University of Wisconsin-Madison Visit Report by fndrplayer8

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: No - Was already admitted at the time

Information Session: Yes - L&S Honors Information Session. Very informative and only ran about 25 minutes. Go if you have time. Small group and allowed to ask questions (and hear responses to yours and others!)

Campus Tour: Yes - Campus walking tour ran about 2 hours. You see the Southern (city) part of the campus but hardly any of the Lake Shore area. Great for prospective undergrads. VERY HELPFUL.

Classroom Visit: Yes - Sort of -- Was able to just peek into a few classes -- nothing formal, though

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Campus:

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Friendliest students I've ever met. Every single student I met seemed bursting with happiness to be at Wisconsin. That includes students I met when I did my own wandering too while trying to &quo

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Same deal with the staff of UW. Everybody wanted to help and make sure you had a nice visit. Professional and well-disposed

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Unbelievably gorgeous. By far the most beautiful campus I've ever seen (UM, UChicago, NAU, ASU, UofA, UT - Austin, Northwestern, Baylor, etc)

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Very clean, no trash. All walking paths were well maintained. Shrubbery and lawns were all perfectly trimmed and looked appealing. Campus is very new overall, and the older buildings have aged well.

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Lake Shore and South dorms all seem very nice. The community bathrooms are frustrating, but have all the modern amenities. The only truly awful dorm, Ogg Hall, is being torn down this summer.

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Emergency stations throughout campus. Escort service w/ Male and Female available at night if you don't feel safe Madison is one of the safest cities in the country, and the UW campus is no excep

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The best campus I've seen. Outstanding in every single way imagineable. You will not find better.

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Off-Campus:

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Madison has been named the country's best place to live for a reason. State Street is outstanding, as is the area surrounding the capitol. Reminds me of a small European city.

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Very friendly and diverse. People seem accepting of just about anyone. Again, Madison is an amazing city with plenty of great eateries and things to do. There's always something to see or do.

Campus Visit Notes for University of Wisconsin-Madison

Visit Description:

The campus is, to put it succinctly... the best I've ever seen. Incredible.

I got to the capitol at about 10 am. First I walked around the capitol and then down state street (state street is an absolute 100% must on your trip. You're not seeing the college completely if you're not seeing state st.... plus try the coffee/food at fair trade coffee.. it's amazing). From there I walked up Bascom Hill and checked out the stuff that people were up to. Lots of kids just hanging out with friends or what looked like classes or groups of something sitting in a big circle and having a discussion. There was a huge white banner students had made with the Virginia Tech logo that people were coming up and signing to give their support. From Bascom I hung a left and walked all the way out to picnic point (which is AWESOME btw, I *highly* recommend it if time allows), then I walked back through the medical complex, past kohl, all the lake shore dorms, the social sciences buildings, etc. After that I went to South Hall on Bascom Hill for an information session on the L&S Honors program. Following the lovely little info session, I went on a nice walking tour. The walking tour really only shows you the heart of campus. It won't show you the lake shore area as much. The tour does, however, take you through the southern dorms (where they show you a dorm room), the Business hall, all sorts of different math, physics, astronomy, agriculture, and science buildings. You get a glimpse of the football stadium and then you round about through the Lake Shore area VERY quickly.

Overall the campus is so great. After the tour was over I turned in my $100 enrollment deposit in person. I wasn't 100% decided on UW until I'd visited. But when I finally had, the decision was so easy. Then I went and paid my $250 housing deposit.

The experience has been incredible. The city is impressive, the kids seem really happy, the campus is beautiful in almost every aspect, and most importantly, the academics are some of the best in the nation.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

Don't bother with the Hotel Madison East. Expedia says it's 3.5 miles from campus, it's actually about 10. Great, great place though if you don't mind the drive/cab ride/bus ride.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Great Italian restaurant by the capitol. Tutti something or the other. Great Gnocci. Free Trade Coffee Shop on State St is excellent. Good food and coffee.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

Taxis can be expensive. Seems like I paid $20 everytime I got into one to go just 10 miles. Bus system is good. Capitol is stunning. DO NOT DRIVE unless you want to search for parking for a LONG time.