How much does the University of Wisconsin suck? Forum

[anthonyc350]

Man, I feel like this discussion proves some of UW-Madison's shortcomings. It doesn't matter what the graduate school is ranked, and its probably ranked that way because professors like Strauss, Rivlin, Goldstein, etc. refused to teach ugrads anymore because of poor class attendance (did independent study w/ Goldstein, thats a fact).

Seriously, you have to attack my character? I fit in great, and I'm not bashing the school, I'm just bringing some of the grads back to reality. Just like every other big state school, there are some great professors, a lot of mediocore ones, and some horrible ones. Since I started my Poli Sci degree my freshman year, professor Moustafa went to an ivy, Pevehouse went to UChicago (returning to teach grad school only because his family disliked Chicago), McElravey went to an ivy, and Rivlin is leaving to work on capital hill. Soon Downs, and Strauss and some of the legendary history professors (Sharpless, Desan) will retire, the money will keep funneling into the business school and the popular letters and science majors will go by the wayside. I'm not bashing Wisconsin because I hate it, I'm criticizing it because it let the popular l&s majors go in order to overfund the business school with the little money the school receives and then block out money streaming from sports to the University through the "Badger Fund." Meanwhile, senators like Herb Kohl find it necessary to donate huge amounts of money for a brand new arena while Wisconsin sits dead last in financial aid given to students.

But keep attacking me personally, that proves your point really well . I wear my Badger stuff just as proudly as you do, I just know the school is going downhill fast, the fact that you are ignorant to it is your own problem.

[Jay Phatsby]

How does the school compare to the U of Minnesota (gophers)?

[jcwilsn1]

Man, I feel like this discussion proves some of UW-Madison's shortcomings. It doesn't matter what the graduate school is ranked, and its probably ranked that way because professors like Strauss, Rivlin, Goldstein, etc. refused to teach ugrads anymore because of poor class attendance (did independent study w/ Goldstein, thats a fact).

Seriously, you have to attack my character? I fit in great, and I'm not bashing the school, I'm just bringing some of the grads back to reality. Just like every other big state school, there are some great professors, a lot of mediocore ones, and some horrible ones. Since I started my Poli Sci degree my freshman year, professor Moustafa went to an ivy, Pevehouse went to UChicago (returning to teach grad school only because his family disliked Chicago), McElravey went to an ivy, and Rivlin is leaving to work on capital hill. Soon Downs, and Strauss and some of the legendary history professors (Sharpless, Desan) will retire, the money will keep funneling into the business school and the popular letters and science majors will go by the wayside. I'm not bashing Wisconsin because I hate it, I'm criticizing it because it let the popular l&s majors go in order to overfund the business school with the little money the school receives and then block out money streaming from sports to the University through the "Badger Fund." Meanwhile, senators like Herb Kohl find it necessary to donate huge amounts of money for a brand new arena while Wisconsin sits dead last in financial aid given to students.

But keep attacking me personally, that proves your point really well . I wear my Badger stuff just as proudly as you do, I just know the school is going downhill fast, the fact that you are ignorant to it is your own problem.

So I havent bothered to read anything that you've said before (including this thread).

I guess I only have two questions. How does anyone(prospective student, current student, or alumni) attacking you, prove any point that you've made? did you say that UW students are mean or something?

Second, the school is going downhill "fast" from what point of time? Yesterday? A year ago? Tomorrow? Or is that just speculation?

[markymark]

None of that is true . I don't hate the school, its just not all everyone that goes there cracks it up to be, its just another huge big 10 state school. All the "public ivy" stuff is nonsense.

It's not nonsense - unless you went to a TTT, non-research oriented, state school with the sole purpose of dominating in NCAA football while providing barely a high school education for it's students - i.e. Ohio State, WVU, etc. There is a substantial difference between these schools and Wisconsin, Michigan, UCLA, etc. While Wisconsin is not as "prestigious" as an Ivy League school, the "Public Ivy" designation serves to distinguish the University of Wisconsin as a world-class research institution, where significant advancements in life sciences, engineering, and physics have been made. Home to 17 Nobel laureates, this is testimony to how much cutting edge research is done at the University of Wisconsin - the same can not be said for Ohio State (2 Nobel Laureates), WVU (0), etc. Why does this matter? One of my professors was a Nobel Laureate and there is a difference in learning the same textbook examples regurgitated by thousands of UGs across the country, and seeing the newest examples being created in your professors lab. Note the number of Nobel Laureates simply serves as an example of the playing field; there are hundreds of equally talented professors at the University of Wisconsin who have not won a Nobel Prize.

