University of Wisconsin-Madison Visit Report by stuckinillinois

Visit Activities:

Information Session: Yes

Campus Tour: Yes

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Campus:

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The mini fridges makes this a 4.

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Off-Campus:

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Campus Visit Notes for University of Wisconsin-Madison

Visit Description:

Visit Description: Information Session- The info session was pretty standard. They played a video of four UW seniors who ravished the university with praise. Afterwards, the officer presented a powerpoint with all the info a student could need. Quick Q and A session followed. Pretty good job, nothing spectacular.

Campus Tour- Very long tour (2 hours) that showed how massive UW's campus is. Tour guide was friendly, provided great info, and talked to students individually when we came to a building related to their intended major. Also, open to questions at any time and gave well informed responses.

Friendliness/Courtesy of Students- A lot of students kept their head down and went about their own business. Some screamed out, "Go Badgers" or "Wisconsin rules!" when our group passed by. My dad and I asked a few students for directions and they were polite and nice. Overall, if you don't talk to them the students seem cold and arrogant, but that isn't the case when you approach them.

Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff- Didn't meet any staff members, though all of the people working in the Red Builidng were kind.

Appearance of Campus- UW Madison is integrated into downtown Madison, and I liked that. It wasn't congested and closed off.

Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness- UW does a lot of construction and with good reason. There are some nice new buildings on campus, but the majority are older, plain looking buildings.

Dormitories- Average. The one dorm we saw in Sellery Hall was a standard two person dorm. Upside is that all dorms have included mini fridges.

Security/Safety- They have good escort services for those two and half miles and closer to campus. For those further away, they have a cab service that can be used four times a semester. Also, there were blue security buttons and police officers who respond within 90 seconds of your pressing of the button.

Overall Campus Impression- I was impressed. Madison revolves around the Badgers and that constant school spirit is infectious. The campus may need renovation in some areas, but overall it looked good. It's nice to have Mendota right next to campus (even better to have lakeshore residential halls). You will get a workout walking to classes at UW Madison, but that's a plus for fitness enthusiasts.

Area Immediately Around Campus- It's in a little city, so some areas are great and others not so great. We didn't hit any ghettos, and most areas I'd be fine walking by.

City/Town/Community- Look above for my opinion on Madison.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments- My dad and I had coffee at Coffeebytes before the info session. My mocha latte was very good. It was a chill area to study and relax. Didn't eat campus food. They do have an ice cream shop with products made from on-campus dairy, which seemed pretty cool.

Other (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.)- Parked in a garage a block from Red Building. Affordable, it was $1.10 an hour.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to UW-Madison. It was more of a close school afterthought, but now I definitely could see myself attending UW. It offers top notch programs and good research opportunities (that come with most big universities). Students looked like they wanted to be there and Madison offers plenty of entertainment for students. This visit puts Madison as my number one school. Great experience and hopefully I can return next fall to see a football game before I apply.