University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Questions

Wisconsin kids (sconnies) and east coast jews

My classmates are enthusiastic about their learning experience at our university.

the best friends i'll ever have

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.

My classmates are exceptionally diverse, motivated, and most are willing to do what it takes to succeed not only in college, but in life in general.

On the surface they are hard-working with laid-back personalities. Work hard, play hard. However, many of the students are afflicted with what I call "sophisticated-hippie syndrome" . They like to use big words to preach about open-mindedness and the right to make your own choices, but if your choices are different from theirs you aren't allowed to make them. For example, if you choose not to binge drink and have casual sex every weekend you are quickly labeled as a stiff who never wants to have fun. Never mind having different political views or faith.

I would say my classmates work hard then play hard, and while some can be irresponsible about it, taking the "play hard" motto too far, for the most part it makes for a challenging academic life and a fun and relaxing social atmosphere.

They are very heavy drinkers, but also very academically focused to the point where they will give up everything else in their lives to just focus on school to be able to do well.

amazing

More generally, Wisconsin isn't a very diverse campus, but as I said before, with 40,000 students you can find people who are like you. Especially since there are so many organizations on campus, you can easily find a group to match the interests you have. You can wear anything at UW-Madison and people wouldn't care. The most students are from Wisconsin itself with the next being from Minnesota due to reciprocity. The rest are from the Midwest and then there are also a lot from the east coast.

It seems the majority of students are leftist, and white.

There are so many different types of students with varying interests. There is a pretty decent sized out of state population, mainly from either the Chicago or NY suburbs.

Very liberal and accepting. I dont feel anyone will feel out of place as long as they give new people and environments a chance. People wear anything from sweats and a t-shirt to a spring dress. Just depends, i prefere the t-shirt route. Yes, people interact everywhere. The four tables of students in a dining hall would be, jocks, sorority girls, the other two tables would be mixes of all the above. Most Wisconsin students are from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Chicago. Middle class is common. Students are very politically aware and predominantly left. Students all hope to make a lot of money.

The student body is active in everything, from politics to sports to academics to human rights to volunteering to fraternities/sororities to clubs. There are endless opportunities to be active in something that you are passionate about.

Most students come from Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Chicago suburbs, but I have also met many people from New York, New Jersey, and California, and a few from Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. From what I can tell, most students' families would fall under middle class, but this definitely varies. Most students are white, but there is a very active Multicultural Student Center for students who want to make connections with other students of similar nationality. 3{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is international. There is a stereotype that UW students are very liberal, but I would say that more accurately UW students are very involved, no matter what their political beliefs are.

The student body is not diverse, AT ALL. (so yeah, there you go). But whatever, i guess theres alot of like greek stuff (but im not really into that) and clubs or whatever but the people are pretty cool i guess. The funny thing is, is that you can like tell pretty quickly (and prob effectively) whose like rich and whose not. The "coasties" (which are ppl. form the coast of the US) are stereotyped as rich, stuck-up and like living in all the private dorms. While everyone else i guess are resident of wisconsin or other midwest states. i guess you can see the truth in it but yeah, theres always gonna be exceptions. blacks, ppl. of color, and ppl. that like diversity and/or has always lived in a place of diversity would feel out of place b/c of the sheer number of non minority kids that attend the school. most students wear like the schools color, hats, slippers, boots (especially during the winter), sweatpants, shorts and stuff. its a pretty casual place. most of the ppl. of color hang around with each ohter, i guess b/c theres not alot of them to go around. most wisconsin students are from the state itself (b/c its a public school), most prevalent is like middle class, but you can see a great deal of high class that goes to the school (especially in private dorms and stuff). students are pretty politically aware and active. predominantely they are left (ALOT of liberals). Students dont really talk about how much thell earn one day (but i guess it depends on who u hang out with)

There are groups to support every affiliation, race, and gender on campus. No one should feel out of place at Wisconsin because there are so many people. The students are predominatly left but there are quite a few right wingers as well. Most of the kids are from Wisconsin and Minnesota but there are lots of kids from all over the US and many other countries.

UW-Mad is a primarily white campus. There's a lot of "activities and programs" geared to other races, religions, sexual orientations and whatever else. I've attended two other schools before going to Madison, and it's nice to come to a school where not everyone wears sweatpants to class. (Ew.) A lot of people seem to take time making themselves look presentable in the morning. Most people at UW-Mad are from Wisconsin. There's a breed of student referred to as "coasties." This means someone who is from the coast, east or west. Wisconsin actually has lower admission standards for students who come from farther away, ie the coasts. Thus, coasties tend to be dumb and are constantly mocked. Don't let this scare you if you're from CA or NY or something: just don't be dumb and try not to tell people where you're from. =) Haha. Like I said, Madison is super liberal. I rarely ever see people preaching jesus or screaming about unborn fetuses on the streets, thank god.

