The University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison is an awesome city. Awesome as in there's really no distractions for your studies if you try hard to do well in school. It's a mediocre city with basically all you need to live. Personally, it has been a wonderful experience since I practically lived all my life outside of the U.S.

I chose to go to this college not only because it was rated #5 for the Biology major but the people there are EXTREMELY nice. Trust me, on top of the work load, it's a pain just dealing with people with grumpy attitudes and angry faces.

As most of you must have heard, UW-Madison has been rated as #1 or #2 top party school. It can be a party school ONLY if you believe and make it that way. UWMa can be a school that offers an opportunity for you to do research, participate in various organizations and even make events possible because you want them to. It all depends on how you want to view and carry out your college years.

Some tips:
1. Most important thing would be to choose friends wisely. Your attitude towards college life is going to be similar to those people. Second would be to get to know at least a few of your classmates. That way, you'll have study buddies. It's impossible to do well alone in college. Cooperation is a must. I would suggest forming a study group a week or two after classes start and meet once a week (unless there's really nothing to discuss, then just cancel it).

2. Having a "good time" doesn't necessarily mean drink till you drop. Try to find other interests (especially extracurricular activities if you're thinking about grad school in the future...will look good on your resume and at interviews).

3. When I get busy, I order delivery (pizza, chinese food, etc.). Restaurants that deliver usually have their menus around campus or you can take a look online (www.campusfood.com).

4. Try your best during your first semester without working. If things look good, then look for a job. If you're still struggling, I wouldn't recommend getting one and would encourage you to seek help from TAs or tutoring services (some universities offer free tutoring...you should check that out or ask about it during orientation).

5. Like any other schooling level - don't procrastinate!! Study little by little so that you don't have to cram like crazy in the end (although, sometimes, the stress does get to you and you just cram like crazy anyway).

***DON'T cut classes! I don't care what your friends say (ex. your professor's boring, he can't teach, I can't understand his accent, etc.), you NEED to attend class (even if you don't think it's helping you much).

Around 30mins. to 1 hr. before the exam, STOP studying. Relax, get some food and/or chill with a friend. It'll help you loosen up a bit and clears your mind when you actually get to writing the exam. If you follow those two simple steps, you'll definitely find it amusing to see others still studying seconds before the exam's passed out. AND, you'll for sure do well. ;)Good luck and enjoy your time in college, prospective UW students!!

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

If you decide to come to Madison, make sure you know some good self-defense. Madison is a rape school. A couple of my close friends were sexually assaulted here at parties and also in the dorms. A lot of the guys here use things like rohypnol (roofies) at frat parties and so forth (they have contests to see who can sleep with the most people) and they really target freshman (thinking that they don't know any better) so please be aware of that. And the university isn't really that helpful to students who have been sexually assaulted here, which is really sad. This campus is also really big and at night it's probably not a good idea to go walking around by yourself, especially if you're walking home from a bar or house party. Given the horrible experiences that some of the people I know have gone through, I'd think twice about coming here.

4th Year Female -- Class 2007

Innovation: D, Education Quality: F