University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

My advice would be to do a lot of research and campus visits, but most importantly talk to students that attend the school of your interest currently. It is important to get the most opinions of the school you are considering as you can. As a transfer student I know how hard it can be to start at a new school after having attended one. Its a hard change, but by doing all you can to get to know the school you want to attend before you attend it, you may be able to avoid a transfer. More specifically, I would suggest to look for larger schools. You may be surprised by how small a large school can get after you have been there for a year or more and once you have close friends. Also, a large school allows for more opportunity to find out where you really belong, who you really get along with and gets you out of your comfort zone a little. Just remember that you change a lot in college and what you think you want going into it may be the exact opposite coming out of it.

Actually go and visit the schools and talk to random students about their experience.

I would make sure to have a good understanding of your child's learning style. Most importantly whether or not they do well with multiple choice exams because part of going to a larger university is that your grade is often based off of only 3 multiple choice exams. I would also have a realistic idea of how much time one wants to allocate toward studying and socializing. Colleges do a great job of providing many socializing opportunities to their students, however if you are likely to be easily distracted this could be a deterant to your school work. Overall, the nice thing about a large public university is the amount of resources that they can provide including internships, volunteer opportunities, a much wider variety of classes and much more. This is something that is very beneficial to any student.

UW-Madison is a very beautiful school located at the center of the city and next by a beautiful lake. The students hear are friendly and very school spirited! Whether you love music, theater, sports, or just relaxing by the lake, I think anybody and everybody could find something that they can't resist to love about the campus. If you are looking for a beautiful and safe campus and a lot of fun people to study with and hang out with, I think you would find all those at UW-Madison.

make sure you like the town and scope out what you would do outside of school within the town.

Make sure the college is right for you academically and socially.

When looking for the 'right' college, search for a school that fits your learning needs. If you have trouble learning, especially learning the subject you plan to pursue, look at smaller community colleges. These schools allow more one-on-one help and are not as competitive, which will make you more likely to succeed in college and in other areas of your life. If you are at the higher end of your class in high school and are independent, attend a larger university. These colleges are more competitive and will continue to challenge you the way you to be challenged so that you do not get bored. To make the most of college, do not give up. As a freshman, many students feel home sick and many transfer to a smaller colleges closer to home. However, the students who stuck it out their freshman year ended up liking their original school more than the students who transfered liked their new school. Live in the residence halls your freshman year and get involved! Don't just get involved in activites you think you would like, there are many activites you wouldn't realize you'd enjoy until you actually tried them.

Go with what ever school is best rated. If you get into a great school but it isn't in your kind of town, trust the ratings and endure the four years of unpleasentness to make off with an excellent degree. You shouldn't be enjoying the sights anyway; you should be studying.

Often when a former college freshman comes upon an incoming freshman, their first reaction is to tell that person something they wish they had known before they chose or entered a college. For choosing a college, I would suggest writing down certain criteria that are necessary and then eliminating the universities that don't meet that criteria. Nothing is more important in choosing what college to go to than a person's own personal preferences. It is essential to remember however, that some criteria may not be as important as one might think. Thus, if a college is perfect in every way except one, it could still be the right school. Once the school has been chosen and the freshman has arrived, it is important to not only be as friendly to those in the same dorm (since they are the people most likely to become your friends), but also to become as involved as possible in as many different clubs or activites as possible. At first, this is a great idea, especially before the homework load has really begun. Later on, however, I would cut out the activites that are not as enjoyable to lower one's workload.

Definitely go visit the campus and talk to current students as well as alumni you may know. Take into account the location and proximity to home, and the weather and campus layout. Finding an environment you will feel most comfortable in yet will still be challenged is important.