Madison, WI
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Love it here. Chose to move to Madison on a whim, and don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon.

I loved my time at the UW.

I have not started my freshman year yet but I can tell by reading the posts of entering fellow freshmen that biology and bio chemistry are among the most popular classes. Many students are pre-med so they are aiming for biology related courses.

I found the University of Wisconsin - Madison to offer a variety of specialized and challenging courses which were aimed at advancing ones personal growth. As a student of the art department, I gained a broad technical background as well as specific and concise knowledge both in and out of my field. The program challenged me to push the capabilites of materials, to think conceptually, and, ultimately, set me up with the tools and knowlege necessary to continue the pusuit of my MFA at an increasingly challenging university.

I had many classmates at the University of WIsonsin - Madison, some of which I didn't know at all and others who I became incredibly close with over my time there. Classmates who I did build relationships with have become lasting friends. They advise me in my work and also comfort me in my times of need. They are there for me at the best of times and happy for my successes and help me through my failures. My classmates form Madison are without a doubt some of the most supportive and inspirational people I know.

I would tell myself some simple and obvious things if I could go back in time to give myself advice. I would tell myself to be brave. Transitioning is hard, and still to this day can be hard no matter how many times I do it, but it's important to know that the transition is much easier when you open yourself up to it. Don't come too full of grand expectations, just live through each moment and take each opportunity as it comes and make the most of it. Don't doubt yourself. Trust your instinct and your own sense of direction in order to guide you, and most importantly do what you love. Don't waste a day of your life doing something miserable. Chase every one of your dreams because it's worth it.

The advice I would give my high school self would be to enjoy being around my family, apply for as many scholarships as you can, and enjoy every moment you're given with your closest friends. Going away to college, I found myself missing not only my immediate family, but my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone else in my family. I would tell my senior self to cherish our family reunions because you'll see those family members even less now that you're going to be in college. Next, apply for as many scholarships as you can becuase college is so expensive. Scholarships will help lessen the burden on you and your parents. Lastly, I would tell myself to cherish every moment I have with my friends because unfortunately, life gets in the way and you will naturally grow apart from your friends. You will make new friends, and your friends will make new friends, but it is important to never forget who went through childhood with.

Before I came to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I wish I would have known how to prepare for exams. As a high school student, one is not expected to study as hard for tests. In high school, I had a perfect GPA and never had to study. In college, I literally had to teach myself how to study and it was something that was new to me and demanded a lot of time and effort if I wanted to achieve good grades.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the amount of money I have to pay. I am an out-of-state student and I pay 3 times as much money as an in-state student. It frustrates me that I have to pay more money to attend a world-renown university but pay more money simply because I live out of state.

UW Madison is unique because despite being such a big school and big campus, the sense of community and belonging is definitely present.

If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would tell myself to never sell myself short. I would say that while finishing out senior year on a good note is important, the most important thing is focusing on setting up a bright future for yourself through applying to colleges and scholarships early. I would encourage myself to fully take advantage of every service offered to aid me in the process of transitioning from high school to college, be it through my high school, potential university, or an outside party. Most importantly, I would tell myself to enjoy every minute of this process and to put in as much effort as possible, because it is a key turning point in every person's life and deserves lots of care. Work hard and enjoy it all, and at the end take it all in and go where you feel you belong--in the end, that is the place of education that you will gain the most from.

The only bad thing I can think of about my school is how cold it gets during the winter, but students are provided bus passes anyway, which really helps when getting to class in negative temperatures.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is the one place where fun and hard work peacefully coexist; the people that I am surrounded by are just as motivated as I am and make the experience unlike any other.

Senior year, for me, was the first year that I got a small taste of adulthood. I cherished that year because I finally felt on top of both my academics and the rest of the school. But if I could go back in time and give my seventeen year old self any advice, it would be to challenge myself more and to apply to colleges where I could actually see myself. My high school career wasn’t at all easy—I took four AP classes and practically all honors—but I wish that I had slipped in at least two more AP classes. Now that I’m in college, I was forced to take two extremely hard classes that most of my colleagues avoided thanks to their AP scores. I also wasted many late nights in high school applying to fourteen universities. I was not only draining my parents’ bank account, but also exhausting myself with the many essays and boring work that comes with applications. And now that I’m happily attending the best school for me, I know that there were at least five schools that I applied to that would never feel like home to me.

Being at a Big 10 can be a little intimidating; for example, my huge lectures are pretty difficult and don't involve a lot of direct communication.

This is a place to dabble in any and all the activities you've ever been interested in; including intramural sports, to clubs, greek life, concerts, arts; and you will always be learning new things from the people that you meet; amazing school spirit, this is a huge run-on-fragment of a sentence.

There is always something to do, people to see, activites to participate in. The campus is absolutely full of events and opportunities. Also I came here because of the lake. The lake is my absolute favorite part about the campus.

As a high school senior, I would have told myself how important it is to follow my passions and interests (to study fashion design), what I'm truly interested in. I wouldn't have wasted my time as a completely unhappy engineering major. Making that switch has entirely altered my overall happiness here at school. Jumping right in and pursuing my dreams right away as soon as I had the chance would be the advice I would give myself.

UW-Madison was the greatest college experience ever!

My classmates were motivated, diligent, and extremely fun!

Take as many AP (advanced placement) classes as possible! They aren't hard if you work hard and bringing all those college credits with you is a huge plus! It's a great background to getting started and sets you up for any career direction you plan to had in. You will have delevoped great study skills for college course, making your freshman year easier! I took three AP classes in highschool, but in hind sight, I wish I would have taken them all!

Smart, considerate, and intense, but in a good way.

It's not just a school, but an experience.

Rachel, You think you know a lot, but you really do not. Remember this as you go through your first semester. Constantly pay attention to everything going on around you, as it will pay future dividends. You are a smart person but college will show you what failure is all about. You have never failed at anything, but you will in college. The key is to learn from your failures and move on. Failure makes you a better person. Failure will get you to take tougher courses, or courses that you have no clue about the curriculum. College is going to round you out girl! You will not come back home after the first year as the little coddled suburban girl, but someone who is a little tougher, a little stronger, and a lot more confident! Welcome to the stage of your life where it all really starts to come together! You will succeed and you will love every minute of this exciting stage of life! Go Rachel! Go Badgers!