Kris James

University Degree Title: Mechanical Engineering
Host University: University of Wisconsin Madison
Year of Study Abroad: 2007/08

Where did you live? Would you recommend it?

Tripp Hall, this was a university dorm for non freshmen, I meet a lot of my now good friends there, and it was situated by the lake in a student community, for Halls I wouldn´t want to of lived anywhere else.

Though if you don´t want to live in Halls then there are private accommodation, though it is more expensive for what you get I feel and it is not as easy to socialise. If you do want to do private then I know Regent apartments are very nice, Saxony apartments if you get offered them are not as good.

Make sure you chase up the University housing to secure you accommodation, as they forgot about me and I nearly didn´t get a place in Halls, though I did share a room I had a fantastic roommate, but there are single rooms available in Tripp Hall.

Which department(s) did you study in?

Engineering departments, mainly the Mechanical engineering but crossed with some industrial management and nuclear engineering.

How does the workload/classes/teaching styles vary to Sheffield?

Continual assessment, which seems to be standard in American schools, one homework every one to two weeks with three mid terms, a project and a final exam. However, each class is different depending on how the teacher runs their class. Early morning starts as early as 7.45am but when you choose your classes you know your schedule straight away. Teaching is excellent, the amount of money that is involved with the university means the facilities there are second to none, twice as good as Sheffield from what I experienced from the engineering side.

What did you do for fun/ at weekends / holidays?

The university has a vast array like Sheffield of clubs to get involved with, while the organisation Hoofers (which is part of the UW Madison and runs all outdoor activities).
For nightlife Madison is full of many bars as long as your 21 to have a good night in with most of them occurring on State street. On this street as well every year the notorious Halloween party occurs, while Madison also has another notorious street party called block party which occurs on Mifflin street. If you live in halls then university housing arranges lots of different trips done through you House fellow, while also there are lots of parties at a weekend. In the second semester around Easter time there is also spring break where the Hoofers organise a Ski holiday or you can always go off to the beach.

Describe the University/City/things to do

Excluding the nightlife which I have already mentioned, Madison is the Capital city of Wisconsin, so there is always a lot going on, the Capital building itself is very impressive and is open to the public, which lots of different unique shops leading up to it on state street. Every Saturday morning there is the Farmers market which is held around the capital square where you can get fresh goods.

Sport is really big at the University and none more so then American Football which I´m now an avid fan of, but make sure go to at least one Badger football game. The university stadium has a capacity of around 80,000 people so you can imagine a big atmosphere, while one whole end is just for students, which is an experience in its self.

With Chicago 2.5 hours away and Milwaukee 1.5 hours away and Minneapolis not too far in American terms there are plenty of Big cities to explore of a weekend as well

The union is one of only two unions in the country to have a bar in it so I was told, the terrace of the union is expansive which goes all the way to the edge of the lake. So it is the perfect place to study outside of sit down at on a summers evening.

Could you give any travel or immigration tips?

If you are getting a J-1 American visa then make sure you turn up to the embassy with all you forms that you need and all filled out. Be prepared for a long wait while in the embassy. The embassy is nothing like the Bourn Identity as I thought it was going to be, it´s just a big room full of lots of people, and all your doing there is waiting to give all your documents to one person at a booth and then wait to be called to the second lot of booths to be given approval, then they send you your passport back which took them only four days.

Could you give any advice or tips to a student preparing to go or tell them anything you wished you knew in advance?

If you living in Halls, there is a bedding company which sends you a leaflet so you can order all your bedding and towels before hand and they deliver it to where you will be staying. This meant that when I got there I had everything I needed in a box.

UW Madison also do what is called MFIS (Madison Friends of International Students) partners, which you can arrange if you get there a few days before you can get your accommodation, they will pair you up with a Madison resident that will pick you up from the airport or bus stop, and provide you with somewhere to stay and help you get your bearings, this really good I found.

Would you say it is cheaper or more expensive to live than Sheffield?

Cheaper by far, considering the way the exchange rate worked for me, everything was half price, while also the cost of living to us out there is cheap. Considering that you could get a pitcher of Miller beer on Thursday night for $2 = £1 I would say it was cheap.

Any other information or comments

Trying to sum everything up, this was the greatest thing I have done, UW Madison is one of the top state schools in the country, I recommend anybody to go there and you will have an unforgettable experience, I have made some life long friends out there that I´m keeping in contact with as well as going abroad gives you greater life skills in understanding and appreciating the world more.

Included in your tuition the UW Madison has three big gyms with swimming pools, indoor running tracks and ice rinks all for free, as well as a bus pass to go anywhere in the city.

Plus every semester you can do a 1 credit PE class, which there is a wide variety of choice to start a sport from basics. For example you could take Ice skating 1 and learn how to ice skate which classes twice a week, all you need to pay for is a pair of boots.

Relevant websites
www.wisc.edu
www.wiscolinks.com/
studentservices.engr.wisc.edu/
www.cityofmadison.com/metro/

Also go on google map online of Madison and click street view so you can get an idea of what it is like there!