University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fell in love with this campus and I’m glad I went here :)

UW — MADISON is one of the two universities I attended as an undergrad & three, if you include my graduate work. It is the best. I transferred here between semesters of sophomore year, never looking back. I changed majors twice, graduated in Economics. Don’t attend «the UW» if you don’t want to be challenged, broadened and well-​rounded in your analytical thinking. The school motto, includes the words «fearlessly sifting and winnowing,» and the UW lives up to it. There are a multitude of great majors here but I encourage perpective students to take advantage of a variety of disciplines. It’s an exceptional education opportunity. For those whining about the weather. you’re in Wisconsin for Pete’s sake. Yeah, winter is cold and snowy. join Hoofers and enjoy winter sports. The summers are relatively hot & humid. Enjoy lake Mendota, the school sits on. it. Yes, the seasons are pronounced. It’s why the flora and fauna are beautiful and diverse. Enjoy many great restaurants, bars and sports activities Madison and the U W campus offer. The UW isn’t for everyone. It doesn’t try to be. It isn’t easy to get accepted into or to graduate from, which is why a degree here carries weight, worldwide.

Came here for the prestigious school and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Met lots of great people and fell in love with Madison. Badger football games and summer nights at memorial union were highlights of my undergrad. On Wisconsin!

Nice campus to visit. It’s pretty big and I found it a little easy to get lost (it’s very spread out) but not bad.

For my 500^th Unilocal Review, it is only fitting that I review the biggest, baddest, more Badgeriffic school around… My alma mater: University of Wisconsin-​Madison.
When I started at the University, I thought I wanted to be an orthodontist or a psychologist. By the end of my first semester though, I had already changed my mind and decided on Journalism. It wasn’t until after I applied and got accepted to the the J-​School that I realized what a top notch program it was — 3^rd in the nation! Talk about lucking out. I got a second major in Political Science as well.
I think I undersold how fabulous the school was initially because my dad was always taking me there as a kid when he was working on his PhD. I literally grew up playing in the stacks at Helen C. White and Memorial Libraries. I didn’t want to go to a school that I knew so well when it was time for me to go to college, but after scoring an academic scholarship I «caved.» I am so happy that I did — the best decision of my life!
Thanks to the UW, I am on my second great career (first as a TV Reporter and Radio Host, now as a Marketing Director/​Community Manager) and have a network of great friends I would have never met — friends who continue to rock out with me «Badger-​style» at a moments notice. We’ve been together through weddings, kids, passings, etc. and have memories of college as our anchor. Nothing like reminiscing on the good old days.
While the school is in DESPERATE need of more people of color, the small community there is tightknit and very welcoming, which helps. Also — the instructors and professors are absolutely wonderful, especially Prof. Hoyt, Prof. Pat Hastings, Prof. Lew Friedland, and Prof. Katy Culver (the latter two of which I still keep in contact with almost 10 years after graduation because they’ve been such wonderful mentors and supporters — how many students at other schools can say that?).
Regarding the campus itself, you can’t get any better. It really is as picturesque as it sounds nestled between three calming lakes, walking distance to the Capital and surrounding square, and a stretch of all things college-​y and awesome known as State Street. And don’t even get me started about Homecoming or Halloween weekends?! Even if you are not a student there, you should visit then for real for a great time!
Winters are evil, evil, evil. However, even with that fact, going to a school as wonderful as this one with an unmatched academic reputation and a social life to match, I say just bundle up and take advantage of spiked hot chocolate or spiked hot cider like any true Badger would. ON WISCONSIN!!!

I am a proud Badger alumni and I have to pay homage to the university that helped shape me into the person I am today.
UW-​Madison is a gorgeous campus, peaceful, serene, and who can deny the beauty that is Bascom hill in the summertime? I lived above Jamba Juice on State St. and every morning would walk to class down State, stop at a food cart in library mall, and trek up Bascom to classes.
Professors at UW-​Madison are top notch. They are all a student can ask for. I never had a professor I didn’t like, and they all taught me something valuable during my time as an undergrad.
I worked at College Library, and the Alumni Foundation, and had the fortune of having wonderful supervisors who knew my priority as a student was school, and gave me all the flexibility I needed in order to work and get good grades. At College Library I was even allowed to come in and work between classes. I could not have asked for a better job in college.
The intellectual and cultural atmosphere on this campus is top notch. The best feeling in the world was walking into a coffee shop on State and hunkering down to study with an entire café filled with fellow students, and professors grading papers. I spent plenty nights studying until 3am and sauntering into College Library to sleep on the 3^rd floor until my exams at 9am. This campus is so conducive to student life with two huge libraries and one open 24 hours for all of us late nighters. I lived in College Library during finals.
The night life… well, any Badger knows just how crazy, amazing, fun the night life on campus is. I will never forget Frida’s, Casbah, Kimia Lounge, Mondays, Ginos, and so many more. Let’s face it, State Street itself is just one big party spot if one chooses to partake.
Badger football… Need I say more?
Excellent outdoors activities, running trails, live bands on the terrace, socializing in the famous union terrace chairs, Union South, memorial library, and some of the best restaurants in the nation.
A proud Badger, indeed.

