NYU or UW-Madison???

I recently got off of NYU’s waitlist and I’m majoring in mathematics right now although I’m really unsure of which science to go into, it’s really between math and biology. I don’t know which school has better math and science programs please help I only have 72 hours to decide.

Both schools are highly ranked in Math. While you can quibble about reliability of departmental rankings as translated to the undergrad experience, UW and NYU are close together in rankings. World Ranking has UW Math at #8 and NYU #9 in the US while US News (whose departmental rankings I really don’t credit much, but, in any event) has UW at 15 and NYU at 7. An undergrad can rest assured that there will be brilliant faculty in each department and each school.

Beyond that, entirely different college environment, from UW with the quintessential college town, with Big 10 sports, the state capital, State St, Lake Mendota etc. to NYU’s “the City is your campus” feel, with no significant collegiate sports presence. Which do you prefer? Is one much more affordable than the other (NYU rarely is, for most families).

Right, both schools will be more than strong enough for STEM at the undergraduate level. What should matter most is what type of college experience you desire and costs.

What’s the net cost at each?
(tuition, fees, room, board) - (grants, scholarship) = …

If you need to compare your aid packages and costs, here is a good calculator for that. https://finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml

I’ve been at both institutes and had similar interests - math and biology, although I did math only while in Wisconsin - and biology at both places. Very different college experiences. For an undergrad experience, I probably would choose Madison. Academically, at an undergrad level, I doubt there is a perceivable difference in the math programs. In terms of biological sciences, there is more breadth at Wisconsin. I think the NYU med school is a notch higher, and they have some superstar biomedical researchers (with new facilities in which they have invested significantly), but Wisconsin excels in undergraduate biology instruction - with storied programs in genetics, biochem, and cancer biology as well as excellence in zoology. Wisconsin also has strengths in chemistry and chemical engineering not replicated at NYU. NYU certainly has standout areas (e.g. business).

Cost-wise, if out of state and not receiving financial aid, UW has to be less. NYC is a great place to spend time in one’s life, and while I have a great deal of affection for NYU, I think the overall breadth of academic strength and college type experiences (like attending big time college athletic events) just isn’t replicated at NYU. At UW, one does need to fend for one’s self a bit as an undergrad in freshman and sophomore years, but that’s the same in any large college setting (NYU’s undergrad enrollment isn’t much smaller).

Update us where you go in the end. Good luck with your decision.

Agree with ridingthewave. Wisconsin has long been famous for biomedical research – look up the origins of the blockbuster drug, warfarin, for starters. NYU is also excellent, but not superior to Wisconsin.

Regarding math, NYU’s Courant Institute is world-class, but you should inquire as to whether and to what degree you’d interact with the Courant people as an undergrad. Wisconsin’s math department is also one of the best in the US.

For an undergrad, the numbers suggest that there’s probably not a major difference in quality of instruction, class size, access to great math professors, etc. Again, you should validate this by talking to students and professors. Start with the Undergraduate Math Program Advisor for each school.

Here’s a comparison of Math programs by the numbers:

of Undergrad General Mathematics (not Applied Math) Degrees, 2017

(as reported to the Nat’l Center for Educ’n Statistics)
Wisconsin: 170
NYU: 107

of Faculty who have been selected to be Members of the American Mathematical Society:

Wisconsin: 23
NYU: 24

(estimated, per the department website): Total estimated Tenure-Track Faculty
Wisconsin: 56
NYU: 76

Estimated Ratio of Math Graduates to T-T. Faculty; to AMS Members
Wisconsin: 3.0; 7.4
NYU: 1.4; 4.4

You can’t go wrong with either one. Your decision should turn on whether you want a super-urban experience, with all the excitement, noise (and risk) of living in downtown Manhattan, or a pleasant midwestern medium-sized town, with all the social opportunities afforded by a large flagship state university.

Put it this way: on the weekends, when you’re not cracking the books, would you rather be going out to nightclubs in Manhattan or going to fraternity/sorority/other undergraduate parties on the Madison campus?

Good luck - you can’t go wrong either way.

^ And do you care about school spirit.

At NYU, you will be going to school in NYC while at UW, you would be going to school at Wisconsin.

I personally would choose Madtown for the college experience and live in NYC as a working young adult.

Let’s not forget NYC offers much more than just nightclubs on the weekends!

But I agree it’s all about the college experience one wants. It interests me how people on CC assume all kids want the “college spirit” experience, which largely seems to translate to “sport”. (My daughter specifically didn’t want a college like that - small towns, big sports and big Greek life were all negatives for her - and had NYU as her number one choice.) So yes if OP wants the excitement of the big city with not only clubs but also Broadway and off-Broadway, museums etc (NYU students get free or discounted admission to many cultural attractions) and doesn’t care much about sport, NYU is it. If OP prefers the “traditional” college campus, as many here seem to assume, UW is the place.

Check both schools the classes they both offer and see if they are more interested. If you like school spirit go to UW