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.”