University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

Madison is an extremely liberal, politically active, and arts-based city. The Union Film Committee created Madison's first ever LGBT film festival, called Reel Love, this year, to great success. We've got a program called First Wave which is for under-privileged kids who couldn't afford to attend UW-M who receive scholarships to complete a program that focuses on slam poetry, dance, and creating art. The whole spectrum of religious groups are represented on campus. Tonight I'm going to a debate between Badger Catholic and UW Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics. A large majority of students are from WIsconsin, Minnesota, or Illinois, but there is a significant out of state population (I'm from Ohio). One of the things I love most about my school is just how cool the people are. There is a welcoming group for anyone, from Super Smash Bros. club to Student Government.

UW prides itself on being a very diverse school. We have students from all different backgrounds, countries, religions, races, sexual orientations, and gender identifications. That being said, the majority of students tend to be white and middle-class, and usually politically liberal. However, Madison is really good for students looking to get involved in political and social justice issues. There is a great dialogue on campus on a wide variety of issues that affect our community at Madison, as well as the world at large. There are many groups for people of all religions, races, political beliefs, etc, which helps students find others who share their views, interests, and backgrounds. You can find all kinds of people at UW, and not one description can describe the entire student body, or even a large portion of them. The one type of student I don't see much, nor would I recommend come to UW are physically disabled students. The campus is very hilly and although it tries to be accessible to everyone, even able-bodied students complain about having to get to classes at the top of Bascom hill.

UW prides itself on being a very diverse school. We have students from all different backgrounds, countries, religions, races, sexual orientations, and gender identifications. That being said, the majority of students tend to be white and middle-class, and usually politically liberal. However, Madison is really good for students looking to get involved in political and social justice issues. There is a great dialogue on campus on a wide variety of issues that affect our community at Madison, as well as the world at large. There are many groups for people of all religions, races, political beliefs, etc, which helps students find others who share their views, interests, and backgrounds. You can find all kinds of people at UW, and not one description can describe the entire student body, or even a large portion of them.

The academics here are rigorous but you leave each class truly learning a great deal. My favorite class so far has been History 120, or Modern European History from 1815 On. It gave an in depth look at the events that shaped Europe and has given me great insight into the continent both in the past and also has influenced how I understand it today (European politics and events have become fascinating to me now). While I am an English major and love studying that field, I enjoy taking a diverse range of electives such as this history class and find them just as worth-while as the classes I'm taking for my major. Students here study ALL the time. It's not uncommon to find people in the library at 3 or 4 in the morning. Students' dedication here is admirable, and with it comes a sense of competitiveness. Everyone studying here is striving for their best, and it shows. People here excited to learn, and I often have my friends sending me links about things they're learning or telling me about projects/experiments/studies they're conducting. Not only is it great that they're excited about learning, but it keeps me motivated too. In large classes, the professor won't know your name unless you introduce yourself. But that is not to say that they do not care about each student--they do, but its impossible to get to know 300 new students every semester. Class participation is common, although there is the occasional silence when the class is asked a question. One thing I especially like that a good deal of my professors and TA's have been doing recently is connecting what we are learning or discussing to the real world. Applying what seems to be just "material" to real life provides a good context and shows that what we're studying really matters! The education at this university is geared in equal parts to getting a job and for learning for the sake of it--people here are realists and know that everyone is going to need a job in life, but they also understand that learning can (and should) be engaging and rewarding. It's a great balance and I believe every university should be this way. It makes for the best experience.

The academics here are rigorous but you leave each class truly learning a great deal. My favorite class so far has been History 120, or Modern European History from 1815 On. It gave an in depth look at the events that shaped Europe and has given me great insight into the continent both in the past and also has influenced how I understand it today (European politics and events have become fascinating to me now). While I am an English major and love studying that field, I enjoy taking a diverse range of electives such as this history class and find them just as worth-while as the classes I'm taking for my major. Students here study ALL the time. It's not uncommon to find people in the library at 3 or 4 in the morning. Students' dedication here is admirable, and with it comes a sense of competitiveness. Everyone studying here is striving for their best, and it shows. People here excited to learn, and I often have my friends sending me links about things they're learning or telling me about projects/experiments/studies they're conducting. Not only is it great that they're excited about learning, but it keeps me motivated too. In large classes, the professor won't know your name unless you introduce yourself. But that is not to say that they do not care about each student--they do, but its impossible to get to know 300 new students every semester. Class participation is common, although there is the occasional silence when the class is asked a question. One thing I especially like that a good deal of my professors and TA's have been doing recently is connecting what we are learning or discussing to the real world. Applying what seems to be just "material" to real life provides a good context and shows that what we're studying really matters! The education at this university is geared in equal parts to getting a job and for learning for the sake of it--people here are realists and know that everyone is going to need a job in life, but they also understand that learning can (and should) be engaging and rewarding. It's a great balance and I believe every university should be this way. It makes for the best experience.

