Why Choose UW-Madison?

College could be one of the most stressful words in a young adult’s life, or at least it was in mine.  You had to choose between thousands of universities to decide the fate of the rest of your life.  So many thoughts ran through my mind.  Do I go in-state?  Should I pick the hard school that won’t be fun?  What am I going to major in?  All these questions had to be answered before I decided my path for the next four years.  Finally I found the school that was me, and I would never change a thing now that I attend it.  UW-Madison was the perfect choice.  

            Now that I attend UW-Madison, I realized there is no other school like it.  The combination of academic opportunities, social life, and school sports is unlike any other college.  To top off this school, it is located in the city of Madison, which is always alive.  Seeing State Street on a beautiful day or Camp Randall on game day is something everyone should experience.  The teachers are some of the best in the country, and the school provides a good, strong education in every major from Astronomy all the way to Zoology.  Nightlife is unexplainable until you have visited the school yourself.  UW-Madison is a life changing experience, and I believe any person that gets accepted should seriously consider attending this university.  My blog is called, “Why Choose Madison?” and I want people to share their social, academic, sports, and just overall experiences at UW-Madison to help those trying to decide their school.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Madison is notorious for its party reputation, but that isn’t even the start to why I enjoy the social life.  The friends you meet going to a school of 42,000 is unforgettable.  I live on floor ten of Sellery Hall with 31 guys and 32 girls.  This seems like a lot, but you get to know all of them.  If you want to go shop on State Street, watch a badger game, or go out for a night of fun, it is all outside your door.  The city has anything and everything in walking distance of the dorms.  I have been at this school for a whole semester and still feel as if I haven’t done everything I want. 

            People say that the schools social life only suits students that drink, but this is far from the truth with all the events that go on.  If you are not much of a drinker, go to the Orpheum or Majestic for a concert.  Madison is one of the biggest hotspots in the U.S. for concerts with headliners almost every weekend.  I have already been to Wiz Khalifa, Sam Adams, and Goo Goo Dolls in the short time of being here.  There’s also sporting events going on constantly between football, hockey, soccer, and basketball, which have all won a National Championship.  The Badger sports tradition is unlike any other school.  Streets of Madison on football game day explode with red and white all heading to the historic Camp Randal built in 1917.  The student section is the place to be between the chants, the wave, and the ever so lively 3^rd quarter intermission.  Every 3^rd quarter intermission the student section turns into a jumping dance party with the song “Jump Around” blaring from the speakers.  The school spirit and atmosphere is an experience I’m glad I didn’t miss.  

"Jump Around" Badger Fan Tradition

One of the best moments of my life was the Ohio State vs. Wisconsin game.  The Wisconsin underdogs scored on the opening kickoff, and the fans made sure that was game from that point on.  Badger fans crushed the Buckeyes confidence with the roar of the crowd.  We all stormed the field after we won 31-18.  The city was more than alive that night, between after parties and people celebrating.  It didn’t matter where in Madison you were from, the city was one, and everyone was a friend.  This moment will always be a highlight of my life.

If the party life is what you’re into, I found out this is the place to be.  This doesn’t mean students aren’t smart and never study, but they enjoy their free time when they have it.  Work hard, play hard is the motto of the majority of the students.  Monday through Thursday/Friday, depending on your schedule, is business, but once the weekend starts, the party begins.  Friends gather in the dorms and go out on the town for the night to make memories.  There’s Langdon Street, known as frat row, where fraternities host huge parties that are sometimes exclusive or open for everyone.  People flock here to take part in dancing, drinking games, and socializing.  If Langdon is dead or just getting old, I’ve noticed the students go to house parties all around town.  You could pick any street, and you’ll see a house with people pouring out of it screaming and laughing.  As you walk into these parties, you see people waiting in line for the $5 all you can drink keg, flirting and dancing with each other, playing drinking games, and just all around craziness.  UW-Madison didn’t get in the top ten party schools out of luck.  This is all good and fun, if you know how to manage your time.  You can’t let this scene take over your life, which I have seen in many of my friends.  Always choose school and studying first.

