Hi! I am a senior in high school and I am trying to decide between Richmond and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
I have been accepted to both, and I know they’re very different schools in a lot of ways (size, location, etc), but I am not really leaning towards one or the other, and I was wondering if a someone informed could help point me in the right direction. I’ve heard both schools are considered strong academically, but I was wondering about the quality of the professors and the alumni network. I am interested in business (maybe Econ or Marketing) and I also love the Spanish language and would definitely travel abroad.
I am a hardworking student, but I like to balance academics with my social life, and I would like to be able to have fun on the weekends. I would probably participate in Greek life at either school. I am a little nervous for rush, because I have heard it can be brutal at some schools, but I just want to join a community of girls who are generally friendly and welcoming.
Location-wise, I prefer Richmond geographically, because I am trying to break out of the Midwest for college. I also know the weather in Richmond is pretty mild compared to the freezing winters in Wisconsin. On the other hand, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to bring my car, and after visiting Richmond it was pretty clear you need a car to get anywhere. Wisconsin seemed walkable and there was a great variety of shops and restaurants nearby.
School spirit is also pretty important to me, and it seems like Wisconsin is ranked higher in this category. The idea of attending big sports games seems like so much fun. The fact that Wisconsin is so much bigger is a little overwhelming to me, but it could be good to step outside of my comfort zone (I attend a private school with 100 kids in my grade). I do love my current school though, and it has a strong sense of community, which is why a smaller school like Richmond could be a good fit for me as well.
As you can see, I’m on the fence and any and all insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!!
Unfortunately no- when I applied I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in so I applied undecided to the College of Letters & Science. Do you know how competitive it is to transfer into the business school?
Not that this would make or break my decision, not dead set on a major but leaning towards business!
My relative is a recent graduate of Richmond, and her interests developed very much along the lines of yours. She obtained degrees in Italian and business and studied abroad in Italy. She thought her professors were excellent as both scholars and teachers. She did not have a car at school. She now works in marketing and has become a bit of a world traveler through her company. Whenever I’ve asked her, either as a student or, now, graduate, she has been clear on her affinity for the University of Richmond.
Thank you so much, that’s super helpful! I appreciate your insight and I’m glad your relative liked Richmond so much. Working in marketing while traveling sounds like my dream job!!
Yes, I have visited both schools! I loved both, and I’m sure I would be happy at either one. It does look like the class size in gen eds is larger at Wisconsin.
Definitely true about the safer choice for business being Richmond, because I wouldn’t want to count on being able to transfer into the business school at Wisconsin (and potentially not getting in). I am still exploring options for my field of study though, so I’m not 100% committed to business yet! Thanks so much for your response!
Congrats. Both schools are very strong academically. We live in Atlanta, my sister and family live in Richmond, and many students from my kids (boy / girl twin HS seniors) go to Richmond with a close family friend a sophomore there now, plus, my wife and I lived in Richmond (not far from campus) for 3-4 years.
Madison has the stronger alumni network based on sheer size and is better known nationally. Richmond is a small campus, quite beautiful, and Richmond as a city is very insulated. While the students are welcomed, the overall community is very much who you know in Richmond with limited residents from other places in comparison to most cities, so unless you are from the area I would not recommend. Throughout my career, I’ve lived in 13 different cities throughout Texas and the Southeast/Mid Atlantic and Richmond was my least favorite city with nothing bad to say about any of the other cities we lived in.
Personally, I would guide my son or daughter to UW - Madison as both the school and the business program are extremely well respected nationally. Plus, Madison is an amazing city to spend your 4 years, especially when compared to Richmond as a city, it isn’t even close. If any interest in Real Estate, UW-Madison is often ranked #1 nationally. Obviously, just my opinion as others may disagree. Good luck.
If those are your 2 top choices and you can afford it, attend the Accepted Student Day at both schools. You might come away with a strong feeling one way or the other after you do a more in depth visit.
I really like Richmond the city, but can’t compare to Madison because I’ve never been there. Been to Atlanta and many other cities and I really do like Richmond. We were looking at VCU, but it was not financially viable as OOS.
It sounds like a “sports vibe vs. weather” dilemma. Madison winters can be brutal – nothing like feeling a 40 mph wind when it’s 0 degrees. lol. You do get used to it, but Richmond won’t be as nasty in the winter. On the other hand, I doubt any sporting event at U of R is as cool as what goes on at Camp Randall or the Kohl Center. I won’t spoil your discovery of the student traditions – I’ll let you find out. Being a Badger fan at live games is a blast.
Academically, you aren’t sure about Business, but even if you didn’t get into the BBA program at UW, there’s always Econ… which is also excellent. You would be able to take some Business classes (if not the full BBA program…) to supplement your Econ coursework. I did that as a Journalism major – I took a Marketing class, as it meshed with my Advertising and PR coursework in the J School.
But regardless of your chosen path, one nice thing about the University of Wisconsin is the breadth of highly regarded majors/programs.
Most of the Greek houses at UW are on Langdon Street, near the coast of Lake Mendota. I was active, and in my (well, our…) case, Rush was pleasant and fun. I’m sure U of R has a fairly vibrant, developed Greek scene too.
You can’t make a wrong choice here if you choose based on preferences.
I’ll share my perspective as a UR alum with a current student there.
I have not been to Madison but weather and geography aside I would imagine that the cities are more similar than not since they’re comparable in size and both state capitals with all that brings to the table.
I am a big fan of the city of Richmond and its quality of life, history, architecture and well-documented food scene. Something that surprises new visitors who might be expecting a staid, conservative old South city is that it’s actually pretty funky. Little known Richmond tidbit: it has the only urban class 4 white water rapids in the US on the James River which flows by downtown Richmond.
Sports, Wisconsin will give you B10 big time sports experience, however UR is Atlantic10 which offers up some good D1 basketball . UR is a basketball first school. Google video of students rushing the court last week after knocking off a nationally ranked conference foe to see school spirit. Football and lacrosse teams are also strong and regularly compete in NCAA playoffs. Plenty of opportunity for school spirit at UR. UR and UW bball have an all-time 1-1 record against each other, and Richmond owns the most recent win in 2019.
I really think it comes to down to your preference for big school or small school and weighing the advantages and disadvantages that each brings. Plus weather.
One other small consideration: where will your classmates be from? UW I believe is ~70% Wisconsinites while UR is 15% Virginians with a preponderance of students from Mid Atlantic and Northeast.
Good luck choosing between two excellent academic schools!