When teens discuss their college searches in my presence, I always say, "You can make a big school a small school, you can't make a small school a big school". No matter what type of social experience you're looking for, you can find it in Madison. One thing that applies to all Badgers is that we are fiercely proud to be Badgers; just check out Camp Randall on game-day and you'll understand. I've found myself seamlessly moving out of the Coastie sphere, into the Sconnie sphere. Different types of people for sure, but we all get along all right. As far as dress, you get everything from the kid that wears sweats every day to the dude who looks like he stepped out of a GQ article about business casual. Our student organizations are countless and very well organized. It is a great way to find the right crew. Financially, the coasties and out of staters tend to be wealthier, while the Sconnies are largely middle class. However, regardless of where you came from, if you're at Wisconsin, you know you're on a massive island of Democratic Blue smack in the middle of a sea of Republican Red. When Obama visited Madison on the campaign trail, the line to get into to see his speech was literally a mile long. 10,000 were allowed in, more than twice that many people were shut out (I cut the line and got in). This being the situation, this school is devoid of racial and sexual prejudice. I've yet to see a situation arise out of these issues -- it is very much a non-issue.

The UW-Madison campus is very diverse. I have met people from India, Russia, Mexico, Venezuela, etc. Based on everything I’ve seen, everyone is accepted here. People love to ask questions about the countries the international students are from. It really is a great way to learn about other countries. I think different types of students definitely interact here. I have become friends with the type of people who never would have talked to me in high school. That sort of clique stigma is not as dominant as it was in high school.

The cultural hybridity at this University is most likely unparalleled by most others. There are many groups from many different backgrounds and they all interact with each other.The most prevalent groups on campus are the LGBT, religious groups, and probably the "Coasties." In terms of class-day apparel, think comfortable clothing, which oftentimes has to be warm! Its okay to end up wearing sweatpants and an over-sized sweatshirt to class, because that's what most students do anyway! There are so many students that focus so much of their time on their school work and academics that they just happen to try a little less with their image during class time. Don't be surprised if you see students who look like they spent all morning getting prepared, though! It all depends on their individual schedules. If you don't start class until noon three days a week, you're more likely to have more time to spend on yourself than those who start class at 7:45 a.m. The students are definitely politically active in the campus community. There are many clubs and organizations dedicated to spreading the word about everything from the presidential elections to the additions being made to the Memorial Union. The fact is, the ideals on campus are too diverse to label, but I would say that there is a predominance of liberal students on campus, but it could also just be that the Democrats are more outspoken than the Republicans, but any way you spin it, there is room for every belief system, political system, and social system at Madison!

My freshman year of college, I had the opportunity to live in the Chadbourne Residential College, which is one of the learning communities on campus. It also happens to be the dorm with the largest number of international students. I honestly do not think I have ever met so many different kinds of people in my life. In a lot of high schools, you see the same kinds of kids everywhere, with everyone breaking off into groups of people who are "like them." In my experience at UW-Madison, this is not the case at all. I don't feel as though any student would feel out of place on this campus. There are numerous student organizations on this campus that include many different cultural groups, religious groups, LGBT groups, sports clubs, etc. Being a scholarship kid myself, I can attest to the fact that there are people on this campus from all different socio-economic backgrounds and I never feel out of place because of it. Because of location, there is a lot of political activism on campus and most students here seem to lean toward the left. One of my favorite things about being a student at UW-Madison is that we have a laid-back atmosphere but there are still things going on constantly. Jeans and sweatshirts are definitely acceptable class attire. But because we have bitter winters here in the Midwest, you'd better bundle up if you're planning to come visit us!

From my experience, my dominant ethnic group at UW is white. There are efforts at the school to diversify the campus, and taking a diversity course actually is required. I wouldn't say that many students feel out of place here, as UW tends to be a very open minded school when it comes to accepting people's differences. Most students seem to be Christian, but the intelectual nature of the school does lend itself at times towards agnosticism and atheism. The one thing that UW seems to be very adamant about is its liberalism. The College Democrats have a very strong and present image on campus, while there is little to no conservative presence on campus. The professors tend to be liberal, but they very rarely express their political views. During the February protests, the vast majority of students were on the protestors' side, but I actually only had one professor mention anything about the protests at all. I think that this is a good indicator of the pedagogy at the school. Despite the professors' views, they do tend to keep things neutral.