University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

Yes, in a way. The definition of party is strictly limited to jostling around in crowded dive bars waiting for overpriced drinks or wandering around house parties with one bathroom for fifty people. People do drink a lot, and the drunks all over town all the time are loud and obnoxious. Game day parties are raucous and largely annoying.

There are plenty that drink, plenty that party, plenty that go wild, and plenty that don't pass. There are also plenty that don't don't drink but still find time to have fun and pass classes. The opportunities are endless for personal enrichment too. Moderation in all things.

Well, we were named as the number one party school for a while and now we top the list for "lots of beer", but as much as we party, we study. The liberal part is true, I mean we have people from every spot on the political spectrum. There's never a day with out someone protesting something. I think with liberal, a lot of people think diverse, but it's not diverse at all. The majority are white kids from small Wisconsin towns, however that would be a stereotype as well. With a campus of 40,000 you are bound to find people from all walks of life.

As a student parent, I wouldn't know.

The sport spectator assumption is absolutely correct, the events (any of them) are fun to go to and usually there are many other badger fans to sing 'Varsity' with. With the liberal enviroment, I would say that Wisconsin allows protests and street preachers and gay pride pirades to happen, and that's a good thing. It opens up the air for dialogue and free speech to be excersized as it was intended. Not to say that all the students agree with what happens on campus, but regardless of whether or not you agree to it, you are exposed to it and that is what makes the campus thrive and stand out among the others in the state.

No. Wisconsin, especially Madison is an amazing place with plenty to do. Madison is a wonderful city with so many opportunities and events. The people are extremely kind and welcoming.

No, all False

students do indeed "party hard", but also are extremely competitive in their school work and study extremely hard - we like to follow the "work hard, play hard" plan. the student body is extremely active in both local, national, and world-wide issues.

They can be - Wisconsin is a very large school and there is definitely a large drinking scene, but there are also lots of other opportunities to get involved and meet people that don't involve drinking. I wouldn't let this stereotype deter you from choosing Wisconsin, it is only one aspect of the wide variety of social activities available and it can be as big or as little a part of your college experience as you want it to be.

I guess, but there actually is a lot of variation of different cheeses here in the school

If you want them to be. Wisconsin is diverse and big enough that you find whatever you are looking for out of the college experience.

yes

It's about 50/50. There are a lot of parties and a lot of drunks, but there are also a lot of people who aren't completely sucked into that lifestyle. There are some hicks and farmers, but not as many as there are at other Wisconsin schools.

Not really, there are plenty of parties but there is also a lot of work to get done. Some students drink but plenty do not. It all depends on your choices.

In a lot of ways, yes. I live right off of Langdon St, which is basically Frat Row, and there are a lot of girls that are exactly like what the stereotypes say, which is why they're stereotypes. Every stereotype has a basis in fact. We are in a lot of ways on the same level as an Ivy League school, especially with our J-school and our research, so even though we're hung up on it, we do have a reason to be...

yes.. but somewhat skewed. we do party--there's on doubt about that. it's kind of a bummer that that's what teachers and parents first think of when you say you're going to madison. the school is TOP NOTCH and getting really really exclusive.. which i wish more people acknowledged than just those who have researched it. i believe we have 4.5 stars out of 5 for achedemics and 4 out of 5 for "social life" a.k.a..partying. another misconception is tha people are so happy with their social life in madison BECAUSE of the party scene. that's completely false. the entire city of madison will light up your life even when you're sober!!! it's so beautiful that it can't even be described--you have to experience it. you always see someone you know everywhere you go.. which i thought would be annoying but it's really comforting. also.. some of the partying aspects are skewed by parents to make the school sound more "badass" and rebellious. one adult said to me, "wow..madison huh? heard you guys are pretty crazy. i heard you actually have a BAR in your UNION!!" ...well yeah buddy.. that's true.. but it's not a crazy night time bar. it's a place where you go to get pitchers of beer and sit out on the terrace with friends in the afternoon or evening to RELAX after a hard day of exams/studying. it's where you sit out in an atmosphere of other carefree individuals in our terrace's signature colored chairs.. and just look at the water and laugh and kick back your heels. i wouldn't consider it an addition to our party scene.. but more an addition to our overall quality of life!

I agree with the stereotypes I listed

They are only evident if you choose to recognize them, most people just ignore it.

None of the above. These all represent a small portion of students on our campus, much as they would on any other campus.

For a lot of people here, the weekend starts on Thursday (sometimes Wednesday), but I definitely don't think that EVERYONE is a party animal. I'm a transfer student, so it's easier for me to make comparisons, and Wisconsin is more of a party school than most schools, but I feel like we balance our partying and our working fairly well. The stereotype about Asian Americans is true, they're everywhere! But it's nice to know that our campus is diverse.