<p>My son is trying to narrow down his choices. He was accepted at Wisconsin but he's never been to Madison and might not have time to visit before he makes his decision. We know it's a great school, that it gets cold in the winter, that Madison is one of the best-rated cities, and that Wisconsin is large.</p>
<p>Can those of you for whom Wisconsin is your first choice drive home what it is about Wisconsin that makes it your first choice?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Anyone that is not from the Midwest (like me - I'm from New Jersey) who travels to the Midwest will immediately feel a better sense of community in the Midwest. Frankly put, people are just so much more nicer and curtious in the Midwest - I'm not sure why, but I guess familiy and reaching out to people mean more to those people then here in the northeast (where people are pretty vitrolic to each other unfortunately). That's something that really grabs me about Wisconsin. A few years back when the 100th anniversary for Harley Davidson was held in Milwaukee (I believe the company's HQ) over 100,000 bikers came to the city for a great time (my dad was lucky enough to be randomly selected to ride in the parade!!). Now these are people with long hair and beards (like my dad) who would normally intimidate most people - most people think they are losers and uncivilized and such because they really dont know. But the people in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin were so welcoming to people they never met, despite the fact they looked "different". That would NEVER happen in NJ. It's those stories of community and welcoming that make me want to go to Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Of course, if your a facts person, US Newsweek has rated Wisc.-Madison a top 5 US public school and it is great for scientific research. Those are the top two things that grab me.</p>
<p>My son got into NYU, GWU, and Johns Hopkins. He chose Wisconsin and loves it. He's never looked back. The school has everything. Madison is a wonderful enviroment, the school is highly rated, has a strong faculty, and currently the sports teams are strong. (if your kid is into that sort of thing.)We are from the west and he has not had any adjustment difficulties.</p>
<p>I'm a senior and applied to UW. I used to live in Madison.<br>
Madison is an absolutely wonderful city. The people are very liberal and the UW campus is beautiful! Not to mention huge.<br>
I would choose UW because it's a good school, academically speaking, the campus is beautiful, the city is awesome-very livable, there is so much to do. Since it's such a big school, you can find all kinds of people. State St. (a street on campus) offers all kinds of cuisines. Of course, everyone knows UW is a party school, so if you're into parties, i'm sure you won't have a hard time finding some.
The only downsides are that freshmen classes tend to be huge. You probably won't get any kind of individual attention with the professors. Same thing with the student population in general, it is very big and you might feel lost among the crowd. As mentioned, the campus is huge, and it might take 15-20 mins just to walk from one of your classes to the next. The weather in Madison does get very cold and there is a lot of snow.. but it's not too bad. You might have to be more of a winter person to like it though. </p>
<p>The best things I love about UW is the big beautiful campus, the diversity within the city, and good academics!</p>