I'm sure many people have their reasons for disliking the University of Wisconsin. I am not claiming this is the best school in the land, nor that all of the students are the brightest. But I do know that the University of Wisconsin succeeds in providing a real world-class university experience (as opposed to other "universities" that are little more than community colleges with D1 football teams), and all at an affordable in-state tuition. This is what makes the University of Wisconsin is a "public ivy". In fact, the actual definition of a "public ivy" is: "a publicly-funded university successfully competing with the Ivy League schools in academic rigor...."

Wisconsin is not on par with Michigan, UVA, UCLA, and Berkeley. It is more along the lines of Illinois and Indiana.

No, and to say so would be ignorant. But certainly on the same league of public world-class research universities. The main point I was trying to make is that UW-Madison is not just "another state school" and that the University of Wisconsin certainly does not "suck", as the title of this thread suggests.


Best Colleges: Top Public Schools: National Universities

University of California--Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Rank 1
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
Rank 2
University of California--Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Rank 3
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
Rank 4
University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Rank 5
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Rank 6
University of California--San Diego
La Jolla, CA
Rank 7
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
Rank 7
University of Wisconsin--Madison
Madison, WI
Rank 7
University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
Rank 10
................................................

Indiana University--Bloomington
Bloomington, IN
Rank 30

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

[billykraus]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

That makes little to no sense if Wisconsin is rated above Illinois. Sorry kid.

[markymark]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

That makes little to no sense if Wisconsin is rated above Illinois. Sorry kid.

Just because a school is ranked a few spots higher does not mean it is harder to get into.

I can tell you aren't that bright.

[minnesconsin]

Hi Everyone, reading this board for a long time, never posted. Boring summer job so need to find something to keep me busy...

I think I have a little perspective on this topic as I graduated from Wisconsin UG and will be attending the law school in the fall. I am very excited about being in Madison for another three years, however I will admit that I had to (at least a little bit) convince myself of that. Originally from the Twin Cities, born and raised a Gopher (hockey esp) fan, have a younger sibling wo will be a junior at the University of Minnesota in the fall. In all honesty, if I would have been accepted to the UMN law school I'd be back in Minneapolis in a heartbeat, partly because of the reputation of the school, partly because Mpls/St. Paul is a great place to live and is fun, mostly because it's home.

Madison is great for undergrad, I wouldn't have picked any other school over it. In fact, I turned down going to the University of Minnesota UG. As MN residents, we get instate tuition in Wisconsin, so the quality of the school for the amount of money spent on tuition is a great deal. We'll see how Madison is for grad/law school and for being a little bit older.

I'll probably chime in more but this is getting way to long for my first post.

[billykraus]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

That makes little to no sense if Wisconsin is rated above Illinois. Sorry kid.

Just because a school is ranked a few spots higher does not mean it is harder to get into.

I can tell you aren't that bright.

Omg who told you?!

[annapavlova]

Madison is an overrated shithole. You will be bored to death if you go to Wisconsin (not to mention frozen in the winter and bug-bitten when the lake thaws out). But, if you enjoy being harassed by homeless asking for change, then you would feel right at home walking down State Street in Madison.

But I bet you wouldn't feel right at home if you walked through the streets of LA, DC, and NYC?

Wow...I must have been in another dimension the last time I was in DC getting harassed by people with makeshift shacks made of cardboard boxes on the main drag.

[minnesconsin]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

It's funny how some of the Chicago people think the world revolves around them. Wisconsin is used as a great school for kids FROM Wisconsin and for a lot of us from Minnesota. We'd all be better off if the pretentious kids from Illinos would get over themselves and quit whining about how Chicago is so much better. You chose to come here and pay out of state tuition, enjoy it.

[markymark]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

It's funny how some of the Chicago people think the world revolves around them. Wisconsin is used as a great school for kids FROM Wisconsin and for a lot of us from Minnesota. We'd all be better off if the pretentious kids from Illinos would get over themselves and quit whining about how Chicago is so much better. You chose to come here and pay out of state tuition, enjoy it.

I'm sure the vast majority would have preferred to go to U of I. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't. Hence them heading to UW.

