University of Wisconsin Madison, college counseling, educational advisor, Chicago, Chicago suburbsSorry I have not written in awhile, as I’ve been very busy moving my eldest son into a house for his senior year.    This sparked an idea for a blog regarding the University of Wisconsin – Madison.   This blog is entitled, “Things I Love and Hate about UW Madison.”  I will start with the things I love, because overall, I LOVE this school.   Here goes:

What I Love about UW Madison:

  • Sitting at Memorial Union on the Lake, having beer (or not) and listening to music is in my personal list of 100 best college experiences.  This is actually my favorite thing about the school.
  • The students are very friendly and universally seem happy to be there.
  • The quality of the education is terrific.
  • The price (in comparison to other state schools) is relatively affordable.
  • There are plenty of housing options.
  • Madison is a fantastic town, both as a college town and a real place to live for real people.  It is a vibrant city.
  • Situated between two lakes, Madison is beautiful.
  • The new Union South is beautiful, busy, and contains the Union Hotel – a terrific value.
  • The students have a ton of school spirit.  Being in Madison on a football Saturday is a uniquely exciting experience

Things I hate:

  • The traffic.  With a maze of one way streets and chronic construction, GPS and patience are a must.
  • The off-campus housing – the shortcomings of which I recount below.

There is a seemingly large number of off-campus apartments and houses that are UNFURNISHED.   I do not truthfully know if this is the norm, but for some reason, my son has lived in both an apartment and a house that came unfurnished.   This is a royal pain – more for parents than the students, who tend to be relatively clueless about the added expense and hassle of buying cheap but durable furniture and then having to move it each year.   I am curious as to how this practice became acceptable.    Also, since leases start on a variety of random dates, some students (like mine) find themselves with several days between leases.

Parents be forewarned, should your student attend this top-notch state university, make sure they are thoughtful about their off-campus housing choices.