Latinos (or URM) app. or attending law school in Wisconsin Forum

[jmvargas]

Ok, so there's only two law schools in Wisconsin: Marquette and University of Wisconsin-Madison. For those of you attending or applying there, what do you think of diversity there? Is there a minority presence there or is it isolating? I'm from California and would love to live in another part of the country for a while but I would hate to end up in a place where I would feel isolated. Please let me know what you think.

[lawrencecis]

I'm guessing there's a lot of white, and I'm not talking about the winter. But I have absolutely no clue. Though, I bet the worst part is not being able to get some good tacos and a horchata...

[narkizopoint]

Im white and live in east LA, don't worry, its not so bad.

[jmvargas]

No tacos in Wisconsin! Damn! Being white in East L.A. must be hard so it can't be that hard to be Latino in Wisconsin. I guess the main issue would be the ice cicles hanging from my nose!!!!

[taw856]

I don't know a lot about Wisconsin, but if you really got that desperate for food, Chicago is 3 hrs. from Madison and 90 minutes from Milwaukee, and you can definitely find taquerias there.

[Panther7]

neither area is "diverse", but Milwaukee contains a much higher percentage of minorities than any other area in the state.

The truth is that Wisconsin is a very white state. Very white. You may be hurting in the ethnic food category.

However, IF I was a minority, I'd go to Madison before Marquette. The culture in Madison is very liberal. I don't think you'd feel particularly misplaced unless you expected to be around a bunch of hispanics. There may be a lot of white and a lot of farmers in the state, but we're not rednecks. Just my two cents as someone who has lived in Wisconsin for a long time and has been admitted to both. Plus, you're probably not taking a Marquette JD out of the state.

[QW3R7Y]

To OP:

I can only speak on behalf of Marquette, but I can tell you that there is a minority presence here that is continually growing with each new wave of admitted law students. I am of Hispanic heritage, and I can tell you that there are a lot of organizations available to interested participants that revolve around strengthening the presence of minorities in this area. To name a few: Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee (HPGM), Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association (WHLA), Hispanic Law Student Association (HLSA; student organization at Marquette), and so forth.

All of the organizations I just mentioned are free to join for law students, and are a huge part of the community. HPGM, for example, not only brings Hispanic attorneys together, but all Hispanic professionals in the area. HLSA is an excellent opportunity for you to get to know your fellow Hispanic classmates. Additionally, while on the topic of students, I should point out that just this last year Marquette admitted one of its most diverse classes in the history of its law school.

I can assure you that coming to Milwaukee will not make you feel isolated. Additionally, because Hispanics are still currently under-represented here, you will be in a prime position to serve your community and fellow Latinos.

All of the replies you have received say the same stereotypical thing: Wisconsin is all white. Yes, WI has a very well-known reputation for being white, but that isn't all WI is. The Hispanic presence here is growing, and will continue to grow as time passes. The only question is, do you want to be part of the expansion?

If you have any follow-up questions about Milwaukee and its Hispanic presence, feel free to shoot me a private message.

[blueprint87]

I am a Latino student currently attending UW-Madison Law School and I can attest to the fact that within my 1L class there is a significant presence of minority students. The minority student groups also have great opportunities and students who are members are also leading members of non-minority student organizations. Of course, the majority population is going to be white but the school and community are very open to diversity. I can say that I am very happy with attending UW.

[Petruslaw]

Absolutely no worries needed. You will feel at home in the university.