What are some things I should know about WI

[accordmaniac]

Hello everybody, by May 1 I will have to make one of the most important decisions in my life, maybe it just seems important now. Picking the college that I will attend. I have been accepted by two colleges in Florida, University of South Florida and Florida State. The oddball college that I was accepted into is University of Wisconsin-Madison. Right now I am between Florida State and UW. To make my decision I need some of you Northerners to opine on the atmosphere (ex. friendliness of the people, weather, quality of life, etc) of the North and more specifically Wisconsin. I have lived in Florida for fourteen out of my eighteen years life and basically never travelled out of state before so I don't have a clue about any place other than Florida. It might seem strange that I am asking this question on an internet forum but I thought I might get some replies since there seems to be a good amount of people close to that area. Your input is appreciated and might make my decision less of a headache.

[-KGB-]

Well being that I live close I will say that you better be prepared for cold weather from mid October through mid April. You also better get used to a dirty car in these months as it will drive you insane trying to keep it clean. Did I mention snow? Did I mention ice storms? Did I mention slush and salt?

The weather in the late spring, summer, early fall is awesome. The lakes are amazing. The people of WI are very nice but you will find especially in Madison that half the town is not from there. Also, not that there are not more things to do but.....you better like to drink. There are twice as many bars in WI than in MN and there are more people in MN. You are born in WI with a Miller in one hand and shot glass in the other. WI takes their beer and boozing seriously.

The important thing....the women in that town are amazing.

Also take into consideration how far you will be from home. You can’t just hop in the car and drive to see mom and dad whenever you like. Average plane fair from WI to FL is about $350 round trip. Are you going to have to pay that? Are your parents willing to?

I think a lot of it comes down to how close you are to family and how much you want to get away from Florida. FSU and UW Madison are both excellent schools. At your age I would not have been ready to go that far away. I was and still am at 30 years old a momma’s boy. It would be hard to leave my parents.

Definitely do not make your decision until you visit the campus. Also take into consideration that you will be paying out of state tuition for the first year. That coupled with multiple trips home for holidays, semester breaks can be a lot of money if money is a concern.

There is an old saying about UW Madison - easy to get in, hard to stay in.

[III]

I live about 1 1/2 hours from Madison. Nice city. I go past it all the time when my family goes to WI Dells. What made you apply there? All the UW colleges are good. I went to UW-Milwaukee for 2 years before transferring to a tech school. My wife went to UW-Parkside in Kenosha, WI. Like KGB stated, if you don't like winter and the cold, WI isn't for you. Detailing in the winter months is a real pain in the you know what. Why not take a trip out here if you can and visit Madison for yourself?

[wytstang]

Visit before you leave......having said that about 5 years ago S. FL was getting to crowed for my taste and too $$$ then I would like. I'm all for leaving Fl to better (people wise), cleaner states, with people who have sense. I visited SC due to my g/f (soon to be wife) is stationed here, but I made sure I knew as much as I could about SC (if it sucked I would not have left). I do miss S. Fl weather but I don't miss the people or the expense of living down there. If $$ is there leave and experience a whole new world, because if feels like a new world in SC compared to Fl. Good luck and research the area weather, crime, insurance, gas prices (never would thought that would be a concern), quality of ed-U-kay-tion , job opertunities, etc, etc...Good luck

[accordmaniac]

Thanks for the replies. If I do go to UW then I will be leaving my car here. I don't see a need for a car with the bus service. In regards to tuition I am not 100% sure but when I checked online today they showed my estimated need after EFC as $29,909 and financial aid as $29,909. It wasn't very detailed so I am not sure how many were in grants and scholarchips and how much were loans. I'm not sure if I am ready to go so far away from home but I think that as long as I make a few friends I should be fine. If I go to FSU it will also seem far away too since it is a six hours drive from where I live.

III, I knew someone was going to ask why Wisconsin. To tell you the truth, it was a little random at first. I looked through US New's 100 Best American colleges and I saw UW-Madison on there as #34 which is higher than Florida's best public university which is UF so I decided to apply. I also thought that the change in location might be a good experience. Even though I lived in FL for almost all of my life, I would rather live somewhere cooler rather than in this awful heat. Not that I hate FL but it feels like I need some change about now. After school I do intend to live in FL close to my parents though.

