So I just got accepted (YAY), and I really want to attend. I’m just a little worried about the party scene. I know that you will get parties everywhere, but UW - Madison seems to be a party central school.
I was just wondering how much partying actually goes on. Like how bad is it. And what if I don’t necessarily want to do that, will that set me apart in a bad way? Any advice is welcome 
I think a lot of the parties are ‘focused’ - football Saturdays, before certain events and for specific reasons. Sure there are a lot of kids who party too much but there are plenty of very successful people who attend and graduate. Doctors, lawyers, nurses, scientists, journalist. They must have done some studying between parties.
It’s a big school – there are lots of ways to find your folks. Lakeshore dorms are generally quieter, less party-centric than the southeast high rises. Look for learning communities of interest to live with people who share your interests, as well as FIGs (First Year Interest Groups – a thematic cluster of classes that you take with about 20 kids, a great way to shrink your experience and find people who share your academic interests). Get involved in student groups in areas of your passion and meet like-minded people. While the parties might get lots of attention, that is hardly all that happens at UW. Congrats!
Go for the excellent academics and forget about the party school reputation. Plenty who don’t. Think- over 6,000 new freshmen so there are plenty of different ways to be a freshman. That “like-minded people” is so true. Who cares what others do- you will find your people. And it does not matter what the others do.
Went to like 1 party in freshmen year, the other weekends were spent with friends exploring the city/campus, attending events, watching free movies at the marquee, hanging out in someone’s room, etc. Partying is not 100% central to student life, and there are plenty of other people who feel similarly.
That being said, some places have a much stronger party presence than others. I would recommend Lakeshore dorms for sure, and also possibly joining a learning community or FIG. Try out student orgs, and try to meet as many people as possible in your dorm. It’s all about casting the net wide and narrowing it down from there.
Like others have mentioned, it is a large school so you can find your group if you look for it. But there are students who don’t have any classes on Friday, skip Thursday classes, and start partying Wednesday as a warmup to Thirst Thursday. I think you need to be careful if you are not particularly mature as you could be drawn into the partying. On the other hand, some fun is available. In contrast, I have visited some small LAC campuses on weekends lately and the environment was more like a boring high school. Pick your poison.
Your roommate can have an inordinate impact on your freshman year regardless of your personal intentions. Try to choose wisely realizing that potential roommates tend to be optimistic about their own personalities.
Last I heard they still do random roommates unless you and the other person choose each other and rank the same dorms. One reason they dropped questionnaires is they found it worked just as well. Your roommate and you likely will get along but do not need to be friends. College is not HS. You do your thing, others do theirs. You find your likeminded groups.
btw- party hearty??? Most students will settle down during the week as it is not possible to ignore the homework and studying for tests. Weekends- you choose.