Hey everyone. I am currently trying to decide between these two schools. I have been accepted to UW Madison already. I have not been accepted into UCSB yet, but I think it is likely so I am trying to compare these two schools now as they are my top choices and I’m super indecisive so I would like as much time as I can get to choose between them. I am a white female who lives in California and applied to both schools as a biology major. Fortunately, money is not an issue, and so the in-state tuition vs out of state tuition is not a big issue. I made a pro-con list for each school, which is below this. Please feel free to contribute your thoughts to this comparison.
UW-Madison pros:
-Seasons
-School spirit
-Football team
-More prominent greek life
-Great college town
-Low cost of living
-Honors program (maybe)
-Beautiful campus
-Midwestern charm
-Preferable meal plan
UW-Madison cons:
-Weather (cold)
-No family nearby
-Not ethnically diverse
-Not as sunny
-Not much in the area immediately outside of Madison
UCSB pros:
-Weather
-Sun
-On the beach
-Reasonable distance from home
-Laid back
-Lots going on in SB & nearby areas
UCSB cons:
-No football team
-Little school spirit
-High cost of living
-No business major (in case I want to switch)
-Pressure to ride bike
-Good chance of living in a triple
Again, please feel free to contribute your thoughts to this comparison. Sorry if I left any relevant information out.
Unless your parents are plutocrat wealthy, the price difference is likely a non trivial amount of money for them.
That is especially the case if you are pre-med like many biology majors.
it sounds like you are leaning towards UW Madison looking overall at your list and especially the weak positives you have for UCSB. Basically the only good things you have to say are about SB are with respect to it being a great place for a vacation.
Go to Madison and don’t look back or you can second-guess yourself forever. And I say this as a big fan of UCSB; it ain’t a fit for everyone.
Have you visited both schools? they have a completely different vibe and different feel.
We have visited both schools and hands down I would pick UCSB mainly for the weather, the cost, the friendly and happy student body and the reputation of the school.
Madison is COLD. However we did go to the Wisconsin/Nebraska football game and it was unbelievable. It sounds like that big campus spirit is really important to you. While I really like the midwest, it is culturally quite different from CA (we are in the bay area) so that could be a bit of a shock.
The distance is non trivial as is the difference in cost. Definitely February wears on you. My DD is at Wisconsin. She likes it and there are many positives, but if there had been an affordable in state large public option for her, that would have been equivalent. The dining hall food stinks so don’t make that one of the deciding factor as a pro.
@kkendall Hi there! I was part of the Greek system at UCSB (after transferring from USC), and although it’s a smaller part of the total student population, it was definitely thriving. Also, UCSB has great school spirit. There isn’t a football team (bummer!), but the men’s soccer games are soooooo fun and the stadium is packed. The basketbll games are well attended too. So, it’s not the big-time sports program of USC or Wisconsin, but UCSB’s school spirit was one of the nicest surprises I found after transferring. Good luck to you!
@mikemac Thank you for the encouragement. I am definitely second-guessing myself just because this is such a monumental decision haha. Thanks.
@TheFrenchChef Yes, I have visited both. I actually just moved to California prior to freshman year of HS from New Jersey. I had a tough time with the culture shock coming from NJ to CA, and still do. I definitely think I identify with the east coast mentality more than that of the west coast. I feel like the midwest may be a positive change culturally.
@treschicos What about the dining food does your DD dislike? Just curious because I have heard a lot of positive otherwise.
@BayAreaRecruiter Thanks for the info!
Thank you all for contributing.
We live in the midwest, from east coast originally, and my kid went to UW. There are a plenty of NY/NJ kids at UW, though Twin Cities and Chicago area probably makes up the largest non-WI contingent. Greek life percentage-wise is not huge, about 10%, but that means about 3000 undergrads. My kid was in greek life and it was a positive experience for him. Langdon St., where the greek life houses are – many of which face Lake Mendota – is pretty and close to everything. Yes, it is cold, and sometimes there is still ice fishing in late March. Most students move off campus after first year, though may still get meals at dining halls for convenience, especially during the day. Food overall is pretty amazing in Madison as there is a big farm-to-table scene and the Farmer’s Market at the Capitol on Saturdays is very popular. Student off-campus housing ranges from rent-a-wreck to gorgeous buildings with roof top pools. My kid graduated in '17 and I think his last apartment – which was a real splurge from his earlier places – was about $650 month for a really nice, 4 BR, 4 person furnished apartment just off Langdon St, though there are more expensive places, such as The Hub, for sure.
Both are great schools. Congrats on having such wonderful options.
The food just isn’t very good in the dining halls, but it’s serviceable (but certainly not noteworthy). And the restaurants are not that great either. Maybe it’s because we are coming from the East coast with more and tastier options. Though I’m a midwesterner originally and Madison is below even my low Midwestern bar for food. Except the farmers market in fall and summer is quite nice. If diversity matters, UW-Madison falls short, even compared to other Big 10 schools. I don’t mean to bash the school, it has great labs and my daughter’s classes have been quite good, but I’m not sure it’s worth the large premium over an affordable in state option. I think the full pay out of state approaches $55,000 plus travel. The travel costs can be significant from the coasts.
Tuition at UW for out of state, non MN residents, this year was $37,000. In our experience, my kid’s actual room and board, on campus and off campus, was a lot lower than the estimated living expenses on the website, . For us, UW out of state made sense, as it was stronger academically than our in-state option, we were full pay anywhere and while it was not fun, we could afford OOS tuition which felt like a bargain compared to our full pay status at a private university. Other than Milwaukee, Wisconsin is not a diverse state, and with 60% of the students being in-state, that lack of diversity is apparent in the student body. For someone used to the diversity of CA, it would be a shock. Your mileage may vary, but we enjoyed restaurants like Rare, Graze, Merchant etc. Not where a college student is going regularly, but great for when the parents are in town!
Only the OP can say where things stand financially in terms of that $20,000 tuition difference per year. CA residents are fortunate indeed to have world class in-state schools.
@treschicos @Midwestmomofboys Honestly, my biggest concern with Madison is the lack of diversity. Living in SoCal has made me quite used to being around people of all different ethnicities. I think if I had not moved to CA from NJ I would have been a much more close-minded individual. I am not really looking forward to the idea of being surrounded by mostly white people, and especially those from Wisconsin who likely have not had many interactions with POC. I just think it will be a bit of a culture shock for me perhaps.
@treschicos And yes also, when I visited Madison I was not too pleased with the restaurants. It may just be my high standards from living on the east coast (NJ) for so long. I just found it odd because everyone online seems to rave about the restaurants in Madison.
State Street, the nearest “restaurant row” to UW-Madison, has a lot of chains. There are good restaurants in town but many of them are either far from campus or expensive (or both).
UW-Madison and the city and surrounding communities are not very diverse, as pointed out above. There are many liberal people in the area, but (or “and”) many people, including liberals, are not aware of their own racial biases.
Madison has a very dynamic and well regarded food scene plus all the food carts near campus for cheap delicious foods. http://mspmag.com/travel-and-visitors-guide/taking-on-madison-wisconsin-one-bite-at-a-time/ Most are in walking distance too.
BTW I went to UW as a minority student from NJ and had no issues–many friends. IV has far less to do within walking distance and SB is very $$$$$.
Most students only stay in the dorms for a year so the dorm food issue if it exists is brief.
@barrons That is a good point. Also, It is so wild the difference in cost of living between SB and Madison. I was completely awed at the low prices in Madison when I visited haha!
Wisconsin definitely has issues, but I might violate the TOS if I go more deeply into them here, so I won’t.
@rosered55 I am intrigued… issues of what nature?