The Wisconsin Idea

Coming into UW-Madison, I was nervous about the huge class sizes, but it turned out to be to my benefit.  There may be hundreds of students in your lectures, but almost every class has a discussion once a week with 20 or less students in it.  On top of the discussion, all the teachers and TA’s have multiple office hours, where they are more than willing to help you one on one.  After realizing that I wouldn’t just be student #400 to my teacher, the classes started to come easy.  Many students are misinformed by being told the school is big, which means the classes are harder.  I almost think the school becomes easier because classes are graded on how the majority does.  All my teachers put a curve on tests and grades making classes and tests easier to pass.  Students thinking about UW-Madison should not be deterred by the big class sizes.  

Madison also has extremely helpful advisors who make sure you’re on the path you want.  I came into my freshman orientation with no idea on what I wanted to do or what classes I wanted to take.  In 30 minutes the advisors sorted out what classes I should take with my interests in engineering and business finance.  They handed me two different sheets explaining all the classes I needed for both programs, and my personal advisor even organized my schedule to buy me time.  The credits I’m taking this year fulfill both majors, and now I have till next year to decide.  UW-Madison has advisors that care about your future, and they add to the overall Wisconsin experience.

Mad-Town from Different Perspectives

I realized that I could be kind of egocentric, so I decided to interview two students about their experiences at Madison.  After rooming with a person who plays on the soccer team, I have learned a lot about the life of an athlete at Madison.  I have also met a student named Ralph Noordink, who is from Holland and decided to go to school in America.  To get the aspect of Madison from two different points of view, I decided to interview them both.  

Kyle Peterson Interview

Ralph Noordink's Opinion on UW-Madison

How do you like Wisconsin compared to Holland?

“Wisconsin has a couple of characteristics that I like better than Holland. For example, the space there is in this state is remarkable. The ways are so big; every house has a big yard. I am not used to this because in the Netherlands everything is very packed. A lot of people live in that small country: the roads are smaller; the cars are smaller; everything is smaller compared to here.  I also like the people that live here. Everybody is very optimistic whereas people in the Netherlands are often in a bad mood.  There are only two disadvantages of Wisconsin compared to the Netherlands.  I used to live at the beach so I really miss the sea and the sand.  It gets cold in the Netherlands but not as cold as here. I still like it now because it is new for me but after a couple of winters here I think it will start to annoy me.”
Is schooling hard here compared to Holland?

“Yes, the exams are way different than in the Netherlands. We don't have any multiple choice questions exams in the Netherlands. We have to write down our answers. Sometimes in little essay but mostly in a couple of sentences. The way of question asking is way different as well. I have the feeling that you have to give more descriptions of a term on an exam whereas we in the Netherlands don't do this. We do not have to describe literally the definition of a term but we have to show that we know the term by answering a question with help of for example a source (a text, political painting etc). Beside of that, I think that the general level of education at this particular university is higher than Dutch universities.”
Are you happy with your choice to come to UW-Madison?

“Yes definitely. Beside of the fact that I’m learning proper English and getting a good education, I enjoy my time here because of several things.  I like the big university with an exciting social life.  I really like to come in touch with American sports such as Football, Hockey, Baseball and Basketball.  I met a lot of cool friends who make my time a lot more fun.”
How is the social life at UW-Madison?

“The social life is excellent here. Like I said, I've met some cool friends and already planned to live with them next year. Especially because of them I forgot to miss my family back home!  I really enjoy the fact that we have state street were there is always something going on.  There are a lot of organizations where you can participate in next to school. I think that this makes life at the university much nicer as well.”

Blog Summary

I hope this blog shows all students that UW-Madison is the right choice.  The mix between sports, exciting environment, and outstanding academics is unique from any other school.  Please comment on my blog to share your Madison experience.  I hope this blog helps High School students decide if UW-Madison is the school for them.