University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Students Say - Academics
The resources are phenomenal at University of Wisconsin-Madison. "If you are proactive, you basically have the means and resources to pursue any academic or creative feat," promises a journalism major. "The liberal arts majors are fantastic." However, Madison is mostly known as "an amazing research institution," and the hard sciences and engineering programs get most of the pub. They iodized salt here, after all, and cultivated the first lab-based embryonic stem cells. The school of business is "excellent" as well and boasts "some of the best facilities on campus." Overall the school runs surprisingly smoothly" despite some "red tape." Many lecture courses are large and "impersonal." But class sizes often "plummet" after the intro courses, and the academic atmosphere is "challenging." Madison "definitely makes you earn your grades." "Some professors are amazing, and some suck." Also, "a lot of the classes for the undergrads are taught by teaching assistants who are not so good." "It becomes clear within the first few weeks which of your professors actually have lectures that are worthwhile for you to attend, which is probably about half," suggests a first-year student.

Students Say - Campus Life
UW-Madison's "reputation as a party school" is legendary. Halloween and the Mifflin Street Block Party are epic. "The weekend pretty much starts on Thursday night" as the streets of Madison "fill to the brim with drunk co-eds." There are house parties and frat parties galore. "Getting up at 9:00 A.M." to "bong a few beers for breakfast" before football games in the fall is common, and "nothing-absolutely nothing-can beat being in the student section at a Badger home football game." "The stadium is usually full" for hockey games, too. However, "no one looks at you differently if you choose not to drink" or attend sporting events. And, for everyone, "if you don't have a strong dedication to your education, you will slip up." Beyond the party and sports scene, UW is "energetic" and mammoth. "No one's going to hold your hand and point you to what it is you want." At the same time, whoever you are, "there is a group for you and a ton of activities for you." Two daily student newspapers "serve as the penultimate example of free speech in action." UW's lakefront campus provides "gorgeous" scenery. Many of the buildings "aren't that appealing," though, and some dorms are "absolutely horrible." Off-campus, "having the streets crawling with the homeless isn't so great," but Madison is teeming with culture, "live music," "late-night coffee shops," and "exceptional" chow from around the globe.

Students Say - Student Body
Ethnic diversity at Madison is in the eye of the beholder. "If you're from a big city, it's pretty white," proposes a sophomore. "But, then again, I've met people here who had one black person in their high school and had never met a Jewish person." Without question, socioeconomic diversity flourishes. "There is a prevalent rivalry between [Wisconsin] students (sconnies) and the coasties who are generally wealthier and from the East or West Coast." "People from the Midwest think people from the coasts are stuck up. People from the coasts think people from the Midwest are hicks." Beyond that, it's impossible to generalize. "All types of people make up the student body here, ranging from the peace-preaching grass-root activist, to the protein-shake-a-day jock, to the overly privileged coastie, to the studious bookworm, to the computer geek," explains a first-year student. "There is a niche for everyone." "There are a lot of atypical students, but that is what makes UW-Madison so special," adds a senior. "Normal doesn't exist on this campus." Politically, "Madison is a hotbed for political and social debate." "Many people are passionate about many things, and it provides a great opportunity to see things from others' points of view." You'll find conservatives, but "left-wing, environmentally conscious nut jobs" who "stage protests" are more common.

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