choose your niche.
People like that will be there - they’ll just be harder to find than at a different, more “academically-focused” institution.
Doubt that^^
Since UW is such a diverse campus, there will be many students, including myself and my potential roommate that do not want to party.
I got the idea that more “dedicated” students will be there during my Harvard interview with a UW-Madison law professor. I hope his remarks are true because I would hate to go to UW-Madison expecting to find at least some semblance of a quiet, focused environment and end up in one reminiscent of a number one party school.
The dorm you choose might also influence the environment you’re in. Don’t live in Sellery Hall, and the farther you are from State Street the better.
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I got into UW Madison from California and am mainly still considering it because of the party scene. That being said, I’m not looking to party every night of the week, or even every weekend. Just because a school is nationally ranked in partying doesn’t mean EVERY student is into it. And also a lot of kids who party have other aspects to their lives (I’d be down to party one night and go hiking the next). You’ll find your niche and group of friends wherever you go.
Chadbourne is close to State Street but is not considered a party dorm.
You can definitely find people who don’t party all the time. I would also avoid staying in Sellery or Witte, those are notorious party dorms. If you’re in a quieter dorm there will still be people going to party, but there will also be people who stay in and play video games or watch movies or something. Like ggumgum said, most people won’t party every night, though some get close. Once you’re out of the dorms it’s easier to avoid the parties if you want, just live in a quieter area of campus with people who like to do the same types of things.
So the answer to this question about how a non-drinker can fit in at a party campus is always, “it’s a big school, you’ll find your niche.”
Problem is, nobody wants to spend four years of the prime of your life as a marginal member of a community.
And, FYI, the preferred alternative to drinking and partying is not always playing video games or watching Netflix.
@th25cc I meant, that the more academically focused people aren’t ‘harder to find’.
My son lives in Witte right now. Freshman. The party thing is an interesting concept. He tells me that first and foremost the kids in his dorm are very impressive academically. And they work hard. However, there are distractions and Madison has a ton of energy and “party” opportunities. It also has a ton of libraries, top notch professors, and the most beautiful lakefront settings to study you could find. All in, I would not overemphasize the party part as if you won’t have a choice on what to do with your life. Plenty of kids don’t party including my son’s roommate in Witte.
If you are concerned. Live on the Lakeshore side of campus as it is just quieter with less opportunities to be distracted. Very quiet and nice atmosphere.
You aren’t "marginalized at UW by not being in a majority. Think Venn diagrams with overlapping interests with various people you meet and interests. Many different communities, not just one. No one cares what you do- so many different social circles. The very small percentage of Greek students live their lives and have no influence on anyone else’s. You find your group. The first months are likely ones of discovering which people and activities interest you. Often people hang out with people from their dorm initially but then meet others with common interests. This isn’t HS where people care what others do.
Remember- every student has something in common- all chose UW. Then there’s choosing classes, activities and where on campus to live. You won’t be marginalized, you just need to explore options that interest you. Adults, not HS kids.
Lakeshore is generally known for being more “study first, then socialize” while the Southeast neighborhood is slightly more the opposite. That being said, that doesn’t mean the partiers aren’t there for the academics, as well. Madison’s a good school, and known as a good school, for a reason!
It sounds like if you like the sounds of Madison, you’d just want to look at the Lakeshore dorms. Liz Waters has a really nice location, and the others are increasingly further from campus. I’m going in as a freshman this fall, but I’ve talked to a bunch of people and they all say that Lakeshore dorms are very nice, very cozy, and you can party as much as you want or as little as you want and still fit in.
You can also look at the different learning communities, too. Some of them might have the more “serious” (for lack of a better word!!) atmosphere that I think you’re going for.
Another analogy I like is the blind men and the elephant. What you perceive depends on what you look at. My Honors Chemistry scene was vastly different than the average undecided freshman’s world eons ago. Likewise son’s heavy Honors STEM loads more recently. Despite the thousands of grads every year there are so many courses available I doubt any two students took the same courses their four (or more/less) years as undergrads.
Unlike elite private U’s Public flagships are multitiered. There are the top notch students who take courses similar to those at Harvard via Honors classes (and have similar stats to Ivy league students- there isn’t enough room for every qualified student at those size limited U’s, plus not all students want the Ivy atmosphere), the second tier and the others- all better than average college students to be accepted to UW.
btw- some fields are not as good, or even offered, at Ivies that UW excels at. Consider computer science and engineering fields for example.
College is NOT the “prime of your life”- it would be sad if that is the best time of your life. It is merely the beginning of adulthood opportunities.
Perhaps son, myself and our respective friends were not mainstream UW students but none of us were marginalized. We all found our great versions of UW.