Wisconsin's student body is so diverse and so large that I think anyone could find a place where they would fit in if they tried. Most of the students are more liberal leaning, as is the city, but everyone gets along just fine.

So...4 tables of students...Hmmmm... One will be a group of skinny girls with big sunglasses, baggy sweatshirts, spandex tights, and every kind of expensive electronic gadget imaginable. These are your Coasties/sorority girls. They will inevitably have a cup from Starbucks or Einstein's, and they're very, very clique-ish, and they have Daddy's credit card in their back pocket. They're almost always hung over. Your next group will be girls in jeans with Wisconsin hoodies and tennis shoes. These are your athletes usually. They're not as bad as the Coasties, but since almost everyone here is from the same high school they do tend to already have friends here when they get here. They're usually really nice, and if you have one as a roommate, you'll be fine. The next group will actually be Asian, and they won't be at a table. They're all international transfer students, and they hang out in front of the buildings before/after class smoking Parliament Lights and talking in a language you don't understand. They're also not particularly friendly, and very school oriented. Last, though these may be at the Coastie table, are the Frat guys/jocks/whatever you want to call them. They're predominantly blond and tall and built, and a lot of them are on leave from the Army. They can and sometimes are total jerks, but in general they just drink too much and don't study enough and are pretty harmless. The rest of the population varies. WI is blessed with having a very diverse set of viewpoints, so that even though you may not be a Greek, you'll still find friends. However, it is a lot harder, because 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of UW's students are from WI, meaning they already know each other from somewhere. If you move here from anywhere other than MN, MI, IL, or IA, you're basically on your own. Students are basically all liberals, and Madison in and of itself is a liberal town. Its not uncommon to see protests and other things going on all the time, and its not something to be ashamed of if you get involved.

Some suggested topics: What are your experiences with racial, religious, LGBT, socio-economic, and/or other groups on campus? there's a good amount of diversity and acceptence. plus people can usually find a group to hang out with that shares the same preferences/lifestyles as them.. yet you still are friends with all types of people across the map. What do most students wear to class? sweats Do different types of students interact? YES. wide ranges. especially because we do a pretty good variety of group pairing for classes so you get to know the different courner's of madison's student body There are four tables of students in the dining hall. Describe them. they are all completely mixed freshman year. after that.. not a lot of people eat at the dining halls. ha. --you find your niche. Where are most Wisconsin students from? "suburbs of chicago" ...east coast... california.. minnesota. and of course wisconsin. those together make up probably 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the madison population. What financial backgrounds are most prevalent? those from the east coast and from chicago area don't get reciprocity and obviously have to pay the fairly pricey out of state tuition.. so they're generally a little more wealthy. it's a real steal if you're from MN or WI!! jump on that! Are students politically aware / active? yessssss. you can get by without knowing much about politics (me) but there is a huge presence. Are they predominantly left, right or center? madison is known for being pretty liberal.. but i think it's somewhat of a misconception. i think our generation is more liberal than our parent's generation overall.. but there is still a huge presence of conservative outlooks in the student body. i'd say that assuming everyone had to pick a distinct side--left or right--about 35-45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} would be conservative. Do students talk about how much they'll earn one day? no.

Students are from all around the world. Madison, Wisconsin is an exciting place to be.

Wisconsin students have a reputation for being politically active. Students actively take part in protests on issues from political leaders to animal rights. However, one thing that students are very apathetic about is issues on their own campus, such as professor salaries, improving undergraduate facilities, and how the student body interacts with the administration in general. In our recent student government elections, we did not have even a 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} voter turn our. This is pathetic given our national recognition for our strong student government. Another example is our search for a new chancellor. We had open meet and greet sessions for the four finalists, and only a dozen or so students showed up at each. This is not only a fault of the students. It is a fault of the administration for giving the impression that students have little control over what happens at their university. The current administration has maintained a closed door policy for a time now, and students do not feel they have much contact with the administration. So the problem of student indifference cannot just be solved by getting students more active. The administration needs to take action, to let students know that they have a say in their university's policies.