[coolkatz321]

Yeah, I doubt that's true. Look, maybe UIUC wins out for engineering, but for other majors? I don't think so.

Besides, living in Madison for 4 years vs. Chambana? C'mon. One is gorgeous, has lakes and nature trails surrounding it, and the other is surrounded by cornfields. I got into both for UG and was totally ready to go to UW, until my parents brought the whole "cost" argument up.

But hey--I'm going there for law school, and I made the same choice (again).

[minnesconsin]

From the Wisconsin undergrad admissions website
25-75%ile ACT: 26-30
25-75% SAT: 1830-1890


From the Illinios undergrad admissions website
25-75%ile ACT: 27-32
25-75% SAT: 1820-2100

So maybe it's a little bit tougher to get into Illinois, but not enough to say that Wisconsin is used as a backup. The only Big 10 school that Wisconsin is a backup to, and I'm talking undergrad, is Northwestern. I'd say the vast majority of those who got into Wisconsin also got into Illinois, and picked Madison for the reasons Coolkatz pointed out. You can argue that one Big 10 school is better than another in particular departments, but all things considered most of them are pretty much the same in terms of quality of school.

[Jay Phatsby]

Hi Everyone, reading this board for a long time, never posted. Boring summer job so need to find something to keep me busy...

I think I have a little perspective on this topic as I graduated from Wisconsin UG and will be attending the law school in the fall. I am very excited about being in Madison for another three years, however I will admit that I had to (at least a little bit) convince myself of that. Originally from the Twin Cities, born and raised a Gopher (hockey esp) fan, have a younger sibling wo will be a junior at the University of Minnesota in the fall. In all honesty, if I would have been accepted to the UMN law school I'd be back in Minneapolis in a heartbeat, partly because of the reputation of the school, partly because Mpls/St. Paul is a great place to live and is fun, mostly because it's home.

Madison is great for undergrad, I wouldn't have picked any other school over it. In fact, I turned down going to the University of Minnesota UG. As MN residents, we get instate tuition in Wisconsin, so the quality of the school for the amount of money spent on tuition is a great deal. We'll see how Madison is for grad/law school and for being a little bit older.

I'll probably chime in more but this is getting way to long for my first post.

Where do you want to work after law school? (Region/city)

[NightPutting]

From the Wisconsin undergrad admissions website
25-75%ile ACT: 26-30
25-75% SAT: 1830-1890


From the Illinios undergrad admissions website
25-75%ile ACT: 27-32
25-75% SAT: 1820-2100

So maybe it's a little bit tougher to get into Illinois, but not enough to say that Wisconsin is used as a backup. The only Big 10 school that Wisconsin is a backup to, and I'm talking undergrad, is Northwestern. I'd say the vast majority of those who got into Wisconsin also got into Illinois, and picked Madison for the reasons Coolkatz pointed out. You can argue that one Big 10 school is better than another in particular departments, but all things considered most of them are pretty much the same in terms of quality of school.

Right on the money. I went to Illinois for UG primarily because of in-state tuition. All this BS minutiae was absolutely not a factor. If I could do it over again, I would probably have been just as happy or perhaps slightly moreso at UW or Michigan, but not 3x-4x happier (to justify the tuition disparity). They're all great institutions, and after NW you're looking at little to no difference in educational quality between U of I, UW and UM. A campus comparison would be different story, however.

All this squabbling is pretty damn trivial if you ask me.

[onwisconsin25]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).[/quote]


YOU COULD NOT BE MORE WRONG! I'm from Chicago and a lot more people don't get in to Wisconsin than get in to U of I. Wisconsin has reciprocity with Minnesota so they have twice as many in state kids to accomodate, probably why their ACT score is somewhat lower. People from Illinois don't regard Illinois as a better school all of the time and mostly choose it because of money, not because of education quality. Most kids, if they had actually gotten in to Wisconsin, would go there if they could afford it. Your comment is incredibly ignorant.

[nn223]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

It's funny how some of the Chicago people think the world revolves around them. Wisconsin is used as a great school for kids FROM Wisconsin and for a lot of us from Minnesota. We'd all be better off if the pretentious kids from Illinos would get over themselves and quit whining about how Chicago is so much better. You chose to come here and pay out of state tuition, enjoy it.

