University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (UW)

University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee is “a large, economical, urban, commuter school offering many good programs,” including an architecture school that “is probably the most prestigious at UWM” and a “very intense” nursing school. Both “are incredibly hard to get into,” students warn, informing us that “They are small but very powerful when it comes to recruiting students. We have to set our deadlines more than six months in advance for them. I’ve heard of a lot of people being turned away from the programs because they missed a deadline or they weren’t good enough to get into the program.” Business, accounting, global studies, and pre-dental science programs all earn students’ praise. So, too, do a number of offerings in the creative arts; the theatre program is reportedly “growing and developing into a very strong program” while the film program is “heavy on experimentation but still valuable for traditional film production.” In short, “UWM is not the slacker school it used to be; it’s definitely changing its standards for the better.” Affordable and reasonable in its admissions standards, UWM “provides a diverse setting where people of any background are able to study and take advantage of opportunities to earn a degree without being spoon fed.”

“There is a lot of everyone at UWM,” “the most diverse school in the state of Wisconsin.” One student observes that “You can find blacks talking to Chinese, whites with Indians. Everyone’s pretty cool with everyone else.” In addition, UWM is home to “a lot of nontraditional students,” and “students [who] have part-time jobs and can offer a wide range of experience.” The result of all this diversity is that “in the same room with someone straight out of high school you can find someone who went to the Middle East in the military, a single parent, and someone who was a result of the Baby Boom. Everyone has his or her own thing going on. The campus can simultaneously be littered with posters for a protest and signs for Bible study.” Undergrads have to make an effort to make connections, though, as the typical student is “a commuter who spends little time on campus, [making] it difficult to meet new people. Most students stay friends with their high school friends.”

The UWM campus “has everything you need for a great time,” including “great food…a bowling alley in the rec center,” a “movie theater in the dorms where movies are constantly playing,” and a “workout center that is great and just renovated, so it’s almost like brand new.” In addition, “because Milwaukee has lots of great venues,” including not only a legendary bar scene—this is the city beer built, after all—but also “the Milwaukee Public Museum, the beach, Brewers games, Bucks games, and parties.” Of the last, students report that “People like their weekend parties. House parties pretty much dominate the weekend atmosphere. But people who aren’t down with house partying can find their place in the downtown scene,” because “In the summer, spring and fall there are a million things to do in Milwaukee.” How extensively students can enjoy these extracurricular options varies widely, as many here work and manage family obligations in addition to their school responsibilities, leaving little time for college fun.