KGB or someone, do you mind explaining the saying "UW Madison - easy to get in, hard to stay in"?

Also I don't drink nor do I intend to start and I am not much of a partier.

Its been so frustrating for the past couple of weeks trying to make up my mind on which college I want to sent my deposit. And again, thanks for the replies.

[Shelbrain]

I graduated from FSU in 2003. I, too, have lived in South Florida, Lighthouse Point, area all my life and I was also getting tired of the cost of living and the increase in population. I loved Tallahassee, there is a lot to do there and you get a taste of colder weather in winter. Tallahassee is a beautiful, old town. There are a lot of new things being built here. I am currently attending the law enforcement academy outside of Tallahassee. When I graduated, I moved to FL's west coast, so I could be halfway between home and friends who still lived in Tally. Good luck with your decision!

[III]

Originally Posted by accordmaniac

Its been so frustrating for the past couple of weeks trying to make up my mind on which college I want to sent my deposit. And again, thanks for the replies.

Like I stated earlier, I think you really need to visit the Madison campus and see for yourself what it's like if you haven't already done so. It would be like buying a car without test driving it first. This is a big decision for you during this time in your life, so you want to make sure you make the right one. Make a list of the pros and cons of each college and think things through the best you can.

It's funny how you mentioned that you'd rather live somewhere cooler. This past winter I was thinking about what it would be like to live somewhere warmer like FL or CA.

[jsatek]

At FSU you most likely will have better looking girls. Unless you are going to school a purpose other than just getting a degree, this matters. (MIT, RPI, Stanford, Cal Poly, and random Ivy League have other benefits)

I had the choice of ASU or IONA. I went to IONA and wasted 4 years with ugly chicks. I went to school for marketing, you can do that anywhere. Look for other benefits.

[KevinA]

A few years ago Madison, WI was voted one of the best cities to live. I've never been there, but I have in-laws that live in WI and have met many other folks there, I find them to be much nicer than the folks here in GA.

If you like the out doors, there is boating and fishing in the summer and skiing, snow mobiling, etc. in the winter. Yes, it gets cold, but if you're looking for an adventure, go for it.

If you are an independent type of person, I think you'll really enjoy being away from home. My brother went to college about a nine hour drive from home and really missed home and came back every break. I joined the Air Force and only came home a couple times a year (except when overseas).

[White95Max]

Originally Posted by accordmaniac

Also I don't drink nor do I intend to start and I am not much of a partier.

I don't either, but you'll quickly see how popular alcohol is in this state. It's one of the things I find really pathetic about WI. It seems that every time you turn around, someone is drinking or talking about drinking. Madison becomes home to a massive Halloween party every year, where college students from around the state go to get drunker than s**t for a few days. A few guys in my Botany class last year took their snowmobiles "bar-hopping" last winter. Basically, you ride to a bar, get a couple beers, drive to another bar, get another couple beers, and so on.

Definitely be prepared for cold weather from about November 1 to April 1. Before November, it's chilly, but not really cold. Nov-Apr is the time of snow and salt, usually. I had my summer wheels on until the 2nd week of November last year. Snow can be a real PITA, but if you learn how to drive in it, it can be very fun. And if you enjoy skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, etc, it might not be bad at all.

If you like to fish, there are a couple of terrific lakes around Madison. And if you enjoy hiking or mountain climbing, you can go to Devil's Lake State Park and climb the bluffs there. I've got to get down there this year to go kayaking and trout fishing.

Would you be moving here this summer if you accepted the invitation to UW-Madison?

[accordmaniac]

Thanks for all of the replies. I am still weighing UW against FSU so I am still not 100% sure if I'm going to go to UW, but I am leaning towards it. If I attend school there then I will be living in a dorm so in reply to your question Paul, I will go there whenever school starts but orientation is required so I think I will have to be up there for a couple days during the summer. I plan on using the bus system there so I won't be taking my car, at least for the first semester, and I don't have to worry about shoveling snow off my car and driving in snow.

I don't understand why people drink in excess either. I have seen the ugliness when my dad gets drunk once in a while so that serves as a motivation for me to be alcohol free, with the exception of wine for communion.

[White95Max]

Nearly every time I go in the gas station to pay, I see someone at the counter with a case of beer and a pack of smokes and/or chewing tobacco. As if the bill for gas isn't enough, they have to add that to the total.