Across the United States, high school seniors are awaiting admissions decisions from various colleges. Here at Middleton High School, many students applied to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a school known for quality academics and exciting athletics.

Although those who chose Early Action already received their decisions from UW-Madison on Jan. 8, the many who applied for Regular Decision are still waiting for March 31 to receive their results. Even after the decisions are sent out, seniors around the country still have an important decision to make. Where will they be spending the next four years of their life?

UW-Madison’s website and college tours can provide important information to prospective students, but one of the best ways to actually learn about life on campus is to hear from current students. I interviewed two current freshmen at UW-Madison about their experiences in their first semester.

The first student I interviewed was Middleton High School alum Charlie Zumbrunnen.

The following interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Benjamin: What made you choose UW-Madison? Was it an easy decision?

Charlie: That was a very easy decision for me. It is a very quality school in both academics and athletics. I accepted my acceptance letter the night I was offered it. Very easy decision, very good school, close to home. And affordable because it’s in-state.

B: What was your first impression when you started at UW-Madison? How has it changed since then?

C: I thought it was a cool school. Still is a cool school. I thought classes were going to be really interesting, but they could be kind of boring at times. My medieval history class was fun at first, but now it’s boring as hell. Not much has changed. Classes got boring, life sort of settled. It wasn’t the same excitement as the first week.

B: What did you like about your first semester?

C: I was going to football, and that was pretty fun. And I liked doing economics for the first time ever.

B: What didn’t you like about your first semester?

C: You know, there wasn’t too much that I did not like. The accessibility of the food was pretty good. I think the quality of food in the residence hall was relatively low. It gets kind of repetitive. Everything just tastes bland. Nothing has intense flavor.

B: Are there any courses you think anyone should or shouldn’t take?

C: You should try to take Math 221, which is calculus and analytical geometry. It is very interesting. You learn a lot of concepts, and it’s my favorite class currently.

B: What advice would you give to those considering UW-Madison?

C: I guess do a tour. But… you’re not gonna know what it’s like till you are here. You’re not gonna know what the walks are actually like till you’re doing them every day. It is a fun school, but there are also really a lot of good opportunities to, like, provide success later in life. 

B: Are there any other things you’d like prospective students to know about UW-Madison?

C: On the third floor in the Student Activity Center, at the student print desk, they have a lost and found. So when you lose your AirPods or something, they will bring them down. So, if you ever lose something in the Students Activity Center or anywhere within that building, go to the lost and found.

The second student I interviewed was out-of-state student Molly Hauenstein. 

Benjamin: What made you choose UW-Madison? Was it an easy decision?

Molly: It was slightly hard going between Madison and Indiana, but Greek life and academics are what caused me to pick [UW-Madison].

B: What was your first impression when you started at UW-Madison? How has it changed since then?

M: I did not know a lot coming in. I was honestly scared that they wouldn’t have my name down, and I actually did not get in. But, I did not have much of criteria, [I] didn’t have that [many] expectations, so it just got better as it went. 

B: What did you like about your first semester?

M: I liked all the clubs I got involved in. I just like everybody being in the same boat when it came to friends and socializing, you never felt, I don’t know, alone. You could always find somebody or something to do.

B: What didn’t you like about your first semester?

M: All my classes. I took some design classes that were not needed. Because I got a little bit of misleading information around orientation time, but, you know, [I] kind of got it sorted out [second] semester. 

B: Are there any courses you think anyone should or shouldn’t take?

M: Yes, I think you should take your generals first, and career exploration classes, so when you know what you want to do, you are not behind. If you want to apply to a different school [within the UW system], they will have prerequisites you need to have done so you can apply. 

B: What advice would you give to those considering UW-Madison?

M: Join as much as you can. Continue being inclusive even if you have friends, because it is not necessarily true that those friends are your best friends. Do not cut people out just because you feel like you are all done.

B: Are there any other things you’d like prospective students to know about UW-Madison?

M: It is definitely easy to make a community and such. But it is also a big enough campus, which is nice that you can get away and you can always find other people. You can always avoid everything you want to avoid, you can always attend everything you want to be a part of. 

UW-Madison is a great choice for those looking into higher education. The most important thing when researching potential colleges is to go in with an open mind. A large university, like UW-Madison, has a diverse community where students are exposed to new ideas and opportunities. As Hauenstein explained, it is important to be ready to change your direction in college. With a variety of clubs, athletics, and classes, UW-Madison is a great place to learn more about yourself.