The University of Wisconsin-Madison has endless food and dining options all around campus. Since it is situated in a city, the capital city, there are hundreds of restaurants, cafes, fast-food, coffee shops and delivery places. State street is where you will find a variety of different cuisines and as you head up towards the capital there are even more options. There are hundreds of restaurants to cater to any of your cravings that you may find. There are also many restaurants that have discounts for students which is also great for all of us college kids on a budget. It is especially nice in the spring/summer time when it is warm out and restaurants have outdoor seating. Nothing better than enjoying a nice meal while admiring the beautiful campus in Madison.

The greek scene here is prominent but small. I'm involved and enjoy it, but the majority of people still have a great time even without it.

I honestly can't even decide which student organizations and groups are most popular because there are so many different ones available, and so many different types of students that each one is important to many people. With this said, there are a few well- known organizations, but everything is truly interest oriented, and there is something for everyone. A prevalent organization on campus is called Hoofers, which is and outdoor oriented group that takes trips or outings that are focused on outdoor activities. Different branches of this group include the outing club, skiing and snowboarding club, equestrian club, scubadiving club and so on. This is just one example of the way that students organize groups based on interests, and how it can spread to so many different people. Also, even though it is not a group or anything, football games generate a lot of school pride and festivity that many students take part in to support the school and friends. I am a season ticket holder for football, and I wouldn't think of missing such a fun, exciting game during the season. Games generate so much school spirit and a sort of unique feeling that unifies the students in supporting the university. UW Madison is notoriously known for being somewhat of a party school as well, and while it can be very fun, not everyone does it, and there really are so many things to do that you don't always need to feel pressured to go out to a party. In fact, since so many students are so studious, it is understood when school comes first and you can't go out with friends. Otherwise, it really comes down to who you surround yourself with, and you can easily be accepted for doing whatever you like on the weekends because there are so many possibilities and so many different people to share them with. There is also frequent movies playing at the school unions, and a bunch of concerts on campus, so you can easily find something to keep you busy when you're not studying. Also the city around campus holds even more opportunities, and every student gets a free bus pass so it is easy to travel out to a mall or surrounding areas if you look at the bus schedule.

The most popular groups on campus are the political groups- College Democrats and College Republicans, but outdoor groups such as Hoofers also have pretty big membership. Football is the major sport here, and student season tickets sell out in minutes. Basketball and hockey are very popular too, but if a student is going to get season tickets for only one sport, they're going to get it for football. Game days are when the campus really comes alive- there's parties everywhere, lots of music, tailgating, etc. On the academic side, the Distinguished Lecture Series is really popular, and those events often sell out as well. On the weekends, I would say about 75% of the campus goes out an parties, but most don't do it every weekend, and it's not always a wild event. If you don't want to drink, the university always has a lot of events going on, there's movies playing the in the unions, bowling, pool, and dorm events and outings.

Due to UW-Madison's size, students can find virtually any activity or group. Groups range from fantasy sports leagues to music groups to community service teams. Sports teams, clubs, and intramural leagues are also very popular. I myself am involved in both intramural volleyball and soccer, as well as music and church service groups. Because of all these options, it is easy to find things to do on weekends instead of just partying. Places such as the Orpheum Theatre and the Overture Center offer shows and concerts, ranging from local music groups to famous bands. If the weather is nice, the Memorial Union Terrace is also a great option for fun, friends, and music. Weekends in the fall will likely be a little more wild than normal, due to football games. I met most of my friends in the dorms my freshmen and sophomore years. I also met friends in classes and through St. Paul's Church. I considered joining a sorority, but opted not to. There are many options for frats and sororities, but the whole scene is not outlandish. There isn't a typical "frat row" that you see at many other colleges, but rather the frats are more interspersed and on the whole very welcoming to students outside the frat. If you get tired of campus life, there are also options off campus. Busses can take you the West Town or East Town malls, Target, nightclubs, and music bars.