I'm sure the vast majority would have preferred to go to U of I. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't. Hence them heading to UW.

titcr. UW is for the kids who didn't have the numbers to get into prestigious schools like WUSTL

[coolkatz321]

So I was pretty much right. Wisconsin is used as a backup school for kids from Chicago who can't get into U of I. Sorry kid.

(Note: I did not attend any of these schools. Nor did I apply to any of them. I'm unbiased).

It's funny how some of the Chicago people think the world revolves around them. Wisconsin is used as a great school for kids FROM Wisconsin and for a lot of us from Minnesota. We'd all be better off if the pretentious kids from Illinos would get over themselves and quit whining about how Chicago is so much better. You chose to come here and pay out of state tuition, enjoy it.

I'm sure the vast majority would have preferred to go to U of I. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't. Hence them heading to UW.

titcr. UW is for the kids who didn't have the numbers to get into prestigious schools like WUSTL

You're a troll, AND you were rejected from Wisconsin. Enjoy Miami, because that's the only school your sorry ass was able to get into.

[bedbathandbeheadings]

Madison is an overrated shithole. You will be bored to death if you go to Wisconsin (not to mention frozen in the winter and bug-bitten when the lake thaws out). But, if you enjoy being harassed by homeless asking for change, then you would feel right at home walking down State Street in Madison.

But I bet you wouldn't feel right at home if you walked through the streets of LA, DC, and NYC?

Wow...I must have been in another dimension the last time I was in DC getting harassed by people with makeshift shacks made of cardboard boxes on the main drag.

I'm sorry, but I stand by my statement that the midwest is a festering shithole. Can you say 'boondocks'?

[coolkatz321]

Madison is an overrated shithole. You will be bored to death if you go to Wisconsin (not to mention frozen in the winter and bug-bitten when the lake thaws out). But, if you enjoy being harassed by homeless asking for change, then you would feel right at home walking down State Street in Madison.

But I bet you wouldn't feel right at home if you walked through the streets of LA, DC, and NYC?

Wow...I must have been in another dimension the last time I was in DC getting harassed by people with makeshift shacks made of cardboard boxes on the main drag.

I'm sorry, but I stand by my statement that the midwest is a festering shithole. Can you say 'boondocks'?

If you've ever visited Madison (which you obviously have not), the city is beautiful. The Arboretum, Lakes Menona and Mendota, bike trails...the list goes on and on.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again--you obviously like the Midwest enough to apply to Wisconsin, and kudos to them for rejecting you. Enjoy Cooley, I hear it's great.

Oh, and please--revel in the total shithole that is Madison, Wisconsin:

--ImageRemoved--

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[ruleser]

I can add only this: I ran a whole bunch of schools by a top lawyer at a big firm on the coast, such as W&M, W&L, OSU, GMU, none of them had reps that carried EXCEPT Wisconsin - which he said had a good rep that he had heard way out there... this is for law - I'm not sure why the discussion here is so much about other subjects, which are irrelevant...

[jcwilsn1]

I can add only this: I ran a whole bunch of schools by a top lawyer at a big firm on the coast, such as W&M, W&L, OSU, GMU, none of them had reps that carried EXCEPT Wisconsin - which he said had a good rep that he had heard way out there... this is for law - I'm not sure why the discussion her is so much about other subjects, which are irrelevant...

not that it exactly matters, but I'm assuming east coast?

[ruleser]

I can add only this: I ran a whole bunch of schools by a top lawyer at a big firm on the coast, such as W&M, W&L, OSU, GMU, none of them had reps that carried EXCEPT Wisconsin - which he said had a good rep that he had heard way out there... this is for law - I'm not sure why the discussion her is so much about other subjects, which are irrelevant...

not that it exactly matters, but I'm assuming east coast?

West

[AbsolutLax]

Wow...I must have been in another dimension the last time I was in DC getting harassed by people with makeshift shacks made of cardboard boxes on the main drag.

"Main drag" what are you talking about? Do you mean Constitution ave? or Pennsylvania ave? Do you even know the street names? I work in D.C. every day and have never been harassed by people. Guess you just look like a sucker.

[coolkatz321]

so you found pictures of few parks congrats... Madison, Wisconsin is a shithole

Hey, it could be worse--I could be going to the giant turd that is Arlington, VA.

By the way, none of those pictures were from parks (one was from the UW Arboretum, though). Oh, and for fun--another picture of Madison: