<p>I graduated from grad school from UW and my wife and I lived there for five years. Then, my wife went to Ross for her MBA at UM and I worked for the University.</p>
<p>Both of our preferences in terms of quality of life, campus, and attitude was UW and Madison. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with Ann Arbor or UM. In our opinion, the big difference is in the attitude. To generalize, Ann Arbor and UM is a “wine and cheese” place, whereas Madison and UW is a “beer and brats” place. We just felt more comfortable with the beer and brats crowd in Madison.</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, you can receive a world class education at either place or you could fart away your education at either place. My advice is to go to the University where you feel that are most likely to succeed.</p>
<p>Hope that helps a little.</p>