Since Madison is a large school with hundreds of majors, classes vary greatly depending on what you study and the amount of coursework you choose to do each semester. This being said, I think that classes in general are challenging, but also rewarding. Introductory and survey classes usually consist of lectures, taught by professors, and a discussion or lab led by a TA. I've never had a TA teach a lecture; professors lecture, answer questions, and even administer tests. In discussions and labs, TAs help us understand lecture material, and we often do exercises and activities to expand upon the material we learned that week. This is true for most of the classes I have taken for my English and psychology majors thus far. In my literature classes, discussion is a time for closer examination of text, advice about writing essays and taking exams, and group discussion of things we touched on in lecture. The same is true for many of my psych discussions, in which we discuss possible social implications of lecture topics, TAs answer questions and give advice about the material, and students work together to thoroughly understand tough concepts. As you get increasingly specialized within your major, classes generally get smaller and more specific--which provides ample opportunity to interact more with professors. Psychology is the biggest department on campus, with more students choosing to study how the mind works than anything else. One of my favorite classes was Introductory Psychology, the basic class required for all psych and business majors. It was a lecture of about 200, and a discussion of 15 students and 2 TAs. Discussion was helpful because we did hands-on activities to understand things the professor said in lecture, and I remember giving and listening to presentations about specific topics. In this way, you get the professor's lecture, which usually matches the textbook and emphasizes material on the test, and you also get help from your peers and TAs in a more concentrated environment. Class participation is central to discussions and labs, in which group discussions are the main focus of the 50-minute classes. Professors encourage student questions in lecture as well. For psychology in particular, students discuss topics outside of class all the time. We see things that we study at work in real life, and it's fun to be able to talk about it with a friend in your class and see that your work has paid off. Overall, classes are challenging yet interesting, and I have found professors and TAs to be very helpful and available. Students are not overly competitive, and we get through tough classes by utilizing the resources available to us and by working together.

Student government is big at UW-Madison, as well as public interest group WISPIRG. These groups also encourage volunteer work through themselves as well as other, smaller groups. For any professional career, there are a handful of student organizations dedicated to educating you and connecting you to adults in those fields. I was able to find a small pre-law group called the Legal Studies Association and really make it my own, becoming the organization's President my Junior year. This has cemented my interest in the law, and I think that without having sifted through the wealth of student organizations on campus I would still be pondering what I wanted to do with my life. You can party as much or little as you would like to after your freshman year. The first year, however, is filled with energy as students look to make a new circle of friends, and often this is accompanied by going out to parties in large groups. Friday and Saturday night the dorms will be alive until 2-3 AM, so if this is not your scene I would recommend you look into some of the alternative dorms on campus (Chadbourne, Barnard, etc.).

At my school, there are hundreds of active student organizations and an even larger amount of student interests that circle around campus. That being said, two of the largest organizations around UW-Madison are Wisconsin Union Directorate Committees and our large greek system. The Wisconsin Union Directorate is composed of committees such as Art, Music, Film, Society and Politics, Global Connections, Alternative Breaks, and Publications. Through these committees, students can explore these fields and help set up events at our unions for the student body to enjoy. Our greek system is also very big at campus. Rushing for a sorority or fraternity at the beginning of your semester at UW-Madison could be a very reward experience for you if you are interested in such a thing. UW-Madison is known for being a party school, but during the week, students work hard to get good grades and excel. If you ask any one at our school, they know that we work hard and party hard. However, if that is not something that you are interested in, do not worry. There is something for everyone on our campus. It's hard to find a moment of boring, free time at this campus.

I think oftentimes incoming students look to a school's Greek system to gauge what the social scene is generally like. At the University of Wisconsin, the Greek system exists but does not dominate the social scene. I was part of a fraternity, and while I appreciate the social, academic, and philanthropic avenues which my fraternity provided me, I also realize that there is a large social life in Madison outside of the Greek world. Many of the advantages of Greek involvement can be found in non-Greek contexts. For instance, students can take part in social and community activism through the Associated Students of Madison (a body of student government) or one of the two major student newspapers. Because the university is so large, students are intent on finding smaller communities in which to immerse themselves. While attending the university is enough to solidify one's identity as a Badger, extracurricular involvement is important in finding a more intimate, meaningful context. In other words, students find their way into the university through extracurricular activities which fit their interests and personalities. At the same time, these extracurricular activities allow them to expand their horizons and take on risks that are educational. Students find employment in the unions, the school cafeterias,the University of Wisconsin Foundation, and the libraries, which allows them to financially support themselves while providing fundamental services for their peers. Other students join business organizations to form networks and find like-minded peers. Students who excel in a certain language or who simply wish to experience a totally new culture study abroad.. I went to London during my Junior year, which was definitely one of my most rewarding, valuable college experiences. These activities are all lively, enriching ways for students to develop and grow.

