Which res hall at UW-Madison?!?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
1

<p>Hello everyone!</p>

<p>So I will be attending UW-Madison next fall as a sophomore transfer student. I have spent hours researching all of the different living option (including many useful threads on this site), and have decided that I would definitely like to live on campus in the res halls for at least one year to really become a part of the community and meet many new friends. As for which dorm, I have a couple preferences:</p>

<p>1) I would like a single room if possible so that I can have a space that is truly my own. I know that this will be very difficult to get and the odds are slim, but it would be nice. This leads me to lean more Lakeshore than Southeast.</p>

<p>2) I'm not a huge party guy, but I won't be just sitting in my room all day either. On a scale of 1-10 (no partying at all-barely sober), I wanna say I'll be a 5 or a 6, I'd like to get out and check out the scene. This leads me to lean more Southeast than Lakeshore.</p>

<p>Aside from that, I'm pretty open minded. I plan on majoring in Engineering or Physics, and I understand that the Lakeshore seems to be a little bit closer, but I don't mind a little extra distance. Cost isn't really an issue, I don't mind paying extra for a single or a hall like Smith. The big thing seems to be that I'd like to have my privacy when I want it while still being able to go out and have fun a lot!</p>

<p>My biggest question is this. I know that the Southeast party hard, and the Lakeshore tends to be more quiet. Are there still a decent number of parties in the Lakeshore, and is it common that Lakeshore people will head over to Southeast to party?</p>

<p>With all this in mind, I obviously seem to like Adams, Tripp, and Smith more, and I hear that the transfer house will be moved to Adams next year. I am worried that were I to get into Adams or Tripp, the fact that they are on the Lakeshore and all single rooms will mean there will be less opportunities to get out. Otherwise, these three would be my top choices, what would follow depends on if I will be able to get out enough at the Lakeshore or not. And lastly, I have heard that Chadbourne and Barnard are off kind of in their own social circle, and I have seen the words "socially awkward" and "squares" (lol) thrown around. Is there any truth to this? Otherwise they seem to be in a prime location.</p>

<p>Sorry about the wall of text, just a lot of questions and concerns I have. Please give me your thoughts on the above stuff, and also any of your own opinions/personal experiences! </p>

<p>Thanks!!!</p>

2

<p>Even though the dorms have their stereotypes, there’s a lot of different people as well. So you will find people who like to party in all kinds of dorms. If you want to meet a lot of people who are sophmores and are also transfer student, I would suggest going with Adams since as you said it will be the transfer house. It may help you adjust to Madison better. And you can still go out and party if you want to. Smith also has a lot of sophmore students i believe.</p>

3

<p>Alright this is all good to hear, I was just worried because of a lot of the stuff that I was hearing and reading up on. Any other opinions/stories? I’m really excited to go, I wish I didn’t have to wait 9 months!</p>

4

<p>Barnard (part of Chadbourne Residential College) has singles, is centrally located and is close to the Physics building.</p>

<p>[CRC</a> | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc]CRC”>http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc)</p>

<p>Unique opportunity:</p>

<p>[CRC-Global</a> | University Housing at UW-Madison](<a href=“http://www.housing.wisc.edu/crc/global]CRC-Global”>Global Café is Back for Spring – University Housing – UW–Madison)</p>

5

<p>Hmmmm that does sound interesting! I did look into Barnard, it seems like a very nice place and it is really central in the campus. I didn’t know it’s close to the Physics building either, that’s a big plus. I did hear that Barnard along with Chadbourne is very anti-social for lack of a better term. I wouldn’t mind a little bit of a longer hike if it were to mean that I would be able to make more friends and get out more.</p>

6

<p>Good idea to live on camus in the dorms to start. </p>

<p>You need to eat and will run into people from dorms in your area at dining/snack places. You need to rank your priorities. As a sophomore you may want a dorm that is not filled with freshmen- that is why they have a transfer house, the rest of the dorms will be at least 50% freshmen. Is a Residential College geared more towards freshmen? Something to consider. You are likely to make friends in your classes. Some of the most popular dorms will have more sophomores- find out where returning students tend to sign up by asking Res Halls on the phone or by email. Liz Waters and Slichter come to mind as well as Adams and Tripp. As a sophomore you will still have classes all over campus- you don’t know which one will be first out your door. You can eat anywhere on campus so you don’t have to go back to your dorm area for meals. This helps as you meet people in classes and choose to get together. </p>

<p>Look at the location and building features that most appeal to you for after hours destressing. You will find people to be with no matter where you go if you make any effort. You will be able to change your rankings next spring.</p>

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<p>Thanks very much for the input, quite a lot to consider! I think right now I like Adams and Tripp the most, but out of the two it is a toss up.</p>

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<p>Agreed- they are basically the same design built the same time, next to each other…</p>