People are SO accepting at Wisconsin. There are so many groups on campus, and they're very diverse. I really don't feel that anyone would feel out of place at Wisconsin... just about anyone can find a group to identify with and make their niche. Generally, I see a lot of sweatpants and sweatshirts being worn to class, but there has been a recent boom in the "tights and ugg boots" fad (which is usually worn by "coasties" -- people from the west/east coast... a name given by midwesterners and "sconnies" -- people from Wisconsin). The largest division of the student body has to do with that issue, between coasties and non-coasties. Students are incredibly politically aware and active. Remember back to the Vietnam War... the protests that happened here. We have a rich history of political action.

Racial and socio-economic diversity is a joke. LGBT students should feel pretty comfortable here.

The students are collectively pretty involved, whether in student orgs, in supporting athletics and other ways to occupy the non-class, non-boozing time. There are somthing like 700 registered student orgs on campus to get involved with. The prevailing division on campus falls along regional lines. The "Coasties" vs the "Sconnies". (Basically east/west coast vs Midwesterners). While we all poke fun at the opposite group, it all is for the most part in jest. Having gone Greek myself, there is a milder division on campus among Greeks and Non-Greeks. Our campus is only about 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Greek, but even so the majority of students are not explicitly anti-greek, they just don't know what greek life is about or (probably more accurate) they just don't care. The populations is largely white with small minority populations. The groups seem to interact fine without tension or major incident, but is unfortunate that the minority populations are so small. Madison's student body is incredibly political, after all several campus buildings built in the 70's were designed to be riot-proof due to the history of activism on this campus. The one quote I always like is "Madison is ## square miles, surrounded by reality". This is sometimes true, in the fact that campus and the liberal-downtown culture can isolate one from the rest of the world, but with the internet these days, anything goes. Next year should be interesting as the Presidential Election nears.

It is a liberal campus and there are many types of people. Almost anyone can fit in. There are a lot of Jewish people, we have a strong LGBT Alliance organization, varying economic classes, a large population of Asians...There are not many black people, though.

I don't think anyone would feel out of place in Wisconsin. There are kids from all over, who are interested in all different things. You can walk into a classroom and see a kid in sweats and another in a suit. It makes no difference.. There aren't as many minorities as there could be, but I think Wisconsin is working to change that. Also, campus is incredibly liberal. I'm liberal too, but sometimes students can take their political beliefs too far.

It's a mostly liberal campus, with a pretty large contingent of "Coasties". They're not the anti-christ, but not very many of them have ever had to earn anything in their lives. It can be frustrating to work 3 jobs so you can pay tuition out of pocket, and then hear a coastie bitch about how their mommy and daddy won't send them money to buy a new pair of Uggs. Come on guys... There is seriously a group for EVERYTHING - get involved. Those connections you make will stick with you for a LONG time.

Fairly diverse. Some economic diversity, little racial diversity. In state students are more laid back and down to earth- throw on a pair of sweats and go. Students from the coast are visibly wealthier. many out of staters live in private dorms. Students are mostly liberal, though you can be a conservative and survive here. Mostly upper-middle class people, some very wealthy, some not so wealthy.

I would love to see more people of different backgrounds here. I feel like you either see white people or Asian americans. Though that may be a big generalization, it's what you see in classrooms and dorms most often. I have close friends who come here and don't always feel comfortable because there are so few people of their race here. Most of the time, different kinds of people interact with others but most commonly, people stick to people who are most like them and don't explore differences enough.

VERY LIBERAL CAMPUS - I LOVE IT --- no one is out of place.

There seems to be a lot of coasties. And most people are pretty liberal. And I haven't met anyone who is actually against smoking weed. Smokers and non-smokers seem to respect each others choices and let them make up their own minds about what to do.

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

we need diversity. anyone who is a minority would feel out of place here, everyone is white. most wisconsin students are from wisco.

UW is diverse in it’s own way. There is definitely a gay community at school, which is only to be expected at such a liberal university in the liberal city of Madison. My sorority is actually close friends with the gay fraternity on campus, which is a really fun experience. Racially, there is not a lot of diversity. One of my friends, every time she sees a large African American male, points and screams, “look it’s a football player!” which is blunt, but unfortunately, often true. In my women’s studies class last semester we learned that the average family income of undergrad students is around $35,000. I don’t really know what that means in life overall, but I know that this kids from the coast’s parents make a lot more than that on average, which I guess is understood by our out-of-state tuition that is nearly 4 times the price of what in-state students pay to come here. That being said, there are a surprising amount of out-of-state students here, which does give the university its somewhat diverse feel. I have met people from almost all of the 50 United States, plus several international students from places like Sweden, Australia, and even Iraq. Pretty much, if you are very conservative, you would feel out of place here. Most students, myself included, wear jeans and a sweatshirt to class, if not an entire sweat suit. Comfort is key here. However, there are of course girls that get up and put makeup on every morning. I don’t really get it, they are not the majority, but they do exist. There is a huge in-state vs. out-of-state divide, which I will get to later, but it is interesting because I tend to find that most in-state students are here to major in whatever they plan to do in life, and to graduate into a job at the end of their 4 years here. However, most out-of-state kids are here for 4 years of fun, majoring in something they enjoy, only to go to grad school after their time here.