Too big.
Too spread out.
Lousy climate.
Over rated for under grads
That being said, the part of campus along Lake Mendota great in the summer.
fun to visit but I could only take one year.
And now very expensive.
Better for grad school.

The best college in America, period. Of course all of us Alumni are a bit biased. But having visited several other colleges in the big ten in the past couple of months with a soon to be freshman, I have an even greater appreciation for the things that Madison and Wisconsin unique including the location on the lake, mix of historic buildings as well as state of the art buildings, not one but two fabulous student unions and everything within walking distance.

As a current student at the University of Wisconsin-​Madison, I can say that I cannot imagine my life without experiencing the UW. This school was just recently ranked the 41^st best university in the world. The academics, wide range of courses and talented professors encourage students to succeed. There is «something for everyone» at this school. Here is a list of unique opportunities that students at this school are offered…
1. Camp Randall and Badger Football
2. Bascom Hill
3. State Street
4. Greek Life
5. Huge, lively campus
6. Wide variety of students
7. Thousands of student organizations (go to the Student Org Fair!)
8. Kohl Center
9. Free workout facilities
10. University Health Services
11. The gorgeous lake
12. Memorial Union Terrace
13. Union South (bowling, rock climbing, who could ask for more?!)
14. Hundreds of internships offered in the Madison area
15. Constant political activity
Students attending this University are offered so many opportunities that the average college student does not. If wondering where to attend college, strongly consider Madison. It is an unbelievable college town.

I’m a proud Badger alum of both Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in the Dept. of Kinesiology. I could write on and on about how great the University was to me, but I’ll keep it short and simple.
Academics: some of the best, if not the best professors in the world, and world class research being conducted on a daily basis.
Sports: there is nothing like experiencing a game day atmosphere at Camp Randall. I’ve been to other college football stadiums and nothing compares to The Camp, period! Bar none the best college football atmosphere in the world!
College Life: well, you just have to experience it for yourself, there is nothing like Madison in the world.

I paid these guys $ 75,000 for a piece of paper with a stamp on it. They told me it was supposed to get me a job but it isn’t working and they won’t let me return it.

I have to echo the sentiments of my fellow Badgers as I am certainly a very proud Badger alum. I spent four glorious years here and while I could write a book… I’ll keep this review to a few crucial points.
1) The campus is gorgeous. It is. If you can fall in love with this campus in the dead of winter (like I did) it gets even better when the weather warms up. You’ll see a varied mix of old and new buildings and facilities which really add to the character of the school.
2) Academics are no joke here. Seriously. Yes, Badgers can drink but we also studied very hard too. I attended the business school (you have to apply for admission during your sophomore year) and it was a really great program.
3) Hungry? Thirsty? Seeking shopping? Want to go boating on the lake? Madison has you covered. So many bars, restaurants, cool boutiques and lovely lakes surround you here.
I’ll always have a soft spot for Wisconsin and proudly sport my Bucky sweatshirt, now and forever.

Here is my rating for the various schools I attended at the UW.
Ag Journalism 5 stars
Botany 5 stars
Horticulture 5 stars
Mathematics 5 stars
Physics 5 stars
Environmental Conservation 5 stars
Agriculture 4 stars
Comp Sci 4 stars
Education 4 stars
Arts, acting, drawing, painting 3 stars
Zoology 3 stars
Economics 3 stars
These are just my ratings from my experiences and obviously do not represent other people’s experiences with these schools.
Obviously I had some bad experiences with art, zoo and econ.