Academics are rigorous here. My experience in the English Department has been a difficult but rewarding one. Sometimes classes are small, but even when they are too big for the professor to know everybody, their Teaching Assistants always do. They have been a great help to me in honing my writing style and argument skills. I liked how they would prompt us with questions in discussion and then sit back for a while and let us discuss. Some of the most insightful discussions I have had are the ones where the TA says the least. In lecture, the Professors always incorporated a wide range of knowledge and resources, giving us background and history of authors and their works, as well as presenting different interpretations. Nothing was ever set in stone, but we were encouraged to make our own observations and question the validity of what we were taught based on what we learned in lecture as well as what we saw in the text ourselves. I elaborate here because I feel that it is demonstrative of the learning environment of the whole campus- we are not told what to think, but how to think and judge for ourselves, which is pertinent to both getting a job after school as well as pursuing learning for its own sake. UW Madison encourages learning for its own sake but doesn't leave students to pursue whatever willy-nilly. There are many resources for helping students find a career path and keep on track with it. There are advisers and resource centers and aptitude tests, whatever you need to plan out your academic career.

I have friends in almost all groups of people. Everyone has friends from different groups. I dont think any student will feel out of place here. There is a group for everyone. Yes different types do interact. The coasties, from the east and west coast, the sconnies, all kids from Wisconsin, the other out of staters, and people from Minnesota, and surrounding mid west areas. But these are just the groups, and they do interact and are mixed. Most students are from Wisconsin, and most student seem to come from an average family financial background. Yes, politics is huge here. It is known as the largest liberal campus. But there are large support groups from both parties. Most are democrat. EVeryday there are people campaigning or voicing their issues.

wisconsin fucking rules!!!

There is no "one thing" that is best about Wisconsin. The people are extremely friendly (it is a Midwest thing...), the sports are unbelievable, and the academics are great...supported by a group of fantastic professors and teacher's assistants. I love the fact that Madison is a quintessential college town. It gets really cold (-15 on occasion), but it brings people together. The warm seasons are incredible-you can watch the sunset over Lake Monona while enjoying a pitcher of beer on the Wisconsin Union terrace, or go for a swim in the lake. It is one place where you can look around and say to yourself "I can't believe I go to school here."

The Wisconsin campus lacks a lot of racial diversity, but is probably more socio-economically diverse than many other schools. Madison is a very open-minded and progressive community and for the most part campus feels the same way. It's hard to generalize, because while I made my experience full of political activity and surrounded myself with people who also felt it was important to be engaged in that way, there were plenty of students who chose not to, and I definitely don't think that the campus is as radical as it once was.

Your social life will be great if you like drinking a lot. If you are very academic or otherwise not "normal" or "cool" you will likely have a hard time unless you can seek out people you can relate to. There is almost nothing to do on weekend nights but drinking in dive bars - there are a few more options on weeknights for alternative entertainment.

Academics are challenging at UW, especially since so many students at UW were from the top 10% of their high school class. However, while I may not have gotten A's in every class, I have never come across a class that I felt was too tough to handle. Lectures can be large during the first year or two of college (many introductory classes are 100-500 students), but these classes are always taught by professors and then broken down into additional discussion sections of 20-25 students. Teaching assistants often lead the discussion sections, but they do not teach new material. In my experience I have had wonderful TA's, and discussion sections are a great chance to ask questions if you don't want to ask during lecture or go to the professor's office hours. As you choose a major and your classes become more specified, class size decreases significantly. My smallest class was 8 people (French), and my typical class size for the last 3 years of college was probably 25 (Kinesiology department).

Not very diverse, although there are a lot of groups.

I generally feel very out of place here. I'm a female, pink-haired, bisexual, hard-partying, hard-studying, honors biochemistry student, so maybe I'm coming from a bit of an odd background... I'm not a big drinker, so there's not a lot to do on weekend nights. Contrary to popular belief, the campus is not very politically active, nor very liberal. A large portion of students are rich east coast "preps" that don't seem to interact much with the rest of the students. There is a large population of foreign students, but a distinct lack of other minorities. The LGBT community has been rather unaccessible from my point of view, but some people seem to be quite happy with it.

For the most part, yes. But Wisconsin is very academic. It's a work hard/play hard situation. Yes, wisconsin students know how to throw a fun party, but we're also motivated and hard-working.

I agree with the stereotypes I listed