I HEART MADISON

Introduction
Madison is full of oppurtunities - whatever you want, you can get it here. Want to get drunk every night? fine. Want to study everynight? fine. mostly, people do alot of both. The most challenging part of Madison is finding a good balance between the two, but there are alot of different kinds of people doing different kinds of things and it will be easy to find a good group of people with simular interests as you, despite the size of the university. My advice - try as many different things as you can, taking full advantage of everything that Madison has to offer. I only wish I could do it all over again!

Campus Life and Social Life
5 BEST THINGS:
1.FOOTBALL SATURDAYS - even if you hate football, there is enough energy and beer to make anyone cheer for bucky.
2. STATE STREET - cool shops, food, fun bars, coffee shops to study at, great atomosphere.
3. STUDENT UNION - best place to hang out, study, see people, have a beer on the terrace, or hide during cold winter days.
4. MIFFLIN STREET BLOCK PARTY - the most people you have ever seen in your life crammed into 3 blocks where each house contains at least 6 kegs. Somehow it is always on the first nice day of spring, and somehow you always run into everyone you have ever met in madison.
5. HALLOWEEN - though infamous for riots and vandalism, halloween is full of creative costumes, people, and insanity - something everyone needs to experience before they die.

5 WORST THINGS:
1. ITS COLD - seriously, if there was no winter, madison would be the home of zues and the rest of the gods, but....it gets mighty cold in the winter.
2. LACK OF DIVERSITY - if you come from a big city, Madison's student population may seem lacking in diversity. There are lots of different kinds of people, but the size of Madison can sometimes exaggerate this disparity.
3. OUT OF STATE TUITION - out of state students pay 4 or 5 times the instate tuition rate.
4. SCONNIES VS. COASTIES - some claim there is an ongoing fued between 'sconies' - kids from Wisconsin, and 'coasties' - kids from everywhere else. The private/public dorm separation exaggerates this division. Truth is, anyone with an open mind can be friends with anyone that they want to - coastie or sconnie.
5. SMOKERS BEWARE - madison just did away with smoking in public establishments, including bars.

YES, madison students drink their fair share, but they are also some of the smartest and most driven people that I have ever been surrounded by. Studies are challenging and inspiring, but we know how to have fun. Advertisement
Academics
5 BEST -
1. VARIETY OF CLASSES - whatever you want, and its ALL top quality.
2. ESTEEMED PROFESSORS - yes, your professor has written not only your text book, but everyone else at every other college's also.
3. LARGE SUPPORT SYSTEMS - every major has its own administrative system that is willing to help, along with the availability of student tutors, writting fellows, etc.
4. ACCESSIBLE PROFESSORS - i have never had a professor who didnt have time to sit down and talk to me, even if it wasnt about class.
5. LIBRARIES EVERYWHERE - libraries for every department, libraries for socializing, libraries for locking yourself in a cage a studying, libraries everywhere!

5 WORST THINGS:
1. LARGE INTRO CLASSES - no getting around it, freshman level classes have as many as 300 people in them. But, any student can meet a professor or TA in their office hours.
2. CLASS REGISTRATION - sometimes all the classes you want fill up before you get a chance to register. The truth is, you can get into any class you want by talking to the professor.
3. COMPETITIVENESS - you have to work hard and be motivated in order to get into the major department that you want. Some of the hardest are journalism, business, nursing, and the school of education.
4. FINAL SCHEDULE - only one study day before finals start.
5. BIG CAMPUS - if you have to walk, be prepared to spend half an hour walking sometimes. Luckily, public transportation is free for students and Madison is a very bike friendly city.

Student Body
The 'typical' student is smart, motivated, and knows how to have a good time. I've said it before, but we study just as hard as we play - and we are dead serious about both. Most kids are from the midwest, but there is a huge population of west and east coast students. In general there is a friendly, supportive atomosphere and there is a group of friends for anyone.

In Closing...
Madison is the ultimate college experience. Downtown is focused on the university to the point that sometimes you feel like you live in a world full of people from the ages of 18 - 26 - its a great feeling. I couldnt have asked for anything more in my college - I found amazing friends, got an amazing education that has opened up alot of oppurtunities for my life, and I feel very connected to my university and to Madison. I want to be a freshman and do it all over again!