<p>I'm having a lot of trouble deciding which campuses I like better than others. What are the major factors one should look into to find a campus that is right for them?</p>
<p>You pretty much have to visit them. </p>
<p>For me, I like the closeness of a major city, not too far but not right in the middle of a busy metropolitan area with crime and other chaos. Outskirts of a big city could mean a beautiful campus, but at the same time, accessible to the modern world. </p>
<p>Also, buildings would have to be easy to find. Each part of the campus has to unique. Row after row of buildings is boring and may even lose newcomers. </p>
<p>Those are just two that came to my mind.</p>
<p>Not everyone falls in love with a school. This will put you in a great position when it comes time to choose because you can make a less emotional decision. Having said that, you probably will have an opinion about city, mid-sized town, or tiny town. You may also want to consider how important sports are to you: Do you want to attend the big game on Saturday? Are you an outdoorsy person? Do you want to be near water for kayaking or mountains for skiing or hiking? Do you need to be near an airport to get home if you are far away?</p>
<p>I guess I'll give a little detail. My two most likely colleges are Minnesota and Madison. i visited both. I went to MN with low expectations, thinking it would be very city-like. I was actually pretty impressed. Overall everything was very connected I thought. Buildings of different majors were close, dorms were seperated by majors/honors if needed, an underground tunnel system connected most buildings, there wasn't many busy roads, etc. I went to Madison with high expectations and was not that impressed. The capital area and lake were nice, but there were really busy roads, spereated buildings, not as nice architecture, more of a party atmosphere, etc. Madison has better academics by a little though. Even though I was impressed with MN, I still am not sure about which campus I like more. Overall, I didn't see a big difference, and I really do not have an idea of which is better for me. I am planning on engineering, and the programs are not much different.</p>
<p>If there is very little difference--go with the one that is less expensive. You can't be in-state for both. Good luck.</p>
<p>Actually MN and Wisconsin have reciprocity so cost is pretty much the same</p>
<p>^^Wish they did that in our region. Too many people here!</p>
<p>For me some of the things I look at and ask myself are:</p>
<p>How are the facilities in my major?
Do I feel safe?
Are the dorms adequate?
Are there nice dining options around campus?
Are there enough open lawn areas or just too much cement?
Is the campus too big or too small?
Are the campus buildings nicely spaced or right on top of each other?
Are there nice places to study around campus?
Do they allow bikes and, if so, is there enough room for them and pedestrians?
If they do NOT allow bikes, is it too hard to get from point A to point B?
Are the dorms too far away from most of my classes?
What will the campus be like in the winter time?
Do they have a good campus transport system?
Do they have a good transport system from campus into town or city?</p>
<p>This is a good article that I found that was written by a Yale student about what the factors that you should consider when making your college choice:</p>
<p>A</a> Year Later: What's Really Important in Choosing a College | myUsearch blog</p>