University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

Once again, in a university this large, it is difficult to group all academic areas together. As an underclassman focused on getting general requirements out of the way, you often find yourself in massive lectures, accompanied by weekly small discussion groups, for subjects that you often don't care about and will never have to use in the future. Common example: a future lawyer sits in a 200 student biology lecture, searching Facebook for an hour. Another common example: that future lawyers skips most of the lectures rather than sitting there and searching Facebook for an hour. There is no way to choose whether students are learning for education's sake or for a career, a lot of us are here for both, some for neither, and everything in between. Beyond the gen-eds, I mostly only know about my own major, the English department. Our English department is a mixed bag. As you move through the ranks, you quickly advance from large 75ish person lectures to small 15-or-so person direct interactive discussions with the professors. These more advanced classes are far more enjoyable for the student inclined towards open and intellectual conversation. However, some of the professors are a joy to interact with while an equal amount are conceited, egotistical, blowhards -- it's up to you to check out Ratemyprofessor.com thoroughly while choosing classes. The requirements are very fair, the only extraneous one being a slight over abundance in medieval and pre-1800 literature. You can only read Beowulf so many times before you realize it's a just an old comic book without pictures. That being said, once you're into the advanced classes, it isn't such a struggle to wake up for Dissent in 20th Century American Literature or Vietnam: Music, Madness, and Mayhem. The Vietnam class I referenced actually comes out of the Integrated Liberal Studies department -- an institution unique to UW Madison. Essentially, ILS combines the best aspects of science, philosophy, history, English, humanities, and pop culture to create classes that attack their subjects from every interesting perspective. I'm earning a certificate in this program and it has been my most enjoyable academic experience thus far.

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.

While many classes tend to large, they are usually broken up into discussion classes once a week. However, the large classes usually general education requirement. I personally enjoyed having the experience of being in a large lecture hall with many students. Of course, it can be a drawback for some. Classes for a student’s major are usually smaller. My current favorite class is English 270: Asian American Literature. It is discussion based and rather diverse. The most unique class I’ve ever taken was Vampire Literature in Translation. I would have never thought there would be a class on vampires! It is very easy to find something that interests you here. The options are incredible.

At Madison, there can be competition within majors, but that is not always the case. Its different from high school in the sense that everyone is not vying for the Valedictorian position, but rather they are trying to succeed to better themselves. As an English major, I did find my first semester as a college student fairly comforting in the sense that it was not nearly as overwhelming as I was led to believe. However, that first English class had around 500 students in it, and the professor read from a script for 50 minutes, twice a week. I was expecting the rest of my English classes to be this way, as well--but the truth is, that was an exception. Every other professor I've had (not limited to English ones) are vibrant and ready to explore the class content with you. In my current English class, if I don't meet with my Teaching Assistant at least once a week, I must not be doing enough work! The TAs and professors are still learning, just as you begin to learn. The academics and its leaders at Madison are definitely striving to get their students careers in the field of their choice. There are hundreds of academic clubs ranging from the Actuarial Science Club to the Health Occupations Students of America. Even for majors that have no formal academic club, the skills and education you will find at Madison will translate into any career, especially considering the many required "breadth of knowledge" courses for all majors. Though it might seem stressful to receive lower grades than you did in high school, college life is all about finding out who you are and what you want to do with your life, so trying really hard but doing a little less stellar in some classes has come to be expected. This is your chance to make mistakes and then learn to follow the path that appeals to you the most.

Because our school is ranked so high nationally for academics, there is quite a bit of competition between students. Pit lectures can get pretty large, having as many as 350 students in them, but there are smaller classes too and most large lectures come with a discussion section. That being said, it is still possible to form relationships with your professors even though there is not much class participation in lecture and most of your one-on-one communication time will be in discussion sections with your TA. Both professors and TAs will hold office hours a few times per week so you can go in and ask questions or just talk about class content. Professors really appreciate it when students go in and talk to them during office hours and it's a great opportunity to talk to some of the most interesting and brilliant people you will ever get the chance to meet. I am an English major in my sophomore year and this year my professors include a man that recently joined the UW-Madison staff after teaching at Princeton, men who have written award-winning articles, and even a woman who has been knighted! Classes are demanding and many times you will find yourself spending hours in the library, but what you get out of your four years at Madison will be well worth it.

Two words: Rigorous and competetive. This not to say that there isn't a huge amount of support for struggling students, but it is not a school where one can simply "breeze by" by any means.

Although partying is popular, schoolwork is everyone's priority. People are dedicated to their education and that's clear by how crowded the libraries can be. Most of the lectures are pretty big, but by going into professors' office hours you can easily make a connection with them. There is a competitive feel here because people care about their classes, but it's manageable, and the pressure from others helps push students to succeed.

Academics at Madison are diverse and, for the most part, challenging. You are among peers who were, for the most part, all in the top 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of their graduating high school classes. Because of that level of competition and intelligence, classes are demanding and exceed what you've been used to at high school. However, it's not all bad- the overwhelming majority of professors are happy to help you however possible, and there are tons of resources available to help you improve any subject in which you might be struggling. There are lots of opportunities to explore areas outside your major- as a Neurobiology student, I also had the time to learn Italian, dabble in Shakespeare, take multiple dance classes, and become an expert on how to make 3D protein models on top of my required courses. One of my Global Health classes even included a week-long trip to Mexico! Your fellow students are competitive but, for the most part, are happy to work together and improve each others' knowledge. The ease of finding study buddies ranges with class size; some lectures include over 300 people and friends are made by proximity, while other smaller classes facilitate great discussions and you become friends with your 20 other classmates. There is also a major for everyone here. While Madison is touted for its accomplishments in science, engineering, and politics, many other departments on campus contain some of the world's experts on their respective subject matter.

Madison has two approaches here. There are many who, like myself, have accepted the GPA hits that go along with truly taking classes you like; while I knew that perhaps Latin wouldn't be my strongest subject, taking it Freshman year (and getting one of my first B's EVER) was a wonderful choice. This articulates well much of what people will say to you about difficult classes here - they are immensely rewarding. Obviously, there will always be the OChems of the world, waiting for us sinisterly at Junior year, but it's surmountable. The other approach is the "D equals degree" train of thought, and that is alive and well on campus. There is a natural track that can be taken towards many, many degrees that will never bring you face-to-face with one of these behemoths. Thus, you become slowly aware here that a 4.0 chem major has complete bragging rights on a 4.0 english major.

The academics are absolutely fantastic in almost every department, particularly in all the sciences. If you want to do science of ANY kind, this is the school for you, and the research options are unparalleled. I participated in university research in my first semester, which is unheard of in most schools. Outside of required classes, most lectures are reasonably small, if not very small, and most professors are actively involved with their students and very accessible. The TAs have been at least good in every class I've had, but they are usually great - they definitely go above and beyond to help you learn. However, it's not a very "academic" campus overall - the vast majority of students are too busy drinking to open a textbook. If you really want to do well, I recommend avoiding the dorms at all costs and living in the quietest place you can find (which is very difficult).