The University of Wisconsin - Madison

Date: Mar 20 2004
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a second-year student at Madison and I am transferring out to UW-Eau Claire in the fall for a number of reasons. First, Madison places a very heavy emphasis on GPAs and test scores. That isn't to say that students shouldn't do well, but I think prof's here often forget there are intelligent students who don't necessarily get 4.0 gpas and perfect scores on tests. I think those "average" kids tend to get lost in the shuffle here. Second, Madison is very condescending of other UW System schools. The people who go to school and work here have a very strong sense of pride (which is great) but when they begin insulting other UW schools, I begin to wonder how "professional" of a school Madison is. They also refer to themselves as "UW" (because apparently other UW schools…Stevens Point…Eau Claire..Whitewater…Oshkosh…do not count). I do not believe that prof's should blatantly tell students at Madison that people at the "other" UW schools are not as good. I have many friends who attend the "other" schools who are extremely bright and successful. Third, it's very hard to get into the classes you want at Madison. It's very competitive during registration, and if you can't get into your classes, then your graduation date is set back. Basically, I cannot justify spending more in tuition at Madison to study English, a major in which I can take on at any other UW school and get more attention, more classes, and more respect. It's simply not worth it. Unless you're going to be a doctor or engineer, I would recommend going anywhere but Madison.