Some highly-​sensitive genius flagged my review of my alma mater. So Unilocal HQ removes it and tells me that «it is not relevant, specifically lacks a substantive first-​hand experience.»
EXHIBIT A | My previous review:
This is where I earned a degree in Design, and learned valuable skills that I use to compose belligerent emails to people:
Dear So and So:
Tonight I come bearing gifts, you stupid self-​absorbed ingrate.
Here it is:
~o~
~o~ wwv
~~ _/\_~o~
_​/​_​_​_\_
_​/​_​_​_​_​\_​_​
_​_​_​_​_​/​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​\_​_​_​_​_​_​
|ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ|
|LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL|
It’s a shit on a cracker.
I hope you choke on it.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Oh BOO HOO. Hello. This is my beloved university where I most definitely had a lot of FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE during my 4 years there. My previous review is not intended to offend anyone even though it shows a lovingly composed diagram of feces on a cracker… and while it didn’t have too many words, it still said something about my real experience there.
If I MUST inject some «useful» info in this review, here it is: I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. I think that plainly says that you can get an Art degree there with a concentration in graphic design. They don’t teach you how to draw turds on crackers, but it’s still an environment that nurtures your creativity, however which way you want to do with it. Save the world and design elaborate 64-​page annual reports for nonprofit organizations or design the next identity that exceeds what Paul Rand did or perhaps draw poo with flies and stink waves on Unilocal.
It’s not often that you associate good fine art programs with state universities, but UW has impressive offerings. The Art Department weirdly belongs to the School of Education. Don’t let that distract you. US News & World Report ranked UW #1 among Best Education Schools (in Curriculum & Instruction). The graduate program in Printmaking (lithography, serigraphy, etching/​intaglio, woodcut, linocut, etc.) is also ranked #1 in the country.
They don’t offer minors there, but you can always double or triple major in something. It’s a state university, so they are required to admit a good number WI residents who are within a broad GPA range. The ones who can’t handle the academics usually drop out out in the first year. As one of the Public Ivys, the tuition is still by far cheaper than Ivy Leagues.
The lakes are beautiful, the winters are frigid, there are still urban young beggars and drunks on State Street, and come spring, all the unscooped dog doo are exposed when the snow melts. But overall, it’s a fantastic place to do some real larnin’ that gets you jobs after you graduate, unlike the boat loads of MBA & law school hacks who are now on The Apprentice.
Well, I hope you learned something from my wonderful review. Pop quiz tomorrow.

Go Bucky!!! I’ve always wanted to be a Badger and am proud to be one!

There is no other school in Wisconsin that can compare; the joke about UW-​Madison only needing two people to screw in a light – one to do it and the other to say they did it just as well as an Ivy League? Truth, because we are just as good as an Ivy League – if not better.
We’ve got everything anyone can ask for: a crapton of bars, a huge legacy, great sports, safe environment (note: crime other than petty thefts usually happen at the beginning of the year each year – and they’re usually caught within a week or two of occurring), and a huge variety of things to study.
Did Harvard produce the discovery of stem cells? No. Did Yale manage to come up with Warfarin, a very commonly used blood thinner? No. Did Princeton come up with the Onion? Hell no!
The only thing I regret about this school is that I spent the first year of college at St. Norbert College upstate – what a waste. I’ve received so much more out of this school and I’m going to be spending my last year soaking up all the sweet Badger-​ing that I can.
On, Wisconsin!