students wear everything from boy's grey sweat pants to burburry rainboats and earmuffs

Wisconsin is not very diverse. There are not a lot of people of color. I do not know why there is not a lot of diversity but a lot of the time it does seem that you see the same type of person walking down the street...white.

The University of Wisconsin, like the state of Wisconsin, is a primarily white state. There is very little diversity on campus with regards to ethnicity and race. The LGBT campus is represented, and Madison is very tolerant. The University has positive social and economic policies for employees who have gay partners. The LGBT groups are very active, and present throughout campus. The university has a very large Jewish population, and in a couple years a new state of the art Hillel will be constructed. Hillel constantly provides activities and events, and brings in speakers such as Bud Selig and the writers from LOST. The difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition prices are great, so most of the out-of-state students come from fairly affluent homes.

Honestly, no student would feel out of place here. The university, and city of Madison as well, is extremely liberal. Most students wear sweats to class. It's freezing here for most of the year...you do anything to keep warm. The school is mainly divided between Wisconsin/midwest kids and kids from the coasts/chicago. Most people hang out with other people that are from their area. The dorms are even segregated by where you are from. Out of state kids from the coast, live in private housing.

Honestly, different races I haven't really experience here. I have met a lot of Jewish people which was a change from where I'm from. I also met my first gay person here (even though I thought in high school I would never be friends with a homosexual) and we've been great friends for 4 years! None-maybe someone who didn't want to experience all it had to offer. I have met a ton from WI, IL and NY. middle class. yes, but not as political as would have thought/hoped. I think its pretty 50/50. Yes as usually its pretty high (probably way too high for what they hope to make right off the bat).

1. Hillel (Jewish organization) 2. a quiet, reserved student 3. jeans, sweats, leggings, UGGS :) 4. not really 5. Coasties, Asians, intellectuals, everyone else 6. Wisconsin, east and west coasts, Chicago, Minnesota 7. mixture 8. predominantly left, VERY aware 9. yes

From my experience I haven't experienced much diversity because most of the kids from my dorm are from towns similar to mine.

They've been positive, but I'll admit they haven't been extensive. A student who is anti-social, hates walking around outside (esp. to class), and sees no value in campus involvement (of any sort) would feel quite out of place here. Many students wear jeans and something on top. There are different types of students here, and I think they do interact, but perhaps not as much as they could. Lunch table groups: a) the jock-types who enjoy a side-scene of drinking/partying; b) the Greeks, who share many characteristics with the jocks, but are also incredibly involved all over campus; c) the earnest intellectuals who likely are involved in some kind of research on campus and/or are most likely to have a strong student-professionals than other groups; d) the Wisconsin in-staters who often grew up with Badger pride, and get really involved on campus [*** these groups are NOT mutually exclusive]. Something like 60-65{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students here are from Wisconsin (state school), 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are from Minnesota (reciprocity agreement), many are here from the Coasts (esp. New England), as well as a sizeable international group. Prevalent financial backgrounds: a) parents are paying for school - cost no object; b) parents are paying for school - cost considered; c) student paying for part, parents paying for part; d) students funding their own education in its entirety. Politically, many students are aware, if not quite active - most are somewhere between left-of-center and left, but many are also in the right-of-center and right spectrum. Future earnings aren't hugely discussed that I've seen, but I'm not a senior.

no one would feel out of place here. there are so many different types of people, everyone can find a group to hang out with and feel comfortable being themselves. with over 700 groups on campus there is something for everyone. different groups are also very accepting of each other, being a very liberal campus everyone gets along great!

Too many student orgs that don't know how to coordinate together, and ASM doesn't do shit.

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.

a little segmented between sconnies, mid westerners, and coasties. then there is the public dorm private dorm seperation. it can be a little annoying at times but it is still awesome

Nope.

---there are tons of school sponsored groups that cater to different groups ---lots of different students interact in classes but outside of class i think it just depends on the activities and groups you are involved in ---a lot of people are politically aware. most people are left winged but some people lean to the right. i would say that there is a pretty good mix of people