<p>I don't know which school I want to attend.... Help! which school do you think is better academically? socially? and generally better?</p>
<p>Miami University</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin Madison</p>
<p>UWM for sure.</p>
<p>Thanks! What gave UWM the upper hand?</p>
<p>UWM is the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.</p>
<p>OK. The University of Wisconsin-Madison. Happy now? ;-)</p>
<p>Wisky is just simply the better all around academic school.</p>
<p>Wisconsin- Miami offers a smaller environment with, perhaps, more undergraduate focus (at least that’s the spin), but the college experience is going to be better at UW and I give it the clear nod as far as academics.</p>
<p>*I don’t know which school I want to attend… Help! which school do you think is better academically? socially? and generally better?</p>
<p>Miami University</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin Madison *</p>
<p>Have you visited both?</p>
<p>What did you like about each school?</p>
<p>What is your major?</p>
<p>Are both schools equally affordable (you’re out of state for at least one of these schools).
Do you know for sure that you have the costs covered for both schools?</p>
<p>My S graduated from Miami and loved the experience. It is smaller with a focus on undergraduates and Oxford is a great little town. It has some newer facilities, particularly the business and psychology buildings, and has a stunning campus.</p>
<p>With that being said, even with my personal bias towards Miami, I would choose UW-Madison in a heartbeat. The only consideration would be if you felt the campus and student population was too large for you. If that is the case, than Miami may be a better personal fit.</p>
<p>My former Chief Executive (a New Yorker) is a Miami Ohio alum and is quite bliss about his time in Athens. Wisconsin Madison is a great university, but Miami is quite good also. I don’t believe a comparison between these two universities is quite apples-to-oranges, but they are very different, particularly in size and location. Determine your preferences.</p>
<p>“My former Chief Executive (a New Yorker) is a Miami Ohio alum and is quite bliss about his time in Athens”</p>
<p>Athens? Miami University is in Oxford. Ohio University is in Athens.</p>
<p>Whoops! The boss spent his undergraduate days in Oxford. Hope he doesn’t read CC.</p>
<p>I suspect that many Miami alums have spent numerous blissful evenings in Athens. :)</p>
<p>Ohio did a nice job of naming some of their college towns.</p>
<p>^^^ They might want to take another stab at naming Ohio Wesleyan’s town. 
</p>
<p>My DS was admitted to both schools last year - and they were his two final choices. For many, the decison ultimately comes down to whether you want to be at a 40,000 student university or a 16,000 student university. While Madison is a little higher ranked overall in USN&WR, the difference is not that much if you, or your child have a clear preference. And as mentioned earlier, Miami is tied for 2nd in the country for undergraduate teaching. </p>
<p>If you visit the campuses, you will quickly notice that they are in no way similar. Madison is a large urban city, the weather is extremely cold this time of year, and you will likely face the huge lecture hall and foreign TA treatment as a freshman. </p>
<p>Miami is a red brick Georgian campus with many quads in a small town in the rolling hills of southern Ohio. My son hasn’t had a class over 50 students and most are in the 20 -30 range. Without much effort, his professors know him. While still a 4 season part of the country, the weather is on average 10 - 15 degrees warmer than Madison.</p>
<p>As far as reputation, both schools are well regarded here in Chicago. At least at the giant bank that I work at in Chicago, there are more Miami alums in upper management than Wisconsin alums.</p>
<p>Point of the story - make the decision that is right for you. Don’t base it on USN&WR rankings (either overall or undergraduate teaching). Figure out which type of campus and lifestyle appeals to you. Good luck.</p>
<p>Maybe you should do your undergraduate at Miami and grad work at Wisconsin?</p>
<p>The political climate at Miami of Ohio is, generally speaking, more conservative than the political climate at Wisconsin. On the average, the kids at Miami are a bit preppier. FWIW. And it’s all relative - I’m not calling Miami a conservative school. Just more conservative than Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Both are great colleges. I’d choose Wisconsin for myself. :D</p>
<p>The facts on classes and class sizes are a bit more complex. UW does have more undergrad classes over 100 at 9.3% to 3.3% for MU. But UW also has more classes under 20 at 45% v. 32% while offering nearly 40% more classes overall (UG only). Overall UW nearly has more classes under 30 (68%) than MU has total classes.<br>
Size does have some other advantages too. More languages taught, more majors, more options in every way.</p>
<p>I concur with Moms observations about the general political climate. (Speaker Boehner’s district includes Oxford) I think “what should college look like” played a role in DS decision. A lot of family went to Notre Dame and Northwestern - so those were the types of campuses he grew up visiting. (Which are much more like Miami) Going into the process I thought he would pick Madison.</p>
<p>For political climate and campus atmosphere, my son preferred Miami.</p>