I am a proud Badger alum (with one of those pesky liberal arts degrees), and I wholeheartedly adore this school.
It really has the whole package as far as a university goes: beauty, brains, athletics and antics.
First, the campus is incredible, sandwiched between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. It’s pedestrian and bike-​friendly, and most students don’t have cars. I usually biked to class, most of which were held in Van Hise, a fairly unattractive piece of architecture. The more historic buildings are much nicer (they are always doing construction to build or upgrade something or another). I used to study at Helen C. White library and play frisbee on Bascom Hill between classes. And spending an evening at the student union or The Rathskeller… or better yet, on the Terrace itself, listening to music, playing cards, drinking beer and watching the sailboats (or that one boat that looks like a vintage car)… it’s heaven.
I lived in the Sellery dorms, which are these outdated high-​rise buildings, but I loved it. They had everything a college kid needed, including cute boys. The campus food was nothing special, except that Ed’s would make these delicious mint-​Oreo blizzards, and they delivered pizza, nachos, sandwiches and even Raisinets right to your dorm door if it was too cold to go outside. Pop’s was the standard cafeteria, and I don’t know how many of us ended up accidentally stealing those huge pink water glasses… I may still have one. After the dorms, there are lots of slumlords in Madison who will be happy to have you from sophomore until senior year. :)
Obviously, I’m aware of UW’s reputation as a party school, but I kind of embrace it. The student body at Madison is generally bright, fun and has it together, so much so that they can party from Thursday ’til Sunday and still make it to class on time.
As far as academics, I think the language programs are some of the best in the country. They offer more languages here than at most (if not all) American universities. I majored in Spanish Literature, and I liked my program a lot, though there were one or two tenured teachers that were a little unorthodox. I also took a lot of science classes for my pre-​med requirements (there’s no actual pre-​med major here though). I absolutely my physiology and anatomy classes (the lab was with real cadavers, which is pretty cool for undergrads) and didn’t love physics… the rest of the science classes fell somewhere in between. I didn’t take advantage of having a major adviser as much as I should have, but I’m sure that there are some great mentors in all of the UWs departments.
Last, I have to talk about Badger football, because there is really nothing like being in the stands of Camp Randall on a fall afternoon (or even being outside the stands, playing flip-​cup with your friends’ alumni parents under the falling leaves). Everybody is wearing red and everybody knows the cheers and everybody sings the songs… and everybody knows when to jump around. It’s a crazy feeling to be part of something so big. I’m getting chills just thinking about it.
On Wisconsin!

UW-​Madison is what college should look and be like. The first time I visited, I decided right then and there, this is where I was going to school. You’ve got lakes, pretty old buildings, a hip, fun downtown strip, awesome sports to watch and more. Love, love love.

Me give this place 4 years of me life and $ 50,000 and all me get is piece of paper that say «Numen Lumen» at top. It supposed to be proof of wealth of knowledge that me absorb but guess what? Everybody else on planet take one look and know me no learn jack. They all like, «Liberal arts degree? Thank you, but that position has already been filled,» or «Isn’t a poli sci major just a philosophy major who doesn’t live in his parents basement?» Not me fault! Advisor tell me that it really not matter which major me choose! Engineering students they all get six figures and Ferrari 599’s and seven girlfriends even though they nerds. But no one else want to go to Engineering Building because they hear rumor it house of sin. So I spend all me time in upside-​down Humanities building wondering why it upside-​down, and trying to find hidden eleven in Big Ten logo, and now me poor.
By the way, when I went there the biggest celebrity in town was Scanner Bob. Is he still around?

Go Bucky! Are you kidding me? Be True to Your School. It’s got to get 5-​Stars!
After trying two other schools (Sarah Palin still has me beat!) I met my mentor, bassist Richard Davis, and the rest is history. Yes, a true mentor/​apprentice relationship based on daily contact. Not the «mentor» relationship some American Idol kids call listening to someone’s CDs and mimicking them. My mentor woke daily at 4a.m. Sometimes he would call me at 6:30a.m., wake me up, and ask what I was doing. «Practicing» was always my sleepy answer and he never called B.S. He gave me the keys to his office as a Grad student and I never took advantage of it… save for the few times I spent hours listening to his extensive jazz LP collection. A Love Supreme never sounded so good!
Political Correctness (PC) was de rigeur when I transfered there, and UW was the hotbed center of it all, for better and for worse.
Chancellor Donna Shalala (later Clinton’s Secretary of Health and Human Services) presided over my Undergraduate graduation ceremonies.
A Top-​notch research school, we didn’t have to rely on our sports teams to be the sole attention of our University. But Barry Alvarez brought the Football Badgers to the Rose Bowl in 1994, ’99, and 2000. Ron Dayne won the Heisman Award in ’99. Cha! And when we owned a team’s ass, like the UCLA Bruins, we were confident enough to not have to root against them, in games that didn’t matter to us.
Our Marching Band high steps. Yours does not. Our Marching Band kicks your marching band’s ass. During Fifth Quarter, too. Does your school even know how to Polka???
Sections O-​P.
And although having a 35,000 student body doesn’t hurt, Madison’s reputation as a state Capitol and a great place to live just added to our quality of life while at UW.
Lake Mendota and Lake Monona– beautiful places for water sports during the summer, and XX skiiing and ice fishing in the winter.
Bike lanes– bikes rule in Madison. Cars do not.
The UW Rathskellar and Terrace. The German style Rathskellar provided ample space for eating, studying, debating, wasting time, drinking beer, watching bands for free. And the Terrace, overlooking Lake Mendota, provided all of the same in a beautiful outdoor setting.
Be True to Your School! Go Big Red!